Guitar amplifier

A guitar amplifier (or amp) is an electronic device or system

that strengthens the weak electrical signal from a pickup on an
electric guitar, bass guitar, or acoustic guitar so that it can
produce sound through one or more loudspeakers, which are
typically housed in a wooden cabinet. A guitar amplifier may be
a standalone wood or metal cabinet that contains only the power
amplifier (and preamplifier) circuits, requiring the use of a
separate speaker cabinet–or it may be a "combo" amplifier, which
contains both the amplifier and one or more speakers in a wooden
cabinet. There is a wide range of sizes and power ratings for
guitar amplifiers, from small, lightweight "practice amplifiers"
Mesa-Boogie "Mark IV", a guitar
with a single 6" speaker and a 10 watt amp to heavy combo amps combo amplifier
with four 10” or four 12" speakers and a powerful 100 watt
amplifier, which are loud enough to use in a nightclub or bar
performance.

Guitar amplifiers can also modify the instrument's tone by emphasizing or de-emphasizing certain
frequencies, using equalizer controls, which function the same way as the bass and treble knobs on a
home hi-fi stereo, and by adding electronic effects; distortion (also called "overdrive") and reverb are
commonly available as built-in features. The input of modern guitar amplifiers is a 1/4" jack, which is fed
a signal from an electro-magnetic pickup (from an electric guitar) or a piezoelectric pickup (usually from
an acoustic guitar) using a patch cord, or a wireless transmitter. For electric guitar players, their choice of
guitar amp and the settings they use on the amplifier are a key part of their signature tone or sound. Some
guitar players are longtime users of a specific amp brand or model. Guitarists may also use external
effects pedals to alter the sound of their tone before the signal reaches the amplifier.

Contents
History
Structure
Types
Vacuum tube
Solid-state
Hybrid
Modeling
Acoustic
Stacks
Cabinet design
Distortion, power, and volume
Power output
 Distortion and volume
Power-tube distortion
Volume controls
See also
References
Further reading
External links

History
In the 1920s, it was very hard for a musician playing a pickup-
equipped guitar to find an amplifier and speaker to make their
instrument louder as the only speakers that could be bought were
"radio horns of limited frequency range and low acoustic output".
The cone speaker, widely used in 2000s-era amp cabinets, was not
offered for sale until 1925. The first amplifiers and speakers could
only be powered with large batteries, which made them heavy and
hard to carry around. When engineers developed the first AC mains-
powered amplifiers, they were soon used to make musical
instruments louder.
A 1940s-era Valco combo amp.
Engineers invented the first loud, powerful amplifier and speaker
systems for public address systems and movie theaters. These large
PA systems and movie theatre sound systems were very large and
very expensive, and so they could not be used by most touring
musicians. After 1927, smaller, portable AC mains-powered PA
systems that could be plugged into a regular wall socket "quickly
became popular with musicians"; indeed, "...Leon McAuliffe (with
Bob Wills) still used a carbon mic and a portable PA as late as
1935." During the late 1920s to mid-1930s, small portable PA
systems and guitar combo amplifiers were fairly similar. These early
amps had a "single volume control and one or two input jacks, field
coil speakers" and thin wooden cabinets; remarkably, these early
Fender Deluxe 1953
amps did not have tone controls or even an on-off switch.[1]

In 1928, the Stromberg-Voisinet firm was the first company to sell

an electric stringed instrument and amplifier package. However, musicians found that the amps had an
"unsatisfactory tone and volume, [and] dependability problems", so the product did not sell well. Even
though the Stromberg-Voisinet amp did not sell well, it still launched a new idea: a portable electric
instrument amp with a speaker, all in an easily transported wooden cabinet. In 1929, Vega electrics
launched a portable banjo amplifier. In 1932, Electro String Instruments and amplifier (this is not the
same company as Stromberg Electro Instruments) introduced a guitar amp with "high output" and a
"string driven magnetic pickup". Electro set out the standard template for combo amps: a wooden cabinet
with the electronic amplifier mounted inside, and a convenient carrying handle to facilitate transporting
the cabinet. In 1933, Vivi-Tone amp set-ups were used for live performances and radio shows. In 1934,
Rickenbacker launched a similar combo amp that added metal corner protectors to keep the corners in
good condition during transportation.[1]

