Common to us all guitarist beginners and old players alike. There is nothing like the feeling of an arrival of a fresh gear and as the saying goes in our chosen field of instrument, there is always a room for one more, or to make one, I may add. Whether it is for a shinny new guitar to join the collection, a stompbox perhaps to be added on the pedalboard, and of course, the guitar amplifier to use for a specific job purpose.
In the world of guitar amplifiers, functionality always meets purpose and the size of the amp is actually a category. So on this case, shopping for a small amplifier with serious tones, flexibility and can be loud enough to be greatly utilize for home practice, jam sessions in lower volumes and also to include studio recordings and sometimes can be the appropriate size guitar amplifier to bring on small venues to gig with.
At this budget, players can already have a fun time picking an amp on a high note that are coming from brands best-known in the industry for their amplification technology. The choices of combo and head amps these brands offers ranges from circuit based solid state amplifiers, featured pack hybrid modeling amps and all valve driven amp that are reasonably priced to get that pure vintage sound.
So to close with, if you want something compact and an amplifier that is never going to be sidelined even if you elect to upgrade on a massive sounding amp to play with in the near future. The smaller amp you’ll own today will still continue to offer that kind of usability and lasting value.
Affiliate Disclosure
constantinecruz.com is a participant of Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. It is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide websites a means to earn money by advertising products by linking to Amazon.com.
This post contains paid links: If visitors of the site uses the links to buy items. “As an Amazon Associates I earn from qualifying purchases” at no extra cost to you. Learn more
ZT Amplifiers Lunchbox Junior
- 35 watts class D powered mini guitar amplifier
- 5” inches custom designed speaker
- Housed in a sealed cabinet
- Controls on the top panel consisting are the volume, gain, tone controls to blend-in classic and modern tones
- Switchable to run on 115V to 230V power
- Can power and daisy chain 9V pedals
- The back panel is consisting of the power On/Off switch, headphone out, aux-in, speaker On/Off, 12V DC in and 9V DC out
Leading the way for our list of best guitar amps within the three hundred dollar budget range is this pro-grade mini portable amplifier from ZT called the ZT Lunchbox Junior. This amp can run on 115V to 230V power outlet and when traveling on a car, it can be powered using an optional ZT battery pack sold separately with the amp or by car adapter cable. When it comes to size and portability, the Junior takes up no space to place it anywhere while sounding great, and not to forget to mention, it also has a 9V power output to daisy chain your favorite pedals without an outlet.
This amp maybe small and looks like a toy at first glance, but this desktop amplifier can punch a 35 watts class D powered on its 5” inch speaker housed in a sealed cabinet. Controls for the amp are located on the top panel consisting only of a volume, gain, tone controls that are very simple to operate for players to blend-in classic and modern tones. The Junior may not have the high output capability of its big brother the 200 watts ZT Lunchbox, but it can still put out rich tones and a surprising amount of volume for a successful day of practice.
Yamaha THR10II
- 20 watts desktop guitar amplifier
- 2×3.1” inches speaker
- Rugged and stylish casing
- 15 guitar amp models, 3 bass amp models, 3 mic models for acoustic-electrics, and flat voicings
- Effects with the amp are chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, echo, echo/rev, spring reverb and hall reverb
- 5 user memory and built-in chromatic tuner
- Top panel controls are amp, gain, master, bass, middle, treble, effect, echo/rev, guitar output, audio output, user memory switch, and tap/tuner switch
- Instrument input, aux-in and headphone out
Arriving on a sweet spot using a gigging amp for practice can be loud, and we all know that there are still certain limitation on the level noise we can bring inside the house. So having that in mind to consider, guitar players like you and me will need some kind of second amplification to let us continue playing, and what better way to do this is by using some kind of a small combo amp or with an off-stage desktop amp like what Yamaha have in their THR line.
The THR amplifiers which includes now Yamaha THR10II are well thought out desktop recording amps that can give players a lot of sought after tones and are delivered in mellower volumes. Every models of the THR10II has something different to offer just like the ones brought by the popular THR10(V.2) and the smaller THR5(V.2), and let us mention as well the extreme high-gain stacks of the THR10X, THR5A for silent guitar or acoustic electric guitar, and last but not the least, the THR10C that can produce hand-wired boutique amps sounds.
