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109-444: The first Pignose amplifier was a battery-powered, five-watt portable guitar amplifier with one five-inch speaker. It is considered the first portable electric guitar amplifier. The inventors gave 65 prototypes (with rubber volume knobs shaped like the end of a pig's nose) to some of the most famous musicians of the era, including Led Zeppelin , The Rolling Stones , The Beatles , The Eagles , and The Who . Terry Kath (of Chicago )

218-873: A balanced output from the preamp section to a PA system or recording input. Instrument amplifiers are available in a wide range of price, quality, and performance levels. Some are designed for beginners, such as small, low-wattage practice amps , which typically have a single 8" speaker and about 10 watts, or smaller combo amps with relatively low wattage (15 to 20 watts) and a single 10" speaker. Mid- to large-size combo amps with 30 to 50 watts and one 12" speaker or four 10" speakers are best for high-volume situations, such as band rehearsals and onstage performances. For large venues, such as outdoor music festivals , guitarists may use one or more 100 watts (or several hundred watts) heads with one or more 8x10” cabinets. Vacuum tubes (called valves in British English) were by far

327-517: A drum machine ), send and return jacks to create an effects loop, a line out jack, and an extension speaker jack. Practice amps sometimes have a 1/4" headphone jack, or stereo RCA or mini jacks for connecting a CD player , portable media player or other sound sources. Some guitar amps have an XLR input so that a microphone can be plugged in for singing. Guitar amps that include a mic input are in effect small, portable PA systems . Some amps, typically bass amps, have an XLR connector to provide

436-476: A guitar solo may use a boost to increase the volume of their solo. Volume effects: Electro-Harmonix LPB-1, Fender Volume Pedal, MXR Micro Amp, Ernie Ball Volume Pedal. Treadle -based volume pedals are used by electric instrument players (guitar, bass, keyboards) to adjust the volume of their instrument with one foot while their hands are being used to play their instrument. Treadle-style volume pedals are often also used to create swelling effects by removing

545-417: A nightclub or bar performance. Guitar amplifiers can also modify an instrument's tone by emphasizing or de-emphasizing certain frequencies, using equalizer controls, which function the same way as the bass and treble knobs on a home stereo, and by adding electronic effects ; distortion (also called overdrive) and reverb are commonly available as built-in features. The input of modern guitar amplifiers

654-497: A speaker cabinet —a head on top of one cabinet is commonly called a half stack , a head atop two cabinets a full-stack . The cabinet that the head sits on often has an angled top in front, while the lower cabinet of a full stack has a straight front. The first version of the Marshall stack was an amp head on an 8×12 cabinet, meaning a single speaker cabinet containing eight 12" guitar speakers. After six of these cabinets were made,

763-444: A tube amplifier . Throughout the 1990s, musicians committed to a lo-fi aesthetic such as J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. , Stephen Malkmus of Pavement and Robert Pollard of Guided by Voices continued to use analog effects pedals. Effects and effects units—stompboxes in particular—have been celebrated by pop and rock musicians in album titles, songs and band names. The Big Muff , a fuzzbox manufactured by Electro-Harmonix ,

872-404: A 100-watt amplifier is only just noticeably louder than a 50-watt amplifier. Such generalizations are also subject to the human ear's tendency to behave as a natural compressor at high volumes. Power attenuation can be used with either low-power or high-power amplifiers, resulting in variable-power amplifiers. A high-power amplifier with power attenuation can produce power-tube distortion through

981-613: A carrying handle, and many combo amplifiers and cabinets have metal or plastic-reinforced corners to protect the amp during transportation. Control knobs and buttons are typically on the front of the cabinet or chassis, though in some cases, the knobs are on a recessed panel at the back of the top of the amplifier. The most basic amps only have a few knobs, which typically control volume, bass, and treble. More expensive amps may have several knobs that control pre-amp volume (or gain), distortion or overdrive, volume, bass, mid and treble, and reverb. Some older amps (and their re-issued versions) have

1090-812: A combination ("combo") amplifier that includes an amplifier and one or more speakers in a single cabinet, and a standalone amplifier (often called a head or amp head ), which passes the amplified signal via a speaker cable to one or more external speaker cabinets . A wide range of speaker configurations are available in guitar cabinets—from cabinets with a single speaker (e.g., 1×10" or 1×12") or multiple speakers (e.g., 2×10", 4×10" or 8x10"). Guitar amplifiers vary widely in price and quality. Many music equipment companies import small, low-powered practice amplifiers for students and beginners that sell for less than $ 50. Other companies produce expensive custom-made amplifiers for professional musicians, which can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars (USD). Most combo amplifiers have

1199-473: A computer running tone-shaping software. Using a modeling amp or a multi-effects pedal used with line level output, a guitarist can plug in the guitar into a flat response mic input or into a keyboard amplifier . Acoustic amplifiers are intended for acoustic guitars and other acoustic instruments, especially for the way these instruments are used in relatively quiet genres such as folk and bluegrass . They are similar to keyboard amplifiers, in that they have

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1308-478: A few knobs to control the effects to large, expensive floor units with many pedals and knobs. Rack-mounted multi-effects units may be mounted in the same rack as preamplifiers and power amplifiers. A tabletop unit is a type of multi-effects device that sits on a desk and is controlled manually. One such example is the Pod guitar amplifier modeler. Digital effects designed for DJs are often sold in tabletop models, so that

1417-551: A guitar amplifier and other guitar equipment. Electric guitars and basses have a volume control on the instrument that attenuates the signal from selected pickups. There may be two volume controls on an electric guitar or bass, wired in parallel to mix the signal levels from the neck and bridge pickups. Rolling back the guitar's volume control also changes the pickup's equalization or frequency response, which can provide pre-distortion equalization. The simplest guitar amplifiers, such as some vintage amps and modern practice amps, have only