In 1933, Dobro released an electric guitar and amp package. The combo amp had "two 8″ Lansing
speakers and a five-tube chassis. Dobro made a two speaker combo amp that was on the market over 12
years before Fender launched its two-speaker "Dual Professional/Super" combo amp. In 1933, Audio-
Vox was founded by Paul Tutmarc, the inventor of the first electric bass (Tutmarc's instrument did not
achieve market success until Leo Fender's launched the Precision Bass). In 1933, Vega sold a pickup and
amplifier set for musicians to use with existing guitars.

In that same year, the Los Angeles-based Volu-Tone company also sold a pickup/amplifier set. Volu-Tone
used "high voltage current" to sense the string vibration, a potentially dangerous approach that did not
become popular. In 1934 Dobro released a guitar amp with a vacuum tube rectifier and two power tubes.
By 1935, Dobro and National began selling combo amps for Hawaiian guitar. In 1934, Gibson had
developed prototype combo amps, but never them. By 1935, Electro/Rickenbacher had sold more amps
and electric guitars than all the amps and electrified or electric guitars that had been made from 1928
through the end of 1934.[1]

The first electric instrument amplifiers were not intended for electric guitars, but were portable PA
systems. These appeared in the early 1930s when the introduction of electrolytic capacitors and rectifier
tubes enabled economical built-in power supplies that could plug into wall sockets. Previously, amplifiers
required heavy multiple battery packs. People used these amplifiers to amplify acoustic guitar, but
electronic amplification of guitar first became widely poplular in the 1930s and 1940s craze for Hawaiian
music, which extensively used amplified lap steel guitars.[2]

In the 1920s, the earliest combo amplifiers had no tone controls. The first tone controls were simple,
mainly providing treble adjustment. The limited controls, the early loudspeakers, and the low amplifier
power (typically 15 watts or less prior to the mid-1950s) gave poor high treble and bass output. Some
models also provided effects such as an electronic tremolo unit. In confusion over nomenclature, Fender
labeled early amplifier tremolo as "vibrato" and called the vibrato arm of the Stratocaster guitar a
"tremolo bar" (see vibrato unit, electric guitar, and tremolo).

Some later amplifier models included an onboard spring reverb effect, one of the first being the Ampeg
Reverberocket amp.

In the 1950s, several guitarists experimented with producing

distortion by deliberately overdriving amplifiers. These included
Goree Carter,[3] Joe Hill Louis,[4][5] Elmore James,[6] Ike Turner,[7]
Willie Johnson,[8] Pat Hare,[9] Guitar Slim,[10] Chuck Berry,[11]
Johnny Burnette,[8] and Link Wray.[12] In the early 1960s, surf rock
guitarist Dick Dale worked closely with Fender to produce custom
made amplifiers,[13] including the first 100-watt guitar amplifier.[14]
He pushed the limits of electric amplification technology, helping to Gibson Lancer GA-35 (mid-
develop new equipment that was capable of producing "thick, 1960s) guitar amplifier
clearly defined tones" at "previously undreamed-of volumes."[13]
 Distortion became more popular from the mid-1960s, when The
Kinks guitarist Dave Davies produced distortion effects by
connecting the already distorted output of one amplifier into the
input of another. Later, most guitar amps were provided with
preamplifier distortion controls, and "fuzz boxes" and other effects
units were engineered to safely and reliably produce these sounds. In
the 2000s, overdrive and distortion has become an integral part of
many styles of electric guitar playing, ranging from blues rock to
heavy metal and hardcore punk.
U2 guitarist The Edge's 1964 Vox
AC30 combo amp.
Guitar combo amplifiers were at first used with bass guitars and
electric pianos, but these instruments produce a wider frequency
range and need a full-range speaker system. Much more amplifier power is required to reproduce low-
frequency sound, especially at high volume. Reproducing low frequencies also requires a suitable woofer
or subwoofer speaker and enclosure, with bass cabinets often being larger in size than a cabinet for mid-
range or high-range sounds. As well, the open-back cabinets used on many electric guitar amps, while
effective for electric guitar, do not have good bass reproduction.

