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Sad story: a struggling guitarist in a friend's apartment complex needs to practice. Should he be allowed to do so with a Twin Reverb and a Semi-Hollow in an apartment complex? Maybe he could play during the day but there are shift workers at this particular place that sleep during the day. And, of course, he can't play at night anymore. And he says he can't afford a quieter amp right now.
What can he do? Are some of you in similar situations?
He looks as though he is heading for an eviction or a police arrest, or both. But the guy swears he puts the volume as low as possible.
I don't know what the answer is here. And he is pretty darn good at Jazz, too (a lot of fusion stuff).
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07-16-2013 07:43 PM
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I just moved into an apartment after living in a house for decades and its an big adjustment on stereo and guitar playing volume. A buddy who plays and teaches guitar lives in another unit and been here for years, he says he only turns on his amp during the day and doesn't turn it louder than the TV would be. I got a POD HD as my solution.
A Twin is huge amp and all the solutions I can think of would cost as much as just going out and buying a small practice amp. Those little Yamaha's are pretty nice and can get a usable sound at low volume or with headphones.
Yamaha THR10 Modeling Combo Amp | GuitarCenter
Only other solution is to be like Sonny Rollins and find a bridge to practice on and real long extension cord.
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The good thing about Twin Reverb is that it sounds good at low volumes. But it's still a big amp. He can practice without an amp. Or go to a thrift store and pickup a cheap practice amp for 20 bucks. One has to be able to adapt if living in an apartment, you can't always hope to play through your favorite amp, cranked.
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i haven't tried one but here:
VOX | amPlug | Headphone portable guitar amp
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Unless he "needs" to practice his fusion stuff with effects, he should simply play acoustically. A semi-hollow is loud enough to hear yourself -- why does he need to use an amp??
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Practicing electric without an amp people play harder than usual so it screws with their technique when they do play with an amp.
Originally Posted by marcwhy
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Hook up the guitar to the iPhone, iPad, or computer through a little connector port - they sell tons of inexpensive connectors now. There are also many inexpensive apps that have the simulation of the actual Fender Twin in them, among many other amps - once you plug your guitar into the whatever device you have. Use headphones and turn it up as loud as you want. No one will hear a peep but you.
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I guess the bottom line is that this fellow needs to join the modern age and take advantage of technology such as that PlugAmp, even if if does mean making another financial sacrifice. Or he needs to learn to play acoustically.
I wonder what people in the old days did?
If your only amp is one that was given to you, and it is 85 watts, and you live in an apartment, then you will have some unique challenges.
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Speaking for myself going back to the 60's I've had two amp a "practice" amp and a "live" amp. Most people I knew did too. If you could only afford a gig amp you practice where you live without an amp, and at band rehearsals got to play with your gig amp, and try to go early or stay late to get more time with the amp. I'm also guessing we got away with playing a bit louder at home, before a million laws and litigious society. Originally Posted by AlsoRan
Even today in my apartment I think about if on 2nd floor get amp off the floor on something to avoid coupling. Keeping amp away from adjoining walls. Try to have amp point to an interior wall of the apartment. Get amp across the room from me since a Twin with 12" sitting next to it is hard to hear the sound its developing a few feet away. It's not good for the speaker but put pillow in front of it. Long run small practice amp is solution I see little practice amp used at GC for @$20 all the time they aren't that expensive if you look around.
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In an apartment, summertime heat, windows open,.. playing an acoustic guitar may be too loud. I often played a solid body with no amplification (and sometimes headphones). No unique challenges at all, lots of guitar players live in apartments.
Last edited by fep; 07-17-2013 at 11:35 AM.
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I bought a Fender Blues Junior to play at home... There's no problem along the day. At night, I have no good solution. Obviously, NO amp. A confortable and good headphones and a Pod or similar is the best solution, for me at least.
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Is this in Texas? I thought that was a big state, can't he find a barn somewhere?
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Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
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I pretty much always lived in apartments, in big cities. At one point my only amp was indeed a twin... but it was fine for most part, I'd just turn it down real low, and be mindful of the time of day. It was a solid 50's brick building, so the sound didn't travel as well as it does in one of those cardboard jobs they have in some suburbs. Originally Posted by AlsoRan
When I was growing up and still living with my parents, I'd basically practice without plugging in, on a solidbody. My friend, a bass player, would take his axeto the bathroom, to hear himself better and not bother the rest of his family living in a single bedroom apartment.
It's true what Doc says about the tendency to play to hard. But I'd think it would be a smaller issue for an experienced player than a beginner, just something to be mindful of.
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I knew a guy who regularly let 'er rip in a storage unit. Not a cost effective alternative to the practice amp, but seems fun.
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I practice late at night on my Twin (91 measured watts...) and I live in an apartment. My neighbor below is an old lady that claims she can hear what we do on the toilet... (I'll stop commenting right there...). But she never complains about me playing late at night, amplified on my Twin.
Just put the volumes low. Twin on 4, guitar on 2 or so. It's no louder than a quiet conversation and sounds great.
