Best Guitar Amplifiers

When the time came for a decent amplifier upgrade, the main options I was looking for were mainly Fender and Vox. With a budget of roughly 1000E to spend, the main amps in my mind were the Fender Blues Junior, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, and the Vox AC15c1 and AC30c2 models. Playing in a 60s rock’n’roll. rhythm and blues band. I always loved the tones coming out of the Vox AC30s and AC15s of The Beatles, Rory Gallagher and Brian May – and while the chiming rhythm sounds and soaring, overdriven solos of some of their iconic songs always resonated with me, the appearance of their Vox amplifiers (with their iconic tolex grilles), always appealed to me, too. It was for these main reasons that I gravitated towards the Vox amplifiers over the Fender ones.

Why did I go for the AC15 over the AC30 though? The Vox AC15 does the chime and jangle that are perfect for the ‘Hard Days Night" early Beatles tones and jangle of Tom Petty, as does it the crunchy, overdriven tones synonymous with Brian May, Rory Gallagher and Oasis. It’s smaller frame is also more suitable for my home environment, though it retains much of the tonal qualities of it’s larger brother (but it houses a single Greenback speaker instead of two and a lower output of 15 watts). The amp is built to be durable and mine has seen no signs of damage or detrimental wear (or tonal / speaker degradation) in it’s extensive use since it’s purchase in May. Furthermore, the smaller body won’t break your back in comparison with the lumbering AC30!

Overall, the amp is pure Vox tone – sounds terrific with my Rickenbacker and Fender guitars, and does both chiming, jangling rhythms and scorching, gritty leads perfectly. If I had to find a fault in it, it would be that in comparison to the AC30, the AC15 has slightly less ‘headroom’, with not much in the way of mid-range tonal control. This may be nit-picking though, as I genuinely believe the AC15 does both clean and overdriven tones justice, and handles a multitude of pedals very well. The amp also excels in studio and the tones recorded from it are crisp and colourful. Lastly, for around the 500E mark, you’re absolutely getting bang for the buck and won’t break the bank! I’m delighted with mine.

This Amp-series might be one of the more famous ones in the world, and the "status" that it has is understandable. I’ve it stationed in my bedroom beside my little "studio" corner and of course, it’s a good looking amp and also a sort of decoration. The features may be limited but that’s almost what to expect, if you’re looking to buy an amp from the AC-series you know what you’re searching for. As in my case i’m a huge U2 fan and that’s is actually the main reason why i bought it.
Basically you have two options, either the Top Boost or the Normal channel.
I’ll summarize it quickly from my point of view.

Top Boost – No additional pedal is needed to create a crunchy/overdrive sound.
Normal – Might need something between the guitar and amp to crunch it up a little…

A really good additional pedal to the Top Boost option is a simple Compressor pedal, my main order is basically: Guitar – Dyna comp – Delay – Vox Ac15. And for solos i usually add a Boss Sd1. It’s quite simple when comparing to the tones you can get.

Then should you buy it? It depends…
1. Do you want to imitate specific bands, for example U2, Queen etc?
2. Do you have access to a place where you can really crank an amp to it’s max?
3. Do you have a few different guitar pedals? (Probably yes..)
If you can tick these 3 then you might be the one to buy a Vox AC-15.
Now comes the 3 opposite questions..
1. Do you play at home, ex in an aparmtment/townhouse?
2. Do you have a really expensive guitar and almost no pedals?
3. Do you want a Vox AC-15 but with the Alnico blue speaker instead of the Greenback stock version?
If you can tick these 3 then might not be the one to buy a Vox AC-15..
I’m living in a house with neighbours in almost every direction and it’s not very often when i can even crank it up to 50% without worrying about getting complains, i’ve solved this sort of by having compressor with relative low volume on. But i’m not fully satisfied with that solution.
Then as i said it’s features are limited. Tremolo and Reverb is the only effects you can mod around with so i’d recommend having a few pedals just to spread the capabilities.
And the speaker… i underrated the Alnico blue speaker and planning on ordering it to get it replaced with the Greenback speaker. I’m not saying the Greenback is bad (which it isn’t) but it’s not the tones i’m searching for. So dig into the two options just to be sure you’re choosing the right one.

