Finding the best combo amp for your guitar doesn’t have to be a that hard. There are so many different tube combo amps and solid state amplifiers that sound great and have tons of tone features.
It doesn’t matter whether you are playing guitar at home or at a live show, a combo amplifier is a great option. They sound great and have plenty of power, so your face melting solos will overtake the rest of the band.
We’ve reviewed all the top-rated guitar combo amplifiers on the market, so you can compare their features to see which one is right for you and your sound. We’ll help you find the right combination amp for the money. Let’s check some out.
Top 8 Best Guitar Combo Amps for the Money in 2020
Contents
- 1 Top 8 Best Guitar Combo Amps for the Money in 2020
- 1.1 Fender ’65 Princeton Reverb Combo Amp
- 1.2 Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 III Combo Amplifier
- 1.3 Line 6 DT25 Tube Combo Amp
- 1.4 VOX AC15C2 Guitar Combo Amp
- 1.5 Vox AC4-4W Combination Amplifier
- 1.6 Line 6 Spider V 60 Modeling Combo Amp
- 1.7 Marshall CODE25 Combo Guitar Amplifier
- 1.8 Orange Crush 35RT Solid State Combo Amp
- 2 What We Recommend and Why
Here is a list of the best guitar combo amplifiers that will make your guitar scream and help you become a better guitar player– or at least sound like one.
- Fender ’65 Princeton Reverb
- Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 III
- Line 6 DT25
- VOX AC15C2
- Vox AC4-4W
- Line 6 Spider V 60
- Marshall CODE25
- Orange Crush 35RT
Fender ’65 Princeton Reverb Combo Amp
Specs, features, and benefits
The Fender ’65 Princeton Reverb is a reissue of the legendary Princeton Reverb from the sixties, and it is basically the same amp with a few modifications, like using a printed circuit board rather than the old hand-wired. It is a 15-Watt Tube amp with a 10-Inch Jensen Speaker. This amp has built-in spring reverb and tube-vibrato.
It has two inputs, and control knobs for Volume, Treble, Bass, Reverb, Speed, and Intensity.
On the back panel, you can find the On/Off switch, the External Speaker Output, and the Footswitch input.
The amp sounds amazing, it is great for playing smaller venue gigs and for recording in the studio. One of the best combo amps out there!
Pros and Highlights
- Sounds great! – The amp sounds amazing, and many players use it both for playing live and in the studio!
- Powerful – The 15Watts of power deliver a good amount of volume; it covers up the drummer without any hesitation.
- Reverb & Vibrato – The Reverb and the Vibrato effects on this amp are really something special. It has a Fender spring reverb and tube-vibrato! They sound gorgeous.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- You might get a defective amp! – Many players are complaining about how they got a defective amp when purchasing through the internet. Our recommendation is that when you are buying guitar gear that is not dirt-cheap, you should better go to the local guitar store and try it before you buy it.
Bottom line
Sounds amazing, it is compact and very powerful. The Fender ’65 Princeton Reverb is definitely one of the best combo-amps ever. It is a tube amp, and that’s why it sounds that good. However, many players received defective amps when purchasing through the internet. Our recommendation is, try it before you buy it!
Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 III Combo Amplifier
Specs, features, and benefits
The Fender Hot Rod Deville 212 III is an all-tube guitar amp with two 12-Inch Celestion speakers and 60-Watts of Power.
It has two inputs with Normal/Bright push button, Volume control knob, Drive control knob with two modes Drive and More Drive, Treble, Bass, and Middle control knobs, Master control knob with a push-button for channel select, Reverb control knob, and Presence control knob.
It also features a Preamp Out, Power Amp In, Footswitch input, Standby switch, and On/Off switch. This amp is very powerful and sounds amazing. Also, it comes with a footswitch with Channel select, and Drive/More Drive footswitch, and a protective cover.
Pros and Highlights
- Powerful! – This amplifier is very loud and powerful. The 60-Watts of Power and the two 12-Inch deliver massive tones!
- Three channels – It has a Clean, and two Drive channels – Drive, and More Drive. Pretty self-explanatory, right? And they drive you man!
- Sounds amazing – This is an understatement. Of course, it does!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Weights a lot! – This amp’s weights over twenty-five kilograms. That’s a lot. This might not be a problem for everybody, but before buying this amp, consider this if you have weak arms.
Bottom line
Definitely one of the best combo amps on the market. The Fender Hot Rod Deville 212 III is a great, massive-sounding tube-amp with cool Reverb and Vibrato effects, and three channels.
Awesome for gigging. It weights a lot, but hey, the tone you will get out of this monster is priceless.
