A student and friend recently told me about a less than remarkable event at a Paul Rogers concert which he had been attending. The usual cry from the audience had gone out, “TURN IT UP!”, to which he had simply replied “I don’t think that’s a very good idea” and carried on. Maybe not very rock n’ roll, but he actually has my full sympathy these days because if , like the redoubtable ACDC frontman Brian Johnson, your hearing is badly damaged, you will have to give up playing music altogether. dull perhaps, but true.

So why in that case do I keep on buying some of the loudest valve amplifiers on the market? A valid question. Guests and visiting health care professionals often ask in worried tones if such noise will not upset James, not to mention earn me an “asbo” for disrupting the whole neighbourhood.

The simple answer is tone. A good electric guitar is in truth only half the instrument. If not used in conjunction with an amplifier of at least equal quality it can only underperform. That is the reason that I always remind students that a good quality amplifier is an essential part of sculpting your tone. Indeed, the amplifier is probably more important when trying to achieve “That Tone” than the guitar itself.

You don’t need to play it full tilt these days to achieve the sound you want, but the tone of a good amplifier is not to be dismissed lightly. Indeed, the satisfaction of achieving the sound you truly want is unrivalled.

Therefore the free lesson for today; DON’T STINT ON YOUR AMP. IT IS GOING TO DEFINE YOUR SOUND!