Posts Tagged ‘Amplifiers’
These days, distortion is considered a fundamental part of rock music, basically the complement to a catchy pop hook. But in rock’s formative years, people considered dissonance to be a sign of musical weakness. It was all about the purity of pop songs and the technical virtuosity of jazz standards. Before long, however, musicians discovered that they could make a whole new range of interesting noises with the help of guitar amplifiers.
More than just a way to amplify sound, the amp can be used for creative purposes as well. In the late 1980s and early ’90s, the Irish shoegaze band My Bloody Valentine pushed the boundaries of what rock music could sound like. By implementing effects pedals, amplifier feedback and offbeat tunings, they cranked out sounds that might have originated in a whole different universe.
The term “amplifier” or simply “amp” is now used not only to mean any device that increases the signal’s breadth of range. Its modern usage is primarily to refer to an electronic amplifier used in microcomputers, hi-fi stereos, television and radio transmitters and receivers, electronic digital equipments and instruments for audio applications, such as guitar amplifiers.
Buying an amplifier therefore requires one to determine what you are using it for. Another factor to be considered is the amplifier’s efficiency, meaning, its ability to convert power input to output. Amplifiers can fall under categories that range from Class A to Class D, with Class D being most efficient and Class A being the least. They are also available in an assortment or wattages, including 10 and 20w guitar amplifier options. And like all other technologies, the compatibility of the amplifier to where you intend to use it is the key factor.
In order to hear what you are playing with an electric guitar you need a guitar amplifier. If you only play acoustic guitars without an on-board equalizer and pick-up and plan on playing any affair you still need an amplifier along with a microphone in order to be heard.
Depending on what guitar you play you need to know all guitar amplifiersare not the same. You can go from entry level amps of 10 watts that are considered practice amps and are relatively inexpensive, to intermediate amps from 20 watts on up with some models offering effects such as reverb.
Your standard amplifier can be used for many different types of music, you can find these amps being used for rock, country, and blues. Amplifiers with a preamp channel with things like distortion effects and tone filters are used when playing hard rock. Acoustic amplifiers are best used with acoustic guitars as the distortion rate is very low and is ideal for acoustics.
Do you ever go surfing around the net searching for videos from your favorite band? During your search have you ever come across the word unplugged?
Any time you see the word unplugged it’s that song being played using acoustic guitars without the use of electric guitars. Whether or not you are a fan acoustics it is worth a listen, and I do mean listen. Songs played like this are made to be listened to and enjoyed. You’ll find no effect pedals here, no feedback from amplifiers, just honest music played without the aide of electronics.
If your someone who only thinks songs are to be played with an electric guitar then this is a real eye opener, if your someone who enjoys playing an acoustic guitar this is a way to songs to your library that you didn’t know could be played like this.
When you listen to music do you think about the production of the songs, and what instruments that are being used to played for each song? When I listen to a song I consider what if that song was played on an acoustic guitar with a little different style, would it sound good?
With these questions in mind some songs are made to be played using electric guitars and guitar amplifiers with the volume turned up quite a few notched, while others are written for acoustic guitars with very little help from amplifiers, and still there are some songs that sound good being played with either method.
Take the song “Crazy Train” by Ozzie Osbourne, it has an incredible guitar riff through-out the song, can you Imagine this song being played on an acoustic guitar, I don’t think so. Same thing applies to a song by the late Jim Croce, “Ill Have To Say I Love You In A Song”, it would unthinkable for this song to be played using an electric guitar through loud amps.
If you want a great example of a song that sounds great played either acoustically or electrically look no further than the song “Layla”. The song was written as a ballad to be played using an acoustic guitar, the recorded version by Derek and the Dominos was recorded using electric guitars with an unforgettable riff to start the song as well as a great riff in the middle of the song when the whole song shifts tempo.
Everyone who plays an instrument at some time or another has wanted to sound like their favorite musician. Whether it’s someone playing an electric guitar or a bass guitar they all have the same thing in common, they are playing through a preamp.
A preamp is an amplifier plugged into another amplifier. Sometimes called a control amp, the purpose of a preamp is to prepare the signal played by your electric guitar for further amplification.
Although your favorite band uses equipment that is way to expensive for us to afford, you can achieve the same thing by plugging your guitar cable into one amplifier, then plug another cable from the headphones jack of the first amplifier to the input of another amplifier.
This will work with a two guitar amplifiers or two bass amplifiers.