How much power is required to power my guitar?

StubblehoundStubblehound Posts: 106Member
Can someone please explain or link to a page that explains how much power is required to power my guitar? I cant see it being 240V as I just use a cable from guitar to amp. I assume the amp uses 240V but how much power is then transferred up the cable to power what it powers?

Comments

  • LesterLester Posts: 1,730Member, Moderator
    edited August 2016
    Originally Posted by Stubblehound:

    Can someone please explain or link to a page that explains how much power is required to power my guitar?

    Guitars that use passive pickups require no power at all. The pickups contain a magnet and a coil of wire which together create a magnetic flux field which reacts to the vibrations of strings, creating a weak signal that needs to be amplified by your guitar amp. Guitars that use active pickups (mostly electro-acoustic and some bass guitars) require a 9v battery to provide the power to the built-in preamp.

    Originally Posted by Stubblehound:

    I assume the amp uses 240V but how much power is then transferred up the cable to power what it powers?

    None whatsoever.

  • JockoJocko Posts: 7,107Member, Moderator

    That is why bands on stage can use wireless links for guitars.

  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member

    Yep, as I understand it, the guitar pickups are generating their own (actually a very small) signal, just as Lester describes, and that is sent down the cable to the amp to be shaped and made bigger, so it can drive the speaker(s). No power going up the cable to the guitar. image

  • StubblehoundStubblehound Posts: 106Member

    Thanks for the replies.

     

    I like to know how things work. I couldn't work out how the sound was transferred without power. It's witchcraft, I'm sure of it 

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