Does the unplugged Casady bass make a sound?

[japhy4529]

yup.............although i purposely favor 'acoustically loud' solidbody basses (theres always a debate on TB about the bonus viability differences in the natural acoustics of solidbody basses - Im in the "yes, it matters" camp) my G&L ASAT is literally the loudest solid-body on the planet....not just my opinion either from others who have handled it ........

I don't have it anymore but I would have loved to done a "Cage Match of Unplugged Volume" between my Alembic Elan 5 and your G&L ASAT. The Elan has an all maple body, maple neck-thru body and ebony board. It weighs 12.5 lbs! Volume for days - to the point where my wife could hear me playing it unplugged in the living room while she was upstairs.

 

[RedVee]

It's not my primary mode of practice, and it's not the reason I'd be buying a Casady. But if it turns out that this bass allows me to practice after the cutoff time of 10 p.m. every now and then, that would be an added benefit. TBH, I'm probably just looking for an extra rationale for buying it.

The Casady is the bass I saw the day I got the itch to learn the bass guitar.
I enquired about getting one and using it to practice unplugged until I organised an amp. (Doing this on the cheap).
The salesperson said no, no good and I ended up getting a used Ibanez ABG and am still yet to get my JC.
One day... one day..

 

[jd56hawk]

This is what I use.

Set of headphones and no one else can hear.
Even though I can simply pick up this bass and practice without an amp, I choose not to...plugged in, the tone is incredible and, after all, it's all about tone.
Not to mention I can plug in my ipod and play along with any song I'm working on...again, silently.

 

[Nickweissmusic]

I don't think practicing unplugged will necessary give you bad habits. Lots of players practice playing scales, fingerings, positions, timing, etc. unplugged. Its more to get muscle memory, not to try to play along to a song the way it should sound. Plus, i'm assuming you're doing a lot of your practicing plugged in to an amp anyways; playing unplugged should be supplemental.

And yes, you can hear solid bodied electrics unplugged. Hollow body, even more.

If you're disciplined enough not to overexert when unplugged, this is all possible.

 

[bassdude51]

You really should try a JC unplugged first before buying one. I think that you'll be disappointed with it unplugged. It's not really much different in volume and sound to that of a solid body bass. The JC has a solid center and it's a thin bass so, it's not what you might think it'll sound like.

I had a JC. They excellent basses! IMHO, they sound a lot like a P Bass with with a woody and organic touch.

 

[Robert Sperling]

My girlfriend doesn't let me play it at home at night (anytime at night) cause she says it bothers her.

"Time to find a new G-friend, my friend".

 

[pie_man_25]

"Practising unplugged all the time may lead to playing unnecessarily hard. Playing with an amp develops your feel better."

This definitely applies to me. Amplified, I use high volume and a light touch. If I play an electric bass unplugged, I tend to start getting too aggressive with my right hand and then have to make a conscious adjustment when I plug in.

This is why I use practice amps now. My technique was just too heavy-handed.

 

[Spidey2112]

The Casady is the bass I saw the day I got the itch to learn the bass guitar.
I enquired about getting one and using it to practice unplugged until I organised an amp. (Doing this on the cheap).
The salesperson said no, no good and I ended up getting a used Ibanez ABG and am still yet to get my JC.
One day... one day..

Soon, very soon...

 

[StatesideRambler]

So, then, everyone here practices only the set list and songs you are learning for a new set or band? No one works on technique, etudes or scales? And you can't pay attention to or work on dynamics (loud/soft & hard/easy) without being plugged in?

I'm quite content practicing etudes and scales when playing amplified isn't doable. I gain a lot from that work. I have yet to meet a seriously good musician who doesn't. I was taught to make an etude out of any part of a song that's difficult or not yet fully under my fingers, therefore songs aren't ignored in my quiet sessions either. Given a choice I'd rather be plugged in and turned up but when that's out of the question I don't "go all diva" whining that "I just can't practice this way!" If you think you can't, you're right: you can't. If plugged in and turned up is the only way you can practice, I submit that you aren't really practicing to improve your playing. Of course, that's just my cranky old fart opinion and what the hell do I know about playing electric bass guitar?

