SImple amp for F20

[Robert Moskowitz]

On 07/06/2014 08:45 PM, Doug wrote:
>
> On 07/06/2014 06:13 PM, Robert Moskowitz wrote:
>> I am looking for a simple amplifer program.
>>
>> I have looked at audacity, but I would have to be 'recording' to get 
>> 'playthrough'.  There is supposedly a .vst plugin, but I have not 
>> found it yet.
>>
>> This is for my wife to be able to have a simple amp (using my little 
>> Asus Eee900) for when she is playing her guitar and needs a bit of a 
>> boost.
>>
>>
> As a part-time musician, I would suggest that playing guitar over the 
> typical computer speakers is going to sound terrible, if you make it 
> work at all.
> (It may be difficult to make it work, because a guitar pickup, whether 
> magnetic or acoustic, is at microphone level, and the computer sound 
> programs
> would tend to resist putting a mic input out thru local speakers, due 
> to acoustic feedback concerns.)

Thanks for the valuable response.

We have a real old pickup, her brother's from some 30 years ago.  I have 
a USB sound card (Sabrent) that I was going to use for the I/O, then 
some small external speakers.  Just something small that she could take 
when it was a little larger venue than a living room.

>
> However, there are relatively cheap solutions that do not involve a 
> computer at all.
>
> The cheapest is to look for a low-powered guitar amp on Craig's List, 
> or at local garage/yard sales. I have found two, so far, one of which 
> is maybe 10 Watts
> and would work fine. I paid $10 for it.  The next cheapest is to get a 
> student amplifier from a commercial source.  Looking at the catalog, 
> "Musician's Friend"
> for last December (the latest one I have) on the inside back cover 
> there is a Starcaster Guitar Amplifier, "The perfect amp for beginners 
> with 15 watts
> of power."  The sale price was $39.99. They claim it lists for $99 
> MSRP. MF stock number is H96133.
> I don't know if this is still available, but something like this 
> probably is. ON the page, it says, Visit *musiciansfriend.com/dealcente
> *(I don't actually use the little amp for guitar, I use it as a 
> monitor for a record player. I have a 1959 Fender Bassman that I use 
> for gigs on electric
> piano and guitar. Your wife should not try to actually play a gig on a 
> little bitty amp like I have described.)

Whatever I get has to be RF shielded.  We live 600' from a 700' FM tower 
with 5 stations at max wattage.  A lot of unshield stuff just does not 
work in our home (we fought the tower, but there is a 400' near it that 
was here before the community was build up).