Best Studio Guitar Amp (2024 Update)

This combo is killer. Everyone bangs on about the marshall crunch, but the cleans out of this mini plexi are amazing. This amp is LOUD even in 5 watts so get yourself a JHS little black amp box for the FX loop. The speaker for this is a perfect match. Everyone hates on the combo, but my only advice is try it before you make comments on it. I love this combo!!!Sergio C.

I wanted an amp that sounds like my full stage rig – (Marshall 1959 100W SLP) for rehearsals and perhaps smaller venue gigs. My Marshall DLS40CR doesn't do that. The Marshall SV20C fits the bill hence the purchase.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I own a JVM 205H and I wasn't that happy with the tone. The studio classic is an excellent amp. Great tone. It is also incredibly loud so it gets played in 5 Watt mode and it still sounds great.J

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

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

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

Extremely versatile amp. I play a lot of electric blues but I grew up on hard rock/metal. Today I also play a little bluegrass, country, classical, pop and whatever suits my mood at the time. But at the end of the day, I usually revert to a heavier sound. Now the Marshall has a nice clean sound, although not as clean as my old Fender Pro Reverb. You can't have everything. Where this amp really shines is in its ability to generate anything from mild overdrive to extreme high gain. With this amp I can get high gain harmonics that I could not get from other amps, even with heavy gain effects. The only negative really is that the amp is quite physically heavy.Fuzzy

Firstly, I am in a bar/party cover band of older (>30 years to nearly 60) musicians with day jobs. We are not all Recent Hits, but do mostly songs people have heard of in all years from mid 60s to this year. The flexibility of this head is its big feature for someone like me. This is not a prescriptive review — this is just how I use it. Some of the skeptics have wondered why you would need 4 channels with 3 tones each. They have a good point, but not one that applies to a cover band. If I had to have one amplifier, it would have to produce the tones that this amp can do on channel 2 (crunch) green and orange, and channel 3 (OD1) green and orange. Crunch orange and OD1 green are quite similar and are the tones of the classic plexis and old Marshalls. Crunch green is what you would want for "clean" tone with a Marshall level of compression and just a little breakup for an electric guitar. OD1 at orange is what you would do for distorted classic rock — adding an overdrive in front of a plexi or a very saturated pickup, for example. For every song I really like, and everything I would do if I wasn't doing covers, those two channels at those two colors would cover it. For gigs, I can set channel 1 (clean) and Channel 4 (OD2) to be more extreme. The clean channel is actually what i use to be my acoustic guitar and occasionally as my hollow body electric emulating an acoustic. It is not perfect, nor is as good as having a specialized acoustic amp or clean tone jazz amp. However, it is good enough, and it simplifies the signal path to not have separate amps, and there is enough separate EQ to make it work. Channel 4 can be used for dirtier, more distorted stuff, and the weird thing is that now I use it entirely for country. My band doesn't do any metal, and the heaviest guitar sounds we do are the likes of Carrie Underwood. Getting the hiss to go away is not that big of a deal — put an MXR Smart Gate or any other gate I've tried into the _serial_loop_ and twist the knobs — it will take care of the problem. The JS head might be better and I haven't tried it. I do appreciate that you can't use the OD channels on this without a noise gate, but it isn't a big dial to fix. The reverb is good but nothing special. Reading this review before submitting, I realize that the oddest thing is that I personally have no use for any of the red versions of the four channels. That is probably a classic rock attitude — this thing has a lot more metal tone than I will ever use, so you should use other reviews if you want that.Iceandsnow

This is just and amazing head… I can't complement it enough. I wanted so many of the iconic Marshall tones but couldn't afford to go out and buy a JCM 800, 900, Plexi…etc. This head truly does a great job of getting all the tones your looking for. It does take a little dialing in with all the different modes in each channel to find what they all do… but once you have it kind of figured out its a tone machine. the included foot switch is a pleasant surprise also. It's programmable and works like a charm with just a normal guitar cable. I have also used the midi switching capabilities and they are also wonderful, though not as easy to use as the foot switch. If you are a gigging musician or just want a lot of options…..get one of these!Tony

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

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

Extremely versatile amp. I play a lot of electric blues but I grew up on hard rock/metal. Today I also play a little bluegrass, country, classical, pop and whatever suits my mood at the time. But at the end of the day, I usually revert to a heavier sound. Now the Marshall has a nice clean sound, although not as clean as my old Fender Pro Reverb. You can't have everything. Where this amp really shines is in its ability to generate anything from mild overdrive to extreme high gain. With this amp I can get high gain harmonics that I could not get from other amps, even with heavy gain effects. The only negative really is that the amp is quite physically heavy.Fuzzy

