Best Guitar Amps For Pedals (2024 Update)

Can’t speak for anyone else but this is perfect for my needs, I wanted to go digital but the thought of having to learn how to use a helix or a kemper was off putting. as tech-phobe, I needed something that was very simple to use and this fitted the bill, i use it with my pedal board and a 2×12 cab and the sounds it great. This is the best purchase I have made in a long while.John

Based on a friend's recommendation, I purchased a new Boss Katana 100 MK 2 in June 2021. The first thing that impressed me was it's power…it seemed to be a real 100 watts in a portable and lightweight package. I was able to dial in some useful tube-like tones right from the start with the clean channel. The Katana warmed up quickly to single coil or hum bucking pickups. The tone "variations" are also very useful for dialing in the right sounds to your liking. The delay adds the right amount of sparkle to your overall sound…very cool! Unfortunately, I was not able to get much help from the Boss Tone Studio when I downloaded it to the amp. (The response was: "Amp not connected"). Another disappointment is no Boss Tone Studio for iOS users…really guys? The required Boss foot switch is another issue…look online to see pedal "hacks" that use standard one-button or two-button formats. (Save a few bucks with a regular pedal). All in all: I'm very pleased with the amp. The line-in is a great feature to use with backing tracks along with the headphone jack for late night practicing. The basic amp tones has a realistic tube texture that reminds me of Marshall, Fender or Vox models.Scotty, M.

I have had the 50 watt for several months which is a great amp, but decided I wanted more foot switching options provided by the GA-FC controller. I figured if I was to buy the 100 watt it might as well be a 2X12. The 100 2X12 sounds awesome. And it is really loud to play at home even on the .5 watt setting. I'm tired of messing with tube amps and effect pedals so the Boss Katana series is just what I need. I have not dived in to the software and deep settings on either amp yet. These are apparently had to get. SAM Ash had it on backorder from Boss. The web and phone support at SAM Ash is great. Chris from phone support helped me complete the order and was super knowledgeable and helpful throughout. He even called me back a couple of times to update status and follow up once it was delivered. Oh… And the 2X12 is way heavier and bigger than the 1X12.Pupster

It is a great amp. Very good sound and options for the price. It is not heavy which is a big deal to someone who has had back surgery. I gave it a 5 in spite of one big complaint. When you turn it off you hear a loud "POP!" Wow, is that loud is what I thought the first time I heard it. I read about it online and there is a simple fix. Find an old set of ear phones or ear buds that you would use on a cassette player or a Sony Walkman. (Yes, these are ancient electronic relics from the past for you younger people. You might ask your parents if they have a cassette player and borrow the ear plugs.) Just plug that earphone jack into the "PHONES" input BEFORE you turn it off. THEN you only hear a little blip when you turn it off. THEN just pull the jack out of the "PHONES" input before you start it next time.chasmigu

This amp is better than I thought. I've had it for over a year. I use it for practice sessions (classic rock mostly), and I haven't gone over '4 1/2' on the volume (it does give good feedback if you want it). I did upgrade the speaker to a 12" 'Celestion' Vintage 30 and am absolutely happy! This could easily be mic'd for larger venues. Lightweight, powerful enough, and the effects are a good assortment. One small glitch…when using the footswitch, there is a short, instantaneous volume boost when the pedal is pressed for distortion. Could possibly be a problem for recording. Besides that, 5 stars for me.Myk

After playing acoustic guitar for 15+ years and rarely plugging in, I finally decided to make the plunge and try out an electric. I was advised by a buddy to not buy too big, that 15W-20W would be plenty to practice with. So, I found this little Champion at Sam Ash, and so far it's been great! I bought the display model and have had no issues at all with it. Great sound, enough presets and effects to play around with, and sounds great clean too. Having a blast and loving it.Nate-O

Just picked one of these and it's been a joy to play. Pretty easy to use with quite a few options. Was able to dial in some tones that sound like my $800-1k tube amps. Honestly this amp is the best bang for your buck amp available imo. I really love the Waza Craft Greenback speaker. I love the .5, 50,100 watt options. Haven't even explored the software yet but I'm confident enough in this amp to give it a 5 star already. This of course is keeping in mind the fact it's essentially a budget amp price. You won't regret spending the money imo. Awesome job, Boss. 🤘 🎸Jason Faust

