Finding the best guitar amp under $200 doesn’t have to be difficult. There are tons of guitar amplifiers below $200 that have great sound with lots of features.
Sub-$200 amps have come a long way in recent years. There are solidstate, combo, modeling, digital, and mini electric guitar amp heads that all sound great and are easy to use. It doesn’t matter what brand you like, there is something available in this price range for you.
We’ve compared all the top-rated guitar amps under 200 dollars in this review, so you can find the best one for you, your sound, and your budget. Let’s check them out!
Click Below to Compare the Top Guitar Amplifiers Under $200 in 2020
Contents
- 1 Click Below to Compare the Top Guitar Amplifiers Under $200 in 2020
- 2 What We Recommend and Why
Here is a list of the best electric guitar amps below $200 that will give your guitar a rockin’ sound and won’t break your budget.
- Fender Champion 40 Watt Guitar Amp
- Orange Crush20RT Guitar Amplifier
- Blackstar IDCORE10V2 Digital Stereo Combo Amp
- Bugera V5 Infinium Combo Amp
- Line 6 Spider V30 Modeling Amp
- Orange Micro Dark Amp Head
- Peavey Rage 258 2 Channel Amplifier
Fender Champion 40 Watt Guitar Amp
Specs, features, and benefits
Fender Champion 40 is a 40Watt solid state combo amp with one 12″ Fender Special Design speaker, with built-in effects and amp modeling. It is powerful, loud, and with that classic Fender tone – it is one of the best combo amps in this price range. It is a two-channel (switchable) amp with control knobs for Gain, Volume, Voice (Tweed, British, Blackface, Metal), Treble, Bass, FX Level, FX Select, and Tap Tempo button.
Then we have the Aux-in, and the Headphones out ports. The Fender Champion 40 has Reverb, Delay/Echo, Chorus, Flanger, Tremolo, Vibratone, and Wah effects onboard, so you don’t have to spend a fortune to build your first rig.
The Fender Champion 40 is an easy-to-use combo amp that offers a decent amount of flexibility. Perfect for beginners!
Pros and Highlights
- Compact – The Fender Champion 40 is a small size amp – it won’t take a lot of space in your bedroom!
- Flexible – The FX and the Amp-Voicings on the amp allow you to have different sounds for different music situations. And you don’t have to spend a fortune when you are just beginning to mess around guitars.
- Easy to use – It is very intuitive – just plug in, turn around the knobs, and you are good to go!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons!
Bottom line
The Fender Champion 40 is an easy-to-use combo amp with built-in effects and amp modeling, great for beginners, band rehearsals, and even small gigs. It has flexibility, yet is not overwhelming like many of the modern-day guitar amps are. Many players love this amp unconditionally.
Orange Crush20RT Guitar Amplifier
Specs, features, and benefits
The Orange Crush20RT is a compact, sturdily built combo amp with 20-Watts of power and 8″ Voice of the world speaker. It has two switchable channels, clean and dirty, which are set by a toggle switch. It has these control knobs: Clean, Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Dirty, and Reverb.
It also has a built-in tuner, aux-in, and headphones out that emulate 4×12 Orange cabinet sound. On the back panel of the amp, there is the Channel Footswitch input, and the On/Off switch.
Pros and Highlights
- Sturdily built – This is no surprise for an Orange product; all of their amps are sturdy-built.
- Great sound – The tones you can get out of this amp are sweet! Very nice clean and distortion tone!
- Easy-to-use – No bells and whistles – just plug & play!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons!
Bottom line
Orange is a company that produces one of the best combo amps on the market! The Orange Crush20RT has a great sound; it’s easy to use, and sturdily built. Both, the clean and the overdrive channel sound awesome! It is perfect for bedroom practice.
Blackstar IDCORE10V2 Digital Stereo Combo Amp
Specs, features, and benefits
Blackstar is famous for making high-quality, sturdy and affordable guitar amps.
The IDCORE10 is a 10W (2x5W) modeling guitar combo with a ton of features. It is a stereo amp. It has six amp “Voices”: Clean Warm, Clean Bright, Crunch, Super Crunch, OD 1, and OD 2. It has Gain control knob, Volume control knob, ISF (Infinite Shape Feature) EQ control knob. There are twelve effects on the amp – Reverb, Delay, and Modulation with four different modes each, and a dedicated Level control knob.
