Learning Zone

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One topic we like discussing is the benefits of playing electric guitar unplugged or plugged in. Obviously, if one is gigging, the latter option is the only way to go so I’m referring here to solitary practice. First off, playing plugged into an amp or multi-effects pedal allows you to hear what you sound like through processing; clean or overdriven, reverb or wah wah. This is the ‘norm’ and preferred way for countless guitarists - practise with the same sounds you’re going to gig or record with. So why bother at all with being unplugged?

Well, there’s the issue of time. If you’re snatching a few minutes while making a coffee, it’s easier to pick up an electric guitar and play rather than power up amps etc. Grab, strum, riff, solo; you’re good to go.

The other issue is why some favour unplugged more: clarity of articulation. Obviously rockers or metallers’ default tone is saturated and compressed, so picked notes are the same volume as, say, a hammer-on. Mega distortion is an exciting sound but it can cover up technique and clarity issues. Add reverb and delay, and it’s easy to see (hear) how such a guitar tone can produce poorly defined notes. Therefore, with just the acoustic attributes of the electric guitar, a player can clock how clear their articulations are. Are hammer-ons close in volume and vibrancy to picked notes? Are both hands synchronised well on fast 16th notes? Distortion can cover up the quality of your technique, but when unplugged it’s apparent what’s really going on.

So with the quickest of start-up times and the ability to hear articulations and dynamics well, it’s obvious to see why many favour practicing unplugged. It’s your technique’s ‘truth’. Downsides? Other than not using your preferred amp tones? Well, unwanted string noise is hard to judge, especially if you have a large picking velocity range. Plugging in (better still with a degree of overdrive) will highlight your unwanted playing noise best which you can then look to sort out.

As you work through this issue, try both plugged and unplugged options if you’ve not done so before, and see how you get on. Enjoy the issue!