Sound: Right out of the box? I didn’t even adjust EQs. Set volume and gain, and started playing. Took 0 effort to get 98% of the way to my live tone that is an Orange Rockerverb 100W MK2 and Marshall 212 with V30s. Features: I love the Tone Studio. I did have to pull a star from Ease Of Use because it may be confusing if you’re not good with computers. Ease of Use: If you can’t get a good sound out of this amp, return it, sell your guitars, and find a new hobby. That’s how easy getting a good sound out of this is. Quality: Seems pretty decent. I wouldn’t call it robust, but it doesn’t FEEL as cheap as the price would suggest. Value: 100% worth the price. I’d have paid $100 more for it if I’d have known how good it would sound. Manufacturer Support: I’ve dealt with Roland/Boss in the past, and they’ve always been wonderful. The Wow Factor: Looks good, sounds good, price is good. A perfect practice amp, that could stand in for a small venue in a pinch. Naturally my live rig is a bit much for my apartment, but this is just what the doctor ordered. Overall: Solid state amps have come a long way. A REALLY long way. I’ll be honest, being a tube snob, I had very low expectations. I could have set the bar in the same area as I would a $2,000 and it still would have hopped it effortlessly.Kenny

The Ac-10not only looks the business but it has since real depth and warmth to its tone. Clean – it’s bright and has the chime you’d expect. Turn up the gain and your tone breaks up but still retains clarity. Having the gain wide open and master volume down means you can still have the saturated crunch but not disturb others . Perfect for home use but would not be out of place in a small pub gig. Takes pedals will and with a multi-fix like a GT 100, if you disable the amp sim and use like a conventional pedal board, you don’t lose any quality of the AC10’s natural tone. A masterful amp and it even smells nice with those tubes cooking.Mark R.

Ive been playing 35 years and this is probably the best all around practice amp ive ever heard. Pros- looks great, sounds very good, cleans thump and chime, distortion can wail. Its loud for its size. Seems built well. Have had no bad issues. Cons- clean isnt near as loud as w the gain cranked up. No reverb. In short if this amp was 50-100W and had reverb and an external speaker jack id never play another amp. Good job VOX.jjsrvfan

I have played through the almost decade old THR10c, which is a fantastic little amp. Through a SM57 in front of it and out to the PA and you can sound great. But I thought that by now, with Yamaha buying Line 6 about 5 years ago, the newest version of this little amp would have some state of the art effects. Wrong! The effects, and the apps that control it are seriously out of date. I mean, the reverb, tremolo and chorus are fine. But they remain exactly as they did ten years ago. No upgrades and nothing fancy. The app is poorly designed and not that easy to use. and there is no way that I have found access the THR10C classic blues models all in one place. So its actually hard to get the classic blues and country sounds that I need all in one place. I went back to my THR10c and sold the new one.Bruce

dial in your sound in seconds not minutes, I look at it and then I want to play my best, those amp lights man, wow, dim the lights you will see. No instructions needed. if you need to move some Air for clubs shows or band practice this is not the one for you. What it does is creates a killer vibe for personal guitar growth, very organic and the tones? Man, you have got to play through it to believe it. It will cover any genre and crash most all the competition in the personal practice amp catagory. its about quality tones at lower DBI, it's not a marshal and it doesn't want to be. You can boot this sting up 3 at night and sound like your at an arena in your bedroom without waking up the neighbors and your flat-mates. No getting up or leaning over the amp to adjust setting like a marshal. No LCD's to mess with with or crummy menu diving. Traditional Bluetooth audio is pretty decent for using the amp speaker for guitar youtube vids and playing along instrumental tracks. Someone else said terrible sound, what??? you have got to be kidding me, id call that person an amateur guitarist. the biggest stars have these in the studio, tour buss and green room, hotel room. amazing for writing sounds, its the sound you have always wanted without going deaf sounds good anywhere. saves your hearing from the ringing. if you want to expand this sound on stage get the 30 which has proper outs for studio and stage, and re-amp it. leave it on a partially cleanish tone for your genre, then output to normal amp setup, the smiles will come. Of course many are still going to need their volume pedals but in a lot of situations, if you know how to gain control and then crank it for a lead/ chorus, (id drive it out to the mains / monitors for ramp) but it sounds amazing as you turn it up, the character truly changes, for the better. it's pretty wild. its pretty good about feedback. iv heard people hook these up on tour or use them in the greenroom preshow, it's that good. stick with the new models that are lighter and sound better. these are industry standard personal practice amps. again, if you are gigging you will need some sound reinforcement, but I would find a way myself, it's just not that hard to figure out. it's never fed back at me once and I'm jamming right infant of the cab on me desk. no surprise loud feedback sounds like other amps. small, light goes anywhere. probably need that case if you travel a lot. metal, country, hard rock, pop, blues jazz, hip hop, it nails it. the 30 could drive your current big amp. whatever magic is going on with the sound, full gain w guitar at full gain, is something that has to be heard not seen.J

