Amplifiers & Preamps

The very first guitar amplifiers were built in the 1930s. Over the next 30 years the guitar amp underwent some heavy modification as musicians in the 60s began over-driving their amps in order to...

A preamplifier is an analog or digital unit that processes a signal and adds gain before sending it to the main amplifier or receiving unit. A preamplifier can be used with computers, home and...

Effects pedals are used to alter the sound of a guitar in some way. Some pedals alter tone, others create different gain levels and still others create time-based effects. When you combine...

So...you want to adjust the pickups on your guitar! Well, you wouldn't be considering this undertaking if you were happy with the way your ax sounds and feels. Adjusting the pickups and pole...

Believe it or not installing Fender pickups is not as daunting as it may seem. Fender has several kits available to allow you to simply remove the pick guard of your current ax and replace it...

Getting different tones on an electric guitar amplifier can be obtained by adjusting four basic settings: the volume, the gain, the equalization (EQ), and the reverberation. Your settings will...

Ask any guitarist and they will happily tell you that they are all about their custom tone. All guitarists have a specific make and model of guitar and guitar amp that they use to drive a specific...

If you play an "electric" instrument, you already know about the perils of non-functional instrument chords. There are always ones in a gear case or gig bag that buzz, pop, or just plain don't...

Many guitar amp problems can be solved by simple troubleshooting. Even if the amp cannot be fixed, often once the problem is diagnosed, it can be worked around for the duration of a show. The key...

When a guitar amplifier speaker blows, not only does it sound bad, but it can also damage the guitar amplifier. Speaker impedance, or load, changes when the amplifier is damaged, and this can...