Best Guitar Amps 2013 (Jan 2023 Update)

Overall: This amplifier absolutely rocks! With so many options you can dial in any sound that you want, from crystal clear clean to roaring rhythms and screaming leads. As everyone has already said, the reverb is almost nonexistent. However, the amp, tubes and build are rock solid. BUT… if you really want to blow your mind, swap out the speaker with one that fits your style. My style is classic hard rock so after much research I swapped out the 70 watt Celestion V-Type speaker that it comes with for a 150 watt Eminence Swamp Thang and I swear that it sounds as loud and ballsy as my full-on DSL100 full stack with 1960 cabs. The difference is mind boggling. No fizz, no speaker distortion at all. Just a loud, clear representation of my sound. Obviously the Swamp Thang might not be your speaker of choice but do your research and this will be the only amp you will ever need again!Scott

Sound: With good tubes properly biased, yes. Features: One feature that I absolutely detest is the effects loop button. When it is activated the front of the amp ceases to operate and when deactivated, the front works but the effects loop deactivated. There's no reason for this feature to exist. Substantially limits what the user is able to do. Bad decision in the design. Ease of Use: Just need to fix the owners manual to include specifically how to bias the tubes. Value: At the time I bought it, it was around $800. So at that time, yes. Overall: It took me a while for this amp to grow on me as it sounded like crap out of the box. I replaced the stock speaker with a Celestion V30 and replaced the stock tubes with Ruby EL34STR and a 5751 in the PI as is my typical configuration. Still couldn't get an acceptable tone was fuzzy and grindy. Years later, I learned that you can self bias the amp. After reading forums, there is little info on how to bias the amp and nothing in the manual. I discovered the bias was at 31mv so I turned both to 40mv and HOLY SMOKES this was the tone I've been seeking all these years. Eureka, I found it and it's incredible now. Completely unacceptable that Marshall included zero information in the manual regarding this, which is a pretty important feature. Moreover, it's important that I explain how to bias this. When you place the multimeter leads in the ground and point, one point will give a reading and the other red test point will read zero, always. YOU WILL NOT BE USING THIS TEST POUNT AT ALL. Go back to the one that gives the reading and keep it in that test point and adjust the pot to 40mv. Then, keeping the multimeter lead in the same pot, turn the other bias adjust til they both read 40mv. Next onto the effects loop, there is a button to turn the effects loop on and off as you can not use both simultaneously like in other amps. What good is this feature? Worthless and is an absolute thorn in my side as I would like to use the midi to switch between both which is why I bought it, but can't. Now, the amp does sound good now that it's properly biased as well as replacing the stock speaker, but I lost years of good tone due to the lack of instruction in the instruction manual.Jonathan

Overall: This thing is awesome if you like that Marshall tone this amp is for you, it's really a 4 channel amp if you get the six way Marshall foot switch, if I had to nit pick this amp would be the reverb, don't get me wrong it sounds great and is useable for 90% of what you would need it for, but if your wanting that Gilmour type reverb you'll need to add a reverb pedal in the chain. Where this amp really shines and I discovered this on accident I was messing around with the effects loops and added an EP booster which I would normally run on the front in, and just WOW…adding the EP booster to the loop really opened it up, tamed some of the compression and evened out the gain while improving the tone, sounds more like a JCM800 at this point, I'm super impressed with this little amp and I have some really nice amps in my collection. Let me say I would totally gig with this amp without question. This fact that Marshall made it easy to change and bias tubes is a huge thumbs up as well. Other manufactures please take noteRick

I've been playing night clubs, Casinos, Hot Rod Runs, Bike Runs, weddings, parties, and everything since 1979. I used to use 2 Fender Twin Reverbs with Celestian G-12-65's and a rack of effects processors (to run STEREO), with a octopus of wiring to set up at every gig, plus an octopus of switches and stomp boxes and wall warts on power sttrips on the floor. Set up time and tear down time took hours. Sometimes all that wiring maze would pick up the 60 cycle hum, and what a mess locating the buzz! After a gig I had to set all that stuff up again at my home studio to practice. Sometimes there was no time… In 1996 I bought a Line 6 Flextone 2-12 (stereo) and that changed everything. It ended all the major problems and electrical buzzes. I programmed the Flextone right next to my Fender Twins and matched the tones exactly on the Flextone. WOW! No more Octopus Monster and Heavy Gear! I have since had a Spider III HD 120 with 412 bottom, 2 Spider III 210 combo's a Spider Valve 100 head, and recently a Spider IV 120 210. I Use the Spider iii 120 210 and Spider IV 120 210 amps on stage exclusively, with an FBV floorboard. Very Simple for stage and Awesome Sound everywhere I play! But again, many times my gear is loaded in a trailer, or at the venue and I need something that sounds like my Spider IV,,, so I got a Spider IV 15 watt. I quickly dialed in my 6o's Fender Reverb Tone for Country and Surf Tone on Ch 1, my StevieRay Vaughan "Little Wing" tone on Ch 2, The Stevie Ray Vaughan Roto-Vibe Tone on Ch 3, and a Van Halen tone on the Insane CH 4. I'm good to go! The only thing missing, is that the larger Spider Amps have a separate Reverb knob and the Spider 15 shares either the Echo Delay or reverb on the same knob, so you can't have both to smooth out the delay. It's one or the other on the Delay or the Reverb, but that's not a big deal on a great practice amp, that i could use onstage if I had a mishap with my other amps. Sounds best when you aren't pushing the master all the way to the max. Crank it up, dial in your tones, then back it off about 7 on the Channel Volumes, match them, and run the master at about 6 or 7. I can switch the channels with my FBV Floorboard and use it for practicing in real small rooms with a band. If it's not loud enough…Mic it! The tones I use are there and I can pack this amp in 2 minutes and walk out with my guitar without breaking my back with the heavier stuff. Fits right on my front seat. Done Deal! If it's your first amp, it's probably the best starter amp for the money, and for me, I have my tones dialed in for practice anywhere with no hassles.Kenny

