Playing Unplugged

[Tonray's Ghost]

I have a Maya Strat clone, nothing special really, ceramic Wilkinson pickups that sound great however and I really enjoy playing it amped up at the edge of breakup and especially with some tremolo and reverb to enhance the tone.

But...I find myself enjoying almost as much playing at night on the sofa unplugged as being that one side of our townhouse is connected to a neighbor and she works all day which allows me to really rock out, but at night I try to give some consideration to noise levels. I find that once I decked the trem block (using extra strong springs instead of blocking) the guitar became very resonant, vibrating against my body as I play even with 9's, with 10s or 11s it's insanely decent to play unplugged.

Anyone similarly find playing unplugged or have a Strat experience decked / undecked find the same thing ? Another factor is this is a model with the large headstock incarnation so I think that also helps give the tone some boost. I found that I really didn't love the color (surf Green) once I got it home but it plays so well and sounds so nice both amped and unplugged that I doubt I could ever let it go, on the odd chance that it's one in a million and decking the trem is not what actually makes it sound so good. Love to replace it with a vintage white / mint green guard someday but too risky...ha ha

[hath74]

Most of my playing time is spent playing electric guitar unplugged. I play Les Paul’s though.


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[tlarson58]

I don't stay up late enough to bother my neighbors.

Sounds relaxing, though.

[andrewsrea]

I have a friend who is obsessive with being quiet. He lives in an 1800 Sqft single home with his GF, who works from home. He typically plays at 65dB (a conversation, whispering for my Northeast buds).

I suggest an experiment I did with him to show his loudness wasn't as much as a nuisance as he thought. Download a SPL app onto a smartphone (it will be +/- 5% of a real SPL meter). With yourself, a friend and a cooperating neighbor, set an amplifier in your performance to measure 95dB at 1m (3feet). Send your friend into other rooms to measure and notate SPL levels, then if your neighbor is okay, measure in their apartment. 95dB is when an amp speaker is getting exercised and at 5m, is about 87dB (just a little above where Fletcher-Munson curves say we hear frequencies the flattest).

We did our experiment in his living room, about 7 PM. The bedrooms (ranch style house) were about 70dB, his basement was in the 50dB (40dB is a quiet home, for reference). 10' outside his home, the amp was barely distinguishable amongst the outdoor ambient. He amp could not be heard in his neighbor's house (20' apart) until the reading at 1m was 120dB (wear ear protection!). Windows and doors were closed and air conditioning on.

A bass guitar would be different, as those frequencies will travel farther and cerate sympathetic vibrations. But the moral of the story is, the loudness isn't as bothersome as your mind is telling you.

[uwmcscott]

I play unplugged almost exclusively, and the guitars I keep out all the time are mostly acoustics. But when I have to be quiet I will play one of my electrics either via headphones or sometimes just the guitar. And of the electrics I have, the strat is definitely the loudest acoustically. Mine is not decked or blocked, it's a bone stock American Standard. My guess is that it's possibly because of the size of the pickguard and possibly the hollow space behind it?

[Tonray's Ghost]

I have a friend who is obsessive with being quiet. He lives in an 1800 Sqft single home with his GF, who works from home. He typically plays at 65dB (a conversation, whispering for my Northeast buds).

I suggest an experiment I did with him to show his loudness wasn't as much as a nuisance as he thought. Download a SPL app onto a smartphone (it will be +/- 5% of a real SPL meter). With yourself, a friend and a cooperating neighbor, set an amplifier in your performance to measure 95dB at 1m (3feet). Send your friend into other rooms to measure and notate SPL levels, then if your neighbor is okay, measure in their apartment. 95dB is when an amp speaker is getting exercised and at 5m, is about 87dB (just a little above where Fletcher-Munson curves say we hear frequencies the flattest).

We did our experiment in his living room, about 7 PM. The bedrooms (ranch style house) were about 70dB, his basement was in the 50dB (40dB is a quiet home, for reference). 10' outside his home, the amp was barely distinguishable amongst the outdoor ambient. He amp could not be heard in his neighbor's house (20' apart) until the reading at 1m was 120dB (wear ear protection!). Windows and doors were closed and air conditioning on.

A bass guitar would be different, as those frequencies will travel farther and cerate sympathetic vibrations. But the moral of the story is, the loudness isn't as bothersome as your mind is telling you.

The townhouse we live in is an end unit but connected via a common side/wall to a neighbor on one side. They are reoinforced concrete wall construction here in Thailand and when someone is drilling a hole to hang something on the wall 2 houses down, you can almost feel the vibrations. I have a feeling the neighbors can't really hear my guitar amp but likely hear something of a hum or vibration (amp sits right next to said connecting wall). Just trying to be neighborly...and oh BTW, the lady next door works for the Immigration police so maybe a good practice anyway....ha ha ha ha

[Partscaster]

I play a lot on my couch unplugged. maybe 2/3rds the time. Its easiest. But plugged in gets me involved a bit more enthusiastically.

I brought a small scale electric to plink around on unplugged during my time waiting for the eclipse totality to occur. Played for about 4 hours unplugged. I drove about an hour to get to where totality would last a few minutes. Wow that was beautiful. During the eclipse I put on a cd with PF's "Set The Controls To The Heart of The Sun". I was up high in mountainous farm country away from the crowds.

camera didnt do the eclipse ring full justice. The totality had a thin ring of white fire around the black moon, whereas the camera couldnt handle the corona and it bled into a good percent of the moon's dark circle .

[andrewsrea]

Just trying to be neighborly...and oh BTW, the lady next door works for the Immigration police so maybe a good practice anyway....ha ha ha ha

Lol. i was lucky in my first house, which was a single home separated by 20 feet. I had a sound-proof basement studio, but occasionally opened the windows on nice days. One evening I found some of the neighbors on both sides put up lawn chairs around the window of the room we played in 14' x20'). After we ended the first song, one yelled in, asking if we could turn it up!

[tonebender]

I really can't bother any of my neighbors and believe me I have tried. On the farm we were smack in the middle of 10 acres and everyone around us had 5 or 10 acres too so we could throw concerts out there. Here everyone has at least an acre so plenty of distance between homes. I do not think I could live where I could not rock out.