Hitting the wall with an acoustic/ electric

[AdamCohn]

I am playing Rocksmith with a Fender acoustic that has a built in pick up and preamp. For the most part it works great and I am very pleased that I am getting consistently better. There are some issues however with the acoustic. The only time I have ever played and electric is when I sat down at Best Buy and played the rocksmith display. My questions are:

Are there a significant number of people playing with an acoustic? How many are playing rocksmith with an acoustic (1 out of 100 : 1 out of 1000 : 1 out of 10,000?)?

What issues are you having?

Here is my list:

Bends - Just don't work, the strings are too tight and I can not bend the notes by a whole step. I compensate by sliding instead of bending. It works just fine most of the time and generally sounds OK.

Sustains - The strings on my acoustic don't sound as long as they would on an electric. So, on longer sustains I have to sound the string a few times before the sustain ends.

Ambient vibration of strings - For instance, this happens when I strum the bottom three strings. The top three will vibrate harmonically. (I don't think that this is as pronounced on an electric) This is a problem in some songs more than other depending on the sensitivity of the effect for that song. Some songs pick up every touch of the string and others are less sensitive. "This Love" is one of those songs where it is problem. I have to turn the volume way down (and then the E string wont register, so I have to turn the bass up, which makes it worse.) So far that is the only song that is unplayable.

Not enough frets - There is one song that I have run into that requires more frets than my guitar has, I think it is Freebird. My guitar does have a cutout so I can get up there, but I can't add more frets.

Rhythm Sections - Because I have an acoustic, I hear my guitar over the sound that comes out of the TV. This is actually great on the Solos, because I know immediately if I have flubbed a note. On sections where there are a lot of chords, I am not really sure how this sounds with the song because it is so loud. (My XBox does not have a HD: so alas, no replay)

BTW this is not a complaint thread - this is a game designed to use an electric and I am using an acoustic... so all of these problems are within tolerance. But it would be interesting to know how many acoustics are out there... maybe an unplugged arrangement could come sometime in DLC (Laya anyone?)

or maybe I should just by an electric

[rchiav]

If you are going to continue to play guitar (i.e. not just play a game where you use a guitar), you should really buy an electric. Some of the things like string bending are also due to hand strength, but it will be easier with an electric due to the lighter gauge strings. Bending 1 step on an acoustic is something that's done. What you can't do is 2 and 2 1/2 step bends.

Also, it's not that the game is designed for an electric. There are acoustic songs in the game. The problem is that you're trying to play songs that are played on an electric, like they're played on an electric, but on an acoustic.

[The_Penguin222]

You'll definitely need an electric to progress.
You don't need to spend a huge amount, a Mexican Strat or Chinese Epiphone will do, even some of the off-brand guitars will be ok as long as you get one that's reasonably set up.
I think you'll find a big difference

[jlombardi]

I started out using an acoustic/electric while i tried to figure out why my electric wasnt working with the game.

i had all the same problems except for the bends ( i had no problem bending my acoustics strings)

anyway like these other people said get an electric all those problems will go away

[SeattleSauve]

Yeah, I can't imagine playing that Hangar 18 combo, or any of the tapping arrangements (Ricochet, Star Spangled Banner) on an accoustic :)

Probably sounds pretty good for High and Dry though. Do you have the lightest possible accoustic strings on there? That might help a bit in bending.

[AdamCohn]

Thanks for commenting everyone ... sounds like it is unanimous, a new guitar it is.....:) My wife will be so happy.

[The_Penguin222]

Thanks for commenting everyone ... sounds like it is unanimous, a new guitar it is.....:) My wife will be so happy.

Last week I bought a new (to me) Les Paul. Pure co-incidence my wife was out of town. No really it was.
My Facebook status was "Off to see a guy about a guitar..."

First person to click on "like" was my Wife.
When I got home she posted "post a picture of it"

Even though I already had 6.

Best. Wife. Evar!!!!

[jlombardi]

Last week I bought a new (to me) Les Paul. Pure co-incidence my wife was out of town. No really it was.
My Facebook status was "Off to see a guy about a guitar..."

First person to click on "like" was my Wife.
When I got home she posted "post a picture of it"

Even though I already had 6.

Best. Wife. Evar!!!!

that's awesome

[AdamCohn]

My wife is helping me shop for one right now....

Not sure what to get... Just starting to look. I think I would like to stay under $500, but would really rather not spend more than $300. I will need a chromatic tuner, so I am looking at the packs.

looking at this pack, which seems to be a good deal... midlevel guitar plus entry level amp... any thoughts.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-SE-Special-Strat-with-Squier-SP-10-Amp-Value-Pack-104486246-i1177839.gc

[MrKev1n]

You probably want to look at ones without a tremolo (whammy bar). Changing tunings to drop d would be difficult (or so I've heard).

[CrazedRacer]

You probably want to look at ones without a tremolo (whammy bar). Changing tunings to drop d would be difficult (or so I've heard).