Ups dropped it off yesterday, and it is everything I hoped, but better. The metal and insane channels are perfect. The clean is gorgeous, for a sort of metal clean tone. If you want to play a lot of Zeppelin or Pink Floyd, you might be better off with a Vypyr. but if you want Mettallica and Crue, to A7X, back to AC/DC and Aerosmith, youll love it. The metal channel is heavy as hell, and can still get up and throw piercing highs and mids. Everything is tight and punchy as hell. The biggest thing that shocked me was the clarity at seemingly stupid volumes for such a small amp. MF was out of stock when I ordered it, and I still had it in 7 days with free shipping. I highly recommend this amp to all metalheads. Thanks Musicians Friend and Line 6. RNFRJag

Very satisfied with this guitar amp. It has a lot of great effects, like flanger, reverb, tremolo, and tape echoes (to name a few). It's very fun to mess around with settings to create great spacey sounds and heavy, sludgy tones. It's also very easy to use. The amplifier also has very useful features, like a built-in tuner and a "save" feature, where the amp can save and remember four different settings at the push (and hold) of a button. It has great tone, volume, and variety, and it picks up things like pinch harmonics extremely well on the Metal and Insane tones. It's also pretty light to carry. I'd definitely recommend this amp for someone just starting out and for someone who's rather experienced with guitar playing. Great price for an amazing amplifier.Katastrophecy

I have a Marshall 412 cabinet with a 100 watt Marshall head. I needed a smaller amp to practice at home and for small jam sessions. I picked the Marshall MG15FX because I know and like the Marshall sound and quality. The Effects features sound good too. I bought the footswitch for it too. This amp sounds good and powerful enough for any small jam or studio work. Marshall makes a MG30 if you need more power.Max

I really like this amp. I don't have to turn up the master volume very much for it to get loud enough. I plan to hook up a Line 6 Pocket Pod for heavier distortion and more effects options. I'm a big fan of delay and am happy with the delay that comes with this amp but I did get a Boss DD-8 digital delay pedal and it works well with this amp. I previously had a cheap 100 watt amp but it only sounded well at low volume. I feel this Marshall amp is better quality and I am glad I got this one.Ferdad

i use this fun little amp at home to practice and jam. sometimes with friends. i've have owned fender and peavy practice amps and this Marshall is just as good or better. i like the clean and various overdrives..the effects do a good enough job and really like the two different reverb effects. i like the headphone option for keeping the neighbors and girlfriend happy when playing late night. i play a Epiphone Les paul traditional pro iv and the combonation sounds super for hard rock and blues but i needed to get a heavy metal pedal for metallica songs. wish it had a longer plug in cable. but over all it sounds really good for what i payed.. ;owned it for two years and keeps on rocking.rob

'm a novice guitar player with less than 2 years experience, but I reached the point that I wanted to experiment with different tones and effects. The problem is that it would be very expensive to do this with different pedals, amps, guitars etc. I ordered the CODE 50 sight unseen after researching reviews & videos online, and it fits the bill perfectly. CODE 50 is an affordable way to play around with a crazy number of tones and effects & find your sound. I'm sure there are plenty of experts & purists out there that will find flaws with this amp, as it models (imitates) a number of historically great amps from Marshall, & what I presume are a version of Fender amps ("American Clean" etc). Does the BluesBreaker preset sound identical to the BluesBreaker amp that Clapton was playing in the 60s? Close enough for me cause it sounds pretty radical! There are a number of presets that are just epic for playing blues, rock, metal, on & on. Pick a genre of music and you can generate a tone that will fit right in. All of the presets can be tweaked to the players specifications. You want more reverb on that reverb? Dial it up. Some of the things I notice after just playing it a few times: As billed, CODE 50 is LOUD, so be careful. Not a complaint; I wanted something versatile enough to practice at home, but be loud enough to jam with others. There are some pretty big discrepancies in the volumes between a few of the presets, another thing you have to be careful with when toggling back and forth between presets. While plenty of the presets sound unique, there are a few that sound a bit redundant, or maybe just so close in tone to another that it feels that way. There are one or two that I can't imagine anyone using ("Virus?" Virus sounds like someone is strangling an organ-at least that's what she said!). Overall, if you want an affordable way to experiment with tone, get loud, and have fun, the CODE 50 is a rad choice. Thanks Marshall!Jeremy

I've been playing on and off for 20 years. Mostly an attenuated tube amp guy and a gear tinkerer. Found one of these on the showroom and gave it a quick whirl. This quickly led to buying one. Cons: The more time I spent the more I realized how limited the stock speaker is. It's super directional and the bass is a bit boomy and hard to dial out without removed too many lower mids. It still sounds good, but it can be much better. The stock preset settings, like a lot of reviews, leave me scratching my head. The resonance, presence and gate settings in particular tend to screw with the quality of sound as set from the factory. There's no speaker out, so I installed one. If you want this amp to shine, you'll need to do a speaker swap or plug into a 4×12. Marshall should have done this. Pros: The goods are definitely there, but you need to scratch the surface. Once you get that direction figured out, it's very easy to dial in your own settings which will differ quite a bit from the factory presets. I have a 4×12 w/ Vintage 30's and this amp sounds amazing plugged in. The JTM, Plexi, JCM, JVM, American amps all sound outstanding. But the JTM45 in particular sounds outstanding. Effects are great and I'm starting to use certain effects that I normally wouldn't buy a pedal for simply because they're in the amp. Another must do is to figure out your speaker choices for each amp. I'm a Vintage 30 fan, so after changing the speaker to V30's on all the amps, to me it sounds much better. It's a good tool to be able to hear what different speakers will do at the turn of a button, just to see what characteristics in speakers you may like. My secret sauce with this amp is my Les Paul through a 10 band EQ (to boost the highs you loose using the speaker emulations through a 4×12 with those emulated speakers), through a Marshall BB-2 for boost, into Marshall Code on JTM45 through the 4×12 w/ Vintage 30's. Absolute heaven going on with this, even at low volumeWisconsinski

