LoeD wrote:

Hi all,

just my 2 ct about playing an electric guitar unplugged:

The instrument “electric guitar” consists of the guitar itself, the cord, the amplifier the speaker(s) and eventually some more devices like stomp boxes etc.
The sound of this instrument is influenced by each component starting at the strings and ended at the speaker.
If a guitar sounds good (to oneself!!!!) can only be judged when checking the entire chain and elements of that instrument.
Now you might argue, a guitar sounds different with every amp and what I hear can be a good amp or a good guitar or bad amp or bad guitar.
Your right of course. But it´s still the entire chain you hear and you need to hear that for a complete picture of what an electric guitar sounds like.
You also should judge a guitar in its foreseen context. So don´t try out a Jazzmaster you want to play clean through a dual rectifier at max. gain.
Or some ESP shredder guitar through a Tweed Champ if you want to play metalcore. You know what I mean!

What else:
The acoustic sound of an electric guitar must not be in any relation to its amplified sound.
How is the electric sound created? A string is picked, its movement induces a voltage within the coils of the Pickups. This is amplified and shaped within an amplifier and reproduced very loud (relative to the original sound) through a speaker.
And what do you hear from a unplugged guitar? It is the sound that comes from the strings and resonating elements of the guitar, something a pickup never picks up, as it is only sensitive to magnetic field changes, it has no ears or is kind of a microphone!
The louder a guitar is (acoustically) the less sustain it will have, as the energy for the loudness must be provided from the strings movement.
If this is good or bad has to do with taste and what you need the guitar for.
What I want to say: As the acoustic and electric sounds are created in very different ways you cannot transfer the one and its qualities to the other.

Final important issue:
If you hear it through the amp it´s relevant for the instruments sound. If not it´s not!
For example String buzz at offsets: I have a JM and a JAG both suffer from string buzz at the bridge, audible when played unplugged.
When plugged in this is not audible at all, so I don´t care!
Next example: string squeal when moving chords on round wounds, this is almost inaudible when played unplugged but very present when played amplified, even more when played with overdrive.
Or ringing strings, that are not damped properly will only become a problem when played with heavy overdrive.
You will get serious problems when you don´t learn during practice how to keep the strings quiet you don´t need!
So practice should be done mostly in the same way as you play afterwards.

So for me it is of little value if at all (and no fun) to play unplugged.

This statement. is a bit offensive, but this is on purpose to get the discussion going! Not intended to attack someone or someone´s opinion personally!

So what do you think?

Cheers
LoeD

The point of practicing unplugged isn't about how the guitar sounds, it's about how you sound. It requires more effort to play unplugged, forcing you to really work for it more. an amplified guitar is easier to play, especially when there's sustain and compression involved. In fact a lot of players tend to hold back when they hear that loud sound coming back at them. Playing unplugged isn't as easy and ultimately gives your hands much more control over nuances and dynamics and builds more strength. It doesn't provide a lot of benefit if the amp is doing all the work. Your hands should be challenged to make the sound. At this level of practice, you're concentrating more on the mechanics of playing rather than what it sounds like -- I believe tone and such will develop naturally as a consequence of this. Of course I think you should also practice through an amp part of the time, for many of the reasons you stated. But I've found playing unplugged to be extremely beneficial to my technique.

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Something i’ve noticed when playing along to a track unplugged. As i strive to match the recorded guitar (timing, phrasing, velocity and so on) the strings start to oscillate in harmony and my ears are telling me the two sound are nearly alike. But clearly the two sounds are not the same.

Perhaps it is something to do with Timbre - the colour of sound. I found this on Wikipedia but after reading i am non the wiser.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbre

SanchoPansen wrote:

IMHO LoeD's opinion/argument is spot on. I practice a lot unplugged, also have a small recording 'studio' at home, so I can play amplified (with headphones). All of this is important to learn - true. You get a lot of feeling from playing unplugged. But NOTHING comes close to a cranked up amp in rehearsal. Taming an amplified guitar is what we all should be practicing - every day. Because there's so much more to pay attention to. Your amps settings, stomp boxes, strings, cables, patch cables, picks, and and and... We play ELECTRIC guitar.

I think much differently about this. I think of myself as playing music, not just a particular instrument. I believe playing music should feel as natural and easy as whistling ( which most everyone can do! ) The instrument should be of no consequence. Playing though a cranked up amp is great and a unique experience, but it's not that hard to learn how to control your gear, and really shouldn't be in place of learning music. A very intimate knowledge of the fretboard should really be the goal, so that you can manuver around it as easily as you could whistle.
People fixate on what type of amp and effect, and what type of sound they're making. While all of this factors in and has a level of importance, effects and amps can really mask bad playing. They're really a separate thing to playing music.

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LoeD wrote: But it´s still the entire chain you hear and you need to hear that for a complete picture of what an electric guitar sounds like.

If I interpret what you are saying correctly, the sound of the guitar does matter. Each guitar does have its own voice. There is a difference in sound from one guitar to the next. That sound difference does come through.

This video has a tone comparision between two Stratocasters. They sound quite different. That difference in tone does come through (the fx and amp). The comparison starts at 7:20 into the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJJJxH8kAS4&feature=related

(Martin, I hope you do not take offense that I used your video. But it does illustrate this point rather well.)

I don't disagree with what you said about looking at the over all package, so to speak. But, nevertheless, the voice of the guitar will come through. Perhaps with enough gain and distortion that is less so. But I play surf and don't use enough gain and distortion to reach the point where the voice of the guitar is indistinguishable.

Talk to you later,
Norm

Which brings up the question: Do we want sustain in surf? My Mosrites all don't have lots of sustain and I love it.
But the point is 'a poor sounding guitar will always sound poor.'
The Aria Diamond DM 380 I bought got an M 3 pup upgrade. It really improved the sound, but the guitar still has it's cheapo/garage sound character.

The Hicadoolas

Ditto as to what SlacktoneDave said.

Playing too much unplugged (for me) equals playing too hard on stage.

That said I don't use a lot of volume when practicing at home.

METEOR IV on reverbnation

Last edited: Sep 06, 2012 12:16:02