Summarized it’s a great amp and of course a really good option if the AC-30 is too big for you. I’m only 17 and i do not have all the money in the world but i still find this amp "cheap" compared to its capability. And especially to U2 fans wondering if it’s any good for "U2" purposes – It doesn’t requires more than this amp and ex a Korg SDD 3000 to give me shiver =)

With the AC power (by Thoman) the ground noise is very very very loud. Works onli with battery

This Amplifier worked OK when I tried it but was not suitable for the purpose I got it for.

First I would like to thank Thomann for all their help & advice on my journey to finding the right amp, they just cannot help you enough, kudos to all of them.
This amp is superb, Marshall at it’s best.
I have an American Professional Jaguar, on the clean channel it brings out the best in this beautiful guitar, crisp & clear tones to a subtle crunch & everything in between, the classic crunch gives you THE classic sound of a fender guitar & a Marshall amp at it’s finest.
The Ultra gain channel gives some great Les Paul / SG type tones, plus the presence & tone switch give some great nuances as well.
I have used this in my bedroom on the half power setting & it still sounds great at really low volume.
I have an outside barn with a purpose built stage & I have had this amp cranked up as loud as possible, & man is this thing LOUD !!!!!
Loud without losing any sound quality at all.
You won’t need a tube screamer or any such pedal here, the only negative thing I can say is that the digital reverb is not that good, but to be honest I have not come across any amp with a good reverb. I have a Marshall RF-1 Reflector Reverb pedal that does that.
The two way footswitch is a great for switching channels & works perfectly.
The amp is solidly built & looks fantastic.

Very good product for the price. Very versatile.
Good clean sound for a marshall typa of amp and also very good overdrives.
The clean channel (green mode) as a bit lower volume then the others but you can compensate that with the 2 master volumes, so thats not a deal-breaker.
Also, if you use buffered by-pass pedals on the FX loop, when you turn it on you will notice a slith decrease on the volume aswell. For me, I keep the FX Loop always on and just turn on/off the pedals I want to use so that is not a problem.
If you like to use dirt pedals, this amps is also a great for that cuz it accepts pedals very well.
The key trick for this amp is very simple: the louder it gets, the better it sounds. However, is very easy to dial good tones in any volume, since bed-room practice levels to any live gig.
I have this amp for about 6 months now and I have nothing negative to point out. still in love with it. highly recomended.

This thing is huge! If you’re looking for a home practice amp this certainly won’t be suitable. It’s tremendously loud and could be used in many medium to large sized venues.

It’s super heavy, almost 4 stone! The handles seems sturdy enough but it’s too early to tell. At this point though the quality seems good enough to last a good while.

The good thing about this amp is the master volume. In previous AC30’s the only way to get a good warm distortion was to crank the volume up full meaning to have a nice tone you had to deafen your bandmates – not any more! Now you can crank up the volume for the tone, and control the overall master with the master section. Another cool feature is the spring reverb which is super sweet. Also the tremelo is a nice touch and sounds crisp even if I don’t use it much myself.

The sound it legendary. It’s a powerhouse and sounds so warm you wouldn’t believe. Despite it being an old design this amp is suitable for hundreds of genres too – from blues, to rock, to pop, to metal, this amp could do it all!

Amazing buy and I’m glad to be a proud owner of an AC30. No complaints, simply awesome.

Great amp got from Thomann for a very bargain price. Thanks to you lads.
Very heavy box but with the two side handles you can hire second creature to make it easier. Great features like tremolo, reverb, master volume. I was testing/ listening so many amps and this is the sound that fits my ears. The only downside are the stock tubes. Main V1 Ruby 12ax7 very very muddy with flabbiness through my Les Paul in Normal channel. Top Boost channel has EQ bass and treble and even with the Chinese V2 12ax7b tube can be adjusted to find your own tone. Power tubes Chinese Shuguang rattling as in hell. First when recording at home though amp is faulty but after studying many websides I discovered this is common Combo issue especially AC30 which is called torture chamber for tubes. I found the way out either buy good quality damper rings/ instruments and keep existing tubes or buy specially dedicated power tubes for VOX AC30 which have rugged construction and are resistant to bigger heat and vibrations. With Strat/Tele you might not get as huge rattling like with Les Paul but you can only hear it while playing at reasonable volumes on some notes but it is very annoying and you really hear while playing. When playing loud on rehearsal with drum kit to loud to hear it.
But when you sort that it sounds like a beauty beast and it is louder than many 50-60W tube amps. Other good thing is that you do not have to rebias the amp after changing tubes so you are saving the visit to tech guy. With this amp the master volume works for great I mean it is not like i many Fender/Marshall amps that when you up to volume level 2-3 you see the difference in loudness and after that it you need to put earplugs. With this amp loudness increases gradually.