The marshall code 50 and all other modeling amps are not plug and play,you have to dig in and change the parameters in the amp and create user presets that sound good to you! If it sounds good then it is good! If you want your amp model to sound just like the tube amp it is modeled from,then buy the tube amp. I have other modeling amps and my peavey vypyr 75 recto model that i like very much does not sound just like a mesa but i tweaked it to sound good for what i like,i think the marshall code amps sound very close to there own tube amplifiers that there modeled after and that is how good amp modeling is getting.I just want to mention some things you can do to improve the sound of your marshall code,first break in your amps speaker for about 100 hours by playing your amp fairly loud a few hours a day,about two months or you can play MP3 music through the AUX input. This will smooth out the harsh higher frequencies and break in the speaker for better low end without the speaker farting out.Here is a great tip for the bluesbreaker and other amp models that have too much low end,when i first heard the bluesbreaker model the low end was muddy and had too much bass even with the bass and resonance turned down to 0! I tried my behringer PB100 pre amp booster pedal with the bass control turned down to a 7 o clock position and that did the trick,the low end mud was gone and the mid frequencies stood out like i never heard before! It just sounded great now! I then tried my behringer TO100 tube overdrive pedal and i could not believe that the bluesbreaker model even sounds better then the pre amp booster! The TO100 overdrive also cut out the low end mud and the mid frequencies were smoother and the higher E and B strings on my guitar had a nice round tube tone without thin sounding harshness! I also tried the marshall codes internal OD and GVR pedal effects but my behringer TO100 sounded much better!MarshallMan50

This amp is versatile and easy to use stand-alone. It has a great selection of amp models built-in, along with enough effect and delays so that you can find something that you like fairly quickly. I like the clean and boutique models with some reverb. Then I played around with the other models, adjusting settings and effects. You can adjust everything on the amp, not necessary to connect a computer. I did find it confusing initially due to all the different methods required, i.e. "press a button", "press and hold", "press for 2 seconds", etc. That's why I read the manual a few times! Line6 puts a nice 2-sided "cheat sheet" on top of the amp around the carrying handle which is a lot easier than flipping through small pieces of paper staring at small font printing. So don't remove the amp-topper sheet and toss it in the box with the rest of the packing material :-). The best feature of the Catalyst amp is the manual channel. This is WYSIWYG. Adjust the knobs and controls just like a "regular"amp. You can then save the settings once you get something you like. In the future I will connect the amp to the computer and see what else you can do. Right now I am quite happy with the Catalyst amp and I highly recommend it. Go get one!Gene

After suffering a disabling back injury I needed an amp that was easier and lighter to move and set up than the tube amp combos I was used to playing through. I never cared much for the solid state amps as they could never duplicate the warmth a tube amp provided and was considering retiring from live performance altogether. Then I heard about the Catalyst series of amps and decided to try them out and was amazed! My bandmates were as well, telling me how much more clean and clear my sound was. Programming channels was a snap ( just follow the "cheat sheet on top of the amp and read the manual) and the manual button provides the familiarity of a regular amp, and at a third of the weight of my Blackstar 40 watt tube combo I can continue to perform without dealing with debilitating back pain from moving a 70 pound amp. I was so impressed I went back to GC and got the 60 watt Catalyst as well for home and playing at open mic and jams. I couldn't be happier with these amps and am grateful for the help and guidance the folks at Guitar Center in Concord Ca. always provide.Stephen

I have a few amps that I'm selling and a couple that need work – I picked up this Catalyst 60 on a whim so I'd have something reliable and portable while I'm moving amps around my local used market – but I'm super impressed with this amp and am probably going to upgrade to the 100w model! (In fact, I'll get two because I play in stereo!) I found it impossible to get a bad sound out of this, I plugged in direct with my Vox Virage DC and tried all the possible pickup combinations and did not want to stop playing. Great cleans, great crunch. The higher gain amp settings had me revisiting the metal riffs of my youth, haha. I haven't dived into the software editor because: I haven't needed to. This thing sounds great out of the box.FitzG

This has to be one of the best stamps I've ever had with the exception of one little hiccup. This is replacing a Fender Blues Deville, which I absolutely loved. I had access to almost every Fender amp when I bought my Blues Deville and it just spoke to me. Well, they don't make Blues Devilles anymore, and I knew the Hot Rod Deville existed, so I went for it. To my ears, it's the same as my previous amp. This is a two channel amp in which each channel is independent of the other with the exception of the tone knobs, which are the same for both channels, which is not a problem for me. When I plugged it in, I couldn't believe how incredible it sounded clean. It absolutely blew my mind. I used both a Stratocaster and a Les Paul. Then, I took the second channel and add a little bit of gain to it, which distorted it. The distortion on this amp is so creamy that I don't even need to use my TS9. It has to be one of the best distortions I have ever heard from an amplifier. I usually use an Orange TH30C for my distortion. My Fender amp was always a clean amplifier. I may be using this one for the distortion and my Orange may get sidelined. The reason I'm giving this amp four stars is because of the following; when you go to switch channels using the included foot switch, there's a loud pop that happens every time you switch channels while you're playing. Apparently, it's inherent to the amplifier. It's the only reason I cannot use this amplifier with clean and dirty at the same time unless I use a TS9 on the clean channel. That really was not a well thought out process from Fender. For the price of this amp, I would think that problem would've been fixed, but it is what it is. I still love the amplifier and I'm still glad I bought it, although I will have to use my Orange when I want a distorted sound.Chuck

