The humble combo amp is a load-bearing artifact in the wider world of guitar playing. It has been the whole time, too. While those tantalising images of rock royalty stood before monumental arrays of full-stack heads and cabs make for good posters, it’s the combo amp that holds it down – whether it’s in the bedroom, the practice space, the studio, or mic-ed up in secret behind those same full-stack heads and cabs.
Combo amps are head and cab in one; they’re easy to use, easy to transport, and there’s one for every possible use case. Tiny combos like the Fender Champ defined the sound of iconic early rock records, just as much as the outsized and impossibly loud ones did (looking at you, Fender Quad Reverb). And today, with SMD circuits, powerful digital control capabilities and well-iterated new valve amp topologies, the best combo amps available to us are broader and better than ever.
A healthy smattering of such combo amps is what you’ll find in this guide, which has collected some of Guitar World’s favorites for you to peruse and choose between. You’ll find industry-standard gigging combos, forward-looking modell=ing amps, solid-state pedal platforms and crunchy high-gain scene stealers. You’ll find compact, highly portable practice amps, powerful studio mainstays and tonal oddjobs – and one of them will probably make its way into your life, one way or another.
If you’d like a bit more context on combo amps, what makes them tick and how you can choose the right one for you, you’ll find a bevy of useful buyer advice below including a comprehensive FAQ section and I've also included a glossary of key terms. If you’re ready to meet your next guitar amp, though, read right on!
Best overall
✅ Buy if you want classic British amp tones at your fingertips: Combo amps don’t get much more iconic than the Vox AC30. This new Hand-Wired edition preserves the best of the classic circuitry, with some welcome additional flourishes for the modern player.
❌ Avoid if you’re constrained by budget: It’s big and heavy, and – thanks to its hand-wired internals – its an unavoidably expensive amp to boot. If you want to keep costs down, there are many smaller and budget-friendlier tube-amp alternatives.
The Vox AC30 is a true icon among combo amps. Its distinctive sonic profile has shored up the successes of guitar-playing glitterati, from Jeff Beck to Brian May and beyond. It’s a classic tube-amp circuit, that pairs commensurate saturation and grit with a unique top boost circuit that accentuates the AC30’s trademark jangle. And it’s back, with some welcome modern conveniences built in too.
The Vox AC30X Hand-Wired is part of a broader Hand-Wired series, bringing craftsmanship back to the world of the mainstream combo amp – and bringing back some rightfully hallowed tube amp designs in the process. The AC30X is the largest (and most expensive) of the bunch, with its soft, bell-like pair of Celestion Alnico Blue speakers the piece de resistance.
As well as preserving everything great about the original ‘60s AC30 circuit, the AC30X Hand-Wired incorporates an effects loop so you can make better, cleaner use of that breakup-friendly preamp stage. There’s also a tube-driven spring reverb on-board, which is a lush, ambient delight. There’s not much at all not to like about this contemporary revival of the classic AC30 – apart from, perhaps, its weighty chassis. Good luck loading in with it!
"Every bit of that legendary sound is ready and waiting to be coaxed out of this amp, and the actual playing experience will surely have you grinning from ear to ear."
Read our full Vox AC30X Hand-Wired review
Best for metal
✅ Buy if you want screaming hi-gain tones in a deceptively small package: This is a demure amp, but it packs an absolute punch, not to mention all the cut-glass tones for which EVH are famous
❌ Avoid if you want something ear-splitting: This is the smallest in the Iconic series, and arguably the most versatile – but, despite its impressive output, might not have the full-stack stature you’re hoping for.
EVH’s 5150 has been the go-to for chuggers and shredders of all persuasions for some time now. Since its first appearance in the early ‘90s, the 5150 has found a comfortable home behind the likes of Anthrax, Limp Bizkit, Opeth and a great many more – all thanks to an incredible dedication to getting the best amp distortion sounds this side of a bashed-up Fender Bassman. The EVH 5150 Iconic series is designed to bring that same clever gain-staging down to an affordable price point, with a range of high-gain options for all use cases.
The EVH 5150 Iconic 15W is the smallest in this series, but by no means is it weak. This is a 15W tube amp that’ll happily go toe-to-toe with a full-bore drumkit in a practice room – though you may want to mic it up for bigger practices or gigs. Despite the small stature, it also packs an unusually big punch in the bass department, thanks to a clever chassis baffle design.
