5 Effortless Ways to Play Electric Guitar with Headphone

I know, there is nothing like Playing your electric guitar with an Amp. But this can be intimidating for other people especially when you want to play at night time or maybe while traveling.

In such cases, headphones can be your best buddy. Here I will tell you How can you play your guitar with headphones without disturbing your neighbors and without losing the actual tone of your guitar.

How to Play Your Electric guitar with Headphones?

Top 5 ways to play electric guitar with headphones:

1. Plug the Headphone in an Amplifier
2. Connecting a Guitar to a Multi-Effect Pedal
3. Connect Electric Guitar to a Smartphone/Tablet
4. Using Audio Interface to connect a guitar to Computer
5. Plug the Guitar into Mini Guitar Amp

Each of the above ways comes with its oven benefits and its cons too. Let’s discuss them one by one in detail and try to find out which way is the best for you.

5 Simple Ways to Play Your Electric Guitar with Headphone

Let’s start with a very common way:

1. Plug the headphone in an Amp

If you already have a guitar Amp, then this is a very simple and easy way to practice your electric guitar with headphones.

But if you don’t have an amp and also don’t want to invest in one, check out our guide to play electric guitar without an amp.

Almost all the modern electric amps come with a headphone jack. All you need to do is, just look for it. It is maybe on the front side, on the backside, and even on the top in some cases.

Just simply plug your headphone into your guitar amp and you’re ready to bang your guitar without disturbing your neighbors.

Along with that, you also need to check the size of the headphone jack. To connect your headphone you need a 6.3 mm (1/4 inches) headphone jack. But many of the amps have a 3.5 mm (1/8 inches) jack.

If that’s your case, simply get one audio adapter (or converter) like this one (Link to Amazon) which converts a 3.5 mm jack into a 6.3 mm and you can plug your headphone easily.

Advantages:

• Very easy to Setup
• Doesn’t going to cost you much

Disadvantages:

• You can’t play your guitar while traveling.
• It’s not going to work if your Amp doesn’t have headphone jack.

2. Connect your Electric Guitar to a Multi-Effect Pedal

If you already have one multi-effect pedal unit with you, you can easily play your electric guitar through headphones. Almost all the multi-effect pedal comes with a headphone jack. Some units simply mention phones whereas some labeled it as a line out.

If your pedal unit offers some kind of amp modeling or it allows you to connect with a mixer, that means you can connect it to a headphone.

Again, just like I told you in the above section, If you have a different output jack other than 6.3 mm, you need to buy one audio Adapter (Already Mentioned Above!).

Advantages:

• Provides you wide range of effects and tonal settings
• It is more Portable than amp
• Allow you to connect to a PC for recording

Disadvantages:

• Expensive option if you don’t have Multi-effect pedal
• Not going to work if your pedal doesn’t have output jack

Note: If you don’t have a multi-effect pedal unit already, don’t get one just to play your guitar through an amp. There are other options for you which suit you.

3. Connect Electric Guitar to a Mobile Device

If you currently don’t have one normal amplifier or multi-effect pedal, this is going to be the best option for you.

You can connect your guitar to your mobile device, it may be a smartphone or tablet, and enjoy the music by simply plugging the headphone into your phone. isn’t that great?

This is so great because now you can practice your guitar anywhere you want, even when traveling, without any issue.

But, how you’re going to connect your electric guitar with your phone?

For this, you need to invest in one audio interface. don’t worry it’s not going to be very expensive and definitely going to be worth your penny.

The simple idea is, you can connect your guitar to this audio interface, which can be connected to your phone through a USB cable.

If you search for it, you will get many kinds of audio interfaces with different so-called specialties. but, personally, I use iRig HD 2 (Amazon link) whenever I traveled a long journey with my family.

This portable audio interface comes with a full version of the guitar amp along with different tonal effects to enhance your music even more. Just put your headphone and this interface in your guitar case and you’re ready to bang anywhere.

Also, this unit allows you to record your music directly into your smartphone. if you have effect pedals, you can connect them too but if you don’t have them, you can still use them virtually and enjoy the full show and too in total silence.

To adjust the settings and get the desired tone through this interface, you can download free iOS apps like GarageBand or JamUp available for both iPhone and iPad.

Advantages:

• Very handy especially when you’re traveling
• Easy to setup
• Doesn’t required Amp or other Pedals
• Affordable Price

Disadvantage:

• You can’t use your guitar amp (If you already have one)
• Android Users have few options

4. Connect Guitar to a Computer Using Audio Interface

This is another great way to play your electric guitar in silence and without using an amp too.

This method is just like the above one. but instead of connecting the audio interface to your mobile device, we are using a more advanced interface and plugging it into your PC/mac.

Here, you’re accessible to more advanced features and customizable options to take your music to the next level. And you can simply connect your any headphone to your PC.

If you use effect processing software like IK Multimedia Amplitube or Guitar Rig 5 (which are free, by the way!), you can achieve unlimited tonal possibilities with an audio interface.

Check out this Focusrite Scarlett USB audio interface on Amazon and grab the latest deal! If you already don’t have an Amp, this is definitely a very nice option for you.

Advantages:

• Easy to Setup and Handle
• Affordable Price
• No need for Amp or other Gears
• Can Easily Record and Enhance your Music

Disadvantages:

• You can’t play when you’re not accessible to your PC

5. Plug the Guitar into Mini Guitar Amp

This is the most affordable option to play your electric guitar in silence on this list. If you don’t have Amp and also don’t want to buy any audio interface, this is the ideal way for you.

Here, instead of buying a normal guitar amp, we’re going for a tiny battery-powered guitar amp which is going to be very helpful for you.

The only thing I include this option in this article is, These tiny amps are extremely portable and allow you to play your electric guitar with or without the headphone (depending on the model of your amp!).

Although, what I have seen is, Almost all the mini amps come with a port for a headphone jack.

One of my friends is a big fan of such amps and always carries one with herself. She prefers these tiny amps even when she is in her home.

Of course, I ask her opinion and she suggests I go with the VOX AP2AC amPlug 2 Headphone Amplifier (Link to Amazon). personally, I found a little downgrade in the sound quality as compared to the real guitar amp.

But, when I want to play my guitar while traveling, its portability and easy handling definitely worth it. I mean, this is the cheapest solution you can get to your problem. Just check out the deal once!

Advantages:

• Easy to Setup and Handle
• Can be carried anywhere
• No need for Adapters
• You can play with or without Headphone

Disadvantages:

• You have to compromise over sound quality a little
• Limited Customization on Tones and Effects

FAQ on Playing your Guitar Through Headphone

These are some frequently asked questions that I pick from Facebook Groups and some guitar-related forums. If you have any doubts or any other questions, you can put them down in the comment section. I’m happy to help you with it.

Benefits of Playing your Electric Guitar with Headphone

whether you live in an apartment, in a hostel or you’re traveling somewhere, if you want to play your favorite music, you can’t just start plucking your strings.

You need to play your electric guitar silently through your headphone. Some of the options I mention below in this article are to play your guitar with headphones, also allow recording your music.

This way you can monitor your progress and work accordingly. Also, when you’re traveling, you don’t need necessarily to carry some gears with your guitar. You can play your guitar anywhere you go without any trouble.

Final words on Playing Electric Guitar with Headphone

That is it for today on How to play electric guitar with headphones. I hope this article helps you to find the perfect way for playing your guitar silently.

So, which option you’re going to try first. Are you going to connect through an audio interface or going to buy one mini headphone amp? Do let me know in the comment section.

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