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Guitar Amps

Electric guitar amps strengthen the signal from your guitar to produce magnified sound.
Your amplifier has a direct effect on your playing experience and tone. Amps are often pared with preamps for the best quality sound.

Macdaddy Music sells a variety of guitar amps from brands such as Hughes & Kettner, Laney, and Fishman.

What is the difference between a tube amp and a solid-state amp?

A solid-state guitar amplifier uses electronic transistors to amplify the sound, while a tube amp uses vacuum tubes to amplify.

Are tube amps louder than solid-state amps?

Many people think that tube amps are louder than solid-state amps, but that is not actually the case. Tube amps can sound louder, but they are producing harmonics that are perceived by the human ear as volume rather than distortion. Solid stye amps distort at the same signal level as tube amps, but the distortion levels sounds like distortion and not volume.

When a tube amp and sold-state amp are turned up the will have different sounds. Tube amps will sound clean and "louder" while the solid-state amp will sound "quieter" and distorted.

How many watts do I need in my electric guitar amp?

The amount of watts you need in your guitar amp all depends upon your usage. Here is a general outline that will help guide you:

  • 1 watt amp - for use in a bedroom or other small space
  • 5-15 watt amp - for use in a small space setting or a small gig or rehearsal where you don't need to maintain clean tones
  • 20-45 watt amp - for use in live gigs in smaller venues (clubs or bars)
  • 50-90 watt amp - for use in live performances, gigs, and guitarists who use pre-amp distortion
  • 100+ watt amp - for use in large venues with loud bands

What is the difference between guitar amps and bass amps?

There are four man differences between guitar amps and bass guitar amps:

  1. Wattage
  2. Output Power
  3. Frequency Response
  4. Speaker Size