How To Choose a Guitar Amplifier
With an abundance of guitar amplifiers available, choosing the right one can be daunting. If you feel lost and bewildered over the sheer number of models and manufacturers to choose from, then read on. Before you head out the door or surf the web in search of your ‘perfect’ guitar amp, here are a few helpful tips:
Preparation
First, be honest with yourself – what do you need the amplifier to do?
Do you need it to primarily work with your pedal board?
Do you need multiple channels and built in effects – or a combination of both?
Do you need a big, powerful amp – or a small, light and portable unit?
If you’re a pedal junkie and depend on your pedals as the main source of sonic sculpting, look for a simple amplifier. A two or three band EQ would be nice as well. If you run the amp clean most of the time, a master volume may not be necessary. Some smaller amps may only have one Dull-O-Brite tone knob, which is not a bad thing if it sounds good. For effect pedals, less bells and whistles is usually better. The thing to listen for is how well the amp handles your pedals at different volume levels.
Overdrive, distortion and fuzz pedals can be problem with some amplifiers. Low volume levels may sound fizzy if the bright circuit in the amp is too aggressive. Higher levels might sound too mushy if an amp can’t handle the bottom end of your favorite pedal. The most important thing to ask yourself is how loud you really need to be. Why drag a fifty watt head and a four twelve cabinet around if you can only turn it up to two?
I use a little class A, fifteen watt tube combo, and still get in trouble with the sound man, however, I can power this amp up enough so it can breathe. Unless you’re playing on huge stages, outdoor gigs, or just want to impress your friends and shake the ground around them, there’s no need to own any decibel blistering monster.
Second, don’t shop for amplifiers based only on their brand name or who designed it. You’ll narrow the playing field severely and will miss out on legions of great amplifiers. It doesn’t matter what’s written on or about the amp if it sounds great and functions properly for you and your gear.
Third, take your favorite guitar, a flashlight and a note pad with you when auditioning amplifiers. You should be familiar with your guitar and know the sounds you can command from it. The note pad is for writing down what amplifiers you had chemistry with and why. The flashlight is for looking in the dark areas of an amp. If you use pedals, bring a couple of them with you as well. Choose the pedals that you know are a bit finicky about the pairing with the right amp; usually distortion and fuzz pedals.
Fourth, don’t research anything before you hit the stores. Your first trip out is the beginning of your research. You are just listening to amplifiers at this point, and not purchasing one. Clear your head; don’t listen to friends, blogs, magazine articles, forums or anything else that may damage your perception of any amp. How many times have you been completely happy with a piece of gear and have read nothing but trash about it somewhere?
And Finally, what’s your price range. Don’t check out three thousand dollar amplifiers if you haven’t any ambitions of buying one. Establish a price range and audition only those amplifiers that fall within your budget. Playing through anything else is just a distraction and a waste of time.
Reconnaissance
Before dragging any of your gear into a store, grab your note pad, flashlight and do a little reconnaissance. Find out what they have in stock that’s within your budget. Once you have a few contenders in view, look them over. Check them inside and out. I’m not suggesting that you disassemble any part of it, just use your flashlight and peek in from the back and note the construction and quality of the chassis and cabinet. The level craftsmanship on the outside of the amp is a good clue on how well the interior components are fabricated.
Also note the quality of the covering on the cabinet as well. If possible, try to determine what type of wood a cabinet is made of. This isn’t a factor with head amps, but does have a tonal impact on combo and speaker cabinets. It’s easy to see if a combo is made with particle-board or plywood just by looking for the wood grain. Sometimes the baffle board will be made of particle-board and the rest of the cabinet plywood.
Other than weight, there is nothing wrong with particle-board however it tends to have a neutral tone due to its hardness and inflexibility. Plywood is lighter, more durable, and offers some flavor to the overall sound of an amp.
Chassis construction is another clue to quality and workmanship. Look for anything that’s bent or skewed. Transformers will have a field day with thin chassis, especially after rough shipping to the dealer. Look for everything to be clean and straight on the chassis. Once you’ve whittled the herd down to your star contestants, it’s time to make some noise.
Sonic Testing
Hopefully the music store has some sort of sound proof room or at the very least, a booth you can wail away in. If not, just make the best of it and patch in your gear. If you brought pedals with you, begin with all of them bypassed. Set all the controls on the amplifier straight up, except for any master volume knobs, turn them off until you power the amp up. 
Do not spend more than five minutes trying to make an amplifier sound good. If you can’t find one good tone within five minutes, you never will. The right amp will be easy to quickly dial in any of the tones you’re after. Write down on your note pad everything you like and dislike about each of the amplifiers you’ve played through, as you will need this information later. Once you’ve given all the amps a rumble, gather up your gear and go home. That’s right, don’t buy anything, just go home.
Note; One thing to bear in mind is that you are in the music store to shop for amplifiers and not for practicing. Have some respect for the music store, and other customers. Check the amp out and move on to the next one. Don’t turn a new amp into a used one by playing with it for hours; if you like it, buy it.
Research
Once you’ve played through all the amplifiers of interest and wrote down your impressions, fire up your computer and search for any information about them online. Read about any experiences others have had with them in terms of quality, workmanship, reliability, etc. Don’t concern yourself with negative reviews or comments about sound or tone. Remember, you’re getting the scoop on amplifiers that have already passed your tone test. Look for trends, not anomalies. Lastly, review the owner’s manual from the manufacturer’s website. All of this valuable research allows you to avoid amplifiers that may develop problems down the road.
Making The Choice
If you’ve filtered your choices down to one amplifier, play through it again. If you still like it, pay the man and run like hell. If there are a few on your hit list, play through them all and may the best amp win. If you’re still on the fence and can’t make a decision, then engage a sales clerk as they can most likely provide some clarity and help you decide. Good luck!
Author's biography:
Rick Hamel leads a dual life as a guitar player and audio electronics designer / manufacture. From the late 70s though the 90s he as played in a number of bands throughout Southern California, making music through effects and amps of his own creation. In 1986 Rick began manufacturing his own line of effect pedals through his company called SiB -(Something I built) and more recently The Jerk Brothers. He also customizes amps and effects for top "well known" musicians. Rick focuses much of his attention to tube circuity, however, his electronic knowledge covers solid state equipment as well.