The real clever stuff’s on the control panel, though, where a dual-channel setup is aided by a three-band EQ, separate resonance control and an additional distortion mode for each channel. This is before we get to the reverb, the effects loop and the bedroom-friendly quarter-power switch. Sadly, missing from this little sibling are the noise gate and switchable boost circuits available in the larger Iconics – but still, there’s plenty to go at in this highly capable combo amp for metal.
"If you’re a metal player looking for an amp that can handle everything from bedroom practice and rehearsal to smaller gigs and even recording, this Iconic combo will tick a lot of boxes and is very much worthy of the legacy behind its name."
Read our full EVH 5150 Iconic 15W review
Best for gigging
✅ Buy if you want to gig: This is one of the world's most popular gigging combo amps for very good reason, and is a fantastic pedal platform.
❌ Avoid if you want modern-metal tones: It has a nice overdrive sound, but won't go all the way to metal sounds.
The Fender Blues Junior has been one of the most iconic small combo amps of the last few decades, and to be honest, we can understand why. The amp we’re talking about here is the most recent mark IV version, so let’s see what Fender has going on under the hood here.
One speaker, one channel - the Blues Junior IV is truly simple and straightforward to use, and with that simplicity comes great joy. This mark IV variant adds both modified preamp circuitry and a smoother sounding spring reverb - delivering that timeless Fender tone that we all know and love. The 12” A-type Celestion is well balanced and sweet sounding, delivering crisp highs, a full, warm bass response and laid back midrange. It sounds delightful.
Now, it’s not a 100-watter like some of the amps we’ve seen so far, but don’t be fooled by the lower output. This thing can get loud, and do it very tastefully too. Either ride the input and master volume controls and set it as clean as you can, or dime the input volume, engage the ‘fat’ switch and bathe in the harmonic glow of those ECC83’s. Your call - but it’ll sound pretty good either way.
"When I hear something is new and improved, my gut tells me it’s a repackaged version of the same thing. But after spending five minutes with the IV, I can immediately tell it’s an entirely new beast of an amp. Fender’s modification to the IV’s preamp circuit changed the harshness of its former iterations to a more powerful and bolder-sounding amplifier with moxie."
Read our full Fender Blues Junior IV review
Best small combo
✅ Buy if you want that cut-through QOTSA tone: The OG Peavey Decade was Josh Homme’s worst-kept secret guitar tone, with that mid-rich parametric EQ and brittle solid-state saturation. The Decade Too makes it official, with some serious quality of life upgrades too.
❌ Avoid if you want an amp for practicing with your band: This is a practice amp in name and form, but not actually suitable for band practice unless you’re micing up cabs as if you’re playing a gig; that 10W power amp simply won’t compete with other practice amps.
Josh Homme of QOTSA, Kyuss, Them Crooked Vultures and more is a hugely inspirational figure, and one with an especially unique sonic signature attached to him too. His legacy is one of secret thrift-store amps, arcane recording process and the irreplaceable aggressive mids that ensue – but at the centre of this sonic mystery was an open secret of a budget amp: the Peavey Decade.
Homme’s trademark tone owes a great deal to this unsuspecting relic, a relative no-mark in a sea of entry-level ‘80s solid-state practice amps. The Decade’s architecture includes a highly expressive pre- and post-gain control, and an aggressive parametric EQ which proves the true secret behind Homme’s throaty tone. Secret now blown wide open, Homme and Peavey collaborated to bring out a refreshed version in the Peavey Decade Too.
The original circuit’s been plussed up with Homme’s input, and furnished with some mod cons that make it far more usable than its ancestor – namely, a DI output, an effects loop, and an output for an additional cab. This is easily one of the most tricked-out practice amps you’ll ever see – but it’s still only 10W (and that’s in solid state Watts, too), so don’t expect to hold its own in a live practice setting; as a studio tool or miced up second amp, though, this is a revolutionary reset for a secret classic solid state sound.
"What the Peavey Decade Too does is recreate the sound of an old style of practice amp, warts and all, but with some handy extra features for further tonal sculpting. If you're a Josh Homme fan or would like a quirky studio tool to add some cut to your mixes, the Peavey Decade Too is worth a look."
