Difference Between Guitar Amplifiers And Keyboard Amplifiers (Things To Consider)

If you are new to the musical world of instruments or might not be aware of amplifiers, you might face a few confusing situations. One of the major questions that you may wonder is, what’s the difference between a guitar amp and a keyboard amp? You might have heard Amplifiers being discussed a few times.

When you have different musical instruments playing for a recording or a public performance, you need amplifiers to boost the sound. But what makes a guitar amp different from a keyboard amp? Well, we are here to answer the same questions and tell you all you need to know about them. 

Major Difference Between Guitar Amp And Keyboard Amp

Amplifiers or amp reproduces the sounds of instruments it is attached to loudly and accurately. They are normally used in settings where several instruments are playing in sync. You do want the sound of the guitar drowned out by other musical instruments.

Difference Between Guitar Amplifiers And Keyboard Amplifiers

But what’s the difference between guitar amplifiers and keyboard amplifiers? To answer that question, we would like to highlight a few points; 

  • Both amplifiers are built for their particular use. You may have a mate who plays the guitar trying to link up a cord with your keyboard amplifier. The sound generated by the keyboard amp will be vastly different and hence, not accurate. What you expect is not what you get when you plug your guitar into a keyboard amplifier.
  • Tailored differently: The main factor that creates the difference between a guitar amp and a keyboard amp is how they are tailored. Case in point, a keyboard amplifier faithfully and accurately generates the sound of a keyboard. Similar is the case for guitar amplifiers and guitars. Both of these amplifiers are not versatile enough to be used in each other’s place. 
  • Range of Sounds: You might have noticed keyboard amplifiers reproducing full-range sound as precisely as possible. Guitar amplifiers, on the other hand, are specific. So they manage to have less headroom to navigate. The input of the keyboard sounds accurate to the output generated by a keyboard amplifier. In comparison, a guitar amplifier tends to purify the sound of a guitar. You might find it easier for a guitar player to work in a studio with their guitar amplifier than with a keyboard player with his or keyboard amplifier.
  • Preamp: This is one of the major differences between a guitar amp and a keyboard amp that people tend to forget. You might notice a great deal of variation when trying out several guitar amplifiers such as Marshall and Fender. That is because every amplifier for a guitar has its unique or distinctive sound. In the case of amplifiers for keyboards, any difference between separate brands is negligible. Equipped with onboard EQ, every keyboard amplifier more or less handles the octaves of a keyboard similarly. 
  • The difference in Input: There are several inputs involved when you are using a keyboard amplifier. You can play several keyboards with a single amplifier. The difference between a guitar amp and a keyboard amp is that you can use only a single guitar with a single plugged-in guitar amplifier. 
  • Requirement of Units: You often need a separate speaker for a guitar amplifier. But when you are using an amplifier for a keyboard, they generally tend to be combo units. In other words, a keyboard amplifier is inbuilt with a speaker, the amplifier circuit, and controls. So you do not need separate units for a keyboard amplifier. 
  • Frequency variations: When you are playing a keyboard, you input many sounds with different frequencies, such as very deep bass notes to very high treble tones. Bass flex and tweeter are present inside amplifiers for keyboards. Keyboard amplifiers are built to replicate and boost accurate sound in their output. The same is not true for guitar amplifiers as they have a definite set of frequencies inbuilt. 

Conclusion 

Now that you know the difference between a guitar amp and a keyboard amp, you may have reached several conclusions. Such as, it is best not to use them interchangeably for each other. Plus, how important it is to know about guitar and keyboard amplifiers before deciding to buy one.

We hope these differences helped you learn more about the music and differences between amplifiers and how they are not as versatile as you would wish them to be.