How Do I Check the Ohms on an Amp With a Multimeter?

Check the Ohms on an amp with the use of a digital multimeter.

Resistance, in electrical circuits, is the ability of a component to oppose an electrical current. Resistance is needed to keep currents from overloading the circuit. This is accomplished by installing a single resistor or a set of resistors set up in a series. Resistance is measured in Ohms. Guitar amplifiers typically have ratings of 4, 8 or 16 Ohms, depending on the size of the amp. The resistance of the amp circuit can be determined with a tool called a digital multimeter.

Things You'll Need

• Digital multimeter

Instructions

1. Insert the negative and positive test probes into the corresponding jacks on the outside of the multimeter that will be used for the test.

2. Power up the digital multimeter.

3. Switch the multimeter's setting switch to the Ohms scale by turning the selector knob.

4. Flip the amp around with the back showing and place the meter's negative test lead against one speaker terminal and place the meter's positive test lead on the second speaker terminal. The Ohms value will be reflected on the screen of the meter.

References

• Peavey: Vypyr Owner's Manual
• Abouit Guitar Amps: Speaker Ohms Calculator
• Extech Instruments: Digital Multimeter Owners Manual