Bran Sonny's Guitar WorldGuitar Music World, for musicians, music lovers and everyone interested in guitars, accessories and gear.

Learn About The Guitar Amp And How It Works

Guitar Amplifiers

Chances are you’ve just bought your first Electric guitar and wish to find out all about guitar amps. Maybe you’re just curious as to how long amps have been around, how they work, or which to purchase. Whatever the reason, by reading this article, you’ll get answers.

History of the Amplifier

Guitar amps have been around for roughly 70 years now, having first appeared during the 1930s. The earliest amps had very poor high treble and bass responses. This was improved over time, as amps became better developed. During the ’60s, the guitar amp greatly evolved to where it is today when guitarists of that era experimented with deliberately overloading their amp to create Distortion. From that point on, most amps were provided with preamp distortion controls. Playing with distortion has since become an important part of Electric guitar playing.

Types of Amplifiers

There are two types of amps: solid state and vacuum tube amps. Additionally, there are some amps that combine both solid state and tube technologies. Most amps, especially the least expensive ones, are solid state because they are lighter and easier to repair than tube amps are. A lot of guitarists, however, prefer the tube amp due to the tube amp’s analog sensitivity, which they claim makes tube amps sound better. While this is probably the case, most beginners can’t afford to shell out the $500-$1000 it costs to buy a good tube amp. That’s why solid state amps are actually a good buy in some cases.

Solid state and vacuum tube amps come in combo (speakers and head) packages or separately. Guitarists who aren’t picky can just buy the combo, while those who are picky can “mix and match” heads and speakers. This is useful for those looking to achieve a certain sound.

How Amps Work/What Watts Mean

Without going into a big, long, technical explanation, amplifiers basically take the vibration (sound) of the string(s) and amplify it, thereby increasing the sound. If you wish to find out more about the technical side of guitar amps, there are several good books that cover the topic pretty thoroughly.

Each amplifier has a certain number of watts. The higher the number of watts, the louder the sound produced by the amp is. Generally speaking, those who wish to play shows will want to get amplifiers with at least 30 watts, preferably at least 50 watts, especially if they plan on playing at larger venues.

About the Author

Gray Rollins writes for GuitarsLand.com – a site to help people
learn about the guitar
and how to play it. To learn more about
guitar amps
, be sure to visit GuitarsLand.com

Guitar Tube 2 – Chicken Picking Lesson

Tube Guitar Amplifier: Servicing and Overhaul (DVD) $56.14 At nearly four hours, this program answers every question you could possibly have about vintage tube guitar amplifiers, and many you probably never thought of asking. Taught by amp expert Gerald Weber, it covers the basics of amp maintenance, wiring, t…

Tube Guitar Amplifier Essentials (Paperback) $31.68 From the amp guru, and columnist for Vintage Guitar magazine, comes a future classic that features more than 60 easy-reading chapters de-mystifying the complex world of tube amplifiers. Over eight years in the making, it covers the basic knowledge and …

Padded Tubular Guitar Stand with Security Strap $25.49 Tubular guitar stand comes in a sturdy storage boxGuitar accessory features a single guitar rest with protective rubberStand will hold virtually any acoustic or electric guitar or bass with several levels of adjustable height

A Desktop Reference of Hip Vintage Guitar Amps $24.34 Gerald Weber has written many articles on tube guitar amplifiers for Vintage Guitar magazine, and this book is a compilation of

Tube Amp Talk for the Guitarist and Tech $24.6 For this follow-up to his popular A Desktop Reference of Hip Vintage Guitar Amps, Gerald Weber has compiled his articles and “Ask Gerald” columns that have appeared in Vintage Guitar from 1993 to 1996. As a special bonus, Ken Fischer`s “Trainwreck Pa…

The Guitar Amp Handbook (Paperback) $16.33 There`s a huge amount of hype and mythology surrounding tube amplifiers in the guitar world. For years, experts have argued over the tiny details of exactly how they do what they do, and how their various components interact. What`s undeniable is that,…

Best of Surf Guitar $14.71 Learn the guitar riffs and licks of 10 tubular surfin` hits! Songs include: Let`s Go Trippin` * Mr. Moto * Out of Limits * Penetration * Pipeline * Shake `n` Stomp * Surf City * Surfin` Safari * Surfin` USA * The Wedge.

