Home Amp Advice

[Sleeko]

A dark horse and one of my favorites is the Fender Acoustisonic Junior. I stumbled on this series on accident and it still delivers in spades for me. Two 8” speakers in stereo, a warm and customizable tone, respectable built in effects and a handsome look. Made for acoustic guitar but works great for Archtops as well. Solid State.

[marcwhy]

My favorite small amp. Had it for a year.

Cool amps! Always wanted to try one..

[Little Jay]

I have the luxury of an isolated rehearsal studio in my house. My wife plays the drums so we needed a place for her to practise so why not turn half our garage into an isolated music room?

Obviously I can play a little louder and I use my favourite tube amp there (a sixties Framus Strato 345).

But for the living room I am totally happy with a little Squier Frontman 10G and a cheap Mosky Spring Reverb mini-pedal. Sounds great with my Gibson ES-125. I have no need for anything more fancy. In low volume situations for a clean jazz tone almost any amp will do IMHO, as long as you can dial out the sharpness associated with solid state circuits and de Squier Frontman can do just that. Surprisingly it also has a nice firm low end for such a small amp.

Btw, I think it’s exactly the same as the Fender Frontman 10G. Perhaps why it sounds so decent is because it’s no frills, not even a reverb. The addition of a reverb pedal to choice makes it substantially better than any low-cost on board reverb. And I like reverb in my jazz tone.

[2bornot2bop]

Cool amps! Always wanted to try one..

They’re a no frills amp, built on a 1950’s sound the designer was going after. Since I purchased this amp I’ve not touched my Rivera Suprema. I was also fortunate to find this one advertised in my local guitar center, and I never go there.

[jads57]

I must confess, you are the first guitarist I have ever encountered in my ~53 years of playing the instrument who has claimed that playing without an amp makes one a better electric guitarist.

Every other player who has weighed in on the topic* has opined that the guitar+amp is a single symbiote whose behavior and nuance must be learned. Practicing electric guitar without an amp is like a brass player who only ever practices with a bucket mute, or a sax player who only ever practiced on a Lyricon: The fingering technique to get the right note to happen at the right time is getting addressed, but the aspects of timbre that the player needs to control are not.

Note, I'm not talking about dependence on "reverb, echo,etc." I'm talking about the sound of electric guitar. Amps and guitars interact, and unless you are accustomed to how they work together you will never be able to fully anticipate and control how your instrument will sound when you get on the bandstand and plug in.

*And it's been my empirical experience too.

Sorry to disagree with you regarding practicing w/out an amp. But playing through the amp at home is almost a waste of time imo.

When you just play the guitar itself it gives you a truer representation of your playing abilities without any coloration or extra sustain,etc.
And when you’re on the gig ,you are trying to fit in the particular gig situation.
So you might play differently depending the type of music and or volume needed.
You also might be playing a different style of guitar depending as well. And then there are pedals to consider as well. And another issue is using delay live and along with reverb washes your tone out completely.

So unless it’s just for fun at home as a hobbyist,I think you’ll find using an amp is not helpful.

[ruger9]

Sorry to disagree with you regarding practicing w/out an amp. But playing through the amp at home is almost a waste of time imo.

When you just play the guitar itself it gives you a truer representation of your playing abilities without any coloration or extra sustain,etc.
And when you’re on the gig ,you are trying to fit in the particular gig situation.
So you might play differently depending the tripe of music and or volume needed.
You also might be playing a different style of guitar depending as well. And then there are pedals to consider as well. And another issue is using delay live and along with reverb washes your tone out completely.

So unless it’s just for fun at home as a hobbyist,I think you’ll find using an amp is not helpful.

Disagree. Practicing with an amp will make you better at playing with an amp. Amplification will... amplify... aspects of your playing, highlighting things like string noise and poorly-fretted notes (that don't ring out properly). While amps give you more sustain and can be perceived as "making it easier to play", the technique definitely stands out more, for better for worse.

Plus, some simply enjoy the tone of amplified jazz guitar, which is different than acoustic jazz guitar. Some of us enjoy the whole tone thing, it's not solely about the music itself... listening to Kenny Burrell for example, I love his tone on Midnight Blue. And when I play at home, I like to hear myself with that similar tone, which is an amplified tone. So there's an enjoyment component there as well (being amplified).

[yebdox]

Disagree. Practicing with an amp will make you better at playing with an amp. Amplification will... amplify... aspects of your playing, highlighting things like string noise and poorly-fretted notes (that don't ring out properly). While amps give you more sustain and can be perceived as "making it easier to play", the technique definitely stands out more, for better for worse.

Plus, some simply enjoy the tone of amplified jazz guitar, which is different than acoustic jazz guitar. Some of us enjoy the whole tone thing, it's not solely about the music itself... listening to Kenny Burrell for example, I love his tone on Midnight Blue. And when I play at home, I like to hear myself with that similar tone, which is an amplified tone. So there's an enjoyment component there as well (being amplified).