Woofer enclosures must be larger and more sturdily built than cabinets for mid-range or high-frequency
(tweeter) speakers. As such, in the 1950s, when Ampeg introduced bass amplifier and speaker systems,
bass guitarists began to use them. Similarly, Hammond organ players used a specialized keyboard combo
amplifier, the Leslie speaker cabinet, which contains a woofer for the low frequencies and a horn for the
high frequencies. The Leslie horns rotate and a baffle around the woofer rotates as well, producing a rich
tremolo and chorus effect.

Structure
Typically, guitar amplifiers have two amplifying circuit stages and in
addition frequently have tone-shaping electric circuits, which usually
include at least bass and treble controls, which function similarly to
the equivalent controls on a home hi-fi system. More expensive
amplifiers typically have more controls for other frequency ranges,
such as one or two "midrange" controls and a "presence" control for
high frequencies. Some guitar amplifiers have a graphic equalizer,
which uses vertical faders to control multiple frequency bands. Some
more expensive bass amps have a parametric equalizer, which A Fender Bassman amp head
with a 15" speaker cabinet.
enables precise control of tone.

The first amplifier stage is a preamplifier. It amplifies the audio

signal to a level that can drive the power stage. The preamplifier also changes the tone of the signal; high
preamp settings add overdrive. The power amplifier produces a high current signal to drive a loudspeaker
and produce sound.

Various types of tone stages may affect the guitar signal:

Settings on the guitar itself (passive tone controls, active equalizer circuits in built-in
preamps, pickup selector switch position, etc.)
Devices between the guitar and the preamp stage, such as a wah-wah pedal or other
effects units, such as chorus or reverb.
 Between the preamp and power stages (an effects loop or some dedicated amplifier tone
circuits)
Between multiple stacked preamp stages (also called “gain stages”)
In feedback loops from a post-preamp signal to an earlier pre-preamp signal (as in the case
of presence modifier circuits)
Tone stages may also provide electronic effects—such as equalization, compression, distortion, chorus,
or reverb. Amplifiers may use vacuum tubes (called valves in Britain), solid-state (transistor) devices, or
both.

The two common guitar amplifier configurations are: a combination ("combo") amplifier that includes an
amplifier and one or more speakers in a single cabinet, and a standalone amplifier (often called a "head"
or "amp head"), which passes the amplified signal via a speaker cable to one or more external speaker
cabinets. A wide range of speaker configurations are available in guitar cabinets—from cabinets with a
single speaker (e.g., 1×10" or 1×12") or multiple speakers (e.g., 2×10", 4×10" or 8x10").

Guitar amplifiers vary widely in price and quality. Many music equipment companies import small, low-
powered practice amplifiers for students and beginners that sell for less than $50 USD. Other companies
produce expensive custom-made amplifiers for professional musicians, which can cost hundreds or even
thousands of dollars (USD). Most combo amplifiers have a carrying handle, and many combo amplifiers
and cabinets have metal or plastic-reinforced corners to protect the amp during transportation.

Control knobs and buttons are typically on the front of the cabinet or chassis, though in some cases, the
knobs are on a recessed panel at the back of the top of the amplifier. The most basic amps only have a
few knobs, which typically control volume, bass and treble. More expensive amps may have a number of
knobs that control pre-amp volume (or "gain"), distortion or overdrive, volume, bass, mid and treble, and
reverb. Some older amps (and their re-issued versions) have a knob that controls a vibrato or tremolo
effect. The 1/4" input jack is typically mounted on the front of the amplifier. In the simplest, least
expensive amplifiers, this 1/4" jack is the only jack on the amplifier.

