# Which apartment level floor for least noise disturbance playing guitar?



## LeviathanKiller (Apr 4, 2018)

I'm picking out a place to live today. Possibly getting an apartment. I can deal with my neighbors being noisy but I want to make it so I'm as minimally disturbing as possible. Should I get a ground floor, 2nd floor, or 3rd? So far, all of them seem well insulated. No audible creaking when I walk on an upper level. What do you guys think? I've not lived in a multistory while playing guitar before. Getting an amp and 2x12 cab sometime this year if not immediately after moving.


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## vilk (Apr 4, 2018)

3rd floor will bother fewer people with noise

however

carrying gear up to the third floor sucks

therefore: 1st floor. But I accidentally voted for 3rd floor when I was thinking about noise only.

Obviously the 2nd floor doesn't make any sense, as you'd be sandwiched between two potential victims of your noise.


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## LeviathanKiller (Apr 4, 2018)

I'm not superrrr concerned about moving gear since I'm new to the area anyway and will be working fulltime. Most of my music playing is self production even then so I doubt I'd be moving gear much.


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## TedEH (Apr 4, 2018)

I would have thought any floor where someone is under you would be worse - especially in the case that any of your gear sits on the ground. I'd be worried about the low end from the cab radiating down through the floor. Whoever is below you would hear all the WUB WUB WUB from palm mutes, etc.


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## vilk (Apr 4, 2018)

TedEH said:


> I would have thought any floor where someone is under you would be worse - especially in the case that any of your gear sits on the ground. I'd be worried about the low end from the cab radiating down through the floor. Whoever is below you would hear all the WUB WUB WUB from palm mutes, etc.



Yeah I think my original hypothesis was being colored by my personal experiences.


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Is the first floor ground level or is it like half a floor up? Idk how paranoid and cynical you are, but in theory it's much harder for crooks to rob you on the 3rd floor than on the ground.


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## Mathemagician (Apr 4, 2018)

Headphones. If you don’t want to disturb neighbors in a an apartment headphones are the answer. Everything else is just “hoping” they won’t hear you, if you have anything above average tv/music listening volume.


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## TedEH (Apr 4, 2018)

Honestly, noise is a ton of the reason I haven't moved from my current apartment. I get super lucky in that I only share one wall with a neighbor, and there's a brick wall in between. There's a business below me, but they're closed pretty early. So by the time I get home from work, I can usually get away with about as much noise as I want. For the price I pay, I don't think I'm likely to find another place that's as convenient to deal with in this regard. I plan on staying here until I can afford a place with a basement I can put a drum kit in without bothering anyone.


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## LeviathanKiller (Apr 4, 2018)

I thought about the robbing convenience actually lol. None are half a floor up for the first floor. One place seems ever so slightly sketchy but it has a 1st floor that's actually downstairs built into the hill which you only share one wall in.

It'd be really lame to buy a new amp and only use headphones btw lol


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## cip 123 (Apr 4, 2018)

Top floor, not for noise, but because theft is harder on a top floor. 

Sounds like something that will never happen, but there was a break in at my flat the floor below mine. My flatmates and I were all a little worried since there was easily about 10K worth of gear in ours. 

I was always paranoid about my stuff after that.


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## A-Branger (Apr 4, 2018)

hte floor/apartment with less neighbours, either no neighbours at the top, or bottom or to the sides, so maybe a corner would be the best. Also the one with your designated music room being the furthest away from a neighbour, again a corner would be perfet so you at least have one whole room in between them.

Theres no point getting the top floor if your music room ends up being the next wall to the other guy 5 yr old daughter


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## diagrammatiks (Apr 4, 2018)

first floor.


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## Demiurge (Apr 5, 2018)

Mathemagician said:


> Headphones. If you don’t want to disturb neighbors in a an apartment headphones are the answer. Everything else is just “hoping” they won’t hear you, if you have anything above average tv/music listening volume.



Very much this. Neighbors will have kids that nap, odd work schedules where they sleep during the day, or a hard-on for making noise complaints. If you're renting, you've really no other option than to keep the landlord and neighbors happy, otherwise the floor # won't matter much when you're not there for long. If you absolutely must, though, top floor with the cab lifted.


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## Lindmann (Apr 5, 2018)

My advice: Don't let your decicsion depend on the level or how thick the walls are...let the acutal neighbors be the deciding factor.

