Plugged vs Unplugged

[Martins LP]

This might seem like a weird question about an electric guitar, but I just wondered how often people play their Les Pauls unplugged vs hooked up to an amp?

I'm a fairly casual home player, lots of my playing is grabbing half an hour or just ten minutes inbetween everyday life. Also when I do get to play for longer it's often at low volume as the kids are in bed. I realised that lots of the time I don't even bother plugging my les paul in, I just enjoy the natural resonant tones from the guitar itself, which really sings compared to my Strats when they're unplugged.

Plugged in it's a different matter, I like the Les Paul but I'm not sure that humbuckers are really me, I much prefer the clarity I get from my Strats. I considered selling the LP recently but then I do love noodling around with it and the variety of sounds plugged in messing with volume/tone straight into the amp is fun.

So am I alone in enjoying the sound of a Les Paul unplugged so much?

 

[Stinky Kitty]

I reach for an acoustic. I live alone, so there is a guitar in arm's length pretty much everywhere I am. If an acoustic isn't handy, or i didn't have any (really everyone should have at least one beater,) I'll chop around on whatever is nearest.

Have you tried a P90 guitar? After chasing humbuckers for decades, I realized I like P90s even more. I also recently came into an ES-335. It's nice unplugged, however, it's hard to beat hearing it amped.

 

[ARandall]

I play a lot without an amp. There are a lot of technical aspects that are best worked on without the crutch of an amp.....even clean.

If you're not loving the humbuckers, try a p90 equipped guitar. They have much more zing to them.

 

[Les Paulverizer]

As I do both studio & live session work, have my own band and also teach guitar (and on top of that, the occasional jam!) I play a lot and when at home I find myself play 80/20 unplugged/plugged: I grab a Les Paul when watching a movie or whatever, I plug in and crank up when I want to let it all hang out!
I think it's super cool to do both 'cause it helps to develop one's "touch" (attack, vibrato, nuances) become as expressive as possible so that you learn to get your guitar to "scream", and whisper of course, even when unplugged.
Basically, I end up sounding pretty much the same.

 

[grumphh_the_banned_one]

Plugged.
That's the friggin' reason i bought an electric in the first place.

I never play without at least some drive/distortion and the amp/modeler/pedal is an integral part of the electric guitars sound.

Add to that that an unplugged electric solidbody guitar has a tone that is not dissimilar to the sound of someone biting an eggslicer and "playing" electric guitars unplugged becomes even more nonsensical, other than as near-silent motoric training for your hands.

If i want to hear the sound of strings i'll grab an acoustic.

 

[NewDayHappy]

Unplugged and it's driving me crazy. I just don't feel committed enough to fire up the amp and let the tubes heat up when I just want to practice my scales for 10 minutes.

 

[scott 351 wins]

I play unlugged and plugged. I have a ultra cheapy Esteban amp that im running a TS9 through now in the living room. I can play low volume and not piss her off in the room next to me.

 

[Classicplayer]

There are any number of players who play unplugged now and then. I find that I can get a better evaluation of the Les Paul's tones in a particular guitar, unplugged rather than pluggged in. You are hearing the basic guitar tone and all of its strengths and weaknesses, if any. Plugged in adds the amp tone into the mix.

Unplugged can give you feedback of whether you have a really bright, middy, dark, or balanced tone just from the guitar; which may determine which type of pickups and caps, pot, etc. you may need to improve the tone.

Unplugged, I find, also gets gives me more knowledge about whether my guitar will take to my picking technique, i.e. finger picked, or what thickness of pick and type will bring out the guitar's tone the best. It will also reveal whether I'm hitting the strings properly to get the best tone.....sometimes covered up by an amp.


Classicplayer

 

[Martins LP]

I think you can tell a lot about a guitars inherrant tone by playing it unplugged. It also exposes the tone in your fingers, the touch and vibrato etc.

I enjoy it, I just play that way. As soon as I plug in I can waste too long messing with the amp and effects. I think at some point I need a good half day to myself to optimise a sound for the LP then I'll feel happier with the plugged in sound I get from it. I've been playing single coils for 22 years give or take so I suppose it's natural that I'm more comortable with them.

 

[wildhawk1]

Plugged.
That's the friggin' reason i bought an electric in the first place.

This ^^^

Unplugged equals acoustic time.