1526-413: A guitar amplifier capable of producing the distorted crunch that rock musicians were starting to seek. The electronic transistor finally made it possible to fit effects circuitry into highly portable stompbox units. Transistors replaced vacuum tubes , allowing for much more compact formats and greater stability. The first transistorized guitar effect was the 1962 Maestro Fuzz Tone pedal, which became

1635-474: A home computer or laptop. Line 6 is generally credited with bringing modeling amplification to the market. Modeling amplifiers and stompbox pedals, rackmount units, and software that models specific amplifiers, speakers cabinets, and microphones can provide a large number of sounds and tones. Players can get a reasonable facsimile of the sound of tube amplifiers, vintage combo amplifiers, and huge 8x10” speaker stacks without bringing all that heavy equipment to

1744-470: A knob that controls a vibrato or tremolo effect. The 1/4" input jack is typically mounted on the front of the amplifier. In the simplest, least expensive amplifiers, this 1/4" jack is the only jack on the amplifier. More expensive amplifiers may have a patch bay for multiple inputs and outputs, such as a pre-amp out (for sending to another guitar amplifier), a second low gain input, to use with active basses, an in jack to create an effects loop (when used with

1853-432: A microphone, either for the guitar amp to be used for singing (in effect as a mini- PA system ), or, for acoustic guitar, to mix a mic signal with a pickup signal. The vast majority of guitar amps can only be powered by AC mains power (plugging into a wall outlet); however, a small number of practice amps are designed for buskers also have battery power so they can be used for street performances. A combo amp contains

1962-528: A particular guitarist's sound, recording engineers and PA system techs typically put a microphone in front of the guitar speaker, rather than only use the guitar amp's pre-amp out signal. A sound engineer or music producer may send the DI out signal from the pickups to a separate track at the same time, so they can re-amp the signal later. In contrast, it is fairly common to use a DI box with electric bass . Distortion sound or "texture" from guitar amplifiers

2071-474: A preamp or equalizer. The earliest sound effects were strictly used in studio productions. Microphones placed in echo chambers with specially designed acoustic properties simulated the sound of live performances in different environments. In the mid to late 1940s, recording engineers and experimental musicians such as Les Paul began manipulating reel-to-reel recording tape to create echo effects and unusual, futuristic sounds. In 1941, DeArmond released

2180-544: A rack can offer space for conveniently mounting additional rackmount equipment or accessories. Rackmounted effects units are typically mounted in a rack, which may be housed within a road case, a durable case with removable access panels that protect the equipment within during transportation. Because of this, rackmount effect units are not always designed with durable protective features such as corner protectors which are used on stompboxes and amps that are designed to be transported as standalone units. A multi-effects (MFX) device

2289-518: A range of listening volumes but with a decrease in high-power distortion. Other technologies, such as dual rectifiers and the sag circuit —which should not be confused with attenuation—allow high-power amplifiers to produce low power volume while preserving high power distortion. Speaker efficiency is also a major factor affecting a tube amplifier's maximum volume. For bass instruments, higher-power amplifiers are needed to reproduce low-frequency sounds. While an electric guitarist would be able to play at

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2398-496: A regular wall socket "quickly became popular with musicians"; indeed, "... Leon McAuliffe (with Bob Wills ) still used a carbon mic and a portable PA as late as 1935." During the late 1920s to mid-1930s, small portable PA systems and guitar combo amplifiers were fairly similar. These early amps had a "single volume control and one or two input jacks, field coil speakers" and thin wooden cabinets; remarkably, these early amps did not have tone controls or even an on-off switch. In 1928,

2507-629: A relatively flat frequency response with minimal coloration. To produce this relatively clean sound, these amplifiers often have powerful amplifiers (providing up to 800 watts RMS), to provide additional Headroom and prevent unwanted distortion. Since an 800-watt amplifier built with standard Class AB technology is heavy, some acoustic amplifier manufacturers use lightweight Class D amplifiers , which are also called switching amplifiers. Acoustic amplifiers produce an uncolored, acoustic sound when used with acoustic instruments with built-in transducers, pickups or microphones. The amplifiers often come with

2616-634: A sensation after its use in the 1965 Rolling Stones hit " (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction ". Warwick Electronics manufactured the first wah-wah pedal , The Clyde McCoy, in 1967 and that same year Roger Mayer developed the first octave effect , which Jimi Hendrix named "Octavio". Upon first hearing the Octavia, Hendrix reportedly rushed back to the studio and immediately used it to record the guitar solos on " Purple Haze " and " Fire ". In 1968, Univox began marketing Shin-ei's Uni-Vibe pedal, an effect designed by noted audio engineer Fumio Mieda that mimicked

2725-414: A similar combo amp that added metal corner protectors to keep the corners in good condition during transportation. In 1933, Dobro released an electric guitar and amp package. The combo amp had two 8" Lansing speakers and a five- tube chassis. Dobro made a two speaker combo amp that was on the market over 12 years before Fender launched its two-speaker Dual Professional/Super combo amp. In 1933, Audio-Vox

2834-428: A simple mixer, so that the signals from a pickup and a condenser microphone can be blended. Since the early 2000s, it has become increasingly common for acoustic amplifiers to provide a range of digital effects, such as reverb and compression . As well, these amplifiers often contain feedback -suppressing devices, such as notch filters or parametric equalizers . An amplifier stack consists of an amplifier head atop

2943-521: A single volume control. Most have two volume controls: a first volume control called "preamplifier" or "gain" and a master volume control. The preamp or gain control works differently on different guitar amp designs. On an amp designed for acoustic guitar , turning up the preamp knob pre-amplifies the signal—but even at its maximum setting, the preamp control is unlikely to produce much overdrive . However, with amps designed for electric guitarists playing blues , hard rock and heavy metal music , turning up