I often practice ampless with both my Epiphone Jack Casady (nice! works great!) and my solid body Ibanez. The JCB, especially, makes plenty enough sound even when the TV is on in the next room and I get a lot from each session because I work on aspects of playing that don't require an amp. Later, when I can plug in, those are under my hands already and I can concentrate more on the things directly related to the bass/effects/amp rig and the audience.

An aside: the JCB comes with roundwounds which I hadn't used in more that thirty years. The squeak of the strings when I shifted positions exposed sloppiness in my playing that my flats forgive. The squeaking is far more apparent unamplified in a quiet space and that gave me incentive to work on it and improve my playing. And plugged in, I'm getting lots of comments and compliments on the way the JCB sits in the mix. It's a great bass!

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

Yes, you can practice alone, unplugged with the JC bass. I've done it for 19 years. It doesn't wake up the household.
With round wound strings it works very well. But it doesn't sound so great (unplugged) with Pyramid flats. My Klira violin bass, on the other hand, sounds fine unplugged with Pyramid flats.

 

[mdogs]

This thought that you can't practice unamplified is just another completely bogus assertion that happens with everything on TB. If you know how to practice and you know how to vary your technique, then you will be fine. If you know how to do neither, then it doesn't matter anyway.

 

[Raman]

Um, I practice often on a solid body bass without amplification. I never understood that need for a bedroom amp thing. You can hear these things unplugged

Kinda depends on your bass though I'd say. Some instruments resonate acoustically a lot more than others.

 

[GIBrat51]

I haven't messed with a JC bass, since I'm a lefty - and they aren't. But I suspect that, as someone's already mentioned, the thin body and center block don't help its unplugged volume much. It's probably on a par with my Dano DC 59, which, unplugged, is fairly adequate - if you're in a quiet room. Certainly louder than any solid body bass I own. This '71 Epi EA-260, OTOH, is a true hollow body, and it's loud enough unplugged to annoy the neighbors - if you live in an apartment. Even with the decade old flatwounds on it...

 

[jd56hawk]

If you need to hear your bass and don’t want to disturb your neighbors, girlfriend, parents, sleeping baby or your dog...simply try one of these.

 

[petrus61]

You really should try a JC unplugged first before buying one. I think that you'll be disappointed with it unplugged. It's not really much different in volume and sound to that of a solid body bass. The JC has a solid center and it's a thin bass so, it's not what you might think it'll sound like.

I had a JC. They excellent basses! IMHO, they sound a lot like a P Bass with with a woody and organic touch.

Exactly. That’s why there’s an output jack on it. It’s supposed to be plugged in. It was designed to be plugged in. One might or might not be able to hear themselves slightly better than if it were an unplugged solid body, which isn’t any fun at all, IMO. It’s an awesome bass either way, but it is an electric bass.

 

[Watchootognbout]

It's 'bout as loud as a fretless bass unplugged.
Which I play unplugged time to time.

 

[dmt]

I like my acoustic bass guitar for unplugged practice, noodling, working things out, late night playing, etc. Yeah, playing an electric unplugged can work, but somehow it’s less satisfying. Absolutely fine for a quickie, but not something I particularly want to do on a regular practice basis. I don’t have a Jack Cassidy or other hollow or semi-hollow body, but I imagine the experience is somewhere in between an acoustic bass and an unplugged solidbody.

When I was a kid, I used to sometimes play with the headstock touching the wall or a door so that that surface would act as a speaker — I Imagine that would be quite annoying to housemates or apartment neighbors for late night playing!

 

[Rezdog]

Greetings from the North,

And now for a different solution for solo audio....

Phil Jones 'BIGHEAD'
Huge clear bass guitar sound that nobody else can hear but you. Excellent for 5 & 6 string too.

Rezdog