Read our full Peavey Joshua Homme Decade Too review
Best digital
✅ Buy if you want a small combo: Being a modeling amp, the Katana can deliver excellent volume in a small package, and it's lightweight too.
❌ Avoid if you want tube-tones: If you want genuine tube tones, this will get you close, but there are other amps in this guide that deliver the real deal.
The Katana series is known by many for being able to do pretty much anything, and with the latest Gen 3 editions, things have only gotten better. With versatility at its core, the six onboard amps will cover many - if not all - musical scenarios, with Clean, Crunch, Pushed, Lead, Acoustic, and Brown amp models.
Boss has also sprinkled in a whole bunch of fantastic effects, making the Katana a dark horse of a modeling amp for gigging and bedroom musicians. The 12” custom speaker can shift some serious air if it needs to.
It’s not all flapping trousers and bleeding ears though, with an onboard attenuator allowing you to switch down to 25W - ideal for most rehearsals - and 0.5W - which makes neighbor-friendly bedroom shredding entirely possible.
"While we were fans of the previous iterations, it’s immediately obvious that Boss has gone to great lengths to improve the overall sound quality of the Katana MKIII, resulting in an amplifier that sounds more alive with sweetened highs, richer harmonics in the mid-range, and a tighter, more defined low-end."
Read more: Boss Katana 50 Gen 3 review
Best solid-state
✅ Buy if you want tube tones without the weight: Despite being a solid-state amp, this amp sounds remarkably similar to a tube amp, and delivers a lot of volume
❌ Avoid if you want hands-free channel switching: There's no matching footswitch available for this amp, so look elsewhere if you want hassle free, hands-off channel switching.
Aiming to pack tube-like tones into a solid-state package, the Laney LFSUPER60-112 Combo gives you all that valve character of the real deal without the back-breaking weight. It's an attractive-looking amp with its blue and silver color scheme, and offers two channels with plenty of flexibility.
It's beautifully touch-sensitive on the clean channel, responding exactly as we'd expect from an actual tube amp. Add in the boost switch and those bluesy licks start to feel reminiscent of a classic, pushed valve amp. Switch to the lead channel and we're greeted with plenty of gain, reminiscent of the highly sought-after EVH 'brown' tone.
The onboard reverb is superb, delivering loads of ambience that sits somewhere between a spring and room sound. You also get tremolo and chorus built in, both of which deliver some fantastic vintage tones. The larger cabinet size helps deliver a wonderfully full voice, so you can rest assured it handle gigging just fine.
"Here’s an amp that we thoroughly enjoyed using. Its ability to speak with a valve-like voice at stage levels in a package that’s liftable with one hand is something many of us could only have dreamed of in our younger days. The flawless integration of the effects and speaker emulation is a testament to Black Country Customs’ efforts, too."
Read more: Laney LFSUPER60-112 Combo review
Classic combo amps
If you want to get your hands on some of the most iconic guitar tones of all time, these combo amps will satiate your need for classic amp sounds.
Best for medium gigs
✅ Buy if you want a solid combo amp for a great price: With the DSL40CR, you get a lot of bang for your buck that'll see you right on the road.
❌ Avoid if you're looking for a simple practice amp: This Marshall rocks hard, but there may be too much going on if you need a more simplified combo.
If you’re a fan of Marshall, you’ll definitely be familiar with the DSL range. A near perfect blend of quality and value for money, the DSL40CR is one of the best combo amps we can find for less than $/£1,000.
With ‘classic gain’ and ‘ultra gain’ channels present, it won’t shock you to hear that this amp truly sings when overdriven - but while Marshalls are not especially known for their clean tones, this DSL really pulls something special out of the bag. The 3-way EQ is powerful and exceptionally intuitive, and onboard reverb helps give your playing a bit of breathing room.
Dirty, this amp comes to life - and the low output setting provides access to these tones much more easily. 40W of all-tube power is monumental, after all.
Independent presence and resonance controls allow some pretty in-depth tone tweaking, perfect for studio use. This thing sounds great mic’d up, but when that’s just not possible the emulated output comes to the rescue. Marshall has teamed up with Softube to provide an exceptional emulation of the 1960 cabinet - meaning that you needn’t make any noise at all while laying down your guitar parts. All in all, the DSL40CR is a much welcomed update to the DSL line, and definitely worth looking at.
