Best Guitar Amps For Blues (2024 Update)

This product does exactly what I wanted it to. I have to play a wedding with my acoustic at an outdoor event this week where there is no electricity. With an acoustic guitar, you do have to watch where you place it because it will feedback if you're not positioned correctly, but that's no problem because I'm outside. The squeal knob is pretty much worthless to me, but maybe it's better with a solid body electric. I purchased a battery operated ZOOM MS-50G pedal, just to add some eq, compression, chorus, delay and reverb to the Pignose and I couldn't be happier with the results — especially when you consider that this is a battery operated amp.inthesticks53

Don't think this amps 20 watts will be loud. My Jca22h 20w will bury this amp on less than 1. Most 15w and some 10w amps will out do the pig by a long shot[even a 5 watt tube amp] The pig does'nt have a lot of clean headroom either but it's enough for what it's for. It has a decent crunch and distorts easily with humbuckers at higher volume. I don't personally care for the "squeal" knob.Too much "odd" harmonics. What its good for is that it's rechargeable, super portable, and the charge lasts a good bit with the dual beefy battery packs in the back. You can take this anywhere and play. No electric….no problem. And that's a good thing. The best feature is the built in battery packs that can be recharged. Lasts quite a while on a charge too. Well built. Feels and looks solid. You can buy a Fender champion 600 tube amp for the same money or a Fender frontman 25 for less but they're either much larger and you have to have juice to run them. So the value ain't bad for what the pignose gives you.gamjamm

I'm a Fender fan to the core. I love their electric guitars and amps but their Amps aren't even affordable anymore. They've completely out priced themselves and either you are going to pay for a severely overpriced bare bones amp or a severely overpriced amp with far more electronics than a lot of us care to deal with. This is a great sized combo amp that's easy to use and has a great sound and plenty of power and all at a great price!!! There is no reason Fender couldn't do more of this…combo's that aren't easy to use with plenty of effects and a fair price for blue collar musicians. I used a Fender Princeton Chorus combo this same size mic'd through a sound system for over two decades and it started having issues. This was the closest amp I could get (and afford). The 100 has everything you need in a combo amp and at a fraction of the price of everything else Fender makes. Buy it! You won't be disappointed!Josh

I bought this amp because my gig amp died a cyber twin 2-12s 100 watts that was about 16 years old. I have had many Fender amps they were great. I do country and 50s and 60s rock and roll. I figured 100 watts would put it out there and it does. At performing volume, the distortion is a pure heavy metal on the clean channel. Mine is not much good for high volume for my type of music. I have an old champion 110 75 watt that I will be using It has worked for me when the others were down. Not sure what to do.stev_majo

Sound: With the second channel .First it had the twin reverb and super sonic voicing with a chain loop for pedals I was set on that alone. When it got to the house and realized I didn't need my pedal chain and it sounds amazing even though ill still use my pedals here and there. The bassman, tweeds , Princeton all clean or dirty are amazing to play . again to get those sounds with out the tubes and speakers is amazing.. You get volumes that punch against you that are clear without any nasty whitenoise or unwanted sounds. the dirty settings added with the compression build in make all that possible. Outta all my guitars I enjoy to plug into this amp .My 63 firebird , g400 s.g. and my jaguar Ease of Use: Its real easy for me to get the sounds I need .I'm well aware of all the amps they used for the voicing.For new players it might take a little to understand but with no time you'll understand how to dial it in and add the right effects to the amp models to get those amazing fender amps . Quality: Only had it for a week but as for holding it up and down 3 flights of stairs at the studio in Philadelphia id say the strap is well build . Speakers have not blown but I have not had to dial all the way up amps loud as it is half way . Value: yes it is im surprised its not another $100 more.Wish more companies would do this. Manufacturer Support: No problems yet . But in the past fender has always been amazing to me. Overall: (DON'T LET THE $399 TRICK YOU)When dialed up there are so many different fender amps you have here. First off the blackface style clean channel is just amazing. id say that its a twin or deluxe especially when you dial in the spring reverb only thing missing to call it that are the speakers/tubes but fender has made it very clear they can accumulate that sound with out the tubes . I know the tubes will make a difference but not much to this amp unless you have the trained ear for tubes you can't tell.The 2nd channel with all the voice modeling Id say every setting is 99.7 spot on with the models . I love this amp .After watching a few videos online of the 100 I decided to go with it .My friend has the champion 50 so I have already played through this style of amp. When I saw the 2×12 combo version with a double channel pedal it was set in stone . I love combos more than any kind of amp . I came on zZounds looking for an amp to hit the road to the higher states of the new England area of the states in November and December and a long ride from New Jersey to Chicago and Milwaukee in January . the amazing price for a well build and sounding amp there was no way i wasn't gonna leave the website with out another toy.So after adding to the card I headed over to guitars and ordered the squier 70s classic vibe jaguar .One of my favorite things about this amp is I don't have to change out the speakers to get that sound I want. its easy for me to use because I know how to dial in the right sounds to get the sound of the amps in amp unit.Mike

