Finding the best budget tube amp for the money that will give your guitar awesome tone and won’t break the bank isn’t easy. There are tons of affordable tube amplifiers out there, but not all of them have good tone or that many features.
That’s why we made this review. We compare all of the most popular budget all-tube amps and show you the specs, features, pros, and cons of each. That way you can figure out which one is right for you and your wallet. It doesn’t matter whether you want an all-tube combo amp or a tube amplifier head, we’ve reviewed them all and come up with this list to recommend.
Let’s review the top-rated cheap guitar tube amps on the market today.
Compare the Top Affordable Tube Amplifiers in 2020
Contents
- 1 Compare the Top Affordable Tube Amplifiers in 2020
- 2 What We Recommend and Why
Here is a list of the best tube amps for the money that are under $500 and will make your guitar sound great.
- California Tone Research SET5
- Fender Pro Junior III
- Vox AC4
- Blackstar HT1R
- Fender Bassbreaker 007
- Vox AC10C1
- Monoprice 611705
- Bugera V5 5-Watt
- Orange Micro Terror
- Bugera T50 Infinium
- Egnater Tweaker Tube Amp Head
California Tone Research SET5
Specs, features, and benefits
The Set5 combo by California Tone Research is a 5Watt with one eight-Inch speaker. It has one 12AX7 tube in the preamp, and one EL84 power tube.
On the control panel, you can find the guitar input, Bass, Treble, and Volume control knobs, and the Power On/Off switch. On the back panel of the amp, you can find two speaker outputs, one 8Ohm (for the built-in speaker), and one 16Ohm jack for an External speaker.
Pros and Highlights
- Dirt cheap – The SET5 is extremely affordable!
- Great sound – Due to its tube design, the amp sounds fantastic. Great for jazz, rock’n’roll, surf rock, etc.
- Sturdy – This combo is built like a tank!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Limited functions – It would be nice if this amp had a built-in Reverb. However, it is very affordable, so we can’t really complain about that.
Bottom line
If you are looking for a small tube amp, the SET5 by California Tone Research is a great choice. Whether you need it for home practice, or for gigging at small venues, the SET5 will do the job for you. It is very simple, it doesn’t have any effects whatsoever, but it comes for a very low price, so we shouldn’t complain about that.
Fender Pro Junior III
Specs, features, and benefits
The Fender Pro Junior III combo is a 15Watt tube amp paired with one ten-inch 8Ohm Eminence Special Design speaker. The amp has two 12AX7 preamp tubes, and two EL84 tubes in the power amp.
On the control panel of the combo, there are two control knobs – one for Volume and one for Tone, a power switch, an indicator, and guitar input. Simple, right?
Pros and Highlights
- Great sound – Fender makes incredible sounding amps! This amp is not an exception.
- Compact – Great for taking it with you on rehearsal, maybe even some small gigs too!
- No bells & whistles – The amp has only Volume and Tone control knobs! It is very easy to use.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Poor quality control – It seems like buying Fender amps through the internet is not a good idea. Unfortunately, they have poor quality control when shipping their amps. Many owners of this amp received a defective amp.
Bottom line
If you are looking for a small amp that sounds great, you can go for the Fender Pro Junior III. It is compact, easy-to-use amp, with great sound. It is great for beginners too. However, if you want to buy this fella, you should probably go to the local guitar store.
Vox AC4
Specs, features, and benefits
The Vox AC4 is a 4-Watt all-tube amplifier with a one 12-Inch Celestion speaker. It has two 12AX7 tubes in the preamp section and one EL84 power tube. 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.
Blackstar HT1R
Specs, features, and benefits
The Blackstar is a 1Watt combo amp with one eight-inch speaker. It has one ECC83 (12AX7) preamp tube and one ECC82 (12AU7) power tube. It has two switchable channels, Clean and Overdrive.
On the control panel, starting from the left, there is the input, the Gain control knob, the Overdrive Select-button, the Volume Level control knob, the EQ (ISF) control knob, the Reverb control knob, the mp3/line-in port, the emulated-out/headphones-out, and the Power switch. On the back of the amp, there is an external Speaker Output port (4-16Ohm).
Pros and Highlights
- Great sound – It is amazing how good this amp actually sounds having in mind it is a 1Watt amp.
- Tone shaping – From beautiful clean sounds to gritty overdriven ones, the Blackstar HT1R can take you on a tone-shaping trip – you only have to tweak the knobs and get your desired sound.
