How should you amplify your guitar?
The most comfortable and optimal system to increase the sound of your guitar is by means of a pre-amplifier, also known as ‘prefix’. In Alhambra, we use the previous Fishman, good quality and result.
The guitar is a delicate instrument, with a sound which can be overwhelming, but it does not have a powerful volume. Even taking into account its evolution, which has been already described in previous articles, this instrument needs help to be listened with quality in large rooms, in noisy places or where it is complemented by other instruments.
Wondering what type of amplification we should use, and specifically, what kind of preamp we should installs in our instrument are very common questions. A prefix is a pre-amplification system in miniature, which transforms vibrations, the sound, to amplify it.
You can get a quality sound by means of microphones, but these must be high-quality in order to get a good result. Furthermore, they cause many discomforts such as couplings or difficulties to place them correctly.
In contrast, using a prefix, we can get more autonomy, since if we connect the guitar with the cable, we have more mobility and we only must be worried about the quality of the amplifier which is connected.
A preamp consists of a small control panel, in which the bass, treble notes, volume, etc., are regulated; and a pickup (also called as piezo), which typically includes a tuner and a microphone.
Within the range of available preamps, Alhambra Guitars offers the possibility of installing several models. A choice which is determined by different factors to take into account. The type of guitar and the place where we’ll play will determine the choice directly.
If we're going to play in-group, it is not recommended the use of a microphone in the preamp, because the music generated by other instruments could interfere with ours and produce undesirable sounds.
By means of the anti-feedback or lowering the volume of the microphone, we could remove part of the background noise; but installing a system that only has the pickup, and working the mixture by means of a mixer, just as using a high quality amplifier is advisable in order to get the best sound results in our instrument.
On the other hand, combining the preamp with a pickup and a microphone, we will get a natural and high-quality sound, bearing in mind that the use of a good mixer and an amplifier is always very important to get the best result.
Finally, we must remember that the use of any system will enhance the sound of our guitar. Therefore, having a quality instrument, with good sound, will be essential to achieve our goal.