More expensive amplifiers may have a patch bay for multiple inputs and outputs, such as a pre-amp out
(for sending to another guitar amplifier), a second low gain input, to use with active basses, an in jack to
create an effects loop (when used with the pre-amp out jack), an external speaker output (for powering an
additional speaker cabinet), and stereo RCA jacks or an 1/8" jack, for connecting a CD player or MP3
player so that a player can practice along with recorded music. Some amps have a 1/4" jack for
connecting a pedal to turn the amp's onboard overdrive and reverb on and off or to switch between
channels. Some amps have an XLR jack for a microphone, either for the guitar amp to be used for
singing (in effect as a mini-PA system), or, for acoustic guitar, to mix a mic signal with a pickup signal.

The vast majority of guitar amps can only be powered by AC mains power (plugging into a wall outlet);
however, a small number of practice amps designed for buskers also have battery power so they can be
used for street performances.

Types
A combo amp contains the amplifier and one or more speakers in a single cabinet. In a "head and speaker
cabinet" configuration, the amplifier and speaker each have their own cabinet. The amplifier (head) may
drive one or more speaker cabinets.

In the 1920s, guitarists played through public address amplifiers, but by the 1940s this was uncommon.
Besides instrument inputs and speaker outputs (typically via 1/4" jacks),
an amp may have other inputs and outputs. These can include an
auxiliary input jack (sometimes with its own level control, for a drum
machine), "send" and "return" jacks to create an effects loop, a “line out”
jack and an extension speaker jack. Practice amps sometimes have a 1/4"
headphone jack, or stereo RCA or mini jacks for connecting a CD player,
portable media player or other sound source. Some guitar amps have an
XLR input so that a microphone can be plugged in for singing. Guitar
amps that include a mic input are in effect small, portable PA systems.
Some amps, typically bass amps, have an XLR connector to provide a
balanced output from the preamp section to a PA system or recording
input.

Instrument amplifiers are available in a wide range of price, quality, and

performance levels. Some are designed for beginners, such as small, low-
wattage practice amps, which typically have a single 8" speaker and Kustom 200 bass amp –
about 10 watts, or smaller "combo" amps with relatively low wattage (15 amp head and speakers,
100 watts RMS, two
to 20 watts) and a single 10" speaker. Mid- to large-size "combo" amps
channels, two 15" speakers,
with 30 to 50 watts and one 12" speaker or four 10" speakers are best for 1971
high-volume situations, such as band rehearsals and onstage
performances. For large venues, such as outdoor music festivals,
guitarists may use one or more 100 watt (or several hundred watt) heads with one or more 8x10”
cabinets.

Vacuum tube
Vacuum tubes (called
"valves" in British
English) were by far the
dominant active
electronic components in
most instrument amplifier
Gjika Gold Amp ("Shawn Lane Amp)
applications until the 1989 - Class A single-ended high-
The glow from four "Electro 1970s, when solid-state power 8-EL34 tube guitar amplifier
Harmonix KT88" brand power tubes semiconductors that was used on Shawn Lane's
lights up the inside of a Traynor YBA- (transistors) started taking Powers of Ten.
200 bass guitar amplifier
over. Transistor
amplifiers are less
expensive to build and maintain, reduce the weight and heat of an amplifier, and tend to be more reliable
and more shock-resistant. Tubes are fragile and they must be replaced and maintained periodically. As
well, serious problems with the tubes can render an amplifier inoperable until the issue is resolved.

While tube-based circuitry is technologically outdated, tube amps remain popular since many guitarists
prefer their sound.[15] Tube enthusiasts believe that tube amps produce a "warmer" sound and a more
natural "overdrive" sound.

Solid-state
Most inexpensive and mid-priced guitar amplifiers are based on transistor
or semiconductor (solid-state) circuits, which are cheaper to produce and
more reliable, and usually much lighter than tube amplifiers.[15] Solid-
state amps are less fragile than tube amps.