It also has a Tap Tempo button, USB jack for direct-digital recording and editing presets with Blackstar’s Insider free software, Manual button, Emulated Speaker/Headphones out, and Mp3/Line in port. You can enter and save your presets with the “Manual” button. The Blackstar IDCORE10 is a stereo amp with two three-inch speakers.
Pros and Highlights
- Versatile – This amp offers a lot of flexibility!
- High-quality sound – Due to the fact that it is a stereo amp, you will get a great tone!
- Affordable – The amp comes for a pretty low price, having in mind all the features and quality you will get, it’s pretty damn cheap!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Digital! – Although many players had problems setting the USB feature with the computer (You will probably have to make some adjustments in your DAW to record with the amp), the sound and built quality of the amp are great. Also, it sounds way huge for an amp of this size. However, many players are having difficulties dealing with digital gear. If you are one of them, stay away from this beast. If you don’t have this kind of problem, we recommend trying out this amp.
Bottom line
If you are a beginner guitar player, and you are looking for an amp for your first electric guitar, or you want a decent practice amp, Blackstar’s IDCORE10 might be the right choice for you. The amp sounds amazing, it sounds a lot bigger than it actually is, and it has a ton of features that will spice up your practice. Great sounding, sturdily built, versatile practice guitar amp.
Bugera V5 Infinium Combo Amp
Specs, features, and benefits
The Bugera V5 Infinium is a 5Watt Tube amp combo with 8″ Turbosound Speaker.
On the front of the amp, you can find the input, the control knobs for Gain, Tone, Volume, and Reverb, and the On/Off switch. On the backside, there is a Headphones output,
and a 4-ohm Cabinet Extension output with switchable wattage (0.1W, 1W, 5W). The 12AX7 preamp tube and EL84 power tube are the most-guilty parts for the sweet tone this amp delivers. It is one of the cheapest tube-amps on the market. It is a great sounding amp.
Tone purists will surely love this fella!
Pros and Highlights
- It is Tube-amp! – It is really hard to find a tube-amp in this price range. Well, Bugera made it happen with the V5 Infinium.
- Sweet tone – Due to the all-tube design, the cleans sound rich, and the distortion is warm and beautiful sounding.
- Awesome looks – The Bugera V5 Infinium has a vintage vibe to its look. It looks incredibly beautiful. It was designed with great attention to detail.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Limited functionality – If you are looking for a more versatile amp, with effects and amp modeling, the V5 Infinium would not be a great deal for you. Also, it sounds awesome and it is pretty loud, but it is still too small to be taken on the stage.
Bottom line
If you are a beginner, or someone that wants to start messing around tube-amps, the Bugera V5 Infinium might work for you. It is a great sounding amp, due to the all-tube design, and at this price, you probably can’t find a better tube-amp than this one.
However, many players would like an amp with more versatility, and something that has the power to be played on-stage. Unfortunately, the Bugera V5 Infinium is too small for that.
Line 6 Spider V30 Modeling Amp
Specs, features, and benefits
The Spider V by Line 6 is a versatile guitar amp with 30-Watts of power, and an eight-inch woofer speaker and a tweeter. It has five control knobs with two functions. You can choose the function of the knobs with the Amp/FX push buttons. Drive (Compressor), Bass (FX1), Middle (Fx2), Treble (FX3), and Volume (Reverb) are available.
Next to them, on the left side of the amp, you can find the built-in “processor” with a little screen and its dedicated controls. It has seventy-eight amp-models, twenty-three cab models, and over one hundred effects. It also has drum loops, a built-in tuner, and a built-in metronome. On the far left there is the Master control knob, and the headphones input.
On the back panel of the amp, you can find the power switch, the aux-in, the FBV pedal input, and the two USB ports. You can connect this amp with IOS devices, Mac, PC, and Android.
Pros and Highlights
- Affordable – This Line 6 Spider V 30 is a low-priced amplifier;
- Versatile – This amp offers a ton of features, a ton of amp models, a ton of effects, and endless tweaking possibilities.
