Best Solid State Amps

best-solid-state-ampPicking the best solid state amp that will make your guitar tone sound incredible isn’t that easy. There are several affordable solid-state guitar amplifiers that have great tone and a ton of features.

Solid state guitar amps are a good alternative to tube amps because they are way more affordable and less hassle to deal with. There’s no warming up or risk of breaking tubes. Plus, they have all kinds of modeling features that tube amps simply don’t have.

If you don’t know which one to add to your guitar rig, don’t worry. We have your back. We’ve compared all of the top-rated solid-state guitar amps on the market in the review, so you can figure out which one will make your guitar scream without breaking your amplifier budget. Let’s check out some amps!

Top 10 Best Solid State Guitar Amplifiers in 2020

Contents

Here is a list of the best solid-state amps that have modeling features, tone controls, and the ability to take your guitar tone to the next level.

Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus Solid-State Amp

roland-jc-120-jazz-chorus-solid-state-ampSpecs, features, and benefits

The famous Roland JC-120 is a 120-Watt amp with two 12-Inch Speakers. It has two channels, and they both have two inputs – High and Low and Bright on/off push-button.

The first channel has control knobs for Volume, Treble, Middle, and Bass. The second channel has control knobs Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass, Distortion, and Reverb.  Next on the control panel is the Chorus section. It has Vibrato/Chorus switch, and Depth and Speed control knobs.

On the backside of the amp, you can find the Right/Left (Mono) Line outs, the second channel’s stereo Effects Loop with switchable dB Levels and Series/Parallel switch, and the Footswitch inputs for Reverb, Chorus, and Distortion. The Roland JC-120 was first introduced in 1975, and since then, this amp stands as one of the best solid- state amps for the money. It has a clear and massive tone.

Pros and Highlights

  • Sounds amazing! – This is why this amp is one of the most desired amps among the guitarists… It sounds incredibly good. Both clean and wet! Classic…
  • Stereo – The two 12-Inch speakers are creating a lot of headroom, but besides that, it is the Chorus that is making this amp special. Actually, the Chorus on this amp is physical!
  • Classic – You can hear the amp’s signature sound on many legendary records… Johnny Marr, Andy Summers, James Hetfield – just to name a few…

Cons and Potential Flaws

  • Pricey! – The amp sounds unique… It is one of the best solid state amps ever, for sure! But, if you are buying a new one, it is quite pricey. You might get a used one for less money if you find one in good condition, which is not rare because the Roland JC-120 is built like a tank.
  • And if you are buying a new one, don’t overthink it – it is worth every penny.

Bottom line

If you are looking for the signature sound that shaped the eighties, Roland has you covered.

The Roland JC-120 is a legendary amp that produces amazingly articulated sounds. It is one of the best solid-state amps and works for many tastes and genres. The Roland Jazz Chorus is really something special.

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Roland Blues Cube Hot Solid State Combo Amp

roland-blues-cube-solid-state-guitar-ampSpecs, features, and benefits

The Roland Blues Cube Hot is a 30-Watts solid state amp with a 12-Inch speaker. On the control panel, first, we have the Volume control knob with two push buttons, Boost, and Tone. The Boost will add some girth, and the Tone will enhance the high-end of your sound. Next, we have the three-band EQ section with Bass, Middle, and Treble control knobs, the Reverb and the Master control knob, the Power Control switch, and the Power switch.

The Power Control switch lets you choose the amp’s power, 0.5W, 5W, 15W, and MAX (30W) are available. On the back panel of the amp is the Footswitch input, the Headphones out, the Line out, and the USB-port – Record out. It is a transistor amp, but it sounds very much like a valve-tube amp. Great, compact, sturdy-built solid state amp. Modern, yet vintage sounding amp.

Pros and Highlights

  • Power control – You can set the power value on the amp, this is great for using it at home, for practice, and for gigging at smaller stages too.
  • Great tone – The amp sounds fantastic! It feels like a vintage tube amp.
  • Record out – You can record your amp directly in your computer!

Cons and Potential Flaws

  • No cons! – The Roland Blues Cube is truly a great amp. Roland is making top-notch products.
    It might be a bit pricey for some of you, but the tone you can get out of this thing is priceless.

Bottom line

If you haven’t still tried it out, we encourage you to do so. The Roland Blues Cube Hot is a transistor 30-Watt amp, but it could easily be mistaken for a valve-tube amp. It sounds vintage, yet it is very modern. The three-band EQ is very responsive, the Power control is an amazing feature, and the Record out USB-port is the cherry on the top. Great amp!