High-end solid-state amplifiers are less common, since many

professional guitarists favor vacuum tubes. Some jazz guitarists favor the
"cleaner" sound of solid-state amplifiers. Only a few solid-state amps
have enduring attraction, such as the Roland Jazz Chorus.[15][16][17]
Rear view of a tube (valve)
Solid-state amplifiers vary in output power, functionality, size, price, and combo guitar amplifier.
sound quality in a wide range, from practice amplifiers to combos Visible are two glass output
suitable for gigging to professional models intended for session tubes, six smaller preamp
musicians who do studio recording work. tubes in their metal tube
retainers, and both the
power transformer and the
Hybrid output transformer.

A hybrid amplifier involves one of two combinations of tube and solid-

state amplification. It may have a tube power amp fed by a solid-state pre-amp circuit, as in most of the
original MusicMan amplifiers.

Alternatively, a tube preamplifier can feed a solid-state output stage, as in models from Kustom, Hartke,
SWR and Vox. This approach dispenses with the need for an output transformer and easily achieves
modern power levels.[15]

Modeling
Microprocessor technology allows the use of digital onboard
effects in guitar amps to create numerous different sounds and
tones that simulate the sound of a range of tube amplifiers and
different sized speaker cabinets, all using the same amplifier and
speaker. These are known as modeling amplifiers, and can be
programmed with simulated characteristic tones of different
existing amplifier models (and speaker cabinets—even
microphone type or placement), or dialed in to the user's taste.
Many amps of this type are also programmable by way of USB A modeling amplifier, shown from
connection to a home computer or laptop.[15] Line 6 is generally above. Note the various amplifier and
credited with bringing modeling amplification to the speaker emulations selectable via
market. [18][19] Modeling amplifiers and stompbox pedals, the rotary knob on the left.
rackmount units, and software that models specific amplifiers,
speakers cabinets, and microphones can provide a large number
of sounds and tones. Players can get a reasonable facsimile of the sound of tube amplifiers, vintage
combo amplifiers, and huge 8x10” speaker stacks without bringing all that heavy equipment to the studio
or stage.

The use of "full range, flat response" (FRFR) amplification systems by electric guitarists has received an
extra impetus from modeling amplifiers. Before widespread availability of modeling, guitarists did not
commonly plug electric guitars straight into PA systems or powered speakers, because most genres relied
on the tonal coloration of a regular guitar amplifier setup—from the preamplifier, equalization filters,
power amp, guitar speakers, and cabinet design. The FRFR approach assumes the tone is shaped by
sound processors in the signal chain before the amplifier and speaker stage, so it strives to not add further
coloration[20] or dedicated combo-style amplifiers with a broad frequency range.[21] Such processors can
be traditional guitar effects, a modeling amplifier (without power amplifier), or a computer running tone-
shaping software.[20] Using a modeling amp or a multi effects pedal used with line level output, a
guitarist can plug in the guitar into a flat response mic input or into a keyboard amplifier.

Acoustic
Acoustic amplifiers are intended for acoustic guitars and other acoustic instruments, especially for the
way these instruments are used in relatively quiet genres such as folk and bluegrass. They are similar to
keyboard amplifiers, in that they have a relatively flat frequency response with minimal coloration. To
produce this relatively "clean" sound, these amplifiers often have powerful amplifiers (providing up to
800 watts RMS), to provide additional "Headroom" and prevent unwanted distortion. Since an 800 watt
amplifier built with standard Class AB technology is heavy, some acoustic amplifier manufacturers use
lightweight Class D amplifiers, which are also called "switching amplifiers."

Acoustic amplifiers produce an uncolored, "acoustic" sound when used with acoustic instruments with
built-in transducer pickups or microphones. The amplifiers often come with a simple mixer, so that the
signals from a pickup and condenser microphone can be blended. Since the early 2000s, it has become
increasingly common for acoustic amplifiers to provide a range of digital effects, such as reverb and
compression. As well, these amplifiers often contain feedback-suppressing devices, such as notch filters
or parametric equalizers.