I bought my new Fender Blues Jr v4 about 2 months ago from a guy who decided he was more of a "Marshall Guy After All" so I got a bargain, but that was just the beginning. I wanted to spend some time and several sessions playing with this thing before I rushed into a review, but it turns out my first impressions have been even more reinforced since playing this thing for several hours, and the big word here is WOW. I have been playing for over 62 years (that's right, got my first guitar at 7) and bought my first Strat in high school. I've played and owned a LOT of different amps, and even now I have a few pieces for which I have some sentiment, but now it seems I will have to seriously reconsider. Good thing there is no "Amp Limit Law", but if there was I could finally happily liquidate all the others if I could have just my new Blues Jr. I have read voraciously for years about concepts such as "touch sensitive", "controlling breakup with the guitar volume", "takes pedals well", etc. Turns out these have only been myths to me all this time until now. Everything good and superlative that's been written about this amp is absolutely true. The preamp section is like pure magic in shaping the tone and delivering it to my favorite-EL84 power amp section. I have never been a fan of the usual Fender tube lineup, and when I heard this runs EL84s I was already excited. I am still a Strat guy to this day and love everything about it. But I have never even dreamed it could sound so good. I have an Egnater Rebel 20, a vintage Crate 15 watt blonde with a Dr Z speaker, and my prior favorite-a 5 watt Epiphone Valve Jr into a 12" Eminence Lady Luck. I have some others, but nothing I own or have owned can even come close to this thing. And what has been said about the Celestion speaker choice is again, absolutely right on. The sound from this amp would be as if you had an old Deluxe Reverb, did a cap job, retube, and maybe speaker upgrade. I guess I'm trying to say that it soundsMark, R

Simplicity itself, with great tone and a big sound from a small package. I've a few amps, ranging from heads and cabs to combos, but had a hankering for a small tube combo – one that could do a rehearsal if needed. This has a great sound with a 335 and a Telecaster, and so easy to dial in a fantastic tone – infact hard to get a bad tone. Plenty loud enough, I would happily take this out and gig it. I love the fact you can unplug the internal speaker and plug it into a cab, makes it a great package. No perceivable noise when winding it up, and the stock speaker is great, good tight bass and nice and chimey on top. Seems solidly built, but I guess time will tell on that front. All in all, very pleased with this, and great value.Customer

This Amplifier is all I will ever need for my electric guitar. I love the sound! I have to be careful with my neighbors as they can hear it and I don't have it turned up that loud. I am 58 and don't like things that loud but when playing I might get a little louder than normal. It has a lot of different settings and I pretty much stick with a basic sound. I thought it was a great price for a quality amp. It fits nicely in my small room.wallyjc

I had been reading a lot of good things about line6 amps so I decided to give one a try. Let me tell ya I'm glad I did. This thing sounds great and has some cool efects. I would recommend to every one that is looking to buy a new amp to give line6 a try. You will not be disapointed!turkeyhunter-2012

This one has gone end of life – but new at a great price, this amp is killer. Great sounds and tone. Super loud volume. I bought footpedal separately to control it remotely – a big win. Glad I go this to play with!zappajesus

I've been playing guitar since a kid. My Dad used to own a guitar store where he was an amp technician. I'll always remember sneaking into his room when he wasn't home and playing his salmon pink Strat and Twin reverb amp. There was always a magic in them and they really inspired me. Fast forward 30 years and I've grown up just like him. Been playing professionally for a long time through some pretty nice gear but something in me always wanted to revisit that amp, it just had the perfect sounds I played lots of amps before choosing a Marshall 50w plexi as my amp of choice for gigging and it was good, no doubt a about that, played it for almost 15 years straight until one day buying that Twin I'd always so wished I also had. Found I played it far more than the plexi so actually ended up selling the Marshall and just sticking with the 65' reissue! It does everything the Marshall did and more I think. Playing them side by side before making the final decision to sell set my mind at ease because I couldnl get the same sounds from the Twin. Even did a little A/B recording with overdrive and no one could pick which one was which I play mainly classic rock and this amp is everything I'll ever need. Small wattage Amos always sound and feel small to me so was never interested in them, of it's too loud turn it down, the volume is far better than the plexi because that one sat on a hair trigger, really difficult to get a bedroom volume out of. The Twin is quote easy and pot smooth to use. Plexi goes from 0-almost full volume at half way to 1 on the dial. Love itJez