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Boss Katana-Head 100W Solid State Amp Head

boss-katana-solid-state-amp-headSpecs, features, and benefits

The Boss Katana Head is a sturdily 100-Watt solid state amp head that offers a lot of flexibility. It is very sturdy-built, and it gives the player a lot of space to play with their sound.

On the control panel right next to the input is the Amp Type rotary switch, with five modes available (Acoustic, Clean, Crunch, Lead, and Brown), the Gain and the Volume control knob.

Then we have the EQ section with three controls: Bass, Middle, and Treble. The Effects section consists of three control knobs and three push-buttons for dialing the perfect sound color to your tone. It has three distortions, six modulation effects, three delays, and three types of reverb available.

Then it has the Tone Setting section, which is basically five push-buttons for saving and selecting five channel presets on the fly. Under that, we have the Presence and Master control knobs, the Power Control rotary-switch, and the Power on/off switch. The Power control lets you set the amp’s power at different values, 0.5W, 50W, and 100W, or on Standby mode.

On the back of the head you can find the Speaker Output, the Phones/Record Out, the Aux-in, the Line Out, the Effects loop Send/Return inputs, the USB-port (which allows you both to record and to edit your presets with the Boss Tone Studio software), the Foot Controller inputs, and the Midi in. The Boss Tone Control software has fifty-five Boss effects, and you can have fifteen of them on the amp head at the same time, and you can also edit and save presets, or you can choose from the existing in the program, which are made by world-known guitar players. Great solid-state head with a lot of flexibility.

Pros and Highlights

  • Powerful – This amp head is very powerful. It is so loud, that can be played on big stadiums and arenas.
  • Flexible – The amp head itself plus the Boss Tone Control software allow you to have a ton of sound choices.
  • Amazing value – The amp is one of the best 100-Watt heads in its price point.

Cons and Potential Flaws

  • Modern design – You just might not love the modern control panel or the overall sound of the amp. The chances are, if you are metalhead – you will love this amp, but if you are not, you might not.

Bottom line

The Boss Katana head is a powerful amp. It has a lot of flexibility, it is extra loud, and has a good number of features on it. For the price range it’s in, it stands high on the list. However, if you are an older guy with massive experience with guitar amps, you might lack the warmth of the valve-tube amp sound. The Boss Katana is most compatible with metal-heads.

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Line 6 Spider V 240 HC

line-6-spider-v-solid-state-amplifier-headSpecs, features, and benefits

The Line 6 Spider V 240 HC is a powerful amp head with a lot of flexibility. Actually, not only it has the power to drive any speaker cabinet, but it is also a combo amp with a built-in speaker system with two four-Inch speakers and dual tweeters for using it for practice.

It is packed up with more than two-hundred amps, cabinets, and effects – allowing you to set pretty much any guitar sound imaginable. You can have up to eight effects at a time!

On the control panel, there are 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, we have the built-in modeling processor with its dedicated controls packed with a bunch of amps, cab, and effects, a built-in tuner, metronome, and even real drummer loops. Then, we have the Master control knob and the Phones out.

On the backside of the head you can find the power switch, the aux-in, the FBV pedal input, the two USB ports (You can connect this amp with IOS devices, Mac, PC, and Android for recording/editing presets), the Ground/Lift switch, the Direct outputs, the Cabinet Modeling on/off switch, and the two Speaker outs.

The Line 6 240 HC also has an internal wireless receiver that is compatible with the Relay G10T transmitter, meaning you can go wireless in seconds.

Pros and Highlights

  • Flexible – You can use this amp both as a head paired with a big cabinet for large venue gigs and as a combo for smaller venue gigs/practice situations.
  • Versatile – The Spider V 240 HC is offering a wide palette of sounds and features.
  • USB connectivity – This feature makes this amp perfect for the younger generation of guitar players. Great for recording and editing presets.

Cons and Potential Flaws

  • Digital – If you are from the younger generation of guitar players, you won’t have any problem with this amp. However, if you are older, more-experienced guitar fella, you will notice a problem occurring with every modeling amp out there. They sound poor. It just does not have those sweet, sweet spots like the older amps. It all sounds “digital”!

Bottom line

The Line 6 Spider V 240 HC is a flexible, versatile guitar head/combo amp that can serve a lot of different guitar players and situations. The modeling processor is full with a ton of different sounds, and the USB connectivity is something a lot of players will appreciate.

However, if you are an older guitar player, and you are used to the older stacks, amps, combos, just continue reading – you might get disappointed with how this amp sounds.

