9/06/2013

Picking A Good Jazz Guitar Amp

By Gloria Mason


After buying a jazz guitar that you love, next you need to buy a good jazz guitar amp. An amp is important for getting the right sound from your guitar. Sounds are amplified through it, making it sound better than without amplification. Quality of the amp you purchase is also important. Most professional musicians believe a good guitar is useless without a good amp to go with it.

There are four different types of amps available. One best suited for jazz music will probably not be the most high tech or coolest looking option, but it serves it's purpose well. It is important to know the difference between all four types before making a purchasing decision since different types of music can effect the quality of sound a particular amp is capable of producing.

Tube amplifiers were the very first made. Their sound is a warm and rich one. Glass tubes are on the inside and are capable of producing a louder sound than most other amps. Upkeep for this type can sometime be expensive and because of their bulk they are hard to travel with. When they are being moved, you must be very careful not to break the tubes inside.

Solid state amplifiers use transistors instead of tubes. The transistors make them more suited for frequent use. When using these amps for jazz music, a little tuning will probably be needed to get rid of distortion at high frequency ranges. Most musicians firmly believe that while they are more reliable they also lack sound quality.

Digital amps have become a mainstream trend through their use of digital technology. They can imitate many different sound ranges, included distorted sounds and those of the tube style amp. Cheap options can sound very fake, so more sophisticated digital amps are needed for playing this type of music if you want superior sound quality.

Hybrid amps use a combination of tube and solid state technology to produce their sound. Tone comes from the tubes and power from the solid state. This is a good option if you want the sound of a tube style without spending as much money on one. They don't produce the best quality sound, but they are reliable and have descent quality.

Jazz musicians have differing opinions when it comes to amps. Traditionally, acoustic sounds were used so they are still preferred by many which makes tube amps very popular. All other types are still used though. It really depends on what your preference is.

The type of sound, ability to move with ease and how often you will be using your amplifier will all be factors in your purchasing decision. There is no one style used as a jazz guitar amp, it's more of a personal opinion. Always bring your instrument with you when shopping for a new amplifier, as this is the best way to determine how a particular amplifier will sound during use. Choosing something within your budget that you are satisfied with becomes a lot easier when you can test things out before actually buying.




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