I love this amp. Takes a few to warm up the tubes but after they warm up there is power for days it just has a great clean channel and the crunch is just so nice. You have independent resonance on each channel. And channel 3 just has a great lead sound. Then that effect loop is amazing no need to worry about turning on effects and hearing the effects kick in you just change the effect then hit the loops and it is there it also has the ability to change tubes but I love the el34s.Mark,C

Sound: My first one (made in 2016) sounded (and looked) amazing.. (also built like a tank). The new one.. not so much. Personally, I think the "green" channel could do without the Gain knob. Just let it be a Clean channel. The "Blue" channel has "almost enough" gain, while the "Red" channel's gain seems unusable once the knob passes 6 (tops). The gain structures should be compensated (preferably the same amount) on those two channels. The "Prescence" knobs should just be on/off "Bright" switches (I couldn't hear any difference between 0-8, then from 8-10 it gets slightly brighter). Adding anything to the effects loop adds a loud and low-pitched hum, on top of the unbearable hiss that's always present (even with a noise gate, which should be built into the amp anyway, and even with the volume at 1!). Features: Since I never got a replacement, I can only judge by the one I just returned.. The closest thing I can compare the "5150III-100S" to is the Egnater "Armageddon". It looks like the perfect "hard rock/metal" amp (on paper), but once it's turned on (esp. the Red channel), you WILL be disappointed.. (but, at least the Armageddon had a built-in, footswitchable, "Decimator G-String" noise gate). Ease of Use: If you did a side by side comparison between one made in 2016, and one made in 2021, I'm sure most people would notice the older ones sound better, and have much less "hiss", esp. with anything in the loop. Quality: Compared to my first one, the new one looked, felt, and even sounded, well, cheaper. I don't think this would've been an issue if Eddie was still alive. Value: The one I got in 2017, definitely.Now? Not at all.. At least not the 100 watt heads. Manufacturer Support: Every time I talked to someone at Fender, I got a different story, esp. when they were on backorder. At one point I was told they were discontinued ("They're called 'Limited Edition' for a reason.") before finding out they were shipping new amps out a couple months later. The Wow Factor: They still look cool, especially with red LEDs installed (DIY), but it doesn't make up for the shortcuts taken to rush them out to the public (plus the hiss, the hum, the seemingly microphonic tubes, etc.). Who knows? Maybe I'm just one of the few (well, quite a few..) people that got a sub par head that just slipped out the door unbeknownst to Fender's QC, and if zZounds sent a replacement (50 or 100 watts) that sounded more like the original batch, or perhaps better, this review would be completely different, and I'd go right back to buying damn near everything from zZounds. Overall: I bought my first one in early 2017. As much as I loved it, I didn't realize it's full potential until a couple years later, when I put my MXR EQ in the loop (alongside my Decimator II). Unfortunately, I had to sell it…fast. After saving back up to replace it, followed by a long wait (they were on backorder), I finally got another one.. from the new batch. Just a few problems….The price went up, but the quality went down.. a lot. Different tubes and components, the tolex coming unglued on the inside, loose (and uneven) pots, and a loud hum/"buzz" on all channels, but esp. the red channel, even with an ISP Decimator II in the effects loop, and the gain below 4 (I expect some "hiss" out of any high gain amp, so I've always used a gate in the front of the amp, and in the loop). It was NOT the same amp I once had. They completely rushed making the new ones, and skipped QC. (It probably didn't help that FedEx handled it, considering all the holes, etc. all over the box). I returned it, but not without being punished by zZounds, which sucks because they were my "go-to" site for amps and pedals for years. If you HAVE to get an EVH amp, just get a 50 watt head (or buy a used 100 watt made between 2016-2017) from Reverb.Joey

