Guitarist’s Guide To Playing At Home

• Is an Electric or Acoustic guitar better for playing at home?
• How to Get the Best Guitar Tone at Home
• Guitar Pedals at Home
• Pedalboards for Home Playing
• Guitar Amps Vs. Plugins
• How To Practice Guitar Quietly at Home
• Sound-Proofing Vs Acoustic Treatment at Home
• Make Your Home Guitar Setup Inspiring
• Guitar at Home: FAQ
• Final Thoughts – Playing Guitar at Home

Is an Electric or Acoustic guitar better for playing at home?

Any guitar can be a great practice companion – but is an electric or an acoustic better for home use? There are pros and cons of both; ultimately it depends on your preferred playing style and setup.

Electric Guitars

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• Quiet when unplugged – great for silent practice
• Headphone-friendly via an amp or audio interface
• A vast range of tones available with plugins, pedals and amp modelling
• Record your practice on the fly with an interface and suitable software

Acoustic Guitars

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• No amp required, just pick it up and play
• Full, natural tone
• You can’t turn it down, so silent practice isn’t possible
• No cables, no fuss. A minimal, cost-effective choice that can save space

Choose electric if you want silent play and tone flexibility.
Go acoustic if you prefer simplicity and pick-up, put-down ease.

How to Get the Best Guitar Tone at Home

This depends entirely on your preferred setup. If you have an amp at home or simply prefer to play through an amp, consider the type.

Best Guitar Amps for Home Practice

• Solid-state & digital amps work great at lower volumes.
• Valve amps sound incredible but need to be loud. Use an attenuator if needed.
• Look for amps with headphone outs and aux inputs for backing tracks.

Electric Guitar Amplifiers

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Guitar Pedals at Home

Want more tone variety and tactile control? Pedals can take your sound to the next level, even at home.

What are the best guitar pedals for home use?

As with anything, this really depends on the sound or style you’re after.

Top Pedal Types for Home Use:

• Mini pedals – Compact and space-saving
• Multi-effects units – A wide variety of sounds in one box
• Looper pedals – Great for practice and layering ideas

Guitar Pedals

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Pedalboards for Home Playing

While pedalboards are often associated with live performance, they can still be a great addition at home. Getting comfortable with a basic signal chain of a few key effects can let you understand your sound and how to manipulate it in a tangible way. It also lets you practice balancing effects control with your playing so that you’re comfortable in a performance.

You might be put off by the idea of having stompboxes and cables strewn across the floor, but putting together a small format pedalboard means you’ve got plenty of sound at your disposal without the associated mess.

Pedalboards

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Guitar Amps Vs. Plugins

Let’s say you don’t have the space or budget for an amplifier. That’s where an audio interface comes in. Use an interface to connect your guitar to your computer, tablet or phone and jam or record your ideas that way. Plus, you can simply connect headphones and practice in complete silence whilst still getting crisp, powerful sound.

Benefits of using an interface at home:

• A huge variety of available tones at the click of a button
• Saves space
• Easy recording straight away
• Cost-effective

There are a load of great choices nowadays for amp sim plugins, ranging from simple, affordable options to incredibly powerful software used by professionals on many of your favourite records. Some of the top choices include:

• GarageBand (Mac) – Great for beginners
• Waves GTR 3, Guitar Rig 6 – A decent selection of good tones on a budget
• Neural DSP, Positive Grid Bias FX 2 – Advanced options for powerful tone shaping and pro-level sounds

Audio Interfaces

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How To Practice Guitar Quietly at Home

One of the things that might set home playing apart from stage or studio is volume. To get a good live or recorded sound, a fair bit of volume can work wonders. But at home, you probably won’t have that luxury; family, housemates, neighbours.

What’s the best way to practice guitar quietly at home?

• Practice with an electric guitar – Electric guitars can be plugged into an amp or interface with headphones, a luxury you don’t get with acoustics. If you don’t have an interface or headphone-capable amp, practicing on an electric unplugged can still be surprisingly effective too to develop your skills.
• Use amp plugins via an audio interface – It’s easier than ever to connect your guitar to your computer. Any audio interface will do, and there are plenty of free/affordable DAWs (digital audio workstation – recording software) and plugins out there. Connect headphones for full tone, silent practice.
• Use a small amp – Size isn’t everything, but if your amp doesn’t have a headphone-out port, smaller amps will generally pump out less volume. Put it this way; you definitely don’t need a 100W head with a 4×12” cab to play at home. Some even come with an aux in for playing your own backing tracks.

