Guitar Consistency for Learning?

toesalad

toesalad

Inspired
I am a relatively new guitarist (almost 3 years now) and got a late start in life, picking the instrument up for the first time in my mid-forties. I practice a lot and am making steady progress (though sometimes it feels excruciatingly slow!). My current favorite (and only) electric guitar is a Strandberg, after several iterations of various brands/models. I have had it for about a year now and still really like it, I don’t see myself getting rid of it any time soon (or ever really).

My guitar has two humbuckers and I have started to think about getting something with single coils to start filling out my collection. One thing that I am concerned about is the potential for more variables to negatively impact my learning progress. If I get another guitar from a different brand, do you think the subtle differences in neck shape, scale length, bridge position, etc. will slow my progress because I will be spending more time adapting to multiple instruments? As I steadily work on things like string muting, legato, and other techniques that take a ton of practice, fractions of a mm can make a big difference between something that sounds good and something that sounds like crap.

Will changing things up, rotating through more than one instrument slow me down? Should I spend more time focusing on a single instrument for a while before branching out? I could always get a singe-coil Strandberg to keep things consistent, but I am not sure how important consistency is in the early stages of learning.
 
You're overanalyzing this, I think. Differences between guitars is a fact of life. If anything, playing different guitars will teach your hands to feel when you're playing right, instead of relying on "to play this next note, I need to lower my finger 6.7 millimeters."
 
Definitely overanalyzing. I play both classical and electric. Your fingers will develop their own muscle memory depending on what you are playing at the moment. Even my electrics have varying scale lengths and neck radii.
 
After I asked the question, I did a bit of searching on YouTube and found this:

This guy suggests consistency of instrument is really important early on.
 
toesalad said:
After I asked the question, I did a bit of searching on YouTube and found this:

This guy suggests consistency of instrument is really important early on.
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That sort of consistency might be applicable for a true novice, but at some point you need to branch out and enjoy different guitars/styles. I bet the guy in the video has a wall of guitars at home.
 
You could install a pair of Duncan P-rails with the switching rings. Then you have a lot of options. The singles are the weakest link in these as they’re a little hot. The P90’s are great. Series bucker is good and parallel bucker is useful. I haven’t tried the singles on a Strat-ish preset. I have seen demos where people were able to get decent Strat tones out of them. I put one in my HSS Strat. It’s like the Swiss Army knife of guitars.

And of course, there’s nothing wrong with buying more guitars.

Also, I don’t think it would hurt your learning to add more guitars. Just buy one that feels good in your hands.
 
Be careful who you choose to believe on YT. There are some great teachers and videos but there are also complete nincompoops that just like to hear themselves talk. I echo the sentiments of branching out and getting a guitar you want. A Telecaster would be a great way to get into single coils, very versatile guitars and legendary tones. You never know, the next guitar you get may actually help in your development and help you decide what you want and prefer in a guitar.
 
I’ll also offer my opinion that it’s good to play an acoustic as well as electric. Harder to physically play but you’ll gain strength and other skills. Plus they’re great for sitting on the couch and playing with no cords and other equipment. Me and my son jam acoustic quite a bit.
 
On certain things, yes; Certain things no.

Say you're playing a clean, arpeggio part of a song. As an example, I'll use the intro to On The Backs of Angels by Dream Theater. There's not much room for error playing open strings right next to fretted ones. You hand me a guitar with a fatter neck, and I'm not gonna nail it. Can I adjust to be able to play it on a different guitar? Yes. Do I want to? No I do not.

Just getting used to playing palm-mutes on a guitar with the bridge laying flatter to the body of the guitar, and having a trem bar sticking up took some getting used to. Once I did, I found it much harder to do palm-mutes on my Les Paul, with the bridge being much higher off the body than on the Majesty.

If I handed half the players here my Majesty, they'd probably be knocking their hand into the PU selector. I know I did at first; Now I like it right where it is. I play a couple runs that end in a fast slide up to the 21st fret on one, the 24th in another. I can now land that slide consistently. But I can't on my PRS. And again, I don't want to adjust to the feel of where the neck heel joint is on another guitar, because it would just throw my feel off when I go back to a different guitar.

OTOH, would you notice the difference between a 25.5" scale and a 25"? Nope. Basic barre chords on a thin neck or fat one? Nope. You know how when you're playing a guitar you're real familiar with, and you can go from high on the neck, to landing an open A chord, without looking? You get used to certain aspects of certain guitars, some of which matter more than others, and depend on what you're playing.

So I feel it's not a yes/no question.
 
JoKeR III said:
You never know, the next guitar you get may actually help in your development and help you decide what you want and prefer in a guitar.
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That's a really good point. You'll never know what might inspire you until you get out there and experiment some. You don't have to spend a ton of money either (especially these days). There are so many affordable well made guitars. You can buy your dream guitar later on once you find your niche.
 
