Let’s talk about amplifyers. First musical amps (short for «amplifyers») was made for amplification of guitar sound.
First guitar amps was a vacuum tube amps. This amps have been made thanks to the invention of electrical capacitor and rectifier lamp, thus the construction of economic built-in power supply that worked by AC (alternating current) became possible.
As a result, portable amplifiers on electronic tubes no longer depend on heavy and uncomfortable sets of batteries.
A little about vacuum electric lamp. It’s vacuum electronic device, working by controlling the intensity of the flow of electrons moving in a vacuum or a rarefied gas between the electrodes.
In the XX century, radio tubes were massively used as active elements of electronic equipment (amplifiers, generators, detectors, switches, etc.). Currently, almost completely replaced by semiconductor devices (transistors an example). Sometimes they are also used in high-power high-frequency transmitters and high-end audio equipment.
But if you a newcomer you don’t need a high-end and eaxpensive audio devises, so special for you inventors was invent a transistors, thus we were able to made a semiconductor amps which have become a cheep replacement for vacuum tube amps.
But if you choose low price you choose poor sound quality. Researchers are unanimous that tube amplifiers used with electric guitars introduce specific distortions into sound. Musicians and music lovers like these distortions, tube amp sound is described as “rounded” and “penetrative”, and amp based on transistors — as “thin”, “empty” «, «metal».
Later i’m going to tеll a little more about amps, its structure and working principles. Follow my blog if you find it interesting (or if you like it 🙂 ).
Radio technology in music 