- Everything you need – headphones/emulated-out, mp3/line-in, External speaker output, great tone shaping controls, etc.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Dark – There are owners who don’t like the tone of the amp. This is not a flaw though. Many British amps sound darker, maybe due to the weather there, or who knows…
It is a matter of taste. In order to reduce the chances of getting disappointed, do your research and try the amp if possible.
Bottom line
Blackstar HT1R is a great sounding, sturdily-built, compact, small-sized amp perfect for practice and for newbies in the guitar world. It has everything that you need on an amp, it has good tone shaping controls, and it will last you for decades.
Fender Bassbreaker 007
Specs, features, and benefits
The Fender Bassbreaker 007 is a 7Watt tube combo amp with a ten-inch Celestion speaker. It has two 12AX7 tubes in the preamp section and one EL84 power tube.
The control panel, starting from the left, consists of the guitar input, the Treble Boost button, Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, and Master control knobs, and the Power switch. On the back panel of the amp, there is a speaker output, a Line out jack, and Footswitch port.
Pros and Highlights
- Compact – You don’t need a huge stack for practice, right? You need something like the Fender Bassbreaker 007 – small-sized and compact.
- Great sound – The Fender Bassbreaker is highly expressive, rich and warm sounding due to the tube choice!
- Powerful! – Don’t be fooled by the wattage of this amp! It is loud and powerful enough to hold up with a drummer, it is great for rehearsal, for recording at a studio, and for gigging!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons!
Bottom line
If you are looking for a compact, sturdily-built, great-sounding tube amp, you should try out the Fender Bassbreaker 007. You will be amazed by the sound of this amp. It is powerful and loud. Great for recording, rehearsing and gigging!
Vox AC10C1
Specs, features, and benefits
The Vox AC10C1 is an all-tube combo amp with 10Watts of power and a 10″ Celestion Custom speaker. The amp has two 12AX7 tubes in the preamp section and two EL84 power tubes.
On the controls cluster, you can find the guitar input as well as the on/off switch, and the control knobs for Gain, Bass, Treble, Reverb, and Volume. Although the Reverb is digital, it is a pretty good sounding one. All the controls on the amp are highly responsive, which lets you have all the classic Vox tones, from chimey clean to overdrive, and everything in between.
On the back of the amp, there is the External Speaker port (10Watts into 16Ohm).
Pros and Highlights
- Great sound – Vox is known for its awesome-sounding amps. The AC10C1 is not an exception to that. Due to the all-tube design, the amp sounds fantastic!
- Reverb – Although it is a digital one, it is indeed a very good sounding Reverb. It will add up life to your sound. There are players who just plug in the amp, without any pedals, and they still sound awesome.
- Highly portable – The Vox AC10C1 is very compact and reliable. This makes it perfect for playing it on smaller venue gigs. It is pretty loud, it will keep up with the drummer without any problem, it is lightweight, sturdily built, and sounds great!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- The clean might be too bright for your taste – Especially with single coil pick-ups, the AC10C1 tends to be a little brighter than one would expect. Try it before you buy it.
- It is an awesome amp – it sounds great, all we are saying it might not reflect on everybody the same way. It is a matter of taste.
Bottom line
The Vox AC10C1 is an awesome-sounding tube combo amp, great for recording, practice, and for live situations. The clean on this amp is chimey, very similar to the cleans that the old vintage Vox amps have, and the overdrive is warm, and sweet, as you would expect from an all-tube design. It is very portable, due to its compact design and small size, which makes it perfect for any kind of situation. Great sounding combo, one of the best sounding in this price range!
Monoprice 611705
Specs, features, and benefits
The Monoprice 611705 is a small, practice tube combo with 5Watts of power and one eight-inch Celestion speaker. It has one 12AX7 tube in the preamp, and one 6V6 power tube.
On the control panel, there is the On/Off Power switch, a Volume control knob, a Tone control knob, a 5Watt/1Watt push-button switch, and the guitar input. On the back panel of the amp, you can find an External Speaker jack (8-16Ohm impedance). Great amp for beginners, and for practice for every level of players.
Pros and Highlights
- Affordable – The Monoprice 611705 is one of the cheapest tube amps on the market!
- Compact, small size – Great for practice and for beginners.
- Easy to use – It has only two control knobs, a power switch, and 1W/5W button switch…
How hard can this be?
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Too small for gigging – Well, yeah, you can’t expect this amp to be loud and powerful to hold up with a drummer and a bassist. However, it is loud enough for practice, and this is why most of the players are buying this amp.
Bottom line
If you are looking for a small, compact, tube-amp for practicing, you should check out the Monoprice 611705. It is powerful enough, and it sounds nice. If you are looking for an amp that you can take on-stage, you should probably look for something bigger.
