Playing your bass unplugged

[brianrost]

I've often stated here that when shopping for a bass I always play it unplugged before I plug it in. The reason is that if it sounds lousy unamplified, it's going to be about the same amplified. Sometimes I'll practice unplugged because it makes fret noise more obvious and I can work on accurate fretting.

Bass Whisperer Ed Friedland actually shows this in a new video review. Jump ahead to 7:00 where he mikes the body of the bass.

 

[Bass V]

I gave up on dissecting the acoustic properties of basses cos if it sounds good amplified even without resonating well or providing much pleasantry unplugged then I'm done. IDK what contributes to the appealing woody / airey nature of some basses but I tend to keep those closer by when wanting to get trebly and go up high, especially if the mid / neck PU can compete similarly with the bridge. when you find a dual PU bass which can pull that off then likely it can do most anything tonefully well, sometimes it can be spotted immediately sans an amp or be one of those silent but deadly types, no matter what wood or material it's made of. Ed's vid is a poor example IMO with so much twang going on.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

even without resonating well

You don't want your solid-body bass to resonate:

myth-busting: Resonance is not synonymous with Vibration

 

[Funk With Me]

I play unplugged every night.

 

[MD]

Same here...

Yeah, yeah, I know....

 

[JRA]

I've often stated here that when shopping for a bass I always play it unplugged before I plug it in. The reason is that if it sounds lousy unamplified, it's going to be about the same amplified. Sometimes I'll practice unplugged because it makes fret noise more obvious and I can work on accurate fretting.

IME: i've made more decisions about EBs based on feel. i don't need to plug it in to know if it could work for me. how it sounds unplugged isn't a thing for me...it's and EB... i can change amps, pickups, strings, technique, yada yada.

so i agree with the value of playing them unplugged, but i don't agree that a bad acoustic sound = bad amplified sound. that's just not my experience. i'm not really questioning your experience, however: you apparently make your POV work!

 

[jd56hawk]

I have eight basses.
Bought seven of them online.
Other than that, I never even play my two acoustic basses unplugged.
I do recommend one of these for people who like to try out basses unplugged, though.

 

[Epitaph04]

None of my bass guitars acoustically sound anything like they do plugged in.

 

[feterpatch]

When I'm considering purchasing a bass or guitar I always play them unplugged first. I look for strong harmonic response on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th frets (as well as 5th, 7th, 12th, etc). I've found those basses that are extremely responsive and "sing" when played unplugged almost always sound great plugged in. Likewise, if it feels and sounds dead and lifeless unplugged it usually will plugged in too (taking into account string condition, etc).

 

[PrimitiveMan]

I do find that basses I really like sound very alive unplugged, but I don't need to play them unplugged to realize that. They also sound great plugged in, which is how I am going to play them!

 

[scuzzy]

None of my bass guitars acoustically sound anything like they do plugged in.

This. I have 12+ basses, and their unamplified sound is not comparable to their amplified sound.

It may give hints on sustain and such, but overall tone...I doubt it.

 

[bobyoung53]

I play unplugged every night.

I do too, quite a bit even while watching TV. I play along to the commercials, he last bit of music gets stuck in my head and I'll jam to it while watching the TV.

 

[BassDaddy77]

I'm not convinced that the unplugged characteristics always make a huge difference in the amplified product. I do however believe there's something to be said for how a bass vibrates and feels in your hands that directly translates to being more "connected" to the instrument itself. YMMV

 

[zontar]

There's another reason I will play a bass unplugged in a store before plugging it in.

If I don't like the way it feels (And I don't mean playability--as at least some of that can be changed/fixed/adjusted), I mean the way ti feels to hold it--especially the neck.

I've picked up basses and put them back down without even playing them--they just feel wrong to me.
So why bother plugging it in?
Move on to the next one.

Even some playability issues can affect this, as they may not be fixable--although most are.

I also do spend some of my playing time unplugged, as it does give you different perspective on your technique--and that can help.

And sometimes it's just out of convenience that I play unplugged.

 

[Ostie]

All my basses sound unplugged like they do plugged in. I could pick them out blindfolded.

 

[lfmn16]

Since I don’t perform unplugged, it’s irrelevant to me how they sound unplugged. Can’t think of a bass this happened with, but I have two guitars that don’t sound that great unplugged, but sing through an amp. I have a Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion III that I almost didn’t plug in because it sounded meh unplugged. I plugged it in and it just lit up.

I don’t get practicing unplugged; you miss so much, and it can cover up a lot of sloppy playing. I never practice an amplified instrument unplugged.

 

[chadds]

I love playing unplugged! It encourages innovative percussive techniques. I’ve learned to slightly lift the fretting finger. There are just so many things happening that I’ve found enhance electric playing. For example making walking bass lines using the side of the index finger sound just like plugged in. Unplugged exposes the purity of my tone making. I hear the notes bloom. I hear the overtones then know how to duplicate that live and loud. If I can make a note speak in that unboosted environment than it’s that much more profound amplified.

I’ve found basses that respond to my touch. I once put down a famous makers bass that retailed for over $5K. It was beautiful yet one of the deadest basses I’ve ever played. I want to make and feel those vibrations. I lay an Ashbory’s headstock on my clavicle and practice. The feeling is throughout my upper body. The more I experience the more I deliver.

 

[N4860]

You don't want your solid-body bass to resonate:

myth-busting: Resonance is not synonymous with Vibration

Do you have some sort of alert that sends a message to your phone anytime someone uses the word resonance on tb? It's not that I disagree with your message, but it just seems like a very odd thing to be so passionate about correcting people about. I'm sure understand that most people are just using the word incorrectly and are referring to something else when they say "resonance".

 

[PennyroyalWe]

I like to play them unplugged to listen for rattles or buzzes, loose parts and such, as they might get drown out by the amp depending on how loud you have it. Otherwise, I play unplugged just to be quiet and unattached to an amp.

 

[Killing Floor]

I play unplugged a lot, I really don't enjoy playing with headphones. I also think it can help with technique sometimes. A semi-hollow helps, is that cheating? I have a couple ABG but I really practice on my electrics and noodle on the ABG with football on TV.
And I don't worry too much about pickups on a bass I'm "shopping" because they're easy to change.