Do I Need A Guitar Amp To Learn Guitar?

You may have just started out playing the guitar or you’re looking to start playing, and you’re probably asking yourself: “Do I need an amplifier to learn the guitar?”

Do I need an amp to learn the Acoustic Guitar?

If you play an acoustic guitar, you do not need an amplifier to practice as the sound is generated from inside the guitar itself. When playing to an audience, you may well want to boost your sound via an acoustic guitar amplifier, and there are various ways to do that, but, if you’re just starting out, you won’t need to worry about that yet!

Beginner Acoustic Guitars

Browse Beginner Acoustic Guitars

What Amplifier Options do I have for Electric Guitar?

An amp is a must-have when you play an electric guitar. Unlike an acoustic, an electric guitar’s sound is generated via pickups, which convert vibration into electrical signals. An amp then converts those electric signals into sound. Unplugged, an electric guitar will sound very quiet and quite bland. These are instruments designed to be heard through an amp. The great thing about that is how you can customise your tone to suit the style of music you’re playing.

Luckily when it comes to amps, there are a plethora of options available today for guitarists. Many of these are tailored to beginner players or for practicing more generally.

In the following video, guitar teaching legend JustinGuitar demonstrates the differences between beginner amplifiers.

Here are a few different types of amps you’ll want to try out as a new player:

Practice Amplifiers – Built to be your perfect partner for all things practice. Practice amps work well at lower volumes and tend to be equipped with smartphone apps that work alongside the amp and contain anything from tone selection, metronomes, a guitar tuner, and even chord charts for songs to help you learn!
Micro Amplifiers – A micro amplifier does everything the practice amp does, but takes its larger size brother and shrinks it down into a small, compact amplifier packed full of tone.
Modelling Amplifiers – A digital amplifier that has a range of different tones & effects. This is an especially good choice for those lacking in space. Want to sound like your favourite band? Dial in the exact tone that you like! Read our Ultimate Guide to Modelling Amps for more details.
Headphone Amps – If you fancy playing with an amplifier but want to practice without disturbing anyone, why not plug in a headphone amp into your guitar. Simply plug a pair of headphones into the amp and you’re ready to go.

Practice Amplifiers

Browse Practice Amplifiers

What Amplifier is Right For Me?

In this video, we demonstrate the differences between some popular practice amplifiers to help you decide what amplifier works perfectly in a home situation – after all, this is where most guitar practice takes place.

Summary

Depending on what type of guitar you want to play dictates whether using an amplifier is needed, however, with the options available to us now, practicing the guitar has never been easier. Practice amps offer great versatility, especially with the handy smartphone apps which work with them to give you the tools you need to learn effectively, and most importantly – fun!

If you’d like to know more, check out these handy articles, guides, and collections: