Mesa Boogie Mark B Series
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Mesa Boogie Mark B Series - recently bought amps.
Electric Guitar Amplifiers. Buyers Tips.
Walk into a well stocked music store and you will be faced a huge selection of guitar amplifiers. What amp is the right match for you and your guitar/s? It can be a difficult buying decision. With some basic research, the buying decision is made a little easier. So, here is a brief guide for amp buying. 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.
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. 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. The state of amplifier manufacturing processes, that incorporate computer aided technologies, means that unit quality improves while retail prices become lower. This market trend is good news for guitarists researching and buying a new or pre-owned amplifier.
At first glance, amps are designed to match the four types of guitars, namely: electric; acoustic; electric bass and electronic keyboard.
Electric Guitar Amps: These are hands down the most popular of all the amplifiers. The popularity of the electric guitar explains why this trend.
Acoustic Guitar Amplifiers: These amplifiers are optimized to project the brilliant highs of the acoustic guitar while preserving the warm mid-ranges and bass. 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 Amplifiers: Basically these amps are designed to accurately reproduce keyboard sounds in a similar manner as a PA system.
Types of Amplifier Units
Combo Amps: One box containing both amplifier and speaker. 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.
Amp Head: This type of amp is a single unit without speakers. These need to be paired up with speakers by a cable. High voltage capable cables are the better choice for connecting speakers to the amp head. Avoid using standard guitar cables. This type of amplifier is designed to manage the connection of several speakers.
How an amplifier works
The primary function of an amplifier is to convert electrical signals into sound. The electrical signal to sound is achieved by the preamp and power amp circuitry. The preamp processes the signal received from the guitar and sends to the power amp and other processes in the amp, such as the EQ and effects loop. The task of the power amp is to boost the signal sent to the speakers.
Vacuum Tube Amplifier
A vacuum tube is essentially the same as what you find in older style ratios.
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.
So, what type of amp is right for you? That can depend on two things: budget and your musical genre you prefer to play. Both vacuum tube and solid state amps produce reproduce excellent sound quality. Purists argue in favor of the more organic sound quality of vacuum tube amps and their ability to produce that unique analog warmth and fluid distortion. Newer generations of musicians tend to opt for the latest in amp technology, namely solid state circuits, primarily because this type of amp suits modern music genres. Plus very affordable quality amps are available with this newer technology.
The Proper Channel
Most amps support multiple channels, which when independently setup, allow you to switch channels easily while playing. For most musicians, channel switching capabilities is an important feature. Channel switching is especially useful for the electric guitarist for the ability to effortlessly switch between the loud distortion effect and the clean rhythm tones. Most amplifiers are already equipped an accessory footswitch which facilitate channel changes.
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. Keep the following things in mind when selecting the kind of power you want your amp to be based on:
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. 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) 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: 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
Speaker quality is an equally important consideration when buying a guitar amp. It is not necessary to pay a lot of money, but nevertheless, try to get the best quality that fits your budget. As a general rule, speaker price generally determines projected sound quality. Heavier more expensive speakers manage sound projection better than cheaper lighter models. 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: smaller amplifiers.
- 10” Speakers: housed in practice amplifiers.
- 12” Speakers: find in amps used for performances.
- 15” Speakers: these speakers suit bass amps and built into separate speaker cabinets.
Final thoughts
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. 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.
Here are a few guide tips
- A 40 Watt solid state amplifier featuring 10" speakers will project adequately in most performance situations, depending on the loudness of the drummer.
- 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.
This guide is a starter for you on the path to buying the right guitar amp that meets your musical style and performance needs.
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