Choosing the Best Guitar Amplifier
When it comes to guitar amplifiers, this is a completely subjective topic. However, when it comes to choosing an amplifier you have to think about your budget, tone requirements and space considerations. There are hundreds of guitar manufacturers around the world who make amps for a variety of needs.
Lets say you are just practicing at home, what kind of amp is right for you? Well, that depends, it could be a small 15 watt combo amp or it could be a 2x12 120 Watt Roland JC-120. What I generally look for in an amp is how naturally ‘clean’ it is. Some swear by Fender amps for cleans, others swear by the Roland JC-120.
Having a clean amp in my opinion is more important than how well an amp can do distortion. Getting a good distortion tone these days isn’t the problem. There are a plethora of distortion pedals at all price points. Cleaner amps will always react better to distortion pedals. I’m not suggesting that a Fender or Roland amp can do distortion better than a Mesa Boogie or a Marshall, but I’ve actually heard them perform quite well.
Looks take a look at the top 5 selling combo amps on Musiciansfriend.com.
Fender Frontman 212R 100 Watt 2x12
These are top selling products because they act as a versatile base for all styles of music. They are naturally clean sounding, practical with cost and don’t take up much space. I’m not trying to endorse these products or tell you these are the end all be all of amps, but they are amps to consider for any guitarist.
What kind of amps do you use, and how does it help you achieve your tone? Comment below!