I bought this one year ago, after having used a vintge 70s one in the studio for recording my album. Tube amp iso a must for me, as i only use analogue effects.

Sound: like most Fender tube amps, this sounds PERFECT. Clean all the way through volume level 4, slightly crunchy at 5-6, distorted after 7. This amp does NOT have a distorted/crunchy/overdrive channel, this gets done the old fashioned way, adjusting the volume level. I use it at 4, which is still clean, but very bright, but my sound is enhanced permanently using an Ibanez Tube Screamer (TS9) at 20% gain. I use the Vibrato channel, as i just love the reverb ( real spring reverb!) and i keep it at level 3. I don’t really use the tremolo effect on the amp, i find it a bit too soft (using a Marshall tremolo pedal instead).

I use a Fender Jaguar and a Gibson LP, the amp sounds really perfect with both single coils and with humbuckers. When i switch from the Jaguar to the Gibson, i just turn Treble up from 5 to 6, and Bass down from 6 to 5.

I use it at home now, i don’t play in a band these days. I use it through a Koch Dummybox Home (and a Vox mini-amp at rhe end) to play through headphones most of the times. I imagine that using this for small gigs, for me at leadt, would surely need amplification, as you cannot crank it up too much if you want to keep it sounding clean (as it does not have a Clean channel); so i would keep it at volume 4, which gives the sound i need, and amplify it (maybe with the dummyload!).

I’m not rating this 5 for features and handling as it is not really for everyone, anyone. No loop circuit for effects rig, no overdrive channel, the Power and Stand-by switches are in the back (but you get the hang of that in a coupke of weeks), and it is pretty heavy for only 22W. BUT that is all in the name of keeping it identical to the original Deluxe, and rhe result is pretty good, my guitars sound the same as through the vintage one that got me into Deluxe Reverb in the firrst place.

Skip all the pedals, and plug in. feel the magic.

This thing sounds rich, and for anyone not thrashing/tapping/screaming, this thing will pull off everything you throw at it. Neighbours will also be well aware of its arrival. There is more punch than any home needs, and is ideal for any mic’d stage.

The vibrato channel is annoyingly noisy/clicky unless the vibrato is off, but that is somewhat expected given that this amp-and-circuit design is not supposed to behave like a modern piece of kit. The reverb is delicious, and is often rich-enough at 3-4.

The ‘normal’ channel seems to play nicely with pedal-fx such as overdrive, wah, etc. just run ‘treble’ and ‘bass’ at 6-7, sometimes there is too much high-end. At low volumes of 1-2, it sounds sweet.

My reverb pedals tend to fall shy of this spring-reverb, which is re-assuring given the terms ‘deluxe’ and ‘reverb’ in the product name.

Now waiting for the neighbours to take a long-holiday so I can run the valves warmer….

I really love this amp. I have it near my coding desk. When I get bored, I turn it on an play for a while. It has a really nice fenderish clean and nice breakup at low volumes cause it has a master volume. I use it also in a light rock/rap band rehearsals where is no need for big volumes. It is lightweight against my other amps.
The bad thing is the handle, it is in leather I think, but with very very sharp edges. I always say I will smooth those edges but never do. Also some tubes broke at start (few hours of use). Send it back to Thomann and they repaired it fast. It works since then just fine. I have to mention, that I buy stuff from Thomann also because it is never the issue with repair. And yes, I am very careful with my gear.

I bought this amp mainly for playing at home and small venues and it is all you could ask for. It works well at low volume to play at home and it is insanely good when you crank it up.
I find it very versatile and sounds good with or without pedals. I’d say it will suit you regardless of the genre(s) you want to play.
Pros: great classic Fender sound, beautifully made.
Cons: Quite heavy, although this is normal among this kind of amps.

