Choosing A Guitar Amp For Sale (Jan 2023 Update)

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

This amp has a wide range of settings to dial in whatever sound you need for various types of guitars and pickups. I was a little disappointed in the volume limitation when plugging in my acoustics with passive pickups- they just didn't have any punch even with the dial turned up, but that was corrected somewhat with an XLR>RCA converter jack to boost the signal. Also the pre-amp in the effects box I have does the same thing. It produced great tone and presence on an electric 12 string, classical, and irish bouzouki which all have active pickups. What really impressed me was how it handles vocal and instrument together. No feedback and plenty of headroom. I'm glad I settled on this model to meet my needs rather than some of the others out there of the same capabilities. The looper is another fun feature that allows you to lay some percussive rhythm down to play along to, or a chord progression to build upon. Another plus is its small footprint and light weight for portability. I plan to be using it in small rooms where it fills the space without being over bearing. It is a perfect tool for solo performances, but would probably hold its own in a small group as well.super-perfundo

I am very pleased with this amplifier. It is very small, (like a large lunchbox) and light. 8 AA batteries can power this or you can use the included ac/dc inverter. After playing with the mic input and plugging my Taylor; its obvious that this is the easiest to use and best sounding acoustic amp I own. Subtle nuances in voice and guitar are replicated so clearly, I forget which part is already recorded on the looper and what is the live part I am playing! No kiddin, its that good! Speakin of the looper, that is probably the best practice feature of any piece of gear I own. Nothing fancy, and 40 seconds tops, but it is falling off a log ez and really does give you enough time to lay down a basic track. My guitar has never sounded so crisp and clean, ambience/chorus on both channels are very high quality! Don't let the size fool you, this isn't a toy, but I guarantee if you get one, you will wanna play for hours! Few pieces of gear have ever been such a pleasant surprise!wdc27909

The light weight, compact easily portable amp. Gives clear classic sound which is still loud even on battery power 30 watts. Has has a few built in essential effects and clearly why it keeps it second hand value!kevinchilds-uk

Recently bought this thing after saving up for months. I pretty much ripped it out of the box, plugged it in, powered it on, went through the very quick and simple setup process, and in minutes it was ready for use. I’ve now had it for a few days and already it has made my life a ton easier. Being a musician that goes on the road a lot, carrying around an amp can be a huge hassle. The Kemper eliminates that hassle, while also maintaining an amazing tone. A few things to keep in mind, though:

1. It doesn’t create an EXACT carbon copy of your amp, but it comes EXTREMELY close, so close in fact that I, having played guitar for around 7 years, can barely tell the difference, and the very microscopic differences there are, are nothing that can’t be ironed out with small tweaking to the EQ, specifically the high end

2. The volume may vary depending on how the venue has their sound system set up, so that’s something to be mindful of. You may switch on and blow eardrums at some places, or you may switch on and barely hear anything in other places, so be mindful of that.

3. You will have an amazing tone, so just be mindful of that as well. Even the stock profiles sound great, but the Kemper is taken to a whole new level once you start using your own profiles, as well as commercially sold profiles, such as the ones from Tone Junkie.

The built in Performance mode also allows for a seamless switch between up to five different rigs at the click of a button, which would be impossible to do using only analog gear.

The Kemper can be a pretty big learning curve, though, especially for people like me, who have used analog gear for years, and were even leery of making the switch to digital at first. But after the initial learning curve and getting familiar with it, I promise you will be glad you made the switch.Brandon Johnson

I bought the 600w version after a ton of research and inner debate. I had solid state rack stuff in the early 90's and hated it. It always had something missing from the tone, it seemed shallow and fake. I turned into a die hard tube guy after that. I pledged never to buy any computer amp ever again. I dismissed the Kemper at first. But once I saw some videos and heard some profiles, I was a little interested. I couldn't get past buying a computer and having 1000's of tones at the turn of a knob. Once I heard it live, thru a cabinet in a rehearsal space, I was floored and very surprised. My friend went from a 68 Marshall to a 6505 to a Fender Twin Reverb with a turn of a knob in seconds. I've owned very expensive tube amps with very distinct tone signatures I thought could not be replicated. I was 100% wrong. I profiled my Engl head and did a blind test to see if I could tell the difference in tone once I shaped it up. I honestly couIdn't tell the difference. When I guessed, I picked the Kemper 4 out of 5 times. I went to the rig exchange and found a profile that was reasonably close to a 59 plexi. I tweaked it for 10 minutes. Within that 10 minutes, I saved thousands on a new tube amp. The Kemper is a perfect fit for the skeptic. There's a million forums and tutorials out there so you'll never feel lost. Once you learn the menus and how to dial in a tone or profile an amp, you're hooked. This is the most versitle amp I've ever owned. I am completely satisified.Rob

