Choosing an Amp | Wanna Play Music

Choosing an amplifier isn't terribly difficult. It's mostly a matter of what you can afford, since there are good amps in almost every price range. Below are some guidelines that may help you in selecting an amplifier.

Guitar Amps
For electric guitarists, the way an amplifier shapes the tone of the guitar is often just as important as how loud it is. Some guitarists prefer amps with tube circuitry instead of solid-state designs, feeling that the tone is warmer and the distortion is smoother. This varies from amp to amp, so it's best to let your ear be the guide, but keep in mind that tube amps are usually quite expensive (around $500). Listen with an open mind and don't worry about the technology making the sound. When shopping for an amp, look for one that has enough volume for what you are doing. A practice amp will have to compete mainly with a drum set in a small room.

Some amps have built-in effects, such as reverb, chorus, or tremolo. Reverb gives an "I'm in the empty auditorium" sound, while chorus doubles the sound and warbles it a bit, so it sounds like two of you playing at once (sort of). Tremolo is like turning the volume up and down rapidly and in rhythm. It's great for old surf tunes and some psychedelic music. None of these effects are urgently necessary in a first amp, but you might want some or all of them in later amps. Note, though, that many powerful amps for stadium-strength rock don't have effects built into them. No matter. You can buy effects pedals or rack-mountable effects that do the job.

A single speaker will deliver enough sound for practicing, and can be as small as 8". Larger speakers provide more bottom end in the tone. A single 12" or two 12" speakers is usually the way to go once you get above 25 or 35 watts of power, and you want to compete with other instruments in a band.

Bass Amps
You might think that a bass amp would be just like a guitar amp, but designed to handle lower frequencies. Well, that's only partly right. For one thing, lower frequencies need more power to get the same apparent loudness as higher frequencies. As a result, a bass amp has to have a fair amount of extra power. In addition, lower frequencies can only be reproduced by speakers in enclosures designed to emphasize low frequencies. This sometimes requires bigger speakers (up to 18" in diameter!), a larger cabinet for the speakers, or a type of ductwork inside the cabinet to boost the low frequencies. Or, all of the above!

Many years ago, it was enough for a bass amp to simply make the bass guitar loud. The tone was supposed to be dark and deep and boomy. But then some bassists upset the apple cart and wanted to have not only a strong bottom, but a bright top end, too. As a result, today's bass amps are designed with a lot of tonal flexibility.

Look for a solid bottom end in the sound of any bass amp, as well as enough volume for what you are doing. A practice amp with 35 to 50 watts of power and a 10" or 12" speaker should be able to stand up to a drumset and practice guitar amp. Prices start at around $200 for brand name practice amps. If you're looking for a big amp, look for handles and/or wheels. Anything you buy, you have to move, so keep that in mind.

Some bass amps feature a built-in compressor, a circuit that keeps the soft notes from being too quiet and the loud ones from blowing out your ears. This isn't a necessary part of an amp for most players, but once you graduate from the "strictly learning" stage to the big stage, you might find this useful. Some bass amps also have distortion circuitry, and again you don't need this if you're a beginner. In fact, unless it suits your style, you might never want or need to change the amount of distortion your amp provides.

Make sure that the bass amp you want is portable enough (handles? wheels?) and will fit into whatever transportation you will be using when you take it to gigs, rehearsals, etc.

Keyboard Amps
While many keyboardists use guitar or bass amplifiers, there are amplifiers designed specifically for keyboards. Amplifying keyboards is not just a matter of taking a signal from a keyboard instrument and then making it louder. That's only a small part of it, at least if you design keyboard amps for a living. Because keyboard instruments cover a lot of range--more than any other instruments, really--they require electronics that can deal with the broad range without "coloring" the sound too much. Unlike keyboard amps, electric guitar amps are designed to give the guitar a new sound, by introducing distortion and emphasizing various portions of the treble and bass ranges. A keyboard amp, in contrast, is intended to deliver its sound without changing it (unless you want to change it, that is). Therefore, a keyboard amplifier has to be more like a stereo amplifier, delivering a clear, clean sound.

Many keyboard amps separate the low and high sounds. By amplifying them separately, there is less chance of distortion. (Some amps separate the frequencies into three bands, further eliminating the chances of distortion). If possible, try out an amp with the keyboard you plan to use. Some amps sound great with one keyboard and so-so or worse with another. Also, check that the keyboard amp is portable enough (handles? wheels?) and will fit into whatever transportation you will be using when you take it to gigs, rehearsals, etc.

If you plan to play more than one keyboard (a lot of keyboardists do), then make sure the amp has enough input channels to accommodate multiple keyboard instruments. Each input should have its own gain control, and if possible, its own EQ (tone) controls.