Billy at 300 Guitars answers the question "how many watts should my amp be?" Like most things, the answer depends on how you will be using the amp. Performance at a noisy club? Practicing at home? Luckily, Billy provides a quick primer on the basics of amps and gets you started on the right path of picking out what works best for you.

"From the above definitions watts and decibels are two different things. You can have a relatively low powered amp that is very loud and would be able to keep up with a drummer on a stage with no problem. Just because you have more watts does not always mean you are going to be louder and the watts increase is not directly proportional to the decibel increase. Take for example two Marshall heads. Let’s say one is rated for 50 watts and the other 100 watts. By looking at the watts you would think that the 100 watt head would be twice as loud because it has twice the power right? Wrong! The loudness difference between the 50 watt amp and the 100 watt amp is only 3 decibels (dB) which is not really a drastic difference. It would take 10 times the power of the 50 watt head to be twice as loud as the 100 watt head which is 500 watts! Ouch…..!"

(photo by the yankee quido)

One of the great things about the internet is the ability to reach a niche audience. Earlier this week we talked about Vince Gill decorating his studio in the style of an old tweed Fender amp. Turns out, there is an entire website devoted to Fender Champ amplifiers. From wikipeida:

It was introduced in 1948 and discontinued in 1982. [1] An updated version was introduced in 2006 as part of the "Vintage Modified" line. The Champ had the lowest power output and the simplest circuit for all of the Fender tube amps. The Champ had only one power tube, which meant that the circuit is single ended and class A. Five watts and the simple toneful circuit allowed the Champ to be used easily and often in recording studios."

My Fender Champ is chocked full of information about these highly adored amps. You can learn the basics about tubes, electronics, and amps in general. Of for owners or interested buyers, you can figure out how old a Fender Champ is by using this serial number guide. I love sites like these. Years ago I was given an old acoustic Guild Guitar and I've also bought an old junky Harmony flat top acoustic. By finding sites like these, I was able to figure out the year, make, and models of those guitars with serial number guides.

Guitar Lifestyle found an old BBC video (below) of Eric Clapton explaining how he makes the "woman tone" that he used on Sunshine of Your Love and other tunes. Gibson.com also has an article on the same subject:

"Zeroing in on “Woman Tone” isn’t rocket science. That would be easier. There’d be a precise formula that would work for everyone, and no mojo factor. Nonetheless, a powerful neck-position pickup is essential. Start by turning your guitar’s tone dials all the way off. Next, place the pickup selector switch in the middle position. Now roll the bridge pickup’s volume to about six or seven, and crank the neck pickup all the way up to 10.

Amp choice is crucial too, although a carefully selected high-quality distortion pedal can turn some tiny practice rigs into snarling monsters. Clapton used heavy artillery: a Marshall 50-watt head through a 4x12 cabinet with 25-watt Celestion greenback speakers running full out – volume, bass, midrange and treble all set on 10. And while an electronic amplifier – especially one that emulates tube distortion – can get the job done, one of “Woman Tone’s” key elements is the smooth, creamy distortion that only tubes provide."

I'm not sure who is responsible for this list of amp settings for popular songs and guitarists but it's a cool collection. Here are a couple of examples:

JIMI HENDRIX - PURPLE HAZE

drive at 8
treble at 7
mid at 9
bass at 6
reverb at 3
with overdrive

SULTANS OF SWING SETTINGS

presence at 4
treble at 5
nid at 5
bass at 5
reverb 2/3
master at 10

ERIC CLAPTON

gain at 7
treble at 5
mid at 7
bass at 7
presence at 8


We have our own series of lessons that will teach you how to play like the guitar greats. Check out our Mark Knopfler Style Lesson to get that Sultans of Swing sound or you can learn a few Eric Clapton Style Blues Turnarounds