Like the title says, you can find 1000's of these for sale used and there's good reason for that. It doesn't sound like tube at all. I think it's good for the studio where I've used one. But live? If you're fine with a solid state head, then fine. The modeling really isn't any better than higher end Line 6 modeling. This past labor day, Great White was playing a festival near by. They had a total of 8 Marshall 4×12's on stage with 4 DSL 100 heads. Not one of them was powered on. So I looked around for what they were going to use, I saw 2 Kemper Profiler heads. 1 for each guitarist. The sound was absolutely terrible. Neither amp sounded anything close to a Marshall or like tube for that matter. You could hear the cab emulation a mile away. At this price point go another direction. Unless your application is purely studio.guylemieux

Because the Stage Right 5-watt tube amp (#611705) has control knobs only for Volume and Tone, I found that I get the best-to-my-ears guitar sound when I put an equalizer pedal between the guitar and amp and then adjust the equalizer to the tone that I'm looking for. On the guitar the Volume and Tone knobs are set fully open and on the 5-watt tube amp the Tone knob is fully closed and the Volume knob is set to the volume level acceptable to the environment (for home practice the Volume knob is set to level 3 at full 5-watts). The Stage Right 5-watt tube amp is my first tube amp after having used modeling amps for at least five years. I had heard that tube amps more often than not sound better than modeling amps. After now having experienced using a tube amp I agree that tube amps (at least the Stage Right 5-watt amp) sounds better than the modeling amps I've used (which to me sound great too). If you're looking for your first tube amp (like I was) or you are looking for a low-watt tube amp for home use then I highly recommend the Monoprice Stage Right 5-watt tube amp #611705. Review about Monoprice customer support: The 5-watt tube amp that I initially received had a cosmetic defect (a hole) on the textured surface on the front side of the amp. The Volume knob when set to fully opened level 10 produced normal speaking level sound instead of the noise-complaint loud volume that I expected. Monoprice customer service was great and easy to work with in submitting an amp replacement request. I described the problems, sent pictures of the cosmetic defect and a video demonstrating the Volume problem. After Monoprice customer service reviewed the pics and video they sent me a free shipping return label, a RMA label, and they ordered me a replacement amp which arrived within 7 days after I submitted the replacement request. The replacement amp that I received had no cosmetic defects and the Volume knob set to max level 10 is loud enough to generate noise-complaints from neighbors, though I normally use the amp at Volume level 3 for home use.New User

For the price (I got it when priced $119) it is fantastic. It's simple, straightforward and sounds good. Nice warm tones. If you're a fantastic guitar player, this amp will sound fantastic. If you're an okay guitarist, you might want to invest in some pedals (or just keep practicing). I only say that because it is very clean and bright and it really shows off what you're playing. (I've been known to hide my sloppiness with reverb, distortion, etc.) BUT It does take pedals well – thankfully! Adding a good reverb pedal, delay and an overdrive to go along with this little guy is a good idea. The Pros: Value to Price ratio. Looks well built. Warm tube sound. The handle (yes I am talking about the amp's handle) is nice! Better than I expected. In fact, everything looks pretty good (except the cheap control knobs). 5 watts is plenty loud for home/recording use. The Cons: Good sounding, but there are better sounding. Please don't buy this thinking that this is a $500 amp. It is not. But sub $200 it is a good one. The chickenhead knobs are cheap looking. I took them off and painted them. But that's a dollar or two easy fix (if it bothers you at all). Overall: I totally recommend for $150 or less. Probably for $200. If the prices climb too much beyond that, I think there are other options. If you want to jam at home and record with it, I think you'll be happy.Brad

The Monoprice 5 watt guitar amp arrived just a few days after ordering, and arrived in good shape, due in part to the excellent shipping carton. Upon taking it out and inspecting it, I could find no flaws in the cabinet, and due to the cream color of the covering, it seemed a little bigger than I was expecting. I plugged it in, let it warm up for almost an hour, and then plugged in an ES339, using no pedals. At first, I wasn't all that pleased with the sound I was getting, but it was my fault. I had it adjusted as I do with my Albion Hybrid, but that wasn't the way. I found the best sound came from turning the Monoprice all the way up, and then use the guitar controls for volume instead. That did it, and the little amp came a alive in a big way! Sounding very similar to a Fender champ, it could go from nice clear tones to crunchy heaven with the ES339's humbuckers. I plugged in a Strat with an HSH configuration, and the single coil really made it sound Fenderish. Sweet. The only thing I found one might improve on the amp, is the speaker. As such, I plugged into the built-in external speaker jack on the back, a little Randall 8" cabinet. That really did it for me. The sound was fantastic through the entire spectrum, and was loud enough to be heard down the block. I then bi-amped it with the Albion, and the sound had all the creamy goodness I've been seeking, and that is how I now have it setup for daily use. That said, there's nothing wrong with the stock speaker on the Monoprice, and I suspect it will satisfy most users. Am very happy with this purchase, and glad I bought it for such a great price. Almost every electric guitar player could find a use for this amp. Buy before the price goes up, or they quit making them!T

