AMPLIFIER SPECIAL

Ampli­fiers are a ver­sa­tile beast, shap­ing the course of mod­ern music for three-quarters of a cen­tury – empow­er­ing rock gods and elec­tri­fy­ing music fans across a num­ber of gen­er­a­tions. Its impor­tance shows no signs of dimin­ish­ing in the com­put­erised era, with new and excit­ing uses still being explored to this day. Whether you’re a gui­tarist, bassist, key­boardist, vocal­ist – pretty much any kind of instru­men­tal­ist – the hum­ble amp can take your sound to a higher level.

This month we take a look at a huge range of ampli­fiers – rang­ing from entry-level options for begin­ners, to bou­tique beau­ties for the tonal afi­cionado, through to untamed mon­sters for those look­ing to oblit­er­ate win­dows and eardrums alike.

Our crack­ing team of writ­ers have put these amps through the motions, putting their capa­bil­i­ties, build, and value for money to the test, so you can make an informed choice when select­ing your new ves­sel of aural power.

Though our guide is as com­pre­hen­sive as they come, the best move after flick­ing through the fol­low­ing pages is to head down to your local retailer and test out whichever amp tick­les your fancy in the flesh. Make it loud, make it count!