A Brief Look At The History Of The Tube And Other Amplifiers

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People who are Baby Boomer age or younger probably cannot clearly remember a time when guitars could not be amplified. Back in the "old days," the only way to amplify a guitar's sound was by putting a microphone in front of it: but the sound was distorted and the whole process inconvenient for the performer. When the guitar amplifier came on the music scene, everything changed. Here is a brief look at the history of the guitar amplifier.

Unlike what many young people think, the amplifier was not invented at the same time as the electric guitar. Rather, it was devised decades earlier as a way to amplify full-bodies acoustic guitars. Battery packs as power sources were cumbersome and impractical, and during the 1930's, tube amplifying systems with their own power supplies were developed that worked just by plugging into the wall.

These early amplifiers gave way to more sophisticated models that nevertheless faced their own challenges. The amps were generally low power (15 watts or less) and they struggled with high treble and low bass fidelity. The quality of the amp loudspeakers was rough as well, but the public was hooked on the idea, and the technology just kept getting better in better, fueled by the high demand for amplified guitar music.

The invention of the electric guitar was the catalyst for the rapid ascension to importance of amplifier technology. Once the technology improved, primarily during the 1950's, musicians began using amps as a tool to create certain musical effects such as sound distortion. What began as an anomaly gained traction over the years, and now amp distortion is a common tool for creating interesting effects over all genres.

Tube (or valve) amplifiers were invented in the 1940's and, as their name implies, use vacuum tubes to increase the power of a signal either from an electric or from an acoustic guitar. Although tube amps fell out of favor for several decades, they are currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity. They are favorites in the hard rock genre to help create distortion, and they are believed by many to help produce a warmer and faithful sound for gentler genres.

Tube amps are thought to hold several advantages over transistor types such as ease of repair and replacement of faulty parts. There are professionals who specialize in tube amp repair who can usually solve the problem quickly.

No one can deny that once amplification technology took off, there were no longer any limitations to what musicians could do with a guitar. Loud is here to stay.

About the Author:
Music Technology (http://www.musictechnology.com/) your solution for tube amp repair, instrument maintenance, and all other electronic music services. Art Gib is a freelance writer.



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