Hello everyone. I hope you are all winging your way through guitar heaven. Guess what? It’s another list – this time I have listed what I believe to be the best guitar amplifiers for the money. Some may be pricey and not for everyone, but I still believe them to be a good deal.
Peavey Delta Blues Guitar Amp
#1: Peavey Delta Blues
$550 new, used from $300 to $400
Lush reverb and tremolo, a quartet of EL 84’s a very nice sounding tight Eminence 15″ guitar speaker. This is one of the only affordable 15 inch speaker guitar amps that is not a steel guitar amp. Although it is outfitted with four EL 84’s, its no AC-30. To its credit the Delta Blues is its own man. Very road worthy and consistent. When they first came out they were using Chinese power tubes and they sounded good. Later on Peavey, through its dealers, started selling Russian (Sovtek) tubes as replacements, but these tubes biased a lot cooler then the Chinese ones did. And unlike many other EL 84 combos the Delta is not cathode biased, so when you change tubes the amp must be rebased. Not a real big deal, but a deal just the same. Also if you want the amp to sound good all night long, have a tech install a fan to cool off those overworked power tubes. Peavey told me awhile back that 6 months of steady use and you should change the tubes. I agree whole heartedly!
Gibson Lab Series Guitar Amp
#2: Gibson Lab Series
Used price- $400 or less
These Moog designed amps were very well made and quite dependable, but probably misunderstood for its time. Lots of different eq settings were available, which made many guitarists feel (yours truly included) a bit overwhelmed. Old Bob Moog did not realize that he was a few years ahead of the amp-tweaking rack-friendly guitarist. My favorite of all of these was the L9 model outfitted with a JBL 15 inch guitar speaker in an open back cabinet. Great reverb too! I would say you could get a Twin Reverbesque sound plus! I also very much liked the L5, a 2×12 inch version. This amp was used by BB King for many years and it sounded great. Also good for funk rhythm with a good on-board compressor.
These amps are very reasonably priced, but make sure you also get a service manual as this will confuse many an amp tech once he gets it open.
1970s Fender Twin Reverb Guitar Amp (Silverface)
#3: Any Silverface Fenders (1968 to about 1980)
From $250 to $750
It’s a hardwired amp for less then a grand, what else needs to be said. In the hands of a capable tech it can be easily modified to Blackface specs for about 250 dollars. Some Fenderphiles will also want to have their tech upgrade to the Blackface correct solid core cloth covered wire. I will say again, the Blackface are the crowning achievement of Leo Fender Amp legacy. No Doubt.
I highly recommend modding the high power Twins and Supers from the late 70’s they have an very desirable headroom, especially when Blackfaced. And for God’s sake get rid of that stupid master volume!
Traynor Guitar Amp
#4: Traynor amps circa 1960’s through 1970’s
These Canadian made hardwired amps are an unbelievable value. They are built like a Sherman tank, have very high quality transformers, and the quality of the handwiring rivals any era Fender.
The Bass Master series of Traynor heads are going up in value, but they are very, very close to being JTM45 clones, which we all know are pretty much 59 Bassman copies. I also love their Reverbmate guitar combo amps. Online right now you can find many hardwired Traynors for under $400, some as low as $200.
If you are a want to be amp tech looking for his or her first project try a Traynor.
Peavey Classic 50 (4x10) Guitar Amp
#5: Peavey Classic 50 (4×10)
New about $600, used from $300 to $450
Another Peavey standard bearer amp for sure. 50 watts out of an open back 4×10 cab housing some very well suited Eminence ceramic speakers. Forget the Master volume and dirty channel – use this amp as if if were a non master Super or reissue Bassman (w/ reverb) and get your distortion from a pedal you like. Great blues and rock amp, I also think it’s a good country amp although I think a bit more presence would help for a real country twang. Unlike its smaller sibling the aforementioned Delta Blues this amp can go years without power tube change. I dunno I think this amp could actually live up to its name.