Stacks
An amplifier stack consists of an amplifier head atop a speaker
cabinet—a head on top of one cabinet is commonly called a half
stack, a head atop two cabinets a full stack. The cabinet that the head
sits on often has an angled top in front, while the lower cabinet of a
full stack has a straight front. The first version of the Marshall stack
was an amp head on an 8×12 cabinet, meaning a single speaker
cabinet containing eight 12" guitar speakers. After six of these
cabinets were made, the cabinet arrangement was changed to an amp Metal guitarist Klaus Eichstadt in
head on two 4×12 (four 12" speakers) cabinets to make the cabinets front of his Marshall stack.
more transportable. Some touring metal and rock bands have used a
large array of guitar speaker cabinets for their impressive
appearance. Some of these arrangements include only the fronts
of speaker cabinets mounted on a large frame.[22]

There are many varieties of speaker combinations used in guitar

speaker cabinets, including one 12" speaker, one 15" speaker (this
is more common for bass amplifiers than for electric guitar
cabinets), two 10" speakers, four 10" speakers, four 12" speakers,
or eight 10" speakers. Less commonly, guitar cabinets may A 3×6 stack of mock Marshall guitar
contain different sizes of speaker in the same cabinet. Cabinets cabinets for Jeff Hanneman of Slayer
with eight 10" speakers are large and heavy, and they are often equipped with wheels and a "towel bar"-
style handle for transport. Some cabinets use mixed speaker types, such as one 15" speaker and two 10"
speakers.

Cabinet design
Combo guitar amplifier cabinets and guitar speaker cabinets use several different designs, including the
"open back" cabinet, the closed back cabinet (a sealed box), and, less commonly, bass reflex designs,
which use a closed back with a vent or port cut into the cabinet.[23] With guitar amps, most "open back"
amp cabinets are not fully open; part of the back is enclosed with panels. Combo guitar amp cabinets and
standalone speaker cabinets are often made of plywood. Some are made of MDF or particle board—
especially in low-budget models.[23] Cabinet size and depth, material types, assembly methods, type and
thickness of the baffle material (the wood panel that holds the speaker), and the way the baffle attaches to
the cabinet all affect tone.[23]

When two or more speakers are used in the same cabinet, or when two cabinets are used together, the
speakers can be wired in parallel or in series, or in a combination of the two (e.g., two 2x10" cabinets,
with the two speakers wired in series, can be connected together in parallel). Whether speakers are wired
in parallel or in series affects the impedance of the system. Two 8 ohm speakers wired in parallel have 4
ohm impedance. Guitarists who connect multiple cabinets to an amplifier must consider the amp's
minimum impedance. Parallel vs. series also affects tone and sound. Speakers wired in parallel slightly
dampen[s] and restrain[s] them, giving what some describe as "tighter response" and "smoother
breakup". Some describe speakers wired in series (usually no more than two) as sounding "...looser,
giving a slightly more raw, open and edgy sound."[23]

Distortion, power, and volume

Power output
The relationship between power output in watts and perceived
volume is not immediately obvious. The human ear perceives a 5-
watt amplifier as half as loud as a 50-watt amplifier (a tenfold
increase in power), and a half-watt amplifier is a quarter as loud as a
50-watt amp. Doubling the output power of an amplifier results in a
"just noticeable" increase in volume, so a 100-watt amplifier is only
just noticeably louder than a 50-watt amplifier. Such generalizations
are also subject to the human ear's tendency to behave as a natural
A Marshall JCM 900's knobs for
compressor at high volumes.
equalization, gain, reverb and
volume.
For electric guitar amplifiers, there is often a distinction between
"practice" or "recording studio" guitar amps, with output power
ratings of less than one watt to 20 watts, and "performance" or "stage" amps of 30 watts or higher.
Traditionally, these have been fixed-power amplifiers, with some models having a half-power switch to
slightly reduce the listening volume while preserving power-tube distortion.