This is a great little amp. The sound is clear, and it fits in my son's backpack for when he needs to take it to school.ktw1050

It arrived earlier than expected. Just what we needed to have our son practice His Bass playing for school . At home . Thanksjistilwel-5

With C19 I was looking for a good home tube amp and the Revv D20 way exceeded my expectations. The sound is terrific. Works well with my hx effects + pedal board. Attenuates onboard from 20w to 4w. And when I need to be quiet (headphones) or just want to pull tones into my DAW, the Two Notes torpedo is really good. I'm really glad I bought this Amp.Ira

Great sounding amp and the built in two notes cab sim is great. Great metal tones but you’ll need an overdrive pedal to really get the most out of it. Clean tones are gorgeous. MIDI is simple to use to change the channel and various other parameters too. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to silently record but with the option to power a cab too!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

What a fantastic amplifier this is. Worth every penny. The High and Low power settings both give different sounds and are equally usable. For more gain I use a Korg Nu:Tekt Over Drive pedal, they go very well together. I use beyerdynamic DT770 Pro headphones with the cab sim output every day! Have not stopped playing this amp since it arrived and I would say to anyone looking for an amplifier like this that if they are in a position to do so, then buy it without hesitation. My Shergold guitar and my Gordon Smith guitar go so well with this amp- both guitars have Humbucker pick ups and definitely give me the kind of tone that I have been looking for since I first heard JoyDivision more than 40 years ago. The amp works well with my Gibson ES330 guitar too which has P90 pick ups and is sort of an upmarket Casino. If anyone knows the sounds of Bernard Sumner with both the Shergold Masquerader and the ES330 then this amp sounds a lot like his setup without the punishing volume of his Vox. I have also been able to get the Neil Young Cortez the Killer tone pretty convincingly too. No regret at all in buying this amplifier and if it breaks would buy another without hesitation. I should perhaps add that this is the first Valve Amp that I have ever bought after many years of building my own Valve Amps.David C.

Needed this to complement a larger speaker, and it works well. As a guitar amp, it would serve well for a beginner or for practice only.MOLELIMINATOR

Overall: I’ve been looking for one amp to do it all,and this is the closest I’ve ever come yet. The cleans have a life of their own,it’s not merely lack of distortion but a whole depth and presence,think Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Riviera Paradise,Tin Pan Alley ,etc…Mark Knopfler’s tone,Hendrix’s Wind Cries Mary,yeah it’s that good.The overdrive channel can put out some juice too,pure singing single note leads with a quick attack,and damn good heavy riffage is available,but make no mistake this is no death metal amp.Classic rock yes,Cannibal Corpse no,but I’ve got amps for that stuff anyways.When I removed it from the box,I plugged in the included foot switch,turned on the power and waited for 10 minutes or so for the tubes to warm.I put all the tone controls to the halfway point and lowered the volume to about the number 1 position on any other amp,hit the standby switch and played a few chords on my Strat,it was on the clean channel and sounded glorious!This thing takes some adjusting to get the sound you want,but every move of a knob makes a difference so finding a tone that makes you happy shouldn’t be a problem. The foot switch is nice and silent and the LED indicators for the dirty channel and the boost are super bright. I’ve only had this amp three days and I can’t wait to get home from work and play through it! Definitely worth the money and although pricey still less expensive than the only other amps that approach it’s features and tone. Of course I haven’t had to deal with any warranty work,after all I just got it,but I have the feeling I’m not going to have to deal with that,this thing is solid as a tank.For what it’s worth I highly recommend this thing,it’s a serious amp for serious playersDave

This does everything you would want. Beautiful cleans and ridiculous overdrive. The od channel is the shining star of this amp.Richard

I wanted something small enough to pack around but still be loud enough and tone to sound big. This is one of the best small amps I've owned and I've owned a lot. quality build with a 10" speaker so it's got plenty of bass. Need w small practice amp that can still be used for small to medium clubs, this is the one. And at $77 it's probably the least expensive on the market and still be used professional if need be.Jefferson

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 traded my PRS MT15 for this amp and don't regret it. Only downfalls are are the treble gets sharp when up too much past 1:00, almost like cranking the presence on most amps. I run a boss 7 band through effects loop, problem solved. Boost and effects are a plus but i lightly boost it still for that added grit and tightness. 1st 3 channels sound great but 4th (lead) is kinda zappy but just use Ultra channel and then turn on delay for solos.Jay Chen

Not very happy with this amp. It does not have Bluetooth yet the app don't function right without it. I have tried Apple, Windows with a mio midi. Sometimes it connects most the time it don't. I spend 3x more time trying to get the amp to work than I actually do playing it. I don't recommend h and g products.Casey Curtis