I received the amp yesterday and have only played it (both the vibrato and normal channel) for about half an hour in my living room, but I was so impressed that I wanted to go ahead and write a review, which I almost never do. I've been playing electric guitar almost 50 years and have owned many different amps, almost all Marshall or Fender, including a late 60s or early 70s 100 watt Marshall (no master volume), a mid 70s silver face Twin Reverb and Dual Showman, a 1987X 50 watt Marshall reissue, a '59 Bassman reissue (before the LTD version), a '65 Super Reverb reissue, a Twinolux, and a standard '65 Deluxe Reverb reissue. The only other amp I have currently is a wine red '65 Deluxe Reverb reissue (DRRI) with a P12Q Jensen speaker. The '65 DRRI has been one of my favorites. I like the 6V6 sound and I think it's hard to get a bad sound out of that amp. I really like the clarity of the 64 Custom Deluxe Reverb compared to my '65 DRRI. It is noticeably brighter than my '65 DRRI, but part of that may be because the '64 has a C12Q speaker while my current '65 DRRI has a P12Q speaker. Since reverb and vibrato work on both channels of this '64 Custom Deluxe Reverb, the vibrato channel is like having the bright switch on (it reminds me of the way my super reverb sounded with the bright switch on) and the normal channel is like having the bright switch off. I like the way both the reverb and vibrato work and sound on this '64 more than the '65 DRRI. The same guitar (a Strat with '69 custom shop pickups) has noticeably longer sustain when I play it through this '64 compared to my '65 DRRI. Some people have mentioned a possible problem with noise (hiss or hum) from this amp, due to the way the channels are connected together, but I hear virtually no noise at all from this amp, not when it is sitting still (with both normal and vibrato channels turned up to 3), and not when I turn any of the knobs. I wish I had bought this amp in the first place instead of the '65 DRRI.Kenneth

I've been playing guitar since a kid. My Dad used to own a guitar store where he was an amp technician. I'll always remember sneaking into his room when he wasn't home and playing his salmon pink Strat and Twin reverb amp. There was always a magic in them and they really inspired me. Fast forward 30 years and I've grown up just like him. Been playing professionally for a long time through some pretty nice gear but something in me always wanted to revisit that amp, it just had the perfect sounds I played lots of amps before choosing a Marshall 50w plexi as my amp of choice for gigging and it was good, no doubt a about that, played it for almost 15 years straight until one day buying that Twin I'd always so wished I also had. Found I played it far more than the plexi so actually ended up selling the Marshall and just sticking with the 65' reissue! It does everything the Marshall did and more I think. Playing them side by side before making the final decision to sell set my mind at ease because I couldnl get the same sounds from the Twin. Even did a little A/B recording with overdrive and no one could pick which one was which I play mainly classic rock and this amp is everything I'll ever need. Small wattage Amos always sound and feel small to me so was never interested in them, of it's too loud turn it down, the volume is far better than the plexi because that one sat on a hair trigger, really difficult to get a bedroom volume out of. The Twin is quote easy and pot smooth to use. Plexi goes from 0-almost full volume at half way to 1 on the dial. Love itJez

I received the amp yesterday and have only played it (both the vibrato and normal channel) for about half an hour in my living room, but I was so impressed that I wanted to go ahead and write a review, which I almost never do. I've been playing electric guitar almost 50 years and have owned many different amps, almost all Marshall or Fender, including a late 60s or early 70s 100 watt Marshall (no master volume), a mid 70s silver face Twin Reverb and Dual Showman, a 1987X 50 watt Marshall reissue, a '59 Bassman reissue (before the LTD version), a '65 Super Reverb reissue, a Twinolux, and a standard '65 Deluxe Reverb reissue. The only other amp I have currently is a wine red '65 Deluxe Reverb reissue (DRRI) with a P12Q Jensen speaker. The '65 DRRI has been one of my favorites. I like the 6V6 sound and I think it's hard to get a bad sound out of that amp. I really like the clarity of the 64 Custom Deluxe Reverb compared to my '65 DRRI. It is noticeably brighter than my '65 DRRI, but part of that may be because the '64 has a C12Q speaker while my current '65 DRRI has a P12Q speaker. Since reverb and vibrato work on both channels of this '64 Custom Deluxe Reverb, the vibrato channel is like having the bright switch on (it reminds me of the way my super reverb sounded with the bright switch on) and the normal channel is like having the bright switch off. I like the way both the reverb and vibrato work and sound on this '64 more than the '65 DRRI. The same guitar (a Strat with '69 custom shop pickups) has noticeably longer sustain when I play it through this '64 compared to my '65 DRRI. Some people have mentioned a possible problem with noise (hiss or hum) from this amp, due to the way the channels are connected together, but I hear virtually no noise at all from this amp, not when it is sitting still (with both normal and vibrato channels turned up to 3), and not when I turn any of the knobs. I wish I had bought this amp in the first place instead of the '65 DRRI.Kenneth

The Dual Terror has all of the positive features of the Tiny Terror while improving on some of the weaknesses of its smaller counterpart. The DT sports 30 watts of class A tube power in contrast to the TT's 15. This provides more clean headroom for the user as compared to the tube breakup at relatively low volume that often occurred when playing the TT. Fortunately, the Dual Terror has variable wattage for those who like the early breakup or want arena crunch at bedroom volume. The DT may be run at either 30 or 15 watts via the "full power/half power/standby" switch on the front. The user can also drop the wattage even further via a switch on the back panel. The switch allows the user to power down two of the four EL84 power tubes. This allows the amp to be run at 7.5 watts when in the "half-power" setting. This versatility makes the Dual Terror an excellent choice for stage, studio, and anything in between. The amp gurus at Orange also added a second channel to increase the DT's versatility. The new "Fat" channel truly lives up to its name. This channel has all the sweet British tone of the Tiny Terror channel only warmer and fuller. It is a great addition to an already great sounding amp. The only downside to the two-channel operation of the DT is deciding which of the channels to use as clean and which for dirty as both have their own unique voice and sound great both clean and overdriven. The operation is incredibly simple, three knobs per channel, nothing fancy just gain, volume, and tone. Orange proves that you don't need a million knobs and switches to get great tone, just a well-crafted valve amp. Anyone in the market for great tube tone in a smaller package that won't kill your wallet should get their hands on one of these amps as soon as possible. Plug it in, turn it up, and let yours ears feast on some of the best Class A valve tone on the market today…Stanton H.

