Whether you plan on rocking out with a garage band or playing behind the sultry vocals of a jazz lounge singer, every guitar player must learn the basics of how to use a guitar amp. Although most guitarists have an essential training background with the instrument, ultimate guides like this one are excellent for reference or beginners just learning.
Using a guitar amp requires knowledge of:
- Plugging in and powering
- Basic settings of changing volume and sound frequency
- Advanced settings of amending it with additions and attachments
Even if you play guitar regularly, keep this guide to your amp in your back pocket. Using a guitar amp is sophisticated for some beginners looking to elevate their playing. The guitar is also daunting for beginners. Read on to learn more about how to use a guitar amp in this ultimate guide.
How to Start Using a Guitar Amp
The guitar amp is a versatile part of electrifying your guitar. There are many settings that new guitar players get lost in. However, this guide will help you navigate the basics before branching out to the more advanced settings.
There are a few things you can do before starting to use your guitar amp correctly. These things should get done before you even begin playing so that you have the tools and inspiration necessary for playing the electric guitar. These things include:
- Ensure you have the right equipment: Some basic equipment for electric guitar is a guitar, amp, lead cord, guitar pick, strings, a tuner, and shoulder strap.
- Learn chords: Simple chords are an excellent way to build some knowledge before getting too far with your electric guitar playing. This way, when you plug into the amp, you have something to electrify.
- Find a mentor: Lessons and mentoring with the guitar is a great way to begin learning quickly. Find someone who you like being around and who has a similar taste in music as yourself.
- Get a guitar chords/tabs app: Many apps have great resources for learning tabs and chords for some of your favorite songs. These apps also rank the songs by difficulty, so you won’t be reaching outside of your skill base when you try and play them.
(Source: Play Guitars)
Plugging in and Powering a Guitar Amp
Let’s start with the basics. You can’t use your guitar amp without connecting it to power, connecting your guitar, and powering it on. This section has the basics of turning on and powering up your amplifier and the different necessary buttons and switches you need knowledge of.
Essential Things you Need to Use a Guitar Amp
Some of the things we mentioned earlier are supplemental and not needed for playing your electric guitar through a guitar amp (though they are nice to have). However, the essential things you need are listed below:
Electric Guitar
You won’t get very far playing electric guitar without one. The main difference between acoustic and electric guitars is that the electric guitar has a quarter-inch plug connection for the cord that connects the guitar to the amp.
Electric guitars also tend to be solid-body instruments, although the hollow body and electric acoustic guitars are available.
Almost all electric guitars have some dials for volume and other sound settings on the guitar’s body.
The Right Amplifier
Another essential you need for playing an electric guitar is the guitar amplifier. The amplifier is usually a cube-shaped design with dials on one side and an electricity plug that requires a 120-volt connection to a wall socket.
Guitar amplifiers come in all different sizes. Amps can be small and used as practice amps for your personal use in a small studio, or large boxes with powered heads attached for playing concert halls and everything in between.
Quarter Inch Lead
The connection between the guitar and amplifier is called the lead. The amplifier and the guitar have a female connection port that the quarter-inch lead cable is plugged into. Although some amplifiers come complete with Bluetooth connection and wireless capability, most amplifiers still rely on a wired connection with a lead.
(Source: Guitar Head)
Power for the Amplifier and Guitar
Before you start playing your electric guitar through your amplifier, you need power. The amplifier has a power cord that you plug into a wall socket. If your guitar has a standby option, switch it on until you plug your electric guitar into the amp to minimize feedback.
The power for your electric guitar comes from the quarter-inch lead cord that is plugged into both the guitar port and the amp port. As long as the amp has power, you can play your electric guitar while plugged in.
How to Use Basic Guitar Settings in Tandem with the Amp
Before you start jamming away on your guitar, it is essential to understand all of the various dials, switches, and buttons on the guitar’s body and the two faces of the guitar amp.
The settings on your guitar can be pretty intimidating. Most electric guitars include more than just a volume dial on the body. Your guitar settings are an easy first step you should take when learning how to use your guitar amp. The dials and basic settings on the guitar influence the sound coming out of the amplifier.
