The early guitars were acoustic guitars, but they were hard to hear over the roar of a crowd. Amplification was required in order for guitarists to be heard. The early 1900s also gave birth to the electric guitar which couldn’t be heard at all without amplification. Thus, the first forms of guitar amplifiers were invented in the early 1930s. Guitar amplifiers were used for acoustic guitars, but their fame came when electric guitars came onto the market. The 1930s and 40s music featured Hawaiian steel guitars, and these are what popularized the early guitar amplifiers. Guitar amplifiers became popular during this time period not only because of the demand for them but also because the technology was available to create guitar amplifiers that contained built in DC power supplies. This allowed for the amplifier to be plugged in to a standard wall socket.
Very few controls were available on the first guitar amplifiers, but the need of musicians to customize their sounds would produce fuel for the introduction of new innovations. Distortion first started in the 1960s by musicians attempting to produce a unique sound. The demand for distortion effects became such a necessity that guitar amplifiers later incorporated controls for distortion effects. Distortion is still a major factor in the sound of electric guitars. One of the controls that amplifiers required, even in the early days, was volume control.
Different guitar amplifiers and amplifiers for other instruments are now commonly available. Acoustic amplifiers are simply designed to amplify the sound produced by an acoustic guitar so that it can easily be heard. Bass amplifiers are used in conjunction with bass guitars. Distortion is usually not required for bass amplifiers, but they need to keep from becoming distorted when high volumes are used. Traditional guitar amplifiers are used mainly to amplify electric guitars. Whereas, extended distortion, tone and preamplification controls are used for guitar amplifiers used for hard rock music styles.
One of the distinguishing features of guitar amplifiers that have developed throughout their history is the use of distortion. The early musicians who attempted distortion on electric guitars plugged the output from one amplifier into the input of another. This was effective but not what the amplifiers were designed for. This misuse of the guitar amplifiers led manufacturers to incorporate distortion features into the preamplification controls. Distortion pedals can be found as features on many guitar amplifiers.
The use of guitar amplifiers has been extended into many other instruments and even vocals. The distortion effects and unique sounds that can be produced are very effective in creating a distinguishing sound. Bass guitars, synthesizers, keyboards, string instruments and vocals can all be run through traditional guitar amplifiers. Many famous musicians have created signature sounds by used guitar amplifiers in conjunction with other instruments or mixing the signal from a guitar amplifier with other signals.
Guitar amplifiers have been a crucial milestone to the development of electric guitars which have greatly enhanced the majority of musical genres both now and in the past. The constant evolution of technology is making more options available which helps create new and innovative sounds for upcoming musicians.
