Chris Barr, Author at Sonic Function

There is a lot of misinformation out there about guitar amplifiers and how they can damage guitars. Some people believe that if you don't have an amplifier that is specifically designed for guitars, then you're going to fry your axe. I wanted to go over some of the truths, half-truths, and downright lies about guitar amps and talk about how they can actually improve your playing experience. In general, your amp will not damage your guitar except for in extraordinary circumstances. If the amp somehow short-circuited and flowed into the input for the guitar it could fry the guitar and yourself. Freakish circumstances aside, let’s get into what you need to know about the relationship between amp and guitar. Can A Bad Amp Damage Guitar Pickups? Typically, a bad amp will not damage your guitar pickups. Your pickups are passive devices that rely on magnets to produce their signal. They don’t have any moving parts or delicate circuitry that could be damaged by a crappy amplifier. Now, can a bad amp make your pickups sound terrible? Absolutely! If you’re playing through a cheap practice amp with broken speakers, your pickups are going to sound terrible no matter how great they actually are. This is one of the reasons why it’s so important to invest in a good amplifier if you want to get the best possible sound out of your guitar. A quality amplifier will make even the cheapest guitar sound decent. Depending on what is wrong with the amp most of the damage will stay internal. Modern amps will have fuses that will trip in the event of an issue. This will mean you’re out an amp, but your guitar pickups will be fine. That said, some amp issues can cause problems for you. Amps that are dangerous include: An amp older than the 1960s (doesn’t have a ground)An amp with damaged ground wiring If the amp is damaged to the point that it's no longer grounded or if it never was grounded, it could ground through you. This is a risk especially when the rest of your sound system is grounded. This can also happen if your amp is on one circuit while your microphone is on another. So overall, there is little to no risk to your guitar from your amp. The risks are to your amp and yourself. What Are Some Signs My Guitar Amp Is Bad? Typically, you can do some simple troubleshooting by doing a quick visual inspection of your amp, the cables, pickups, and connections. If you're still in doubt, the next option is to take the amp to an instrument repair shop. Some signs that your guitar amp is bad include: The sound is distorted or fuzzyThere is a crackling soundThe volume fluctuations on its ownIt emits strange smellsThe power cuts in and out A guitar amplifier is a crucial part of any guitarist’s setup. A good amp can make your playing sound great, while a bad amp can make even the best guitar sound terrible. Fortunately, as long as you take care of your equipment, it’s very unlikely that your amplifier will damage your guitar. How Can I Troubleshoot My Guitar Amp? There’s something to be said about figuring it out and trying to fix issues yourself. A basic rule for troubleshooting (and this goes for anything, not just amps) is to start with the obvious and/or the cheapest thing to replace, like cables. From there you work backwards to more difficult or expensive things to repair. Plugging in and TestingVisual Inspection Remember, cables get bent and crimped all the times, to the smaller internal wiring often breaks before anything more rigid and protected. Luckily, cables are fairly inexpensive to replace. Plugging in and Testing Start by plugging in the amp and turning it on. If it doesn’t turn on you have your answer. If it turns on and starts humming with a lead in but no guitar it is fine so far. The next thing to try is tapping the tip of the lead. This should create some popping noises. If it does not you have a bad cable. Next, you need to try plugging in the guitar and playing a bit. If no sound comes out the problem is likely with your guitar. However, if some sound does come out but it's distorted then you’ve got a bad amp. Another sign of a bad amp is useless knobs. If the controls on your amp don’t seem to do anything there is an internal issue. Visual Inspection If you don’t want to test the amp you can give it a good once over. This works best with tube amps as you can inspect the tubes themselves. Start by looking at the power cord and all the jacks. If any of them look visibly damaged you will want to take the amp in. If nothing appears broken, you can look at the internals. On tube amps, you should focus on the tubes. Check the filaments and the glass. If there are discolored spots on the tube glass they may be generating too much heat. If you can turn on the amp, you can watch the tubes to see how they glow. If they don’t light up at all you know they’re bad. If they are particularly dim or glow either pink or purple you have an issue. What Can Damage Guitar Pickups? Now that you know your amp won’t damage your guitar, let's go over what will. Here are several possible factors that can damage your pickups: MoistureMagnetsPhysical ImpactDust and DebrisExtreme Hot or Cold TemperaturesExcessive Humidity.Direct Sunlight. Moisture Exposure Over time excessive moisture can damage your pickups. To state the obvious, rust is not good for any electrical component. It is important to dry your strings and pickups if they have been exposed to moisture such as sweat. Be sure to store your guitar in a dry environment. Strong Magnets Since pickups work using magnetic fields they can be degaussed over time. It is worth noting that this takes very strong magnets and quite a bit of time. You aren’t likely to experience this by accident. None of the magnetic fields you are likely to come across would be strong enough to degauss your pickups. Physical Impacts Pickups have delicate parts that can be damaged if struck. Bumping your guitar won’t cause them to break, but more forceful impacts can eventually break your pickup not to mention other parts of your guitar. Dust and Debris Dust isn’t a huge issue when it comes to your pickups. That said it is always better to keep them clean. Metal debris is another issue. The magnets in your pickups can attract any metal filings that get too close. It is best not to use steel wool around your pickups. Extreme Hot or Cold Temperatures Your pickups are made of wire and metal. As such, they can be damaged by exposure to extreme heat or cold. These temperatures can break down the insulation on the wires and cause other problems. Excessive Humidity Too much humidity can also damage your pickups. The moisture in the air can corrode the metal and cause rusting. Direct Sunlight Like all electronics, it is best to avoid direct sunlight. The UV rays can damage the insulation and cause other problems. Some of these are more relevant to electric guitars, while others towards acoustic models...still, it's best to avoid or minimize as many as you can no matter what type of guitar you are using. While you might not be able to control all of these factors, it is important to be aware of them. By taking some simple precautions, you can help keep your pickups in good shape. Final Thoughts As you can see, the simple answer is no...amps cannot damage guitars. There are, however, a number of other factors that can damage your guitar pickups. Be sure to take some simple precautions to help keep your pickups in good shape and avoid any unnecessary repairs.