Who Else Likes to Play Unplugged?

[80sGuy]

This may sound corny, but I just love the sound of an unplugged electric guitar. Especially a nice resonant guitar. Just noodling around the house, I probably play unplugged about 75% of the time.

I know everyone is after perfect tone, but I'm usually after an electric that sounds awesome unplugged. They are usually the best plugged in - but I just love playing them acoustically.

Anyone else like playing their Les Pauls unplugged?

I do it all the time with my Strat!

 

[My Trad Pro]

I play unplugged quite a bit. If you like thet sound, you need to try a Fender 57 Custom Deluxe amp. Set the tone and the volume under 4. Dial the guitar volume down. If you have 50's wiring dial the tone down to 3-4. That is the clean tone heaven.

 

[grumphh_the_banned_one]

I have been bitten by a shit guitar or two that i fell in love with the plugged in sound of and forced myself to ignore the fact that it was a turd.

Yeah, whoever would want a guitar that sounds great when plugged in???

There are so many better ways to judge an electric guitar than just by the way it sounds through an amp...

 

[IanHenry]

Hre's a chap who knew a thing or two about buying a guitar at 1.05:

 

[reelman955]

This may sound corny, but I just love the sound of an unplugged electric guitar. Especially a nice resonant guitar. Just noodling around the house, I probably play unplugged about 75% of the time.

I know everyone is after perfect tone, but I'm usually after an electric that sounds awesome unplugged. They are usually the best plugged in - but I just love playing them acoustically.

Anyone else like playing their Les Pauls unplugged?

My 61 reissue SG sounds nice unplugged.

 

[DeafDumbBlind Kid]

I specifically look for good sounding Les Pauls (and all other guitars, too) unplugged. I had to play quietly for a long time at home and now that I'm in an apartment, even more so. I don't like an acoustic, too loud for being stealthy.

A great sounding unplugged electric is a joy. I'm very fortunate to have a fantastic source nearby where I can play them before I buy them.

 

[Cinegoat]

Yes. I also like sex without other people.

 

[Bearston]

The sound is in your hands, no? I play unplugged all the time, one has to get technique in good order to sound like a competent player, Playing plugged in allows your pups to colour what you're doing with your hands, it's so easy to sound reasonable blasting through an amp, kinda like false impressions (anyone can play GTA, but are you a real gangsta?) What tones can you create by hands alone? Once you start sounding good acoustically on your electric gitter sounds better, period. Once you find your tone improving acoustically, try plugging straight in and play without FX, figure out how you can shape YOUR tone with your hands alone. Doesn't everyone say tone is in the hands anyways? I think playing electrics acoustically is important, besides being able to find the best guitars, they play, feel and sound very different from straight ahead acoustic gits and once you plug in you'll realize the improvement in tone, so I'll always play acoustically until rehearsal...besides,I'm sick of hearing my neighbours complain.

 

[paulroub]

Every electric that I've kept, I first fell in love with unplugged. If I'm not excited about playing it unplugged in the shop, there's no point in plugging it in. It's alive, or it's not. When a great amp/pedal/etc. setup has made an otherwise dead guitar sound good in the shop, I've always eventually lost interest.

 

[paulroub]

Every electric that I've kept, I first fell in love with unplugged. If I'm not excited about playing it unplugged in the shop, there's no point in plugging it in. It's alive, or it's not. When a great amp/pedal/etc. setup has made an otherwise dead guitar sound good in the shop, I've always eventually lost interest.

p.s. Am I the only one who can't help changing pickup selections, etc. based on the imaginary amplified sound in my head?

 

[jaycoyoyo]

I need to hear amplified sound. If I have to play quietly, I use a Vox Amplug and headphones.

 

[charlie chitlins]

I play unplugged quite a bit. If you like thet sound, you need to try a Fender 57 Custom Deluxe amp. Set the tone and the volume under 4. Dial the guitar volume down. If you have 50's wiring dial the tone down to 3-4. That is the clean tone heaven.

Plug into the hot channel (inst), then turn the other channel (mic) all the way up.
Now the whole sweep of the channel you're in is clean.
Just for fun, plug into the maxed mic channel for ultimate sag and cello-like sustain.
Thank me later

 

[grumphh_the_banned_one]

p.s. Am I the only one who can't help changing pickup selections, etc. based on the imaginary amplified sound in my head?

Have you ever considered that your "need for changing pickups" might be precisely because you listen to the unamplified sound rather than what the guitar actually sounds like through an amp?

...once you get over the internet myth regurgitation of "acoustically resonating guitars are necessary for good tone" you may well find that some electric guitars just sound good through an amp, regardless of how they sound unamplified...

Tldr: One does not buy an electric guitar because of its acoustic properties - one buys it because it sounds great through an amp.
Which is sort of the entire bleedin' point of buying an electric guitar in the first place...

 

[lpfan1980]

I do it all the time with my Strat!

I do it with both!

 

[Fillmore]

Well I started using my Orange Cube for practice and not playing unplugged. Well I've got to say it is really helping. As a beginner I am embarrassed by my playing but it actually sounds pretty good through the amp.

Move over Mr. Page.

 

[scott 351 wins]

I've been playing unplugged about 75% of the time lately. Just keeping my wife happy with a quiet house.

 

[efstop]

An unplugged electric guitar is an unhappy electric guitar.

 

[Neffco]

I also like Diet Coke, condoms, soy burgers, flag football, looking at fast cars, and hand jobs.

 

[HogmanA]

Never. An unamplified electric isnt practical for any performance use.

But consider this:
All those hours spent playing unplugged are actually teaching you to have a severely limited dynamic range.
If you were to try and play with the sensitivity of Peter Green, you wouldn't even be able to hear that unplugged.

 

[Joncaster]

I also love the sound.
I play unplugged most of the time these days, unless I'm bread boarding a pedal circuit.
No band anymore and not really writing/recording these days, so I just work on bends and vibrato.
Sit on the bed.

My cats are always like, "...but what are you actually doing?"