Which Amplifier?

What do you want to do with your new guitar amplifier? Use it at home or on gigs or are you attracted by big black boxes with lots of knobs and buttons? If you already perform in public you will know the answer. If you are a beginner you will probably be playing only at home for a while and a 40 watt output practice amplifier is all that you need.

These days you can buy amplifiers that offer built in special effects as well as the more traditional boxes that provide no more than a basic equaliser panel and, for those distortion solos, gain control. Keep it simple! For a beginner I recommend a simple practice amplifier that has tone and gain controls and no other effects. You can progress to effects pedals or change to a full blown amplifier with built in effects later. Your practice amplifier should have a headphone socket and also an auxiliary input for a cd player. You will still be able to entertain the neighbours with a 40 watt box!

Views vary regarding guitar amplifiers with built in special effects. Some players prefer either a multi-effects pedal box or a series of separate pedals over amplifiers with built in special effects. Others are happy to have all of the bells and whistles in one box. You make your own choice but my experience is that amplifiers with special effects don’t combine too well with pedals. You have a greater variety of settings but perhaps too many. Sudden screeching feedback when you change a setting is not desirable. If you want to combine the two, make sure that you can disable the fx in your amplifier, just in case.

Working the amplifier settings is an art in its own right. Have fun!

Marshall Amplifier