Guitar Amps Demystified

One of the biggest topics of disagreement among guitarists is volume capability. While most agree that the minimal goal of an amplifier is to compete with the volume level of drums, there seems to be no consensus on what is too big and what features are better for sound. The biggest problem that I find as a salesperson is that guitarists are just not educated enough about amplification to make truly informed decisions.

When it comes amplifiers, we usually think of multiple subclasses to define their functionality. There are practice amps, large solid state amps and large tube amps. These classes are determined by the maximum volume and the power supplies that the amps use.

Practice amps are generally small and comparatively weak volume-wise. These are usually the first amp that a guitarist will get. For developing basic skills and playing without a drummer, these amps are ideal. They will achieve their best tone at much lower volumes, and will allows players to perform pretty much anywhere, from a bedroom to a tour bus.

Starting out with a practice amp like most people do leaves an opportunity to move up in terms of size and complexity in amps. When it’s time to play with a drum set and other amplified instruments, a player will have to move to the larger scale types of amplification.

Guitarists then must decide if they prefer a vacuum tube powered amp or solid state capacitor amplifier. The main difference between the two is the consistency of tone that they produce. It is widely agreed upon that tube amps produce a more natural warm tone, but have a tendency to distort as you turn up your volume knob. While a tube amplifier may be rated at 15 watts, the volume that these amps produce can be up to three times the amount of its solid state equivalent. The max volume on a tube amp will almost always have a natural distortion. Tube amps work well for all sorts of rock and jazz tones but are not ideal for strictly clean (un-effected) playing.

Solid state amplifiers will produce a more digital clean sound and will not distort at high volume levels. This is good for most styles of music, given you can always add additional sounds in the form of pedals and rack effects. A solid state amplifier may also have built in effects that can be controlled by a foot switch. Some amps may say that they have a tube preamp built in. These types of amps are called hybrids and will produce a very similar distortion to the tube amplifiers but will not be able to extend their volume past the rating that it is given.

The last characteristic to consider in large-scale amps is speaker size. Notably a larger speaker will provide more air movement and thusly more volume. But the larger the speaker you use, the less definition is achieved in the treble ranges. Conversely, the smaller the speaker, the smaller bass range. Ideally, a guitar will use 10- and 12-inch speakers and bass guitars will use 10-, 12- and 15-inch speakers. Some amps, called stacked amps, will separate the amplifier from the speakers. These amps are usually very loud, but they are the least portable of any option.

There are always variations on the type of amplifiers that are available. With the growing popularity of hybrid amps and the decreasing popularity of stacked amplifiers, the market is becoming more diverse. This gives the performer more ways to find and hone the sound of their dreams. Hopefully the growing market will help musicians develop in more original ways, and hopefully my information can help you decide on the amp of your dreams.