Mike Oldfield – The Complete Tubular Bells $36.67 Disc 1:DISC 1:Tubular Bells: Part 1. IntroductionTubular Bells: Part 1. Fast GuitarsTubular Bells: Part 1. BassesTubular Bells: Part 1. LatinTubular Bells: Part 1. A minor tuneTubular Bells: Part 1. Blu…

Celestion Tube 10 Guitar Speaker $45 Celestion Tube 10 Guitar Speaker

Plush Tube Tube Effects Loop and Reverb Guitar Effects Pedal $329.73 Plush Tube Tube Effects Loop and Reverb Guitar Effects Pedal

Ibanez TSA15 Tube Screamer 15W 1×12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp $449.99 Ibanez TSA15 Tube Screamer 15W 1×12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp

Ibanez TSA15H Tube Screamer 15W Tube Guitar Amp Head $299.99 Ibanez TSA15H Tube Screamer 15W Tube Guitar Amp Head

Maxon True Tube Overdrive Guitar Effects Pedal $262.5 Maxon True Tube Overdrive Guitar Effects Pedal

Kendrick Tube Guitar Amplifier Essentials Book $19.95 Kendrick Tube Guitar Amplifier Essentials Book

Vox AC4TVH 4W Tube Guitar Amp Head $199.99 Vox AC4TVH 4W Tube Guitar Amp Head

Kendrick Tube Guitar Amplifier Servicing and Overhaul (DVD) $69.95 Kendrick Tube Guitar Amplifier Servicing and Overhaul (DVD)

Marshall Class5 5W Tube Guitar amp Head $304.49 Marshall Class5 5W Tube Guitar amp Head

Egnater Renegade 65W Tube Guitar Amp Head $639.99 Egnater Renegade 65W Tube Guitar Amp Head

65amps Soho 20W Tube Guitar Amp Head $2695 65amps Soho 20W Tube Guitar Amp Head

65amps Monterey 22W Tube Guitar Amp Head $2695 65amps Monterey 22W Tube Guitar Amp Head

65amps Empire 25W Tube Guitar Amp Head $2900 65amps Empire 25W Tube Guitar Amp Head

65amps Tupelo 22W Tube Guitar Amp Head $1950 65amps Tupelo 22W Tube Guitar Amp Head

Soldano 44 1×12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp $2170 Soldano 44 1×12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp

PRS 30 – 30W Tube Guitar Amp Head $1899 PRS 30 – 30W Tube Guitar Amp Head

Bogner Alchemist Series Tube Guitar Amp Head $749.99 Bogner Alchemist Series Tube Guitar Amp Head

Krank Chadwick Series 2-Channel Tube Guitar Head $1499 Krank Chadwick Series 2-Channel Tube Guitar Head

Peavey Butcher 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head $1199.99 Peavey Butcher 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head

Egnater Vengeance 120W Tube Guitar Amp Head $1199.99 Egnater Vengeance 120W Tube Guitar Amp Head

Bugera V55HD 55W Tube Guitar Amp Head $359.99 Bugera V55HD 55W Tube Guitar Amp Head

Egnater Rebel-30 30W Tube Guitar Amp Head $749.99 Egnater Rebel-30 30W Tube Guitar Amp Head

Egnater Tweaker-88 88W Tube Guitar Amp Head $899.99 Egnater Tweaker-88 88W Tube Guitar Amp Head

B-52 ATX-100 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head $599.99 B-52 ATX-100 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head

ZVex Nano Head Tube Guitar Amp Head $499 ZVex Nano Head Tube Guitar Amp Head