Read on for more information about the different:
- Knobs
- Dials
- Basic settings
On your electric guitar and how each of these settings helps you while playing with a guitar amp.
Master Controller
Central control for the guitar is known as the master controller. It is a single knob that changes the setting for the multiple pickup positions on an electric guitar.
Most electric guitars have at least two or even three pickups that are magnetic. Pickups transmit the strings’ vibration to the amplifier, where the signal gets amplified enough to play through speakers.
The master controller is the necessary volume control of the guitar and is rudimentary. The range of volume cannot get finely tuned with the master controller. However, the master controller should get set to the general volume you wish to play at. The volume can refine volume from there with other settings.
(source: Happy New Guitar Day)
Isolated Controller
Isolating each pickup gives you the flexibility to configure your volume and even your tone in two different ways. In other words, you may have two completely different volume and tone settings with a dial for each and one switch that allows you to go back and forth between the two pickups.
An isolated pickup is an excellent way of seamlessly changing your electric guitar and amplifier’s tone or volume in the middle of the song without having to mess around with the knobs too much.
(Source: Guitar Skills Planet)
Volume Knob
Volume is the sound decibel level that comes from the vibrating strings of your electric guitar through your amplifier. The volume knob on your electric guitar allows you the ability to turn the volume of one or both of your pickups up or down.
Most volume knobs have a one through ten-level engraved on the knob, with some models having levels that go up to eleven for fun.
Tone Knob
The tone is the sound of the treble output in your electric guitar and amp sound frequency. Trebles can be lowered for lower sound quality or raised for a higher, more “tinny” quality of sound.
The frequency spread of the signal is known as tone. The tone adjustment on an electric guitar is the same idea as on radios or stereos; the more tone allowed to pass through the signal, the higher the frequency or more “shrill” it will sound.
How to Use Basic Guitar Amp Settings
Once you have mastered your electric guitar basics, it is time to refine your instrument’s sound even further with basic guitar amp settings. Most guitar amps have four basic setting knobs that control various sound frequency settings that can give your electric guitar sounds from dry and cozy jazz, to guttural bass-filled blues, to grungy hard rock-n-roll.
The four central knobs for basic settings on a guitar amp are the gains, bass, mids, and treble. Each of these dials allows from all to none of its specific frequency through to the amplified sound.
The knobs of basic settings on a guitar amp are known as EQ or equalizer settings except for gains, which are referred to as a voltage setting or volume on the amp. EQ settings are the settings or pieces of hardware in the actual amp that allow players to adjust the volume(gains) at specific points in the sound frequency.
All necessary settings knobs on an electric guitar amp have a numerical range of one to ten. Some brands use a playful one to twelve for more capacity. Read on to find out more about what each of these four basic knob settings on an electric guitar amp does and how to use them correctly for different music genres.
(Source: Music Getaway)
Gains
When most guitarists think of the gains on an electric guitar amplifier setting, they think rock-n-roll. Although turning the gains up high on your guitar amp gives a grungy or crunch quality to your sound, gains set too high distort and disrupt the sound frequency’s quality.
The tone of your playing is more muffled and not as clear the higher your gains are set. You are also much more likely to get feedback if you put your gains too high.
Since gains are connected to voltage and volume more than the EQ of the sound frequency, it is best to keep your gains setting knob on a low setting below 5 when you’re starting. Unless you are playing death metal music, a lower gain is more comfortable to play with and produces better quality sound from your amp.
Mids
The middle frequency of your electric guitar sound is where the basis of the sound lives. Keeping the setting of your mids low is sufficient for a clean and more hollow sound. However, to produce a full sound with more force or strength, a higher mids setting is a great choice.
Mids set the foundation EQ for the frequency of the sound coming out of your amplifier. Once you find a setting that you like, you will probably leave it where it is and use the other EQ setting knobs to play around with your electric guitar’s final sound.
Bass
Everyone who has heard that thumping car rumbling down the street knows that bass is the lowest sound frequency in music. However, the bass setting of your electric guitar amplifier is not that simple.
