amps

If you are or have ever been the owner of a vintage-styled tube amp, you might have come across the "standby" switch, usually located near or right next to the on/off switch. While you probably already know that it comes in handy when trying to silence your amp without actually turning it off, it actually has another, more important function behind it: protecting your tubes. Continue reading →

[caption id="attachment_2833" align="alignright" width="300"] Egnater Rebel-20 MARKII 20-watt Guitar Amplifier Head @ $599.99[/caption] Q: I have a 50-watt tube amp. Would pairing it with 100-watt speaker cabinet cause any damage? To answer your question – no, this specific setup is great and will not cause damage but before you go and match any lower wattage amp with a higher wattage speaker, know that it highly depends on what type of amp and cabinet you’re trying to match. In fact, sometimes you’ll even want a higher wattage amp and lower wattage speakers. Continue reading →

[caption id="attachment_2726" align="alignright" width="300"] Quilter Labs Mach 2 8inch Combo Amplifier @$899.00 (with UFC201-2 Footswitch @ $968.00)[/caption] Quilter Labs is known for their use of Class D amplifier technology, also known as “switching amps.” These aren’t your more common transistor or even vacuum tube amps we’re talking about here, but a whole different technology. The reason this is important to know before heading into our review is that in order to fully understand the MicroPro Mach 2, and how such a little amp can pack such big sound, we have to understand that we’re dealing with a different beast than transistor or tube. Continue reading →

It's no secret that a player's choice in loudspeaker plays a big role in their tone. What's not as well know is that several elements other than the speaker itself also contributes to its sound, such as the type of cabinet. This includes the size of the cabinet, type of wood, thickness of baffle (the panel that the speaker is mounted to) and how the parts of cabinet are joined together. But out of all the elements of a cabinet's construction, the most significant aspect is arguably whether the back is opened or closed; The same amplifier will sound significantly different when driving speakers in either open back or closed back cabinets. Continue reading →

A pair of Groove Tube GT-6550 guitar amp vacuum tubes. Tube versus solid state amplifiers: one of the most heated battles in modern rock. Both have their advantages and disadvantages but before we get into the finer details on what sets tube and solid state amps apart, let’s take a look at the evolution of the modern amplifier. Like...