Home-only players: Do you regularly amplify?

[Andy Howell]

At home I play without amplification except when rehearsing - I have an AER Compact always ready in my office space. Particularly useful when getting to grips with new songs.

For playing out and amplified rehearsing with an amp is pretty important for singing.


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[shredtrash]

I never amplify at home. I don't see the point unless I'm gigging and need the guitar loud enough to be heard over a crowd.

[Bajoquintoguy]

I play amped at home because I enjoy it and get in the zone a lot faster. Depending on mood, of course. My guitars have mag pickups which lends to loud paying. Sure, it doesn't sound 100% acoustic BUT still sounds crisp and clean through a good amp.

[Methos1979]

We only play out at open mics once a month or so. Weekdays I'm probably 50/50 plugging in when I'm home alone practicing. On weekends when we practice together is more like 95% of the time plugged in. Just me on guitar and her on vocals with me sometimes on vocals as well (trying to sing more).

We started with a Genz Benz I'd had forever and then 'upgraded' to a Fishman SA220 which sounded great and sat in the corner. My thoughts on the SA220 is that it would be the perfect amp for the 'gigs' we were gearing up to do and never did. And though it was 'small' as it stuck in the corner, in reality is was a pretty good size amp that just took up the whole corner and with all the stuff plugged into there were always cords and other mess all over the floor no matter how much I tried to keep things neat and tidy.

Last year we re-did the entire house inside and out and I really wanted the most unobtrusive system that would look neat. I got rid of ALL the effects pedals and gear, also sold off the SA220 and bought a little Carvin AG-200 that sits under the desk in music corner. We plug the guitar and mics straight into the amp and use only what the amp offers, which is quite a lot. We get great tone and the place looks awesome. I'll see if I can find some old photos to show a before and after.

I love playing amplified. Sure, playing just acoustically and being able to walk around and play in different places is convenient and even fun but nothing sounds better than playing amplified, in my opinion!

Before the home redo this was our 'music corner':




And after:

[CASD57]

I do to keep in practice....Amplified Vocals sound different than playing without amplification
It brings out more nuances of your voice and being amplified helps you learn to control them.

[martingitdave]

I reserve amplification for performance, or rehearsal for performance. Prior to getting back into playing gigs, I never amplified. I prefer to find a room with good acoustics, and then play and sing till my heart's content. Frankly, that's the beauty of voice and guitar to me. Amplification is a necessary evil for acoustic musicians.


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[51 Relic]

Originally Posted by necrome

I hardly amplify when I play at home - because of the trouble of setting everything up and tearing down. My place is also tiny which means feedback issues aplenty before the volumes even go up.

I only use my amps when I play during worship or gig. . I never use an amp at home even when I use the SLG200 it's early in the morning with headphones

[hotroad]

I am a full time musician, a solo act. I always practice plugged into a good sound system at home or on the road. Why? A friend told me years ago, "Why practice your mistakes. You might get good at them." I took that to mean that its important to practice as close as possible to what I want to sound like in my gigs so I can hear any areas that need work. Been doing this for over twenty years and find it very helpful, that is, to practice plugged in. I also write songs and after the lyrics, I plug in and write the music, the guitar parts, that way as well. Just one idea that works for me but maybe not a good one for those who do not play out professionaly(making money while gigging).

[varmonter]

I wish i had a dedicated heated room at my place.
Where i could set up a pa recording rig.
I dont so i only setup when testing new equip.
So i can tweak it before a gig. Mostly i just play
Acousticly.. too much hassel to set up/down
I do have a small amp aer c60.for quick reference.but usuall i play without.

[AeroUSA]

Pretty much every time. It just sounds better!

[perttime]

I'm thinking of getting a smaller bodied acoustic because my current big guitar is a bit loud for some home playing occasions.

[Puerto Player]

I have a full PA at my house that my buddies and I play through on weekends when we get together. At our beach house, I bought a LD Systems Maui 5. It was about $500 on eBay and I'd buy it again in a second. It has Bluetooth also so you can stream music to it for any occasion. Sounds great, get's loud enough for medium size bars/clubs and you can hook up a mixer to it if you need more inputs.

[ricdoug]

Roland AC-33. Perfect for your stated needs and it can also be run on batteries. I own and have used one for several years:


The AC-33 is the world's first battery-powered amp made specifically for acoustic guitar. Portable yet powerful, the AC-33 provides true stereo sound, Guitar and Mic/Line channels, custom-tailored effects, anti-feedback, and a Phrase Looper. But this amp was made to go places no amp has gone before. Thanks to its battery-power capability, the AC-33 lets you take your act anywhere: into the backwoods, onto the streets, or wherever your
imagination leads you.

Features
30W (15W + 15W) of natural, stereo acoustic sound through twin speakers
Runs on AC power or eight AA batteries (accepts rechargeable NiMH types)
Dual-channel configuration: Guitar and Mic/Line
Reverb, chorus and new ambience effects
Advanced anti-feedback function
Phrase looper with 40 seconds of record time
Stereo AUX input
Headphone output
Built-in tilt-back stand

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Roland/A...74034491857.gc

[DCCougar]

I'm a home player, occasionally into multitrack recording. I like to plug my acoustics into my Vox AD30VT.

[crafter ga6]

Normally at home I play unplugged; the only exceptions are when I'm practicing for a plugged-in performance, or when my brother is playing along on the drums. I don't move around the house a lot though.