Upgraded from the original cream colored THR10 after finding out that all three of the original THR10 amps (boutique, classic, and high gain) were consolidated in one amp and that the speakers underwent an upgrade (10W->20W). Sonically, the tones in this amp are superior to those of the original THR10, which makes practicing and playing very satisfying and inspiring. Note: Boutique and high gain amps can only be accessed through the desktop or mobile THR remote app. This isn't the case with the larger THR30 amp. All amp models can be access through the unit. The remote app also allows the user to change cabinets to further tweak tone. Here is why I rated this product 4 stars. * Mobile THR remote app crashes all the time. I've been using the remote app on my laptop exclusively. Yamaha rep informed me that this tends to be the case with iPhone users. Doesn't seem like they plan on fixing this anytime soon. * Setting the unit up as an audio interface was not clear at all. The original THR amps required downloading the yamaha steinberg usb driver and selecting this as your driver in your DAW. After configuring your MIDI and audio source in the DAW, you would then get sound. Well, that's not how it works on this amp. I reached out to yamaha after repeatedly getting errors from my DAW about the yamaha steinberg usb driver. Long story short, tech service couldn't figure out the issue and told me to request an exchange for a new unit at GC. After hooking up the new replacement, I got the same error. Turns out you have to download the ASIO THR10ii/30 driver on yamaha's site, not the most current yamaha steinberg usb driver. Select this driver in your DAW. Then you have to go into the app's settings and check the box for "record dry." Now you can configure your MIDI and audio source. I'm baffled about how yamaha's own techs did not know that the steinberg usb driver is not compatible with the THR10ii/30 amp.Ben G.

Unbelievable. This is NOT my Vox AC30, and nor is it my 100W Katana. However, for a package that is powered by batteries and can, quite literally, fit into the palm of your hand, the Katana Mini is simply fantastic. The amp models are brilliant and the delay (reverb) function is an excellent feature. On "clean" settings the volume of the amp is perfectly adequate and will fill a room with no issues, and on the "crunch" and "brown" settings, the amp was more than loud enough to fill a large room at 2/3 volume. Whilst I personally think that this is not quite enough for an advanced/intermediate players sole amplifier, I would completely agree that for a beginner, they would need no more than this. Having tried options from Yamaha and other brands, this is firmly my favourite battery powered micro amplifier for any level of guitarist and equipment, the tone is simply that good! The best way I can describe it is this – when I first plugged my PRS McCarty 594 into it, I was vaguely aware that I wasn't playing through my Vox. However, after five minutes or so, I had completely forgotten this wasn't a "real" amp, and had to keep looking down at the tiny box on the floor to believe it! Well done, Boss!Mr I. F.

I use it primarily as a practice amp at lower levels, but I'd feel confident doing coffee house gigs with it, and maybe smaller clubs too. It sounds warm and rich at low volumes, and the EQ is effective. All three voices are useful and I'm not left wanting. I have to make special mention of the delay. I adore reverb (including and especially spring reverb and gritty, trashy reverb of all kinds) but a simple delay circuit is way more useful in this amp. Doubling, slapback, echoes. The treble roll-off and fixed feedback are well-tuned. If you're using this for busking or other guerilla performance, you will suddenly realize that a single delay is worth more than a thousand reflections, because those reflections sound godawful* against naturally-occurring surfaces. *maybe awesome in a sound design way thoughChesterfleet