3052-415: A slightly more raw, open and edgy sound." The relationship between power output in watts and perceived volume is not immediately obvious. The human ear perceives a 5-watt amplifier as half as loud as a 50-watt amplifier (a tenfold increase in power), and a half-watt amplifier is a quarter as loud as a 50-watt amp. Doubling the output power of an amplifier results in a just noticeable increase in volume, so

3161-616: A small club with a 50-watt amplifier, a bass player performing in the same venue would probably need an amplifier with 200 or more watts. Distortion is a feature available on many guitar amplifiers that is not typically found on keyboard or bass guitar amplifiers. Tube guitar amplifiers can produce distortion through pre-distortion equalization, preamp tube distortion, post-distortion EQ, power-tube distortion, tube rectifier compression, output transformer distortion, guitar speaker distortion, and guitar speaker and cabinet frequency response. Because many factors beyond preamp distortion contribute to

3270-517: A stompbox's, although its circuits are typically more complex. Unlike stompboxes, rackmounts usually have several different types of effects. Rackmount effects units are controlled by knobs, switches or buttons on their front panel, and often remote-controllable by a MIDI digital control interface or pedal-style foot controller . Rackmount effects units are most commonly used in recording studios and front of house live sound mixing situations. Musicians may use them in place of stompboxes, as use of

3379-485: A tube power amp fed by a solid-state pre-amp circuit, as in most of the original MusicMan amplifiers. Alternatively, a tube preamplifier can feed a solid-state output stage, as in models from Kustom , Hartke, SWR , and Vox . This approach dispenses with the need for an output transformer and easily achieves modern power levels. Microprocessor technology allows the use of digital onboard effects in guitar amps to create numerous different sounds and tones that simulate

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3488-553: A tube, allowing the sound to be shaped into vowels and consonants with movements of the mouth. The modified sound is then picked up by a microphone. In this way, the guitarist is able create the effect that the guitar is talking. Some famous uses of the talkbox include Bon Jovi 's " Livin' on a Prayer ", Stevie Wonder 's " Black Man ", Mötley Crüe 's " Kickstart My Heart ", Joe Walsh 's " Rocky Mountain Way ", Alice in Chains 's " Man in

3597-531: A variety of solid-state effects pedals including flangers , chorus pedals, ring modulators and phase shifters were available. In the 1980s, digital rackmount units began replacing stompboxes as the effects format of choice. Often musicians would record dry , unaltered tracks in the studio and effects would be added in post-production. The success of Nirvana 's 1991 album Nevermind helped to re-ignite interest in stompboxes. Some grunge guitarists would chain several fuzz pedals together and plug them into

3706-632: A wider frequency range and need a full-range speaker system. Much more amplifier power is required to reproduce low-frequency sound, especially at high volume. Reproducing low frequencies also requires a suitable woofer or subwoofer speaker and enclosure , with bass cabinets often being larger than a cabinet for mid-range or high-range sounds. As well, the open-back cabinets used on many electric guitar amps, while effective for electric guitar, do not have good bass reproduction. Woofer enclosures must be larger and more sturdily built than cabinets for mid-range or high-frequency ( tweeter ) speakers. As such, in

3815-487: Is a 1/4" jack , which is fed a signal from an electro-magnetic pickup (from an electric guitar) or a piezoelectric pickup (usually from an acoustic guitar) using a patch cord , or a wireless transmitter. For electric guitar players, their choice of amp and the settings they use on the amplifier are a key part of their signature tone or sound. Some guitar players are longtime users of a specific amp brand or model. Guitarists may also use external effects pedals to alter

3924-680: Is a preamplifier . It amplifies the audio signal to a level that can drive the power stage. The preamplifier also changes the tone of the signal; high preamp settings add overdrive . The power amplifier produces a high current signal to drive a loudspeaker and produce sound. Various types of tone stages may affect the guitar signal: Tone stages may also provide electronic effects—such as equalization , compression, distortion, chorus , or reverb . Amplifiers may use vacuum tubes (called valves in Britain), solid-state (transistor) devices, or both. The two common guitar amplifier configurations are

4033-476: Is a single electronics effects pedal or rackmount device that contains many different electronic effects. multi-effects devices allow users to preset combinations of different effects, allowing musicians quick on-stage access to different effects combinations. Multi-effects units typically have a range of distortion, chorus, flanger, phaser, delay, looper and reverb effects. Pedal-style multi-effects range from fairly inexpensive stompboxes that contain two pedals and

4142-440: Is a type of overdrive effects unit that clips a signal until it is nearly a squarewave , resulting in a heavily distorted or fuzzy sound. Fuzzboxes may contain frequency multiplier circuitry to achieve a harsh timbre by adding complex harmonics . The Rolling Stones ' song " (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction ", with a fuzz effect featured prominently on the main electric guitar riff played by Keith Richards, greatly popularized

4251-443: Is also called an effect box , effects device , effects processor or simply an effect . The abbreviation F/X or FX is sometimes used. A pedal-style unit may be called a stomp box , stompbox , effects pedal or pedal . Unprocessed audio coming into an effects unit is referred to as dry , while the processed audio output is referred to as wet . A musician bringing many pedals to a live show or recording session often mounts

4360-409: Is an electronic device or system that strengthens the electrical signal from a pickup on an electric guitar , bass guitar , or acoustic guitar so that it can produce sound through one or more loudspeakers , which are typically housed in a wooden cabinet . A guitar amplifier may be a standalone wood or metal cabinet that contains only the power amplifier (and preamplifier ) circuits, requiring

