Deciding on the best guitar amp under $2,000 that fits all your guitar setup needs is tough. Guitar amplifiers in the $2,000 price range come with tons of features, tones, and options. So, how are you supposed to decide?
Well, first you need to think about your tone. Do you want a really clean amp or something with more grit. Also, many amps have 3 channels, so you can have a clean setting and two different dirty tones for rhythm and solos. Then you should think about if you want a combo amp or an amp head. Some players want a stack because its louder and looks cool on stage, but they are kind of annoying carry. Another thing to think about is an all tube vs solid state amp.
All that being said, let’s check out the top-rated guitar amplifiers under $2,000 and compare their features and tones, so you can find the right one for your sound.
Compare the Top Guitar Amplifiers Below $2,000 in 2020
Contents
- 1 Compare the Top Guitar Amplifiers Below $2,000 in 2020
- 1.1 EVH 5150III 1X12 50W 6L6 Combo Amp
- 1.2 Friedman Mini Dirty Shirley 20-watt Tube Head
- 1.3 Marshall JVM210H 100-Watt Guitar Amp Head
- 1.4 VOX AC30HW2 Hand-Wired VOX Combo Amplifier
- 1.5 Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb 22-Watt Guitar Combo Amp
- 1.6 Orange TH30 30W Analogue Amplifier Head
- 1.7 Marshall 2525C Mini Silver Jubilee Combo Amp
- 2 What We Recommend and Why
Here’s a list of the best $2,000 guitar amps that will give you rockstar tone with all the features you need in your guitar setup.
- EVH 5150III Combo Amp
- Friedman Mini Dirty Shirley
- Marshall JVM210H
- VOX AC30HW2
- Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb
- Orange TH30
- Marshall 2525C
EVH 5150III 1X12 50W 6L6 Combo Amp
Specs, features, and benefits
Eddie Van Halen (EVH) is a highly renowned Dutch-American rock musician and guitarists who have stamped his signature sound on different instruments and gear. One of this is this EVH guitar amp.
This is a 50 watt combination of amp head and cabinet, which provides portability, making it easy to use for personal practice and live stages performances.
A look under the hood reveals seven 12AX7 tubes for the preamp and two 6L6 power tubes for the amp power, delivering these through the single 12 inch EVH Celestion speakers. A power scaling function allows you to reduce the power from 50 watts to as low as 1 watt.
It features three channels – clean, crunch and lead. These offer three tonal variations ranging from clean, overdrive to distortion. For controls, it is equipped with independent volume and gain for channels 1 to 3 respectively, 3-band EQ, reverb, power level, resonance and more.
For connectivity, it has a 1/4″ input, 1/4″ aux send/return, 1/4″ headphone out, 1/4″ line out with selectable output impedance, speaker outputs and more.
The cabinet is well-built with birch and wrapped in ivory vinyl while the top handles and casters make it easy to move.
Pros and Highlights
- Performance – Versatile and powerful.
- Controls – Good options.
- Connectivity – Sufficient options.
Cons and Potential Flaws
This amp is actually best for high-gain lovers.
Bottom Line
Do you love that Eddie Van Halen sound but can’t spend a ton of cash? With this, you can enjoy it for less than $2000.
Friedman Mini Dirty Shirley 20-watt Tube Head
Specs, features, and benefits
With over 25 years of experience working with and shaping the sounds of rock legends like Jerry Cantrell, Eddie Van Halen and Steve Stevens and also building and repairing amplifiers for a lot of these stars, it was a no-brainer that Dave Friedman should become a brand known for creating amplifiers that deliver excellence.
The Mini Dirty Shirley 20-watt tube amp head is one of the products from this brand. Powering this amp are two EL84 power tubes while in the preamp you will find three 12AX7 tubes.
This amp offers three gain structure positions, which give it some versatility. Designed mainly to deliver that classic rock tone that has been a signature of British tube amps of the 1960s and 70s, it can offer a beastly crunch and by simply turning down your guitar’s volume, you can also get a very clean tone.
With the control options that this amp offers, you can make a few adjustments that will make it suitable for a variety of musical styles. It is also deigned to work well with effect pedals.
This compact amp is built using Baltic birch and is able to handle the rigors of demanding use. It is also nicely covered with black tolex.
Pros and Highlights
- Performance – Versatile.
- Controls – Sufficient.
- Connectivity – Offers good options
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Cabinet – Has to be purchased separately.
Bottom Line
This is a really compact and high performing guitar amp head for the musician who wants to enjoy that classic rock sound.
Marshall JVM210H 100-Watt Guitar Amp Head
Specs, features, and benefits
Marshall is a company that has become known for manufacturing great amplifiers. In its roughly 6 decades of operation, this British brand has shown an understanding of what musicians want and an ability to give them just that and more.
The JVM210H is a tube amp that delivers pure power. It is an amp head that has the capacity of delivering 100 watts of audio power through an appropriate cabinet.
This amp is powered by four EL34s power tubes and five ECC83 preamp tubes. All these power can be managed to deliver a wide pallet of sounds. It offers two channels – clean or crunch and overdrive – that makes it easy to dial in to the type of sound you need at any time. This can be a clean, clear sound or a growling distortion.
The controls are quite extensive and impressive. Each channel has a set of dedicated controls that includes volume, 3-band EQ, reverb and gain. There are also two masters (1 and 2) a presence and a resonance control. All of these help offer tonal versatility.
This is a powerful amplifier for the guitarist who loves high gain. It can however also serve other styles.
Pros and Highlights
- Performance – Powerful and versatile.
- Control – Extensive.
- Connectivity – Multiple options
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Cabinet – Head only, cabinet has to be purchased separately.