Stylish and good sounding, this mini-amp by Danelectro is NOT just a toy, but it can be used both for low volume private practice, and especially for studio recording, as it has a very specific sound – not too plasticky, and not too "broken transistor radio" like, it actually has some lows (or low mids) & body, and doesn’t attempt distortion as many other mini amps do, mostly failing miserably, but it delivers a spanking, defined clean tone.
Keep the amp & speaker size in mind, of course, this is no regular amp and no substitute for a "real" amp, but in its range it is really good.
Best fed from a good PSU!
The only negatives are the chrome-ish knobs which could be smoother & less toy-like, and the position of the input jack, which can tip this tiny guy over if the cable & jack used are more massive, or let alone if you move around.

Comes with 9v battery already in, the bass in the sound is non existing just like in every other micro amp however the overdrive sounds are pretty vintage sounding. Doesn’t weight a ton and looks cool!

SHORT STORY

Use
Home(studio), band practice, gigs.

Pros
*Very nice clean sound on the cool (clean) channel, with a lot of headroom (so, the clean sound does not break up, but stays clean). If you do want a slightly broken up/distorted sound, this can be achieved as well, by adjusting volume and gain settings or going over to the hot (OD) channel (with its own gain and volume knobs). You can switch between channels by using the left button on the foot switch (FS), or use the switch button on the back of the amp.

*So, the amp acts and sounds pretty much like a tube amp, even though it is a hybrid. That is because there is a tube in the preamp and one in the power amp (followed by MOSFETs). Less tubes should mean less maintenance and certainly less maintenance costs. With a dimmer (master volume) you can change the volume of the amp, without changing the nature of the sound you’ve dialed in with the gain, volume, 3-band EQ, contour, and (the nice sounding!) reverb. The EQ knobs and contour-switch are subtle (and shared by the two channels), but certainly noticeable. The gain-boost option is nice for soloing, or for creating a heavier sound for rhythm guitars. It seems to provide a boost in volume, but I think it actually boosts the mids instead.

*The whole amp, from the on/off switch to the housing (and also the footswitch with 5 m cable ) appears to be very sturdy (I guess that is where part of the weight comes from; the amp is some 19 kg and not 16 kg as you find in a lot of review articles).

Cons
*Both channels (cool/clean and hot/distortion) share the same EQ and reverb section. However, I favor other EQ-settings for the clean channel than I do for the distortion channel.
*The distortion channel is not that impressive (personal taste).
*Overall, the sound could use just a tad bit more body to it.
*Although not super heavy, it is still 19kg. But that comes with entering the tube-amp territory. So, can’t really count it as a comp.

Experience from the last year
I’ve had it for over a year, and so far, I am pretty happy with it. I use it for band practice, for gigs and jam-sessions. It is certainly loud enough for any of these uses. Should you need even more volume (if you have an insanely loud drummer, maybe?), you can simply mic the amp or connect an extra cabinet. You can also use the speaker emulated output if you do not want to mic the amp. I find that it gives a very good sound if you do this (and the sound guys/galls are usually pretty happy with this option, as well).

LONG STORY

I bought the Koch Jupiter 45 Combo as a replacement for the (of course much cheaper) Fender Mustang IIIv2 that I returned. The footswitch of the Fender Mustang III had horrible latency. I have read that the Blackstar TVP ID60 (also a modeling amp) has this problem, as well, making current day modeling amps probably not very suitable for on stage use when in need of (quick) mid-song setting changes. (Also, in band setting the Fender sounded sounded very thin and powerless).

So, in search for a replacement, I tried out a couple of other amps: I first A/B/C-tested a Roland Blues Cube Stage (solid state amp), a Laney CUB 12R (all tubes) and a VOX AC15C1 (all tubes). I wanted to also test the Koch Jupiter 45 (hybrid, with one 12AX7 tube in the pre-amp and one 12AX7 in the power amp, and then some MOSFETs), which was recommended to me. However, this amp/brand is hard to find in music stores.

So, I first tested the Roland, the Laney and the Vox with a Gibson SG. I dropped the Roland Blues Cube Stage based on me not liking the sound of it, compared to the other amps. Also, I think the Roland is pretty expensive for a solid state (and that is without a rather expensive footswitch). I did like the option to combine the clean and distortion channel on this amp. And it has variable power output, making it suitable for different settings (home, band practice-room, stage).