• Use an attenuator – a guitar attenuator will divert unnecessary power from your amp, reducing your volume without compromising your tone. These are particularly great if you’ve got a valve amp. You can enjoy rich tube-driven tone without blowing holes in walls. See our top picks below.

Guitar Attenuators

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Sound-Proofing Vs Acoustic Treatment at Home

• Sound-proofing = prevents sound from escaping
• Acoustic treatment = improves the acoustic characteristics of your room (for better tone or recording)

Egg boxes on the walls, blankets hung over doors, foam stuck to the ceiling – we’ve seen it all before. But don’t be fooled; these won’t help soundproof your home setup. These are basic attempts at acoustic treatment, essentially making your room less reflective, and therefore better sounding. True sound-proofing often isn’t feasible in a home environment.

However, if you are looking to get the best sound in your home studio or record high-quality audio, acoustic treatment can make a big difference. Take a look at our top picks for acoustic treatment to upgrade the sound properties of your home space.

How many guitars do you need at home?

Firstly, what are the advantages of having more than one guitar at home? You can often get different sounds, different feels, and if you’re anything like us, you can’t help but like the way they look. Plus, having more than one guitar can keep you on your toes, and more importantly, keep those creative juices flowing!

Popular home collection setup:

• Strat and/or Tele – Bright, Versatile
• Les Paul – Warm, full, powerful
• Acoustic – Always good to have around
• Add variety with different tunings, pickup types, or 7-string/extended range guitars

More guitars = more tonal options, more inspiration.

If you’re short on space, having one reliable electric guitar allows you to access most tones and styles you might want for practicing at home. Adding an acoustic obviously gives you some extra naturally-resonant versatility.

Ultimately, the short answer is: as many as you’ll use and have space for.

Make Your Home Guitar Setup Inspiring

There’s a lot to be said for a good creative space. Having a great space at home can make the whole guitar-playing experience more enjoyable and inspire you to play more.

Create a space that makes you want to play:

• Desk or allocated room space for your amp, pedals and/or interface
• Guitar stand or wall hanger to keep your instrument safely stored and within reach
• Comfortable chair, good lighting, and maybe even a rug (for that studio vibe)
• Keep a cleaning cloth or kit nearby to maintain your guitar

Beyond the basics, finding the right accessories to make you comfortable and keep you gear in top condition can turn your home space into somewhere where you can truly enjoy your instrument.

Guitar Accessories

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Guitar at Home: FAQ

• Should I practice guitar every day?

If you can, yes. Even 10–15 minutes daily is more effective than a long session once or twice a week. Consistency will let you improve much faster than anything else.

• Should I get a guitar stand or wall hanger?

Guitar stands are easier to move around and good for multiple guitars. Wall hangers save floor space and look great but ensure that it’s installed safely. Either choice can cause your guitars to accumulate dust though, so make sure you clean them regularly.

• Should I keep my guitar in its case at home?

If you’re not playing regularly or have pets/kids around, a case is safer and keeps your guitar free from dust and dirt. Otherwise, keeping it out encourages more playing – just avoid direct sunlight or damp areas.

• What’s the best amp for home practice?

Stick to low-wattage amps (20W or less let you practice at low volumes and can still give you great sound) or models that have headphone-out ports. Aux-in capability can be great too, letting you play along to backing tracks.

• Can I play acoustic guitar quietly?

Acoustic guitars are naturally louder, but lighter picking, fingerstyle, or even soundhole covers can help reduce volume.

Final Thoughts – Playing Guitar at Home

If you haven’t already run off to give your instrument a strum, we’re hoping you’re feeling a little more inspired about playing guitar at home. There are plenty of ways to make the most of it.

You don’t need a fancy studio or a massive rig to enjoy playing guitar at home. If you’re just learning chords, writing your next riff, or jamming for fun, the right tools and space can make all the difference.

If you’d like to read more informative articles and handy guides, check out the rest of our Learn content.

If you’d like to shop guitar gear, click here to browse the Andertons Music Co. Guitar Department.

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