Guitar Amp Reviews

Guitar amps are categorized by how powerful they are in terms of Watts (A Watt is a unit of power, named after the Scottish engineer James Watt (1736–1819). The unit measures the rate of energy conversion) So a hundred watt amplifier is obviously much louder than a ten watt amplifier.

The sound quality of a guitar amplifier is influenced by many things, including; whether it uses solid-state electronics or valves, the wood material used for the speaker cabinet, the type of speaker cones, the resistance of the speakers, the guitar used, the cables used etc.

There are many different amplifier manufacturers including: Fender, Marshall, Peavey, and Mesa-Boogie.

So what type of amp do you use?



Micro amps: 1-10 watts. These are tiny amps which are useful for practice on the go (or when you can't make a lot of noise). They don't sound great but serve a purpose for when you need to practice - quietly! The Marshall MS-2 is an example of a super-portable (1 watt) micro amp.

Practice amps: 10-30 watts. Practice guitar amps are also suited for the bedroom/living room environment, although the loudest of them may be used for small gigs (performances), especially if a microphone is used to run them through the venue's PA system. As with micro amps, practice amps tend to compare unfavorably to larger units in terms of sound quality, unless the practice amp is a good quality tube(valve) amp.

Popular practice tube amps that sound as good or better than many larger amps include, Fender Champ, Epiphone Valve Junior and the Fender Blues Jr. As a general rule, the best practice amps have at least a 10 inch speaker.

Full-size 1x12 combos: With 50 or more watts of power and at least one 12 inch speaker, the 1x12 amp offers the smallest package which is considered suitable as a stand-alone amplifier for small gigs. Quality is always important, but perhaps even more so in the case of the 1x12 combo - with a good one, you'll prove the doubters wrong, but with one of the many duds, you won't be taken seriously. The Marshall MG50DFX Guitar Amp 50 Watt is an excellent example of this type of guitar amp.

2x12 combos are similar to 1x12 combos, but they add a second 12 inch speaker. The 2x12 design is considerably heavier and bulkier than the 1x12, but it is still a favorite choice of working musicians for performances at small to medium-sized venues. The addition of a second speaker allows for certain stereo effects, and two speakers simply move more air than one (allowing more "presence" in your sound). The 2x12 amp is small enough to be used in the living room, light enough to be lugged around by someone without major back problems, and yet formidable enough to be taken seriously at rehearsals, auditions, and even on stage. Fifty watts output or more with at least two twelve inch speakers are best for practice, performance and recording. If you have to buy a single amp for practice, rehearsals, and club gigs, a 2x12 is a good choice. The Fender Frontman FM212R 100w 2x12 Guitar Amplifier is a great choice here and very reasonably priced



Heads, Cabinets, and Stacks

A head is an amplifier without a speaker and a cabinet ("cab") is a stand-alone speaker, which can be connected to a head.

A stack is a head and a set of cabinets connected together, ready for use. Stacks are generally preferred for gigs rather than practice, although there's no rule against having a enormous stack in your living room!

Stacks are physically bulky, very heavy, and extremely LOUD.

Heads are all roughly the same size physically, but they come in a variety of power wattages.

Small Heads are usually 18-50 watts.

Full-power Heads are generally 100 watts or more.

Super Heads are a massive 200-400 watts of power.

For performances at small to medium-size venues, a small head is more than enough. The smaller heads are often connected to a single 4x12 cabinet (which contains four 12 inch speakers, as the name suggests).

This type of setup is known as a "half stack," and it is a favorite of working musicians.

IMPORTANT!! Before buying a half stack, keep in mind they are too large and too loud for most bars or venues with a small stage (most of the gigs you'll actually play), you need a van to move them, and they WILL cause permanent hearing damage if you don't use earplugs.

The Full Stack is the dream of many a guitarist. This is usually a 100 watt head connected to two 4x12 cabinets. The cabinets are stacked vertically (one on top of the other), giving the setup its distinctive name. A full stack is as tall as a grown man, and they sound awesome!

A full stack is too large for all but the very largest of venues, and even then your soundman will be mic'ing you so you'll never actually have a use for a full stack. Most working pros will use two half stacks in stereo rather than bringing a full stack on the road.

CAUTION With any full stack you must wear ear protection otherwise you could suffer permanent hearing loss!!

Most live shows you see that use full stacks are doing it as a stage trick. Typically only one cabinet has speakers in it and the rest are up there for show. Motley Crue used to make fake speaker grille frames out of black cloth and 2x4s to make it look like the stage was full of amp stacks.

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