Firstly, I am in a bar/party cover band of older (>30 years to nearly 60) musicians with day jobs. We are not all Recent Hits, but do mostly songs people have heard of in all years from mid 60s to this year. The flexibility of this head is its big feature for someone like me. This is not a prescriptive review — this is just how I use it. Some of the skeptics have wondered why you would need 4 channels with 3 tones each. They have a good point, but not one that applies to a cover band. If I had to have one amplifier, it would have to produce the tones that this amp can do on channel 2 (crunch) green and orange, and channel 3 (OD1) green and orange. Crunch orange and OD1 green are quite similar and are the tones of the classic plexis and old Marshalls. Crunch green is what you would want for "clean" tone with a Marshall level of compression and just a little breakup for an electric guitar. OD1 at orange is what you would do for distorted classic rock — adding an overdrive in front of a plexi or a very saturated pickup, for example. For every song I really like, and everything I would do if I wasn't doing covers, those two channels at those two colors would cover it. For gigs, I can set channel 1 (clean) and Channel 4 (OD2) to be more extreme. The clean channel is actually what i use to be my acoustic guitar and occasionally as my hollow body electric emulating an acoustic. It is not perfect, nor is as good as having a specialized acoustic amp or clean tone jazz amp. However, it is good enough, and it simplifies the signal path to not have separate amps, and there is enough separate EQ to make it work. Channel 4 can be used for dirtier, more distorted stuff, and the weird thing is that now I use it entirely for country. My band doesn't do any metal, and the heaviest guitar sounds we do are the likes of Carrie Underwood. Getting the hiss to go away is not that big of a deal — put an MXR Smart Gate or any other gate I've tried into the _serial_loop_ and twist the knobs — it will take care of the problem. The JS head might be better and I haven't tried it. I do appreciate that you can't use the OD channels on this without a noise gate, but it isn't a big dial to fix. The reverb is good but nothing special. Reading this review before submitting, I realize that the oddest thing is that I personally have no use for any of the red versions of the four channels. That is probably a classic rock attitude — this thing has a lot more metal tone than I will ever use, so you should use other reviews if you want that.Iceandsnow

This is just and amazing head… I can't complement it enough. I wanted so many of the iconic Marshall tones but couldn't afford to go out and buy a JCM 800, 900, Plexi…etc. This head truly does a great job of getting all the tones your looking for. It does take a little dialing in with all the different modes in each channel to find what they all do… but once you have it kind of figured out its a tone machine. the included foot switch is a pleasant surprise also. It's programmable and works like a charm with just a normal guitar cable. I have also used the midi switching capabilities and they are also wonderful, though not as easy to use as the foot switch. If you are a gigging musician or just want a lot of options…..get one of these!Tony

Fantastic quality and love having all the settings to play with physically. Sounds phenomenal through headphones, monitors and straight into the DAW.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

An amazing 2 channel or dual amp zero watt amplifier pedal. Used it at a rehearsal and could dial in great tones very quickly – from Marshal type distortion to clean reverby Fendery tones. Great through headphones for practice and DI'd into PA for live use. Only disappointment was that there was no power supply supplied, but it does come with a very useful channel/reverb foot switch.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Amazing for recording, the pedal sounds the way your amp would before adding the mic. So easy to dial in any sound, I added a nobble Od1 into the chain and it blew my mind. I gave a good on looks because its hard to read what the knobs and switches do in a studio environment.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Surpasses expectations. Excellent tone and brings out the individual characteristics of each of my guitars. A compact package with all the sounds and features I need.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Was looking for an amp with a good clean sound as a base for my outboard effects that was smaller and lighter than my current backbreaker but still powerful enough to cope with most gig scenarios. Cleans on this valve amp are gorgeous and it turns out that the driven channels actually sound sweeter than my choice of pedals. So not only did I find the clean sound I was looking for and in a smaller package but I can now reduce the size of my pedal board as well. Awesome product from Mesa Engineering.Reviewed by Project Music custom

