What are the benefits or drawbacks of playing different types of guitars?

Question

I'm an amateur/still newbie guitar player.

I've got two guitars:

• a Fender Stratocaster Yngwie J Malmsteen signature model and a
• Squier Stratocaster (made in Mexico)

The YJM signature model main characteristics are the scalloped fretboard, and the super-sized frets.

I had discussed it with my guitar teacher, and he had said to me that the Squier is a great guitar too, but, as long as you're learning the guitar, you should stick in playing with one guitar.

Additionally, because the signature model has scalloped fretboard, you shouldn't play this day with this electric guitar and the other with that.

So, the Squier is not needed.

What is your opinion? Should I keep both both guitars, or sell the Squier?

Answer 1

My take on this is that you should practice with whatever guitars you have and change as often as possible. This will definitely help you in future when you are likely to want to use different guitars specifically for their different characteristics.

And as Carl says, you are likely to collect quite a number of guitars over the years. Between the three of us in out band, we have over 50 guitars, basses, ukekeles, banjos etc. Playing them all is good practice.

Answer 2

I would strongly recommend to keep the "normal" Squire guitar, and learn to play on that one too. I suspect that learning to play a scalloped guitar can make your technique specified towards that quite rare type of guitar. I've tried an YJM signature series, and it is quite different from playing a guitar with less radical frets and scalloping.

Answer 3

I think if you want to do some experiment, do it with your squier.

If you want to keep it:

• you can try to tune the squier into different tuning, experiment with it
• you should purchase 2 set of guitar strings          _{right, this doesn't matters.}
• you can make your squier as your 'backup-guitar' and your fender as main guitar

It depends to you.

But, if I were you, I will keep both guitar, and try to switch guitar every I play a song. So, if the other one make problem, well, that's not problem for me, because I used to both guitar.

Answer 4

In the specific, the Malmsteen is a specialized instrument. The scallops make it easier to bend, which make it easier, if you don't have the right finger pressure, to pull yourself sharp all over. If you don't intend to be a Malmsteen-like player, you don't need that gear.

The Squier is a perfectly good guitar. My recollection of the Strat lines was that US and Mexico were Fender and Squier was from different places in the Far East. My Squier Tele was built in Indonesia, for example. Anyway, like I said, perfectly good guitar, but they crank them out by the thousands, so you you might as well give it away if you try to sell it. I'm somewhat of a pack rat, so I'd keep both.

More fundamentally, I don't know what kind of guitarist you want to be. I assume a shredder, but the YJM might have just landed on your lap. If the added bending capabilities of the YJM are up your alley, go ahead with that one. If you find yourself sounding sharp and terrible, play the other as your primary. As a beginner, it might be good to play one instrument, but you won't be a beginner forever.

Answer 5

My advice to this: play with what you want and what feels good to you! Take other's advice, but do your thing with it. If you want 17 guitars, go ahead, buy 17 guitars. As long as it feels good to yourself! So , if you really want to keep the guitar: keep it! If you want to sell it, sell it!

I wouldn't sell it because it wouldn't bring you that much money in anyway.