So you Want to Buy A Guitar Amp

guitar amplifier

You need to buy a great guitar amp. Nothing can really replace a guitar amp. Just like guitars, guitar amps come in different sizes and prices. Are you playing an acoustic electric guitar, a semi hollow guitar, an electric guitar or an electric bass?

A small guitar amp will be just fine if you are playing the guitar in a jazz group. Guitar amps have character. This is a huge factor in the selection of guitar amp cabinets. A particular Marshall guitar amp cabinet will produce recognizable sounds.

Are you going to be using this for the show or personal practice? The type of music genre you intend to use this amp for also matters a whole deal. A small guitar amp will be just fine if you are playing the guitar in a jazz group. However, if you intend to cut it in a rock group, you’ll have to get something that can “make their ears bleed.”

Guitar Amplifier Shopping Tips

Guitar amplifiers are a major part of your tone. Tube based guitar amplifiers use old fashioned vacuum tubes to produce their power and process the guitar’s signal. They are very loud, and generate a large amount of heat during operation.  Tube amplifiers will require maintenance as the vacuum tubes need periodic replacement.

Solid-State guitar amplifiers rely on transistors and integrated circuits to amplify and process the guitar’s signal. Solid-State amps are much more versatile. They can produce a broader range of tones than found in most tube based guitar amplifiers. They also run cooler, and are relatively maintenance free.

Combo guitar amps use a single cabinet to house the electronics and speakers. They take up less space, and are generally easier to transport. Separates give you greater flexibility with respect to speaker size and type.  A good amplifier will last you for many years… so don’t skimp!

guitar amplifier

Guitar Amps – What They Are And How They Work

guitar amps

History of the Amplifier

Guitar amps have been around for roughly 70 years now, started during the 1930s. The earliest amps had very poor high treble and bass responses. During the ‘60s era, the guitar amp greatly evolved to where it is today. Guitarists of that era experimented with purposively overloading their amp to create Distortion. From that point on, most amps were provided with preamp distortion controls.

Types of Amplifiers

There are two types of amps: solid state and vacuum tube amps. Solid states are lighter and easier to repair than tube amps are. A lot of guitarists prefer the tube amp due to the tube amp’s analog sensitivity, which they claim makes tube amps sound better.

Solid state and vacuum tube amps come in combo (speakers and head) packages or separately.

How Amps Work and What Watts Mean

Amplifiers basically take the vibration (sound) of the string(s) and amplify it, thereby increasing the sound. Each amplifier has a certain number of watts. The higher the number of watts, the louder the sound produced by the amp is. Generally speaking, those who wish to play shows will want to get amplifiers with at least 30 watts, preferably at least 50 watts, especially if they plan on playing at larger venues.