Things To Know When Shopping For A Guitar Amplifier

Guitar amplifiers are a major part of your tone. Some amps can do many things well, while others excel at producing specific tonal qualities. When shopping for a guitar amplifier, you will have to choose between a Tube or Solid-State model, and whether you want a combo, or separate head and speaker cabinet.

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. Generally, tube amps provide a warm tone that when pushed hard will produce a natural, overdriven distortion that is very sought after by many guitarists. 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. Although they can't match the raw power and smooth, natural distortion of a tube amp, Solid-State amps tend to be much more versatile. Modern electronics are often used to produce a broader range of tones than found in most tube based guitar amplifiers. They also run cooler, and are relatively maintenance free.

Choosing between a combo or separates is often a personal decision. 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. Since there's more room for components, some argue that separates are built to higher standards than combos, but this is not always true. One really big advantage of separates is that the head can be isolated from vibrations produced by the speakers, extending the life and reliability of the electronic components.

Whichever type of amp you choose, keep in mind that your guitar and amp work as a team. Plugging an expensive, well voiced instrument into a cheap amplifier won't allow the instrument to reach its full potential. A good amplifier will last you for many years... so don't skimp!

© Written By: Michael Casamento

Michael Casamento is the founder of Guitar Pages Online - a comprehensive resource for guitars and guitar related merchandise on the Internet.

For more information visit:http://www.guitarpagesonline.com

This article may be freely reproduced so long as the above resource box is included in its entirety.

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


How to Play Piano Using a Few Chords

How many chords do you need to create a piece... Read More

A Brief History Of Gibson Guitars

Gibson guitars have been around forever. It's funny, but although... Read More

Guitar Facts: A Glossary of Terms

It is said that the forerunner of the guitar, the... Read More

Shopping For Your First Drum Set

Your first drum set purchase is very exciting! You have... Read More

They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano... but When I Started to Play...

Remember the old ad that used to run endlessly in... Read More

How to Stop Thinking and Start Playing

Learning how to improvise is confusing for most. The sheer... Read More

Its Jewish Music, But Is The Music Jewish?

A while back I was driving along the Jerusalem highway... Read More

The Music Industry and Its Lack of Talent

So it has come to this... what we see overrides... Read More

Guitar Tuning Tips

Most new guitar players and even some experienced ones have... Read More

What All Do I Have to Know to be a Really Good Piano Player?

Many students ask me a question that goes something like... Read More

A Brief History of Gongs

The gong is one of the oldest musical instruments in... Read More

How to Create Hip, Mature and Lush Harmonies

Rarely is a chord played with its tones contained in... Read More

Structure Of A Successful Music Website

Ideally each page of your website should serve a specific... Read More

The Piano Parent Trap!

"My 6 year old daughter really loves the piano and... Read More

Five Great Practice Ideas I Learned From My Piano Students!

Sometimes the teacher learns more from the student than the... Read More

The Strange Days (mostly nights) of Guns N? Roses

Kenny "Axil" Rose (Lead vocals), D.J. "Slash (Lead guitar), Joshua... Read More

Self-Expression Without Criticism

When I was 9 years old I played the Saxophone... Read More

Music Licensing: The Cold Cash Facts About Money for your Music

Where music meets licensing, there's money to be made. How... Read More

The First The American Idol Kelly Clarkson

There is a lot more to the story that meets... Read More

Formation of a Song (Recording)

As industry insiders, we sometimes forget that when discussing the... Read More

Music & Emotions: Can Music Really Make You a Happier Person?

How many times have you turned to music to uplift... Read More

Piano Music - How to Begin and End a Piece

How do you begin a piece of music? That's a... Read More

Why You Cant Play Piano

It's really not your fault. You see, you've been taught... Read More

How to Get Past Creative Blocks

When I first began playing the piano and improvising, there... Read More

New Age Piano and Improvisation

There are so many areas in life where one must... Read More

1973 Interview with Paul McCartney - Forming Wings

July 6, 1973 Birmingham EnglandSteven: Has it been difficult for... Read More

Composing for Dummies

When most people hear the word composer, they automatically think... Read More

How to Compose Using ABA Form

ABA form is like a musical sandwich. You have the... Read More

Is Rhapsody Music Downloads Service Getting A Good Rhap?

Rhapsody music, from RealNetworks is one of several reputable legal... Read More

Music to Echo Your Mood

In what way do the kinds of music (rock, rap,... Read More

The Joy of Spontaneous Expression

Do you remember finger-painting as a child? How fun it... Read More

Music and Emotion

The Age-old Puzzle of Human ResponseIf you've listened to more... Read More

Six Reasons to Play New Age Piano

Here are six very good reasons to learn how to... Read More