Do you "play" your amp or "play through" your amp?

[tjontheroad]

I hear and read folk say they actually "play" their amps as if they are instruments themselves. Conversely, others only "play through" their amps as an end point to the guitar's sound.

What say you?

 

[sickboy79]

IMO, amps are equally as much an instrument as the guitar is. I play my amps for sure.

 

[kwicked]

My amp plays me for a fool.

 

[Barnzy]

1 electric guitar currently...3 different amps. To me, the amp is the voice here.

 

[Steve Hotra]

Yes, I play / adjust the setting to all of the amps ( tube and SS) that I use.

 

[musicman1]

I play through. The amp doesn't do much but make hissing noises w/o me...

 

[michael patrick]

I play my guitar. I play the guitar through an amp.

 

[Dad love mom]

I play my electric guitar, which, in turn, makes sounds. When I play with other people, I tend to play through an amplifier to amplify my guitar playing. Therefore, I play through my amp.

 

[tjontheroad]

My amp plays me for a fool.

Hmmm, I should make this a 3rd pole option lol

 

[Echo Charlie]

It's all good vibrations.

 

[Laurence]

I play the amp as much as I play the guitar.

 

[Blix]

A Vox, Fender or a Marshall all responds differently, and you alter the way you play to that, so I'd say I play the amp.

 

[reaiken]

The guitar is the instrument, the amp is the ampstrument. You play them both.

 

[BlueRiff]

I play the guitar. I don't consider the amp an instrument - it amplifies and colors the sound - it does not make chords or notes by itself.

 

[Hulakatt]

An electric guitar isn't very electric without an amp. The amp is 50% of the instrument to me, the guitar is the interface.

It wasn't until I played a 5e3 that this all made sense to me, before the amps just made guitars louder but the 5e3 was so interactive.

 

[robyogi]

I used to play through my amps but these days if the amp doesn't behave like an instrument in itself I get bored.

 

[Krausewitz]

Definitely play the amp. When I'm playing I only hear the end sound (obviously), but am doing all sorts of things with my hands and the guitar controls to change how the guitar sounds. What I'm responding to, even though I don't think about it in the moment, it how the amp reacts to the guitar signal it is receiving.

So, yeah, I think you play it all.

 

[Axe-Man]

I find the amp sound dictates what I naturally get directed towards music wise. For example, a more vintage sound and it's likely more bluesy, more rock and it works for leads and more aggro is rifting and chunky.

It might be just me, but the amp in my personal experience is much more important than the guitar.

 

[WillLane]

I think the question implies you have to put more emphasis or importance on the guitar or amp, i.e. you cannot give both units the same emphasis/importance. I do think the ultimate tonal quality and response is more due from the amp, but the intonation and user playability is moreso the guitar.

If you play a guitar through an amp, you are traditionally playing guitar. Now if you take the amp out and just strum on the guitar acoustically, you are still playing the guitar. However, if you take the guitar out the equation and you "play the amp" by tapping the input lead hooked up to the guitar amp, you are doing something of relatively no musical use which is making annoying buzzing sounds.

So you play the guitar. But then really the guitar plays the amp, because grids, cathodes, and anodes and something something...

 

[Dad love mom]

An electric guitar isn't very electric without an amp. The amp is 50% of the instrument to me, the guitar is the interface.

It wasn't until I played a 5e3 that this all made sense to me, before the amps just made guitars louder but the 5e3 was so interactive.

Whenever people try to call me an acoustic guitar player, I always remind them, "Hey, I'm also a SOUND HOLE PLAYER, TOO!"