Power attenuation can be used with either low-power or high-power amplifiers, resulting in variable-
power amplifiers. A high-power amplifier with power attenuation can produce power-tube distortion
through a range of listening volumes, but with a decrease in high power distortion. Other technologies,
such as dual rectifiers and the sag circuit—which should not be confused with attenuation—allow high
power amplifiers to produce low power volume while preserving high power distortion.[24]

Speaker efficiency is also a major factor affecting a tube amplifier's maximum volume.

For bass instruments, higher-power amplifiers are needed to reproduce low-frequency sounds. While an
electric guitarist would be able to play at a small club with a 50-watt amplifier, a bass player performing
in the same venue would probably need an amplifier with 200 or more watts.

Distortion and volume

Distortion is a feature available on many guitar amplifiers that is not
typically found on keyboard or bass guitar amplifiers. Tube guitar
amplifiers can produce distortion through pre-distortion
equalization, preamp tube distortion, post-distortion EQ, power-tube
distortion, tube rectifier compression, output transformer distortion,
guitar speaker distortion, and guitar speaker and cabinet frequency
response. Because many factors beyond preamp distortion contribute
to a particular guitarist's sound, recording engineers and PA system
Marshall is a popular amplifier
techs typically put a microphone in front of the guitar speaker, rather manufacturer for metal and hard
than only use the guitar amp's pre-amp out signal. A sound engineer rock. Pictured is the MG15DFX
or music producer may send the DI out signal from the pickups to a guitar amplifier.
separate track at the same time, so they can re-amp the signal later.
In contrast, it is fairly common to use a DI box with electric bass.

Distortion sound or "texture" from guitar amplifiers is further shaped or processed through the frequency
response and distortion factors in the microphones (their response, placement, and multi-microphone
comb filtering effects), microphone preamps, mixer channel equalization, and compression. Additionally,
the basic sound produced by the guitar amplifier can be changed and shaped by adding distortion and/or
equalization effect pedals before the amp's input jack, in the effects loop just before the tube power amp,
or after the power tubes.

Power-tube distortion
Power-tube distortion is required for amp sounds in some genres. In a standard master-volume guitar
amp, as the amp's final or master volume is increased beyond the full power of the amplifier, power tube
distortion is produced. The "power soak" approach places the attenuation between the power tubes and
the guitar speaker. In the re-amped or "dummy load" approach, the tube power amp drives a mostly
resistive dummy load while an additional low power amp drives the guitar speaker. In the isolation box
approach, the guitar amplifier is used with a guitar speaker in a separate cabinet. A soundproofed
isolation cabinet, isolation box, isolation booth, or isolation room can be used.

Volume controls
A variety of labels are used for level attenuation potentiometers (knobs) in a guitar amplifier and other
guitar equipment. Electric guitars and basses have a volume control on the instrument that attenuates the
signal from selected pickups. There may be two volume controls on an electric guitar or bass, wired in
parallel to mix the signal levels from the neck and bridge pickups. Rolling back the guitar's volume
control also changes the pickup's equalization or frequency response,
which can provide pre-distortion equalization.

The simplest guitar amplifiers, such as some vintage amps and

modern practice amps, have only a single volume control. Most have
two volume controls: a first volume control called "preamplifier" or
"gain" and a master volume control. The preamp or gain control
works differently on different guitar amp designs. On an amp
designed for acoustic guitar, turning up the preamp knob pre- Even in the 2010s, the vintage
amplifies the signal—but even at its maximum setting, the preamp Fender Bandmaster remains a
control is unlikely to produce much overdrive. However, with amps sought-after amp by guitarists.
Note the four inputs, two for
designed for electric guitarists playing blues, hard rock and heavy
regular sound and two that run
metal music, turning up the preamp or gain knob usually produces through the on-board "vibrato"
overdrive distortion. Some electric guitar amps have three controls (tremolo) effect unit. The amp
in the volume section: pre-amplifier, distortion and master control. pictured is a 1968 model.
Turning up the preamp and distortion knobs in varying combinations
can create a range of overdrive tones, from a gentle, warm growling
overdrive suitable for a traditional blues show or a rockabilly band to the extreme distortion used in
hardcore punk and death metal. On some electric guitar amps, the "gain" knob is equivalent to the
distortion control on a distortion pedal, and similarly may have a side-effect of changing the proportion
of bass and treble sent to the next stage.

