There's no "right" or "wrong" amp, actually, because it always depends on your personal tastes, on your ear. But here's a few pointers that will help you look in the right direction anyway!

Beginner / Just playing at home? If you're just a beginner, a mini amp might be enough for you. For playing at home, either beginners or even experienced players don't need anything bigger, better or mor expensive than a sub-£100 guitar practice amp.

Busker? If you're a busker, you're better off with an amp that does not require a power supply. The Vox DA5 is a great little amp, very popular with buskers who require amplification due to its portability, cheap price and the fact it can be powere by batteries! It's pretty loud, too!

Recording? The best amps for recording WON'T be big, 100-watts Marshalls, for instance! On the contrary, small amps are the best choice. We're talking about small valve amps, here. That's because, unlike with bigger, louder amps, you can crank up small valve amps, pushing them to tone heaven. If you did the same with bigger amps, it wouldn't work - you'd sound so loud you wouldn't be able to make a good recording! This technique has been used by many, many top artists. Despite using big & loud marshall amps onstage, Jimmy Page used a small Supro valve amp on the early Led Zeppelin albums. Likewise, the Arctic Monkeys used an old Fender Champ on most of their debut album.

The best small valve amps for recording that we got are: Vox AC4 TV, Vox AC4 TV 8" Limited Edition, Fender Pro Junior, Laney Cub 8, Gretsch G5222, and Fender Champion 600.

Playing Small Gigs? If you play small gigs, such as at pubs, clubs etc, small places with capacity of 200 persons or less, you won't need a massively loud amp. A 15-Watt Valve amp will be more than loud enough, such as the Fender Blues Junior or Vox AC-15. You can use louder valve amps, such as a Vox AC30 or Fender Hot Rod DeVille, but in most cases you won't need to set the volume more than halfway up! Valve amps sound louder than solid state amps, so even though a 15-watt valve amp is loud enough fro gigs, a 15-watt solid state amp will be only recommended for home practice. Good solid state amps include the Vox VT50, Line 6 Spider IV 120, and Hiwatt Maxwatt G100, to name but a few.

If you're in a small band, it's very important to choose an amp that's loud enough - as not every venue will mic your amp. Ironically, bigger artists don't need to worry about this, since they are safe in the knowledge they'll always have a good sound and their amps will always be mic'ed. That's why Seasick Steve plays a small Roland Cube amp, but it's not necessarily a great choice if you're in a band who plays live.

Valve Amp or Solid State Amp? There's no right or wrong here, but, for tone alone, valve amps are way better. If you can afford a valve amp, just go ahead and buy one! They're the amps all the great bands ever used - from Beatles and Rolling Stones to Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, 99% of all professional musicians simply prefer valve amps, like the Vox AC30 or Fender Twin Reverb. But there's nothing wrong with solid state amps - the audience at a gig wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Solid state amps have many advantages: they are cheaper, lighter, and require less care than a valve amps (which eventually will need new valves, for instance!). Vox, Line 6 and Hiwatt make really good solid state amps that you can gig with without worries.

FX or no FX? Again, it's almost a question of valve or solid state, here. Most valve amps don't come with any effects other than tremolo and reverb, at most. Solid State amps often come with a wide range of features such as digital FX and amp modeling. If you're an have lots of fx pedals, you don't really need a modeling unit, but if you're new to guitar playing, buying an amp with modeling FX might be a good way to get familiar with all those sounds.

Combo or Head + Cab? Again, this is a personal choice. It's easier to have a combo, but a head + cab combination might be easier (& lighter) to carry, as you can carry both parts separately. Of course, if you're in a metal band, you simply MUST use a really loud head amp (no matter how small the venue is) and a 4x 12" speaker cabinet. That's just how it is...it's in the rock bible, somewhere!

Here's our top picks...

