As a 64 year old beginner -8 weeks in just starting grade 2–I have been learning on my LP copy. I just purchased an “East Coast” acoustic and absolutely love it. For years I’ve been wanting to play electric guitar but now I’m not so sure.
Have decided to slow right down and concentrate on accurate and hopefully improving chord change speed. There seem to be so many songs to play along to that I am having a blast. I just watched Justins “Working Class Hero” video and was a little bit blown away.
Is it better to concentrate on one or the other as a beginner ? -I`m thinking muscle memory here.
2 Likes
Hi Tommion,
If you plan to play also electric guitar in a while Justin advises us to switch between the two…
Greetings,Rogier
4 Likes
If you love playing your acoustic, go for the acoustic.
And play your LP whenever you want to play that 
1 Like
Haha–I guess that makes sense 
That’s great advice. I didn’t do that and now find the electric a huge challenge.
1 Like
Switching between the 2 guitars is a skill in and of itself, which is worth learning.
1 Like
If you finished all 7 modules of Grade 1 (75 lesson videos total) in 8 weeks, you are either a natural at guitar, or, you are speeding through the lessons way too fast. I humbly suggest that you re-assess your progress following Justin’s “How to PASS Grade 1” criteria before diving into grade 2. You will be doing yourself a great dis-service if you charge forward without a having your grade 1 skills consolidated.
If your strumming, chord changes, and song memorization indeed meet Justin’s recommendations, then BRAVO!! 
1 Like
@Fast-Eddie Well I am definitely not a natural. For some reason I assumed one week per module was about right. I do tend to rush though. I think maybe another few weeks on module 1 wouldn`t hurt. I saw the “Pass Grade 1” and thought it ok except for song learning.
I have been practising 3 hours a day on average
Thats good going, tbh if you are remembering what the lessons are about and its all sinking in then keep going.
IMO theres a lot in grades 1 & 2 you will be practicing for your entire playing days
1 Like
I have been told that if you learn on acoustic then electric is a lot easier because the action is lower and less tension on the strings.I play mostly acoustic and have them set up with lighter strings and it makes a big difference
1 Like
Physically this is somewhat true, lower string tension usually from thinner strings etc
But you have to learn to moderate your fretting and bending etc to the lower tension and lighter strings, plus adjust to the fretboard etc.
2 Likes
Hi, I am 64 years old also & 6 weeks into Beginners Grade 1. I am using an old Aria acoustic but plan to get an electric in the next 4 months. Fast-Eddie’s comments are very valuable as there are no set times on when to move on after each module other than Justin’s guidelines. We are our own judge so very hard when deciding right? I have just started module 6 and realising now that I need to slow down lots. I need to get songs under my belt that at least sound like the real McCoy And like you, get faster accurate with my chord changes - having fun with Hey Joe at present. All the best in your exciting journey
2 Likes
I find electric easier to play in every respect except one- at the nut end the strings are very slightly closer together, so accidentally muting strings you don’t want muted is more of a problem.
2 Likes
I purchased a cheap electric guitar 3 years ago and I got through all the beginners 1,2 & 3 much quicker than on an acoustic. (I also had a Washburn acoustic guitar from 20 years previous when I learnt the basic chords and stopped). Once I had nearly finished grade 3 I started using my acoustic with lighter strings to help build the strength in my hands. Everyone is different but this worked for me. Looking back, I still definitely advise starting with an electric guitar for speed of learning but the electric guitar I would choose would be a semi-hollow such as an ess335 copy so you don’t need to plug it in all the time to practice as you get a low intensity sound
2 Likes
FWIW back in the day when I was doing the old Beginner Course I used both.
I would learn and practice new techniques on the electric and when I was happy with them and ready to move on to the next lesson, I would then practice them on the acoustic.
The fact that the electrics action being lower made things easier to learn and apply, gave added confidence to my learning. Following up on the acoustic also ensured that I had got the technique down correctly and good enough to apply to a guitar with thicker strings and higher action. Now I happily switch between the two types with no problems.
Hope that helps
4 Likes
My suggestion would be to learn on an acoustic guitar with light strings. It is very easy to get distracted playing electric. With an electric guitar you will have choices to make about an amp, do you want to use pedals, and what effects do you need. All of this takes your attention away from learning to play the guitar. Learn the basics before you expand into the world of electric guitar.
2 Likes
That’s true.
I am with @Mark_in_NJ
The electric guitar is a very vast instrument once you include the amplifier settings pedals and all that. Mind boggling, really.
I have spent enough money with out going there.
I still want to play electric a. But someday, but have opted to put my efforts into Classical and steel finger style. That is hard enough to keep me busy for another decade.
I would think one of the appeals of electric guitar is that you can have a lot of cool diversity and fun from an earlier stage of learning, but all the time you spend researching “tone” and creating that atmosphere is time not learning to play guitar. Still valuable and cool, but only if that is what you want.
1 Like
Wow–thanks for all the response. A lot to digest. I do find the electric easier. I use one of those Fender Micros for around the house but Im not going to give up on the acoustic, I just love the sound. I will get some lighter strings to try out though.