The guitar may get all the glory, but without an amp its electric current can only do so much. That’s why these amps exist: to transform your guitar signal into the sounds we know and love.
No matter if you’re an occasional guitarist, an aspiring garage band drummer, or touring as part of your job – we have an amp for everyone!
Tube Amps
A tube amp uses vacuum tubes to produce the warm tones beloved of guitarists. These “valves,” as they’re commonly known, form part of both its preamp and power-amp sections and use electrons and holes to generate enough voltage to power speakers and turn electrical impulses into audible sound waves.
Vacuum tubes were once ubiquitous in electronic equipment, but their bulky appearance and poor efficiency caused them to be phased out for smaller, more efficient solid-state components. Recently, however, tube amplifiers have made a comeback – often seen as remnants from an analog past, they provide richer sound reproduction than their solid-state counterparts.
Tube amplifiers use several small vacuum tubes in their preamp section and power amp section, each tube featuring its own cathode as the hot end and grid as its amplifier; positive charges on these grids attract negative electrons coming from the cathode, speeding their flow towards an anode for high-quality musical distortion that guitarists love to experience.
These tubes are an integral component of the classic sound sought by guitarists today and immortalized by their heroes’ tones. However, when purchasing a tube amp it’s important to keep several points in mind when shopping.
First of all, tubes aren’t indestructible – they require periodic replacement. Also, due to constant usage, tubes can overheat and cause permanent damage. Finally, tube amplifiers aren’t the most energy-efficient solutions as they require more power for reaching comparable volume levels than solid-state amps.
Yet most electric guitarists opt for tube amps because it gives them the signature sounds heard on classic recordings. Tube-driven distortion often produced by such amps is considered preferable to the harsh and shrill distortion caused by solid-state amps; some guitarists claim their tones possess an holographic quality which gives an illusion of being part of the session and creating it themselves.
Solid-State Amps
Tube and solid-state amps differ mainly in that tubes distort musically when turned up, whereas transistors found in solid state amplifiers remain clean throughout all volume levels. That doesn’t necessarily indicate one type of amp being superior – Sweetwater stocks plenty of tube amps that deliver both gritty compression as well as some fantastic clean tone solid state amps.
Solid-state amps offer the cleanest sound possible and should be your top choice if you want a consistent tone across larger venues, particularly if you play jazz music. Their broad tonal range without any muddiness also pairs nicely with time-based effects like modulation, delay or chorus effects.
Are You Searching for an Acoustik Guitar Amp That Sounds Great? Check Out Roland Jazz Chorus 2 or Nextone Special Amps If so, consider either of them; both offer sparkling tone and superbly clean performance that make them suitable for rock, R&B or any style requiring rhythmic sound. The Jazz Chorus 2 features two 12″ speakers as well as onboard effects like an EQ preset for each channel and built-in reverb; The Nextone Special boasts time-based effects like arpeggiator, flanger Phaser and Rotary Speaker Simulation among others.
Solid-state amplifiers also tend to be lighter and cheaper than their tube counterparts, making maintenance simpler for amp technicians. Without needing valve swaps to do repairs on these amps.
Solid-state amps have come a long way since their introduction two decades ago, often surpassing tube amps in terms of tone. Modern digitally modelled amplifiers can often fool even experienced ears into believing they’re playing an original amp – although both types certainly have their place within any band mix and different players may have specific preferences when choosing which amp to use.
Speakers & Speaker Stacks
An electric guitar on its own can only get so loud; an amplifier gives it its voice by turning simple electrical current into music that resonates through speakers and amplifiers. But that powerful sound comes at a cost; large stacks of speakers and amplifiers take up precious real estate when performing live, while balancing all those speakers can be difficult. Luckily, there are ways around these obstacles that allow for big, clear sound without needing an amp-cab stack to do its work.
Combo amps combine the amp head and speaker into one unit, making them an excellent option for beginners or players not quite ready to commit to full stack setups. You’ll find combo amps with enough power for most gigs; some even come equipped with built-in effects loops so external pedals can connect. One such combo amp is the GAMMA G25; it boasts premium True Blue High Headroom speakers as well as all-analog design allowing easy connection of portable audio players for practice or rehearsal, with 1/8″ line-level AUX input for adding music from any source AUX input. There’s even headphone output when working on that elusive lick.
When building a more serious setup, separate amp heads and speaker cabinets make it easier to control the power of your amps. However, you can combine full stack with smaller cabinets for additional flexibility; two 10″ speakers stacked vertically act like one 20″ speaker to narrow dispersion of high frequencies which enables higher pitch before sound starts “beaming.”
If you’re searching for an amp that’s suitable for small gigs and practice sessions with added modularity in the studio, a cab-stack combo may be just what’s needed. But keep in mind that vibrations from such an amp can shorten its lifespan significantly as well as be difficult to transport or lift, particularly if gigging guitarists need quick set up/tear down times. When considering gigging guitarist options it can make all the difference having your own cab make an important contribution –
Peavey Amps
Peavey’s classic amplifiers are unmatched when it comes to workhorse tube amps. From practice amplifiers and gigging powerhouses to studio monitoring amps and practice amps, these versatile units provide plenty of gain with an extensive array of effects suitable for any style imaginable. In an industry flooded with boutique designs that cost thousands more, Peavey remains a stand-in company offering quality gear at reasonable prices for working musicians.
The Classic 50/212 is a durable pedal-friendly amp, featuring an intuitive gain structure to produce powerful yet clear tones. Equipped with both solid state preamp and 12AX7 and EL84 tubes for warm clean tones and punchy distortion, its combination delivers the goods.
Your choice of features to make this amp stand out will include a midrange control that gives PAF humbuckers and single-coil pickups more air and heat, a boost switch that pushes frequencies above 1kHz for overdrive effects, and an attenuator offering 20 Watts, 5 Watts or a single Watt setting for maximum flexibility.
This amp is an ideal choice for blues players looking to elevate their sound to the next level. Capable of handling even the most aggressive guitar styles while providing rich and dynamic tone at any gain or volume setting, plus easy set up and use make this an excellent option for beginner guitarists.
Peavey Delta Blues 115 is another fantastic blues-focused model, similar to the Classic 50/212. Like its sibling, this combo provides many useful features that make playing easier, including an 1/8″ Aux In jack for jamming along to favorite tunes; headphone jack with speaker defeat switch built-in; footswitch input so that you can manage overdrive, reverb and tuner from stage; as well as 1/8″ Aux Out for jamming along.
The Vypyr VIP series amps are an excellent option for beginning guitarists who don’t yet wish to invest too heavily in an amp, yet still need one with plenty of tonal variations and effects – these models include 12 electric guitar, bass, and acoustic instrument models with effects including delay, chorusing reverbing among many more!