Line 6 DT25 Tube Combo Amp
Specs, features, and benefits
The Line 6 DT25 Combo is a 25-Watt (it can be switched to 10-Watts) tube amp with one 12-Inch speaker with a great amount of versatility. This amp was born out of a collaboration between the well-known German amp-builder Reinhold Bogner and Line 6. The amp has two switchable channels A/B. The amp has dedicated control knobs for each channel, Drive, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence, Reverb, and Volume. Then there is the switch that offers four different amp modes, Classic American Clean, British Crunch, Class A Chime, and Modern High-Gain available. Next, we have the Pentode/Triode flick switch, the Class A/Class A/B, the Master control knob, the Standby switch, and the On/Off switch. Pretty fascinating, huh?
This amp offers a lot of different sounds. It is completely analog, and you can get all the classic amp sounds from the past. On the backside of the amp you can find a Low Volume Mode On/Off switch, Midi In and Out, Line 6 Link for connecting the amp with the Line 6 POD HD, Footswitch input, Effects Loop, Cabinet Simulated Direct Output with a ground/lift switch, Four-Ohm, Eight-Ohm, and Sixteen-Ohm Speaker Outs.
Pros and Highlights
- Versatile – This amp offers a lot of different amp sounds. Almost over-whelming!
- Sounds amazing – This amp sounds awesome due to the all-analog circuit and the fact that it is a tube amp.
- Massive, yet compact – The amp is very compact, and still can be played in big venues or even stadiums! Just connect a big extension speaker in the back, and there you go!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Hum – Many owners complain that the amp produces hum, others claim that their amp keeps getting defective, every time they got it back from the repair center something new breaks. Not cool.
Bottom line
The Line 6 DT25 Combo is a very versatile tube-amp with massive tone. Many of the owners are loving this amp, and we’re happy for them. However, many others claim they’re amps are defective. They repair one thing, and something else gets broken. This is not good. Hey, Line 6! Take some notes, will ya?
VOX AC15C2 Guitar Combo Amp
Specs, features, and benefits
The Vox AC15C2 is a 15-Watt amp combo with two 12-Inch Celestion Greenback speakers. It has two channels, Normal, and Top Boost. The Normal channel has a Volume control knob, while the Top Boost has Bass, Treble, and Volume control knobs.
Next, we have the Reverb level control knob, the Tremolo Depth and Speed control knobs and the Master Volume and Tone Cut control knobs. The Tone Cut control is like a low-pass filter – this will brighten up your tone to a big amount. Then we have the Standby switch and the On/Off power switch.
On the backside of the amp, you can find the External/Extension speaker inputs with switchable ohmage and the Footswitch input.
Pros and Highlights
- Two twelves – If you want to have a clean sound without going to a 30-Watts amplifier, you can have it with the AC15C2. The two 12-Inch Celestion speakers add a lot of room to your sound.
- Flexible – You have two channels on the amp, the Normal, and the Top Boost. The two of them sound great, from clean, to fully overdriven, the amp sounds warm. Also, the Reverb and the Tremolo effects are a great addition to your sound. They both sound warm and natural.
- The Vox Sound at a fairly reasonable sound – We all know that the legendary AC30 costs a lot, and with the AC15C2 you can have that classic Vox sound for an affordable price.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Made in China – The amp is made in China. This does not mean that is garbage, of course. It is rather a high-quality amp. However, some small (or not so small) things affect your sound a lot. Like the tubes. Changing the factory-set tubes that were made in China, with a more decent, or even vintage ones, will affect your tone a lot, and this amp will sound even better!
Bottom line
If you are looking for that classic Vox AC30 sound, but you can’t afford it, Vox made the AC15C2 just for you. The amp sounds great, warm and natural. The two 12-Inch Celestion bring a lot of air to your sound. The Reverb and Tremolo effects are a great addition and they sound amazing. If you are a tone freak however, you might want to replace the tubes with better ones. This will give you an even warmer sound. Great amp, for a reasonable price.
Vox AC4-4W Combination Amplifier
Specs, features, and benefits
The Vox AC4 is a 4-Watt all-tube amplifier with a one 12-Inch Celestion speaker. The amp has the two classic sounds that made Vox famous – the Clean Chime, and the Top Boost. And it comes in a small, compact package. It is the smallest Vox valve-tube amplifier.
It has control knobs for Gain, Bass, Treble, and Volume, with which you can set your perfect Vox tone. On the back panel of the amp, you can find the External Speaker jack, where you can put a 16-Ohm Speaker, and play this amp at big venue gigs. The Vox AC4 is a great all-tube amp with small size and compatibility and great tone.
Pros and Highlights
- Compact – This amp is great for use in the studio – it is a small size amp that sounds beautiful.
- Classic Vox sound – Class A sound. You have both sounds characteristic for the classic, vintage Vox amps, the Clean Chime, and the Top Boost.
- Affordable – With the price of this amp, you will get what most of the other amps at this price can’t provide – a beautiful, warm tube-sound.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Missing a bit of a low end – This might affect only the real tone-freaks. You can’t expect to have a massive low end with one 12-Inch Speaker. However, this amp has a feature to add an External speaker. So, this might not be a flaw. Some owners also like to replace the existing speaker in the amp with another one, to get even more out of the amp.
