The most confusing thing about guitar amplifiers is the amount of information available about them, most of which is of a highly technical nature and aimed at the accomplished musician rather than the beginner. All too often advice on which amp to buy centres round the word “best”, to which you should attach the word ‘expensive’.

As a beginner guitarist all you need is something that amplifies the sound of your electric guitar so that you can hear it. You can do the same thing with a set of headphones if there are others in your house who are not as impressed with your playing as they might be. You do NOT need an amplifier if you have an electric acoustic unless you (a) intend to perform to a largish audience, or (b) want to annoy the neighbours.

You will quickly find there are two types of amplifier; solid state and valve. Valves are for performing musicians, please take my word for that and save yourself not just a lot of money, but running expenses as well. For the learner on electric guitar solid state is the way to go and as simple as possible. This is to prevent you becoming distracted by the fantastic sounds and rhythms that more sophisticated models can provide. The controls on a Roland MicroCube, for example, are more than enough to keep you amused for the first year or so, and at two watts the output is probably about as much as the windows can take. The nice thing about that particular amp is that it is also fully portable, because it can run off batteries if necessary.

Another portable favorite of mine is the mini-amp which is a battery powered, 1 watt device that you can take anywhere. There are models available for less than $45 and I especially like the retro design of the Danelectro Honeytones. These also have a belt clip giving you full portability and you can use headphones with them as well.

If you are worried about the quality of the amp you are thinking of buying (and who wouldn’t be?) just stick to the tried and trusted brands such as Roland, Fender, Marshall, Vox, Korg, Line 6 and Behringer, but remember that with each increase in quality and functionality there comes an exponential increase in price.

photo credit: ArtBrom