Amplifiers
Radio Frequencies with a Fender Sidekick 25
Why do I hear people talking, like on an AM radio, when I turn up my Fender Sidekick 25 (SKX25R) really loud? The distortion is too loud for me to understand them. Also, I […]
Guitar Amps 101
Amplifiers
Guitar Amps 101 – Class A, AB, and ABBA
First, let me reassure you, gentle reader, that there will be no discussion of Swedish pop groups in this space. What we are talking about here are amplifier classes, which are defined by how an […]
Amplifiers
Guitar Amps 101 – Choosing the right Guitar Amp
Guitars are simple, right? Most of us know what we like, which family tree (Leo or Orville) our axe of choice descends from, and all of that. Amps, however, are another matter, entirely. There are […]
Amplifiers
Guitar Amps 101 – Amps For Live, Studio, And Practice
Traditionally, guitarists have kept separate rigs for live gigging, studio tracking, and practicing at home. While some players still cling to this approach, the lines between the different types of amps from back in the […]
Amplifiers
Guitar Amps 101 – Speakers: Does Size Really Matter?
Many different types of speakers have been used over the years to amplify electric guitars. The most common are speakers with 10-inch and 12-inch measurements. Generally speaking (pun intended), a smaller speaker produces more top […]
Amplifiers
Guitar Amps 101 – Modeling Made Easy
Modeling amplifiers, or those who digitally replicate the tones of other amps, started out as kind of a fad but have stayed around and now have what appears to be a permanent place in the […]
Amplifiers
Finding The Perfect Amp – Solid State or Tube?
There is always a lot of discussion in guitar amp circles about tube amps vs. solid state amps. Traditionalists and tone snobs always lean towards tube amps, as they are what produced the great tones […]
Amplifiers
Guitar Amps 101 – Head And Cabinet vs Combo Amp
When it comes time to buy a new amplifier, many players are bewildered by the number of different choices and possibilities they need to investigate in order to find their new ride. One of the […]
Gear
Gigging Basics – Back That Gear Up!!
All gigging musicians get lazy at times and try to get by with the least amount of gear possible on any given job. This mostly happens to players who gig a lot and move their own stuff. Folks who play one gig a year usually like to bring as much stuff as possible because setting up outside the house is a novelty to them. If you play out ten or more times a month and, like most of us, can’t afford a road crew quite yet, there will come a time when you are tempted to roll out to your gig with a very small pile of equipment to move. […]
Amplifiers
Guitar Amp Health and Repair Checkups [Guitar Amplifier Tech]
By nature, humans aren’t pro-active. Expending energy to avoid potentially impending doom just isn’t our way. So it’s no surprise that guitarists typically won’t take an amplifier in for service until it makes fart noises, […]