Bought my Dual Terror used without a case a few years back. Went without one for a long time because these cases were going for over $100, and I wasn't willing to spend that much on a simple cover. Just recently, wear and tear and constant gigging finally caught up with me, and a jack screw came off, along with a switch breaking off clean. Knew I had to buckle down and finally get a case. Luckily this one came at more than half the price. Fits perfectly, extra pocket is great for cables, and actually makes it easier to lug around. Thanks!noizewerm

Mighty sound in a micro package. And it's not a compromise on a traditional tube amp or head. Lots of options, channels and tonal choices. Build quality excellent too. Check out Bluguitar's YT channel Academy of Tone for all you need to know about the AMP1 and the brand.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Open the box, tested with a Katana 2×12 cab, sound was awesome. Same goes to a Laney 2×12 but sounded much more better. Considering the size of the Amp1, the Nanotube is a real deal. Drives is authentic. Growls like the full tube amp head. Cleans nicely from high to low gain. Tried again with a Yamaha powered speaker and speaker out to a BluBox, cuts through with the band easily. Everyone was so impressed with the sounds. Amazing tones.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Overall: I've been looking for portable, potent, Plexi and then some Marshall tone and kept trying little modelers. Most sounded fine, but I struggled to get them right. I have so many great Plexi sounds…and then some…in my Kemper, but wanted something to fit in a gig bag. I remembered having seen Jack Gardiner's video about this and LOVING the sounds he got. When I played this at NAMM 2020, Hall D was just too loud to really appreciate it. But I remembered liking it. So I ordered it. Wow! Let me tell you, I like it so much I just ordered the Remote1 switch for it to use it for more than just a travel option! This thing sounds phenomenal!More often than not, clean channels sound like afterthoughts. This amp has a beautiful clean channel and when combined with the boost gives you excellent, chimey, pushed clean and Vox-like tone. Henning Paulie had Thomas Blug on and they got really close to his Morgan AC30 style amp. Frighteningly close! Well, it really does it! And the dynamics of this amp are incredible. Even with the boost engaged, I can roll the volume down and clean up the vintage and classic channels nicely! I have a lot of amps. This hangs with the big boys easily. And it takes pedals as well as any big amp. I am so happy I can stop looking for a plexi for my gig bag. zZounds has a great return policy. It won't hurt to try it. But I promise you won't likely send it back. I know I won't. This is a keeper.Randy

Delivered what I was looking for: 1) Clean to overdriven tube tone 2) Attenuator to allow for late night guitar fix 3) Loud enough for small stages, I can leave the 1/2 stack at homeDanny b

This amp, like all Tone King amps, sounds great. It hit early fender Tweed and blackface tones to a tee. Perfect 5 watt amp. The attenuator works great. Can get cranked amp break up at any volume so you don't upset and interrupt entire house when you want to play. Definitely sounds like at bigger amp than it is, cabinet and celestion 870 sound great and pair fantastically with this combo. You could easily play out with this mic'd or turned up with drummer. Takes pedals fabulously. On the lead input with volume cranked and tone up you can get early Marshall type mid pushed tones also. The volume and tone controls work very well together and it's a find the sweet spot and go amp, you don't have to worry about tweaking eq constantly like lots of other amps. It is pricey for a 5 watt amp but you definitely get what you pay for. I have and have had lots of other high end amps and this amp to me sounds the best and most practical for building onto with pedals to push it into a more modern sound if needed. You can clearly "hear" your different guitars tone through this amp and extremely reactive on your playing approach as if it is a whole separate instrument.N. Collins

overall I really like this amp. the dirty channel has a good crunch. Not a very tainted sound, which I like a lot. Clean channel is not real chimy like some, but nice and clean. the face plate is also black, unlike the 30 watt which is easier to see. The issue is the channel switching. While some amps are known for a load pop, this is quite the opposite, and I am guessing the pop is what they were trying to avoid. this one actually drops in volume and then comes back up between channels. Deal breaker. I can't use this live if it cuts out. Really wanted to have this kicking around for a second amp. But I will be returning this.brian

First one arrived and the overdrive channel sounded awful. Made arrangements to return it and the process went quick, I had a new one a week after sending the bad one back. The second one turned out as advertised. You can dial in a wide range of tones and has that beautiful tube sound. The reverb is just a tad weak but still ok. Also, effects pedals sound great. It?s an awesome buy.Leo

I had a 50 watt 6L6 guitar head and sold it only to regret it later. I saw this one on sale and I took a chance. Glad I did. Disclaimer: I only use it for a pedal platform, although I have tried the gain channel. It's "ok" (not great) but to use the amp that way you'll really have to work with the both channels to achieve unity volume. As a clean channel pedal platform it's great. Like others have said the reverb is lacking but I usually just leave it on 10:00 for ambience. This amp is LOUD and can easily hang with a large band if needed. As far as reliability, time will tell, but it seems well made IMO.john

Pleased with this amp awesome tube sound clean channel is very nice. Reverb nothing to brag about but it's there. Speaker is nice prefer v30s or greenbacks will eventually switch out. Takes pedals very well have not used the fx loop yet but I'm sure it's good. Would of been nice if it came with footswitch. All around happy for $357 plus tax well worth it.Heriberto

