How Do I Get The Most Out Of My Practice Amp?

If you’re a guitar player looking to get the most out of your practice amp, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ll explore the best ways to get the most out of your amp, covering topics like proper setup, getting the right sound, and proper maintenance. You’ll be surprised at the difference these simple tips can make in the sound quality of your amp. Read on to learn how to take your practice amp to the next level!

Overview of practice amps

A practice amp is a type of amp designed for guitarists to practice their skills and improve their sound. It is a small, portable, and affordable amp that can be used in apartments or in small spaces in a bedroom or apartment. A practice amp has a power output of around 10 to 15 watts and a small speaker. This makes it suitable for low-volume practice sessions. Further, it also comes with basic tone controls like bass, treble, and mid-range, which allows the guitarists to experiment with different sounds and styles.

Here are some of the benefits of using a practice amp –

#1. Portability

One of the primary benefits of a practice amp is its portability. It is small and lightweight, which makes it easy to move around and store. This is especially useful for musicians who live in apartments or shared spaces where loud volumes aren’t permitted.

#2. Affordability

Another benefit of practice amps is their affordability. Compared to other types of amps, practice amps are relatively inexpensive, which makes them a wonderful choice for beginners or those on a budget.

#3. Improved system

A practice amp can help improve your guitar’s sound. It offers a clear and accurate representation of your guitar’s tone, allowing you to hear accurately and correct any mistakes you might be having in your playing.

#4. Versatility

A practice amp can also be used for a wide variety of different genres and styles. It can help produce a crisp and clear sound for jazz or blues or a distorted, high-gain sound for rock or heavy metal. The versatility factor allows musicians to experiment with different sounds and styles, improving their playing skills and versatility.

ALSO READ: Best Practice Amp: Top 7 Picks to Play Anywhere!

#5. Practice features

Many practice amps come with features that are specifically designed for practice sessions, such as built-in metronomes, drum tracks, and effects like chorus or reverb. These features can help the guitarists improve their rhythm and timing, improving them guitarists overall.

How do I get the most out of my practice amp?

Setting up a practice amp might seem daunting at first, especially if you’re a beginner or new to playing the guitar. However, with a little guidance and a few tips, you can get the most out of your practice amp and improve your sound. Here are some of the tips to keep in mind that will help you get the most out of your practice amp – 

#1. Setting up the amp

Choose the right location. Select a spot where you will be able to hear yourself and the amp without being too loud. This is especially if you are living in an apartment or shared space. Then, you should turn on the amp. Ensure that the amp is plugged in and turned on. Some practice amps might have a standby mode, so you should ensure that you check the owner’s manual for instructions. To finish the setup, you should adjust the volume. Start off with a low volume and gradually increase it until you’ve reached a comfortable level.

#2. Understand your amp and adjust the controls

Understanding your amp might sound obvious, but it is one of the most important things that you can do to get the most out of your practice amp. It’ll help you get a better sound, especially if you are new to electric guitars.

Every practice amp is different. So, you should ensure that you’re taking time to consider its features and everything that you can alter by turning the controls up or down. Most electric guitar amps come with the basic controls built-in – bass, treble, volume, mid, and gain.

If you aren’t sure where to start, it’ll be a good idea to return to the basics and turn the controls to 12 o’clock. This will give you a great place to start and make adjustments. You will probably be comfortable with volume and gain. Here are what the other tone controls mean –

• Bass – Bass refers to the amount of low-frequency sound that your practice amp will play. Higher bass settings will make the tone thicker, but too high, and it’ll start sounding muddled and difficult to pick out the notes.
• Treble – Treble controls the amount of high-frequency sound that you’ll be hearing through the amp. The higher the treble, the sharper will be the sound. It is good for clarity, but if you end up going too high, it’ll start sounding harsh and hard on the ears.
• Mids – Mids refer to the mid-frequency sound played through the practice am. Low mids will produce a scooped sound, while a higher mid-setting will make the tone more beefy.

#3. Go easy on the gain

Now that you know a bit more about a practice amp, it will be time to delve into the settings. One of the major causes of a poor-sounding amp is having the gain set too high. Even if you think that you require a very high gain, chances are that it will not have to be as high as you think. Even genres like heavy metal don’t require you to go full blast on the gain. Instead, you can simply rely on pedals instead of the amp to give the extra boost when it is needed.

Having the gain too high could damage the clarity of your tone. Too much distortion could make the chords muddled, and it can be hard to hear when you’re changing chords if you have gone overboard with the gain.

If you are worried about losing the sound by lowering the gain, you should try to increase the volume or use pedals to help you out.

