For me to sit down and tell you the exact amplifier you need for your gigs would be at best ludicrous. The amplifier is an extension of your own personality, your own nervous system. If I could tell you the amp you need, I could probably also tell you what clothes to wear each day. However, there are certain characteristics of amplifiers which render them serviceable to certain types of jobs. So what I can lay on you are some considerations of. experience for when you do get ready to fnake that purchase.

Probably the first two realizations you should come to before you select your own specific range of amplifiers, is the fact that novelty can have a tendency to wear off, so that your purchase should have the foresight of the future — with regards to power, function, and basic sound. The second realization is that an amplifier is not a very good substitute for talent qr skill. When you play a new amp in the store, it may make you sound like a true music freak, maybe even Foxey Jimi, but remember, the sound is usually different than the one you’re used to and it is probably only a matter of weeks before you realize that the sound coming out is still you and your energies. An amplifier, especially guitar amplifiers, is not capable of adding quality to a good signal which does not exist to begin with. These two considerations are probably the easiest to say and the hardest to fully understand when the buyer goes shopping for a guitar amp.

Next up for biting is that unless you already know what type of sound you want to put across, you had better not go shopping. There are considerations like style, effects, type of music you’re playing, techniques employed, bread, ad infinitum that you should weigh in the balance of your purchase. And if you don’t have an idea as to what kind of sound you want, sometimes it’s best to just tour instead of getting yourself hung up with the attitude that an instant purchase is necessary. Because if you don’t have an idea of what kind of sound you want, more than likely you’ll end up with a bad compromise.

Amps are somewhat similar to cars in that most people don’t purchase them to discard them next year, unless you’re a working musician and can afford the tax write-off. So the next consideration is whether you want to be spontaneous and purchase that little inexpensive amp that almost meets your needs or whether you’d rather stuff your piggy bank for a while until you can afford an amp that meets your needs explicitly.

A few of the more significant considerations are speaker efficiency, power output, transportability, solid state or tube type, built-in effects, and reliability. Underlining these considerations there is a vast trite line of words that mean a lot if your amp is to be as durable as you: things like quality, workmanship, engineering, guarantee, warranty, craftsmanship, ability to produce true sound and on and on. These are important and you really cannot assume that every amp has these virtues, just because it costs a mint.

A BIG hangup with novice and sometimes professional guitar freaks is that they worry more about what other people are buying and playing than they do about their own particular needs. There are several very fine amplifiers out today that don’t get much play amongst guitarists just because guitarists’ heads are watching other guitarists just a little too much . . .and if Clapton doesn’t play it, why, how could it be good? Right?

The second biggest hangup in today’s amp buying public is the dispute between solid state and tube amp freaks. While this should be a secondary consideration, it still warrants mention. The advantages of solid state are: instant on, lighter weight, lack of microphonics, no long term deterioration of tone quality, no (or little) heat build-up to shorten the life of the unit, can take a little more abuse in transportation because of the circuitry, and electronic effects can be designed into the circuitry with printed circuit board that would normally require a series of tubes and additional space for wire.

The disadvantages of solid state, which could normally mean the advantages of tubes, are briefly: transistors have a far more critical tolerance than tubes, tubes withstand high overload conditions for short periods of time without failure (and transistors usually don’t). It may be simply a matter of resetting a circuit breaker or replacing a fuse; however, a major repair may be required. A change in output impedance caused by adding a second or third speaker can cause the same effect. (With a piggyback solid state amp, be certain the cord from the power unit to the speaker cabinet is in good condition before it is turned on — a short could result in considerable damage to the transistors.) Also, many of today’s rock musicians prefer the tube amps because of what they claim is a much better sustaining characteristic (as yet, unproven; except by subjective judgement). Many musicians, especially guitarists, claim tubes have feeling to them, and transistors have sterility.

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But when all the shit comes down, for the best evaluation make your own decision after reading up on amp brochures and asking fellow musicians, and ultimately, play that amp for as long as it takes you to find its weaknesses and strengths. Before I close, there is another aspect of buying a guitar amp that needs rapping.

When you go into a music store in search of an amp, keep it in mind that if it weren’t for you and people like you, that cat behind the counter wouldn’t be able to eat. If he rushes you, split from that store. If he pushes you in one direction as far as an amplifier for YOU, beware. It has been my experience that music dealers have too much to know to know everything there is to know about amps (some don’t know their A’s from a hole in the ground). Try to rely as much as possible on yourself, because it is you who is spending the money. Another point about the music store is that acoustics may be rigged or the area may be a lot smaller, than you are used to playing in and that can throw off the right perspective of the sound you’re getting. There’s a whole lot of difference between San Francisco’s Winterland and a demo room. Which brings up another point.

If you are professional, or if you plan to go professional, remember that most concert and dance halls provide P.A. systems and that you don’t have to fill the hall with your amp. Or if that’s not the case, usually a group will get together and buy a P.A. which meets the needs. If you find a small amp that meets your needs with reference to everything but size, you can either mike your amp through the P.A., or buy a couple of those amps and hook them in series or parallel to boost the sound.

Probably the largest single sway for one buying an amp can be attributed to word of mouth, second largest being informative advertising. But be careful, all amplifier manufacturers don’t use the same scales in measuring their product’s power output. Some use Peak Music Power, others RMS and others don’t'specify. Probably the most stable wattage measurement is R.M.S., and you can usually figure that if an amp is rated at 100 watts peak music power, it is roughly 50 watts, R.M.S. I hope this does you for a start, but don’t stop here! %