What You Need To Know When Buying A Guitar Amplifier

The first year I taught private guitar lessons the mother of a 10 year old student asked me where she could find a Marshall full stack for her son. He had specifically asked for this particular amplifier. (This is the amp you see on stage at Woodstock.) Obviously, I suggested something slightly more compact and less powerful. At the same time, nothing is more frustrating than playing with a drummer and not being heard because your amp is too small. The following article is designed to help you make the best decision about what amp to buy.

Lets begin by clearing up a few misconceptions:

• Almost all guitar amps made in the last 10 years have the option to sound clean or distorted (rockish). 
• Even big amps can be turned down to a reasonable level for practicing at home. 
• Electric guitars MUST have an amplifier. 
• This article is about guitar amps, not bass amps. Do not buy or use a guitar amp for a bass. Do not buy or use a bass amp for guitar.

Okay, now we are going to break things up by beginners and people who have been playing for a while. 

Fender Mustang I

Beginners:

There is a whole category of amps that are loosely called "practice amps". These are small affordable amps that are designed to be used in a house and are not loud enough to be heard over a drummer or on a stage. While there are several brands and models, one has clearly risen to the top. The Fender Mustang 1 is an incredible amp. Small enough to fit under a bed, $99, sounds great, and best of all, it comes with a usb port which allows the musician to hook his/her amp up to a computer, edit all sorts of cool effects and then even save those effects into the amp and pull them up later without having to reconnect the amp to the computer. The mustang even comes with a very simple version of a modern recording program allowing the guitar player to record directly into a computer. I generally do not like to focus on certain brands but this little guy blows all the competitors out of the water.

Once they have been playing for a while:
We are big proponents here at Murfreesboro Rock School of getting out there and playing with other musicians. In order to do this an amp that is big enough to be heard over a drummer is needed. If a musician is in to metal he/she may want a Crate or a Line 6. If they are into blues they may want a Fender. If they are into classic rock they may want a Marshall or a Vox. It’s important for the guitar player to try different amps and see what he/she really likes.

Here are the general guidelines you should follow, everything else is should really be up to them, let you kid try out different amps and see what they really like. 

Amp Head and Speaker Cabinet

There are two builds of amplifiers, combo's and head's. Combo amps are all in one unit. The amp, which is actually just the part that makes the guitar louder, is in the same enclosure as the speakers which are what actually pushes the sound out into the air. Think about your home stereo, you have the receiver which controls the volume and then you have the speakers. 
Heads are just the amp part. If you buy a head you will then also have to buy a speaker cabinet. In my personal opinion, several amp heads sound better than several of combos. your child will probably need to have developed a pretty good ear and specific taste to really notice the difference. If they claim they really need a head and speaker cabinet, maybe that would be a good thing for them to save up for.

I suggest purchasing an amp with at least 60 watts. This number is not a very reliable number when it comes to how loud an amp can get. The speaker type and size along with how the amp is built will have a big impact too. 60 watt amp "A" might be a lot quieter than 60 watt amp "B". 

Fender Mustang IV

Lastly, you want an amp that is going to last for a while. There are some pretty cheap models out there that will break the first time the amp is knocked over (which will happen, I promise). Most brands make varying degrees of quality but I personally have been happy with the following brands: Fender, Marshall, Orange, Vox, and Crate. Once again, I try not to say anything too good or bad about equipment other than my own personal experiences but I have had 2 students with Behringer amps that broke in the first 6 months.

We have already talked about the Mustang I, but Fender makes a bigger version called the Mustang IV (pictured below). This is loud enough to get over drums, not too heavy, affordable, and still has all the features of the Mustang I. The Mustang is usually $500, most amps in the category will be between $300 and $800.