Mesa Boogie Guitar Amplifiers -

Guitar Amplifiers

Chances are you've just bought your first Electric guitar and want to learn all about guitar amps.  Maybe you're only curious as to how long amps have been around, how they work, or which to purchase. Whatever the reason, by reading this article, you'll get some answers.

History of the Amplifier

Guitar amps have been around for about 70 years now, having first appeared during the 1930s. The earliest amps had very poor high treble and bass responses. This was improved over time, as amps became better developed. During the 60s, the guitar amp greatly evolved to while it is today when guitarists of that age experimented with intentionally overloading their amp to produce Distortion. From that point on, most amps were provided with preamp distortion controls. Playing with distortion has since become an imperative part of Electric guitar playing.

Types of Amplifiers

There are two types of amps: real state and vacuum tube amps. Furthermore, there are some amps that combine both genuine state and tube technologies. Most amps, particularly the least expensive ones, are real state because they are lighter and easier to repair than tube amps are. A lot of guitarists, however, favor the tube amp due to the tube amp's analog sensitivity, which they claim makes tube amps sound better. While this is possibly the case,  most beginners can't afford to shell out the $500-$1000 it costs to buy a worthy tube amp. That's why real state amps are actually a good purchase in some cases.

Solid state and vacuum tube amps come in combo (speakers and head) packages or separately. Guitarists who aren't picky can just buy the combo, while those who are fickle can mix and match heads and speakers. This is helpful for those searching to realize a confident sound.

Brands

While there are a whole slew of companies that make guitar amplifiers, there are a set list of a few that you just can't go wrong with.   These are: Mesa Boogie Guitar Amplifiers, Gibson Guitar Amplifiers, Fender Guitar Amplifiers, Marshall Guitar Amplifiers, Crate Guitar Amplifiers and Peavey Guitar Amps.  Marshall Guitar Amps are a brand that tends to come in a very wide range of models and is quite popular.

Digital Modeling Amplifiers

If you're looking to go really high-end, go here.  These amps are designed to give the guitarist a single amp that is able to emulate the performance of a whole range of amps and their specific tones.  A popular example of this type of amp is the Vox Valvetronix amplifier.

How Amps Work/What Watts Mean

Without going into a enormous, long, technical explanation, amplifiers merely take the vibration (sound) of the series(s) and amplify it, thus escalating the sound. If you desire to learn more about the technical side of guitar amps, there are numerous first-rate books that cover the topic pretty thoroughly.

Every amplifier has a confident number of watts. The higher the number of watts, the louder the sound produced by the amp is. Generally speaking, those who desire to play shows will wish to get amplifiers with at least 30 watts, preferably at least 50 watts, specifically if they plan on playing at larger venues.