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Buying an Electric Guitar Amplifier. A Guide.
Given the variety of guitars and the number of amplifier brands available, deciding on the right amplifier has its challenges. This guide attempts to make your buying decision a little easier with arming your with some basic tips. On the one hand, it is wise to arm yourself with some research before entering the market for an amp. On the other hand, the quality of amps on the market these days, you could just as easily pick your budget, review a few models in that price range, and make the purchase. So do not stress too much.
The price
A common adage used by guitarists is that you should always spend as much on the amp unit as you are willing to spend on the guitar. The reason is pretty simple; the music that you create needs to pass through the amp before it reaches the world. Bottom line is; don’t retard your instrument’s potential by pairing it up with a less than suitable amp. However that does not mean that less pricey amps are of low quality. Today, because of computer aided manufacturing, costs of amp units are dropping considerably without affecting the quality of the sound that it produces. This is obviously good news for the newbie guitarist who wants a good amp unit.
Amplifiers are generally optimized to perform with the four types of guitar instruments, for example: the electric guitar, acoustic guitar, electric bass guitar, electronic keyboard.
Electric Guitar Amps: These are hands down the most popular of all the amplifiers. But their popularity has a lot more to do with the success of the electric guitar itself.
Acoustic Guitar Amps: These amps are used to project the brilliant highs of the acoustic guitar without sacrificing on the mid-ranges and basses. Acoustic guitar amps always have their own speakers and they also generally allow a mic to be plugged in directly along with the line from the acoustic guitars pickups.
Bass Amps: These amps tend to not distort the sound; rather the focus of a bass amp is to reproduce the low sonorous sounds that bass guitars are so popularly known for.
Keyboard Amps: Simply try to reproduce the sounds made by the keyboard as accurately as possible acting like a PA system.
Types of Amplifier Units
Combo Amps: Contain both the speaker and the amplifier unit in one box. Most of the amps that you will see are of this variety. These are very good for carrying around, as long as they are not too large.
Amp Head: Is a single amp unit without any speakers. These need to be paired up with speakers by a cable. You will need real speaker cables designed for handling higher voltage outputs rather than standard instrument cables. This type of an amp is also great for connecting a large number of speakers.
How an amplifier works
The basic function of an Amp is to convert electrical signals into audible sound. To do this, amplifiers use two circuits or stages: preamp and power amp. The preamp works on the signal it gets from the instrument and makes it good enough for the power amp and the other instruments within the amplifier such as the EQ and the effects loop etc. The power amp boosts the signal so that the speakers can produce the audible sound.
Vacuum Tube Amplifier
A vacuum tube is basically the same thing that was used in radios about half a century ago.
Tubes, when they are over-driven and heated with electrical current produce the “distortion effect” which explains the popularity of these types of amplifier. This is the reason why even today, when they are soundly obsolete and replaced with solid state diodes, they remain in vogue.
Solid State Amps
These amplifiers are a newer generation of circuits which attempt reproduce the authentic tonal sound quality of the vacuum tube.
Trying to decide whether to go in for a vacuum tube based amp or a solid state based amp is a very personal question. The difference between the two is something which only very well tuned ears can pick up, however purists tend to stick with the vacuum tube because of the organic and fluid distortion that comes out of it. Most Newbies however tend to stick with the latest in technology, including solid state circuits not only because some of these are suited to some of the modern genres, but also because they are cheaper.
The Proper Channel
Amplifiers offer multiple channels which can be independently setup so that you can switch between them without missing a beat. Channel switching or switching between multiple channels while playing is a rather important feature that many guitarist now-a-days prefer. Electric guitarists use this to switch between the loud distortion sound and the clean rhythm tones. Most amps come equipped with a footswitch with which you can change and juggle between multiple channels at the same time.
Electrical Power
Power in an amp is meant to denote the amount of raw power being fed into the amp unit for the speakers. This is usually measured in Watts. Keep the following things in mind when selecting the kind of power you want your amp to be based on:
a) Higher wattage will mean a louder sound in the same amplifier.
b) Vacuum tubes produce a markedly louder sound per Watt of power as compared to solid state circuits. A vacuum tube being driven on 5 Watts of power produces the same level of sound as a 40 Watt solid state unit will produce.
c) If you are buying for a beginner then make sure that the amp unit has a headphone jack.
Effects
Amps offer a number of effects which you can switch between. These can be summarized as:
Line-6-spider-amp-controls
a) EQ: This generally comes in the form of 2 or 4 knobs with which you can control the range of frequencies in the sound. For instance, increase treble settings for a brighter sound, adjust the middle EQ to full and the treble and bass to zero to achieve the natural sound of the guitar, add extra bass tones by increasing the bass frequency. As an example, increasing the treble settings will produce a brighter sound, increase the middle EQ with treble and bass to zero to deliver a raw natural sound of the instrument. And then play with the bass control for added bass depth.
b) Effects Loop: An effects loop allows you to modify the signal between the preamp and the power amp using an external chord.
c) Digital Effects: Many amps offer digital effects like flange, phase, reverb, echo, chorus, pitch shift, etc. You can save these as presets that can act as channels in the amp. Many amps also come with presets which can be used as well.
Speakers
Obviously this is what the world listens to! So it is good to have the best speakers which you can buy. Do note that the heavier and more expensive speakers are always of better quality than cheaper ones. Better speakers will also allow for a better coloration of the amplifier’s signal producing richer and more superior sound.
Common speaker types include:
- 8” Speakers: found in smaller amps.
- 10” Speakers: found in practice amps.
- 12” Speakers: basic performance amps.
- 15” Speakers: come in separate cabinets, are paired almost exclusively with bass amps.
Things to keep in mind
There really are gazillion things that you will need to consider if you sat down to decide what kind of an amp you should be purchasing. Among these are – the types of music that you play, the number of instruments in the band, the placement of the amp, is the drummer loud, the size of the performance etc.
Here are a few guide tips
- 40 Watt solid state amp driving a 10” speaker will hold up its own in most performances. However this may not do so well if the band has a drummer as well.
- 60 Watt solid state amp paired with a 12” speaker will do well in all but the loudest situations.
- 30 Watt tube amp is loud enough for a full rock band in most conceivable scenarios.
Use this guide as a starting point to formulate a criteria for your guitar amplifier research and ultimate purchase.
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