Alright so by now you must have chosen your preferred electric guitar and now you want to buy a guitar amplifier and start your electric guitar journey, Look no further! We’ve got you covered.
Today we will look deep into the top five guitar amplifiers available in the market for you.
The guitar is the easiest instrument to play and the hardest to play well.” – Andres Segovia.
Guitar Amplifier
First, let’s understand what a guitar amplifier is.
In the most simple words, It is a gadget which takes the electrical signal coming from the pickup of your guitar, through a cable and processes it to create and/or amplify the sound using a speaker.
Guitar amplifiers play a big role in shaping the tone/sound of any guitar player.
The sound/tone that you hear while listening to a recorded song or even live, depends on many factors such as the type of guitar, pickups, amplifiers, processing units and the speakers. But guitar Amplifiers can easily be considered the piece that affects the tone majorly.
An amplifier for beginners would be something which is called a combo, it consists of a Pre amp section, a Power amp section and a speaker cabinet built into one single piece of gear.
We can learn about this later on as it is a slightly advanced and more technical topic to cover.
Today we will look at the top 5 amps for you to choose from the market.
1. Marshall MG 15 Gold:
Marshall is probably the most respected brand when it comes to speakers and guitar amplifiers. It is more than just a brand, it is a legacy.
MG 15 is perfect for any beginner looking after that classic Marshall sound. This amplifier is straight up plug and play and get a good sound type of gear. It doesn’t offer a lot of features but the sound alone makes up for it. You have the options of two channels, clean and overdriven with three band equalizers to shape your tone further.
With Control knobs : Clean volume, Channel select button, Overdrive, Gain, Overdrive, Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble
AND one 8 ohm speaker is loud enough to have a bedroom concert.
Some other features include :
Channels / Presets: Clean, Crunch, OD1, OD2
Total Power (RMS): 15W
Headphones out
AUX IN
2. Boss Katana-50 MKII 50 Watt 12″ :
Ever since Boss released their Katana series they have dominated the market and for the right reasons. They provide all the features that one can ask for in a practice amp. It is a 50 watt combo amp with a 12 inch speaker, so expect it to be LOUD. This amplifier also lets you choose between different watt options of the amp, like 25W and even 0.5W for those quiet bedroom practice sessions.
It has five different channels Clean, Crunch, Lead, Brown, and Acoustic and Five different effects that work independently Booster, Mod, FX, Delay, and Reverb. You can get really creative with it and experiment with different sounds and effects. It also offers a lot of connectivity options for you to run your backing tracks, metronome etc.
All in all, this guitar amplifier is worth every buck.
Some additional features include :
AUX IN
Channels / Presets: Acoustic, Clean, Crunch, Lead, Brown
Effects: Delay, Reverb, FX
Equalizer: 3-band EQ
Headphones out
Speaker Size: 1 x 12″
Total Power (RMS): 50W
USB connectivity
Did You Know?
The Most Expensive Guitar Ever Sold, Cashed Out For A Whopping $2.8million!
3. Blackstar IDCORE10 10W:
This 10-watt monster is perhaps the best choice for you. It has so many options for a beginner to find their sound and experiment with different genres. From crazy overdrives to clean blues, this guitar amplifier can do it all. It’s small, easy to carry, and has a normal headphone jack. It also comes with free recording and editing software for both MAC and PC. A 20 watt version of the same amp could be a better choice for you but even the 10 watt version will do just fine. The channels Clean Warm, Clean Bright, Crunch, Super Crunch, OD 1, and OD 2 and the EQ are enough for you to dial your signature tone.
Some other features include :
AUX IN
Effects: Delay, Reverb, FX
Headphones out
Speaker Size: 2 x 3″
Total Power (RMS): 10W
USB connection
4. Fender Champion 20W Combo:
Fender can be easily considered as the top contenders when it comes to quality guitar amplifiers, they have been in the game since the beginning of the guitar amplifier era.
The champion series is made for beginners but the tones which can be produced by this amp don’t justify the price of this amp, and we mean it in a good way. This little powerhouse can be used to play anything from jazz to country, blues to metal and a number of other genres. The amp features 8″ specially designed full-range speakers which can be loud enough for your jam sessions and even small gigs.
Some other features include:
Power: 20 Watts
Speaker: 8-inch
1/8″ Stereo for Use with Media Player
Headphone Jack is 1/8″ Stereo
5. Line 6 Spider V 30W MKII :
If you are an experienced guitar player, you probably saw this coming, didn’t you?
Well, you can blame us for putting this here in our top 5 list. This guitar amplifier is worth every single penny. Some hate it and some love it but this amp here might be the best choice for you. This amp is full of features to make your life as a guitarist easier,
128 presets featuring a variety of classic and modern tones, Over 200 amps, cabs, and effects, Tuner, metronome, and jam-along drum loops. The possibilities with this one are endless, so if you ever get a chance to try it out, you know what to do.
Let’s check out some additional features of this amp:
AUX IN
Channels / Presets: 128
Effects: Multiple
Equalizer: 3-band EQ
Headphones Out
Speaker Size: 1 x 8″
Total Power (RMS): 30W
USB connectivity
Playing the G Major Chord on Guitar, one of the most played open chords on guitar is a must know for guitar beginners
FAQs
1. What is a guitar amp?
It is a gadget which takes the electrical signal coming from the pickup of your guitar, through a cable and processes it to create and/or amplify the sound using a speaker.
2. Do I need a guitar amp to play electric guitar?
Yes.
3. What are the different types of guitar amplifier?
The most common ones are your Tube amps and Solid state amps. They are usually connected to a speaker cabinet. You will also come across Combo amps which is basically your amplifier section and speaker section built into one device.
4. How do I choose a guitar amplifier?
You need to find the style of music that you want to play and choose the amp which matches that style of music. For example if you are a blues or jazz player you might want to look into Fender amps.
While for slightly more overdriven and rock sounds you can go for Marshall amps or Orange Amps.
Your budget also plays a big role in this, but please do your research before buying your amplifier. More expensive doesn’t always mean better.
5. What is the best guitar amp for home use?
You can choose any options that we have mentioned above.