I've had this amp for about a week and I can already say it's the greatest amp I've ever heard. The green channel gives you some beautiful clean tones if you keep the gain low. The blue channel is great for classic rock and 80s metal. The red channel is insane, it gives you more distortion than you'll ever need! No need for an overdrive or boost. The controls are very simple, there's nothing complicated about this amp. Just plug in and rock!Rick

Finally decided to replace my old green board Blues Junior (including billm mods) with a new version IV. Fender’s improvements to tone and reverb are excellent, though I would have preferred an adjustable bias for the power valves. My first observation was an unusual mix of Groove Tubes in the preamp (V1 JJ, V2 Sovtek and Shuguang for the V3 PI) so I installed my own set of preferred OEM valves from years of research and ‘tube rollling’. The Groove Tubes sounded much better – smooth, rich overall tone and a more punchy bass response, and the output valves are perfectly balanced. I will pay the extra and replace with the same Groove Tubes in the future. Probably worth noting that Fender still ship their Amps to the UK set to the EU harmonised mains voltage of 230V, when the mains transformer has a dedicated 240V tap. Overall very impressed with the new version and would highly recommend it.Keith G.

Overall: I'm mostly a bass player who has been getting into guitar more and more as I build a small home studio on the cheap. My experience with guitar amps has been a Fender Mustang 2 and a Line 6 Flextone III, both great amps for modeling and the Mustang is a fun little practice amp but I wanted to try effects pedals and I had always wanted to try tubes. I've been with the amp for a couple of weeks now as I build my pedal collection and I'm very happy with the Blues Jr iv for that purpose and more. The 12" Greenback and the 15 watts are more than enough power for the studio, the fat boost is great when you get into overdrive territory and while I haven't played out with it yet I'm sure I could play small venues using only this amp. As a pedal platform I can get a very clean tone and let the pedals do the heavy lifting or simple turn all the pedals off and hit the fat switch and crank up the gain a bit for that natural Fender tube overdrive. Still leaning a lot about the tones and the possibilities and I'm extremely satisfied with this amp. zZounds and Fender do it again!Rocky

This is a follow up on My last review. I took mine to Top Gear in La Mesa Ca and had Tim put a stand by switch in mine as well as a better input Jack. He also changed out my red Led to a Blue one. I put the rubber feet on myself. It was super easy. Now this amp is like a boutique amp, It not only sounds incredible it looks super cool. That Blue LED is cool looking it brings out the color of the amp even better now.Faze

This is a great amp very much clarity and does excellent with an overdrive its able to cover many styles of music. Excellent clean fender tones and classic rock. Cuts through at gig levels very well.lbla6707

It is a good amp but I can tell the difference between this and my older 2×12 made in USA which has a more solid sound and is built better. Fender should put better speakers in this amp these are just plain cheap. The first thing I am going to do is replace them. I already repaired the reverb tank and the amp is almost new. Johnaspromusic

Not sure of the re-issue but if it is the same as the original Blues DeVille that I own, there is only one difference between this amp and the famed 59 Bassman(Well two if you count reverb} and that is the presence of a second channel for an overdrive. I blew two of the original Eminence speakers and replaced all four with Jensen P10r's. A distinct improvement. With this mod I can play everything from the clean soaring reverb and delay sounds of Hank Marvin and the Shadows too the full on blues of Stevie Ray Vaughn. On stage I put this amp on a stand and angle it back. For even medium sized venues you really need very little in the PA system the amp does it all. These amps are seriously under-estimated by the "fashionista" psuedo musicians around. Those who really know how to play love these amps as much as I do. BTW the 60watt is conservative, get the vales properly biased and matched and there is a fair bit more grunt than a mere 60watt.1guitaress