The Laney CUB 12R sounded pretty good (I liked the distortion you could dial in), but not as "wide" as the VOX. However, from what I understand, it only has one channel, so it seems that it is not possible to quickly switch between clean and distortion (or is it, somehow?). Of course you could use a distortion/OD pedal in front of it. But, I read several reviews stating that the amp might not be loud enough for even smaller gigs (it’s 15W, just like the VOX, but the latter is supposed to be very loud, if you want it to be).

The Laney has the option to turn to 1W for the "bedroom". And it has an external FX loop which the VOX does not have, and a connection for an external speaker (just like the VOX) should you want to use an additional cabinet. Both do not have a recording output, nor a headphone out.

As I said, the VOX was way more "wide" in its sound, and a lot more sparkling clear. The VOX has 2 channels with separate inputs, but no switch on the amp. You have to buy an ABY-pedal to be able to switch between the clean channel en the top boost channel. A good quality ABY switch will costs you an additional $100, at least. In reviews people talk about the VOX not having much headroom on the normal channel, so when you turn it up loud(er), the clean sound is not completely clean anymore. The VOX is almost twice as heavy as the Laney: some 22kg.

In another shop I tried out a Fender Blues Junior III, but I was not all that impressed (it seemed kind of buzzy when turned up loud in clean. And not distortion buzzy, just buzzy).

So, that left me with the Vox AC15C1 and a yet to be tested Koch Jupiter. I finally found a shop that had both the Vox and the Koch in stock so that I could A/B them (again using a Gibson SG). I had brought my earplugs, so I could turn up both amps very loud (for a short while, of course). And indeed, the Vox did not have enough headroom. It broke up pretty quickly. I want to be able to play clean also in louder (non-amp mic-ed) set-ups, so that pretty much eliminated the Vox AC15C1 from my list. (A Vox AC30 supposedly has a lot more headroom, but also is a lot more expensive and a lot heavier [>30kg]).

It left me with the Koch Jupiter 45, which I quite liked, especially the clean sound of it! The Jupiter has a ?dimmer? knob so you can play your clean and overdriven channel at the level you like. It acts and sounds like a full tube amp, if you want it to, although the sounds seems to have a bit less ?body? to it, but that might well be the sound design Koch was going for. I like that it has a FX-loop and a record/PA-out. The record/PA-out does not cut off the signal to your speaker, so you can use your amp as a stage monitor, although if you change the volume, it will have an effect on the level of the signal going to the mixing desk, as well. (B.t.w. you can cut off the signal to your speaker, without any harm done, by unplugging the speaker cable). It also has an output for an additional cabinet.

I would have liked a volume control specifically for the FX loop, but since the loop is serial, that might not be possible without influencing the master output, when the effect is turned off. I also would have liked separate EQ-controls for the clean (cool) channel and the overdriven/distortion (hot) channel. Of course, that would come with a price increase.

The footswitch (FS2) is very handy. It has a 5 meter cable attached to it. I would have liked an input jack on the FS so that you can tailor the lenght of the FS cable to your needs. Also, a three button FS would have been nice, so that you don’t have to chose between gain-boost and reverb on/off for the right hand button.

The fact that it has only two tubes in it, should make it cheaper in maintenance compared to a full tube amp.

I have tested it out in band (practice)-situation, jam-sessions and gigs and it was (way!) more than loud enough.

It takes pedals well, both those "designed" to go in between the guitar and the amp, and those that should ideally go in the FX-loop. This is nice, because the distortion is not that impressive, speaking from personal taste.

I would have given "sound" and "total" more stars if the clean channel had a bit more body to it, and if I’d been more happy about the distortion sound of the Hot-channel. Having said that, it is a real pleasure to play this amp. It makes you want to pick up your guitar and play.

Thomann’s service was again good and quick.

