A guitar amplifier manufacturer. known for high quality amplifiers and exquisite tone. Generally a producer of tube style circuitry amplifiers. Best sound is usually acheived when amplified guitar is a semihollow or hollow body guitar such as the ES series, the epiphone Casino, or many Richenbacher models. Expensive, but revered as the best sounding amplifiers for the studio.

Short for Vacuum Tube, a device used to drive amplifiers until the advent of transistors. A tube works like a flood gate, except with heat. A small heater in the base warms up, while a gate like mechanism opens and closes depending on the input signal. As heat goes through the "gate", it is turned into electrical energy. Tube slots must be biased, which determines the voltages seen by the tube. Only guitar amps still use tubes (as well as some bass amps, mic preamps, and other pro audio devices.)

Though a true discussion of tubes is enough to fill a large book, let alone a short definition, but here are some more common types of tubes.

Preamp: American name (European name) Other name
12AX7 (ECC83) 7025
12AT7
12AY7

Rectifier
5U4 (GZ32)
GT5Y3 (GZ30)

Power Amp
6L6GC
6V6GC
EL84
EL34
KT66
6550

To turn up a tube guitar amplifier's volume control to maximum. Doing so usually results in a distorted output that is aurally pleasing and rich in musical harmonics, compression and note sustain. Electric guitar tone enthusiasts often prefer this tone to other methods of generating a distorted output from the amplifier. However, the resulting high sound levels are often excessive and unusable in smaller rooms or environments where excessive volumes are not permissible.

The greatest forum on the planet. Ostensibly a place for people to discuss guitar tones (which they often do) it is often host to funny picture threads, hilarious n00b bashing, and humorous (and often ambiguous) use of emoticons. Also contains a number of "clubs" to which people profess their allegiance in their signature, which occasionally are "joined" to support for a particular manufacturer, e.g. the Mesa Boogie Mob or the VHT Death Squad, but are more often whimsical and rather meaningless, such as Renoir1's :o club and various other emoticon clubs. It has either popularized or invented notable memes, such as numerous pictures involving the faces or bodies of the likes of Eddie Van Halen, Zakk Wilde and moshzilla photoshopped into various amusing locations, and slang as well, such as "teh br00talz" and "porcupwned." Despite all of its shenanigans, however, HCAF is actually quite a useful resource for all man...

Short for "amplifier" or "ampere."

(Ma-ch lez) proper n.

A brand of boutique guitar amplifier, utilizing hand-wired class A* circuitry, and low output power, Matchless’ have become popular for recording because of their ability to distort at low volumes. Matchless amps are powered by EL34 or EL84 power amp tubes, the former being used most popularly by Marshall, the latter by Vox and Gibson.

* = As opposed to the more popular Class A/B, used by Fender and others, which delivers more power per tube.

Used by Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Lenny Kravitz, Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), Rusty Anderson (Paul McCartney), David Rhodes (Peter Gabriel), John Jorgenson (Elton John), and many more.

Electrical term, Class A Amplifier.

A class A amplifier is, simply put, one amp pushing a speaker in an out. The best way to describe it is to relate it to Class A/B. Class A/B amplifiers have 2 amps, one to push the speaker out (+), the other to pull it in (-). In guitar amps that use tubes, this means that one tube, a driver tube inverts the signal polarity before it reaches the B side.

A class A amp pushes and pulls the speaker, and thus must do more work. Most commercial (in home) amps (stereo receivers, etc.) are class A amps. Class A/B is generally used in guitar amps over 30 watts, high powered Bass amps, and professional power amps. Class A/B generally delivers the same power at double the impedance. So if an amp gets 100w per side @ 4 ohms, then it will generally get 200w bridged mono @ 8 ohms. ...