I think there are advantages to both, but if I'm honest with myself, the amp is half the tonal experience for me and I always plug in at home, even with my Martins.... different reverbs and delays add to the pleasure and inspire me to practice more and enjoy the fruits of my work. I think I read somewhere from an interview with Wes that the amp was half the instrument, or words to that effect.

Naked guitars are wonderful things, but for me, the amp and its possible contributions to the voice of the guitar is a totally necessary component. But there's no wrong answer, except maybe to NOT do whatever it takes to make you want to play more. (My wife made me get rid of the go-go girls and the cages a long time ago, so there's that,)

[alltunes]

One could argue that if practicing through an amp is beneficial then practicing through an amp at gig volume is even better.


Regarding pedals…..playing a good guitar straight into a good tube amp with nothing but a qualty cable between you is a joy. But for me pedals are often necessary on the gig so I need to mess with them at home too.

But 80% of my practice time at home is with an unplugged Tele.

[Sigmund451]

I think there is likely a point in time where it doesnt matter if a player uses and amp or not. You already know how its going to behave. For less experienced players I think its really pretty important. The guitar does become a bit of a different animal.

Additionally, with bad hearing there are some notes that I just dont hear well acoustically at times. A little amplification helps. Just doing it for that purpose really can be solved by the cheapest of amps.

[marcwhy]

Regarding the amp/no amp discussion:
I was at a "friendly" jazz jam last night - wide range of skills - and a teenage girl came up to sing. She was a beginner, and obviously had not practiced with a mic, so the whole time belting out "All of Me," the mic was pressed against her mouth and the sound through the PA was horrendous!

Professional singers treat the mic as part of their instrument and know how/when to move it away or bring it closer to control the sound. If a singer doesn't practice with a mic, the performance will suffer.

[John A.]

Sorry to disagree with you regarding practicing w/out an amp. But playing through the amp at home is almost a waste of time imo.

When you just play the guitar itself it gives you a truer representation of your playing abilities without any coloration or extra sustain,etc.
And when you’re on the gig ,you are trying to fit in the particular gig situation.
So you might play differently depending the tripe of music and or volume needed.
You also might be playing a different style of guitar depending as well. And then there are pedals to consider as well. And another issue is using delay live and along with reverb washes your tone out completely.

So unless it’s just for fun at home as a hobbyist,I think you’ll find using an amp is not helpful.

I can maybe see that for someone who is strictly using an amp as a tool for making an acoustic instrument louder there's limited value to practicing with an amp beyond the minimal level it takes to learn how the knobs work. But for a great many players amp+guitar (and possibly + effects) is a unified instrument with a completely different sound, dynamic range, note envelope, and set of articulation possibilities. Telling an electric guitarist not to practice with an amp is like telling a pick player to only practice with fingers, but use a pick on the gig. In either case, there's likely to be a rude awakening on the gig. As an electric player, playing an electric guitar amp-less is not at all a truer representation my playing. It's very much the opposite.

[ruger9]

One could argue that if practicing through an amp is beneficial then practicing through an amp at gig volume is even better.
.

It is, if you're going to be gigging, and at that volume. For lower volume home play, it doesn't really help anything.

[jads57]

And again I disagree with many of the points being made. How many of you actually gig regularly? The point is to get the most of your self musical abilities and techniques together,
Using an amp is fine if you’re just enjoying the tone, but it will never be a true representation of what happens on a gig, due to many factors you will encounter.

The girl with a microphone is a great example of what I’m talking about. If she had time in the saddle,she’d have learned to sing with dynamics without a microphone.
Live playing is different ,as is studio playing. These are things you learn when actually having to make a living at it.
And I’m not putting anyone down,just saying this as a guitarist who’s had to learn these lessons the hard way!

So again if it’s just for one’s own enjoyment,get a little Fender,etc
But if you’re an aspiring working player, dont and work on your technique and dynamics

[mr. beaumont]

Late to the conversation, but one of the good things about a decent solid state amp is that it's going to sound pretty similar at low volume and gig volume.

I've taken to modelling amps for home practice.

I don't gig very often, but I do always practice for a gig like it's a gig. That means standing if I'll be standing, louder volume if I'll be playing at louder volume. You can't prepare for everything, but you CAN prepare for the things you CAN prepare for

[rpjazzguitar]

A thought experiment.

If you never played through an amp, how would you do, on a gig, the very first time you used an amp? And then, how would it be after 100 gigs with an amp?

My guess is that the extra experience with an amp would change the way you play and you'd sound better.

To take just one aspect, one processed tone I use sustains much longer than a clean tone. It changes the way I play -- and I can't practice it unless I've got it hooked up and I can hear the sound.

But, even the cleanest, unprocessed amplified tone is likely to change your touch.

Warren Nunes taught that you should always play amplified.

[joe2758]

I'm not in a position to advise anyone, but I have the experience of practicing almost always acoustically and then having a horrible tone amplified without using 13 (maybe 14? the george benson ones) gauge strings. To me on an acoustic it is best to play with a hard attack, and electric with a very soft attack.