4469-579: Is commemorated by the Depeche Mode song " Big Muff " and the Mudhoney EP Superfuzz Bigmuff . Nine Inch Nails , Pink Floyd , George Harrison , They Might Be Giants and Joy Division are among the many musicians who have referenced effects units in their music. Distortion, overdrive, and fuzz effects units add a warm , gritty , or fuzzy character to an audio signal by re-shaping or clipping it, which distorts

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4578-519: Is controlled by the volume of the input signal. The most common filter type used for this effect pedal is the low-pass filter, although many designs include a toggle for band-pass or high-pass filters as well. Additionally, some designs can switch between a down filter mode and an up filter. This effect is commonly used in funk, reggae and jam band music. Envelope filter effects: Musitronics Mu-Tron III , Electro-Harmonix Q-Tron Plus, DOD Envelope Filter 440. Modulation , in general electronics, means

4687-421: Is further shaped or processed through the frequency response and distortion factors in the microphones (their response, placement, and multi-microphone comb filtering effects), microphone preamps, mixer channel equalization, and compression. Additionally, the basic sound produced by the guitar amplifier can be changed and shaped by adding distortion and/or equalization effect pedals before the amp's input jack, in

4796-573: Is more common for bass amplifiers than for electric guitar cabinets), two 10" speakers, four 10" speakers, four 12" speakers, or eight 10" speakers. Less commonly, guitar cabinets may contain different sizes of speakers in the same cabinet. Cabinets with eight 10" speakers are large and heavy, and they are often equipped with wheels and a towel bar -style handle for transport. Some cabinets use mixed speaker types, such as one 15" speaker and two 10" speakers. Combo guitar amplifier cabinets and guitar speaker cabinets use several different designs, including

4905-441: Is not the same company as Stromberg Electro Instruments) introduced a guitar amp with "high output" and a "string driven magnetic pickup". Electro set out the standard template for combo amps: a wooden cabinet with the electronic amplifier mounted inside, and convenient carrying handles to facilitate transporting the cabinet. In 1933, Vivi-Tone amp set-ups were used for live performances and radio shows. In 1934, Rickenbacker launched

5014-691: Is the hinged case design, allowing the user not only to store objects like the cable and strap inside the amp, but also to open the case slightly to alter the tone to the player's preference. A feature for the more serious musician is the preamplifier output jack on the rear, allowing it to be connected to a larger amplifier for use as a guitar distortion effect. In addition to the 7-100, the company offers two battery-powered portable models called "Hog" that use integral rechargeable batteries, as well as small solid-state amplifiers. Around 2010 Pignose began manufacturing travel guitars with built in amplifiers. Guitar amplifier A guitar amplifier (or amp )

5123-642: The Hammond B-3 organ), tabletop units designed for DJs and record producers, and rackmounts , and are widely used as audio plug-ins in such common formats as VST , AAX , and AU . Musicians, audio engineers and record producers use effects units during live performances or in the studio, typically with electric guitar, bass guitar, electronic keyboard or electric piano . While effects are most frequently used with electric or electronic instruments , they can be used with any audio source, such as acoustic instruments, drums, and vocals. An effects unit

5232-562: The cleaner sound of solid-state amplifiers. Only a few solid-state amps have enduring attraction, such as the Roland Jazz Chorus . Solid-state amplifiers vary in output power, functionality, size, price, and sound quality in a wide range, from practice amplifiers to combos suitable for gigging to professional models intended for session musicians who do studio recording work . A hybrid amplifier involves one of two combinations of tube and solid-state amplification. It may have

5341-409: The dynamic range of an audio signal . A compressor is often used to stabilize volume and alter the sound of a note's attack . With extreme settings of its controls, a compressor can function as a limiter . Compressor effects: Keeley Compressor , MXR Dyna Comp , Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer . Noise gate : Noise gates attenuate hum, hiss, and static in the signal by greatly diminishing

5450-475: The impedance of the system. Two 8 ohm speakers wired in parallel have 4-ohm impedance. Guitarists who connect multiple cabinets to an amplifier must consider the amp's minimum impedance. Parallel vs. series also affects tone and sound. Speakers wired in parallel slightly dampen[s] and restrain[s] them, giving what some describe as tighter response and smoother breakup . Some describe speakers wired in series (usually no more than two) as sounding "...looser, giving

5559-434: The preamplifier , equalization filters, power amp , guitar speakers , and cabinet design. The FRFR approach assumes the tone is shaped by sound processors in the signal chain before the amplifier and speaker stage, so it strives to not add further coloration or dedicated combo-style amplifiers with a broad frequency range. Such processors can be traditional guitar effects, a modeling amplifier (without power amplifier), or

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5668-505: The "Legendary 7-100," the amplifier is still in production and used primarily as a portable practice amp. It has also found a role in recording studios, having been used on records by Joe Walsh , Eric Clapton and Frank Zappa . The 7-100 includes hanger buttons for a guitar strap, allowing a musician to carry the amplifier while standing or walking. The 7-100 is powered by six AA batteries or an optional AC adapter and weighs between five and six pounds (2.27-2.72 kg). Another feature

5777-894: The "gain" knob is equivalent to the distortion control on a distortion pedal and similarly may have a side-effect of changing the proportion of bass and treble sent to the next stage. Effects pedals An effects unit , effects processor , or effects pedal is an electronic device that alters the sound of a musical instrument or other audio source through audio signal processing . Common effects include distortion/overdrive , often used with electric guitar in electric blues and rock music ; dynamic effects such as volume pedals and compressors , which affect loudness ; filters such as wah-wah pedals and graphic equalizers , which modify frequency ranges; modulation effects, such as chorus , flangers and phasers ; pitch effects such as pitch shifters ; and time effects, such as reverb and delay , which create echoing sounds and emulate