Most players will keep the bass on a low setting unless they use additional pedals to equalize the sound. This is because although a higher bass setting on your amp can make your sound more robust, it also distorts the tone of your sound and can even make it hard to differentiate between crisp and clean notes that you play.
Treble
Treble refers to the higher frequency of sound that comes out of your amplifier. Adjusting your treble is one of the most common settings you will mess with while playing. When you take the time to get your treble adjusted, the treble changes give an immediate yet subdued effect to the final sound’s frequency.
High treble is excellent for making your notes crisp and clean. However, if you make the treble too high, the frequency will sound “screechy” and make it difficult (and even painful) for people to listen to your notes.
(Source: Pro Sound HQ)
Dial Settings for Great Guitar Amp Sounds
When you first start playing your electric guitar on a new amp, you will want the amp EQ’d. When you EQ an amp, you find the dials’ optimal settings for your everyday playing style. Most amps have an ideal setting, which you should find when you first begin playing.
Before you can start to play around with your amplifier’s setting and begin to understand how to use a guitar amp, you must get a baseline setting and EQ your amp. Read on to find out more about how to EQ an amp.
How to EQ an Electric Guitar Amplifier
Before playing around with the settings, knobs, and controls of a new amplifier, you should go through these simple steps to find the EQ of your amp. Finding the EQ of your amp might not be the settings you use to play live or play gigs, but it will give you a baseline to work from.
Set All Knobs Pointing Upwards
You want an equal start for all of your knobs. The setting where all the knobs are pointing directly upwards is known as the twelve o’clock position.
Always start at this central position with all knob settings on your amp to avoid getting overwhelmed with the possibilities of sound you can produce. You are looking for a stable starting point to mess around with the knobs and find a perfect tone.
Tweak Knobs One at a Time
The best method of finding the EQ of your amplifier is to tweak each knob one at a time. Move the knob from their twelve o-clock positions to off. Then, slowly raise the level of the setting until it starts to sound good.
A pro tip is to not move the dial too quickly to extremes. If a setting on one dial sounds good, move on to the next one and repeat the same level of scrutiny you had for the previous. Allow yourself the time and patience to go back to previous knobs and tweak the dial settings several times.
The overall goal is to hone a sound that sounds good to your ear at a low volume. You can find this with some persistence and patience, so don’t give up!
Lay Off the Gain
Many beginners make the rookie mistake of using the gain knob too much. The gain knob indeed gives an immediate effect to the sound that is noticeable and kind to your guitar tone. You can make your playing sound muddled, and it is easier to gloss over mistakes with a high gain setting.
However, the gain setting also makes it impossible to play crisp and clean notes and can get you playing with bad habits right off the bat.
It isn’t easy to practice your art as a guitarist. However, the necessary settings on your guitar amp help you cultivate a professional quality sound. When practicing, it is essential to limit your gain setting as much as possible until you get a real sense of your sound and are a more accomplished guitar player.
Live Amp Settings vs. Home Amp Settings
The problem with your amp’s EQ is that it will not give you the same levels for live shows or jamming. The live amp is much “livelier” and must be tempered with a more particular setting on the amp than the subdued playing you do at home.
When you set up your guitar amp for practicing at home, it is easy to get overwhelmed with your amp’s sound and frequency. You might hear all bass and gain, but not much else in the middle of the higher end.
However, it could be the exact opposite when you perform live. Gains and treble can be dialed up a bit for live shows. However, always be careful of shrill sounding frequencies and gains that overpower and muddle your notes’ tone and playing.
Live gigs should also get played on an electric amp with plenty of mids to fill out an otherwise hollow sound. And, although gain settings are crucial for volume, you always need less than you think. Ask your sound person to have a bandmate stand in the audience during soundcheck to figure out the perfect gain setting before the performance.
(Source: National Guitar Academy)
Tips for Playing in General With EQ
Now that you have the basic idea of how to tune and EQ your amplifier to optimize your sound and frequency for live and home playing, there are a few additional tips that can help you out immensely.
- Angle your amp: One of the most straightforward tips to remember is to angle your amp. Angling the amp up towards your head will give you a better sound that you can hear during live shows. It also helps to distribute your sound throughout a room.