Every guitar player on God's green earth should have one. The different tones offered with the app inspire you to play differently. It allows you to play along with the songs you love, and download the tone. It also tells you the chord progression to the song. It's an amazing Amp, and if nothing else the GREATEST speaker in the world. I could absolutely ruin my neighborhoods night with the most absurdly clear version of my favorite songs. But I could Also practice at midnight with out waking up my roommates using my headphones.
Amazing tones made by professionals. If you care about being a musician… you need this Amp. This Amp was recommended to me by John Moyer… of disturbed.Teryn Surratt

As a practice amp, you will soon lose interest if the tone is thin, boxy and generally sounds like crap. The Spark is none of this. An incredibly wide range of tones are available via the app with sounds that you just don't expect to come from such a small package. The sound is loud, rich without the boxiness that you seem to get with amps loaded with small speakers. If you've used PG's Bias software, you'll be in very familiar territory – great emulations that have a depth that rivals some of the serious modelers available now. The effects, while not giving you a massive selection, supplies pretty well every type of effect you would ever need. The reverbs and delays are particularly good and while more than good enough for noodling at home, are more than up to the task of recording. The unit is quite sturdy with a timber cabinet and looks great – very traditional with an "English" type of styling. Using the Spark as a Bluetooth player for music is more than up to the task – good bass, clean mids and treble and loads of volume. The app overall is very good with some truly inspiring practice opportunities, though the function where the app analyses your playing and constructs a suitable backing track is hit and miss and is probably the weakest part of the app. Bluetooth connection for both control functions and audio playback is stable and very quick to pair with your device. Overall, I don't think you will find and amp sounding this good with the flexibility and functions available, from anywhere else and that is before taking into consideration, the extra functions the app gives you.Mick G.

I bought this amp on the back of all the rave reviews on YouTube etc. For me, it's just not a finished product yet. It feels very "beta". The hardware seems robust and of good quality. The modelled sounds are very good, albeit very bass heavy. But most of that can be EQ'd out. There are several problems I couldn't live with, and had to sell it on. The hum problem which is due to the supplied, un-earthed PSU was very apparent in my example. I contacted Positive Grid support about the issue in December 20, and as of selling the amp at the start of March 21, I had not yet received the replacement PSU. There are temporary workarounds, but I wanted the problem sorted permanently. As said above, the sound is very bass heavy. The amp models' EQ can be used to deal with the guitar tone, but music playback through the unit via Bluetooth has no EQ control, so the sound quality is very poor. In addition to this, the playback level is far too high. When using as a Bluetooth speaker it is very difficult to get the volume low enough using the tiny trim pot volume control for comfortable listening when sat in close proximity to the unit. The Auto Chords feature is a gimmick and needs serious work. It only works for E standard guitar tuning. For example, when listening to a song in dropped standard tuning such as "Yesterday" (guitar tuned down one whole step) Auto Chords will show fingerings for F, Em, A7 etc instead of the G,. F#m, B7 shapes that are required. At the very least, a "transpose" button is required to allow for dropped standard tunings that are very common. When using the tuner, you have to look at the lights on top of the amp. The app should have a screen that displays the tuner on your connected device when in use. The app metronome tempo can only be set by tap. It should have the ability for the user to enter the exact required BPM by inputting the figure required, or selecting the tempo with up and down or + and – controls. All of these niggles were too much for me to live with. Hopefully Positive Grid implement the changes in future releases, but I won't be buying Spark again until they do.Paul

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

The Ac-10not only looks the business but it has since real depth and warmth to its tone. Clean – it’s bright and has the chime you’d expect. Turn up the gain and your tone breaks up but still retains clarity. Having the gain wide open and master volume down means you can still have the saturated crunch but not disturb others . Perfect for home use but would not be out of place in a small pub gig. Takes pedals will and with a multi-fix like a GT 100, if you disable the amp sim and use like a conventional pedal board, you don’t lose any quality of the AC10’s natural tone. A masterful amp and it even smells nice with those tubes cooking.Mark R.