You do not need to lower the gain drastically to get a noticeable improvement in the tone. Try to dial it back by 1-2, and you will notice that it sounds a lot better, and you won’t lose the effect that you were trying to achieve.

#4. Boost your mids

If you have been looking for amp settings, then you have probably come across the term “scooped sound”. This essentially means that the tone is quite hollow. In simple words, it is a low mid-setting with a high treble and bass setting. It used to be quite popular in the 80s and was often used in hard rock or metal.

This sort of tone might not be as bad when you are practicing on your own. However, when you throw other instruments in the mix if you are playing in a band, you will notice that you’re getting drowned out.

For avoiding such situations, you should try to increase the mids. This will solve the issue if you are struggling to hear the guitar when you are playing with a backing track or in a band. However, if you increase too much, the tone might become a bit muddled. You could have a go at increasing it until you reach that point. Then, you should turn it down to the level it was just before you started noticing the muddled tone.

#5. Placement will be key

Just like any other professional sound equipment, placement will be key. The location where you are putting the practice amp in will dramatically affect the tone. Moving it to the right position can result in a huge improvement in the way your practice amp sounds. Further, the great thing is that it is a really quick thing to do. There are a few things that you’ll need to consider with the amp placement such as – height, angle of the amp, distance from other audio equipment, and the surface of the room you are playing in.

The height of the guitar amp from the floor can greatly affect the tone. Most musicians and guitarists have their practice amps resting on the ground. However, the tone that it produces would vary whether you are playing on a carpet or on a hard floor. Having the amp resting on a stand can improve the tone you are getting by improving the low-end sound output. You do not necessarily have to elevate it too high in most cases. Raising the amp just a few inches off the ground could make a huge difference.

If you’re moving the amp around, then you should be careful when you are lifting it so that you don’t injure yourself. Moreover, ensure that you are positioning it on something stable that can properly support the weight. Going for an amp stand will be a great choice if you are looking to elevate the amp safely.

The distance from other audio equipment, especially mics, can greatly affect the amount of feedback you are getting. Having the mic as far away from the amp as possible will help in reducing feedback. You can even try to have the amp at the front of the stage.

#6. Use effects and add pedals

Regardless of the practice amp you are working with, whether it costs $50 or $5,000, it will have certain limitations. One of the key limitations of most practice amps is the number of controls that they come with out of the box.

Most practice amps come with volume, gain, bass, treble, and mids controls. Some of them also come with more effects like reverb, delay, or contouring. However, most of the amps will come with enough customization options to allow you to achieve the perfect sound that you are looking for.

This is where effect pedals come in to save the day.

The effect pedals will allow you to create unique sounds that complement perfectly your practice amp. It means that you’ll be able to rely on the amp for the basics and the foundation of the tone. However, you can also use effect pedals for adding another layer of depth. If you are a beginner and don’t know much about guitar pedals, here are some of the ones that you must know about.

Distortion pedals

Distortion pedals are rather straightforward as they add the classic distortion that musicians love and expect. These pedals are wonderful for improving the sound of the guitar because they’ll give you a gain boost that your practice amp might not be able to produce without sounding muddled. If you’re looking for a distortion pedal recommendation, then something like a Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion Compact Pedal will be a great choice.

Overdrive pedals

Overdrive pedals are often confused with distortion pedals, but they are very different. These pedals imitate the sound that you’ll get if you turned a valve amp up as high as it can go. They’ll give you an instant boost without overdoing the gain, such that they suit country, blues, and lighter rock really well. The Ibanez Tubescreamer TS9 is among the most popular overdrive pedals and is preferred by big-name guitarists like Noel Gallagher and Alex Turner.

Fuzz pedals

Fuzz pedals produce a fizzy and noisy tone that is pretty unique. They were quite popular and made famous by iconic guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, and Billy Corgan. They were able to produce a characteristic without resulting in any muddling that would occur if you tried it with an amp on your own. Fuzz pedals like an Electro-Harmonix Op-Amp Big Muff is a popular recommendation in this category.

There are many other pedals that can help in creating a unique tone to help complement the amp. Here are some special mentions –

• Reverb pedals – These pedals will give you the echo effect
• Boost pedals – They’ll allow you to increase the volume without using distortion
• Delay pedals – Delay pedals take a note or chord to play it repeatedly
• EQ pedals – EQ pedals control the bass, treble, and mids
• Chorus pedals – These pedals sound as if multiple guitars are playing at once
• Tremolo pedals – Tremolo pedals give off the effect of increasing or decreasing volume very quickly
• Phaser pedals – They’ll add a sort of “whoosh” noise

#7. Select the right pickup

Many guitarists think that the practice amp is responsible for the tone sounding, but in many cases, this isn’t actually the issue. Your pickups might actually be the culprit here.