Orange Crush 35RT
- 35 watt guitar combo amplifier
- 1×10” inches custom voice of the world speaker
- Housed in the legendary orange picture frame cabinet with woven grill cloth
- 2 channel amp for clean and high gain tones
- Controls are channel switch, clean and dirty channel with separate volume knobs, 3-band EQ treble-mid-bass and gain control
- With a built-in spring reverb effect and a chromatic tuner
- Set of input/output jacks for a headphone and audio source to play along with a backing track
The Orange Crush series of amps is considered by many guitar players out there as one of the best if not the very best plug and play solid state amplifiers available in the market today with a friendly low price. The Crush models begins with the 3 watt battery powered Crush Mini followed by the Crush 12 and Crush 20, then later Orange decided to make an upgrade to the series by adding the Crush 20RT and Crush 35RT that both have a built-in digital spring reverb and chromatic tuner to keep your guitar in perfect pitch all the time.
Among the Crush amplifiers that have been enumerated, the Crush 35RT is favorably the best option to take and fits perfectly this budget. This amp is a 35 watt solid state combo amplifier with a 10” inch custom voice of the world speaker housed in the legendary orange picture frame cabinet with a basket weave speaker cover and always has been a part of every orange amps distinctive main features.
The good classic sound of this twin channel amp is dialed-in using its separate volume knob for the clean and dirty channel mix with the gain control, 3-band EQ bass-mid-treble and digital spring reverb. The amp also comes with a headphone out to quiet down, aux-in to play with a backing track and a fully buffered low impedance effects loop that allows for any number of effects and cables to be patched between the amp’s input and output sections without sacrificing the tone.
Laney LG35R
- 35 watts solid state guitar amplifier
- 1×10” inches custom-designed speaker
- Black cabinet with black grill cloth
- 2 channel guitar combo amp With clean and overdrive channels
- Controlled by a volume, drive, master, scoop switch for that classic British gain tone, reverb effect and 3-band EQ bass-middle-treble to yield a range of tones in clean and when on overdrive
- Added features on this amp are the CD input for audio source, footswitch, extension speaker jack and a headphone socket output for intimate practice sessions
The LG series of amps by Laney that include the LG35R combo are specifically geared for guitar players on their initial stage of playing by offering them a kind of amplification to discover their own personal tones without having to empty their pockets. This particular model featured here, the LG35R 35 watts combo amplifier with a built-in reverb is already the loudest in the LG series. This is mainly because when compared to the other two models, the LG12 and LG20R that comes also with reverb effect, both of these amps has lower wattage of power.
The Laney LG35R is design with a 10” inch custom-designed speaker placed on a sturdy open back cabinet finished in a black tolex with a basket weave cover and reinforced by solid plastic corners. For sound delivery, the amp is on cue using its clean and overdrive channels controlled by a volume, master and global bass-middle-treble 3-band EQ to yield a range of tones in clean and when on overdrive. Added features on this amp is the radical scoop switch for that classic British gain tone, CD input for audio source, footswitch, extension speaker jack and a headphone socket output for intimate practice sessions.
Randall RG80
- 80 watts solid state guitar amplifier
- 1×12” inches speaker
- House on a sturdy cabinet covered in black tolex with a steel fence speaker cover
- 2 channel guitar amplifier with a separate gain and volume controls, 3-band EQ bass-mid-treble, presence knob and bulit-in reverb
- Features a headphone output, stereo media input, speaker emulated XLR direct output with ground lift, footswtich, extension speaker and an FX loop send/return
Catering for players in the realms of playing hard rock and all forms of metal. Randall offers their version of a small two channel solid state amp that basically lean towards these kinds of genre music, which other guitar amplifiers arguably are not built to do so. It is a loud 80 watt amp with a high gain channel to not lose the necessary beefiness when playing overdriven. While the type of clean channel offered by the amp is punchy clear with a little bit of weight on the overall feel on the sound to remain aggressively biting in rockin the house down.
Now for a quick run down on the controls and features of the Randall RG80 combo amplifier. This amp is house on a sturdy cabinet covered in black tolex with a steel fence speaker cover to protect the amp 12” inch speaker. Controls are placed on the front panel for an easy access on the two channels gain and master volume knobs, as well the amp 3-band EQ bass-mid-treble, presence knob and its bulit-in reverb. The amp also includes in its features a headphone output, stereo media input, speaker emulated XLR direct output with ground lift, footswtich and an FX loop to handle the nastiest of pedals.