Tremolo isn't an issue... You just don't want a Floyd Rose tremolo... I play on a Strat quite a bit. The tremolo doesn't matter at all.

[MrKev1n]

Tremolo isn't an issue... You just don't want a Floyd Rose tremolo... I play on a Strat quite a bit. The tremolo doesn't matter at all.

What's the differance? I've been avoiding looking at tremolo equipped guitars because of the tuning issue's I've read about (hard to change to drop d, hard to keep in tune if using the tremolo).

[AdamCohn]

You probably want to look at ones without a tremolo (whammy bar). Changing tunings to drop d would be difficult (or so I've heard).

Really? Why would that be?

[CrazedRacer]

What's the differance? I've been avoiding looking at tremolo equipped guitars because of the tuning issue's I've read about (hard to change to drop d, hard to keep in tune if using the tremolo).

A Floyd Rose is what people that are playing a lot of metal, etc. use - also if they stay in a Drop C or something. The Floyd Rose locks the strings at a certain length. It helps to stay in tune when you're dive bombing and stuff... but they're a pain to change tunings, since the strings are locked in at a specific length (tuning).

I rarely even put my trem bar in the Strat, simply because I'm always playing RS. It has no issue staying in tune at all - probably stays in better than my Tele, which is a non trem guitar.

[MrKev1n]

Really? Why would that be?

Apparently I may be wrong. I've read multiple times on this forum that having a floating bridge/tremolo/whammy bar makes it very difficult and time comsuming to change to drop d tuning and can cause your guitar to go out of tune easily.

Maybe I misunderstood something. Hopefully more experienced people will chime in with some good comments on the subject.

[MrKev1n]

CrazedRacer - Thanks for the explanation. So a Floyd Rose tremolo should be avoided (if wanting to use a single guitar for multiple tunings in RS) but a Strat type tremolo is OK. Good to know - Thanks.

[CrazedRacer]

CrazedRacer - Thanks for the explanation. So a Floyd Rose tremolo should be avoided (if wanting to use a single guitar for multiple tunings in RS) but a Strat type tremolo is OK. Good to know - Thanks.

I think the issue is more pronounced with a FR trem if you're going from E Standard to a Drop C or something - when the strings change length by quite a bit. Otherwise, it probably isn't an all the time issue. I just avoid it by not getting a FR equipped guitar. I don't need the hassle. But a standard trem guitar like a Strat is not affected at all by changing tunings back and forth.

[AdamCohn]

I think the issue is more pronounced with a FR trem if you're going from E Standard to a Drop C or something - when the strings change length by quite a bit. Otherwise, it probably isn't an all the time issue. I just avoid it by not getting a FR equipped guitar. I don't need the hassle. But a standard trem guitar like a Strat is not affected at all by changing tunings back and forth.

So this is a problem with the automatic tuners?? ... you should only have those if you do not change tunings too much?

[CrazedRacer]

So this is a problem with the automatic tuners?? ... you should only have those if you do not change tunings too much?

Automatic tuners? You mean the guitars that tune themselves? They're really expensive... I would never pay for an automatic tuning guitar. It just takes 2 seconds to retune yourself.

What I was talking about are Floyd Rose equipped guitars. Because they hold the strings at a fixed length, it's a pain to go from one tuning to another - because when you change the tension (length) on one string (6th string), it changes the tension on all of them. With a non FR guitar, it's no big deal, because the other strings tend to just equalize and still be within the tunning ranges. On a FR, it may make you have to retune all 6 strings because you have changed tension on the 6th string and thrown the other strings out of tune, as well (because the FR system has them LOCKED down at a certain length). Like I said, it may not be an issue on all Floyd Rose equipped guitars, but I just avoid FR guitars due to the added complexity of restringing them and tuning them.

If you're looking at dropping $300 on a guitar, take a look on Ebay and find a nice Squire (NOT Affinity) Strat or Tele. Really good bang for the buck on a guitar that you can probably snipe for $150 or so...

[rchiav]

So this is a problem with the automatic tuners?? ... you should only have those if you do not change tunings too much?


They're not automatic tuners. There's a lock for the strings at the nut, like this

http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/BP0018010.jpg

and then you have the floating trem, like this:

http://image.dhgate.com/albu_180322270_00/1.0x0.jpg

Now the problem is that the bridge "floats", meaning that it will rock back and forth. If you have the string tension pulling the bridge forward, you need something to pull it backwards to keep it "floating". For that, there are springs on the back. The problem is if you loosen the locking nut to drop the tuning of one of the strings, that will be less tension on the floating bridge and it will pull the other string tighter and they will go sharp. Then you'd have to loosen the claw in the back that holds the strings, but then your E (dropped to D) will now be flat. You'd have to keep doing this over and over until you got it right. Then you have to go through the whole process again to get it back into standard tuning.

Do you have an hour to change to drop D and then back again?


Short answer: Just don't get a Floyd unless you want to do dive bombs.


With a Strat type trem, you can keep it flush to the body and it will not rock back and make your other strings sharp when you tune to drop D.