5886-538: The 1930s and 1940s craze for Western Swing and Hawaiian music , which extensively used amplified lap steel guitars . In fact, the very first recording of an electrically amplified string instrument was the September 1933 recordings of Milton Brown and his Musical Brownies, featuring steel guitarist Bob Dunn In the 1920s, the earliest combo amplifiers had no tone controls. The first tone controls were simple, mainly providing treble adjustment. The limited controls,

5995-623: The 1930s and beyond. The first amplifiers and speakers could only be powered with large batteries, which made them heavy and hard to carry around. When engineers developed the first AC mains -powered amplifiers, they were soon used to make musical instruments louder. Engineers invented the first loud, powerful amplifier and speaker systems for public address systems and movie theaters . These PA systems and movie theatre sound systems were very large and very expensive, and so they could not be used by most touring musicians. After 1927, smaller, portable AC mains-powered PA systems that could be plugged into

6104-676: The 1950s, when Ampeg introduced bass amplifier and speaker systems, bass guitarists began to use them. Similarly, Hammond organ players used a specialized keyboard combo amplifier, the Leslie speaker cabinet, which contains a woofer for the low frequencies and a horn for the high frequencies. The Leslie horns rotate and a baffle around the woofer rotates as well, producing a rich tremolo and chorus effect . Typically, guitar amplifiers have two amplifying circuit stages, and frequently have tone-shaping electric circuits, which usually include at least bass and treble controls, which function similarly to

6213-596: The Air Tonight . Noise gate effects: Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor . Filter effects alter the frequency content of an audio signal that passes through them by either boosting or weakening specific frequencies or frequency regions. Equalizer : An equalizer is a set of linear filters that strengthen ( boost ) or weaken ( cut ) specific frequency regions. While basic home stereos often have equalizers for two bands, to adjust bass and treble, professional graphic equalizers offer much more targeted control over

6322-713: The Model 601 Tremolo Control, the first commercially available stand-alone effects unit. This device produced a tremolo by passing an instrument's electrical signal through a water-based electrolytic fluid. Most stand-alone effects of the 1950s and early 1960s such as the Gibson GA-VI vibrato unit and the Fender reverb box, were expensive and impractical, requiring bulky transformers and high voltages . The original stand-alone units were not especially in-demand as many effects came built into amplifiers. The first popular stand-alone

6431-522: The Stromberg-Voisinet firm marketed an electric stringed instrument and amplifier package. There are no records as to how many—if any—of the amps were ever built and sold, beyond marketing materials. Stromberg-Voisinet still launched a new idea: a portable electric instrument amp with a speaker, all in a transportable wooden cabinet. In 1929, Vega electrics launched a portable banjo amplifier. In 1932, Electro String Instruments and amplifier (this

6540-409: The altering of one signal based on another. In audio effects, modulation is a control feature that varies the strength or other attribute of the effect over time to alter tonal properties. Some modulation effects modulate an instrument's audio signal with a signal generated by the effect called a carrier wave . Other modulation effects split an instrument's audio signal in two, altering one portion of

6649-530: The amplifier and one or more speakers in a single cabinet. In a head and speaker cabinet configuration, the amplifier and speaker each have their own cabinet. The amplifier (head) may drive one or more speaker cabinets. In the 1920s, guitarists played through public address amplifiers, but by the 1940s this was uncommon. Besides instrument inputs and speaker outputs (typically via 1/4" jacks), an amp may have other inputs and outputs. These can include an auxiliary input jack (sometimes with its own level control, for

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6758-598: The amps and electrified or electric guitars that had been made from 1928 through the end of 1934. The first electric instrument amplifiers were not intended for electric guitars, but were portable PA systems . These appeared in the early 1930s when the introduction of electrolytic capacitors and rectifier tubes enabled economical built-in power supplies that could plug into wall sockets. Previously, amplifiers required heavy multiple battery packs . People used these amplifiers to amplify acoustic guitar , but electronic amplification of guitar first became widely popular in

6867-478: The attack of a note or chord, as popularised by pedal steel guitar players. This enables electric guitar and pedal steel players to imitate the soft swelling sound that an orchestra string section can produce, in which a note or chord starts very softly and then grows in volume. Treadle-based volume pedals do not usually have batteries or require external power. Compressor : Compressors make loud sounds quieter and quiet sounds louder by decreasing or compressing

6976-403: The audio frequency spectrum. Audio engineers use highly sophisticated equalizers to eliminate unwanted sounds, make an instrument or voice more prominent, and enhance particular aspects of an instrument's tone. Equalizer effects: Boss GE-7 Equalizer , MXR 10-band EQ Pedal. Talk box : A talk box directs the sound from an electric guitar or synthesizer into the mouth of a performer using

7085-472: The baffle material (the wood panel that holds the speaker), and the way the baffle attaches to the cabinet all affect tone. When two or more speakers are used in the same cabinet, or when two cabinets are used together, the speakers can be wired in parallel or in series, or in a combination of the two (e.g., two 2x10" cabinets, with the two speakers wired in series, can be connected together in parallel). Whether speakers are wired in parallel or in series affects

7194-650: The box " and Peter Frampton 's " Show Me the Way ". Talk boxes: Dunlop HT1 Heil Talk Box , Rocktron Banshee . Wah-wah : A wah-wah pedal creates vowel-like sounds by altering the frequency spectrum produced by an instrument—i.e., how loud it is at each separate frequency —in what is known as a spectral glide or sweep . The device is operated by a foot treadle that manipulates a potentiometer or other electronic control. Wah-wah pedals are often used by funk and rock guitarists. Wah effects: Dunlop Cry Baby , Morley Power Wah , Vox . Auto-wah or, more generally, envelope filter effects: A filter effect that

