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If you’re new to playing guitar, you may not know what gear you need to make the most of your music. With plenty of guitar amp heads on the market, you have a few important choices to make.
A guitar amp head is an amplifier without speakers. Guitar amp heads contain both preamplifiers and power amplifiers, so just plug your guitar into the amp head and connect the amp head to a speaker cabinet and you’re good to go.
Some musicians prefer combo amps because they want an all-in-one option that contains both the amplifier and a speaker. But if you already invested in a speaker system or plan to plug into a venue’s sound system, you only need a guitar amp head.
The three most common types of amplifiers for guitar amp heads are tube or valve amplification, solid-state amplification, and tube preamp/transistor power hybrid.
Tube amplifiers (or valve amplifiers) use vacuum tubes to amplify the sound signal. Many guitarists prefer the tones created with tube amplifiers. These are among the most old-school types of amplifiers, but they’re as popular and effective today as when they were invented.
Solid-state amplifiers use electronic transistors in place of vacuum tubes. Solid-state amps are generally less expensive, lighter weight, and more durable than other varieties since they don’t contain glass vacuum tubes. If you do a lot of gig work, a solid-state amp makes traveling to gigs much easier.
Hybrid guitar amp heads take advantage of both types of technology. They have a tube-based preamp but feature transistor circuitry for the power amplifier.
Guitar amp heads come in a range of wattages. To choose a wattage, you need to know which speaker cabinets you’ll use. For the highest quality sound, always try to match the wattage of your guitar amp head to the wattage of your speakers.
Investing in a guitar amp head from a top brand in the music industry means you can feel confident that your gear will perform as expected for every session. EVH, Orange, Marshall, Vox, Sawtooth, KOCH, and Blackstar are some of the leading brands to consider.
These and other notable brands offer a range of guitar amp heads with confidence-inspiring warranties, advanced technology, and fantastic sound.