Peavey Vypyr VIP 2
- 40 watts guitar modeling amplifier
- 1×12” inches custom voiced modeling speaker
- 36 amp models to capture as many tones that you want
- 26 total on-board amp accessible effects
- 12 amp accessible stompbox models plus delay reverb and wa
- Use up to 5 effects simultaneously
- On-borad looper, tap tempo and chromatic tuner
- Headphone jack, aux-in jack, midi-audio record out and USB port to plug into the computer
- And many more
Recordings sessions without even leaving the comfort of your home and play all the string instrument part using a single guitar amplifier is made easy as well affordable by the Peavey Vypyr VIP 2.This modeling genius of an amp is the first of its kind that contains an electric guitar, bass guitar, acoustic guitar amp models etc and delivered in 40 watts of power.
This innovative guitar amp is driven by a transtube analog circuit combined with a 32-bit floating point SHARC processors to create modeling amplifiers that sounds like real tube amplifier. The WYSIWYG controls (what you see is what you get) found on the front panel is direct in channeling-in the sounds for all three instruments consisting of 24 electric guitar models, 6 acoustic models, and 6 bass models. Other features that comes with the amp are headphone jack, midi-audio record out, aux-in jack and USB port to plug into the computer to record and access the Vypr edit software.
Boss Katana-50
- 50 watts guitar modeling amplifier
- Custom 12” inches speaker
- 1st section on the control panel is the 5 unique amp characters to dial-in a clean, crunch, lead, brown amp, and has an acoustic channel with gain and volume control
- 2nd section on the control panel is the 3-band EQ bass-middle-treble
- 3rd section onthe control panel is the customizable effects
- 4 section and final section on the control panel is the On/Off switch, master volume, tone setting and power control from standby, 0.5W, 25W and 50W
Are you looking for a guitar amp that can manufacture a variety of sounds of different amplifiers and comes ready loaded with on-board digital effects just like having to play with a multi-effects processor. Coz if that is what you want on an amplifier, this modeling amp from Boss, the Katana-50 and its other flagship models in the Katana line is all you’ll ever need. This amp is quiet light compared to a tube driven amp and solid state amp due to its computer based technology and the use of chips to harness the commanding sound of all the great amps that came before it.
With 50 watts of power and a custom 12-inch speaker, the Katana-50 can easily deliver gig-worthy tones for home playing, band practice, small gigs and the perfect amp to use for studio recordings. The efficient design and innovations it brings to table starts with its five unique amp characters to dial-in a clean, crunch, lead, brown amp, and has an acoustic channel for an acoustic electric guitar. Aside from that, the amp is fully loaded with a huge selection of customizable effects and effect routing configurations by simply using the Boss Tone Studio editor software.
Also situated on the top panel of the amp to shape further the sound are the dedicated gain control, EQ controls, and effects controls for smoothly adjusting or swiftly replacing the effects being use. Additional main features are the tone setting memories for storing and recalling all the amps and effect settings you have already configured.
Vox VT40X Valvetronix
- 40 watts guitar modeling amplifier
- 1×12” inches standard speaker
- 1x12AX7 tube on the preamp section
- All black motif Vox cabinet with the classic chicken fence grill and chicken knobs
- Top panel above controls are the amp model selector, gain, volume, 3-band EQ bass-mid-treble,, power level and power On/Off
- Top panel bellow controls are user programs, effects selector, value 1 and value 2
- Bias shift and class button changes the feel of the sound
- Built-in tuner
- Instrument input, aux-in, headphones out, footswitch and USB connectivity
Another modeling amplifier joining our list to be consider by players that is loaded with realistic amp models to play with and has a number of oftenly used effects stored on its memory bank is the Vox VT40X guitar modeling combo amplifier. This modeling amp is unique to its competitors for having a 12AX7 tube on the preamp section that works well side by side with the amp’s virtual element technology power engine that recreates a power tube reaction digitally and the end product, players will receive a more dynamic tube like sound.
To get a better view of the Vox VT40X, all three VTX amplifier models to include the VT20X and VT100X from Vox are housed in a similar tightly sealed cabinet with the famous diamond grill cloth cover in black to deliver stunning resonance and better bass response. For controls, they are still completely the same for each amps located on the top portion consisting of rotary knobs for the gain, volume, 3-band EQ bass-mid-treble, amp model selector, and pressable buttons to select the bank where to store presets and for the effects control.
Other useful features to anticipate that comes along with the amps are the built-in tuner, attenuator switch, aux-in jack, headphones out, and USB connectivity for simple integration of the amp with a PC, Mac, or even iOS and Android platforms and as well to access the new Vox Tone Room software to customize the existing amp models, presets and effects yourself.