Ive been playing 35 years and this is probably the best all around practice amp ive ever heard. Pros- looks great, sounds very good, cleans thump and chime, distortion can wail. Its loud for its size. Seems built well. Have had no bad issues. Cons- clean isnt near as loud as w the gain cranked up. No reverb. In short if this amp was 50-100W and had reverb and an external speaker jack id never play another amp. Good job VOX.jjsrvfan

Having been messing around with an acoustic for far too many years I decided to treat myself to an electric, and started the search for an amp. I had a few options but went with the Crush 20RT and haven't regretted it. For its size the sound quality is great, and the eq controls allow you to get a nice range of distinct tones. Having the dirty volume away from the gain dial takes some getting used to, but isn't a deal-breaker, and if you find the rather small switch to swap between clean and dirty channels a bit fiddly, you can pick up a foot switch which connects nicely on the back of the amp. Built in reverb is nice, but if you are big on using reverb I'd imagine you'd want to get a dedicated pedal. Tuner seems hit and miss, and again more accurate results will be obtained via a stand alone product. Both good features to have, especially as a starter amp. Overall, highly recommended!Kevin E.

This is definitely the best sounding practice amp I've ever used. The gain channel has several different levels of gain, all sound great. Anywhere from a slightly crunchy overdrive sound to sizzling distortion. I've never had an amp this size handle metal tones so well. The clean channel handles distortion pedals well and maintains the tone of the amp, and if you wanna add a little something extra, putting an overdrive in front of the dirty channel really pushes the mids through. All very impressive for an 8 inch speaker.
The big downside to this amp… is that its deceptively loud. At bedroom volume, it sounds kinda like a shoebox. but bump the volume knob even just a little bit and the full, rich tone punches you in the face, far too loud for playing in an apartment at 10pm. Kinda defeats the point of buying a small practice amp. The clean channel is even louder than the dirty channel.
I'm not knocking off any stars from my review for this however, because it has a headphone jack that actually imitates the speaker response quite well. So if you wanna play this amp late at night, plug in some headphones or you'll wake up the neighbors.
The only practice amp I've ever liked more was the old marshall valvestate, and those are hard to find these days, so this little amp fills that void well.Noah Nicotine

Now let me first state that Guitar Center is the only place I'd buy this from, to try it out and return it to the store. Guitar Center is the BEST. This little amplifier is the WORST. I bought this specifically for it's cabinet output and the fact that it can run on a 9 volt battery. I own four other mini amplifiers, two of them are pedals and the other two are Blackstar Fly 3 (with the extension cabinet.) Here's the crux of my review: The Blackstar Fly 3 is louder and sounds far better than the Orange Crush Mini, even if that Crush Mini is powering a larger speaker cabinet (a 2×10, in this case.) So yes, two 3" speakers in the Blackstar are louder, and the sound quality is far superior to the Orange Crush Mini driving a 2×10" cabinet. The Crush Mini's 3" speaker is unusable, sounds very tinny and is very low volume. Now, I also have two pedal amps that run on 9 volts, an Electro Harmonix 5mm and a VHT Redline 6. The 5mm is amazing, and the VHT is very good also. So if you want to drive a cabinet with a pedal size amp you can put in your pocket, try the Electro Harmonix 5mm. The VHT Redline is also very good and has the added features of an aux in jack and headphone out jack. An adapter cable to use a battery can be had (I have a few of them.) Avoid the Orange Crush Mini, the Blackstar Fly 3 is far superior.John

I bought this amp to have a small, cheap portable amp to play harmonica through. For that, it is decent enough. I use a Shure bullet mic and the amp produces good enough tone and is plenty loud for practice or small gigs. When I plug my tele into it the clean channel is decent and clear, but the overdrive channel is junk and hurts my ears. I would rather run the clean channel and use a fuzz or distortion pedal. So that being said it is decent enough to practice licks on and it is tiny so it tucks away easy. If you look around you can find a bigger amp with more features used for the same price but if you want a new amp, this one is probably worth what they charge for it. I would only buy it if you have a specific purpose for it though.Roy

It's small, and pretty portable. However, the sound quality is trash, given the speaker is tiny, but the overdrive is just horrible. If you buy this, try returning it. If you can't return it, just get a fuzz pedal and leave it on clean. Imo, just buy the mustang lt25-50Hotdog Games

The Ac-10not only looks the business but it has since real depth and warmth to its tone. Clean – it’s bright and has the chime you’d expect. Turn up the gain and your tone breaks up but still retains clarity. Having the gain wide open and master volume down means you can still have the saturated crunch but not disturb others . Perfect for home use but would not be out of place in a small pub gig. Takes pedals will and with a multi-fix like a GT 100, if you disable the amp sim and use like a conventional pedal board, you don’t lose any quality of the AC10’s natural tone. A masterful amp and it even smells nice with those tubes cooking.Mark R.