Firstly, let me say how quickly Monoprice shipped this to me .. ordered on Monday and delivered Wednesday morning to NY! Guess MP is now shipping from Kentucky, which is great .. no more 5 days in transit from CA to NY 🙂 The amp itself? All I can say is WOW!!! Solidly built with classy looking trimming all around, protective metal bumpers on all 8 corners, top handle with sufficient padding that won't cause hand cramps when carried. On to the sound sections: ——————————– I spent around 3 hours toying with the amp using my G&L ASAT (large MFD pups), just going thru the various gain/volume and tone settings on each channel, and overall my impression is that this amp is capable of achieving a wide variety of tones, from bell clean to screaming metal and everything in between. Clean Channel is absolutely gorgeous sounding. Nice three-dimensional timbre which can only be achieved with a tube amp. Tone controls (Treb/Mid/Bass) seem to interact with each other in a pleasant manner, by turning one or another the tone changes dramatically but still subtly, if that makes any sense. /grin … The Bright switch reacts similarly, it's almost as if there are two sets of overall tone in the clean channel, just by switching 'Bright' on or off. Drive Channel is what you'd expect – lots of crunch with the aforementioned Treb/Mid/Bass interactions. I'm not much of a 'metal' type player, so can't really comment on this section with an opinion, but I liked what I heard in "Drive". Monoprice hit it out of the ballpark with this amp, for mid sized gigs or even small gigs, this amp is a clear winner.New User

The only complaint is the speaker used. While I do understand the logic, I still am not a fan of the celestion seventy 80s. Although, it could be addressed by just adjusting the settings. I got mine shipped securely. I updated the speakers to emminence cannibis rex but thats just for my own taste. Wpuld be nice to have different options for the speaker if that is feasible at all for monoprice. Bottom line, its a lot of ampmfor the price. I highly recommend it!Zed Byron Pisec

I really like this amp. I bought it used at a really good price, so I was very pleasantly surprised at how nice it sounds. It has loads of power and nice tone. I bought it as a practice amp, but I wouldn't hesitate to use it on stage in a small club.voltyr

THE 8 INCH SPEAKER IS ALITTLE WEAK SOUNDING ,CAB IS BUILT WELL, EFFECT ARE GOD THE ACTIVE EFFECT IS REALLY KOOL SOUNDING,WELL WORTH THE 100 DOLLARS I PAID JUST NEED TOO UPGRADE SPEAKER SIZE TO A 10 INCH!!PAUL

Fantastic amp for the price! The clean channel is great, and has time delay effects that is unexpected for an amp in this range. The overdrive is excellent too, and you can control different frequencies as well. It also has two inputs for guitars, and a microphone input! So you can jam with friends and sing along. At 40w output, it is pretty loud. If you are in the fence, get it! You won't regret it!integrationbyparths1

I was really surprised at how good this amp sounds. Years ago I tried Line 6 and was not at all happy with the tone; but this is another story. It does take me awhile to dial in a specific classic rock tone, but when I do, it sounds better than any other amp that I've tried. I have tried the Marshall Code, Blackstar id Core, Vox Valvetronix, Boss Katana; as well as some all tube amps. The only other amp that is a close 2nd is the Fender Mustang GTX; also a great amp. The Spider V is fairly easy to operate. It offers lots of choices for amp models and cabinets. I like that it has variations of a mic'd cabinet. The parametric eq is a plus. I haven't played around too much with the effects yet, so I can't comment on that. The only negative thing I could say is that when you're editing a preset and want to hear how it sounds before you save it, you only have a short time before it goes back to the Home Screen. This really is a small price to pay for the quality of the amp and all the versatility it has. I like the App too. Musicians Friend got me a great on this as well; and their agent is following up making sure that I'm satisfied. The funny thing is that I came across this by accident. I placed an order for a Peavey amp that was on back order. I called Peavey multiple times, but they never returned my call. I also emailed them, but they didn't respond to that either. As far as I'm concerned, Peavey doesn't have any customer support.crrkr

Been playing about a year, so my review is from the perspective of a complete newbie. The things I like- Lots of presets, mobile app functions, computer interface, and loads of user created effects available. Nice and loud, but no real basis of comparison to say if clarity is better or worse than other comparable amps. Don't likes- The micro-usb interface. I had to get an adapter and it's just not as good a connection as nearly anything else would be. IMHO, micro-usb is far too flimsy. Connecting to PC is far more problematic than just using the spider mobile app. It's probably a little more complicated than it should be for a beginner, but it's feature rich for the money.Nic T

I had a Line 6 120w amp for years that I regrettably sold a while ago and was looking for another amp. I looked at all the amp reviews I could find and decided that the new Katana was the way to go. I got the Katana home and absolutely loved it but the second day I had it it started a really loud buzzing that I couldn't stop. It probably was an easy fix but the fact is the amp was way too powerful for my purposes and their software wasn't compatible with the new Catalina OS. I returned and started looking again. I saw the 60w Spider V and the price was excellent so I made an on the spot decision to buy another Line 6 and I'm really glad I did. The tones this amp can get are incredible. There are so many amp models and cabs that you can dial in pretty much any tone you want from a crispy snapback country clean to the most vicious heavy metal and everything in between. You can use the presets as they are or you can use them as a baseline and tweak to your own liking or you can start from scratch and build your own rig from the ground up. The controls are intuitive and easy to use but there are some features where you'd have to be a professional to really know how to use or even care to use. The software and the mobile app are so easy to use and give you all the options at your fingertips. The amp comes with a lot of presets that I find are completely useless but there are a lot that are excellent as I already talked about. There are only four empty slots for your own custom presets and I wish there were more but if you use the mobile app you can have your own tone library on there. I bought the FBV3 foot controller so that gives me a lot of flexibility to have various effects. One of the limitations is the lack of good effects though. There's enough that if you work at it you can get a decent sound but there could be some better ones. Overall I would recommend the amp. Don't listen to the naysayers or the amp snobs, it's a quality amp and extremely versatile.Just Plain Joe

