by Bob Mcgee

Created on: November 07, 2009   Last Updated: November 08, 2009

Guitar amplifiers are a staple in rock and roll. Whenever I think about rock, I think of a sleek guitar and a big amplifier. One key component in understanding how a guitar amp works, is understanding the different types of amplifiers. One type of amplifier is called a solid state amplifier. Solid state amps work by taking the sound detected by the pickups on your guitar, and converted those signals into sound waves which is what we hear. There is usually one small speaker inside the grill of the amp if it is a practice amp. If it is a half stack than there is usually four speakers, which is why half stacks are so loud. Even louder yet are full stacks. Full stacks are two half stacks stacked on top of each other which is why it is called a full stack. Full stacks have 8 speakers in them.

On top of a half stack is what is called a head. This contains the controlls and knobs of the amp. It also has the cercutry for the amplifier. If the amp is a tube amp this is were the tubes are housed. Solid state amps differ from tube amps in many ways. The first way is sound production. A tube amp makes sound when little glass tubes inside the head heat up. This heat makes the sound. It is then transfered into sound waves. Tube amps are almost always louder than solid state amps. Tube amps also sound better most of the time. Tube amps sound much warmer than solid state amps. This happens when the tubes get hotter, the tubes start to "break up" resulting in a louder warmer sound.

If you are trying to decide which amp to buy, there are several pros and cons to weigh. First is a tube amp. The pros of a tube amp is that it almost always sounds better than a solid state amp. They are also more high end and have more features. They also have very good craftsmanship. Most pros use tube amps because they sound better. The cons of a tube amp is that they are very expensive. Most run upwards of $1,000. Another con is that they need to be repaired frequently. This is because the tubes start to crackle and melt, and need replacement. Replacements can be costly, at around one hundred dollars to repplace all of your tubes (not including service costs for getting them replaced) Another con is that they are very sensitive and the volume needs to be cranked up if you want to get a good sound because the tubes need to get hot in order to break up and produce a good sound. Another con is that they are very heavy amps because of the tubes and components.

Next is solid state. Solid state amps are good for practicing in your bedroom because they do not need to be played at a high volume to produce a good sound. A con to solid state amps is that they can sometimes be cheaply made and do not sound as good as a tube amp. They are usually much cheaper than tube amps though. I hope this has helped on your guitar journeys and make you a more informed guitar player.

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