The only complaint would be how much it weighs, but the sound is amazing! It's definitely worth its weight in tone… loljonnydirt74

This is an amazing amp. Mesa Mark Vs are among the legendary and now I know why. Can run all the way from sparkling cleans to Metallica and everything in between (blues, 60s 70s 80s rock, etc) It has changed the way I play and in many cases made my distortion, boost and overdrive pedals irrelevant. For some people Vox, Fender, or Marshall amps make them really happy, but for me, this is it. Some tips: It has a lot of adjustability which makes it so versatile, so read the manual when you get it or you could get lost. Plenty of YouTube videos out there on how to adjust it. Also, with its small speaker and 25/10 watt adjustment it may appear to be a bedroom amp, but it's not. It is a very powerful amp and bedroom volume is just breathing on the master volume (less than 1 on the dial, if there were numbers) But all is not necessarily lost! My solution was to buy a JHS Little Black Amp Box volume knob and put it in the effects loop ($65) and the volume became very controllable while being able to crank up the tubes and get that amazing Mesa sound. I'd guess an eq pedal could do the same. The only question is which one is better for you: the 10' speaker 5:25 or the 12' speaker 5:35? Weight, size, cost, and use will decide that.Phil

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

I was hesitant to buy this because I prefer simple. I've always been under the impression Mesa boogie is anything but simple. I was afraid this would be like one of my 4-knob pedals that I tweaked more than played. This has been well worth the time it took to read the manual 2-3 times. I love the simplicity of my 68 Princeton, but it has limitations. The Mark 5 has NONE that I have found. This amp does it all! I quickly found beautiful tones with each of the channels. I notice I only use the 5-band EQ on the second channel. I have mine paired with a single 12" mesa cabinet. It has plenty of power in the 10 watt mode and it easy to manage at bedroom levels, but this amp can get loud! If you are looking for one amp that can literally do it all, look no further.Paul

Awesome sound for such a small amp. Love the cleans and the crunch if you play multiple styles this amp can get you there.frank5152

There are times when you order something online and you don't know what to expect… Sometimes it's not very good or just OK. The Blues King is not that, it's a beautiful amp and has wonderful sound. With the foot pedal it's incredibly versatile and the line out provides easy recording… You can Daisy chain foot pedal as well. On board EQ and reverb are great… Not to mention this amp has an amazing retro look with a black pearl finish… And a tube amp at this price point is insane! I love my amp and absolutely recommended it.DJ eCast

Ive been looking for a lightweight compact tube amp for a while and this one fits the bill. Great sound and look, under 30 lbs. With the master and gain volume you can dial in your sound. I was prepared to change out the speaker , but the stock blues king speaker is comparable to a vintage 30 or cannibis Rex , both of which I have owned. Great tone not too dark no ice pick treble sound. This one fits the bill for me. Its loud enough to keep up with my drummer , Ill drop a mic on it for larger venues. Very satisfied with it. I went ahead and ordered a footswitch for the gain and boost effects.stratback

This is a follow up to my first review having had this for several weeks and just receiving my second one. I am comparing this amp to a DSL 15 and a Blues jr 3, As for features the Blues King wins hands down with effects loop and a standby switch. Looks, its a toss up. Weight and portability, the king is a bit smaller and a hair lighter. Now the sound and tweekabilty , here's where after many hours of playing I have to give the king a huge plus over the other two. Although as I had stated in my previous review, I use a Helix in front, I thought I would try straight in with my strat and epi lespaul, The king has a much warmer clearer sound and maintains the character of what pickups your using far above the other two amps. My strat has Klein 59 pickups and the epi has probuckers (which are in my opinion a very nice sounding humbucker). While the Jr does have its place in the overdriven blues lead area, the King has a far better all around solo and chording capability with out the harsh ice pickiness. Also the kings EQ has a far better response and character than the others. Volume wise the Jr is louder but the King sounds better loud. I was able to dial in classic southern rock with out much effort (Skynyrd, Thin Lizzy), nice clean jazz and spanky chickin stuff,. I am in no ways an expert on anything other than afternoon naps but I have played for 35 plus years and can keep up with most folks. I think the King is a hands down winner. I have used it in a club size venue and with a good mike it sounded excellent.p