Best for rock
✅ Buy if you want a compact combo with plenty of power: This is an easy to use amp with plenty going on to keep your playing interesting.
❌ Avoid if you're looking for a lightweight combo: At 51.26lbs, this is a heavy-duty amp, and not the easiest to lug around with you.
Having gigged the Orange Rocker 32 for the last year so, we comfortably say that it’s one of the best tube combo amps money can buy. We’ve never had so many compliments on our guitar tone as we have this, and it’s got some hidden features that we love too.
Our studio engineer always waxes lyrical about this amp thanks to its mid-focused tone that sits perfectly in a mix with minimal tone tweaking required. The clean channel has a single knob and works brilliantly with a pedalboard, whilst a more traditional gain channel with three-band EQ provides some searing tube overdrive tones.
The stereo FX loop is a unique and useful feature, allowing you to run it in stereo or split the two speakers into a wet/dry layout. Paired with stereo reverbs and delays it sounds absolutely phenomenal, and the speakers face slightly outwards to help increase the spread.
It’s small for a 2 speaker tube combo but it’s still pretty heavy, which is about the only negative we can say about this brilliant amplifier.
Best for studio
✅ Buy if you want a classic amp with plenty of history: This pays homage to the look and sound of the late 1960's Fenders and has onboard reverb and tremolo.
❌ Avoid if you're not a Fender fan: Players who don't warm to the "Fender sound" will likely find their preferences elsewhere.
The Princeton Reverb has been a staple of Fender’s amp repertoire since 1964, and few amps sum up the ‘Fender’ sound quite like it.
This ‘68 Custom iteration of the Princeton Reverb pays homage to the iconic look, sound and performance of the ‘silverface’ Fender amps of the late ‘60s, but with a little twist for the modern player. This comes in the shape of a modified tone circuit, which provides you with an earlier onset of overdrive, as well as loads more flexibility with pedals.
Equipped with a 10” Celestion speaker, the tone you’ll get from the ‘68 Custom is a little more modern and punchy than others. For a single 10” speaker in a small cabinet, this Princeton really outdoes itself, pumping some serious air and serious volume. It’s perfect for Fender fans, with the traditional reverb and tremolo onboard and is by far one of the best guitar amps under $1,000 - but be warned - the circuitry involved here is not that of the more traditional ‘blackface’ amps, but more of a modernisation. A more modern interpretation of the Princeton, if you will.
Best for cleans
✅ Buy if you want your sound to so clean it squeaks: This combo amp is a bit of a legend and combines super clean tones with amazing volume.
❌ Avoid if you want your amp to sound a wee bit dirtier: Clean tones are all well and good, but if you like your sound a little rougher, then look elsewhere.
The Jazz Chorus line is Roland’s claim to fame in the world of guitar. This amp has been on seemingly infinite amounts of era-defining records since its introduction in 1975, and it continues to enjoy cult status over 45 years later.
The JC-120 is so-named due to its all-encompassing chorus and humongous 120 watt output - and it’s this fantastic stereo chorus and masses of headroom that makes this amp so desirable. Essentially the JC-120 has two 60W amps inside, which allows for a ‘true stereo’ chorus. Makes you feel like you’ve traveled back to the ‘80s, doesn’t it?
It’s a fantastic pedal platform amp - as it’s super clean and super loud. The second channel features an onboard distortion effect, but in all honesty we much prefer using a dedicated drive pedal. Chances are though, you’re not buying this amp for the gain.
Also consider
The above combo amps should have most guitarists' needs covered, but we appreciate there's not a one-size-fits-all amp for everyone. So here are some more great amps we've reviewed for your consideration.
How to choose the best combo amp
If you’re overwhelmed by the sheer breadth of combo amps in this round-up, you might be after a little help picking between them. This guide might help you figure out what you’re looking at, and what you want.
Analogue or digital?
The big choice facing the budding amp owner today is whether or not to go analogue or digital – a more difficult choice than it might initially seem, given the hallowed status that many analogue amp circuits and tones hold. But that’s precisely what makes today’s digital amps so compelling.
A digital amp is now a gateway to thousands of amp tones, all practically indistinguishable from the real thing on which they’re based. Tonal accuracy is a solved problem in the world of amp emulation, which makes the logistics and practicalities of analogue vs digital the main point of consideration here. Digital amps offer access to various tones, and to tone presets for easy switching between them; they are also more likely to have built-in features like DI outputs, Bluetooth connectivity and MIDI control pathways.
