Electric Guitar Amplifiers

An amplifier  is a part of the electric guitar, if you consider most electric guitars have solid bodies and have no way of being amplified without one. So if you are using a cheap amplifier or one not suited to your musical needs, you quite possibly are wasting the potential of an awesome electric guitar on a lousy amp.

So what do you need to pay attention to when selecting an amplifier:

Size Does Matter
Microamps: 1-10 watts Great for the bedroom rockfest	Practice Amps: 10-30 watts 8"-10" speakers Can be used for small (your garage-small) venues 10" speaker recommended if you plan on doing so	Small Venues: 50 watts 12" speakers Check out Crate or Line 6 for powerful, professional sound	Larger Venues 120 watts Stacks with 12" speakers Stacks have speakers that are separate, which means they are lighter for transportation and can accommodate more speakers for more Rooock! (ok ok, I wont do that again)

Classes

Class A
	A class A  is conducting current at all times So there is no "kink" in the sound because of this continuous current Not nearly as efficient as a class B since it always running

Class B
	Class B  amps have "push-pull" output stage Employs two valves Each side amplifies 1/2 of the wave

Class AB
	Class AB  combines elements from classes A and B Varies from amp to amp as to what the balance between A and B is

Types of Amps
Tube Amps  Claimed to produce the purest sound (what the pros use) More expensive because there fewer made	Solid State or "Transistor" Amps  The most common kind of amp Good challengers to the more expensive tube amps (for recovering purists): Vox Valvetronics Marshall Valvestate Fender Cyber Series	Combo Amp  Pre-amp is a tube amp Power amp is solid state A cheaper alternative to the tube amp	Modeling or Digital Amp  Includes effects Distortion Chorusing Flanging Wah-Wah Digital Reverb Units Note: not for purists who think nothing can sound like the real thing

External Links

• Music123 -- A great electric guitar amp buyer's guide that links links to reviews of different types electric guitars amplifiers.