Power Question

[Quinner]

Good morning everyone.

I am currently living in Canada and I'm thinking of purchasing an acoustic electric guitar shortly. Now, if I buy an amp with this I realise that it will plug into a mains wall socket(110v) and then connect to the guitar. My question though is if I go to another country, say a 220v country, obviosuly my amp will not work (different power) but will the electric guitar be affected if I bought a 220v amp there?

Thanks all.

[BTF]

If I understand your question, no, there will usually be no audible difference in, say, a Marshall acoustic amp using 110V in the States or Canada and the identical amp used with 220V mains in England or 100V mains in Japan. In fact, the amp manufacturers which have multiple markets with different mains voltages around the world often simply juggle whatever fuse requirements the particular intended national market dictates, change the mains cord, and then use a mains power transformer to match the requirement. Usually the rest of the audio circuit is unchanged.

You might check to see if any amp you're interested in might be available with multiple mains taps (like some European valve amps). Traynor or Yorkville might offer that option, I'm not sure.

Hope I've answered your question. Regards!

[BTF]

As an aside, if you purchase your 110V amp and want to take IT with you to Europe, Australia or the Orient, be wary of suggestions to use an auto or step-down transformer with it! Transformers will work, and many musicians use them, but you have to be DEAD CERTAIN that your wiring between the mains, the transformer and the amp is correctly polarized, or you may touch a microphone plugged into a mixer and find that your mic ground and string ground are 110V or more apart!

This can be a shocking (and possibly deadly) experience indeed!

Good Luck, Bill.

[Quinner]

It wasn't so much an audible difference I was thinking Bill, it was the power difference, would plugging a 220v amp into a guitar bought in a 110v country cause any issues. I simply didn't know what kind of electrical components are on the guitar side and would changing from one voltage to another for the amp damage the guitar.

It was pretty obvious that an amp bought out here simpy won't work from a power point of view, as is the case in any electrical device at 110v and 220v and I really would have no interest in buying transformers etc. to bring the amp with me. I haven't been playing long enough at all to love a "sound" from an amp that I'd want to bring it with me.

If and when I move back, I'll simply trade in my 110v amp here and replace it with a 220v amp back there, safe in the knowledge that me or my guitar won't fry!!!!! That really would be a power chord!!!!!

Thank you for the answer Bill!!

[Pnewsom]

It doesn't matter to the guitar what country the amp is wired for. It's just part of the preamp circuit when connected.

[BTF]

Exactly.

Sorry Quinner, I didn't get the gist of your question.

The guitar itself doesn't rely on the amp for power (unless, unusually, it's running from Phantom Power- which is industry standardized, so normally there's no general problem there). When played, the guitar- whether containing a battery preamp or a simple un-powered pickup- sends a small AC signal voltage to the preamp circuit of whatever it's plugged into. That signal is in turn amplified by the receiving device. So, you can plug the guitar into a mixing board, amplifier, CD player, Apple device, audio recorder or what have you, provided the device has a jack to receive the lead from the guitar and provided that the electronic device is in safe and working condition.

The receiving device can connect to whatever mains is native to it, or connect to another mains voltage if safely and properly transformed (this is one reason so many devices come with AC adapters- a company can make the same device, then just mate it with an adapter for the intended country in which it will be used. Much easier than building a unit with a dedicated power supply for each country!).

Regards!