"If you’re starting out and practicing at home, you might be self-conscious about playing through even a small practice amp until you’ve got your chops up to speed": Sounds familiar? Here's 7 low-volume ways to play and practice guitar without an amp

Collage of shots of people using guitar gear.

The electric guitar is a notorious loudmaker, synonymous with the ear-shattering walls of sound propagated by innumerable rock trailblazers. The draw to the electric guitar, felt by every new guitarist, near-invariably results from one special musician or moment; an eye-widening sound or spectacle that reveals a world of sonic possibility. And about 60 per cent of those moments were probably something to do with Prince.

It’s at the very least funny, then, that electric guitars are so plinky and quiet at rest. To get those tone-rich sounds that pulled you in to start with, you need an amplifier and some neighborly understanding, amongst other guitar-rig essentials… or do you?