Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Reasons To Use A Jazz Guitar Amp

By Maryanne Goff


The jazz guitar player wants to play through a jazz guitar amp that will project the player's unique ability and feel directly to their audience. The form of music can be a very intimate uplifting aural art form and the guitar player typically wants to convey the sound they produce from the fret board directly to the listener with minimal interference to that sound but at sufficient volume to be heard and appreciated.

Volume is required but it is not the prerequisite of the amplifier, more it is the quality of the sound produced. Volume is a requirement of the rock player where it is needed in buckets to rise above the accompaniment of the band and the roar of the audience.

When its time for a rock players solo the guitar amp needs to be able to screech and wail at sufficient volume and tone to get on top of the surrounding cacophony. Country pickers tend to use gear that will scythe through the accompanying sound for more percussive effect. The guitar amp that these players choose will help them get these effects.

Jazz bands in which the guitar features as a prominent instrument often perform in trio and quartet combinations. The main venues tend to be small and intimate spaces where band and patrons are often crammed in almost on top of each other. The band gear is then necessarily small and compact especially if a double bass is part of the line up. This is some contrast to fellow musicians performing in a rock or country band that might be performing on a large stage complete with remote controlled PA systems.

The guitarist in this situation then has no need for a complex amp and huge speaker enclosures like his rock counterpart. The amp has to be good enough to cut through sufficiently and clearly when it is time for a solo. The unit is then typically small and has minimal controls.

The added advantage in this reduction of size and weight often means the player can turn up at a gig amp in one hand guitar in the other. This is unlike his rock counterpart who has to find parking nearby for his trailer full of gear.

Cost is often a huge consideration when buying any musical gear. There is always a temptation to buy the biggest bang for the cheapest price. That might be the case for the rock player whose first priority is to be heard over the rest of the band. Because cost is often an issue the beginner jazz musician might initially chose to purchase a mass produced practice amp which could fit the bill while learning.

This would not be the case for the professional or aspiring professional though. A good jazz guitar amp would be considered expensive if you consider bang, as in volume and features, for your buck. What you pay for is quality of build and sound. They often incorporate the best components that can be sourced in order to build them. These units are often hand made and some are built specifically to customers requirements.




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