As others have written, I too chuckled when opening the box. It’s smaller than I thought it’d be. However, it can crank. Teamed it up with an Orange PPC12 and scared the neighbors dog. I appreciate not having 15 dials to create tone. For the price, you can’t pass it up. AMS, amazing as usual, speed, easy pay, secure!Mike

I play a Rockerverb onstage and figured hey I'll grab a micro Terror for the studio when I'm working on demoes and practicing. Everyone raves about how it does the Rockerverb thing so hey why not? Don't bother. At best it's a little practice amp but I honestly like my Hotone Heart Attack better. This terror is kind of scratchy and just a little league sound. I love Orange amps but this one pales in comparison to the classics. I guess you get what you pay for but I expected more than this.jq127

I bought this with a ppc108 cabinet – as my review for that cab says, I was very surprised how good and powerful they are together. I thought I would eventually get a larger cabinet for it, but i would only need to if using it for a live performance with a full band. (might be able to get away with ppc108 with a quiet drummer…) For just playing by myself or jamming with other guitar/bass players it is more than enough. This amp can get you great classic rock tone – but I play all styles of music and generally more jazz and hard rock sometimes into the metal range – and this sounds great for that as well. For full on metal you might want to add your favorite distortion pedal but the tube overdrive of the amp itself sounds fantastic! I haven't tried myself but this thing can drive a 4X12 cabinet pretty well according to videos that I've seen. It really sounds like a slightly scaled back version of a full amp head. for the price you will not be disappointed. You could definitely use this for amateur recording – probably professional recording as well but by then you've probably got a bigger amp. Any one who wants a tube amp to mess around with but doesn't have a lot of money to throw around should check this out – or if you just want something very portable. Note that this is a hybrid, it has solid state power and one tube for the preamp, but don't be afraid, it sounds great! It's louder than you might expect and although with the ppc108 it dosen't have extreme low end, it still has good low tones when used with six string guitars in standard as well as C tuning and I have used it with an 8 string guitar, which flops a little on the low string but with a larger cabinet would probably be fine. I highly recommend this amazing tiny amp. Watch some youtube videos if you aren't convinced. For portability the ppc108 cabinet works very well with this and still sounds very nice, but again you can power larger cabinets including 4X12.valvetuber42

A great mini amp suited to acoustic guitars for private use applications in living rooms or bedrooms. The sound quality is very crisp and clear. There is a choice of microphone emulation to simulate mic-ing up your acoustic guitar. The signal from this mini amp can be fed into a PA or a mixing desk using the Phones output socket. This amp is not really suitable for rock electric guitar sounds like crunch and distortion. The Yamaha THR5 is more suitable for this purpose.Danny

I have looked at the Yamaha THR line of amps many times in various retail shops. Finally saw one on MF in open box condition. Thought, "What the heck." Looks and functions as new. I bought the THR5A to use with my acoustic-electrics. I wanted a small portable amp with good effects for small venues and home practice. For me, a solo singer song writer playing originals, this little amp is a true gem. I use it for effects support in stereo, the other line run through my 40 watt Fender Acoustasonic. For years I have used the durable Acoustasonic as my PA, monitor, and for my vocals, and my Boss RC3 Looper. The THR5A is used simply to tweak the sound of the guitar. The effects are very nice, lots of range to dial in. The modeled Mics offer enough variety to cover the 3 different AE guitars I use. (Carvin AC175, Carvin AE185, Huss and Dalton CM). I can even use my OCD pedal through the THR5A for playing blues leads over the Loops. I would recommend this amp to any player of AE guitars because the sound quality out of this small inexpensive amp is truly amazing. But remember young squires, the THR5A is a very low watt amp with tiny speakers, so do not expect it to support you in a setting of more than 15-20 attentive listeners!Surflad

What an awesome little amp! And plug the line outs into something bigger and you can well and truly deafen yourself with sonic pleasure. Pretty straight forward to use but you do need to watch your levels when changing amp models – they can vary a lot. Longer battery life would be a bonus and I'll def need a little bag for it. Fast service and good price from Better Music. Thumbs up from me.John H.

When I buy something that does so much but I don't need to read any manuals to operate it I know I've made the right choice. Sounds are fantastic, my favourite amp so far is the boutique, it feels very natural, not boomy like my previous desktop type amp. The effects are great, particularly the reverbs. I find myself taking it out of our little 'work from home office' while my wife or the kids are in there and noodling in the living room or the kitchen with it because I haven't had to faff around with power cables 🙂 It has a flat setting so I use that when I'm playing around with modeller settings for gigs rather than dragging out my powercab at home. The app is really easy to use and opens up a nice compressor plus cab options etc. The clincher for me over the smaller units is the 1/4 inch line outs, I can chuck it in the car and it's there as a back up incase my gigging amp packs up. I'm no bass player but I play a bit at home and this sounds way better than going into a guitar amp or using a bass amp on amplitube on my pc. This is easily the best music purchase I've made in recent years and I'm playing more music because of it 🙂Archie W.

I have a Marshall 1974x that I have not touched since I bought this THR30II. There is no real comparison but this Yamaha is so addictive. Clean tones are superb the crunch channel in classic mode is a my fave. The onboard effects are really good. I just shelled out e few Bob on a thorny flanger and this has a perfectly good flanger built in. The hall reverb is beyond good. In summary rock tones are good but cleans/crunch are fantastic. I trusted other reviews of this amp against things like positive grid/katana etc but this just hits the spot. I love playing the slow Peter Green blues stuff it’s perfect. It’s not a one trick pony it has loads of nice tones perfect for home use at friendly volumes than the Marshall 18 watt. Highly recommend.HappyYammyTHR p.