Table of Contents
Cheap is not always better
Beginners rejoice
Name your instrument
* Electric guitar amplifiers
* Acoustic guitar amplifiers
* Bass amplifiers
* Keyboard amplifiers
Combo or head/cab
* Combo amps
* Amp heads
To tube or not to tube
* Distortion
o Overdrive
o Sustain
* Preamp overdrive
* Power section overdrive
* Tube dynamic responsiveness
* Tube "warmth"
* Best of both worlds
* So which will it be?
Proper channels
* Channel switching for electric guitarists
* For acoustic guitarists
* Bass amps
* Keyboard amps
How much power?
* Higher wattage roughly indicates louder sound
* Tube watts
* More power, more freedom
* Practice amps
Things to consider
Wherefore effects?
* Traditional effects
* Analog reverb and tremolo
* EQ
* Digital effects
* Effects loops
Speakers-where the rubber meets the road
* 8" speakers
* 10" speakers
* 12" speakers
* 15" and 18" speakers
Don't sweat it! Glancing through the Musician's Friend catalog or browsing amps on the web, there may seem to be a confusing bunch of info to sift through to find the right amp for you. But generally it's a piece of cake. By and large, you can just browse amplifiers for the type of instrument you play, narrow down a price range, and compare product descriptions to make a selection.
Cheap is not always better
Since your instrument's sound reaches the world only by virtue of the amp you play through, it's important that you make a good choice. If you buy a quality instrument, you need a quality amplifier to project the instrument's great sounds. A common adage among guitarists is that you should spend at least as much on your amp as you do on your guitar. That's not always the case but the basic idea is right—don't ruin your instrument's great sound with a sub-par amp.
Beginners rejoice!
Having said all that, today's amplifiers are so well made and affordable it's hard to go wrong. There are a large number of entry-level amps that provide all the features you need while being super-easy to operate.
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