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Marshall CODE25 Solid State Combo Amplifier

marshall-solid-state-combo-ampSpecs, features, and benefits

The Marshall Code25 is a 25-Watt modeling solid-state 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 the small venue gigs! – 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.

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Fender Champion 100 Solid State Guitar Amp

fender-champion-solid-state-combo-guitar-ampSpecs, features, and benefits

Fender Champion 100 is a 100-Watts solid state combo amp with two twelve-Inch Fender Special Design speakers. It is powerful, loud, and with that classic Fender tone – it is one of the best solid-state amps on the market.

It has two, switchable channels. The first channel is providing the classic, clean Fender tone, and has control knobs for Volume, Treble, Bass, FX level, and FX Select with Tap-tempo button. The second channel has controls for Gain, Volume, Voice (Tweed, British, Blackface, Metal, and Jazz amp voices), Treble, Middle, Bass, FX Level, FX Select, and Tap Tempo button.

Then we have the Aux-in, the Headphones out, Pre-amp out, and the Power In. The Fender Champion 100 is a no-nonsense solid-state amp that offers a good amount of flexibility
for every kind of player.

Pros and Highlights

  • Sounds great – With this amp, you will get a lot of the classic Fender-amp sounds.
  • Flexible – The FX and the Amp-Voicings on the amp allow you to have different sounds for different music situations.
  • Easy to use – No-nonsense – just plug, turn around the knobs, and play!

Cons and Potential Flaws

  • It is not of the top-notch quality that we are used to having with Fenders – The Champion 100 is not the same quality as the Fender amps we used to have a while ago. It doesn’t sound and perform as a Tweed or a Princeton. But it is cheaper than them, so yeah – you get what you pay for…

Bottom line

The Fender 100 is a no-nonsense solid-state amp, that has flexibility, yet is not overwhelming like many of the modern-day guitar amps are. Many players love this amp unconditionally, while others don’t like it all due to the poor quality of sound and performance in comparison with other Fender amps. It is a good amp – but there are better ones too!

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Orange Crush CR120H Amp Head

orange-cr120h-solidstate-amplifier-headSpecs, features, and benefits

The Orange CR120H is an analog solid-state amp with 120-Watts of power.  Right next to the power switch on the control panel is the Clean/Dirty channel switch.

Then we have the Master Volume control knob, and the Reverb level knob and Spring/Hall/Plate toggle switch. Next on the control panel is the Dirty channel control section featuring control knobs for Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass, and Gain. And last we have the Clean channel control knobs, Treble, Bass, and Volume.

The Orange Crush 120 Head sounds great both clean and distorted. It is very articulated-sounding amp – which is why Orange is holding its place every guitarist’s top amp list.
On the back of the head, you can find the Effects loop, the Channel and the Reverb footswitch inputs, and the Speaker outputs.

Pros and Highlights

  • Powerful! – This the most powerful amp Orange produces. And man, it is powerful!
  • Sounds awesome – The Orange CR120H sounds great both clean and dirty!
  • Easy to use – No bells & whistles – just the core needs to get a great tone.

Cons and Potential Flaws

  • No cons!

Bottom line

Orange amplifiers are well-known for their intuitive layout of controls, great and articulate sound, and their sturdiness. The Orange CR120H is just what we’ve mentioned – sounds great, it’s easy to use, it’s powerful, and it’s sturdy. Great amp!

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Roland CUBE Street Solid-state Amp

roland-cube-street-wireless-solid-state-combo-amplifierSpecs, features, and benefits

Roland Cube Street is an awesome amplifier specially designed for the needs of the busking musicians. It has two separate channels, Mic/Line channel, and Guitar/Instrument channel. In the Mic/Line channel you can plug an XLR cable for your microphone or the standard 1/4 cable.

It has dedicated Bass, Treble, Volume, and Delay/Reverb control knobs

In the Guitar/Instrument channel you have:

  • Bass, Middle, Treble control knobs
  • Nine different amp models
  • Modulation effects control knob, and Delay/Reverb control knob
  • Dedicated Gain and Volume control knobs

Right above the power switch, there are the Headphones out, and the Aux in. On the back panel of the amp, you can find the power adaptor input, the battery compartment, and the Effect Loops for the two channels. The amp can run on six AA batteries up to fifteen hours.

Pros and Highlights

  • Two channels! – You can plug your guitar and microphone on this amp, or you can form a duo and play with this amp together!
  • Versatile – The amp simulations and the effects allow you to tune in many different sounds.
  • Great for busking – The batteries last long enough, it has two separate channels, it is light, and it is sturdily built!

