How Many Practice Electric Bass Unplugged?

[KerrywAZ1]

I have noticed that sometimes I just want to grab the bass and sit on the edge of the bed and practice unplugged. It's so simple and easy with no cables, no headphones or wireless electronics to worry over.

I was wondering how many other folks do this and if it is considered an effective way to practice?

Thanks.

 

[jd56hawk]

Not even with my acoustic basses.

 

[msb]

It's hard to develop your touch without hearing the bass amplified , I almost always turn the amp on , quietly , but so I can hear my touch .

 

[godofthunder59]

Quite often.

 

[Resonance129]

I do that sometimes. It's an interesting change, and seems to force me to consider dynamics a little more.

 

[kesslari]

I used to. It created many bad habits that it took me a long time to unlearn, all based on playing too hard in order to hear myself.

 

[blowinblue]

I rarely use all caps, but...BORING!!!

M. M.

 

[JRA]

how many other folks do this and if it is considered an effective way to practice?

i do it, and i'd say "yes" on effectiveness, but it really depends on what i'm trying to accomplish. i can practice certain things/ways without an amp. other things/ways i need to hear it well.

 

[Chicken Wing]

Never

 

[jdaunt]

I do pretty regularly, especially on my fretless with a tuner on the headstock just to work on my intonation.

 

[thabassmon]

Very close to all of the time, I only plug in when playing with others, recording or if I want to use effects.

This subject has come up before and I noticed a lot of people stated that they couldn't hear themselves properly and developed a bad habit of playing too hard. I wonder how much of that is due to hearing loss, and because of noisy environments.

I find it is easy to hear myself playing unplugged, I have practiced this way since almost from the start. At the very beginning I used a little Yamaha Budokan 50W guitar amp, then I used a Park B25 MkII 25W bass amp.

When I started to get more serious about playing, I used an amp less and less (when practicing), my feeling is when it's just you and the strings, with no setting, eq, gain stages etc. There is less opportunity for excuses, you can focus on your "real" sound, learn to manipulate the strings to produce different timbres. Basically if a note is flubbed, out of time, uneven volume etc. It's you. And that is exactly what I like about it, you play crap and you have to say well I played crap today, and not blame any piece of equipment.

Early on I read an interview with Ron Carter talking about how players these days rely on equipment and don't take the time to develop their sound from the bass and strings themselves.

Although he was referring to double bass, I see no reason why that idea couldn't be applied to bass guitar. A lot of other instrumentalists work on tone production so for me it's a little bit about borrowing that concept too.

 

[Eidolon0274]

All the time, don't have problems with having to play to hard to hear, it's more about the tactile calibration and getting your hands into it. Should note that this is for warming up or a quick noodle, never for extended periods or alon with music.

Also, don't go adjusting your action or setup unplugged. All those weird buzzes and clangs aren't generally coming through the amp and may be what makes your tone so good if they are.

 

[ShawnG]

I know I shouldn’t, but I do.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I do.

 

[Guitalia]

I've always practiced unplugged. Helps develop calluses. Never any trouble transitioning to playing on stage.

 

[redlikejazz]

I do practice unplugged some, but I do prefer to be plugged in. I’ve had the same Hartke 30w practice amp for 20 years so I know what it is and isn’t capable of. I’ve grown tired of the tone of most of my basses through it, and I thought it was because the amp is getting old, but I just plugged in my new Jaguar and was astonished at how much better it sounds than all of my old basses. The only exception to this is my frankenP that has some ancient dimarzio’s and sounds fantastic through anything. The bass itself is a bear to play but it sounds so good.

 

[abarson]

Nope.
I don't see the point of not hearing what I'm doing. If I need to practice quietly, I have headphones.

 

[Killing Floor]

I do quite often but usually that’s when I grab a semi hollow or my ABG.

Comments about technique are valid. But I usually reserve unplugged for rolling with ideas or just noodling.

 

[N4860]

I most often practice through headphones (I mostly play at night when my 3 young kids go to sleep), but lately I've been practicing every morning for a while when my oldest is doing her online school classes so I can help her if she has any issues with the computer. I have no problem hearing myself so I don't find that I have to play more aggressive. I also just generally run through some warm-up exercises just to loosen up the hands so it's not like I really need to listen closely to the notes I'm playing.

 

[mongo2]

By far, most of my practice is unplugged. I've been doing that since I started over 50 years ago. Never had a technique problem I could blame on playing unplugged.