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

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

If you buy this amp start by running the update in the app while connected to your amp. we had trouble getting anything to work, until that was done. The amp itself is fun to mess around on, but I don't see it as anything that you could use for a gig. I find that when I'm using the amp I spend most of my time messing around with weird sounds, rather than playing anything productive (but it's fun). The community of amp settings is huge, but with varying quality. Perhaps the most fun and useful feature of the amp is the ability to play along with music from your phone/device and level out the volumes of the guitar and music so you can actually hear both. This could be a real benefit for a starting musician who doesn't have the opportunity to play with other musicians. Another plus is that the amp can be used as a Bluetooth speak, and it sounds really good. However, one of the negatives that I noticed immediately is that the output volume is very inconsistent from setting to setting (like a lot), one will be quiet and the next loud. I'm also skeptical what will happen when Line6 decides not to support the app anymore because without the app, the amp is next to useless. It can still be used but it won't have much versatility in tones. Another thing that I noticed is that here's no way this amp outputs 75 watts of volume, I don't even know that it's as loud as my old little 15 watt practice amp. All in all, its a fun amp and I would recommend it as a fun accessory to your arsenal, but is it's your sole amp you might want to consider play one at a music store before buying to be sure that it'll work for your application.Music_matt

What sets this item apart, assuming you have an IOS device with some good music on it, is the Amplifi 75's ability to find tones that match what song you are playing. It does this automatically. Whether you play along with the song or not, you can save that tone under "my tones" and have it at your disposal for future use. I found some incredible acoustic guitar tones as well as a very nice "sounds like the Beatles" tone. This feat alone is remarkable. Throw in the sound editor that allows you to create your own or tweak someone else's tones and you begin to realize what Line 6 has accomplished. Ground breaking isn't too strong a phrase here. Sound quality when playing my IPAD music is excellent. Having read multiple mixed reviews I was a bit torn as to whether to purchase or not. I can say my expectations have been exceeded. One word of caution when using. Make sure that you reboot, cold start your IPAD OR IPHONE to clear out software running in the background. And check to make sure on the AMPLIFI menu that you are "connected" as opposed to "synching". If you are not connected, the sounds on your IPAD or IPHONE will not be heard, only the default sounds that are on the amp itself….btw….these default sounds can be set to your favorites very easily as pointed out in the instructions. In summary, if you were thinking about purchasing one of the new Amplifi amps (75 or 150) you needn't worry. You'll likely be blown away by this clever amplification system. Hats off to Line 6 for taking it to another level.MartinG123

Great product. Does just what I ordered it for. It mostly sits in my family room where I can jam quietly while watching TV waiting for that Eureka moment. Great that it doubles as a bluetooth speaker (wish there was separate EQ for the bluetooth), and you can use it that way at the same time through the app as you are playing your guitar sounds. Sometimes when I leave to jam with friends and don't feel like grabbing a tube amp and big pedal board, I just take this. Works fine in a practice situation.Might even work in a small club if you spend enough time tweaking sounds. What works well at really low volumes in the family room is often too echoey or processed once the volume goes up. Not the Amplifi's fault. Just basic acoustic physics. My gripes are few and minor. Saving your edits to back to the amp is really convoluted. Why isn't there a save button on the edit screen that just saves the patch to the current slot on the amp? The save dialog should ask you 'save to amp or save to cloud?' (there's a cloud icon for saving now, but it won't save directly to the amp). Also, I wish there was polyphonic tuning built in to the amp. The tuner function requires a phone/tablet and seems a bit slow and not as accurate as some of my standalone tuners. A row of leds across the front of the amp would be great. Also, separate sliders for the aux, bluetooth and guitar volumes would be nice. Anyway, I would buy it again.El-Kabong

Huge sounding and a lot of power for such a small amp. The Spark Control App gives you loads of choices from classic sounds to the most modern of amps out there today. You also have tons of effects to use in conjunction with all of these modeled amp choices. All of these possibilities can be saved as your own personal presets which can endlessly be tweaked to make you sound and play your best. You can also use the Jam Along feature which syncs to iTunes, Spotify, etc. while also displaying the chord changes as you play. The Spark amp also connects easily to any DAW for professional sounding quality recordings. This amp does it all for a fraction of the price.Javier

Used it only for practice. Unusable for live performance. Every update was a fiasco and after 11 months, it only works as a Bluetooth speaker as the Amp section gave up. Google that issue and found it happens to many other users. Defective chip and Positive Grid helpdesk is not responding.Cory

The amp is awesome. Well built and solid, very pleasant to look at, easy to use and the sound! Oh man, the sound of that little amp is just beyond belief. Full and rich, it fills the room as though it were five times the size. With the app on my android phone, fine tuning the sound is easy and intuitive, and you can save your sounds as presets if you wish. But even without using the app, the presets that ship with the amp are simply stellar. In my opinion, the amp is well worth the price.Richard L.

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

Took them a while, but Boss have blown the competition out of the water with an amp that sounds as great as it is versatile, and provides an amazing platform that’s as at home in the studio as it is in the rehearsal room.Zach G.

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

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