A quick question from a beginner

Hi there. I am a brand new to the guitar and, well, I am probably a good bit older than most newbies. As such, I have a lot of questions but I will limit it to this one for now. Just how much difference will an amp make to the sound of an electric guitar? The reason I ask is this; I purchased a relatively inexpensive electric just to learn on and it came with this tiny practice amp. It really sounds lousy. Would upgrading to a decent practice amp make any difference or am I doomed to learn on something that sounds I am playing into an empty garbage can? Any help would be appreciated.

This is a great question and unfortunately the answer is quite complicate !

There are many elements that will determine how you sound, your choice of picks / plucking the strings, the gauge of strings you like to use, the guitar wood / design /pickups, the cables you use, the amp, your choice of tubes, your choice of speakers / material the cab is made form, however sales people know this and constantly use it to sell us "magic solutions" to what ever tonal problems we may present.

I think the biggest single determinant of tone is the way you play i.e. the way you touch / mute, bend and pluck strings.

So in short, yep a nice amp will help you sound better but it is no substitution for a thousand hours playing ! New pickups or a new guitar will also make a difference but again, the way you play will be the thing that makes other people stop and listen.

Yes, ask a way and we will do our best to help out !

I appreciate it. You know, I suspected as much but wanted to hear from an experienced player as to if a better amp would help. I am sure that the guitar will sound much better when I actually learn to play it with some degree of skill. At this point, I swear I must resemble a chimp trying to operate a nuclear weapon. Again, thanks for taking the time to reply :D

Hey, anytime dude, that's what we are hear for !!

Just remember that the most important thing between the VISA bills, the frustration, the broken strings and the bleeding fingers is to enjoy it !

And as long as you don't give up you will be playing beautifully in no time !

Thanks. That sounds like that line from Animal House. "You're thinking of this too much like work. The whole idea is simply to enjoy yourself!" I am sure that I will be asking a lot of questions in the future.

and questions of this nature are usually best answered by the good doctor here.

Enjoy the greatest hobby in the world man!

Hi Hunter60,

I am a beginner too in the upper age area too. I have been learning for just a few weeks and didn't like the sounds I was making (your garbage can analogy is a good one).

I fell into the GAS trap (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome) and maxed out the Visa on guitars, amps etc and still my guitar playing sounded terrible (you would think at my age I would have learnt that any better equipment of any type does not make a better user be it cars or power tools!).

It turns out that I enjoy my cheap first guitar which has now had a professional setup better than the more expensive name brands I have bought.

Now after visiting and reading forums, and having a few lessons, I realise there is no substitute for practising, practising, practising and learning.

Amen... :D

Yup. You would think that with a little age behind us, we would have realized a little earlier that it's the artist and not the brush and canvas that makes the art, right? I did go out and upgrade slightly on the amp and it does help a little bit (granted, I did not spend very much and won't until I can actually play a little bit more than I can now) but I agree, there is no substitute for countless hours of practice.

Now, if I can just figure out how to deal with these thick, Playskool, fingers and complete lack of rythm.... :rolleyes:

What amp did you go for man?

On rhythm, get a metronome or play to backing tracks... Sausage fingers can be beaten... it's all about training them with thousands of hours of callous forming punishment.

I used to sit in front of the TV and noddle away for hours (without amp!). I got the practice I needed, and the family didn't feel neglected... :D

Are you taking lessons?

Actually it's a cheapie practice amp that I purchased at a local Kmart for like $30.00. Nothing great but it's still better than the tiny practice amp that the guitar came with. I have read that a metronome will help with the rythm thing and once my employment situation reverses itself, I plan on purchasing one. Same goes for lessons. I realize how vital that's going to be but I have to watch things closely right now.

Good idea on how you incorporated your practice time and being with your family.

Metronomes are useful, but if the bucks are tight, try http://www.metronomeonline.com....

A bit clunky maybe, but it gives a beat... and you obviously have a PC... :cool:

My .02....

Quality of the player aside, those cheap POS practice amps can make even the best axe sound like crap.


Even my kid's $80 cheapie sounds pretty good into the half-stack.

have you had your other guitars set up professionally as well? That tends to make such a big difference to the playability of a guitar.

Originally Posted by: Andrew Sahave you had your other guitars [U]set up professionally[/U] as well? That tends to make such a big difference to the playability of a guitar.

What Does this mean(set up professionally) ?

Some of the really small amps are lousy - better gear is always a good move