Whether or not you need this kind of technology is another thing, though. Function musicians, session guitarists and at-home players may benefit, but gigging musicians who want dependable, durable and singular tones might find more comfort in an analogue amp that’s easier to dial in – and crucially, easier to fix. Besides which, analogue amps tend to feel more responsive and tactile than amp models. Which brings us neatly to our next section.
Valve or solid state?
Valve (or tube) amps use vacuum tubes in their circuitry, which often provide a quintessential amp tone often described as ‘warm’. They saturate softly, and, when pushed into breakup, distort beautifully. This is the sound of every rock band between the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, and a great majority of rock bands thereafter.
Solid state amps came later, with the invention and eventual global takeover of the transistor. Transistors replaced tubes, and brought with them a cleaner, brighter (and sometimes colder) stock amp sound. Transistor amps, with their relative sonic transparency, became the ideal amplifier for the guitarist with the growing pedalboard – being less likely to muddy the tonal waters with saturation or distortion.
Generally speaking, solid state amps are cheaper than valve amps, not just to buy but also to run. Valves die, and need replacing (roughly every two years); valve amp circuits can often command a boutique price point, too. But if you want that raw, fulsome saturation that you can only get from pushing a tube preamp to breakup, then your choice is clear.
Power
How loud do you want your amp to be? ‘Want’ is the operative word here, as there’s no longer any real ‘need’ for an especially powerful amp – at least, with today’s beefed-up live sound rigs and the hearing-saving potential of in-ear monitoring. You’re not competing to be heard on stage anymore, since everything’s mic-ed up; the days of having to haul an 80-pound Twin Reverb around with you on tour are, thankfully, over.
The only time you might ‘need’ something loud is when its loudness has a sound of its own. People rarely get to push Twin Reverbs to break-up, but when you do, it sounds magical – and in a studio environment, that might be exactly what you’re looking for. Most of us, though, are playing small venues or simply playing at home. Your own use cases might dictate whether you pick up a moderately powerful gigging amp or a compact at-home practice amp.
As for how to know what kind of volume you’re buying: an amp’s power is measured in Watts (W) – but wattage isn’t a perfect descriptor for loudness. This is because there’s two subjective scales to bear in mind, for solid-state and for valve amps. Valve amps are, so to speak, louder ‘per Watt’ than solid state; a 15W valve amp would be broadly equivalent to a 50W solid-state amp.
Size
Size follows on pretty neatly from power, in that they’re often linked in a fairly linear fashion. The bigger the combo amp, the louder it probably is. But there are amps that buck this trend – and there are other concerns that size alone can factor into. If you’re lugging your amp around for gigs a lot, you might not want something big and bulky making load-ins harder than they need to be. This is less of a concern if the amp’s living permanently in a studio or dedicated music space at home.
Size also has some impact on the tonal character of the combo amp, in that chassis size determines what size or number of speakers fit in them. Smaller speakers (8” to 10”) have a more focused or ‘honky’ mid-range, and, in multi-speaker arrays (i.e.: 4x10”) can possess some tight, well-articulated low end, while 12” speakers are more full-throated. What size or array of speaker best fits your sound?
Price
Finally, and inescapably, there’s the matter of budget. A lot of high-end features and highly-coveted tones can be found in amps north of four figures, so if money’s an object, you need to be shrewd about what actually matters to you. As we explored above, playing live is a very different gig compared to the 70s; unless you really want that “pushed power-amp” sound in a studio environment, you don’t need to spend big bucks on a powerful beast of an amp. You might find some easy compromise in going for something smaller, easier to carry and much less expensive.
Likewise, if rare analogue tones are a non-negotiable, then you’ll get the best bang-for-buck from an amp modeler – and perhaps the best bang for buck by pairing a cheap amp modeling pedal with a clean pedal-platform solid state amplifier, or a dedicated active FRFR speaker.
Glossary
110/112/212: These numbers refer to the size and number of speakers in a combo amp’s chassis; 110 would mean a single 10” speaker, while 212 would mean a pair of 12” speakers.
12AX7/6L6/EL34: These are types of vacuum tube found in valve amp circuits; 12AX7s are used in preamp circuits, while 6L6s and EL34s populate power amp sections.
