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Steven B asked in Science & MathematicsPhysics · 1 decade ago

Why is the wattage for a guitar amp different than is input power?

Well I'm not an electrician or anything, but i was just curious about this since I noticed it.

I have a Fender 212R guitar amp, which is supposedly 100 Watts. Well I looked on the back by where the power cable plugs in and it said Input Power 360 W

So my question is, what happens to the other 260 watts here?

3 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    a. Input watts are different than output watts.

    b. Thats a solid-state amplifier and is essentially a glorified stereo amplifier.

    c. Buy a tube amp. 30W will knock your socks off.

  • Gene
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    Ever put your hand over the amp and feel the heat ??? Amplifier circuits are not 100 percent efficient. You waste a lot of power setting up the conditions on the circuit elements so you can get the power out. The inefficiency results in heat and that's where the extra power goes.

  • 1 decade ago

    The amp wastes it as Heat.

    The amplifier is simply that *in*efficient. That's just the way it is.

    .

    Source(s): Elec. Engineer / musician. .
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