One of the best pieces of advice I got when I started ages ago was to just put electric strings on the acoustic. If you're just practicing in your bedroom it will be much easier to play than on stiff acoustic strings. Give it a shot.
When you're ready to record then you can put acoustic strings on it, heh :-)
Or just use a nylon string, classical style or "Spanish" guitar for practice, even if you play something else in public. Nylon string guitars are easier on your fretting hand and allow you to practice longer without fatigue.
Would the difference in fretboard width cause any problems? A classical guitar fretboard is typically 52 mm wide, around 20% wider than a typical acoustic guitar or electric guitar fretboard's 43 mm wide fretboard.
Yeah, a classical guitar fretboard is a lot wider. It makes complex chord fingerings easier. I suppose a lot depends on how easily you can switch back and forth between a wide neck and the narrower electric guitar necks. Some people can; others find it hard to adjust.
I'm just 40 but it sounds like we are like minded in a lot of ways. Never stop being curious. There's always something new out there. The joy of discovering some obscure metal band with 7 followers on Spotify or bandcamp that you intensely resonate with is unmatched. It's one of my favorite experiences.
One of the things I've learned about myself over the past decade is I'm an outlier in terms of the listener profile. I crave albums over songs. That crafted experience an artist creates for the listener makes it all for me. Perhaps it's because I'm also a musician, but something about a group of songs becoming greater than the sum of it's parts has an endearing, emotional impact on that listening session. I think a lot of playlist driven listening loses out on that.
Seconded, I play in several very loud metal bands and I went through this same process around 2016 and my earplugs are still going strong. I love the option of changing the filters at will. Well worth the time and money, for me.