8/10/12”: These refer to the size of a combo amp’s speaker, given in inches (diameter).
Amp modeler: A device which runs digital recreations of real amps, enabling you to use other amp tones for your signal. Some combo amps are modeling amps, that run IRs of amps or emulated amps through a clean power amp and full-range speaker.
Breakup: The distortion that occurs when a valve amp circuit is pushed past its saturation point. Valve combo amps are often picked for their distortive qualities; amp breakup is controllable by the dynamics of your playing, making for a responsive distortion sound.
Combo: A type of guitar amplifier where the amplifier circuitry and speaker/s are housed in the same cabinet.
Convolution: An algorithmic process that applies the sonic characteristics captured in an impulse response to another audio signal.
Driver: The electromagnetic assembly that converts electrical signals from your amplifier into kinetic energy, via the movement of the speaker cone back and forth.
EQ: Stands for equalisation. EQ enables you to alter the tonal character of your guitar tone, by adjusting the levels or presence of low, mid and high frequencies.
FRFR: Stands for Full Frequency, Flat Response. FRFR speakers are speakers designed to be fully transparent, making them ideal platforms for amp emulations or amp modelers.
FX loop: The FX loop is a set of ¼” jack ports between the preamp and power amp stages of some combo amps, particularly valve amps; they enable you to place modulation and time-based pedal effects after the pre-amp stage, so you can use the amp’s preamp saturation while keeping your repeats and reverb trails clean.
Gain: Gain is, essentially, the volume of your guitar’s signal. Increasing the gain means increasing the power of the signal.
Headroom: Headroom describes the ‘space’ between an audio signal and the maximum allowable signal in a circuit or component. Exceeding that maximum leads to saturation and distortion – which, in valve-amps, is often a sought-after sound. High-headroom amps ensure the signal is not coloured or clipped, preserving the character of the signal – which is preferable for guitarists led by the sounds of their pedalboards.
IR: Stands for Impulse Response. An IR is an audio file containing the sonic characteristics of something, be it a speaker cabinet, microphone, space or combination of all three. Using convolution, an IR can imprint those sonic characteristics onto your signal, as if you’re actually playing through that cab or that space.
Pedal platform: This is a colloquial term, used to describe amps with a clean or transparent tone – meaning pedal effects can be utilised without being coloured by amp distortion or saturation. Solid state amps are considered
Power amp: The power amp is the final stage of amplification in a guitar amp, which takes the pre-amplified guitar signal and boosts it up to a level powerful enough to engage the speaker driver.
Preamp: The preamp is in the first stage of amplification in a guitar amplifier, designed to boost and condition the minute guitar signal coming in – in preparation for power amplification and engaging the speaker. The preamp section is often where an amp’s ‘colour’ or tone comes from, incorporating saturation from the valves or transistors as well as any EQ stages.
Solid state: A kind of amplifier design that uses transistors to amplify the guitar’s signal. Solid state amplifiers have a reputation for being cleaner and more transparent, making them ideal pedal platforms.
Transistor: A transistor is a discrete electronic component, utilising semiconducting material to act as a ‘tap’ for electricity. Like a faucet, a small amount of electricity controls the flow of a larger amount. By feeding an audio signal to a transistor, its variations are reflected in the larger ‘flow’ – creating a louder version of the same signal. Valves work like this too, but using a different mechanism.
Tube/valve: A valve, or tube, is an electronic component used to amplify electronic signals. It is a glass tube maintaining a vacuum within; a large electrical current flows from a cathode element to an anode element in the vacuum, and is interrupted by a grid; in a valve amp, feeding an audio signal to the grid causes the larger current flow to exhibit the same characteristics – thus amplifying the original signal.
Watts: The Watt (W) is a unit of measurement for power; in guitar amps, it is used to describe the power of the circuitry, and roughly relates the volume of which a given amp is capable.
FAQs
What is a combo amp?
A combo amp is where the circuitry, tubes or digital processors, and the speaker cabinet are all in the same box. This all-in-one design is ideal for anyone who’s tight on space, or just doesn’t want to carry around multiple bits of gear to every gig or rehearsal.
Are tubes better than solid state?
