An electric guitar requires an amplifier and the guitar amplifier is very important for the quality of sound produced by it. Don’t be tempted to buy the most expensive amplifier just because of the brand name; also don’t take a decision based on somebody else’s advice or by how many watts the amplifier can push. The guitar amplifier you choose should suit the kind of music you are going to play as well as your budget.

How To Choose The Right Guitar Amplifier: Important Factors

Solid State Amplifier: Purchasing a Solid state guitar amplifier is the cheapest option. It is fully electronic and amplifies sounds well, but it does not have the tone reproducing quality which is required by many musicians to play live. Though for some musicians, the style of music they play goes very well with solid state amplifiers and they prefer to use these. All-Tube Amplifier: An all tube amplifier is the most expensive, but is desired by those musicians who want to play certain tones. The All-tube amplifier will produce warmer tones with greater sustain. For professional playing and people who are interested in putting a lot of effort in playing guitar, the All-tube amplifiers are the answer. Because of the tone quality it gives, people tend to dish out thousands of bucks for it, when they can get guitar amplifiers worth hundreds of bucks too. Hybrid Amplifier: A Hybrid amplifier is the combination of Solid state with a tube pre-amplifier. This has better quality tone than pure Solid state amplifier, but less than the All-tube amplifier. The cost also lies in-between the two kinds of guitar amplifiers. Other considerations: The decision to buy a certain guitar amplifier also depends on the many channels you need, the built-in effects, the amount of control knobs and wattage. A 50-watt power is good enough to push a 4-speaker amplifier, so wattage is not much of a consideration here. Just be sure the sound is not getting distorted at a high volume. Also the reverb knob has built-in effect, fitted with almost all amplifiers; this controls the echo of the sound produced by the guitar. The effects produced may not be an issue with many people who just want their amplifier to produce straight sounds, and are not much worried about the tones. Give enough consideration to the above factors before deciding on the guitar amplifier you want to buy. Don’t just go for a brand name, you may try products by some new companies as they come cheaper with the same quality. So hunt, test and explore before spending your money on any of the guitar amplifiers.

Don’t have time to drive around to all the guitar stores in your area? Or looking for better price on that model you played at Guitar Center? Check out Musiciansfriend for some quality guitars &amps; great prices. Read reviews of others and even leave some yourself!
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Go to the next installment of our Beginning Guitar Series, Changing Your Guitar Strings or back to the Guitar Player Zen Beginning Guitar home page.

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