Ive been playing 35 years and this is probably the best all around practice amp ive ever heard. Pros- looks great, sounds very good, cleans thump and chime, distortion can wail. Its loud for its size. Seems built well. Have had no bad issues. Cons- clean isnt near as loud as w the gain cranked up. No reverb. In short if this amp was 50-100W and had reverb and an external speaker jack id never play another amp. Good job VOX.jjsrvfan

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

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

The good: small, portable, can run off batteries. The wireless connectivity is really nice. Sounds decent for what it is. The bad: The interface on the unit itself and the app are confusing to say the least, and you are pretty limited in the use of effects. The ugly: all those free Katana patches being posted on the Boss site? Incompatible. All the patches for regular Boss Katana amps WILL NOT WORK on this unit. Thanks for that Boss.Alexander

Overall: I may be mis-reading the manual but I've yet to figure out how to keep the wireless transmitter charged. I'm not new at this having gotten Line 6's wireless transmitters when they first arrived on the scene. They were easy to use and worked as advertised. While I am a huge Roland/Boss fan, I'm thinking they may have missed the mark in the "ease of use" category on the Katana Air. From a sound perspective, the amp, when plugged into a wall socket sounds great; just what you'd expect from a Katana amp. And when the transmitter is fully charged, the same can be expected. The problem arises when trying to figure out how to keep it charged. When running the amp on batteries only, this seems this seems to be problematic in that the amp stops charging the transmitter when the batteries are low. The problem is you don't know the transmitter is dead until you try and use it.My most predictable approach is to plug in the amp with the provided DC cable and do my charging while the amp is "hard-wired" to the juice coming from a wall socket.Once the transmitter is fully charged, in this manner, I can disconnect the amp and run it on a fresh set of batteries. This will afford you a "temporary" wireless operation. The transmitter that I received didn't have any where's near the claimed lifespan. I'd be curious to see how other's experience with the Katana Air played out. I will keep fiddling with the KA and if I discover what it takes to make it truly wireless, I'll get back to you in a follow up review. Strangely I did keep this item, hoping for a downloadable software cure.There is a nice free ap that accompanies the KA…..It allows you to change all of the amp's audio settings and to download free patch sets. This works well with my iPhone 7+.Martin

I've been seeking a modern, portable, reliable practice amp that can satisfy BOTH Acoustic and Electric guitars since Line 6 introduced their Amplifi series. I loved the Amplifi's techie saturated concept but no matter how bad I wanted it to work… it was always a low-fidelity 'noise' amp first without the ability to produce clear, hi-fidelity sound for either my acoustic or classical guitars. Designing an amp that can accurately reproduce hi-fidelity, low distortion sound begins with a good designed, quality build and above average components. As the old proverb states, "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear", you can build a noisy amp but don't ever expect it to reproduce quality sound. Amplifi is the sow's ear. I thought about testing their newer Amplifi 30 but after many bad experiences testing a 75 and reading that I was not alone … I lost all confidence that they could do HiFi right. The Katana Air checks many of my must-have boxes and it worked without a hitch. It was designed as a small practice amp and not a single solution for all your gigging needs. Adding in the convenience features like smart-on and multiple wireless features that include power/updating/tuning/modeling/backing tracks/guitar, makes this the practice amp I have been waiting a long timefor. Finally, I can take an amp sailing without worry of 'butt cleats' or adding more hazardous lines to my boat.pete1tod