Vox AC-30CC Guitar Amp
#6: Vox AC-30CC
New w/ AlNiCo Blues $1500, std model $1000
The amp I am recommending is the currently available Chinese made Vox AC-30 combo with the AlNiCo Blue Celestions in the 2×12 configuration with a street price of about $1500. Now that’s a significant amount of scratch I know, but I believe this amp to be a real bargain once you see what you get for the $. The standard speaker version is also a steal @ $1000 but to my ears the stock speakers are not efficient enough to reproduce accurately the many subtle possibilities of this amp. It is not a reissue although it looks like one. Vox basically took all the mods and options from all the model variants over the past forty years and put them into one amp. It also lets you run the power tubes hotter or colder as well as the voltage going to the filter caps, this option gives you the option of running the amp tighter or with a bit more sag. It has a master volume and you can combine the two distictincly different sounding channels with a flick of a mini toggle. I also love the versatile reverb controls.
All in all this amp is a great deal for the $, but you better work out before you bring it to your gig, it will make your Twin Reverb feel like a Pignose.
1974 Marshall 18-watt combo amp
#7: Marshall 1974X HW
New about $2250
This amp is a faithful reissue of the 18 watt single 12 inch combo from the late sixties. The amp has two channels which sound virtually the same, one of which sports a great sounding tremolo. Let me say it right away this is not a versatile amp it has basically one sound, and depending on the volume it gets crunchier as you turn it up. This is the deal, put a Les Paul through it and you will sound like Jimmy Page. Plug in an SG toggle to the back pickup and you will cop the Tony Iommi Sabbath sound perfectly. I personally think that if you want the same response with a single coil guitar you will have to drive the preamp a bit harder using a clean boost like an MXR Micro-Amp.
I use this amp exclusively as my dirty amp that I keep on at all times in my live setup combined with either an AC-30, Super Reverb, or Twin Reverb as the clean amp according to the size of the venue. And funny as it may seem it stands up even to the Twin.
Again, this amp is expensive but when you can get a piece of history with a warrantee I believe its worth it.
1960s Maestro Guitar Amp
#8: Maestro and Gibson amps circa 1960’s
Used price from $250 to $550
Now if you cannot afford the Marshall but want an ass kickin little combo try one of these little devils. They are usually around 20 watts or so, powered by a duo of 6V6’s. I have been told by my amp tech the great man himself Bill Carruth( Montpelier, Vermont) that the wiring in these amps leaves a lot to be desired, I have seen the inside and can tell you that they look like a twister hit a spaghetti factory But when up and running they sound great, and the reverb is to die for. It is set up like the old Ampeg reverbs at the end of the circuit, unlike Fenders which is in the middle of the circuit. The tremolo is fantastic, very strong and controlled with the same hardwired footswitch that controls the reverb.
My two faves are the 22 watt Maestro which features a single 15 inch Jensen C15N ceramic and the single 12 Gibson Falcon. Check em out Sport!
Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus Guitar Amp
#9: Roland Jazz Chorus JC-120
Used from $250 to $400
This amp has a great sound, we all know this and remember having one back in the 80’s and thinking “my God I will never get rid of this amp”. And guess what, you should not have. But you know what happened you woke up one day and realized nobody wanted to sound like they were playing in the Fixx anymore. Fender started reissuing (not really) the Bassman and that was that.
But a good amp then is a good amp now. They were dependable, they sounded full yet never loud, the speakers were very unguitarlike but the friggin amp was amazing. The chorus was the best period, and the vibrato was also very cool although I always thought you should be able to footswitch between the two. Tons of treble and low end, and everyone in the band loved it ( big deal!) The reverb was lush and very useable. It had very good casters and a cool kind of industrial look to them, that even when they get old and beat up they still look cool, very much unlike many other 80’s icons. There are tons of these things out there as we know Roland made zillions of them, but as a testament to their value you rarely see a used one in a music store.
That’s my list of great amps for the money. Please send me your selections I love hearing from you all.
Go figure I like the most expensive amp on here the most. :p
Well I have never seen a Lab Series L9 with a JBL 15 most, like the one I own have
the EVM 150 15 incher that is equaly massive but not has holy grailish as the JBL.
I have a L5 and think the 2X12s are CTS, I have a little L3 but not sure that has
original 12 incher as it has a EV SRO pictures of others look like CTS.
Thanks for including my favorite and misunderstood amps. ( well good thng cause
they are really still cheap)
great post thx
I like some of the Ampegs from the 60’s.
