How to Pick the Perfect Type of Guitar Amp
Electric guitar amplifiers are almost as different as the guitarists who play them. So the best amp for your teacher, bandmate, or friend may not be the best amp for you.
Wondering how to select a guitar amp? When you see the sheer number and diverse types of guitar amps available, it is easy to become overwhelmed.
But take a deep breath! Whether you’re conducting research for your very first guitar amp or shopping for an upgrade or replacement amp, we have you covered at Brian’s Guitars.
Read on to take some of the mystery out of choosing the perfect amp. This guide will explain key elements to consider, the different types of amps on the market today, and offer general assistance in the amp selection process.
Guitar Amplifier Considerations
To choose the right guitar amp for you, you must first take stock of your various requirements as a guitar player. What kind of sound are you trying to achieve, and exactly how loud do you need to be? How important are these sonic concerns compared to more practical concerns such as cost and portability? Let your answers to these kinds of questions guide you as you weigh the pros and cons of various amps.
Here are just a few common amp considerations that are (or should be!) extremely important to guitar players of all styles and abilities:
Type of Music You Play
From your desired amp tone to sheer amp power, many defining factors of your decision-making process will depend on the genre of music that you play. Obviously, the demands of the jazz guitarist will differ considerably from those of the hard rock guitarist, the demands of the hard rock guitarist will differ considerably from those of the folk guitarist, and so on.
Both your choice of guitar and your choice of amp must dovetail with the styles of music you want to create. Do your musical leanings lend themselves to solo play, or will you always be playing with a full band? Will you always be playing a traditional electric guitar through your amp, or will you want to amplify an acoustic guitar model? From relatively quiet amps that have a clean and smooth sound to amps that can plug into a stack of cabinets to produce loud, buzzing, distortion, there is certainly an amp on the market to fit your specific musical style.
Portability
While the type of music you play should be your primary sonic amp criterium, portability should probably be your top practical concern. Unless you are already a successful professional musician who goes on tour with a team of roadies, you will probably be the one to lug your amp from band practice to home and from gig to gig.
Think about the methods that you will use to transport your amp. How much space to have? What are your weight restrictions? Even if you buy a small to mid-size app, you should pay careful attention to its overall weight and if that weight is distributed evenly for easy movement.
Tone and Effects
To produce the exact sounds that they desire, a guitar player may want to gravitate toward amps with complex EQ controls that allow them to dial in a particular tone and/or a spectrum of effects that might include reverb, tremolo, flange, phase, fuzz, and delay. Although you can also use effects pedals to create these sounds, many players appreciate the quality of effects built right into the amp.
Wattage
While larger amps are generally louder than smaller amps, you must check the wattage of your amp to determine its overall volume capacity. Smaller, quieter amps with speakers between 8 and 10 inches in diameter generally operate on 10 to 30 watts of electrical power. Bigger, louder amps tend to pump 100 watts or more through speakers that are at least 12 inches in diameter or more. Let the style of the music and the size of the venues you play dictate your wattage needs.
Material
The materials used to construct your amp’s casing and other component parts can make a tremendous difference in its overall sound. For example, amp casings made of cherry wood tend to produce warmer tones, while amp casings made of maple wood tend to produce brighter tones. The influence of material over sound is most pronounced in the cabinet that surrounds your amp’s speaker.
Understanding the Different Types of Guitar Amps
After you determine what you want out of an amp, it is time to survey your best amp options. Generally speaking, guitar amps can be divided into four basic categories:
Tube Amps
When the electric guitar was born, a vacuum tube amp provided its sonic amplification. Tube amps produce a warm, round sound and produce greater volume than solid state amps even if they have equal wattage. Although many players swear by their sound, tube amps tend to be large and heavy. They also tend require more in terms of maintenance and repair.
Solid-State Amps
Unlike the tube amp, the solid-state amp employs transistors to produce a straightforward and extremely clean sound. Because solid-state amps are extremely durable and rarely need repairs, they are great at withstanding the bumps and bruises of touring. Even musicians who prefer other amp types often go solid-state for their practice amp due to their outstanding reliability.
Hybrid Amps
These amps use both vacuum tubes and solid-state technology, typically using tubes in their preamp components and solid-state circuitry for its power supply. This allows guitars to produce tube amp sonics from a smaller, lighter, and more portable unit.
Modeling Amps
The latest iteration of the guitar amp, the modeling amp is essentially a specialized computer component, Unlike tube and solid-state amps (which use analog technology), modeling amps are entirely digital units that use complex software to mimic or “model” the sound of virtually any amp including extremely expensive, fragile, and hard-to-find vintage tube amps. The digital circuitry of the average modeling amp is far lighter than both the average tube amp and the average solid-state amp.
How to Choose the Right Guitar Amp
Brian’s Guitars offer a wide range of outstanding guitar amplifiers to pair with our incredible electric guitars and meet the unique demands of any guitarist. Let us guide you toward the best amp for you!