I lived in an appartment with super thin walls where I could hear almost every word my neighbors were speaking.
But the neighbors (left, right and above) were all unemployed heavy drinkers or younger party peeps (I lived in a district with high unemployment), who never cared about noise. I regularly cranked my musik right in the middle of the night and never had any complaints. A lot of times my neighbors were even louder than me (which never bothered me)

My next appartment had thick walls and I never heard any noise coming from my neighbors. After I once received a complaint about me beeing too loud I never heard loud music, never played guitar through an amp and I was really careful not to make any unnecessary noise. Afer that I got several more complaints that my footsteps are too lound, that I slam doors (I never even closed my doors) and so on. These neighbors were extremely sensitive to noise!

So...tldr: It is all about the people living around you...the building not so much.


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## Lemonbaby (Apr 5, 2018)

Mathemagician said:


> Headphones. If you don’t want to disturb neighbors in a an apartment headphones are the answer. Everything else is just “hoping” they won’t hear you, if you have anything above average tv/music listening volume.


Exact Lee.


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## HUGH JAYNUS (Apr 5, 2018)

Secret option E: get a townhouse. Much less drama when you only share a wall.


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## Necris (Apr 5, 2018)

LeviathanKiller said:


> It'd be really lame to buy a new amp and only use headphones btw lol



Being an adult can be pretty lame, if you don't want to be the shitty neighbor you may need to embrace it.


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Apr 5, 2018)

I did a lot of recording in my apartment at 2am without a neighbor ever being aware.
I got a lot done with my Line 6 UX1 & my POD XT Live before I got my HD500X.


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## narad (Apr 5, 2018)

I'm moving to Tokyo with at least 7 amps, none of them lunch-boxy, so I'm in a similar bind. I'm hoping I'll be able to play through a cab time to time, but I picked up a two-notes torpedo reload (loadbox/attenuator) and clarett 4pre (interface) to hook up to some studio monitors I already use my synths with. I haven't tested it out yet as the interface is still shipping, but maybe you should consider something of that sort. 

A priori, it's going to be pretty impossible to choose the right floor. Maybe the top floor (the least responsible choice) happens to be above some night-worker that's always out when you're back from work, or maybe you try to choose the bottom floor to minimize the effect of bass, but are still bothering a stay-at-home mom and her kids that are there taking naps all day. It's hard to account for basic life conflicts before renting a place, so the best thing you can do is be a responsible person out there in the world, and change your rig so you at least have some near-silent play options.


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## mongey (Apr 5, 2018)

peeps on top of you will def hear it more than those under. so top floor is best for noise 

That said I lived in a place with 3 long flights of steep ,narrow stairs to carry my mesa rig up and down every rehearsal and gig. it was pretty brutal . so if you need to move your gear , lower is better for sure


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## p0ke (Apr 6, 2018)

My neighbors never complained when I was living in a 3rd floor apartment, and I even played my Valveking 100 sometimes at pretty high volume. Not in the middle of the night though. I did play video games pretty loud in the middle of the night sometimes though, and they didn't complain about that either. 
Then I moved to a ground floor apartment, and there the next door neighbors complained when I was watching a movie in the middle of the day... They were retired and basically at home all the time, so I guess they just didn't have anything better to do. The same people also threatened to have my wife's moped towed when it was standing at the parking lot for some time (out of the way and not taking up a parking spot). They never said anything face to face, but they left notes at the door. Every time I met them they tried to be nice (the fake kind of nice...), I think they were scared of me since I essentially look like Corpsegrinder  I only played guitar with headphones in that apartment, I'm sure they would've tried to have me evicted otherwise 

So yeah, it really depends on the neighbors.


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## iamaom (Apr 6, 2018)

narad said:


> I'm moving to Tokyo with at least 7 amps


Given the cost and size of apartments there I don't think you'll have any space left for a bed!


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## JSanta (Apr 6, 2018)

I spent a long time living in apartments. If you don't want to be a completely shitty person and receive constant complaints/be evicted, try to be reasonable with volume (and not just guitars). Talk with your neighbors too, some of them might not mind, and you can have times to add a bit of volume. 

Even living in a house, I'm not playing through a 100 watt 4x12. My Helix is great for me to have some really good tones at any volume, or through my audio interface for headphones.


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## narad (Apr 6, 2018)

iamaom said:


> Given the cost and size of apartments there I don't think you'll have any space left for a bed!



The cost is fine but the size thing seems to really be an issue already -- most of the apartments I see have no dedicated bedroom. I'm really confused...not sure if they're assuming a bed will just be out next to the kitchen or that people will be using futon mattresses even in modern buildings :-/

But yea, 7 amps, despite being big and heavy, still take up about as much space and a dresser and bookcase...no problem.


