Buying an Amplifier (part 2)

In my last post, I explained the different options available to you when buying a guitar amplifier (read it here) and in this post I’m going to take you through some of the things you should look out for in a good (or bad) amp. You may also want to check out my articles on buying the best guitar, if you are also thinking about buying a guitar.

When Buying an Amplifier:

1) Listen to Any Excess Noise

You really want an amplifier that makes noise when you play through it, not during the pauses in songs or as soon as you turn it on! If you’re trying the amp in a shop you’ll probably be at low volume, so just think that any weird buzz at these levels will become even louder when you crank it! Also watch out for any odd sounds and harmonics that may be added to your tone.

2) Always Play Through Before Buying

Play through and test everything- even if you don’t think you’re going to use that super-high-gain channel, it’s always good to get to know what you’re buying. This is the part where you play through all the riffs and songs that you know. It’s not to show-off to your mates/girlfriend/parents or anyone else in the shop, you should play through what you know so that you can judge the sound of the amp. If you start playing the riff to “Smoke on the Water” or “Stairway to Heaven”, it’s likely that you already know what these songs should sound like- and so you can make a good comparison between that and the sound the amp makes.

3) Play Around with the Tone

It may be that the amp you’re trying out works better at certain tone setting, or when you put the treble right up it starts to squeak. I’ve even known some amps to start shaking themselves apart when the bass is too high! I know my amp works best at a certain setting, but the setting I like best isn’t too far off that. You really want to find an amp that sounds great for each setting that you’re likely to use (and, ideally, even for those that you don’t).

4) Adjust the Volume

Just like tone setting, the volume can effect an amps performance. Some amps don’t work so well at low volumes. This can be especially true for valve amps, where at least some of the sound is shaped by how hard the valves are driven (hence the expression “overdriven”). Try your amp at various volumes (within reason- you don’t want to annoy the shopkeeper) and notice to see if the sound changes too much.

5) Play Cleanly

Even if you’re goal is to play heavy, distorted, rock I would advise playing through the clean channel. Often, without the distortion of the amp, you’ll be able to notice any odd harmonics that are there waiting to destroy your tone. There’s nothing worse than picking an amp because of the distorted channel at low volume only to find out that solo at full volume sounds like a long, wet fart…

So there you have it, five things to look out for when buying an amp. If there’s anything you think I should have mentioned please leave a comment below. Happy shopping!

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January 5, 2010 at 3:00 pm | How to | No comments