Amplify Your Options
As their name suggests, practice amps—small amplifier/speaker combinations—have long been used by electric guitarists for situations where a 100-watt plus amplifier and speaker cabinet “stack” is just too much. For many years, although amp manufacturers took care to produce good quality practice “combos,” they were the poor cousins of amplification, offering just a few controls, a small speaker, reasonable tone, but not much else.
The digital age has changed all that. Taking their practice role seriously, solid state amplifiers now include digital effects and add-ons designed to do two things recreational guitarists will appreciate—make practice as valuable as possible and make playing lots of fun.
When shopping for a practice amp, you might want to take time to consider what you will use your amp for and what features will be best for you, before you head down to your local music store. Aside from price, one factor to consider first is size.
Practice amps typically range from 25 to 100 watts (below that range are portable/mini amps; above that are stage amps). If you are going to play your amp at home or in a small practice room with one or two friends, 25 to 50 watts of power is plenty. For a live setting, such as an open mike, consider purchasing more power. Other factors to consider are speaker size and quality, vacuum tube versus steady state, and tone. One way to differentiate these factors is to play the amps in the store.
Once the basics are taken care of, you can consider what additional bells and whistles you want your amp to have. We have split the field of high-tech practice amps into four categories to give you a taste of what’s on the market. The first category is “effects amps,” which model the unique sounds created by classic effects of ’60s and ’70s. The beauty of this option is that it saves you from buying a whole rack of pedals in order to have fun playing around with space age phaser sounds or tremolo, surf rock’s favorite effect.
Modeling amps take the effects concept a stage further, modeling not just stomp boxes but the sounds of classic amps. Purists might still want to hunt for genuine vacuum tube amplifiers and paper speaker cones, but those who want to explore grungy Chicago blues one minute and Eric Clapton’s woman tone the next will enjoy the freedom that modeling amps offer.
Two recent innovations in practice amp technology are sequencer and CD trainer amps. These amps bring on board existing practice aids to create exciting hybrids for weekend warriors. Sequencer amps offer bass, drum, and instrumental accompaniment, while trainer amps offer the convenience of standalone CD trainers, including the ability to slow down or change the pitch of a play-along CD.
Effects Amps
Guitarists who want to play around with sound, but are wary of investing in a rack of pedals and miles of cable, should look for amps that feature their own array of classic guitar effects, such as wah, phaser, fuzz, rotary speaker, and flanger. Endless combinations means endless fun!
For further information, visit http://www.peavey.com
Modeling Amps
For those guitarists who want to explore more sound, there are modeling amps. Look for amps that offer both classic stomp box effects, as well as the tones and response of classic vacuum tube amps of the golden age of rock and jazz—no warm-up necessary.
For further information, visit http://www.behringer.com
Sequencer Amps
Digital technology has been improving practice amps to the point where some are being called “all-in-one digital entertainment centers.” With an on-board sequencer, you can shred your amp along with an electronic bass and drum backing.
For further information, visit http://www.fedner.com
Trainer Amps
Another way to put your guitar hobby into top gear is with a CD trainer amp. A built-in CD trainer enables you to play along to your favorite guitar hero, using his or her band as your backing. Look for CD trainers that enable you to change the tempo and pitch of the recording.
For further information, visit http://www.tascam.com