- USB connectivity – You can record directly on your PC/Mac, Android, and IOS device, and you can use the Spider App.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Poor sound quality – It sounds digital, unnatural, despite all the features, it is hard to set a good tone with this amp.
Bottom line
If you are a beginner, you might find this amp useful. However, if you are leaning more towards the professional musicians, stay away from this amp. Yes, it offers a ton of features, but the sound you’ll get is far from good. It is not recommended to take this amp on the stage, or in a professional recording studio.
Orange Micro Dark Amp Head
Specs, features, and benefits
The Orange Micro Dark is a 20W hybrid amp with a single 12AX7 tube in the preamp section.
On the front of the amp head, we can find the input, the Gain, Shape, and Volume control knobs, the Headphones output, and the On/Off switch. On the backside of the head, there is the FX Loop ports, and the Speaker Output (8-ohm). The Orange Micro Dark has a warm, and rich sounding distortion due to the tube preamp. It sounds amazing, both live on stage, and in the studio.
In this price range, you probably can’t find a better amp-head.
Pros and Highlights
- Great sound – You have to try this little monster, to know what I mean… It sounds beautiful!
- It is a hybrid – Due to the tube preamp, with this amp, you will have one of the best-sounding natural distortions ever!
- Affordable – Having in mind the performance this amp gives, it is a pretty cheap one. It can easily compete with amps from a higher price range.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons! – This is an excellent amp.
Bottom line
If you are looking for a gigging amp, or an amp that you want to record with, the Orange Micro Dark amp-head is a great option. It is affordable, which almost always plays a huge role when it comes to buying gear, it is great sounding, both clean and distorted, and has a decent amount of power for professional usage. If you are looking for an amp-head, you should definitely try one of these!
Peavey Rage 258 2 Channel Amplifier
Specs, features, and benefits
The Peavey Rage 258 is a simple, and reliable combo amp with 25 Watts of Power and 8″ Blue Marvel speaker. It has two channels (switchable) Clean, and Lead. The controls cluster features a Volume control knob, Pre-Gain and Post-Gain (for the Lead channel), a three-way switch for amp modeling (Stack, Modern, Vintage), Low, Mid, and High control knobs, and Aux-in/Direct Out port, Headphones out, and an On/Off switch.
It is a great practice amp. It delivers pretty nice clean tones, and the distorted ones are where the Rage 258 really shines. It will also work for band rehearsals and even some small Venue gigs.
Pros and Highlights
- Affordable – This is a great amp for those who are on a tight budget!
- Good sound for the money – With the EQ section and the amp modeling on this amp, you can produce lots of different sounds. Great for beginners!
- Straightforward, easy to use – Many players nowadays like to have a ton of versatility on their amps. However, if you are like me, and you just want a straightforward guitar amp, without the tons of barely tweakable (in most cases awful sounding) effects, the Peavey Rage 258 is a great fit for you!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons! – This is a great beginner amp, great for practice and rehearsals, and it is probably good for small Venue gigs too.
Bottom line
If you are a beginner at electric guitar and you want a decent sounding amp, but you are on a tight budget, the Peavey Rage 258 would be a great choice. It has cool clean sounds and great distortion. It can get very loud, which is great – you can use it on rehearsals with your band. It is very easy-to-use, and it has all the basic controls to make your guitar sound great.
If you are looking for something with tons of versatility, don’t go for it, but if you want a great tone on a tight budget, try out this little monster. Then, you can buy some pedals and you will have much better sound, compared to the guy who bought an affordable combo with a hundred built-in effects.
What We Recommend and Why
If you are a beginner and you are looking for a decent amp for practice, band rehearsals, and small gigs, in the price range under $200, we recommend the Fender Champion 40. The Fender Champion is an affordable, yet durable and reliable combo amp with a great amount of versatility.
Beside all the basic features, like the Distortion and the EQ section (which are great on this amp), the Fender Champion 40 has built-in effects, a few different amp models, and basically everything you would want on an amp. It is powerful and loud enough, to be taken as a serious amp.
