How to Choose a Good Amp For Playing Jazz Guitar?
Once you have purchased a guitar of your choice, next step is to buy a good amp for playing jazz guitar. ‘Amp’, the short for amplifier plays a very important role in deciding how your guitar finally sounds. It amplifies the sound of your jazz guitar and makes it sound great. The quality of amp is so important that it can make an ordinary guitar sound ultimately good, and vice-versa. Most of the musicians agree that a good guitar is no good without a good amplifier; this is the most necessary gear of your guitar kit.
There are basically four kinds of amps available in market. A suitable one for jazz guitar may not be the latest or the costliest one; you should look for the one which suits the sound of your guitar to perfection. Let’s have a brief know-how of all the four kinds:
1. Tube: These are the first amps that were introduced; they produce richer, warmer sounds. They use glass tubes; they produce louder sound than any other amp. But their upkeep is a bit costly, they are bulky too, thus you will have to be very careful while moving them around. Some makers of tube amps are Marshall, Mesa Boosie, Fender, they use Chinese tubes which come factory fitted.
2. Solid state: In these ones, transistors are used in place of tubes. This makes them very handy and better for heavy use. But for a good amp for playing jazz guitar, it has to be tuned finely because in this amp, sound may start sounding harsh and distorted at higher frequencies. Some players find solid state amps more reliable, some find that the sound does not retain its original quality.
3. Digital: These ones are quite trendy and they use digital technology for amplifying. Digital amps can imitate large range of sounds including distortions and the classic tube amp. The cheaper variety amps may sound synthetic. But to make your jazz guitar sound great, go for the more sophisticated digital amps. These amplifiers sound as good as tube amps, you can’t tell the difference.
4. Hybrid: These amplifiers combine the tube and solid state amp technology. The tone comes from tube amp technology and the power behind the amps comes from solid-state technology. If you want a tube-like sounding amp without spending as much, then you can go for it. Sound is not that great but its reliable, handy and ok quality.
What Is The Best Choice For You?
All jazz players have different opinions and choices when it comes to the choice of amplifiers for their guitars. Since jazz guitars are traditionally acoustic sounding, many prefer the tube-type amps. Many players like Mike Stern use solid state and it sounds good too. So there is no rule in choosing certain types of amps.
The kind of sound you want, the amount of travel your amp will have to do with you, the degree of usage and the kind of money you want to spend on it…all these factors matter when you are choosing an amplifier. Always remember that the sound produced by the guitar is as good as it is actually played. Thus, before buying an amplifier, take your guitar along and try out on different amps. Buy the one which suits your budget and your playing style in best manner. The related equipments like speakers and pick-ups also play a major role in sound quality along with a suitable amp for playing jazz guitar.
By: Logan Young