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## vilk (Apr 6, 2018)

narad said:


> The cost is fine but the size thing seems to really be an issue already -- most of the apartments I see have no dedicated bedroom. I'm really confused...not sure if they're assuming a bed will just be out next to the kitchen or that people will be using futon mattresses even in modern buildings :-/
> 
> But yea, 7 amps, despite being big and heavy, still take up about as much space and a dresser and bookcase...no problem.



Most Japanese people that I know sleep on futons. Many of them even put them away during the daytime. 

IDK how feasible it is in Tokyo, and I haven't spent very much time there, but have you tried looking for a house to rent? I've met people who have rented houses in Japan and price-wise it's really not that much different than apartments, which was surprising to me, but I guess the idea is that many Japanese people actually prefer apartment living to having a house. Also, most Japanese people who will buy a house build it from scratch. They'll topple down a perfectly good home and build a brand new one in it's place. Most Japanese people are not willing to move into a "used" house, so often times old folks who move out of their houses and into assisted living facilities will be happy to rent their houses if they can't sell the lot.


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## narad (Apr 6, 2018)

vilk said:


> Most Japanese people that I know sleep on futons. Many of them even put them away during the daytime.



I generally like that and like having all that space during the daytime, but like none of the places I'm looking at these days have tatami floors or futon closets so I'm finding it confusing. Modern, concrete, maybe 30% have a dedicated bedroom.



vilk said:


> IDK how feasible it is in Tokyo, and I haven't spent very much time there, but have you tried looking for a house to rent? I've met people who have rented houses in Japan and price-wise it's really not that much different than apartments, which was surprising to me, but I guess the idea is that many Japanese people actually prefer apartment living to having a house. Also, most Japanese people who will buy a house build it from scratch. They'll topple down a perfectly good home and build a brand new one in it's place. Most Japanese people are not willing to move into a "used" house, so often times old folks who move out of their houses and into assisted living facilities will be happy to rent their houses if they can't sell the lot.



I think good houses are fewer and far between, few pop up on my main search site (though I'll have an agent once I land), and moving there just after the ideal April everyone-switching-housing is going to make them quite scarce. So I think it's apartments for me especially in the areas I'm looking at (Chiyoda prioritizing for walk to work / Meguro/Nakameguro if prioritizing life). I can work with 40-50m^2 if the layout's right. We'll just have to see how it goes -- I've got the torpedo so it's not the end of the world if I'm back to monitors. I'm definitely not looking at any paper-wall type places though 

But it's definitely like, the most constrained setup I can imagine, so if I can basically have an amp warehouse in a Tokyo flat, and not infringe on the more conservative Japanese expectations of the noise your neighbor can make, OP should be able to accomplish it eeeeasy.


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## LeviathanKiller (Apr 6, 2018)

Ended up getting a 2nd floor place, so I'm basically screwed either way possibly but the price (more money for new gear right? ), amenities, and security of the property were too nice to pay exorbitantly more for the same exact thing elsewhere in town with the only difference being that I get a 1st or 3rd floor which we can't for sure agree on as to which is best concerning noise anyway (especially considering the random factors of who the neighbors actually are as some of you mentioned). Hopefully, the place I selected was a corner apartment, but it is what it is.


*For those interested in slightly off-topic details about my situation:*

I selected the floor plan without asking because they were closing and I liked that specific floor plan best too. I have no doubts it's just as immaculate as the ones I toured (which were not demo layouts I might add, those are deceitful trickery)
It's a gated community so you're not getting in with a vehicle without knowing someone who will let you in.
From the three times that I've visited (different time of year and/or day), I haven't seen ANY kids actually unlike some of the other properties I viewed. Seems like it's mostly singles or couples that reside there (most of us are engineers of some sort).

I may end up picking up a Two Notes Torpedo Reload or similar as @narad mentioned.
I'm using the tube amp (my first actually) as a baseline for my modeling rigs really and also as a source for making my own Kemper profiles. With the amount of tweaking available in my modeling gear, I feel like I really easily lose sight of what general tone I should be in the ballpark of. I end up with patches that are thin sometimes, patches that are too muffled, and everywhere in between. Basically, things aren't very realistic occasionally when compared to actual amps at reasonable settings. Getting a simple bass, mids, treble, presence unit limits the range in a good way for reference purposes.
If the tube amp still sounds like a tube amp when attenuated, then it will serve that purpose for me.


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## gujukal (Apr 11, 2018)

Just buy/rent a small house and crank that amp up to 11.


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## LeviathanKiller (Apr 11, 2018)

I'm actually just renting for a year so I can get a feel for the good neighborhoods and not bother with maintaining a house while adjusting to a new job. After that, I'm buying a house. Mortgages are cheaper than renting apartments half the time.


