There are so many amplifiers out there to choose from - there are amplifiers for certain situations such as Practicing, Small Club, Large Club, Headphone Type, Miniature, Concert Venues, and more.  So think about what you are going to be using the amp for before you buy it.  You don’t really want to buy something small and then find out you can’t use it at a larger club that you will be playing at – or you may not want to spend $2800 on a Concert Size Stack and then find out it can’t fit on the stage of the smaller clubs you will be playing at.

ACOUSTIC GUITAR AMPLIFIERS - If you want the best sound out of your Acoustic - Electric guitar, you will need to purchase an Acoustic Guitar amplifier.  Yes, you can play your Acoustic through a regular guitar amplifier, but, it will not get you the acoustic sound that you are looking for.  There is a big difference between an Acoustic being played through a regular guitar amp, and an Acoustic being played through an Acoustic amp.  Acoustic amplifiers can range from $150 all the way up to $2000. If you are serious about performing live with an Acoustic, you may want to check out some Acoustic amps at your local music store...

  Keep in mind the following:

• Although the amplifiers are smaller, they can put out some large amounts of power (so you may not need a 6 foot stack to get the “concert” feel behind you).  See "Power / Wattage" below...

• P.A. Systems are smaller and more efficient these days and usually do all the work (this means that you just need a small amp on stage to hear what you are doing, and the P.A. System will do all the work).

• Bigger is not necessarily Better (you’ll find this out after you test out some amplifiers and do some more research).  Remember – In the old days they used walls of Marshall stacks mostly for show, but the main reason was that the P.A. Systems were not as efficient as they are today.

Now that you know what you need the amplifier for it's time to start looking for an amplifier to fit your needs.  First and foremost, you need to make sure that when you play your guitar or bass through this amplifier that it “Sounds” exactly the way you want it to sound (the tone is exactly what you are looking for). 

Go to a music store, sit there and try out all the guitar or bass amplifiers that you can. Even better, if you are a beginner, have the sales guy (who should be a guitarist or bass guitarist) play something on a few amplifiers to get a feel of what the amplifiers sound like.  Listen to the amplifiers to make sure the “Sound” is exactly what you are looking for in an amplifier.  Keep listening until you find exactly what you want...

Most guitar amplifiers come with “Reverb” (which is the basic effect that all guitar amplifiers should have on them).  Technology is such that many guitar amplifiers are coming equipped with effects such as chorus, flanger, delays, etc.  Before you go out and buy an amplifier with all these effects you should make sure that these effects are not just “cheesy” versions of standard effects.  Basically, the amplifier might have these effects on them, but they could be “limited” with their use (the effects may only have a few basic sounds available, and you will have to get a better version of the effect pedal to get the sound you are looking for).  Just be careful about the effects that come with the amplifier and give them a good test before deciding on the amplifier.

Most bass amplifiers come with some sort of EQ (equalizer) - I am not referring to the the standard tone controls, but some sort of graphic equalizer to enhance the low end (like a 4-band active EQ specific for bass). A well desinged bass amplifier will come standard with an EQ that should help you find the sounds you are looking for. Some bass players purchase an effects pedal (equalizer) to enhance their sound - but again, a well designed bass amplifier should have the EQ needed to get the sound you need. Go for what sounds best to you... 

The Look (Shape, Style, Color, Size):

 

Once you have found the “Sound” you have always wanted from an amplifier - there may be some other things that could help with your decision – such as the shape, style, color, or even the size?  As long as the amplifier “Sounds” exactly like the amplifier of your dreams, it really shouldn’t matter what the shape, style, or color is like (but it could be kind of cool if there was a choice involved) – it will be that much better if the amplifier sounds great and also looks great too. 

Power (Wattage):

 

Typical guitar amplifiers can range from 1 watt all the way up to 300 watts, and typical bass amplifiers can range from 1 watt all the way up to 1000 watts (and more).  Usually the more power (wattage) an amplifier has, the more expensive it will be (especially with bass amplifiers). 

Be careful not to overdo it.  A guitar amplifier with 50 watts can get really loud, and a typical 100 watt bass amplifier can also get pretty loud.  You may not want to buy a 300 watt guitar amp and then find out you will never get to use more than 50-100 watts (or the windows start blowing out, or people’s ears start bleeding).  This is a very important consideration to make especially if you don’t want to spend lots of money.

Wattage is sometimes confused with the size of an amplifier.  Take a look at the diagram below - it basically describes that Wattage and Size do not exactly go hand in hand.   

 

Modeling Technology:

One of the coolest things that has happened with amplifiers is “Modeling” technology.  A modeling amplifier does exactly what the name implies “Models” other guitar amplifiers. At first I thought that the amplifier would sound “cheesy” and “fake” but after I tried one and heard how it sounds so close to the original amp, I was sold.  I tried some Marshalls, Fenders, Peaveys, etc – but when I got to the modeling amp, I was blown away.  There were 3-4 different Marshall Amps, lots of Fenders, Gibson, etc. (pretty much enough amplifiers to keep you busy for a while).  It was so easy to use and program, and it had about a dozen programmable effects available.  The amp came with 4 channels, but when the salesman showed me the foot pedal, I was blown away for the second time.  This foot pedal had 36 channels, had a volume pedal and Wah pedal, a tuner, a nice display so you could read the info about the channel, and effects controls.  Maybe modeling amplifiers are not for everyone, but all guitar players should take the time to test one out for themselves.

  

Here are a few Modeling amplifier models available (there are more).

CLICK ON THE "LINE 6" PICTURE FOR A DEMO!

LINE 6	BEHRINGER	VOX

The Purchase:

 

Again, when you purchase your new amplifier (or any type of music equipment) you must feel “very good” about the purchase.  Don’t just be all “hyped up” that you have a new amplifier - you really need to feel good about the purchase (no second thoughts, or feel unsure about it, etc).  This is important – To walk out of the music store with a great feeling about your new amplifier will be the final stage of the purchase.  If you have a doubt, go eat some lunch, then go back to the music store, and keep trying amplifiers until you find the one you really want.

Amplifiers do come in all sizes, but the most convenient are the head phone practice amplifiers.  Small practice amplifiers can come with headphone jacks, so if you are looking for a small amplifier to practice with – you may want to make sure it has a headphone jack.  This way if you don’t want anyone to hear what you are playing (or you just want to hear it really loud without bothering others) you will have the option.

Some “Headphone” amplifiers can sound incredible (especially if they have some built in effects). The one I have used for many years is the “Rockman” designed by Tom Sholtz of the rock group “Boston.”  It has two clean sounds, two distortion sounds, echo, chorus – and sounds pretty amazing.  It has outputs and inputs so you can plug it in to a PA, or plug it in to a larger amplifier.  Note: The Rockman was sold to a different company a few years back, and reports have claimed that the sound of this "newer version" of the Rockman does not match that of the original Rockman sound (try one out at your local music store to see if this "new" sound is right for you).