so what does a preamp do anyways? i have been playing for a year and a half or so and i have never used one or really come across one. but on my amp (peavey bandit 112) there is a preamp return and send on the back, but im not sure what they do exactly?

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You've never used one? Of course you have. Most guitar amps have them built in. On hi-fis though, you'll often find them being sold as separate components. So it's basically a mini amp that amplifies a small signal so that that signal can drive a power amp. So your Peavey amp has a preamp stage and that goes into the power amp stage. The send and return allows you to mix effects into the preamp stage.

preamps build your sound. on a head, there is the "preamp" part and the "poweramp" part. on combos, there is the preamp part,poweramp part and the speaker(s) part.
the poweramp is what drives the speakers, without some sort of power amp, there wont be any sound. the preamp is the part that goes before your poweramp, that allows you to shape your tone, with eq(hi/treble, mid low,bass).gain or dist, and so on.

the reason people like me get rack setups with separate preamps and poweramps, instead of just getting a head that has both in one, is because on a head, if you don't like the way one part sounds, you can mix and match preamps and poweramps. plus you can get alot of things neat and organized(tuner,conditioner,pre and power amps, graphic eqs, sonic maximizers, midi units,noise gates,patch bays, blah blah blah) all in one rack case, then you just hook up your guitar and pedals if you have any, hook up a cab or two. boo ya! you have a complex and unique rig thats just as simple as a head, but normally cabable of much more.

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To make it short, a preamp will give your normal amp more power, better full sound, lots more sustain, more effects, and the ability to get a perfect sound. Im sure theres other uses for it too but thats what i use it for.

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sweet, thanks a lot for the help guys

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umm... i'm not to sure i understand what you just said....
a preamp doesnt give power, thats what poweramps are for.
that "better full sound"? all combos and heads have a preamp in them, so a better fuller sound than what?, i think you mean better than your current combo or halfstack right?, if so, not all preamps will have a "better full sound" than certain heads.
"lots more sustain"? every preamp varies, not all give good sustain.
"more effects"? most regular preamps don't even have effects on them, unless you use a multi effect unit as a preamp.
"the ability to get a perfect sound."? tons of heads and combo amps have the ability to get "the perfect sound", and what is perfect for one person can sound like complete shit to somebody else.

so i don't know if you know exactly what you're talking about.

i'm assuming you just have a preamp or effect unit in front of a combo or halfstack. then you're using the preamp to acheive a more complex tone than your amp will give you, and you're mainly using your amp for a its power right?

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I guess i should have been more detailed in my post. I mean the preamp will give you a better sound than you could get with just your amp. I was trying to make it simple. I know that i've already got a preamp but i think what the original question meant was an External Pre, not the ones built into the amp already.
I have a marshall pre, and i dont use fx boards anymore. I use the pre because it gives me all of the above additions to my sound. After playing for 10 years without an EXTERNAL one and 2 with, i noticed a major difference. Of course all pre's are going to be different, but in general this is what i've Personally have noticed with the one i use. More sustain, enhanced reverb, chorus, and tone is what i meant by "fx".



Marshall Half stack is what i use and the external addition of a preamp unit does give me a more complex tone then without. Thats all i really meant to say. Weather or not all pre's are going to enhance your sound is very unlikely but it works for me, and thats all thats matters.

Sorry if it sounds all messed up, i usually dont proof read it before i send it.

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i get what you were trying to say now.

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yeah, that was messed up?

a preamp doesn't allways give you a better sound then a normal amp if thats what you're saying. (but I guess I misunderstood that too, right)

oh and with just your poweramp you won't have any sound at all if it doesn't have ECC83/12AX7's in it to power the line in, also the sustain has nothing to do with your preamp, the most important part there is your guitar. a lot of your tone too, if you have a tube pre, it needs good tubes too, not crappy chinese or poor immitation crap, even Mesa factory tubes are crap, you know why? because they can't sound any worse! if you put in russian or US tubes it'll sound much better. mesa expects this from all serious guitar players anyway, can't blame them, though I do praise them for building great amps around crap tubes, making them sound good anyway!

anyways what gear do you got? more important, what marshall pre?