 

[Utmost]

It isn’t a lazy thing but sometimes I just don’t want to walk to the music room, warm up the amp, fiddle with knobs etc. And I do enjoy the natural sounds unplugged from my Lester.

To that end I’m really excited about the Boss Air Katana. A wireless amp that only requires you to actually pick up your guitar to activate it. I thought they said release was in March at winter NAMM. Hopefully it wasn’t scrapped.

 

[lespaulfreak93]

95% of the time I'm playing unplugged. My amp is a piece of shit that is humanity's punishment for all the bad things we've done throughout history. It's a Carvin X100b. It's the worst thing, hands down, ever created. Nuclear warfare is a better idea than a Carvin amplifier. Nobody wants to buy it in my country and I'm too broke to buy a real amplifier right now. So unplugged it is.

 

[Cjsinla]

Almost never unplugged. My living situation let’s me play at almost any volume any time I want. Lately I’ve been building and playing small Fender clone amps. A 5 watt tweed Champ has been my favorite lately, no pedals, no tone control. Just turn it up to 6, plug in a Tele and go. Everything is controlled from the guitar, turn it up on the bridge pup for grind and bite, middle or neck for sweeter sounds. Reduced volume when watching tv. These little clean amps really make you work on your technique. Electric guitars are for plugging in.

 

[edro]

I play guitars that I'm interested in unplugged first. If I don't like that part, I probably drop interest...
If it sounds good and alive unplugged, then there is a good chance it will be one of the "ones" plugged in...

I prefer practicing through an amp at low volume but I have no issue with running drills unplugged while watching tv...

 

[DarrellV]

Funny, last night I played my Lester unplugged for a while before bedtime...

It has always been very bright and loud (I thought) till I outfitted it with a GF bridge recently!

OH my, loud and clear now, without the Nashville buzziness!

I don't use a big amp anyway and usually just use headphones out of my Helix.

Last night I was just too lazy to hook everything back up so I played it unplugged. No trouble hearing things at all. I may do it more..

 

[Roxy13]

Sometimes I don't plug in. I just want to experiment with an idea, quietly by myself. Or if you just want to practice scales you can do so while watching a football game or something and play other stuff during commercials.

 

[charlie chitlins]

Strats are usually really good acoustically...what with all those springs in back and whatnot.
If you have a Lester that resonates better, you're doing great!
I was a die-hard P90/Tele guy for 30+ years until I discovered low output PAF-style humbuckers.
I stumbled on a Flying V with a Duncan Pearly at the bridge and a '59 at the neck and was blown away but the single-coil-like responsiveness.
The PAF search is a rabbit hole, though!
So many great boutique pickups.
I found great bang for the buck with a BYO Blizzard of 59 set.
Also...I gave up gigging for a bunch of years and mainly played unplugged around the house.
When I went back to plugging in, I was shocked at how sloppy I had become.
All the bumping into other strings when bending...open, un-muted strings ringing, neglecting to change up pick attack and varying picking position along the length of the string....
It took me awhile to get this stuff back.
If you're going to play ELECTRIC guitar, I would recommend a headphone amp for home plinking to keep your skills tight.
BTW...my Lester is chambered and is a lovely unplugged plinker.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I plug my Ibanez in. When I don't feel like plugging in, I've got a Squier Strat I'll plink around on.

 

[1allspub]

@Martins LP just out of curiosity, what humbuckers do you have in your LP? Reason I ask is, (IMO) many of Gibson’s modern humbuckers (even those supposedly meant to be PAF types) are not really great in the clarity department. Maybe a set of replacement humbuckers that are specifically wound with clarity in mind would be more to your liking.

As to the original question, I too am just a bedroom player and I play both plugged and unplugged depending on whose home, etc. ...probably about a 70/30 split.

 

[judson]

back to plugging in, I was shocked at how sloppy I had become.
All the bumping into other strings when bending...open, un-muted strings ringing, neglecting to change up pick attack and varying picking position along the length of the string....
It took me awhile to get this stuff back.........amp for home plinking to keep your skills tight....

^^this 100%, i try to always turn on the amp even for short 10 minutes or so, keep it at voice level just enough to hear any sloppy playing, it does improve your playing....it is real easy to bang away unplugged but amplify that sound and its garbage most of the time...it helped me to become a better player.

but of course like most , i can walk by any guitar and just grab it to play for 10 seconds with no amp in sight but if the amp is there ready, hit the switch, clean no effects, straight in , low low level..it works for me