Bugera V5 5-Watt
Specs, features, and benefits
The Bugera V5 Infinium is a 5Watt Tube amp combo with 8″ Turbosound Speaker. It has one 12AX7 preamp tube and one EL84 power tube.
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 nicest 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 were 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.
Orange Micro Terror
Specs, features, and benefits
The Orange Micro Terror is a 20W hybrid amp with a single 12AX7 tube in the preamp section, and a solid-state power amp.
On the front of the amp head, we can find the input, the Gain, Tone, and Volume control knobs, the Headphones output, the Aux-in, and the On/Off switch. On the backside of the head, there is the Speaker Output (Min 8-ohm), and the power adaptor input.
The Orange Micro Terror 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 Terror 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!
Bugera T50 Infinium
Specs, features, and benefits
The Bugera T50 Infinium is a 50Watt Tube amp head with four 12AX7 preamp tubes, and two EL34 power tubes. It has two channels, a Clean channel, and a Lead channel.
The control panel is divided into three clusters, Clean, Lead, and Master. The Clean channel cluster has control knobs for Gain, Treble, Middle, and Bass. Between the Clean channel control cluster and the Lead channel control cluster, there is the channel select-button. The Lead Channel control cluster consists of Gain, Treble, Middle, and Bass control knobs, and a “Phat” button, that increases both the top and the bottom end.
The Master controls cluster has Reverb, Tone Cut, and Master Volume control knobs. On the control panel there are also the Stand-by switch, and the Power on/Off switch. On the back of the head, you can find the FX Loop jacks, the Footswitch port, the Speaker outputs with a 4/8/16Ohm switch, the Emulated out with a 1×12/4×12 switch, and the “Infinium” feature that lets you monitor the tube life.
This also comes in a 5-Watt all tube amp version as well!
Pros and Highlights
- Affordable – The Bugera T50 Infinium is very affordable! It is a very powerful and loud head for the money!
- Versatile – This head is very tweakable, and yet very easy-to-use.
- Crystal Clean and Massive Gain – Lot’s of headroom, loud, powerful, and thick. Both channels on The Bugera T50 Infinium do their job, as they really should!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- It is still a Bugera – This brand had a lot of difficulties through the years, so now we must be cautious when buying gear from them. However, this head seems to be of high-quality. Still, companies always must cut a few corners here and there to make amp like this for that price.
Bottom line
If you are on a tight budget, and you have made the decision to buy a tube amplifier, maybe you should try the Bugera T50 Infinium at the local store. It is a powerful, loud, flexible, and affordable tube amp head! Who knows, you might love it!
Egnater Tweaker Tube Amp Head
Specs, features, and benefits
The Egnater Tweaker head is a 15Watt compact and versatile tube-amp head. It has three 12AX7 tubes in the preamp, and two 6V6 power tubes.
On the control panel, you can find the Power On/Off switch, the Stand-By switch, a Vintage/Modern voice toggle switch, Master control knob, USA/AC/British voicing three-way toggle switch, Treble, Middle, and Bass control knobs, Gain control knob with a Hot/Clean switch, Bright/Normal voice switch, Tight/Deep voice switch, and the guitar input.
On the back panel of the amp, you can find the Effects loop jacks, a Main and Extension speaker jacks with an impedance switch (4/8/16Ohm), and a switch for the Voltage (100/120/230V).
Pros and Highlights
- Affordable! – It is amazing how Egnater made this amp for such a price!
- Great sound – Especially the Clean… Fantastic!
- Versatile – With this amp you can tweak a lot of different sounds. It also takes pedals very well!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- The Gain sound is not that impressive – It has its own color, and it is not very flexible. Most of the players that play with this amp use Overdrive pedals, and that’s cool, but a tube-amp should probably have a decent drive… In fact, a big number of players buy tube amps due to their characteristic, rich, and warm, natural distortion. This amp’s overdriven tube saturation – not satisfactory, at least for me.
Bottom line
If you are a rock’n’roll player, or a blues player, that plays mostly Clean guitar, you might want to marry this amp. It is very affordable, and yet powerful, and great for gigging.
However, if you are drive-lover, you might want to check some other heads before buying this fella.
What We Recommend and Why
If you are looking for a tube amp on a tight budget, we recommend you the VOX AC10C1! It is a Vox – it sounds awesome! The clean sounds characteristic – just like the Old Vox amps used to sound, and the Overdrive is warm and rich. The Vox AC10C1 is a great gigging amp, great amp for practice and rehearsals, and it is an awesome amp for the studio!