Do electric guitars have to be plugged in to be used?

Answer 1

All electric Guitars can physically be played without an amplifier, but the amount of actual audible sound produced will vary depending on the type and construction of the instrument. An unplugged solid-body guitar (e.g. a Gibson Les Paul or a Fender Telecaster) will produce enough sound for the player to hear in a quiet environment, but it will not have the characteristic sound of an amplified guitar. Semi-solid guitars with a central sustain block (e.g. Gibson ES-335) will produce a similar unamplified volume to that of a solid-body, but often with more tonal depth, due to the body cavities and soundhole(s). Thinline semi-acoustics (e.g. Epiphone Casino) with a thin fully hollow body will produce more acoustic volume, but nowhere near as much as a full acoustic guitar. Lastly, semi-acoustic jazz-style guitars (e.g. Gibson ES-175) can often be played acoustically; those with a maple top and built-in pickups will tend to produce less acoustic volume and an inferior unamplified tone to guitars with a spruce top and floating pickup(s) and controls, as the latter design has a lighter soundboard which is freer to vibrate.

Bass guitars generally produce even less acoustic volume than standard guitars, especially since most modern examples are solid-body instruments. One exception is the so-called "acoustic Bass Guitar" - this is a comparatively recent invention and is the 4-stringed bass counterpart of a round-hole steel-string guitar. Some models can produce just about enough acoustic volume to accompany a small group of acoustic instruments, although in practice almost all have a built-in pickup for live use.

Answer 2

They have to be plugged in to be amplified, but as far as playing them goes they don't.

Answer 3

no , plug the guitar into an amplifier than the amplifier into the outlet otherwise you won't hear any sound