Guitar Amplifiers

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PEAVEY T MAX TWO CHANNEL BASS SYSTEM USA MADE TUBE SOLID STATE US $200.00 0 Bid

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TUBES Audio Ringer T Shirt Sovtek Peavey Line Bass Amp US $18.99

Peavey Tour VB 2 Tube Bass Amp Head US $899.99

Electric Guitar Amplifiers. Buyers Tips.

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. 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

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 simple: why diminish your musical talent and the quality of your guitar with an amplifier of lesser value than your instrument. Basically, do not diminish your guitar's potential by matching it with an inferior amplifier. That does not mean that low priced amps are of an inferior quality. Today, because of computer aided manufacturing, costs of amp units are dropping considerably without affecting the quality of the sound that produced. This trend benefits amp buyers.

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 by far the most popular category of amplifiers. 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: 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: These amplifiers are optimized to simply and accurately reproduce and project the keyboard sounds like a PA system.

Amp Unit types

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: Is a single amp unit without any speakers. Amp heads require a cable connection to speakers. 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

Converting electrical impulses into audible sound is the basic function of a guitar amp. To achieve this task, amps use two circuits or stages, namely: 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 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.

Tube type amps produce a unique sound, appealing to those musicians seeking the warmer tones and special distortion effect tube amps deliver. Although tube amps are considered an older technology, being replaced with solid state technology, they remain popular for many musicians.

Solid State Amps

Solid state amps are a newer generation of circuitry, inspired by the tube type amps, optimized to reproduce the those more authentic and classic tones achieved by tube amps.

Trying to decide whether to go in for a vacuum tube based amp or a solid state based amp is a very personal question. 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. 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

When research amplifiers, ensure the unit is capable of multiple channels, which can be set independently allowing the user to seamlessly switch between channels. Multiple channels and channel switching is an important feature to look for when making buying choice for an amplifier. Electric guitarists use this to switch between the loud distortion sound and the clean rhythm tones. A footswitch, which is generally supplied with new amp purchases, manages channel switching.

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) 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) If you are buying for a beginner then make sure that the amp unit has a headphone jack.

Effects

Most amplifiers support a number of inbuilt effects. Here is a brief overview:

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 such as flange, phase, reverb, echo, chorus, pitch shift, etc are supplied in most quality amplifiers. Remember we mentioned channels earlier, well channels can control effects which can be preset and assigned to a channel. The channel switcher can then easily switch between different effects presets. In many instances, amps will feature preset effects combinations.

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. Do note that the heavier and more expensive speakers are always of better quality than cheaper ones. You get what you pay for is a good rule to apply to speakers. Better quality speakers produce better coloration of an amps signal and delivers richer sounds and tones when compared to cheaper models.

Speaker types:

- 8” Speakers: smaller amplifiers.

- 10” Speakers: housed in practice amplifiers.

- 12” Speakers: basic performance amps.

- 15” Speakers: come in separate cabinets, are paired almost exclusively with bass amps.

Concluding thoughts

Buying an amplifier requires some initial thought and research. Be clear about the purpose of the amplifier and how it will match and enhance your musical genre. While evaluating your amp needs, consider: your musical genre; how many instruments use the same amplifier; how loud is the drummer in your band; what size performance do you plan and at what type of venues.

Some helpful 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.

- For larger performance situations, a 60 Watt amp connected to a 12" speaker will deliver excellent performance.

- 30 Watt tube amp is loud enough for a full rock band in most conceivable scenarios.

The tips in this guide will help you evaluate your needs for an amp and assist you find the right amp that matches your musical genre; performance and practice requirements and, budget.

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