Choosing the Right Electric Guitar Amp For You
You're ready to show off your mad rock skills.
That is until you go to purchase your electric guitar amp.
With so many different amps to choose from, where do you start? This guide will get your started with the basics of choosing an electric guitar amplifier that is right for you.
Selecting an amplifier can be a bit tricky if this is your first time out.
Different amps are built for different purposes.
You need to consider what you're buying an amplifier for.
Retailers sell amplifiers specially designed for vocals, bass guitars, E guitars, and a range of other purposes as well.
So if you have an electric guitar, buy an amp designed for that purpose.
Secondly, when selecting an electric guitar amp, you should take into account where you will be playing.
Don't think about where you will be playing just in the immediate future, but in the long run as well.
Are you part of a local band? Do you plan on keeping it casual and just playing in your basement or garage? Are you going to take your show on the road? The size of your planned playing venues directly affects the size of the amp that you should purchase.
If you are going to keep your guitar playing to a casual atmosphere or small venues, an E guitar amp with 30 to 50 watts of power should be enough.
If you are part of band that may plan to play larger venues, you will want to spend some extra money and buy an amp that has about 100 watts of power.
The most important item to consider when looking to purchase a new amplifier for your electric guitar is the sound.
If your new amp sounds horrible, it doesn't matter how good of a player you are.
Don't be surprised if people start clearing the room.
When it comes to sound, you will have to choose if your electric guitar amp will use tubes (also known as valves), transistors, or hybrids to generate your sound.
In general, die hard guitar players prefer amps made with tubes.
It is true that you will pay more for electric amps made with tubes, but you get what you pay for sometimes.
Maybe you will prefer an amplifier made with transistors.
They will be cheaper to buy and give you more sound effects.
Finally, there are hybrids which use tubes to create the sound and use the transistors to create the effects.
The bottom line is that you will need to take your time and ask the sales associate a lot questions.
Most importantly, when deciding which electric guitar amp you are going to end up buying, be sure to try out all of the amps that interest you.
The most accurate way to select your new amp for your electric guitar is to pick the amplifier that sounds best to you.