If I really really need to be really quiet I practice unplugged or I use my iPhone with AmpliTube Free+iRig+iReal to jam along the backing tracks.
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This seems pretty ridiculous to me. If neighbors in this building are allowed to watch TV or listen to music, why shouldn't he be able to put on his amp at a quiet level? My guitar is not significantly louder than my TV. It's actually quieter when I'm watching a movie with big soundtrack and loud effects.
I say as long as he turns it off at 10 pm or so, the neighbors need to suck it up and realize that they live in an apartment building where other people live.
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This advice is going to get that poor fella evicted. Believe me, I live in an apartment building and I DON'T want to hear somebody practicing something repetitively if I'm working on my own composing, practicing or trying to enjoy my own space. Do I practice. A lot. I have a small practice amp. My music means that much to me. I use headphones and a mixer to work on some stuff. I play acoustic a lot. I use a small amp a lot. Originally Posted by ecj
If you have neighbors that don't mind, all the better for you. If you have even one that doesn't appreciate a honkin' Twin any more than he/she'd welcome a stranger, it'd be well advised to err on the side of quiet. OP said police action or eviction was mentioned. My experience is that=repeated history of neighbor run ins. This guy's already on thin ice and the law is not on his side. He says he's quiet? That's what the drummer across the street from me thinks.
As good as Wes Montgomery was, his whole style came out of a consideration of other people. At home and on the bandstand.
DavidLast edited by TH; 07-17-2013 at 10:46 PM.
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Get a headphone amp. Wonderful way to not alienate the neighbors.
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Update:
My coworker told me the kid got evicted.
The management had a few long term residents that were shift workers and they could not take the volume and the kid's practice schedule, even thought it appears the volume was as low as possible without getting too far out of his "sweet spot" for the amp.
The management did not want to take a chance on losing their long term residents, a couple of whom have been their for years.
Turns out there may have also been some issues witih alcohol and marijuana that were clouding the young man's judgement.
I wonder what the saxophone players do?
I have read here on the forum that Sonny Rollins would go under a bridge and practice. Anybody know of any bridges in Texas that may have electrical outlets underneath it.
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Take an acoustic and you can join Sonny on the bridge.
Horn player have rough time in apartments there are some mutes and etc. One guy I was friends with back in the day and is now a well know sax player on West Coast took a job as a janitor so he could practice in the janitors room. He would be in the small stinky room night and day practicing, but it paid off he was great player and reader and picked up gig's constantly and after losing the janitor gig never had to work other than a musician. Even the place he was janitor at let him continue to use the janitor room to practice.
I would say your friend's comment about in the Twin's sweet spot is revealing. For a fusion player that probably cranked a bit. Last weekend I was at GC hanging with a buddy testing amp and showing each other stuff. I connected him to a Twin reissue and was surprised how low I could get it and still have a usable jazz sound.
As the old saying goes "where there's a will, there's a way".
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I'm with Little Jay - playing a twin at apartment levels is really not a problem. It sounds great at any volume. I live in an apartment (thankfully not much longer, but that is another story). I honestly do not see the difference between playing the twin at appartment levels to playing a small amp like a SuperChamp XD or any other amp like a Cube or a Henricksen or whatever other amp at apartment levels - sure enough it's more fun to play louder, but it is equally possible to play all of them pretty quietly. Playing with headphones I really don't like at all and I definitely prefer playing a real amp over playing into the computer via an emulation (and I do have a decent stereo attached to the computer). After 10 pm (German neighbours tend to be very strict) I just play a semihollow or solidbody guitar without amplification and that is really good enough for most intents and purposes.
Happy guitar playing everybody!
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Who needs an amp for practice? I never plug in at home.
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I'm still mystified by this thread. Maybe I've just been lucky with my neighbors, but in every apartment complex I've lived in people are always really amiable about practicing, mostly seem to enjoy the music, and often end up asking about upcoming gigs, etc. I'm a singer, too, so it's not like this is just soft guitar music. I do annoying vocal exercises every day that involve me shouting ridiculous things as loud as I can.
I also make sure to only practice until 9 pm or so, keep the guitar volume at a level below my voice, and try to end all of my practice by playing through a quick set list. The way I figure it, all the neighbors are getting a free concert almost every day, and they seem to feel that way, too.
Maybe they wouldn't feel the same if I played super loud shred guitar, or something, but my brother is a sax player and his experiences have been similar.
Sorry to hear that your buddy got evicted, and I hope he takes care of his substance abuse issues. That never leads to good things in life.
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I have to add that in one apartment complex, there was a lady with an upright piano. She actually gave lessons out of her apartment. She was on the first floor and my wife's friend, who we would visit, lived on the second floor. I think the apartments were only two story although it was a sprawling complex.
Everyone in the building knew she made her living giving lessons.
There were no problems, especially since she would only play during the day.
It also helped that she was very nice and amenable to everyone, sometimes giving poorer kids free lessons.
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