Tube amps (or valve amps as they’re known in the UK) are amps that use glass vacuum tubes to amplify the signal from your acoustic or electric guitar pickups. The signal passes through a set of preamp tubes and power tubes, before exiting the amp through your speaker.
Tube amps are often considered to be ‘the best’ type of amp over digital and solid state amps, and as a result are quite highly sought after. This is because tubes impart a tonal color and influence onto your sound that most digital and solid state amps can’t.
As tubes are an entirely analog form of signal processing, they all respond differently to the signal you input. Turn up the amp, and the signal will start to distort - turn it down, and it will clean up again. It’s this level of ‘personality’ and sensitivity that makes tube amps so desirable.
Solid State amplifiers use electronic transistors to process your guitar signal. Unlike tube amps, they don’t overly influence the tone of your instrument, and they don’t start to ‘break up’ or distort as you turn them up. This makes them absolutely perfect for players who want maximum clean headroom at all times. However, with no natural overdrive or harmonic excitement, your guitar can sound a bit brittle or dry.
That being said, there are many artists that love solid state amps - such as Andy Summers of The Police and Robert Smith of The Cure (who used a Roland JC-120 and JC-160 respectively). There’s a higher degree of control over your sound when using a solid state amplifier, as you don’t need to worry about tubes degrading and your hard-sculpted tone changing. Solid state amps tend to be more reliable too, as tubes can be pretty fragile.
Digital modeling amps digitally recreate your favorite tones through good old fashioned processing power. Many brands such as Line 6, Kemper and Fractal have been creating and mastering the art of digital amp simulation for years, and with every technological advancement, digital amps and amp modelers get ever closer to matching the tone and feel of the real thing.
With most digital amplifiers, you’ve got almost immediate access to any amp you can think of at your fingertips. This makes digital amps - especially units like the Boss GT1000 and Kemper Profiler Stage - absolutely perfect for touring musicians, who likely use many different tones for each song.
What size speaker is best for a guitar amp?
There are no two ways about it - the size of your speaker and amount of speakers in your combo amp will make a huge impact on your guitar tone. Take something like the Orange Rocker 15 or Fender ‘68 Custom Princeton Reverb, for instance. Both of these are small amps, each with one 10” speaker. Smaller speakers will have less bass response than bigger speakers, and will usually have a lower power rating than their larger counterparts. This can mean that they’ll struggle at higher volumes.
Something like the Marshall JVM410C on the other hand - which has two 12” speakers - can not only move a lot more air, but also handle a considerable amount more power. A 12” speaker is a fairly standard choice for guitar amps, as the frequency response tends to be more even across the spectrum. They’re not too bassy, not too bright - a Goldilocks speaker for most amp manufacturers and players.
What is gain on a guitar amp?
Another important consideration to make when looking for the best combo amp is gain. Gain is the amount of signal coming into your amplifier, and a different thing to an amp's volume.
Some amps, like the Fender Deluxe have loads of clean headroom, so they won’t break up until you really get the volume cranked. This makes them perfect for those wanting a clean sound at high volumes, or for those that want to shape their sound further via pedals. Some solid state amps like the Roland Jazz Chorus are known for their clean sound at any volume, again making them a great pedal platform.
Some amps have a dedicated gain knob that allows you to dial in overdrive to your liking. On some models, this will be subtle and you’ll get great crunchy tones, perfect for blues and classic rock. Others will have more gain on tap allowing you to delve further into the realms of hard rock and heavy metal. Most modeling amps allow you to cover all bases, with various different clean and distorted amp emulations built in, though the quality of tones might not be quite as good as the real thing.
What is a pedal platform amp?
No doubt you’ll have probably heard the term ‘pedal platform’ bandied around online, and it’s kind of self-explanatory. A pedal platform amp is usually an amp with only one channel or a large amount of clean headroom - meaning they’ll take any of the best guitar pedals especially well.
The Roland JC-120 is a great example of this. Seemingly endless clean headroom and solid state circuitry means that you’ll get pretty faithful pedal tones from it - as there are no tubes onboard to color your tone in any way.
Tube amps will work with your pedals too, and something like the Fender ‘65 Deluxe Reverb - with loads of clean headroom - is a great choice. You’d likely need a boost or overdrive to get some real gain out of it at lower volumes, and its clean, smooth characteristics are ideal for your modulation effects and anything else you can think of. Just please, leave the Metal Zone out of this.
