Question:
ok see I have been playing guitar for maybe 5 or 6 years now. I pretty much taught myself. I really don't know what anything is called. I dont know what they do either. I have an old amp with overdrive. I know it distorts it somehow. I don't know any terminology so if anyone can explain I would be greatful. Thanks for readingthis.
Answer:
Originally Posted by 12stoneshuff ok see I have been playing guitar for maybe 5 or 6 years now. I pretty much taught myself. I really don't know what anything is called. I dont know what they do either. I have an old amp with overdrive. I know it distorts it somehow. I don't know any terminology so if anyone can explain I would be greatful. Thanks for readingthis.
first, just want to say 'hello'. i havn't seen you around the forums before, so welcome to CGR. i also noticed that you are from south bend. i'm from the kokomo area.
and just out of curiousity, what amp do you have?
so, to answer your questions...
i'll start from the top. back in the day (50's-60's era), guitarists were using tube amplifiers. tubes are basically modified lightbulbs (in a very simplified definition). anyway, they have the ability to amplify. you run current though through it, add in the signal, and the larger current mimics the signal, resulting in an amplification.

tubes come in all different shapes and sizes. mainly, you have preamp tubes (the smaller ones) and the poweramp tubes (the larger ones). these work in conjunction with each other to create a single device. (there are other uses, such as tubes used as rectifiers, but thats another topic).
so, guitarists noticed that when you put more signal into the tube than it could amplify, it distorted. the signal would clip off, as the tube couldn't match the input, and thats where distortion originated.
as modern technology advanced, transistors became the 'new' way of amplifying:
they are more efficient (less energy loss. tubes lose a lot of energy in heat), more accurate, and much cheaper. in most devices, these are better than their tube counterparts. musicians are basically the only people that still use the 'old' tube technology. why? because many guitarists describe transistor amps (solid state) as sounding 'cold' and 'harsh'... 'lifeless'. transistors distort as well, but usually in a non-pleasing way. tubes, on the other hand, are described as 'warm', 'full', 'rich', 'creamy', etc... they add harmonics as they begin to distort; something transistors cannot do.
so, i'm out of time... so, thats a basic rundown of how/where distortion came from. there are all kinds of methods used to get distortions today. i'll go over that when i have time later, if someone else doesn't do it in the meantime.
later,
Tom
Answer:
Ok my amp is a Crate...also it says something like DP on board. It has overdrive. It has a place to plug in footpedals, earphones, speakers, an output and an input. I was told it was an older amp but I dont think it is a tube amp. its a good sized amp about 2 feet high, same width. its got a bunch of nobs. Also I have another question about something. I have read about guitarists using what they call heads. What are those exactly? Thanks for helping me Tom.
Answer:
Originally Posted by 12stoneshuff Ok my amp is a Crate...also it says something like DP on board. It has overdrive. It has a place to plug in footpedals, earphones, speakers, an output and an input. I was told it was an older amp but I dont think it is a tube amp. its a good sized amp about 2 feet high, same width. its got a bunch of nobs. Also I have another question about something. I have read about guitarists using what they call heads. What are those exactly? Thanks for helping me Tom.
alright. i'm back and have time to finish this (sooner than i thought).
your amp would most definitely be solid state. and the DSP would be the effects section.
about the types of amps,
most amps, like yours, are combo amps, meaning that they have both the actual amplification section and the speaker/s in the same unit. the alternative is what is called a stack. some are called half-stacks, some are full stacks, it just depends on the size. here, the amplifier and the speakers are in seperate units. the amplifier is called the head, and that is plugged into the speaker cabinet (cab).
stacks are overrated for the most part, although thats another topic (i think i saw a thread floating around here about that earlier...)
and i have another errand to run, so i should be back to finish this either in an hour or so, or later this evening...
busy day.
Answer:
Tom you rock. And its alright that you have to do stuff. i'm only 17. I got time. I would just like to know this stuff so i dont seem like a newb. I know how to play the guitar somewhat (dont know how good) but i know about the guitar but just not all the hardware. Thanks again for all your help.
Answer:
Originally Posted by 12stoneshuff Tom you rock. And its alright that you have to do stuff. i'm only 17. I got time. I would just like to know this stuff so i dont seem like a newb. I know how to play the guitar somewhat (dont know how good) but i know about the guitar but just not all the hardware. Thanks again for all your help.
yeah... i'm 18, but this year has been crazy, yesterday especially.
so... i lost my train of thought... so, rather than randomly rambling, feel free to ask any more questions. i was going to try to fit in more stuff about solid state vs. tube vs modeling... etc... but i won't unless you want more info.
so, ask away if you have more questions.
Answer:
ok well see I want to start a band. I just figure I should know about amps and all the hardware for guitars. I would like to know the best products for the cheapest prices, so I know what to look for when i want to get another amp or something. I also don't know how good a Dillion guitar is. I got the guitar for half the price normally for about $300. I loved the way it played and looked. Actually any knowlege about any kind of hardware would be helpful. If i start a band I would like it to be something like 12 Stones or Dead Poetic, if that helps with what you can tell me. Thanks again for your help.