Can an old dog learn to play guitar?

I have played keyboards for well over 40 years. Started on piano but quickly moved into synths and a bit of organ, though the vast majority of my organ experience is really synth/workstation. I am pretty familiar w guitars and guitar styles of playing buthave only tried to pick up playing guitar a few times over the years. That was ok when I played in a few bands but now I try to incorporate guitar through vst and while I find it fun, I sometimes wonder if I should just really learn to play myself. So, my question is: can a motivated strictly amateur/hobbyist musician who is pretty good w keyboards realistically expect to be able to become a decent guitarist? Or should I just stick to vsts.

Short answer: yes you can.
 
Of course, the kind of technique and skill required to really play keepable session takes is another story. But I've had great success with learning enough to rough-in parts and get the more complicated or prominent stuff overdubbed by someone who can play better than me.
 
It's a good exercise though, just get a guitar and start noodling on it. Learn a few chords to screw around with and then just practice separate picking casually. I often sit with a guitar just picking one string/one finger at a time up and down while I watch TV. I helped a LOT.

One of my sons has an Gibson  SG and a Mexistrat. He leaves the Mexistrat home. I figure thats good enough for me to use.

Of course you can....
Time and patience.

You only need three chords for rock and roll anyway 
 
Seriously, I suspect you'll find that having played keyboards will help tremendously in playing guitar. But perhaps more importantly, playing guitar will make you a better keyboard player. I started playing keyboards about 7 years after I started playing guitar, and it made me a much better guitar player. I would think the reverse is true as well.
 
Bottom line is you have nothing to lose by trying, and I think you'll have positive consequences for a variety of reasons...even if they weren't the ones you intended.
 
 

My uncle started playing guitar when he retired, and got quite good in a short amount of time. He took lessons and and put in the time. I started a few years ago, I'm now in my 40's and the only thing holding me back has been me and too many other instruments on the go at once.
 
Having a piano knowledge should really help you just focus on the physical playing.

The hardest instrument to learn is your first. After that, all the knowledge you've gained about music is applicable to other instruments you might decide to pick up. So in that sense you're already part way to being a guitarist.

Mexican-made Fender Strats are actually pretty good most of the time, and with a bit of modification can sometimes be made very good indeed. My only Strat is a MIM which I bought because it felt right and was acoustically the best sounding, most resonant and "alive" out of the nearly 30 I tried, including the US deluxe model of the time. A Mexican Strat is a perfectly good guitar to learn on, so long as it's set up properly. A good setup makes any guitar far more playable and they generally benefit from a setup once in a while even if they still retain the factory "standard" one.

The main thing in learning guitar, as with any other instrument or skill, is motivation. If you want to learn it you will. Even if you find you still need to "fake" guitar using a keyboard, playing guitar even a little will give you an insight into the chord inversions guitarists use and why we use them. They're often different to the ones keyboard players use, and in my opinion where many keyboard players fail at guitar-like sounds, riffs and phrasing is they play like a piano player, not a guitarist.

Like the above responses, I also believe the more I explore other instruments, the more I seem to learn/absorb/
understand them all. So, being retired, I look forward to spending time on my keys, mandolins(ac +elec), lap steels( E with benders+C6th), banjo, violin, resonator, drum pads(no room for a kit yet), and an assortment of acoustic and electrics, everyday.
     When I learn a tune on one, I get inspired to try it on another and that really expands things for me! and it's fun!

Hi. I do not have anything to offer that has not already been covered.
But I started playing drums at the age of 44, and have played a few gigs the last year or so.
As a guitar player, I feel like it helps me even with drums. I already had a "feel" for music, so I agree witht the people saying that your keys skills will only help you in your endeavour.
Most important of all (in my book), try to enjoy it Even when your wrist and fingers hurt
All the best.

Not meaning to hijack this thread, but does the same apply for learning piano?  I can play some guitar, my theory is weak though (Give me a break, I am a drummer!).  I would like to learn piano/keyboard.
 
Thanks,
 
Pat

There is always this...
https://www.indiegogo.com...struments-music-play#/

I taught guitar for 20 years and my best students where older and had some other musical background behind them. Piano was the most common ground.
One guy was 70 and he practiced everyday for a few hours, He started having to come 2x a week just to get new lessons.
 
I'll recommend a few things.
First- Get an electric guitar first. You get more bang for the buck. A good acoustic might cost more and the majority of cheap acoustics have terrible set up which takes skill to fix. But where cheap electrics are easier to set up and a breeze to play.
Get a Fender style like a Tele which will chord nicer than Gibson's.
In your early stages run  all four fingers  up and down on each string=
Open 1-2-3-4-3-2-1-open. assign your 1st finger to the 1st fret etc.
This simple exercise will do more than anything else to get the neuro pathways flowing.
 
Then learn the basic open chords and the omnipotent Power chords.
Then learn the movable major scale with the root on the 6th string in G and then the 5th string in C.  
Then have some fun with the Minor pentatonic ( blues/rock) scales.
 
The biggest challenge for keyboard players is that the guitars chords and scales patterns do not stay the same. A  C chord on the piano stays the same through all octaves. 
 
If you learn the major scale and the patterns, naming the root-1-2 etc you will figure out how the chords work faster.
 

I've have both acustic and electric guitars and bases, I find I practice more with the acoustics, as I don't ahve to plug it in. If I leave the acoustic out and at hand I keep picking it up to play.

Everyone can play the guitar just like everyone can sing...
 
My advice is take lessons from someone who can teach you what you want to know.  Save time and frustration and really enjoy what you're doing.
 
I took Irish fiddle lessons after playing guitar for 40 years.  The instructor I wanted was booked solid so I had to try to use videos and youtube.  When he finally became available he fixed everything I was doing wrong in the first lesson and then it was a couple tunes and then on my way.