The PRS Sonzera 20 is a very good guitar amplifier. It sound exactly like a FENDER Twin Reverb in terms of providing a clear, realistic sound with plenty of powerful bass response. Unlike the TR, the PRS Sonzera 20 is much more compact and a lot easier to transport. It weighs about 42 lbs. compared to the TR's 62 lbs. This amp uses the same 6L6GC power tubes as the TR. I really like the PRS Sonzera 20 a lot…I'm actually thinking about purchasing a second one as a spare! It's that good!Greg

Great sounding amp other than the rattling tubes. I realize I could re tube and get rid of that for a bit but can't rationalize re tubing a new amp. Also the standing hum seemed much louder than any other amp I own. I tried recording with it and between the tube rattle and hum the track was ditched. I assume that's why it was an open box sale. I called customer service and they couldn't tell me Why it was returned. That's no good. There should be a way to track those issues Otherwise you just keep selling folks thsame lemon.Hambone612

Great little amp for clean power. Very heavy for size due to large transformers. Lots of bass on tap- wish could even take some out past zero on the bass control.dasjazzchi

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

Not fully compatible with the JTV guitars even thought it has a DVI input. Has a tendency to suddenly drop out when changing patches which only corrects itself by rebooting the ACdietmd

I can play: electric, bass and acoustic guitar with this amp and it sounds great!! I am using the Line 6 helix pedal and it works really well with it. It has a really nice, clear sound and it can get really loud.chadswar

I have been wanting one of these for some time and finally found one at a very good price. It is very versatile with two channels (actually 1 channel w/ two pre-amp sections), mid-boost, reverb, and tremolo. I don't need any more. I did change out the V1 tube to a 5751 for smoother, more controllable OD and like the result. The latest iteration (Delta Blues II) comes w/ a footswitch (previously not included). There are two stereo footswitch jacks; one for channel and boost, the other for reverb and tremolo. Small complaint of the included footswitch…it has no led's to show what is selected, and the PV fs that has led's does not function with this amp. You need to get either a Boss FS-6 or another brand w/ led's specifically for this amp (either must use a battery for the led's). Not a huge detractor….just saying. It can cover Blues (obviously), Country, Oldies R&R, Rockabilly, and Classic Rock….probably more, but that's what I do. I think it's as good as you can get in it's price range. I would categorize it as a close competitor to Fender's Blues Deluxe Reissue which I also own. Both are similarly priced. The PV can get somewhat more crunchy than the Fender and the Fender w/ it's 6L6's a bit cleaner. Something about a 15" guitar speaker that is unique (in a good way).They're worth test driving if you're in the market.bobstitt

I can't really compare this amp to other similar ones as it's the only one i have, but this is a fine amp and i felt like it needed at least one review on MF. I use it for recording and bar gigs and it has yet to let me down in either situation. It's loud enough for small to medium sized rooms without needing to go thru the pa. I would describe this amp as having presence and character. My style of music isn't necessarily "the blues" and i don't think the Delta Blues name should scare you away if that's not what you play. I run a Gibson SG thru an eq, Soul Food, and Boss compressor in the effects loop and i get a very rich and full tone with nice presence on the low end. I don't get ringing highs like a Fender amp, for example, gives but that's a good thing for me. I use the mid boost, which i think is a critical part of the equation. Same could be said for other amps i suppose, but like i said earlier i can't really speak too much in terms of comparison. I've literally never used the dirty channel or tremolo, but i definitely like the reverb on this amp. I would also recommend replacing the stock tubes with JJ's and using the factory ones for just-in-case backups, but that's not to say this amp has ever failed on me. So in short, i think if you're strictly a lead player and/or looking for the high gain Marshall type sound you should probably look elsewhere. But if you're like me and do the singer/songwriter thing but want to rock a little and have a good clean-but-not-too-clean sound this amp fits the bill.JP

