Guitar Amplifiers

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Gibson GSS100 Guitar Amp - items recently found.

Buyers Guide. Guitar and Instrument Amplifiers.

Given the variety of guitars and the number of amplifier brands available, deciding on the right amplifier has its challenges. Here is a basic guide to assist your amp choice. Sure you need to inform yourself about amplifier specs and features, but do not stress too much. The simple approach is pick your budget, review a few models and make the purchase. The state of current technology and manufacturing techniques means that most amps are of good build quality and will deliver acceptable performance.

What is the right budget

There is a general rule of thumb, advocated by musicians, the cost of the amp ought match the cost of the guitar. The reason is pretty simple; the music that you create needs to pass through the amp before it reaches the world. Basically, do not diminish your guitar's potential by matching it with an inferior amplifier. However that does not mean that less pricey amps are of low quality. The state of amplifier manufacturing processes, that incorporate computer aided technologies, means that unit quality improves while retail prices become lower. This is obviously good news for the newbie guitarist who wants a good amp unit.

At first glance, amps are designed to match the four types of guitars, namely: electric; acoustic; electric bass and electronic keyboard.

Electric Guitar Amplifiers: These are very popular amps. But their popularity has a lot more to do with the success of the electric guitar itself.

Acoustic Guitar Amps: These amplifiers are optimized to project the brilliant highs of the acoustic guitar while preserving the warm mid-ranges and bass. Acoustic amps have inbuilt speakers and usually support a mic plug and a line for guitar pickups.

Bass Amplifiers: Bass amps are optimized to reproduce and project the low sonorous sounds of the bass guitar.

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: House both amp unit and speakers in one box. These amps are what you will most commonly find in the market. One of the benefits of these amps is they are easy to carry and transport.

Amplifier Head: This type of amp is a single unit without 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. If you plan to use several speakers, then this type of amp is well designed for the task.

How an amp functions

The primary function of an amplifier is to convert electrical signals into sound. To achieve this task, amps use two circuits or stages, namely: preamp and power amp. The preamp receives electrical signals from the guitar The power amp is responsible for boosting the signal from the pre amp and sending it to the speakers according to the wattage specs of the unit.

Vacuum Tube Amplifier

A vacuum tube is basically the same thing that was used in radios about half a century ago.

When over-driven and heated with electrical current, tube type amps produce a tonal warmth and a unique 'distortion effect' not found in digital type amps. Some consider the tube amp to be obsolete, but for many musicians the authentic and classic sounds of the tube amp ensures its continued popularity.

Solid State Amps

These amplifiers are a newer generation of circuits which attempt reproduce the authentic tonal sound quality of the vacuum tube.

The choice between a tube or solid state amp depends on both your budget and musical genre. 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. For most musicians, channel switching capabilities is an important feature. Electric guitarists find the ability to channel switch useful to achieve efficient changes between loud distorted sounds and those cleaner rhythmic tones. Most amps come equipped with a footswitch with which you can change and juggle between multiple channels at the same time.

Electrical Power

The power of an amplifier is measured in Watts. This is a measure of the capacity of the amp to power the speakers. Bear in mind the following guide when researching your amplifier purchase:

a) A higher wattage will produce a louder sound in the same amplifier unit type

b) Vacuum tube type amplifiers deliver a much louder sound per Watt in comparison to solid state amplifiers. For instance, a 5 Watt powered vacuum amplifier produces sound similar to a 40 Watt state amplifier.

c) Beginner musicians will find the feature of a headphone jack useful, especially for those practice sessions when you do not want to disturb the neighbors.

Effects

Here is a summary of the more common effects inbuilt into amps:

Line-6-spider-amp-controls

a) EQ: The amp unit will feature 2 or 4 dial knobs that control the range of sound frequencies For instance, increase treble settings for a brighter sound, adjust the middle EQ to full and the treble and bass to zero to achieve a the natural sound of the guitar, add extra bass tones by increasing the bass frequency. As we are familiar with the slider type EQ controls on a home stereo system, then experiment with the EQ controls on an amp. Adjusting the treble higher produces brighter sounds, while adjusting the middle and bass produces rich deeper tones.

b) Effects Loop: Modifying the signal from the preamp and power amp is achieved by an effects loop controller.

c) Digital Effects: Many amps offer digital effects like flange, phase, reverb, echo, chorus, pitch shift, etc. Presets can be saved and assigned to channels in the more modern digital types of amps. And many amplifier models feature a selection of effects presets for easy selection.

Speakers

Speaker quality is important, of course. be mindful of your budget, but try to get the best speakers for your budget. Do note that the heavier and more expensive speakers are always of better quality than cheaper ones. Better quality speakers facilitate better coloration of the amps signal, thus creating a richer superior sound.

Widely available speaker types:

- 8” Speakers: smaller amplifiers.

- 10” Speakers: find these in amp for for practice sessions.

- 12” Speakers: basic performance amps.

- 15” Speakers: these speakers suit bass amps and built into separate speaker cabinets.

Ending remarks

Before buying an amplifier, clarify the purpose of the amp for your needs now and in the future. Establish your budget and research brands and models within your budget range. There is no reason to over spend your budget. Why buy a Porsche when all you need is a ford for commuting purposes, as an analogy. Some considerations include: the style of music you plan now, the number of instruments you plan to attach to the amp, are there other band members who want to plug into your amp, the size of performances and venue types.

Some helpful tips

- 40 Watt solid state amps driving a 10" speaker will deliver adequate results for most performance contexts.

- 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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