The Jet in particular. They did several different tube configurations with this single 12″ amp, and the one I prefer is the J-12-B, with 6SL7 preamp and a pair of 6V6 power amp tubes. The original Jensen alnicos are really nice too. I got my 1963 for about $250 back in ’98 or so. Carruth cleaned it up and made it sing, Ezra Mullhulland re-coned the Jensen, and it’s a fantastic little amp when you get it cranked above 6 or 7. VERY nice trem too, but no reverb. No biggie.
I heard Frampton used to play one of these on stage…locked up in a road case with a mic inside it…and a mic out plug on the side of the road case. Basically a recording rig for stage use.
The Mercury amps were also a very nice, and slightly louder, single 12″ amps. Also available with a pair of 6V6 or with the old hard-to-get 7591 power tubes. Now not a problem since Sovtek is manufacturing them.
Might as well throw my choice into the fray…especially since I recently aquired another one after about 25 years! It’s a mid 80s Peavey Austin 400, which is an electric and acoustic hybrid amp…so far ahead of its time, there *still* isn’t anything on the market like it! It’s a 220 watt solid state amp, running two 12 inch Scorpion speakers and a high range horn (which is only supposed to be active when using the acoustic channel, but still bleeds through a little when I play electric). The electric side has a two stage preamp (pre and saturation) with a four band parametric eq and presense. Lots of room to get a killer clean sound, and the grit provided by the preamp hits everything from a decent classic rock crunch to full on brutal industrial scream! The acoustic side is the epitomy of clean, with a similar four band parametric eq, and pre and post volume controls. It’s also got a spring reverb, very deep and kind of bassy sounding, it’s one of the fullest, most lush reverbs I’ve ever heard. Overall, even though it’s a solid state amp, it’s an absolute killer…more volume than I’ll *ever* use, more warmth than you would ever think a solid state is capable of, and that reverb…and, to top it off, the cabinet is made with a slight backward slant on the face, so there’s no need for an amp stand, it’s already on the right angle! Price of this beast…when I got my first one in 1985, it ran me $200 used…when I bought its replacement in 2011 (I sold the first one, mostly due to peer pressure, in 1988) after tracking one down for many many years, it cost me (once again) $200! I will NOT make the mistake of selling this one…these amps are NOT easy to find on the East Coast!
Have the Peavey 50 watt 4×10 bought it used, ebay $450. Been offered same to sell, just cant do it. actually have been playing through it quite a bite lately, glad I got on the web site here, something has always bugged me…now I know! Thanks
Love the website, great info. I just have to comment on the addition of the Roland Jazz Chorus here. They may be usable for certain genres, maybe clean jazz, but for the most part it is one of the least usable amps I’ve ever played. My buddy had one when we were in high school and I thought it was pretty cool then, but I’ve been stuck with them several times in back-line situations and I could barely get through the sets. They make great keyboard amps, but I really don’t think it belongs on this page. I’m not a tube amp snob either, my main rigs are 60’s Vox SS models. Just my two cents, but for those of you with no experience with them, do yourself a favor and spend your money elsewhere.
I LOVE my Mesa Nomad 55. I have the 4 x 10″ variant and it’s become my main stage amp. It’s like a Super reverb on Steroids. I love the three channel configuration and the overdrive from the third channel is creamy and very versatile. I got it for $650 on ebay and never regretted the purchase… except when I’m carrying it to a gig. That’s why I put on casters!! Wonderful amp though.
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Lets get down to it…their are plenty of really good amps out there..in Tube/Solid State/Analog-Modeling
but it comes down to what You Hear that You Like..and what You can afford! It also depends on the style of music that You play! Their has always been favorites on my Wish List..but being a starving guitarist does not leave You much room for the Cream of the Crop..so..one has to deal with the best bang for the buck…being a old guitar slinger..I’ve owned/used many brands..and heres my opinion of what works..for the working guitarist..and still keeping a roof over Your head!! These “Brands” may not be the best out there..but they all have good track records and will serve you well for years. Tubes-Fender/Ampeg/Vox/
Gibson/Sunn/Dean Markley(All good Bang for the Bucks)Solid State-Fender/Ampeg/Vox/DeanMarkley…some are better than others..and Anaolg/Modeling..to be truthful..I really have no use for these..the only junk on my floor is a Ibenez Tube Screamer Box.