Our Top 5 Guitar Cabs (want more? View Guitar Cabs at Dophin) Marshall MG 4X12B cabinet Due to the technical nature of the Marshall Amplification products advertised on this page it is highly recommended that you contact us by telephone or by coming into our store to discuss your particular requirements and to arrange a demonstration before buying any…   VOX V212BN The VOX AC30 Custom Classic amp is the culmination of over 45 years of guitar amp design and manufacturing. VOX has taken the best AC30 designs and added a number of useful, very cool features to create the most tonally flexible and affordable AC30 to date! Here's the perfect speaker cabinet for your AC30 head: the V212BN 2 x 12"…   Hiwatt 4x12 Fane loaded Cab Solid Marine ply construction and loaded with ledgendary Fane speakers. 300 watt power handling 16 ohm impedance.   Laney LT212 Lionheart Series Cabinet. 2x12 If you have the Laney L20H, you won't want to compromise that great Class A tone by using any old cabinet. Instead, why not get the matching Laney LT212 cabinet. Featuring 2x 12" Celestion Heritage G12H Drivers and closed back construction, this cab gives thick, deep tones with growling bottom end power. This stylish and great sounding cab also…   Orange PPC212 There are many guitarists who are quite happy to plug their head into any cabinet they can lay their hands on. It's a pity as you only need use your ears to realize the difference the right cabinet can make to your amplifier's sound. Too many manufacturers compromise their cabinets by using inexpensive speakers. This foolhardy decision can be disastrous!… Our Top 5 Guitar Combos (want more? View Guitar Combos at Dolphin) VOX VT30 Sophisticated modeling technology combined with the VOX Valve Reactor power amp circuit that uses a 12AX7 vacuum tube results in sound quality that overwhelms the competition. With sound quality that overpowers its rivals, the VOX Valvetronix VT30…   VOX Pathfinder 10 The Pathfinder series of VOX amplifiers represents truly outstanding value for money yet captures the very essence and personality of the legend that is VOX. The look and feel of the Pathfinder is inescapably VOX, possessing all of the style of its bigger family members. Small yet perfectly formed, these amps are ideal for practice and recording. Those…   Line 6 Spider IV 30 The 30-watt Spider IV combo features 12 amp models and seven Smart FX (three effects simultaneously). Each Spider IV preset, amp model and effect exceeds the renowned Line 6 standard of sound quality. Every aspect of the tone, from the guitar input to the three-quarter closed-back cabinet and Celestion® speakers, delivers exceptional definition, clarity and feel.   Fender 65 Twin Reverb w/ 2x12 Jenson Speakers This amp has seen action in every imaginable musical venue and continues its musical legacy today! Whether you play rock, jazz, country, or whatever, this is what a clean electric guitar sounds like! Or add an upside-down Stratocaster guitar and a fuzz box ... Fender's 85-watt (at 4 ohms) Vintage Reissue of the ?65 Twin Reverb features 4… VOX AC30 CC2 The Vox AC-30 is quite possibly the most legendary guitar amp ever made, used by everyone from The Beatles and Rolling Stones to U2 and The Libertines. The AC30 CC2 updates the legendary amp with new and improved features - a guitarist's dream amp, no less! The new VOX AC30 Custom Classic… Our Top 5 Modeling Amps Line 6 Spider IV 150 150-watts guitar amplifier combo with FX The new amplifier line includes many fresh features, innovations and updated highlights from its best-selling and award-winning predecessor, Spider III. This 150-watts model is a great gigging amp full of great sounds and features.   Fender G-DEC Junior Band included—all you need is, well, you! Our G-DEC series models are the world’s only all-in-one amps containing synthesized drum, bass, backing and teaching loops. The G-DEC Junior is a simplified, super-cute version of our award-winning original G-DEC. This 15-watt baby has an 8” speaker and simple interface with knobs for selecting various amp types, effects types, backing…   Line 6 Spider IV 30 The 30-watt Spider IV combo features 12 amp models and seven Smart FX (three effects simultaneously). Each Spider IV preset, amp model and effect exceeds the renowned Line 6 standard of sound quality. Every aspect of the tone, from the guitar input to the three-quarter closed-back cabinet and Celestion® speakers, delivers exceptional definition, clarity and feel. VOX VT15 Sophisticated modeling technology combined with the VOX Valve Reactor power amp circuit that uses a 12AX7 vacuum tube results in sound quality that overwhelms the competition. Randall KH15 Kirk Hammett Practice Amp Kirk made it very clear from the start that he wanted to develop a full line of amplifiers that would provide fans his signature tone at any price point. The KH15 is equipped with a Clean, Overdrive and Boost mode and is the perfect practice amp for both the professional and beginning guitarist. … Roland CUBE Street - Black The Ultimate Amp for Travelling Musicians If you're a musician who's on the move, the new CUBE Street is for you. Whether you're running to a rehearsal, lesson, street gig, or any situation that requires portability and versatility, the CUBE Street is a battery-powered marvel that's ready to travel fast. The CUBE Street sounds amazing and is capable.

Historical Background of guitar amps

History Before solid-state technology, Valve amps were manually assembled by large teams of women in conditions that would not be accepted today. For domestic application the majority were not well made. Before manufacture, designs were scrutinised and modified to reduce production cost. Valve count kept to minimum, cheapest components used at voltage rating limits, safety standards almost non-existent.

Transistors are related to crystals. Their individual function is non linear and have to be arranged in compound groups to behave as a linear circuit. Solid-state amps operate at low voltages (10 - 100V). Valves amps operate at high voltages (200 - 600V). Speakers operate at approx (0 - 40V). The Output Transformer converts the high operating voltages of valves to the lower operating voltage of speakers. A transformer has 2 separate coils of wire (primary and secondary) wound around an iron core. Electricity flowing through wire causes a magnetic field around the wire and visa versa, a changing magnetic field causes electricity to flow through wire.

• Tubeopedia - Wiki of electronic tubes and related topics
• The Vacuum Tube FAQ - Henry Pasternack’s FAQ from rec.audio
• The Audio Circuit - An almost complete list of manufacturers, DIY kits, materials and parts and ‘how they work’ sections on valve amplifiers
• Conversion calculator - distortion factor to distortion attenuation and THD
• AX84.com - Although oriented towards valve guitar amplifiers, AX84’s free schematics and theory document apply well to any tube/valve project
• lenardaudio.com