Some of the worst advice I ever got about 20 years ago was at a classical master class and the teacher said always practice everything maximum volume with good tone, because if you can play loud then playing quietly is easy. Wrong.

[John A.]

And again I disagree with many of the points being made. How many of you actually gig regularly?

I do.

The point is to get the most of your self musical abilities and techniques together,
Using an amp is fine if you’re just enjoying the tone, but it will never be a true representation of what happens on a gig, due to many factors you will encounter.

No form of practicing exactly prefigures what you experience on a gig, but practicing an electric guitar through an amp is a lot more like performing with an amp than practicing an unplugged electric guitar is.

The girl with a microphone is a great example of what I’m talking about. If she had time in the saddle,she’d have learned to sing with dynamics without a microphone.

And then she uses a microphone with a directional pickup pattern and pronounced proximity effect on a gig or a recording date without every having rehearsed singing into a mic ...

Live playing is different ,as is studio playing. These are things you learn when actually having to make a living at it.
And I’m not putting anyone down,just saying this as a guitarist who’s had to learn these lessons the hard way!

So again if it’s just for one’s own enjoyment,get a little Fender,etc
But if you’re an aspiring working player, dont and work on your technique and dynamics

If it works for you, cool. But I think it's safe to say that your view of amps is not exactly the consensus view.

[ruger9]

Late to the conversation, but one of the good things about a decent solid state amp is that it's going to sound pretty similar at low volume and gig volume.

I've taken to modelling amps for home practice.

I don't gig very often, but I do always practice for a gig like it's a gig. That means standing if I'll be standing, louder volume if I'll be playing at louder volume. You can't prepare for everything, but you CAN prepare for the things you CAN prepare for

Great point on the solid state/digital amps/modelers. I prefer solid state amps to modelers, so far.

[jads57]

Again one can do whatever one thinks is best. But why the need for an amplifier? I play my small Carvin Holdsworth headless with my IReal App at full volume on my IPad and have no problem hearing my unplugged guitar.
So what exactly is the point,other than being louder? I’m also 68 and have probably hearing loss as well,Lol!

Again the amplifier is great for gigs, but you’re competing with other loud instruments or room size, monitors maybe?
And you need to adjust to whatever the gig calls for, from loud to soft,genres of music,etc.
At home unless you’re playing with a loud stereo,etc why?
And again much like an acoustic guitar your touch, dynamics, feel all come into play.

So enjoying an amplifier at low volumes at home might be kind of nice and fun. But on the actual gig it’s not the same for the most part. And definitely different in a Studio situation. Most studio recordings are now some type of plug in program. And usually the engineer has control of the finished product for the session.

Again I come at this from 50 years of gigging many types of different genres of music and in many different situations. Duo,Trio Jazz gigs no drums, Jazz gigs with a large band including many horns. Rock and Pop gigs of smaller,larger clubs,theatres, occasional outdoor concerts in varying situations with or without monitors. Church gigs playing live or direct with in ear monitor mix.
Studio gigs from jingles to record dates.
They all require different adjustments and maybe gear as well.

***P.S.*** If it’s for self enjoyment only, by all means use whatever makes you happiest!

[GuyBoden]

Some players who don't practice playing thru an amp, when playing live gigs, they sound like they don't practice playing thru an amp. IMHO.

[John A.]

Pros of playing at home with an amp:
Reinforces techniques and articulations used in amplified playing
Gives you familiarity with your gear so you know how to use it in non-practice situations
Sounds good
Bothers the neighbors (that guy in 3D is a dick, screw him)

Cons of playing with an amp:
That guy on the internet thinks it's dumb
Bothers the neighbors (sorry, 4C, lost track of the time)

Pros of playing without an amp:
Crickets (both literally and figuratively)
Doesn't bother the neighbors

Cons of playing without an amp
Reinforces picking habits, articulations, etc., that don't sound good amplified
Sounds bad
Doesn't bother the neighbors

[jads57]

While I understand the values of learning how to dial in gear. I believe it all starts with learning to play the guitar itself first, to expose your most basic abilities.

Sure dialing in your gear is important as well. But like a basement and basic fundamentals, to me that’s most important first.
Learning to dial in gear amps, pedals comes second for me.
But as old as I am, the older Jazz Guitar Hero’s never put too much emphasis on their gear.
But nowadays we live in a new world where your gear is a big part of the equation.

[Aiq]

Perfectly adequate for living room practice.



Royal Castle mug provided for scale.

[Sigmund451]

After a lot of pondering I decided I wanted to stay solid state for a number of reasons. I read a lot and listened to as much as I could find. I now have on order a Quilter Superblock I found used (3 months old) from a player in France. I really liked the sounds I heard from those. Im sure it will be more than adequate for what Im doing. Now its time to build a speaker cab! I decided to go 1x12 on it.

[jads57]

Quilter is a great choice! I went with Quilter 10 years ago and have been extremely happy gigging with them. They are incredibly versatile for many different genres as well as choice of guitar from electric to acoustic.

Hope they work for you on your musical journey!