One of the best ways to improve your guitar sound is to invest in a good amp. Whether you’re a seasoned player looking for an amp with great tone that’s reliable (go ahead and skip to the good stuff a bit further down the page) or you’re just starting out, you’ve come to the right place. Learning to tweak an amp takes time. No matter what you jam on, you’ll need to spend some time with it to understand how it can complement your unique playing style. The features I typically focus on when deciding what to buy are:
Tone
As a rock & roll player, when I think tone I think of a deluxe reverb sound – aka classic rock & roll. I want my amp to be rich and full, reminiscent of that benchmark 60s and 70s sound. Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Guess Who, and Heart comes to mind.
Power
When I was younger, I thought all that mattered was bigger, taller, and LOUDER. My first really good amp was a ’66 Fender Vibrolux Reverb. The amps of today are rated RMS (Root Mean Square) and are louder than their predecessors of the 70s classic rock era, so you really don’t need as much power as you used to in order to achieve the same loudness.
Reliability
Reliability is a double-edged sword. Do you want a tube amp, with its rich, warm sound, or do you want a solid-state, which can sound a bit “brittle”, but can have a lot more effects to modulate? Tube amps tend to require maintenance more often since each individual tube (and there are typically 4-7 tubes per amp) can burn out. They also require more warm up time, but the payoff for the tone quality can be well worth it.
Solid-state amps have made huge strides in reliability and sound quality recently and are usually lower in cost. They can also put out some very unique sounds since they tend to have a lot more effect variables.
Affordability
Pretty self explanatory. If you’re a serious player or want to get serious about your playing, you may want to put some money into a purchase. If you’re just starting out, I’d recommend going for the best value or most reliable amp in this list.
Now that you’ve gotten an overview, let’s take a look at some of the best amps I’ve had the pleasure of playing and see how they compare. Each of the amps listed in this article are rated on a scale of 1-5 based on their unique qualities and how they compare to other amps on the market.
#4 – Roland’s JC-40 Jazz Chorus (solid state)
The Roland JC-40 Jazz Chorus is a solid-state amp with several effects: Reverb, Vibrato, and the great Stereo Chorus effect that Roland is known for. It’s 40 watts through two 10″ custom speakers, with a lush reverb, making it a great choice for rock & roll and country music players. The JC-40 is in the medium price range, coming in around $650.
Watch a demo of the JC-40 Jazz Chorus.
#3 – Mesa/Boogie Mark Five (tube amp)
The Mesa Boogie is one of the strongest amps I’ve ever played, with great tone. Played the heck out of it. It’s good for rock, country, blues, and jazz. It’s got three channels, and Boogie invented the “Cascading Gain” which lent a tremendous power boost to the original Fender Bassman® circuit.
It’s on the heavier side (give or take 80lbs, depending on speaker choice), but boy, does it sound good. Definitely still portable, it’s a good choice for a musician who needs a strong presence during loud gigs. Just be sure you’ve got the right crew (or are lifting weights regularly) before you haul it around all by yourself.
Watch a demo of the Mesa/Boogie Mark Five.