7303-481: The cabinet arrangement was changed to an amp head on two 4×12 (four 12" speakers) cabinets to make the cabinets more transportable. Some touring metal and rock bands have used a large array of guitar speaker cabinets for their impressive appearance. Some of these arrangements include only the fronts of speaker cabinets mounted on a large frame. There are many varieties of speaker combinations used in guitar speaker cabinets, including one 12" speaker, one 15" speaker (this

7412-619: The compression. Some guitar amplifiers have built-in multi-effects units or digital amplifier modeling effects. Bass amplifiers are less likely to have built-in effects, although some may have a compressor / limiter or fuzz bass effect. Instruments with built-in effects include Hammond organs , electronic organs , electronic pianos and digital synthesizers . Built-in effects for keyboards typically include reverb, chorus and, for Hammond organ, vibrato. Many clonewheel organs include an overdrive effect. Occasionally, acoustic-electric and electric guitars will have built-in effects, such as

7521-437: The dominant active electronic components in most instrument amplifier applications until the 1970s when solid-state semiconductors ( transistors ) started taking over. Transistor amplifiers are less expensive to build and maintain, reduce the weight and heat of an amplifier, and tend to be more reliable and more shock-resistant. Tubes are fragile and they must be replaced and maintained periodically. As well, serious problems with

7630-569: The early loudspeakers , and the low amplifier power (typically 15 watts or less before the mid-1950s) gave poor high treble and bass output. Some models also provided effects such as an electronic tremolo unit. In confusion over nomenclature, Fender labeled early amplifier tremolo as vibrato and called the vibrato arm of the Stratocaster guitar a tremolo bar (see vibrato unit , electric guitar , and tremolo ). Some later amplifier models included an onboard spring reverb effect, one of

7739-412: The effect, and a single LED that indicates if the effect is on. A typical distortion or overdrive pedal's three potentiometers, for example, control the level or intensity of the distortion effect, the tone of the effected signal and the output level of the effected signal. Depending on the type of pedal, the potentiometers may control different parameters of the effect. For a chorus effect , for example,

7848-405: The effects loop just before the tube power amp, or after the power tubes. Power-tube distortion is required for amp sounds in some genres. In a standard master-volume guitar amp, as the amp's final or master volume is increased beyond the full power of the amplifier, power-tube distortion is produced. The "power soak" approach places the attenuation between the power tubes and the guitar speaker. In

7957-461: The equivalent controls on a home hi-fi system. More expensive amplifiers typically have more controls for other frequency ranges, such as one or two midrange controls and a presence control for high frequencies. Some guitar amplifiers have a graphic equalizer , which uses vertical faders to control multiple frequency bands. Some more expensive bass amps have a parametric equalizer , which enables precise control of tone. The first amplifier stage

8066-416: The first 100-watt guitar amplifier. He pushed the limits of electric amplification technology, helping to develop new equipment that was capable of producing "thick, clearly defined tones" at "previously undreamed-of volumes." Distortion became more popular from the mid-1960s, when The Kinks guitarist Dave Davies produced distortion effects by connecting the already distorted output of one amplifier into

8175-545: The first being the Ampeg Reverberocket amp. In the 1950s, several guitarists experimented with producing distortion by deliberately overdriving amplifiers. These included Goree Carter , Joe Hill Louis , Elmore James , Ike Turner , Willie Johnson , Pat Hare , Guitar Slim , Chuck Berry , Johnny Burnette , and Link Wray . In the early 1960s, surf rock guitarist Dick Dale worked closely with Fender to produce custom made amplifiers, including

8284-421: The form factor, effects units are part of a studio or musician's outboard gear . Stompboxes are small plastic or metal chassis that usually lie on the floor or in a pedalboard to be operated by the user's feet. Pedals are often rectangle-shaped, but there are a range of other shapes (e.g., the circular Fuzz Face ). Typical simple stompboxes have a single footswitch, one to three potentiometers for controlling

8393-444: The guitar and the amp or between the preamplifier and the power amp. When a pedal is off or inactive, the electric audio signal coming into the pedal diverts onto a bypass , an unaltered dry signal that continues on to other effects down the chain. In this way, a musician can combine effects within a chain in a variety of ways without having to reconnect boxes during a performance. A controller or effects management system lets

8502-475: The input of another. Later, most guitar amps were provided with preamplifier distortion controls, and fuzz boxes and other effects units were engineered to safely and reliably produce these sounds. Overdrive and distortion have become integral parts of many styles of electric guitar playing, ranging from blues rock to heavy metal and hardcore punk . Guitar combo amplifiers were at first used with bass guitars and electric pianos , but these instruments produce

8611-455: The knobs may control the depth and speed of the effect. Complex stompboxes may have multiple footswitches, many knobs, additional switches or buttons that are operated with the fingers, and an alphanumeric LED display that indicates the status of the effect with short acronyms (e.g., DIST for "distortion"). An effects chain is formed by connecting two or more stompboxes forming a signal chain . Effect chains are typically created between

8720-462: The musician create multiple effect chains, so they can select one or several chains by tapping a single switch. The switches are usually organized in a row or a simple grid. It is common to put compression , wah and overdrive pedals at the start of the chain; modulation ( chorus , flanger , phase shifter ) in the middle; and time-based units ( delay /echo, reverb at the end. When using many effects, unwanted noise and hum can be introduced into

8829-586: The odd phase shift and chorus effects of the Leslie rotating speakers used in Hammond organs . The pedals soon became favorite effects of guitarists Jimi Hendrix and Robin Trower . In 1976, Roland subsidiary Boss Corporation released the CE-1 Chorus Ensemble, the first chorus pedal , created by taking a chorus circuit from an amplifier and putting it into a stompbox . By the mid-1970s