I play in a Rock/Pop/Indie covers band working the Pub circuit in the North East of England.
I bought the Koch because it was a hybrid amp and I wanted to try to retain a Valve Amp sound whilst adding the reliability of solid state. My research told me that the pre-amp valve had excellent longevity. I had been using a Marshall JC200 DSL400 Combo which began a gig sounding perfect and totally died after half a set. No spare so rerouted through the PA …in short it was a mess !!
So the Koch arrived and I plugged in my pedalboard (SKB) and guitar (Cassidy) turned everything on and started playing.
After ten minutes I was a very happy bunny indeed.
The Amplifier sounded like a valve amp…but more importantly it was very responsive…flexible to the ‘n’th degree.
The controls enable you to extract pretty much any sound from bright clean to super crunchy. I love the gain control on the clean channel which allows you to flavour the clean to your taste. I like a hint of dark on the clean channel !! An added bonus was the effects loop which works so much better than my previous amp. I can now split my board putting the wah/compression/distortion overdrive through the front end and the other stuff into the loop…really really excellent.
I cannot praise the Koch too highly… it’s well built, good looking, and gives you such sound versatility and so far total reliability ! I originally bought it as a backup to the Marshall (Which is now repaired) but to be honest I find myself using it for every gig.
Apart from giving me the confidence of knowing it’s reliable it backs that up with a brilliant sound and you can’t ask for better than that !!
And finally a side benefit is the number of conversations I’ve had with fellow musicians who approach me after the gigs and ask me "..hey…what’s that amp? I love it!!"

Used a 1996 USA Lonestar Strat & a series of guitar effect pedals going into the front of the amps custom channel with bass on 10, treble on 6.5 & volume between 4-6 in a smokey hotel bar residency 5 nights per week in Dubai – United Arab Emirates.

Played in 4 piece band (bass, drums, guitar, female vocals & backing tracks) Rock, Jazz, Reggae, Blues, Dance, Top 40 Chart hits music for 6 months. Set up the amp and kept it in the same place. Everything worked perfectly even when the hotels fire alarm shut all the power off on the stage randomly every 2 months without warning – The amp would always start back up again.

More than a year later with the same tubes and still sounds great. Only once has the amps fuse blown because it was plugged into a intermittent power supply.

This is a good ‘workhorse’ general purpose amplifier.

Pros:
1. Super clean tone
2. High quality reverb & vibrato can be used on both channels
3. Relatively lightweight & compact
4. Breaks up nicely at around 50% volume
5. Loud enough to keep up with a mature drummer(who doesn’t bash the kit)
6. Looks beautiful

Cons:
1. No effect loop for external delays, reverbs etc
2. When micing the amp to a live mixing desk or for recording, it has a small hissing sound even with all volume & tone controls turned down and without any cables plugged in.

I love this amp..Perfect for pub and club gigs playing anything from classic rock, country and blues. i find it has just the right amount of power to get that classic fender breakup sound at small gig volumes.. back the volume off on your guitar and get great twin type tones.. if you have not used amps without pre-amp gain controls before you need to learn to use your guitar volume to control the gain or simply put an overdrive or distortion in front of it… they sound great with pedals.i use an ABY pedal to switch between the 2 channels or run both at the same time. both channels have different characteristics. custom channel is bassman sounding, vintage is more twin. having had twins and devilles in the past..its a joy to carry this amp. very small in weight but big in sound..

This is a great amp considering it’s price, it’s well suited for the gigging musician with all the needed features to be a great live pedal platform, but there are a couple things you should consider before deciding:

– There are better sounding amps from fender, if you’re looking for the very best with recording in mind, try a deluxe ou any other non master amp from them

– It’s not a good solution for home/bedroom playing, because it’s loud and control is difficult, the master doesn’t work for the clean channel and there is a very high jump in volume from 1 to 2 and beyond that is quite unusable outside a stage or a studio

– the gain channel is an acquired taste, most dislike it, if you’re planning to use it as a platform amp that is not an issue

All that being said, this is an awesome amp for most band and/or back-line scenarios, it’s light, it’s powerful, it has plenty bottom end, it sounds great.

I have owned II and III of HRD versions ..but this one is a real deal!

PROS:
– Sound is amazing
– Volume control is superb
– Distortion channel and more drive are awesome
– Lighter than previous versions for 3-4KG
– I think it doesn’t have to have volume box (some kind of attenuator) on fx loop anymore for better response.
– No need to change tubes and speaker 😉

CONS:
– All screws on the amp should be tightened. (they were pretty loose)
– Tolex is poorly attached to the amp which costs 850¤.