Bottom Line
This is an amp that delivers a lot of power and versatility. You will however need to budget some extra cash for a suitable cabinet.
VOX AC30HW2 Hand-Wired VOX Combo Amplifier
Specs, features, and benefits
Given the history of guitars and the impact that British musicians and amp manufacturers had on it, it is fitting that we are looking at another product from a British brand – Vox.
Vox has been in operation for over 60 years and within this time, it has earned a reputation worth protecting.
One of its products is the hand wired AC30HW2 amp combo. Hand wiring ensures a higher level of quality with as little loss as possible along the signal path.
This amp features four EL84 power tubes and three 12AX7 preamp tubes. These deliver 30 watts of audio power through dual 12 inch Celestion G12M Green Back speakers. You can however cut its power in half if you choose with a switch designed for that.
The amp offers two channel options, a normal channel and a top boost channel, with both channels offering two inputs each. The controls that manage all of these are pretty simple and easy to understand.
This is not your typical modern day high-gain amp but a real classic vintage that takes you back to the 60s.
Pros and Highlights
- Performance – Great classic tone perfect for indie and classic rock.
- Controls – Simple and easy to use
- Connectivity – Sufficient.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Effect – It has no onboard effects.
Bottom Line
30 watts of audio power delivered through a hand-wired circuit is a purist’s dream. If the vintage sounds of the 60s are what you live for, then this amp is just right for you.
Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb 22-Watt Guitar Combo Amp
Specs, features, and benefits
When you talk about guitars and guitar amps, Fender is one of the top brands. The brand’s Blackface series of the 60s are a proof of this. These amps are so highly regarded and rare that purchasing one now will be a major feat.
Thankfully, Fender has produced some reissues one of which is the ’65 Deluxe Reverb.
This is a combo amp that is totally tube powered. It features two 6V6 Groove Tubes power tubes with one 5AR4 rectifier tube and six preamp tubes made up of four 12AX7s and two 12AT7s. These deliver 22 watts of audio power through a single 12 inch Jensen C12-K speaker.
It offers two channels, one for normal play and the other for vibrato. Each channel has two inputs for hot or cold signals. The true spring reverb unit that comes with it is one of its distinctive features.
Controlling this is quite easy with the simple control panel. Both channels have dedicated volume, treble and bass controls. The vibrato channel however adds reverb, speed and intensity controls. There’s also an included footswitch for channel selection and for activating or deactivating the reverb.
This is not a high-gain amp but a lovely tube amp for country, jazz and other sultry renditions.
Pros and Highlights
- Controls – Simple and easy.
- Tone – Vintage tube.
- Performance – Loud and clean.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Connectivity – Not very versatile.
Bottom Line
If you’ve always dreamt of owning one of Fender’s Blackface amps, you just got it on the cheap.
Orange TH30 30W Analogue Amplifier Head
Specs, features, and benefits
In the 1960s and 70s, Orange amps were quite a thing. They went off the scene for a while but have been making a serious come-back for the past few years. One of its come-back products is the TH30H, a 30 watt, all-tube amplifier.
The TH30H is a high-end amp that offers immense capabilities. It delivers 30 watts of power through any appropriate cabinet, enough for a live stage. This power can be cut to 15 watts or 7 watts depending on the needs of the player at the time.
It is powered by four EL84 power tubes and four ECC83 preamp tubes. There are two channels on offer – the first is dirty channel while the second is the clean channel. This makes it easier to be used in a wider range of musical expressions.
The controls on this are very simple, with each channel having its own dedicated controls. The dirty channel has a volume, shape and gain controls while the clean channel has a treble, bass and volume control. Aside from the channel switch and output power selector, that’s all for controls.
This is an amp that can deliver clear clean sounds and bone rattling distortions at the click of a switch.
Pros and Highlights
- Performance – Simple and versatile.
- Controls – Simple and effective.
- Connectivity – Sufficient options.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Cabinet – Has to be purchased separately.
Bottom Line
This is a simple amp that delivers huge results. It offers tonal versatility but requires the purchase of a cabinet.
Marshall 2525C Mini Silver Jubilee Combo Amp
Specs, features, and benefits
Seeing another Marshall here is obviously an indication of the quality that the brand offers. The 2525C Mini Silver Jubilee is a reissue of the brand’s Silver Jubilee amp, which was released in 1987 to mark the brand’s 25 year anniversary.
It was a limited edition, which was only in production that year. The continued demand for it however resulted in this reissue.
The subject of this review is a mini version of the 2525C. This is a tube powered amp head that delivers 20 watts of power, which can also be lowered to 5 watts with the output switch. It is loaded with two EL34 power tubes and three 12AX7 preamp tubes.
Though you will see only one 1/4 inch jack input, it actually offers two channels, which can be selected using the pull rhythm clip on the input gain knob. This allows you choose between a clean input and a dirty input for more tonal versatility.
It also offers some impressive output options. These include DI output, five speaker output options and effects loop.
This is a high-gain performer that is capable of rendering your distortion pedal unnecessary. Interestingly, it can also deliver clean sounds.
Pros and Highlights
- Performance – High-gain monster
- Connectivity – Extensive output options.
- Controls – Simple and effective.
Cons and Potential Flaws
The mirrored chrome may make the control labels difficult to read.
Bottom Line
While this amp can deliver clean sounds, it is a high-gain beast. If high-gain is your thing, go for this amp.
What We Recommend and Why
It’s the end of another interesting review and now we must as usual stick our necks out by choosing one product from the line up as our top pick under the category. After carefully reviewing all the great amps featured in this review, we chose the VOX AC30HW2 Hand-Wired Combo Amplifier as our Top Guitar Amp Under $2000.
We believe that this amp offers the best all-round quality as well as value.