I've been playing acoustic guitar for 34+ years. I've tinkered but finally got serious about electric a little over 5 years ago. In that five years I've went through several amps, tube and solid state. I've still got other's including Fenders, Palmer, Marshal & an old Epiphone tube amp, but this is my go-to amp. Such a sweet clean, I just love it. I've not used the dirty channel much as I just don't play that style but I have tinkered with it a bit and it sounds good to me but you would have to be the true judge of that. My Palmer Fat 50 is my second choice but those are hard to find here in the USA. To me the Peavey Delta Blues with the 15" is a Fender killer! So yes, I would recommend this to friends over and over and over. I actually use the Tremolo on one song our band does and it is pleasing to us but again as with dirty channels, I don't have a lot of experience with tremolos either. Reverb is another thing that is a personal choice with players, I happen to like the reverb on this amp, you just have to listen for yourself. Check out comparison videos on Youtube of this amp and Fenders! You might just be amazed! The only con I could think of is it is heavy but not any more so than any of my other tube amps. One of the main reasons I tried this amp is I was tired of lugging around my 1982 Fender Bassman 10onecuwldood

Seriously an amp that can handle everything I throw at it…. Metal, Funk, Improvisational, Rock, Punk, Blues, Jazz…. this thing is a perfect tool for a studio stage bassist. I know a lot of people are gonna flame me for saying this, but this guitar amp replaces over five times the price of bass rack gear. Try it and you'll see…… This amplifier is amazing. I have seen the Line6 products around for awhile and finally heard one up close thru a guitarist I used to jam with and was really impressed. I checked out one of their bass rigs since I am a bassist and honestly, the thing was nice but when I decided on a whim to check out the Spider iv (mainly due to the multi effects) I was totally floored. This thing is incredibly versatile. I can adjust the eq to a perfect range for my 4 and 5 string to achieve an epic tone that I swear by. Mix that with the fact that it is loud as hell and can handle any venue that I have to play (and then some), portable, and has waaaaaay more features than I can use. Solid construction, it is my first run with an open back enclosure and it is a different tone BUT it still sounds awesome… This amp does more than my last rack set up and that thing set me back 3x as much.WC Salberg

I am an "old school" lover of classic tube amps. I play mostly acoustic shows now, but still like to jam and play electric from time to time. I was torn between getting a low-watt inexpensive tube amp or getting something a bit more powerful and versatile. I decided to purchase the Spider IV 120 stereo amp after experimenting extensively with a friend's similar amp on loan for over a month. In terms of sound, the amp has excellent warmth and touch sensitivity. The "break up" is smooth and authentic. In all, it convincingly captures the subtle nuances of classic tube sound, and I'm hard-pressed to tell the difference in some cases. Would I go so far to say that it's better than a good tube amp? Probably not, but there are many advantages. For one, the Spider IV amp is versatile and provides quite a sonic pallete for creative work. It also isn't as physically delicate and sensitive. Can't beat the price, either. I have a love-hate relationship with the myriads of presets. On one hand, one can find something useful to tweak every now and then. On the other hand, there's just too many presets to wade through. Simplicity is better. In the past, I've owned a pre-CBS Fender Bandmaster, Twin Reverb, Music Man HD130, Vox AC30 and, yes, a Marshall half stack. Over the years, amps have all come and gone. I'd love to have them all again, but can't. I've recently had stints with a Vox AC15VR and Vox Valvetronix. Liked them both. But, in the end, the fullness of sound (stereo) and surprising warmth of the Line 6 Spider IV 120 has captured my heart for the moment. Nothing like having the history of sound in rock and roll at your fingertips for a reasonable price. If you're a purist and have the money, go out and buy an expensive tube amp and claim superiority. Otherwise, leave me alone as I crawl reluctantly out of the past and try to stand on digital legs.Profdave

I've owned this amp for a few months now. It's a great versatile amp. But I've found that its definitely geared more towards players who want a high gain sound. The overdrive/ blues-y sounding channels are alright, but the high gain tones are actually not bad at all. RECOMMENDATION: If you're going to be using the high gain sounds, buy an overdrive pedal like a Maxon OD808, Ibanez Tubescreamer, Boss SD1, etc to boost the amp. The low end is a little flubby and using an overdrive pedal will help the amp out tremendously. It also doesn't sound half bad for some home recording. And you can definitely gig this. Its got plenty of volume.JTallica1995