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## iamaom (Apr 12, 2018)

Have you considered getting a practice space? It can be expensive if it's a 24/7 rental but some will do it times-share style that can be pretty affordable.


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## LeviathanKiller (Apr 12, 2018)

I don't even know where to begin looking for such a thing tbh


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## EverDream (Apr 12, 2018)

LeviathanKiller said:


> I don't even know where to begin looking for such a thing tbh



Just an idea I had... I wonder if the people who run those storage sheds you pay for would let someone use it to jam out, a lot of time they are in remote locations where there are no people. lol


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## LeviathanKiller (Apr 12, 2018)

I have one right now and it specifically says no loud music


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## EverDream (Apr 12, 2018)

LeviathanKiller said:


> I have one right now and it specifically says no loud music



LOL, oh well there goes that idea. I guess they figured people would get that idea to use their storage units as jamming spaces. They must want it quiet so people who come to put things in or take things out of storage don't complain about noise.

Ok new idea... maybe find an abandoned warehouse? lol


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## TedEH (Apr 13, 2018)

Don't rule it out, some places allow or even encourage that kind of thing. Our current jam room is a storage unit in a building that "stores" a handful of bands. It's actually pretty convenient since it's already a storage container - you can come and go as you please, store your things there, just no noise on week days before 5 or something like that (but I'm at work during those times anyway).


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## TacticalRepublicanDildo (Apr 25, 2018)

Career goals:
Make enough money to buy your own house!!

Haha, but seriously. I think playing music in an apartment would be a complete shit show anywhichway you put it. My neighbors have told me they can feel the vibrations from my bass out on the street. Didn’t think that was possible, but alright!


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## bostjan (Apr 25, 2018)

I own my own house, but there is an apartment complex next door, quite close to my house. Fortunately for me, there are a bunch of metal heads living there.


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## TedEH (Apr 25, 2018)

TacticalRepublicanDildo said:


> Career goals:
> Make enough money to buy your own house!!
> 
> Haha, but seriously.


That's legitimately the goal. I've stayed in my current place because of how much noise I can get away with. If I was to move, it would need to be into my own place, so I can build the jam rooms and studios and things that I'd want to use the space for.


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## dreamchaser (Apr 25, 2018)

Depends on your apartment and what the neighbors are like. If it's a townhouse (i.e. access to all floors), then I would take my gear to the very top floor. For a floor-based apartment unit, it would be better to stay on the first floor (especially if you have e-drums), since you don't have to worry about waking people up from above. Of course, you could still send vibrations through your ceiling, annoying whoever lives above you.

Word of advice is to be personal with your neighbors, if possible, and ask them what would be the best time that you could practice. Generally speaking, they wouldn't care, but if there is a set time in which they are cool, then commit to it. For example, if it's just one guy that is out for the entire afternoon who lives next to you or below you, then practicing during the afternoon hours would be ideal.


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## LeviathanKiller (Apr 26, 2018)

I can't tell what anyone's schedule is yet but so far I haven't had anyone come complain and I've been playing music at my normal volumes that I did when I lived in a house. It's good so far, so I think I'll be fine until I find the right house to buy. We do have quiet hours after a certain time and I respect them. It'll probably be even better once I get some equipment to isolate bass like an amp stand and foam bases for my monitors.

I'm not going to ask anyone anything because I feel like that would draw attention to what I'm currently getting away with and then someone may take advantage of that to just be a jerk and complain about every little noise they hear.

Side note: Moving everything in upstairs was a huuuuuuuge pain. lol
Never doing that again. I skipped paying for movers this time but I'll have more disposable cash in the future and that's definitely what some of it is going to be used for. lol


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## p0ke (May 8, 2018)

LeviathanKiller said:


> Side note: Moving everything in upstairs was a huuuuuuuge pain. lol
> Never doing that again. I skipped paying for movers this time but I'll have more disposable cash in the future and that's definitely what some of it is going to be used for. lol



That's what friends are for  Me and my wife moved a total of 5 times in 4 years and always just had a bunch of friends and family help out, no problems there. It was starting to get a bit embarrassing the last time, but since we bought our own house, everyone kinda knew we won't be moving anytime soon 

And blah, yeah, I'm still waiting to get to start setting up my rehearsal space in the basement - there's just so much stuff in there that needs to be sorted that it feels like it'll never happen


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## John (May 9, 2018)

Other factors come into play, IME. I still got a fair amount of flack from neighbors when I lived in the top floor of an apartment. For one, the walls were pretty thin.

As of late, no noise complaints in the current apartment. Part of what may be helping me is that underneath my floor is a parking garage, I suppose. Also, I'm in a corner area secluded from most of my other neighbors.


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