- Trust your ear: Trusting your ear is a crucial part of this whole process of EQ. When your amp sounds good, please don’t mess with it too much more. A guitarist can second guess themselves all night, but you have to give up the perfection of sound frequency and just play at some point. As long as you are confident, your sound should be as well.
- Tune the strings: Tuning with a quality tuner helps you stay consistent with your playing. Make sure you use the same tuner that you practice with as you will play live with. Also, a vibration sensor at the end of the guitar’s neck is an easy and great way to tune during gigs.
- Find time to replace strings: A fresh set of strings sounds livelier and rings fresh, and makes your playing sound better. Take the time and invest in new strings frequently.
(Source: National Guitar Academy)
How to Use Advanced Settings on a Guitar Amp
Once you have the basics of your electric guitar and guitar amp down (and possibly even before), it is time for playing around with the advanced settings of an electric guitar amp. There are several ways to produce sounds with advanced settings on a guitar amp. Each of these techniques requires some sort of EQ and a playing technique.
Some of the most common advanced settings that produce unique sound on your guitar amp are pedals. Pedals come in all:
- Shapes
- Sizes
- Tones
- Frequencies
And each one is not created equal. The most common pedals include distortion pedals, loop pedals, overdrive pedals, fuzz pedals, and many more.
Pedals are great for beginners and experts alike. All you have to do is attach a pedal from your guitar to the amp with two connection cords. The connection is made once you step on the pedal button and engage the effect of the pedal.
Read on to find out more about the different types of pedals for producing advanced sounds on your guitar amp and which pedal products are the most popular.
(Source: Professional Music Technology)
Distortion Pedal
Distortion is a crunchy frequency cousin to gains. There are many distortion pedals out there on the market. However, the best ones give your electric guitar sound an extra boost in your gains without making the sound blurred or runny.
With a distortion pedal, you get a distorted sound with an increase of sustained sound. Distortion pedals can actually make your playing sound better and increase your tone’s quality to a point.
(Source: Gear Rank)
Loop Pedal
Loop pedals are fantastic for allowing a guitar player to layer sounds on top of each other. You can also produce bass or rhythm parts that you can solo over. The idea with a loop is that you can record and loop a short amount of your guitar playing, then have that portion of your playing looped continuously on through the amplifier.
The loop pedal records the sound on its onboard memory card as a .WAV file, then plays it as a loop over the amplifier. Any musician who likes to practice along with others but can’t will find the loop beneficial.
A loop pedal also offers artistic interpretations of a whole symphony of electric guitar options at your disposal and can be really fun and creative.
(Source: Masterclass)
Overdrive Pedal
The overdrive is the powerhouse pedal that brings your whole sound frequency up to the next level. Although overdrive is just a type of distortion frequency, most overdrive pedals push the level of decibel and gain that your amplifier usually has for output.
With an overdrive pedal, you will get the same distortion type no matter the volume you are playing at. The sound is distorted by bringing your sound past the clean distortion of the amp and keeping it there. It doesn’t matter if you are playing at lower volumes; the distortion of overdrive pedals remains.
(Source: Fender)
Fuzz Pedal
The allure of specialty pedals and effects for electric guitar will never go out of fashion. One of the most popular specialty pedal sounds is the fuzz pedal. Although the fuzz pedal is a glorified distortion pedal, it sustains a constant sound frequency no matter the volume, much like an overdrive pedal.
Fuzz is the type of distortion born out of rock and roll legends getting a specific sound from their amps through techniques like cutting the amps with razor blades. Fuzz is the natural progression of distortion towards the bass end of the spectrum: Low, the vibrating frequency with long sustaining sound.
(Source: Fender)
The Outro
Guitar amps are beautiful for their ability to be simple and produce unique sounds all at once. The basic settings of a guitar amp should help you become confident, if nothing else. Once you learn these basics and can EQ your guitar amp, you are on your way to finding your own sound with your personal guitar amp.
Learning how to use a guitar amp takes time, so don’t give up. Find a decent amp that you feel comfortable using and that you can learn on quickly. Then, follow the necessary steps outlined in this guide. Once you find a suitable sound, don’t look back. The music you start playing should be more confident-sounding because of it.
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