8938-524: The open back cabinet, the closed back cabinet (a sealed box), and, less commonly, bass reflex designs, which use a closed back with a vent or port cut into the cabinet. With guitar amps, most open back amp cabinets are not fully open; part of the back is enclosed with panels. Combo guitar amp cabinets and standalone speaker cabinets are often made of plywood . Some are made of MDF or particle board —especially in low-budget models. Cabinet size and depth, material types, assembly methods, type and thickness of

9047-440: The pedals on a guitar pedalboard , to reduce set-up and tear-down time and, for pedalboards with lids, protect the pedals during transportation. When a musician has multiple effects in a rack mounted road case , this case may be called an effects rack or rig . When rackmounted effects are mounted in a roadcase, this also speeds up a musician's set-up and tear-down time, because all of the effects can be connected together inside

9156-588: The power supply in early tube amplifiers . In the 1950s, guitarists began deliberately increasing gain beyond its intended levels to achieve warm distorted sounds. Among the first musicians to experiment with distortion were Willie Johnson of Howlin' Wolf , Goree Carter , Joe Hill Louis , Ike Turner , Guitar Slim , and Chuck Berry . In 1954, Pat Hare produced heavily distorted power chords for several recordings (including James Cotton 's "Cotton Crop Blues"), creating "a grittier, nastier, more ferocious electric guitar sound," accomplished by turning

9265-402: The pre-amp out jack), an external speaker output (for powering an additional speaker cabinet ), and stereo RCA jacks or a 1/8" jack, for connecting a CD player or MP3 player so that a player can practice along with recorded music. Some amps have a 1/4" jack for connecting a pedal to turn the amp's onboard overdrive and reverb on and off or to switch between channels. Some amps have an XLR jack for

9374-481: The preamp or gain knob usually produces overdrive distortion. Some electric guitar amps have three controls in the volume section: pre-amplifier, distortion, and master control. Turning up the preamp and distortion knobs in varying combinations can create a range of overdrive tones, from a gentle, warm growling overdrive suitable for a traditional blues show or a rockabilly band to the extreme distortion used in hardcore punk and death metal . On some electric guitar amps,

9483-413: The rack case. Effects units are available in a variety of form factors . Stompboxes are used in both live performance and studio recording. Rackmount devices saw a heavy usage during the later 20th century, due to their superior processing power and desirable tones as compared to pedal-style units. However, by the 21st century, with the advent of digital plugins and more powerful stompboxes for live usage,

9592-442: The re-amped or "dummy load" approach, the tube power amp drives a mostly resistive dummy load while an additional low power amp drives the guitar speaker. In the isolation box approach, the guitar amplifier is used with a guitar speaker in a separate cabinet. A soundproofed isolation cabinet , isolation box, isolation booth, or isolation room can be used. A variety of labels are used for level attenuation potentiometers (knobs) in

9701-463: The shape of its waveform by flattening its peaks, creating warm sounds by adding harmonics or gritty sounds by adding inharmonic overtones. Distortion effects are sometimes called gain effects, as distorted guitar sounds were first achieved by increasing the gain of tube amplifiers . While distortion effects units produce perfectly flattened peaks or hard clipping, overdrive effects units produce soft tube-like distortion by compressing

9810-425: The sound of a range of tube amplifiers and different sized speaker cabinets, all using the same amplifier and speaker. These are known as modeling amplifiers , and can be programmed with simulated characteristic tones of different existing amplifier models (and speaker cabinets—even microphone type or placement), or dialed in to the user's taste. Many amps of this type are also programmable by way of USB connection to

9919-421: The sound of different spaces. Most modern effects use solid-state electronics or digital signal processors . Some effects, particularly older ones such as Leslie speakers and spring reverbs , use mechanical components or vacuum tubes . Effects are often used as stompboxes , typically placed on the floor and controlled with footswitches. They may also be built into guitar amplifiers , instruments (such as

10028-418: The sound of their tone before the signal reaches the amplifier. In the 1920s, it was very hard for a musician playing a pickup-equipped guitar to find an amplifier and speaker to make their instrument louder as the only speakers that could be bought were "radio horns of limited frequency range and low acoustic output". The cone speaker, widely used in 2000s-era amp cabinets, was not widely offered for sale until

10137-649: The sound. Some performers use a noise gate pedal at the end of a chain to reduce unwanted noise and hum introduced by overdrive units or vintage gear. Rackmount effects units are typically built in a thin metal chassis with rack ears designed to be screw-mounted into the rack rails of a 19-inch rack that is standard to the music technology industry. Rackmount effects have a standardized 19-inch width, and height of 1 or more rack unit(s) . Devices that are less than 19 inches wide can sometimes be made rackmount-compatible via special rackmount adapters. A rackmount effects unit may contain electronic circuitry identical to

10246-401: The string vibration, a potentially dangerous approach that did not become popular. In 1934 Dobro released a guitar amp with a vacuum tube rectifier and two power tubes. By 1935, Dobro and National began selling combo amps for Hawaiian guitar. In 1934, Gibson had developed prototype combo amps, but never released them. By 1935, Electro/Rickenbacher had sold more amps and electric guitars than all

10355-402: The studio or stage. The use of full range, flat response (FRFR) amplification systems by electric guitarists has received an extra impetus from modeling amplifiers. Before widespread availability of modeling, guitarists did not commonly plug electric guitars straight into PA systems or powered speakers because most genres relied on the tonal coloration of a regular guitar amplifier setup—from