[CrazedRacer]

rchiav explained it much better than I did... And his conclusion was correct. If you don't specifically NEED a Floyd Rose (and know why), then don't buy one.

[Rwarrior28]

looking at this pack, which seems to be a good deal... midlevel guitar plus entry level amp... any thoughts.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-SE-Special-Strat-with-Squier-SP-10-Amp-Value-Pack-104486246-i1177839.gc
Hey. I got this pack, but I got the black one. It isn't very good, but for its price, it's ok. I've heard that squier has a lot of quality control issues, but my pack was fine. The problem with floating tremolos is that when you adjust one string, it affects all the other strings. If you are just going between standard and drop D, like in rocksmith, it won't be that big of a deal, but sometimes when you are done tuning, you will have to go back again to adjust some of the other strings. I opened the back of mine and screwed the screws in as much as I could. It lowers the bridge and helps with tuning stability. I would still rather have a guitar with no trem system though. The amp it comes with is not very good. It's actually pretty bad. The overdrive is extremely terrible. It was a pretty nice pack though for me when I first got it. I still use the tuner it came with. Try looking at some epiphones. This one seems nice. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/epiphone-les-paul-100-electric-guitar

[MrKev1n]

Try looking at some epiphones. This one seems nice. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/epiphone-les-paul-100-electric-guitar

That's the same one I bought in December for my first guitar (in Heritage Cherry Sunburst). Plays great, got very good reviews and I love it so far.

[rchiav]

There are decent Squiers, but they cost a little moire. Look at either the Classic Vibe or Vintage Modified series. By all accounts, they're as good or better than the MIM Fender branded Strats. You can get them used for $200-$250 too.

Here's one with no bids for $180 and a BIN for $225.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fender-Squire-Strat-60s-Classic-Vibe-/320885050889?pt=Guitar&hash=item4ab63d4e09#ht_697wt_1173

Another option (if you want a Strat style) is a Yamaha Pacifica. Just about everything Yamaha makes is decent quality and these have a repuatation of being a great starter instrument. Read the reviws.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/yamaha-pac112j-electric-guitar

[rockabillybaby]

I am playing Rocksmith with a Fender acoustic that has a built in pick up and preamp. For the most part it works great and I am very pleased that I am getting consistently better. There are some issues however with the acoustic. The only time I have ever played and electric is when I sat down at Best Buy and played the rocksmith display. My questions are:

Are there a significant number of people playing with an acoustic? How many are playing rocksmith with an acoustic (1 out of 100 : 1 out of 1000 : 1 out of 10,000?)?

What issues are you having?

Here is my list:

Bends - Just don't work, the strings are too tight and I can not bend the notes by a whole step. I compensate by sliding instead of bending. It works just fine most of the time and generally sounds OK.

Sustains - The strings on my acoustic don't sound as long as they would on an electric. So, on longer sustains I have to sound the string a few times before the sustain ends.

Ambient vibration of strings - For instance, this happens when I strum the bottom three strings. The top three will vibrate harmonically. (I don't think that this is as pronounced on an electric) This is a problem in some songs more than other depending on the sensitivity of the effect for that song. Some songs pick up every touch of the string and others are less sensitive. "This Love" is one of those songs where it is problem. I have to turn the volume way down (and then the E string wont register, so I have to turn the bass up, which makes it worse.) So far that is the only song that is unplayable.

Not enough frets - There is one song that I have run into that requires more frets than my guitar has, I think it is Freebird. My guitar does have a cutout so I can get up there, but I can't add more frets.

Rhythm Sections - Because I have an acoustic, I hear my guitar over the sound that comes out of the TV. This is actually great on the Solos, because I know immediately if I have flubbed a note. On sections where there are a lot of chords, I am not really sure how this sounds with the song because it is so loud. (My XBox does not have a HD: so alas, no replay)

BTW this is not a complaint thread - this is a game designed to use an electric and I am using an acoustic... so all of these problems are within tolerance. But it would be interesting to know how many acoustics are out there... maybe an unplugged arrangement could come sometime in DLC (Laya anyone?)

or maybe I should just by an electric
Yea the game wasn't created for acoutic/electric guitars, that's the problem right there.

[HoboBobulus]

I bought an '96 MiM Standard Strat a little bit prior to getting Rocksmith. On Craigslist, ~$250 is a pretty standard price. I highly recommend it, but going from an acoustic electric neck to a strat neck will take some getting used to, due to the neck being longer and skinnier (I exclusively played an acoustic electric prior to getting my strat).

[AdamCohn]

Thanks for the advice on the electrics everyone... I think that I am going to go with a Laguna LE122 (Starter guitar) the price is right and most of the reviews say it is a good enough guitar to keep even after (if) you decide to upgrade to a better guitar. I will let you know how it plays.

Rockabillybaby - I will say that the game is very playable with an acoustic / electric. I have been playing RS for about 5 months now and have roughly 6,000,000 RS points. But is it probably time to get an electric to progress.