On most guitars, there are three settings. The first one allows you to use the bridge pickup in isolation. The second one will allow you to use the neck pickup isolated. Meanwhile, the third setting uses the neck and bridge pickups together. Here is the difference –

• Bridge pickup – lead guitar (this sounds sharper and much crisper)
• Neck pickup – rhythm guitar (this is typically more bassy and smooth)

There are different kinds of pickups. The main two will be humbucker and single-coil. Single coils are commonly found on Fender Stratocasters whereas humbuckers are found with Gibson Les Paul guitars. Both of them are capable of producing different tones. The primary difference is that single coils result in a brighter and crisper sound, whereas humbuckers give off a deeper and smoother tone.

You should try to experiment using the different pickup selectors on the guitar for figuring out what tone you’re looking for. It might be that the pickups you are using aren’t capable of producing the tone you are after. For example, you might want a twangy sound that you wouldn’t be able to achieve using humbuckers instead of single-coil pickups. You might require a beefier tone that single-coils aren’t capable of. Changing the guitar pickups doesn’t require you to have a new guitar. You can easily do it yourself or take it to a specialist for making the change.

Different types of practice amps

With so many different types of practice amps available in the market, it can get quite overwhelming to choose the perfect one for your needs. This is why you’ll need to have a clear idea of the market you’re delving into so that you can make smarter choices. Here are the different types of practice amps available to help you get the most out of your practice sessions – 

#1. Solid-state amps

Solid-state amps make use of transistors for amplifying the guitar signal instead of tubes. They are affordable, lightweight, and have a wide range of tones. Solid-state amps are perfect for beginners who are just starting out and want a reliable practice amp that won’t break the bank.

#2. Tube amps

Tube amps are the traditional choice for guitarists who want warm, rich tones. They make use of vacuum tubes for amplifying the guitar signal and have a natural compression that makes them ideal for playing jazz, blues, and classic rock. Tube amps are more expensive compared to solid-state amps. Although these need more maintenance, they’ll still be worth it for the superior tone.

#3. Digital-modeling amps

Digital-modeling amps utilize digital technology for replicating the sounds of different amps and effects. They’re incredibly versatile and produce a wide range of tones, from clean jazz to heavy metal. Digital-model amps are perfect for guitarists who are looking to experiment with different sounds and styles.

#4. Hybrid amps

Hybrid amps come with the best features of solid-state and tube amps. They utilize a combination of vacuum tubes and solid-state circuitry for producing warm, rich tones with the reliability of solid-state technology. Hybrid amps are a wonderful choice for guitarists looking for the warmth of tubes without high maintenance costs.

#5. Mini amps

Mini amps are portable, compact amps that are perfect for practicing the guitar on the go. They are battery-powered and lightweight, which makes them ideal for traveling and practicing in small spaces. They come in a wide variety of styles, including tube, solid-state, and digital-modeling amps.

Tips for using a practice amp

A practice amp is a wonderful tool for guitarists practicing improving their skills and experiment with different sounds. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when using a practice amp to get the most out of your playing –

#1. Experiment with different settings

One of the best things regarding a practice amp is the ability to experiment with different settings to find the sound you like. Try to adjust the controls to find the perfect balance of bass, treble, and mid. You can even experiment with the gain and distortion settings for creating different levels of overdrive and distortion. You shouldn’t be afraid to try different combinations until you find the sound that you’re looking for.

#2. Use effects

Many practice amps come with built-in effects like delay, reverb, and chorus. These effects can help you create a much more dynamic and interesting sound. You can experiment with different effects and settings for finding the right sound for your playing style. You can make use of external effect pedals with the practice amp for expanding the sonic palette even further.

#3. Use the amp for recording

A practice amp can be a wonderful tool for recording your practice sessions. You can easily connect the amp to a computer or recording device for capturing the sound. Many practice amps come with a headphone output, which allows you to record your sessions without disturbing others. You can experiment with different mic placements for finding the best sound for your recording.

#4. Use headphones during practice sessions

If you want to practice without disturbing others, using headphones will be a great option. Many practice amps come with a headphone output, allowing you to play silently. This is a great way to hear your playing music more clearly, as you’ll be able to hear every detail without any outside noise.

#5. Play along with the music

Playing along with your favorite songs will be a great way of improving your skills and having fun. You can easily connect your practice amp to a computer, smartphone, or tablet, and play along with your favorite tracks. This is an amazing way of practicing timing, rhythm, and phrasing.

FAQs