Kid Guitars
Posts Tagged ‘amplifier’
We recently bought our six year old daughter a childrens electric guitar. To say that she LOVES it would really be an understatement! She would play morning, noon and night if we let her. We are glad to see her like it so much and can now use the guitar as leverage to get her to do other less desirable activities, (i.e. eating her vegetables, taking a bath ) We have decided that it is time to get her some proper instruction and know of a good teacher that is very reputable as well as affordable.
Like any good musician we also need to make sure our daughter has all the proper equipment. We are looking online for a 5 watt amplifier and we also need to find a guitar case that will fit the dimensions of the guitar that we bought her. An online search shows that there are different sizes, shapes and makes of guitar cases for kids. We just need to find one that will make it easy for her to carry back and forth to her lessons. They say youth is wasted on the young but at least as adults we can live vicariously through our children!
It is sometimes quite fascinating to look at how sound is created and maintained in a guitar. In a plugged-in electric guitar instrument, sound is created when the strings are strummed or plucked and the vibration from the movement is picked up by a magnetic device called the pick-up. The sound is amplified with the use of an amplifier which is connected to the guitar via a guitar cable. Electric guitars have two or three pick-ups that come with a pick-up switch that can be controlled to determine which pickup is active and many discount electric guitars are purchased today for the eager beginner. The sound can be further manipulated and modified by turning the volume and tone dials (or knobs) of the guitar, the tuning knobs, as well as knobs of the amplifier. Most electric guitars have three knobs or dials for controlling the volume, treble and bass tones which are produced by the built-in electronics of the guitar
Basically, a pickup is made of a long copper wire that is wound or coiled around one or more magnets. When electricity passes through the copper wire, the magnet/s in the middle of the coil detects the movement or vibrations of the metal strings. Electrical impulses travel through the wire inside the pickup due to these vibrations, and when attached to the amplifier, the impulses create the sound heard from the amplifier. Today, modern single coil pickups produce less noise than their early counterparts. The tremolo bar allows the player to quickly and easily alter the pitch of the strings, lowering or making the sound higher as the strings are being played. It is usually placed just below the saddle of the guitar. The tuners are found at the headstock of the guitar and are used to tighten and loosen the strings. The standard tuning for electric guitar is EBGDAE but other types of tuning such as Drop-D are used depending on the preference of the guitarist and the kind of music played.
Would your child like to have the opportunity to learn to play the guitar? If they would then there are plenty of good quality childrens electric guitars now available that can bring them plenty of satisfaction in the future. But along with purchasing the right sort of guitar it is important that you purchase the right sort of amp as well. But how do you know which amp for your childrens electric guitar is best? Below are some tips that could go a long way to making sure that the amp you purchase is the best one for your child and their guitar.
Look for an amplifier that comes with the most basic features and allows you to adjust the volume and tone. However, what you will find with a great many of the traditional amplifiers is that they come with both reverb effect and gain control. These additional controls can give your guitar more presence or spatial echo effect but are not required when learning the basics of playing this instrument. Look for amps that childrens electric guitars can be connected to that have at least two inputs on them so they can practice with a friend or a teacher. Also they can use it for connecting a microphone as well. If your child will be having private one on one lessons elsewhere make sure that the amplifier can easily be transported. There are plenty of these on the market today and although the wattage may be low they still will produce plenty of sound. Give your child a cool guitar with am amplifier and he is set!