The Electric Guitar Amplifier: Inside and Out
By Max on Feb 28, 2008 in Guitars
What We Do Know
We all know that guitar amps offer loud and shockingly beautiful sounds that originate from our electric guitar of choice.
What’s not always obvious, however, is exactly how the amplifiers work. But once again at Soundetta.com we’re here to explain the complicated workings of our favorite electronic equipment in terms that everyone can understand. Check it out.
What We Didn’t Know
When you strum your guitar, or simply pick or pluck one of the strings on your electric guitar, the vibration of the strings sends a signal through the pickup coil. The pickup coil is the metallic wrap or shield that is at the end of your audio cords.
The signal that comes out of the guitar travels through that pickup coil, through the audio wire and winds up in the amp which then makes the signal audible. It does so by boosting, or loudening it enough to shove the sound through a speaker.
Note that electric guitar amps are different from stereo amplifiers. That’s because a stereo amp is only meant to amplify sound the way that it is. There is no distortion or change in the way the sound plays. Whereas with an electric guitar amp, sometimes the point is completely about the distortion or noise that you can use to affect your sounds.
Distortion is, literally, when the signal that is being received by the amp is too powerful for the amp’s circuitry. The resulting sound or scream is the desired affect, which ultimately makes any guitar that allows the musician to control the distortion, convenient.
Lastly, a neat trick of the trade is knowing about feedback loops. A feedback loop is what happens when you strum your electric guitar, hooked into an amp, and when the correct note is hit, that sound will continue to resonate indefinitely. This can seriously change the sound of a song, which was ultimately one of the major advances in modern rock.
The Different Brands
There are several different brands of Electric guitar amps with decent reputations. Among them are Marshall and Gibson who are both well known for their quality in tone and appearance. Gibson is ahead of the curve but Fender also makes a great line of amps. With a Fender, however, be sure to take your guitar with you when picking one out. With Fenders, I play before I pay.
If you’re just starting out and looking for something that will save you some money, Epiphone makes a budget amp which is great for the beginner.
Line 6 has a line of amps but I’m not familiar with them. I have, however, noticed their growing positive reputation.
An Amp seriously worth mentioning is Ampeg which makes top of the line products that cost anywhere between a couple of hundred dollars to a couple of thousand for a system. Ampeg has a reputation for being high-quality equipment. Of course, Behringer also makes an awesome amp, though I personally feel that Behringer is best at bass though they make some inexpensive stuff that’s easy to get your hands on.
Last, but not least, is the Peavy line of amps. Peavy is an incredibly popular company who has had its ups and downs but still makes a superior product. Getting a high end Peavy is well worth the price but if you need the Peavy on a budget, shop for a used one that’s just a couple of years old.
The Amp and the Famous
To conclude, I will leave you this fun, brief list of who uses what in Hollywood. And never forget to research until you’re sick from the glow of your computer screen.
Anthony Kiedis: Peavey Bandit 112
Billy Corgan: Marshall JMP
Pete Wentz (Fallout boy): Fender 810 PRO
Beastie Boys: custom Ampeg B15
Michael Anthony: Ampeg SVT 810E
Jimmy Page: Marshall
Aerosmith: Vintage Music Man Amps
