Do I need a speaker for an electric guitar?

While an electric guitar can produce sound on its own, it's typically designed to be connected to an amplifier and speaker for increased volume and tonal shaping. An amplifier processes the electrical signals from the guitar, amplifies them, and sends them to a speaker, which converts the electrical signals into sound waves that you can hear. Without a speaker, the sound produced by an electric guitar will be very soft and not very useful for performing or recording.