Do you practice plugged in?

[adudenamedruby]

I'm curious how others practice the majority of the time.

Personally, I plug into Rumble 40 about 90% of the time. I practice from 6pm to 9/10pm on weekdays. I live in an apartment, so I don't want to go past 10. If I do go past it, I have one of those mobile VOX preamps that I'll plug in. I rarely practice without being plugged in.... though I feel like it's easier to just pick up your bass and play without worrying about that.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Today I plugged into my PC-interface instead & just listened to the raw sound of the instrument. I might do that more often.
However, I'm starting to wish I had studio monitors instead of these Bose.
If only someone made some small enough to fit on my desk.

 

[zontar]

Any which way--depends on the time of day, what others are doing at home, and what I feel like.
If others are around or it's late or I only have a short time I usually practice without plugging in, although for the first two it might also be with headphones.
If I am home by myself I am almost always spending some of that time practicing/playing & am plugged into an amp.
Effects optional.
(But I still usually plug in my volume pedal.)

 

[John Bess]

I really like being plugged in. I get the same sound I'll get on stage, so there's no surprises. I really like hearing those low bass frequencies fill the room.

 

[walking Bass]

I like playing plugged in because my tuner is part of the rack and I like to tune first. Besides I play electric basses.

 

[rutrho]

at home i'm always plugged into my pedal board and the board is routed to an amp and to the mixer-AIO. I'll go from amp if i'm playing out loud or mixer/iems/headphones if i'm trying to track something or play quietly or along with a track.

 

[Nashrakh]

For me it's usually a small practice amp or headphones (and for that I can either go with a dedicated headphone amp or my PC soundcard).

I don't practice 'acoustically' because of two reasons: I have a very light touch. What comes out of my instrument is barely audible if at all. To hear myself, I would have to pluck considerably harder, which would mess with my touch and possibly introduce health issues. The latter may be debatable but I believe plucking too hard will get to you later on.

 

[geesharp]

Almost always practice plugged into my GK 115 combo at home. Every now and then, I plug it into my Palmer pocket amp and thru headphones.

 

[equill]

BG, always plugged in. But usually not to an amp; I generally prefer DI -> mixer -> monitors.

EUB, usually not plugged in; it's loud enough in a quiet room with the strings right by my ear, and again the job of amplification is to take that sound and make it louder.

I do have a practice amp, but I use it so rarely I'm starting to think of selling it.

 

[equill]

Today I plugged into my PC-interface instead & just listened to the raw sound of the instrument. I might do that more often.
However, I'm starting to wish I had studio monitors instead of these Bose.
If only someone made some small enough to fit on my desk.

Solution: Invalid Link Removed
You're welcome

 

[CallMeAl]

I practice when the family is in bed, so headphones for me. My curious and “hands on” little man (3) makes vox amplug a good choice for me, as I can just stick it in the closet and not leave an amp out.

I have a love/hate relationship with the amplug. I love how simple it is; it is the least amount of chords and setup of any headphone amp option out there. But they keep breaking, I finally wised up and got the protection plan on my 3rd one!

I have been doing more and more practice unplugged these days. I like the simplicity, and trying to be mindful of the SPL in my ears all evening.

 

[Koshchei]

Both. If I'm working on the evenness of my plucking hand, I'll go unamplified. Otherwise, I'll plug in.

 

[lfmn16]

Unless you play unplugged, you should practice plugged in.

 

[BassChuck]

Playing without some kind of amplification is playing with an incomplete instrument. Yea, the amp is part of the sound.
You wouldn't practice without an E string would you?

 

[Thumb n Fingers]

Playing without some kind of amplification is playing with an incomplete instrument. Yea, the amp is part of the sound.
You wouldn't practice without an E string would you?

While I completely agree, the time that I have to practice is usually when my kids are either in bed or studying. In that case (95% of the time), I'm plugged into an amp with headphones plugged in. I tried going unplugged for a time, but found that my technique got sloppy doing that (plucking too hard to hear myself, etc).

I'm in the process of rectifying that by building a largely soundproofed studio music room in my basement so that I can go back to running an amp and cabinet again.

 

[catcauphonic]

My practice rig IS my gig rig. We live in a big old house, and I took over the library so I don't have to keep shlepping up and down stairs once or twice per week. It's looking more like a pedal library these days.

The housemates are most all some kind of musical so there's instruments all over including a gong in our living room. I really dislike wearing headphones, and luckily the bass sound doesn't even carry to the bedrooms upstairs as long as I keep it mostly respectable.

When I try NOT to play is approx 330-630pm when a couple are rolling in from their jobs, and I try to give them a little peace and quiet chill time till they finish eating dinner in the next room over.

 

[Smoove-Groove]

I remember Billy Sheehan saying practicing unplugged is a good idea because you can hear all the noises of the instrument that would get covered up with an amplified sound. Fret buzz, rattles etc... So when you play unplugged, you can work on your technique to get a good clean acoustic tone that will translate to an overall better amplified sound.

 

[Stewie]

Electric: usually plugged in. Upright: about half plugged in and half by itself. Two different sounds. I have to admit, the upright sounds sweeter without amplification, but just can't keep up with the drummer and electric guitars

 

[JRA]

both. but sometimes i really need to hear pitches (fretless) for certain tunes/exercises.

 

[BurtMacklinFBI]

Plugged in through my pedalboard and standing up, like a gig. I don’t really like playing sitting down, and my preamp is a pedal so skipping the pedalboard is no bueno.