Overall: overall – maybe the best sounding low wattage amp ever. only small difference in sound between this & a tube amp. weak point is lack of features. they really skimped. twice the price of other compared to other practice amps that have way more features. you're really extra paying for tone here.pro's – * truly terrific tones* even if you have a tube amp that sounds good at whisper volumes (i have a 15w egnater tweaker) it's so convenient to be able to play this on top of your desk.* clean and modern settings are fantastic. i don't use the other amp settings much, but they sound great as well. the only setting i don't like is brit hi.* effects sound good* tap tempo* good tuner* the features are weak* pricey – other practice amps have many more features. they sound pretty good themselves (just not quite as nice as this). so if features are important to you, get something else. digital amps these days all sound not bad to downright good.* are the tones here so much better that it's really worth double other companies' amps? honestly hard to say, but this one does sound the best* can't save settings* one knob control of all mod effects is really limiting* can use the software to tweak settings and effects, but as soon as you unplug, you lose them* max volume on delay is occasionally not enough. usually it's ok. but sometimes, you want a little more & doesn't have it* as mentioned, brit hi setting not that great* the name "modern" might be misleading. i mentioned that modern sounds good, but, it doesn't have enough gain to get you into mesa rectifier range. you're going to need a pedal for that.A

I've been looking for a great, clean amp that would really accent my guitar's natural sound. I first tried the Blues Junior which was nice but didn't have quite enough warmth and power behind it, I needed something more. I did my research and landed on this beautiful Princeton. It has everything that I was looking for. I am an experienced player but also prefer not to have a super complicated setup with switches and pedals and knobs; this Princeton keeps the focus solely on the tone and sound. Yes, there is a reverb knob which can add a little more, but I usually keep that off. What's great about getting an amp like this is you really get CLEAN, crisp open/clean channels and can really hear your axe sing. Because of that, it also allows your pedals to shine without being bogged down with too much of this or that, or in my opinion not having enough power behind the amplification. This amp is perfect for those who just want a clean guitar sound, or who want to throw in an effect here and there and still get everything you want in the sound. 1000% recommend.GuitarGuy911

This is a fantastic amp after owning it for 5 months. I constantly wonder about getting rid of other amps and just playing this one all the time. It's a "just right" amp. It's extremely easy to get along with. It sounds good in any room, is less sensitive to placement in the room than other amps I've owned, it's easy to dial in with different guitars. The Reverb & Tremolo always seem just right and easy to adjust. It seemingly gets along with just about any pedal/effect you run into it, but you don't need any FX or pedals with this amp either if you don't want them. If I had to think of a negative it's the vintage style food switch that comes with it. You can't mount it on a pedal board because the back is just press fit and the cable doesn't detach. I usually just wrap up the cable and put the foot switch in the amp for transport. It's no surprise these have been popular for decades.Ben

I went back and forth between the Princeton Custom 68 and the 65 Reissue, and settled on the 65 as I will make better use of the clean headroom and 'pure' clean Fender tone (compared to the darker, snarlier sound of the 68). The amp is fairly light (compared to other Fender amps) and a compact size for transporting to gigs, it has plenty of headroom for small to medium-sized shows but is quiet enough for home recording. The tone is beautiful, clear and sparkling, with a very characterful spring reverb and a subtle but warm vibrato. It's a simple amp with 1 channel, no mid EQ control, no standby switch – but it has everything I ever actually need to use on an amp. It starts to break up around 6 on the dial, which is pretty loud in a small room, so if you're looking for a crunchy amp then this isn't for you.Robin M.

True story: In 1985 I was using a JC-120 to play heavy punk-metal in California. Trying to be different, I was also using EMG pickups, which back then (like the JC-120) were associated with jangly new-wave players. My tone involved both a Pro-Co Rat and the amp's distortion on 10. My band opened for a famous metal band one night and afterwards the guitarists approached me about my tone, asked to see my gear, etc. They couldn't believe the sound I was getting with that amp. With them was a Mesa-Boogie artist-relations guy, because the famous band endorsed those amps. Anyhow the Mesa guy and me got to be friends and later he told me that the band (by then absolutely huge) had used JC-120s and a Pro-Co Rat to record their latest multi-platinum record. They kept the amps a secret (still used stacks on stage) but they did switch to EMGs from then on. Anyways, it's an amazing amp. I used to put Electro-Voice speakers in them for a bassier, tighter sound.Deafener

This amp is truly one of the classics! I have been using a JC-120 since the 80's! It is a very musical amp and good for any type of music. That is a statement of why is has been around for a very long time. I have read some of the other reviews about how noisy this amp can be. This is true but get a noise gate or use the othe rchannel that is without the chorus. For people who love heavy metal two words Boss Wazsa Ds-1 X and OD-1X will get you that Marshal Sound. For Blues players Sd-1X , OD-1X or Boss driver 2. This amp is designed to be used with effects and that is what makes it so versatile.Hank

