Guide to Choosing the Right Guitar Amplifier

Choosing the right guitar amplifier can be a hard but rewarding experience. It's an important part of your tone, for sure, but it also needs to fit many other prerequisites other than sounding good. Let's go over what to look for in a guitar amplifier. This guide is for the bedroom, working, or intermediate musician that needs something more than a great sounding amp. Let's begin.

First, the price tag needs to be right. Don't overspend on your amplifier. Do research and pick the right one for you at the right price. There's many options to guitar players now, and one is certainly the perfect amp for you. Remember at the end of the day it's your playing ability and the composition that matter most. Don't spend loads of cash on an amplifier. Pick one that's in your price range.

Second, durability. I can't stress this enough. An amp that isn't known for being extremely durable is just about the worst investment you can make. First off, even if you aren't a gigging musician assume that you one day will be. You want versatility here. You don't want a great sounding amp that you're afraid to move and you don't want a crappy sounding amp that's a tank either. You need the best of both worlds, and there's many options available. Durability is key to getting the most of your money.

Third, wattage. Amplifiers, especially tube amplifiers, are extremely loud. One thing most beginners don't know is that an amplifier sounds best when it's being run at full volume. Knowing that, having a 100 watt amp that you can't put past .5 on the volume knob is totally useless. Get the right wattage for you. For the working musician, I suggest 20 to 40 watt tube amplifiers. There are good enough for home use and you can still crank them at most gigs without crushing the band.

Fourth, versatility. Some amplifiers are specifically made to sound good for one genre. If you're a metal head for instance, you may be tempted to get the Head Crusher Five Thousand. But if you're a true musician, your tastes will grow and diversify. That doesn't necessarily mean you'll stop liking metal, but you should be prepared to play anything you feel like. Don't be limited by your amplifier. Try it in person and play a variety of tones and styles on it. Make sure it sounds at least decent for anything you have a passing interest in. You'll be kicking yourself later if you get an amp that sounds great clean and over driven, but quickly turns to mud when pushed to the maximum distortion.

Fifth, aesthetic value. Let's face it, looks are important. And even though most people will not care at all about how your amp looks, we both know that's it's important to you. You're gonna be looking at this thing every day for a very long time, maybe the rest of your life if you purchase wisely and take good care of your equipment. Make sure the visual is something you can live with.

I hope this guide was helpful in helping you choose the correct amplifier. Good luck!