In my opinion it's probably a good idea to stick to one particular instrument early on ONLY if it's a quality instrument. That way you can develop a consistent rock solid technique without fighting the quirks beginner or even intermediate quality instruments have. Once you're confident you have a solid foundation adapting to different instruments with vastly different specs won't be as much of a struggle. I started young and poor...it sucked learning on series 10, westone, vester, 90s mim strats, ECT....they all had quirks that hindered my progress in one way or another. Wasn't until I bought a USA Jackson Soloist and a Japanese Ibanez that my playing truly advanced. At that point I was limited by my ability not a quirky instrument. Sounds like you are set with a quality guitar...one advantage to starting later in life. A guitar is like a woman...get to know her like you know yourself.....then once you know what you're doing whoring around is more fun.
🤘😜
 
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Whatever gets you connected to making music and keeps you interested in just playing is all it takes.. Don’t second guess yourself or let yourself go too far down the rabbit hole or GAS will become a “hobby” of its own just like spending too much time on these forums.. Remember what got you interested to begin with- the sounds, the music, making it sound like what you’ve heard before and figuring out how to get there by accident or through lots and lots of practice!
 
JoKeR III said:
Be careful who you choose to believe on YT. There are some great teachers and videos but there are also complete nincompoops that just like to hear themselves talk. I echo the sentiments of branching out and getting a guitar you want. A Telecaster would be a great way to get into single coils, very versatile guitars and legendary tones. You never know, the next guitar you get may actually help in your development and help you decide what you want and prefer in a guitar.
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One could also say the same thing about what some random joker says in a forum ;-)

Jokes aside, I appreciate the diverse feedback in this thread.
 
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Just a thought based on your level of experience ("almost 3 years now"). Plateaus in development will occur. When that happens, sometimes people look for external reasons when the reality is that this is normal.

I'm not saying that's what's going on with you, just throwing it out there.
 
I truly feel that if you can find a guitar with a neck that you love and feel very comfortable with, try to keep finding guitars with similar necks. Being comfortable with your instrument will inspire to play more, and you will get better.

I don't think the guitar itself matters. But if you pick it up, and just can't get comfortable with your hand on the neck, don't get it. It will hinder you. A lot.

Don't over think things. If you love the guitar, get it. Don't worry about the rest. It'll come.
 
toesalad said:
I am a relatively new guitarist (almost 3 years now) and got a late start in life, picking the instrument up for the first time in my mid-forties. I practice a lot and am making steady progress (though sometimes it feels excruciatingly slow!). My current favorite (and only) electric guitar is a Strandberg, after several iterations of various brands/models. I have had it for about a year now and still really like it, I don’t see myself getting rid of it any time soon (or ever really).

My guitar has two humbuckers and I have started to think about getting something with single coils to start filling out my collection. One thing that I am concerned about is the potential for more variables to negatively impact my learning progress. If I get another guitar from a different brand, do you think the subtle differences in neck shape, scale length, bridge position, etc. will slow my progress because I will be spending more time adapting to multiple instruments? As I steadily work on things like string muting, legato, and other techniques that take a ton of practice, fractions of a mm can make a big difference between something that sounds good and something that sounds like crap.

Will changing things up, rotating through more than one instrument slow me down? Should I spend more time focusing on a single instrument for a while before branching out? I could always get a singe-coil Strandberg to keep things consistent, but I am not sure how important consistency is in the early stages of learning.
Click to expand...
Almost everyone is going to say the opposite, but technically speaking, consistency like that hurts learning.

The canonical study had to do with shooting free throws (basketball, in case you're not an American or a sports person).

Basically, they split into 2 groups. Both were taught the basics of how to shoot free throws at the beginning, followed by a performance measurement. Then, one group shot free-throws from the free-throw line. The second group shot from various distances but never from the actual free throw line until it was time to measure performance again.

The second group, the one that never shot actual free throws during the practice phase, showed more improvement.

This result has been repeated, over and over again, in different domains. The theory is that practicing a bit "off" (at least as far as what you're practicing, not in that you're not paying attention to what you're doing or being careless) allows your mind to "bracket" what you're working on and develop something like "edges" for the techniques, which lets you progress faster than always artificially minimizing differences. The same process ends up happening, but one makes it faster.

IOW, don't worry about it. If anything, some inconsistencies in things like neck shape, string tension, and action height can accelerate your progress.

Now, as far as generally sticking with one guitar vs. changing all the time....a lot of people go one way; a lot of people go the other. When it comes to learning technique, there are scientific answers to these questions. When it comes to the artistry....do whatever you want. You being excited/inspired is the only thing that matters, and no one else can answer that for you.

From a personal note....I'd say not to tick boxes. Buy a guitar because you think it'll inspire you, not because you think you should have it. The former is like having a muse. The later leads to "artistic" decisions based on fear or a sense of obligation to use something you paid for. Good art comes out of neither of those things.
 
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