A simple, inexpensive amplifier may have only two tone controls, a

passive bass and treble control. In some better quality amps, one or
more midrange controls are provided. On the most expensive amps,
there may be shelving equalizers for bass and treble, a number of
mid-range controls (e.g., low mid, mid and high mid), and a graphic
equalizer or parametric equalizer. The amplifier's master volume
control restricts the amount of signal permitted through to the driver
stage and the power amplifier. When using a power attenuator with a
tube amplifier, the master volume no longer acts as the master The patch bay at the rear panel of
this Line 6 Flextone guitar amp
volume control. Instead, the power attenuator's attenuation control
provides a number of additional
controls the power delivered to the speaker, and the amplifier's inputs and outputs, including
master volume control determines the amount of power-tube stereo XLR DI unit outputs.
distortion. Power-supply based power reduction is controlled by a
knob on the tube power amp, variously labeled "wattage", "power",
"scale", "power scale", or "power dampening".

See also
Category:Guitar amplifier manufacturers
Vintage musical equipment
Tube sound
Bass amplifier

References
 1. https://www.vintageguitar.com/1804/antique-guitar-amps-1928-1934
2. Timothy Miller, "Hawaiian Guitar" (http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.ezproxy2.library.arizon
a.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/A2241449?q=hawaiian+guitar&search=quick&pos=2&
_start=1#firsthit), The Grove Dictionary of American Music, 2nd edition
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Duke University Press, 1992, p. 19. ISBN 0-8223-1265-4.
4. DeCurtis, Anthony (1992). Present Tense: Rock & Roll and Culture (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=bsT3RQ9e58kC) (4. print. ed.). Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press.
ISBN 0822312654. "His first venture, the Phillips label, issued only one known release, and
it was one of the loudest, most overdriven, and distorted guitar stomps ever recorded,
"Boogie in the Park" by Memphis one-man-band Joe Hill Louis, who cranked his guitar while
sitting and banging at a rudimentary drum kit."
5. Miller, Jim (1980). The Rolling Stone illustrated history of rock & roll (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=3ZEUAQAAIAAJ). New York: Rolling Stone. ISBN 0394513223. Retrieved
5 July 2012. "Black country bluesmen made raw, heavily amplified boogie records of their
own, especially in Memphis, where guitarists like Joe Hill Louis, Willie Johnson (with the
early Howlin' Wolf band) and Pat Hare (with Little Junior Parker) played driving rhythms and
scorching, distorted solos that might be counted the distant ancestors of heavy metal."
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24. Guitar Player Magazine, March 2004, page 179

Further reading
Fliegler, Ritchie. The Complete Guide to Guitar and Amp Maintenance. Hal Leonard
Corporation, 1994.
Fliegler, Ritchie and Eiche, Jon F. Amps!: The Other Half of Rock 'n' Roll. Hal Leonard
Corporation, 1993.
Hunter, Dave. Amped: The Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Amplifiers. Voyageur
Press, 2012.
Pittman, Aspen. The Tube Amp Book. Backbeat, 2003.
Tarquin, Brian. Guitar Amplifier Encyclopedia. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 2016.
Weber, Gerald, "A Desktop Reference of Hip Vintage Guitar Amps" (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=fvUVBP3wW1gC&printsec=frontcover&dq=A+Desktop+Reference+of+Hip+Vin
tage+Guitar+Amps), Hal Leonard Corporation, 1994. ISBN 0-9641060-0-0

External links
Lenard Audio History of Guitar Amplifiers (non-profit educational website) (http://education.l
enardaudio.com/en/13_guitar_amps_2.html)
Amplifiers: What do all the controls do? (https://www.londonguitaracademy.com/amplifiers-w
hat-do-all-the-controls-do/)
Vintage Guitar magazine article on vintage amps (https://www.vintageguitar.com/1804/antiq
ue-guitar-amps-1928-1934/)

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