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Choosing the Right Amp for Your Needs and Your Guitar

By Chris Moresby

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 30Mar2010 Word count: 523 Viewed: 220 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Depending on the type of guitar you play, not to mention your personal musical style, there are a few things you should consider when choosing an amplifier. In particular, it's important to keep in mind the amount of power your playing requires and how an amp's settings and design will affect your sound.

For those who only practice alone or with one other person, are learning to play the guitar for the first time, or just want an amp for home use and nothing more, a small, "combo" amp is the most appropriate option. A combo amplifier in the 10 to 50 watt range will provide you with enough volume to enjoy the nuances of your playing while not irritating anyone with whom you may be sharing a home. Amps that fit this profile but that are on the more powerful end of the spectrum (the 50 watt range) often come with two input jacks. This makes it possible for another player to plug into your amplifier and play alongside you. This is particularly useful if you're giving or receiving a guitar lesson. Many smaller combo amps (10 to 30 watts) come with electric guitar packages often sold to beginners.

While combo amps are smaller and perfect for someone learning to play for the first time, those guitarists who play alongside a drummer or in any kind of band will prefer a larger (100 watt or more) amplifier. Amplifiers in this range provide enough power for the guitar to be heard while playing alongside several other instruments, and serious band members will want to invest in a "stack" or "half-stack." These terms refer to the use of either two (a stack) or one (a half-stack) 4x12" speaker cabinets connected to an external amplifier or preamp called the "head." Most heads are 100 or more watts and do not make any sound on their own, requiring instead the use of at least one external speaker unit. While this option is more expensive--more equipment needs to be purchased--many band members find this level of power necessary when playing live.

In addition, most guitar players will find it advantageous to choose an amp based on the number of channels it provides and how each one of those channels sounds. All amps, for example, have a "clean" channel, and nearly all of them have a "distortion" channel. An amp's clean channel is appropriate for most styles of electric guitar playing with one large exception: any type of hard rock. Hard rock almost always makes use of an amp's distortion channel. If you play metal, punk, or any type of rock music, you're going to need an amp with a distortion channel. Some amps have "overdrive" channels that provide a lighter-sounding distortion that many find appealing for blues songs.

For those with larger budgets, it's also worth noting that tube amplifiers provide the smoothest, warmest tones of any kind of amp in existence. Most beginners, however, find it more practical to start out with a solid-state amplifier until reaching a more advanced level of playing. Both tube and solid-state amplifiers are available in combo size or as heads.

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