Well…thats my 2 cents worth…find what suits You..Screw the Label..You ear will tell You where to go!
Nice selection. What I really miss are the fantastic Music Man amps. First twenty years of my musical career I played all kinds of Fender amps from the 60’s and 70’s. Later I switched to a Music Man RD 112 EV and never looked back. This was my main amp for another twenty years and I still think the Music Mans with the famous 12″ EV have the sweetest sounding clean channel ever.
The last years these amps raise up in price a bit but still are affordable. People who are into the best Fender like clean tone should give them a try.
Today I don’t play on stage no more, just do some recordings. For this purpose the Fender Excelsior fits all my needs.
I also own a Lab L5 and L9, the recorded clean tone of the Excelsior is much better for bluesy tunes in my opinion, but the Lab series amps really shine when playing some jazzy tunes. None of the jazz players have them on the radar, but I think they are a great and still cheap alternative to the actual overpriced Roland amps.
Of course these are only my personal suggestions.
These were all good ideas. Darn, it caught my eye because the Delta Blues is my number one value amp. I’m a 15 lover and you can get your sound out of a 15 more easily because it’s there, you just have to search a little. I’m also into 6V6 amps and was into this low watt thing about 5yrs before some others. I just have t say, take this to the bank – the little Ibanez 15 watter with 2x 6V6 paired with a 15 bottom is such a blast. Somehow I got an old Kustom 15 into a pine cab and you can’t stop playing, paired with that little head. I paid $200 for the head and $225 for the cab and I’m in 60s heaven. The sound I’d been chasing wasting money on was in that old speaker and a pair of JJs 6V6s. I’m not fooling, give it a try. I’ve been so disappointed in reissue speakers, what a drag. Fender is the worst; the reissue Jensens are garbage. I got a reissue Princeton and they put the worst 10 ever made in a legend amp. Thanks for hearing me out. You don’t need to spend a bunch. A little luck helps too.
Mike
Nice post. It’s kind of alright that people overlook and underrate Peavey amps. i played through a 70s/early 80s Classic 50 with 4x10s and it killed. And those go for like 300 bucks or something. Also, the solid state Yamaha G100, G100II, G50, and G50II in just about every speaker combination are great great great amps for the dough. Tons of clean headroom. Probably most like a JC 120 or Fender Twin, without the hiss and tube maintenance. I bought a G100 head for $125 and it slays through an Eminence Commonwealth 15″ and Eminence EM12s. Spent more on the speakers. The heads and combos can be found everywhere from $75 – $300 and even at the high, it’s still a bargain.
I have an old Italian Elka, amplifier. 100 watts with Leslie-type rotating speakers (and you can adjust the speeds) plus a wonderful full EQ reverb tank. Foot switch lets you turn either on and select high or low custom set speeds on the rotating speakers as well as high and low reverb. It’s just amazing and I got it for the cost of a digital Leslie-style effects pedal!
Peavy Blues Classic 1×15 60w always love Peavy amps tubes my old Marshall half stack cost like the one Hendrix used.sounds good all the way up to loud at times love all equipment to do with Guitars and Amps EFXs and strings instruments Texas Blues Player’s keep on Rocking love finding good new stuff experiencing the sounds USA #1
Good article, Here is a list of my amps. 1960 Gibson GA=20T Ranger… 1960 Gibson GA=30 Invader… 1962 Gibson GA-8T Discoverer… 1961 Silvertone 1472… 1962 Fender Bandmaster… 1965 Panaramic 1210 (Magnatone built)… 1974 Gibson SG Systems 2X12 with built in Maestro Phase Shifter in “Blue Jean” cover instead of tolex… 1976 Garnet Gnome… 1977 Garnet Revolution iii 2×12… 1967 Bogen challenger 35 head… 1972 Randall Commander IV… 1972 Acoustic Control Corp. 134… Roland Jazz Chorus 120… Roland Jazz Chorus 50… ZB Custom prototupe amp. All the amps work wonderfully and I am starting to think about getting rid of some of them… hard to pick a favourite but the Gibsons are to die for, especially the tremolo. If I had to pick I think it would be the SG Systems amp, other than the 80 pounds, the sound is fantastic. my 2 cents worth.