If you’d rather live without extra pedals, then you need an amp with a few channels, different levels of gain, and different tonalities. Think about which effects you use the most, and whether you actually need or want anything extra going on. Truth be told, keeping things simple can be the key to a great tone.
If all you want is great cleans and great overdrive, then look no further than the Blackstar HT Club 40 MKII or the Marshall JVM410C. They're both killer amps for metal, both with bags of onboard reverb, and FX loops - just in case.
How we choose the best combo amps
At Guitar World, our team consists of expert musicians with years of experience playing and testing various guitar products, including a plethora of guitar amps. As passionate guitar enthusiasts, we understand the significance of achieving the perfect tone and sound, and we leverage our extensive knowledge and practical experience gained from using these products in live performances, recording sessions, and rehearsals to identify the best products for our guides.
To curate our list of top combo amps, we combine practical experience, user feedback, and in-depth discussions with our editorial team to reach a consensus. We take into account several factors such as pricing, tonal versatility, build quality, and portability to ensure that we showcase the very best products available on the market today.
As guitar players ourselves, we understand the importance of having the right gear to create the perfect sound. Therefore, we are committed to providing reliable and informed recommendations to help guitar players find the ideal combo amp to suit their specific needs and preferences. Our ultimate aim is to empower guitar players to unlock their full potential by elevating their sound with the best guitar gear available.
Read more about how we test products and services and how we make our recommendations.
Why you can trust us
☑️ A global audience of 3.8 million guitarists monthly
☑️ Over 40,000 reviews on GuitarWorld.com
☑️ 30+ years of product testing at Guitar World
Guitar World boasts over 44 years of expertise and stands as the ultimate authority on all things related to guitars. The magazine and website feature expertly written gear round-ups and top-quality, authoritative reviews penned by a team of highly experienced industry professionals.
Guitar World's inaugural print issue hit the shelves in July 1980, and ever since, it has been captivating players and enthusiasts with engaging lessons, insightful interviews with the biggest guitar heroes, and priceless buying advice for newbie players.
Furthermore, GuitarWorld.com continues this legacy online and serves as the hub of the world's foremost authorities on guitar playing. The site not only hosts content from Guitar World but also showcases articles from respected publications such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Guitar Techniques, and Bass Player. With a reach extending to 3.8 million players each month, GuitarWorld.com is a go-to destination for guitar fanatics globally.
Below you'll find more information on the expert authors of this guide.
Matt is a Junior Deals Writer. He regularly tests and reviews music gear with a focus on audio interfaces, studio headphones, studio monitors, and pretty much anything else home recording-related. Responsible for over 60 buying guides, a large part of his role is helping musicians find the best deals on gear. Matt worked in music retail for 5 years at Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars and has written for various music sites, including Guitar World, Guitar Player, Guitar.com, Ultimate Guitar, and Thomann’s t.blog.
After spending a decade in music retail, Richard is now a freelance writer for MusicRadar, Guitar Player, Guitar World and Reverb, specialising in electric and acoustic guitars, bass, and almost anything else you can make a tune with. When his head’s not buried in the best of modern and vintage gear, Richard runs a small company helping musicians with songwriting, production and performance, and plays bass in an alt-rock band. Otherwise, you'll probably find him out walking the dog!
James Grimshaw is a freelance writer and music obsessive with over a decade of experience in music and audio writing. He's lent his audio-tech opinions (amongst others) to the likes of Guitar World, MusicRadar and the London Evening Standard – before which, he covered everything music and Leeds through his section-editorship of national e-magazine The State Of The Arts. When he isn't blasting esoteric noise-rock around the house, he's playing out with esoteric noise-rock bands in DIY venues across the country.
Latest updates
22/09/26: The guide has received a complete audit, with older products removed and replaced with several more up to date combo amps. We've redesigned the page, adding a user-friendly price guide at the top of the page and woven in a selection of classic combo amps that are still available to purchase. A new how we choose section has now been included, along with a section on why you can trust the Guitar World team, and a brand new glossary section highlighting key terms.
Read more
You can trust Guitar World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
- Sound even better than before with the best guitar tuners
- Check out the best Tube Screamer clones
- Keep that tone pristine with the best guitar cables
- Keep the neighbors happy with the best headphones for guitar amps
- Play in comfort with the best guitar straps