Bottom line
The Vox AC4 is a great amp both for gigging and in the studio. It is a compact, warm sounding tube-amp that has the classic Vox tones. It is very easy to use, and it comes for a very reasonable price. The fact that it has an external speaker feature makes it even better – you can have a big tone for bigger venues with attaching an additional speaker.
Line 6 Spider V 60 Modeling Combo Amp
Specs, features, and benefits
The Line 6 Spider V 60 is a 60-Watt Modeling combo amp with a ten-Inch speaker and high-frequency driver, offering a huge amount of versatility. 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.
Then you have the built-in modeling processor, that is packed with seventy-eight amp-models, one hundred and one effects, one hundred and twenty-eight presets, built-in tuner, built-in metronome, and drum loops. After that, you have the Master control knob, and the headphones out. Also, this amp has an internal wireless receiver – you can go wireless with the Relay G10T transmitter, and rock around your house without any cords dragging behind you. It also features a looper with 60 seconds of record time.
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
- Works great with both electric and acoustic guitar, and music – The speaker system on this amp allows you to have great sound with both your acoustic and electric guitars. It also sounds great with playback music.
- Versatile as it can get – The Line 6 Spider V60 is very versatile, it offers a ton of features, metronome, looper, a ton of amp simulations and effects… You can even go wireless with this thing!
- USB connectivity – This feature makes this amp great for recording.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- You may not like how it actually sounds – Although this amp offers a lot of bells and whistles, some of the tone-freaks (including myself) don’t like how this amp sounds. If you ask me – it is just too digital, un-natural sounding amp.
Bottom line
Many owners love their Line 6 Spider V 60, as it really offers a lot. To say it is versatile would be an understatement, as this thing offers more than any other amp on its price range. However, many players don’t like the amp’s sound. It sounds un-natural to the tone-freaks that have tasted the pure gold sound of the tube-amps. Not for everybody.
Marshall CODE25 Combo Guitar Amplifier
Specs, features, and benefits
The Marshall Code25 is a 25-Watt modeling combo amp with one 10-Inch Speaker.
It has onboard control knobs for Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Volume, Preset, and Master, and push buttons, Pre FX, Amp, Mod, Delay, Reverb, Power, Cabinet, and Store. It also has a built-in tuner, Tap Tempo feature, Bluetooth feature, USB port, Footswitch input, aux-in, and headphones out. With the Bluetooth feature or the USB connection, you can control the amp remotely with the Marshal Gateway Software via your iOS/Android device.
The library on this amp contains fourteen preamp models, four power-amp models, eight cabinet speaker simulations, and twenty-four effects.
Pros and Highlights
- Modern – With the USB and Bluetooth features you can fully control the amp’s functions. Now you don’t even have to get up from the couch!
- Versatile – This amp offers a lot of different amps and cab simulations. You can use up to five effects at the same time from the amp’s library!
- Great for gigs at smaller venues! – The amp is compact, easy to carry around and will sound great on small stages.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Digital – Well, if you are a modern type of guitar player, you might find yourself in love with this amp. However, digital amp modeling is not what an experienced tone-freak would fall for.
- The amp has a lot of features, but some of us would rather have a natural sound. Also, the USB/Bluetooth connectivity does not work well for recording with PC/Mac devices. If you are older than twenty-five, the chances that you will be disappointed with this amp are big.
Bottom line
The Marshall Code25 is a great amp for the modern-type of guitarists. The fact that the amp has a lot of features for modeling and the USB/Connectivity will probably make a lot of younger guitar players happy. But, if you are looking for a natural sounding combo, the Marshall Code25 is not for you. It sounds digital. Not for everyone-type of an amp.
Orange Crush 35RT Solid State Combo Amp
Specs, features, and benefits
The Orange Crush35RT is a compact, combo amp with 35-Watts of power and ten-inch speaker. It has two switchable channels, clean and dirty, which are set by a toggle switch, and 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. On the back panel of the amp, there is the FX Loop and the Footswitch input.
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
The Orange Crush Company produces one of the best combo amps for the money on the market! The Orange Crush35RT has a great sound; it’s easy to use, and sturdily built. The clean, and the overdriven sound both sound awesome! The amp is very loud, you can use it on gigs in smaller venues, it is awesome for rehearsals, and for bedroom practice.
What We Recommend and Why
If you are looking for a combo amp, that will be great both for playing live and in the studio, there are a ton of good options on the market. We recommend the Fender Princeton Reverb!
Why? Because it is affordable, it is sturdily built and sounds awesome. It has a warm, tube-amp sound, and the Reverb and the Tremolo effects are amazing add-ons.
The amp sounds amazing coming out of the factory, but replacing the tubes with a some of better quality, will make a difference that only a few will not mistake it for the VOX AC30! It is also affordable, which is playing a huge role when it comes to buying guitar gear. The Princeton sounds great both live and in the studio.
The Vox AC15C2 is a close second place. You can’t go wrong with either of these amps.