Words are pretty meek in describing this amp. The best clean sound anywhere. Huge tonal presence bass is gigantic but not boomy just powerful and clear and that's with all tone controls at 12 noon. There's so much room to tweak. And then the chorus channel un-real sound of acoustic chorus. It's a trademark sound instantly recognized. No pedal can give you this chorus sound. It's a tank super build quality has not changed since the 80's and at 75 lbs you can't just grab and go but comes with casters thank goodness. I have used it with overdrive guitar a few times and it sounded unlike any other amp. It's not at all your British scooped sound. But the clean sound is why I bought this. And it is LOUD!Petros Voutsanesis

I'm running this through a 1×12 Bugera cab (which to my ear is a pretty neutral speaker, but sounds great). Unless your band plays way too loud this amp should give you enough volume for gigging (even at 25 watts through an 8 ohm speaker). Takes pedals well – all of my drive pedals sound great. The MV50 reacts like my tube amps with a boost pedal in front (Fulltone & Xotic). I really like the attenuator, and at home I play at 1/100 power with the volume at about noon. While this amp has a lot of clean headroom you will start to get some hair when you push it, but in a good way. It's the kind of sound where you can play clean by picking lightly but if you hit it hard you'll hear that you're on the edge of breakup. Not surprising for a Vox, this is not a mid-scooped Fender clean. Mids are present, but not pushed. It is a warm clean, not sterile or spikey at all to my ear. I've been playing this primarily with a Boss Fender reverb pedal and the tone really is glorious. I don't feel like I'm missing anything from my tube amps. Not a thing. I wish I'd had this thing years ago when I was throwing my back out moving 60lb tube amps to and from gigs. What I don't like. The unit feels very solid, seems like a quality piece of gear, but the mini chicken head knobs on the front feel cheap (a minor complaint). Mainly I don't like how much they have crammed on the back panel. You've got tiny switches for power, flat/deep, eco (shuts it off after 15 min. of non-use) and the attenuator, as well as headphone/line out & speaker out. Once you get a speaker cable plugged in it feels very cramped. I'd much rather that the power switch was on the front. Lastly, I wish I could get 50 watts @ 8 ohms, just for the headroom. This is giggable for me at 25 watts into 8 ohms & still gives you good headroom, but YMMV. I primarily use single coils. With hot humbuckers I don't know if you'd run out of clean headroom or not. With all 50 watts you'd be fine, I'm sure.NE Guy

First – let me say that this is a good, tiny pedal-platform amp, if that's what you're looking for. It has a very good base clean tone and it takes pedals well. I think most players looking to downsize would find this usable. If all you need is a good clean tone – for jazz, say – take a listen to one of these. I find the 4 ohm thing a bummer. I don't own any 4 ohm cabs, and after thinking about jumping through hoops to get all 50w available to me, I decided it wasn't worth it. This amp sounds really good, but at the very least for clean headroom, anyone looking for a pedal platform usually wants to control where the edge of breakup is, or have it totally clean. Beyond that, there's just too much crammed onto the (very small) back of the amp. Tiny switches plus the speaker out jack just mean it's hard to find the on/off switch, etc. Put the power switch on the front so I don't have to hunt for it. After having the MV50 a while I decided to try a DV Mark Micro 50 – and I like it better than the Vox. It's more versatile with 3 band EQ, and I have a full 50w to play with. Overall I prefer the DV Mark – I just feel it suits my clean & light OD tones better than the Vox. But if I had to gig with the Vox I'd be OK with it. Having said that, several months ago I came across a great deal on a Blues Cube Hot EL84 (more Vox-ish tone than the standard) and frankly, it blows the other two away. It's a combo, of course. So I'm keeping the DV Mark as a backup. The Vox has gone. Anyone looking to downsize should give one of these a listen. There is good to great tone in there, depending on your needs. Again – the 4 ohm load to get 50w is a bummer. But not everyone needs that much power. The small box is pretty cute and a cool conversation starter – but for practical purposes something slightly larger would've been a better idea, IMO.Mr. Joe