Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [amplifiers]

For questions about amplifiers in a musical setting. If the question is about a specific topic of amplifiers like maintenance or repairs those tags should also be included.

The amplifier is an important part of the performance set-up for electric guitars and keyboards, and makes a big difference to the tone. Other instruments and vocalists can also use amplifiers to be louder, either to balance with other amplified sounds, or just to fill a larger performance space.

If you're interested in using amplifiers in ways that don't specifically relate to musical practice and performance, for example as part of a home sound system, or in a suite for editing recordings, you will probably get better answers if you instead ask on the Sound Design Stack Exchange.

478 questions
36
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3 answers

Why do guitarists put tape on their amplifiers?

I've never truly understood why so many guitarists put tape on their amplifiers. I have seen many YouTube videos where, before recording and placing a microphone towards their amp, they will put tape in certain places across the fabric of their…
John
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How do I know when it's time to change a tube on my amplifier?

I think this would be a wonderfully instructive question to people who are new to tube amplifiers. In short, how do I know that it's time to change a tube, and what's a good strategy for figuring out which one to change (preamp vs power vs…
Jduv
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29
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9 answers

Why do tube-based guitar amplifiers sound so good?

Is it just a cultural thing ("they've always sounded that way") or is there some basis in music theory for this?
fitzbog
28
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6 answers

Difference between "hi" and "low" on amps?

What is the difference between "hi" and "low" input jacks on guitar / bass amps? Usually bigger amps have both of them (didn't see them on smaller ones really)..
tkit
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26
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13 answers

How to make ASIO work with multiple programs simultaneously : how can I listen to Guitar Rig plus something else through the same interface?

I've been using Guitar Rig 4 for a year or two, and it's a fairly useful toy for a bedroom guitarist. Currently, I use a Behringer UCG102 USB interface, which has a guitar in and headphone out. When connected to my computer, it works fine, I get…
user142340
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4 answers

When should I be concerned about calibrating the bias of vacuum tubes in an amplifier?

I think it would be useful to discuss the concept of bias as it pertains to guitar amplifiers. I have read some articles saying that you should always rebias your amplifier when you change the power tubes--and some even say you should do this even…
Jduv
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Why is an amplifier's effects loop useful?

When should you plug gear into your amplifier's effects loop and not into the standard input?
brian
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21
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4 answers

What is the difference between an amp and a head?

At the moment I currently only use a basic guitar amp, but a few of my friends have 'heads' on top of their amps. What is the purpose of these? What do they do that the amp doesn't do?
rich2165990
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What is a "death cap"?

I have often heard/read people mentioning a "death cap" when talking about older Fender amps. Is this a capacitor? What does it do? Why is it called the death cap?
bleakcabal
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19
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9 answers

guitar cabinet: why not just use a PA speaker cabinet?

I've been thinking about building myself a rackmount rig to replace an old 12" combo amp, and was wondering if it really makes any difference to use a something that's marketed as a "guitar" speaker cabinet... Why not just select a nice PA speaker…
RwwL
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18
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7 answers

Amp picking up radio stations

When I plug my combo practice amp into a normal wall outlet I pick up a local public radio station, just loud enough to be annoying. The only way I've found to reduce it is to plug it into a UPS or to wrap the input cable around the amp. Anyone…
bobtheowl2
16
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8 answers

How to predict the loudness of an amp based on description

Related question: Is there an amp power formula? When I look at amps in a shop or online, I ask myself what the amp is suitable for: Can it be played quietly enough for home use without disturbing the neighbours/sleeping wife/etc.? Is it loud…
slim
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Do distortion pedals work well with tube amps? Or should I use a tube screamer?

I have a Blackstar HT5 tube amp and I like to use a Boss DS1 with the clean channel for the heavy stuff (Zeppelin to Nirvana, these are very different I know). Is this considered a good idea, or should I focus on getting my overdrive channel…
Andre Oporto
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How does The Talkbox work?

Beck started using this in the early 70's - they called it The Bag for a hot minute (as did Stevie Wonder) - Frampton's career came alive when he started using it - how does it work?
JustnBeaver
16
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12 answers

How can I avoid getting loud picking sounds on a distorted electric guitar?

Whenever I hear solos from professional guitar players, in songs, for example, I never hear a loud noise of pick hitting the strings, even when the guitar is heavily distorted. I just learned a solo on my electric (with a tube amp), which requires…
user96872
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