Cons and Potential Flaws

  • Pricey – It is pricier than the other portable amps, but it is worth every penny!

Bottom line

If you are a busker, this amp is a great choice. It is also good for smaller gigs, practice and similar situations. It is light, but it’s sturdy built. The fact that it has two channels is amazing, the amp simulations are cool, and the effects are great! It might be a bit pricey, but if you are a busker you probably need it. It is worth every penny!

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Orange Crush20RT Combo Solid State

orange-solid-state-guitar-amplifierSpecs, features, and benefits

The Orange Crush20RT is a 20-Watt solid state combo amp with an eight-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. On the back panel, you can find the Footswitch input and the power switch. The Orange Crush20RT is a great sounding, sturdy, and compact solid-state combo amp.

Pros and Highlights

  • Affordable – For the price of this amp, you probably can’t find a better amp!
  • Compact – Great for practicing and for smaller gigs!
  • Sounds great!

Cons and Potential Flaws

  • Too small for Metal! – Don’t get this wrong, the Dirty channel sounds great, but if you are a metal-head guitar player it will not satisfy your hunger for grit – The speaker is too small for that kind of sound.

Bottom line

If you are looking for a small, solid-state combo amp, Orange Crush20RT is one of the best. It will serve you both for practice and for small venue gigs. However, if you are looking for an amp that will provide massive tones – just keep reading, this amp is too small for that.

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Fender Mustang GT 40 Solid State Modeling Amp

fender-mustang-gt-40-solid-state-modeling-ampSpecs, features, and benefits

The Fender Mustang GT40 is a solid-state modeling combo amp with 40-Watts of power and two 6.5-Inch speakers and a lot of modern features. It is the first amp that has Wi-Fi, which means you can download new presets with the Fender Tone app anywhere where you have an internet connection. You can also control the amp’s sound with your phone via Bluetooth, and if that’s not enough – you still have the USB-port for editing presets, recording, etc.

On the amp, you have the standard layout of control knobs: Gain, Volume, Treble, Bass, and Master. Then you have the modeling processor that is loaded with twenty-one amp-models and forty-seven effects. It also features a built-in tuner, metronome, etc.  Tons of flexibility, right?

Pros and Highlights

  • Flexible – The amp has a lot of different sounds to offer!
  • Modern – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB connectivity, Amp modeling, Effects…
  • Compact – This amp will save you space, it is compact, and you can probably keep it on your desktop.

Cons and Potential Flaws

  • Poor sound quality – Yup, it is too small. And it does not sound great. There are the other models from the GT series, but they too sound somehow digital. Some players may not have a problem with that, but many don’t like the amp’s sound.

Bottom line

The Fender Mustang GT40 is one of the most modern amps on the market. It has all the modern features you can think of and offers a lot of sound flexibilities. However, if you are looking for a sturdy, good sounding, serious solid-state amp, you have to look further. The GT40 is just too small to handle serious tone. And it sounds digital.

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Marshall Code100C Digital Solid State Amp

marshall-code100c-digital-solid-state-ampSpecs, features, and benefits

The Marshall Code100C is a 100-Watt solid state combo with two 12-Inch speakers with a lot of modern features and flexibility.

The amp 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 speaker-emulations, and twenty-four effects. On the backside of the amp, you can find the Effects Loop and the input for an additional speaker. The amp comes with the two-button footswitch, for having flexibility on the fly.

Pros and Highlights

  • Modern – This amp features some of the most up-to-date features, like editing, and saving presets via your IOS or Android device.
  • Versatile – The Marshall Code100C offers a lot of different sounds. From classic tone from the sixties to modern-day high-gain guitar sound – you have it all – on board!
  • Affordable – This amp is pretty affordable for what it offers.

Cons and Potential Flaws

  • Poor sound quality – It lacks a decent low end. Sounds boxy…

Bottom line

If you are a beginner in the world of guitar playing the Marshall Code100C may work wonders for you. However, if you are a more experienced guitar player and a tone-freak, you might not like this amp at all. Try it before you buy it.

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What We Recommend and Why

There are a lot of good options on the market if you are looking for a good solid-state amp.

If you are looking for the best one, we recommend checking out the Roland Jazz Chorus 120. It is probably the best sounding solid state amp ever, it has characteristic sound, it is sturdy built, and it will last decades. The Clean on the JC-120 is amazing, and the Reverb and Chorus effects are something special.

Many legendary guitarists have used this amp both live and in the studio. It is a bit pricey – but you get what you pay for! If you are looking for a cheaper option, anywhere and anyhow – we suggest that you try it before you buy it.

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