After the callouses have formed and dozens of picks are lost, a guitar player can safely move along the path to stardom and begin thinking of newer, better and louder equipment and gear, enhancing sound and busting eardrums of even the friendliest neighbor on the street. Choosing an amp for a guitar may require hours of research, testing volume, sound and style, providing tons of trial and error prospects during the process. As any guitar player knows, the search for the right amp is one akin to the glorious quests of days past, when warriors tracked dragons, hunted trophies and grails and brought back electronic spoils that shook the castle walls.

Guitar amps fall under four main types: solid-state, tube, digital simulation or hybrids, with each bringing its own excellence into the sound of the strum. Solid-state amps are known for a clean, crisp sound that is perfect for recording or in R&B or jazz performances. These amps use transistors, not tubes, and are the most durable amps on the market, requiring less maintenance and repair than tube amps.

Tube amps bring a dirty sound to the guitar, perfect for rocking out and characteristic of almost all genres within rock music. The distortion from a tube amp can rarely be replicated by any other type of amp, especially since the sound relies on the tubes inside that eventually break down and need replacing. While a tube amp requires a level of maintenance and care, it can also be used as a signal to the guitarist to take a break and see what life holds outside of the garage, basement or green room.

Digital simulation amps are as techno-geeky as a guitar player can get while still remaining a true musical artist. These amps are known to replicate the sound and distortion from other amps, and can also be used to directly record a riff while still retaining the appearance of only playing live music for the satisfaction of the music itself, instead of fame, glory or a free meal.

Hybrid amps are those amps that cross the boundaries between the basic amp types to provide distortion within a solid-state amp, giving it the durability needed to travel between gigs while keeping the sound true to the guitarist. Hybrid amps are great for the guitar player or band that cannot make up its mind but is tired of stopping to fix the fragile tubes in a tube amp.



There is more to choosing an amp than meets the eye, and no two amps are the same. Beyond the type of the amp, these little boxes of sound-enhancing delight are also constructed from different materials in various manners, in order to provide a wide range of sounds and levels of resilience to the guitar player, as well as provide ample opportunities to change the tone, vibe or mood of a guitar sample.

Labels: Amp, Equipment, Guitar, Music