The advent of transistor technology and AA batteries meant that we could now create little boxes that made lots of sound, without the usual bulk that came along with valve sound technology.
This revolution led to lots of innovation on smaller sound devices including the fitting of amplifiers to electric guitars.
Though these are super portable there are some downsides to this design. We explore this and relevant issues related to electric guitars with built-in amps in the rest of this article.
Are There Electric Guitars With Built-In Amplifiers?
Yes, there are electric guitars with built-in amps. They provide significant convenience if you want to play your electric guitar with an amplifier. The amp sounds quality is not as good, and they require a regular change of batteries, but they do meet the need for mobile sound.
A variety of people are drawn to electric guitars with built-in amps. Firstly people who want to be able to play their electric guitar away from their amp, and then those who would rather not have to buy an additional piece of gear due to the cost, or room it would take up.
There are not a lot of options to choose from, suggesting the demand for electric guitars with built-in amps is not high, but there are a few models we reference through the discussion in the rest of this article.
Pros of Guitars With Built In Amps
Convenience/Portability
No doubt the main reason people are drawn to the concept of an electric guitar with a built-in amplifier is the portability. You don’t need to bring an amp with you.
Great For Busking
If you are wanting to perform in the streets, but won’t have access to power for your amp, or just do not want to carry it, then an electric guitar with a built-in amp, is a great way to make a decent sound.
Great For Kids
The simplicity of just turning on your guitar and starting to play, without worrying about leads, and plugins this into amplifiers can make guitar playing and practice much more achievable for a beginner player, for someone smaller.
Eliminate The Need For An Amplifier
If you are low on space or budget, then buying an electric guitar with a built-in amplifier means one less thing to buy, and then store. If you are money or space-conscious then this could be significant.
Cons of Guitars With Built In Amps
Reduced Tone and Volume
Given the limited space, and power available, significant compromises have to be to the nature of the amplifier. The speakers will be quite small, which will limit your potential volume.
Many users of these guitars have stated that even at maximum volume, they were not even as loud as an acoustic guitar. In addition, the quality of the sound is not the same quality as you would get from a stand-alone amplifier.
Requires Batteries
Though you won’t need electricity to plug your amp into, you will still need to power your amp. As a result, you will need an ongoing source of AA batteries to power the guitar. If you are taking it out and about this means this will be something else you need to carry to ensure ongoing sound.
Few Options to Choose From
Given the demand for electric guitars with built-in amps is not significant, there are only a small number of models available. This limits your choice and can mean you are forced to choose a model you are not that impressed with.
Examples of Guitars With Built-In Amplifiers
- Electrophonic Model One (https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/electrophonic-model-one-guitar-has-built-eight-watt-stereo-amp-and-effects)
- Fusion Guitars ( https://fusionguitars.com/pages/faq)
- Yanko Electric Guitars (https://www.yankodesign.com/)
- Pinterest Inspiration (https://www.pinterest.com.au/stevemoppert/guitars-with-built-in-amp/)
- Loog Guitars (https://loogguitars.com/collections/the-new-loog-electric-guitars)
Do All Electric Guitars Have Amps?
No, most electric guitars do not have amplifiers. Most electric guitars need to be plugged into an external amp using a guitar lead. Only a very small number of the produced guitars have built-in amplifiers.
What To Look For In An Electric Guitar With A Built-In Amplifier
Play It First
I recommend that you try and physically inspect and play a guitar like this. They are very different to hold and to play, and in many cases are quite small, so I recommend that try and play one first before buying.
Speaker Size and Volume
Pay attention to details about the speaker, obviously the more watts the speaker is, the louder. Once you look at a few models you will get a feel for the possible sizes and the limits you need to work within.
Sound Effects
Some electric guitars with built in amplifiers include electric guitar sound effects such as reverb, delay and distortion. These could be very useful, and enhance the quality of sound you can produce, so it would be good to look at what effects the different models have.
Alternatives to An Electric Guitar With a Built In Amp
There are some other products that help you get electric guitar sound out of your electric guitar when you away form your home amplifier. The Vox Amplug 2 is a device that you plug directly into your electric guitar, and then plug headphones into the Ampplug so you can hear you guitar as if it were going through an amp.
There are different Amplugs that provide different types of sound that you can choose from.
Though this solves the problem of being able to play in a more mobile way, it does not give you an external sound that other people will be able to hear.
Learn more about the Amplug here:
The advent of transistor technology and AA batteries meant that we could now create little boxes that made lots of sound, without the usual bulk that came along with valve sound technology.
This revolution led to lots of innovation on smaller sound devices including the fitting of amplifiers to electric guitars.
Though these are super portable there are some downsides to this design. We explore this and relevant issues related to electric guitars with built-in amps in the rest of this article.
Are There Electric Guitars With Built-In Amplifiers?
Yes, there are electric guitars with built-in amps. They provide significant convenience if you want to play your electric guitar with an amplifier. The amp sounds quality is not as good, and they require a regular change of batteries, but they do meet the need for mobile sound.
A variety of people are drawn to electric guitars with built-in amps. Firstly people who want to be able to play their electric guitar away from their amp, and then those who would rather not have to buy an additional piece of gear due to the cost, or room it would take up.
There are not a lot of options to choose from, suggesting the demand for electric guitars with built-in amps is not high, but there are a few models we reference through the discussion in the rest of this article.
How Do You Power An Electric Guitar With an Amp?
Electric guitars with built-in amps still need the power to run the circuitry and speaker. In the absence of a permanent power source, they are run on batteries Most electric of them are fit to take AA batteries, but some anomalies may require a different battery size.
https://voxamps.com/product/amplug-2/
FAQs
Is there an electric guitar that doesn’t need an Amp?
By default, all electric guitars are required to use an amplifier to convert the signal from their electric guitar into an audible noise. A small number of models include inbuilt speakers, but the majority require an external amplifier.
Do all electric guitars have amps?
No, most guitars do not have amplifiers and require amplification through an external amplifier.
Can you use any electric guitar with any amp?
It depends. There are different amps made for difference instruments that serve different purposes. Depending on the audio inputs of the amp, you can most likely find a way to plug your guitar into it and make some sound, but electric guitar amplifiers are specifically created to process sound from an electric guitar and and have equalization options designed to suit and enhance the sound of an electric guitar, where as other amps will be geared up for other purposes.
Resources
https://uniqueguitar.blogspot.com/2010/01/guitars-with-built-in-amplifiers.html