10464-704: The tubes can render an amplifier inoperable until the issue is resolved. While tube-based circuitry is technologically outdated, tube amps remain popular since many guitarists prefer their sound. Tube enthusiasts believe that tube amps produce a warmer sound and a more natural "overdrive" sound. Most inexpensive and mid-priced guitar amplifiers are based on transistor or semiconductor (solid-state) circuits, which are cheaper to produce and more reliable, and usually much lighter than tube amplifiers. Solid-state amps are less fragile than tube amps. High-end solid-state amplifiers are less common, since many professional guitarists favor vacuum tubes. Some jazz guitarists favor

10573-655: The units can be placed alongside a DJ mixer , turntables and scratching gear. Effects are often incorporated into instrument amplifiers and even some types of instruments. Electric guitar amplifiers often have built-in reverb, chorus and distortion , while acoustic guitar and keyboard amplifiers tend to only have built-in reverb. Some acoustic instrument amplifiers have reverb, chorus, compression and equalization (bass and treble) effects. Vintage guitar amps typically have tremolo and vibrato effects, and sometimes reverb. The Fender Bandmaster Reverb amp, for example, had built-in reverb and vibrato. Built-in effects may offer

10682-435: The use of a separate speaker cabinet–or it may be a combo amplifier, which contains both the amplifier and one or more speakers in a wooden cabinet. There is a wide range of sizes and power ratings for guitar amplifiers, from small, lightweight practice amplifiers with a single 6-inch speaker and a 10-watt amp to heavy combo amps with four 10-inch or four 12-inch speakers and a 100-watt amplifier, which are loud enough to use in

10791-712: The use of fuzz effects. Fuzz bass (also called bass overdrive) is a style of playing the electric bass that produces a buzzy, overdriven sound via a tube or transistor amp or by using a fuzz or overdrive pedal. Notable examples of fuzz effect units include the: Arbiter Fuzz Face , Electro-Harmonix Big Muff , Shin-ei Companion FY-2 , Univox Super-Fuzz , Vox Tone Bender , Z.Vex Fuzz Factory . While distortion effect units are most associated with electric and bass guitar, they are also commonly used on keyboard instruments (i.e. synthesizers , combo and tonewheel organs , electric piano ), as well as drums and vocals. Also called volume and amplitude effects, dynamics effects modify

10900-399: The use of rack-mounted effect units has declined. An effects unit can consist of analog or digital electronics or a combination of the two. During a live performance, the effect is plugged into the electrical signal path of the instrument. In the studio, an instrument or another sound source — possibly an auxiliary output of a mixer or a DAW — is patched into the effect. Whatever

11009-401: The user less control than standalone pedals or rackmounted units. For example, on some lower- to mid-priced bass amplifiers , the only control on the audio compression effect is a button or switch to turn it on or off, or a single knob. In contrast, a pedal or rackmounted unit would typically provide ratio, threshold and attack controls or other options to allow the user additional control over

11118-528: The volume knob on his amplifier "all the way to the right until the speaker was screaming." Link Wray's 1958 recording " Rumble " inspired young musicians such as Pete Townshend of The Who , Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin , Jeff Beck , Dave Davies of The Kinks , and Neil Young to explore distortion by various means. In 1966, the British company Marshall Amplification began producing the Marshall 1963,

11227-442: The volume of an instrument. Dynamics effects were among the first effects introduced to guitarists. Boost/volume pedal : When activated, a boost or clean boost pedal amplifies the volume of an instrument by increasing the amplitude of its audio signal . These units are generally used for boosting volume during solos and preventing signal loss in long effects chains. A guitarist switching from rhythm guitar to lead guitar for

11336-465: The volume when the signal falls below a set threshold. Noise gates are expanders —meaning that, unlike compressors, they increase the dynamic range of an audio signal to make quiet sounds even quieter. If used with extreme settings and combined with reverb, they can create unusual sounds, such as the gated drum effect used in 1980s pop songs, a style popularized by the Phil Collins song In

11445-487: The waveform without completely flattening it. Much like guitar tube amplifiers, overdrive effects units are capable of producing clean sounds at lower volumes and distorted warm sounds at higher volumes. Notable examples of distortion and overdrive pedals include the Boss DS-1 Distortion, Ibanez Tube Screamer , Marshall ShredMaster , MXR Distortion + , and Pro Co RAT . A fuzz pedal, or fuzzbox,

11554-556: Was founded by Paul Tutmarc , the inventor of the first electric bass (Tutmarc's instrument did not achieve market success until Leo Fender 's launched the Precision Bass ). In 1933, Vega sold a pickup and amplifier set for musicians to use with existing guitars. In that same year, the Los Angeles-based Volu-Tone company also sold a pickup/amplifier set. Volu-Tone used high voltage current to sense

11663-432: Was given one which led to a partnership with the group and its management team in 1972. Pignose Industries was started by Terry Kath and other members/associates of the band, Chicago, in 1972. They introduced their product (designed and patented by Wayne Kimbell and Richard Edlund) to the music industry at the 1973 Summer NAMM show, with tongue-in-cheek hyperbole, as the "Legendary" Pignose Amplifier. Now known officially as

11772-485: Was the 1958 Watkins Copicat , a relatively portable tape echo effect made famous by the British band, The Shadows . Effects built into tube-powered guitar amplifiers were the first effects that musicians used regularly outside the studio. From the late 1940s onward, the Gibson began including vibrato circuits in combo amplifiers that incorporated one or more speakers with the amp. The 1950 Ray Butts EchoSonic amp

11881-461: Was the first to feature a tape echo , which quickly became popular with guitarists such as Chet Atkins , Carl Perkins , Scotty Moore , Luther Perkins , and Roy Orbison . Both Premier and Gibson built amplifiers with spring reverb . Fender began manufacturing the tremolo amps Tremolux in 1955 and Vibrolux in 1956. Distortion was not an effect originally intended by amplifier manufacturers, but could often easily be achieved by overdriving

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