Monoprice 611815 Guitar Tube Combo Amplifier
- 15 watts guitar tube combo amplifier
- 3x12AX7 preamp tubes and 2xEL84 tubes for the power section
- 1×12” inches Celestion speaker to push a clearer sound
- Housed in a rudimentary and classic style cabinet with grill cloth
- Front panel controls are gain, master volume, tone, 3-band EQ bass-mid-treble, genuine spring reverb effect and 1W to 15W switch
- At the back panel are the FX loop, footswitch and speaker out to plug a cabinet
Ready to get your feet wet and wanting to hear how you will sound playing with an all tube combo amplifier, but the only thing that’s keeping you back is a limited budget. Well it is time now to put that thought behind and here’s the good news that you actually can without pulling out a huge sum off your savings in the bank with the Monoprice tube combo amplifier.
This 15 watt amp is spot-on in delivering superior tube tone quality using three 12AX7 preamp tubes, and in its power section a pair of EL84 tubes that can produce a massive loud sound. The amp is also equipped with 1×12” inches Celestion speaker to push a clearer sound and has a genuine spring reverb effect which is fairly the closest you can find, placed on an expensive tube amplifiers.
Operating the amp is by using its front panel controls to tweak the overall tones composed of a gain, master volume, tone and a 3-band EQ bass-mid-treble to even shape the sound. Additional feature that makes it an awesome package is the presence of an FX loop to insert effects between the preamp and power amp sections for a more versatile sound, attenuator button to play in 1 watt or full 15 watt, speaker out to plug a cabinet, and on/off footswitch for the reverb.
Bugera V5 Infinium
- 5 watts all tube driven guitar combo amplifier
- 1×8” inches Turbosound speaker
- Well designed boutique style housing
- 1x12AX7 preamp tube and 1xEL34 power tube
- Front panel controls are gain, tone, volume, reverb and On/Off power switch
- Revolutionary Infinium tube life multiplier that extends the life of the expensive power tube up to 20 times
- Speaker out, headphone out and attenuator switch 0.1W, 1W and 5W
Most tube combo amplifiers become more expensive when they possess a much higher power output wattage which makes the amp sound cleaner, bigger and far louder. Then adding to that is the built-in features that will come also with the amp which even more put extra money on the bill. However not on this case with the Bugera V5 Infinium that starts brand new under the two hundred dollar range and probably can get it even lower in the used market.
On the inside of the Bugera V5 Infinium guitar combo amplifier you’ll find 1x12AX7 preamp tube, and a single EL34 tube onto its power section that gives the amp the 5 watts power and the all iconic all valve tones. For added features and versatility on the sound it can produce, this 5 watt all tube driven amplifier features a 1×8” inches Turbosound speaker, reverb effect, attenuator switch at the back, speaker out and it has the revolutionary Infinium tube life multiplier that extends the life of the expensive power tube up to 20 times for a great value.
Blackstar HT-1R MKII
- 1 watt all tube guitar amplifier
- 1xECC83 preamp section and 1xECC82 tube on power section
- 1×8” inches speaker
- Familiar all black cabinet with cloth speaker cover and Blackstar logo
- Controls for the amp are gain, overdrive select button, volume, voice button, patented ISF EQ knob to channel tones from British to US soil or something in between and reverb effect
- Top panel is the On/Off Switch, emulate out/headphone out and MP3 line-in
- Back of the amp are footswitch, extension speaker out 4 to 16 ohm and USB audio
There’s this common phrase that says less is more and there is more to be accomplished with less. That phrase clearly describe this next amp and exactly what you’ll gonna get from the Blackstar HT-1R. The HT-1R is a simple powerful sounding valve amplifier to demonstrate the very best tones straight out in your hands. It is the lighter power version of the HT-5R MKII and HT-20R MKII with straight forward controls consisting only of a gain, master volume, reverb and the patented ISF EQ knob to channel tones from British to US soil or something in between.
Like any other amps in the Blackstar line, the HT-1R MKII combo also comes in a HT-1RH MKII head amp format with the same control configuration and both comes with a 1xECC83 and 1xECC82 tube, stereo MP3 line input, emulate/headphoneout, 4 to 16 ohm external speaker out to use a speaker cabinet, and footswitcht.
Orange Micro Dark
- 20 watts mini guitar amplifier head
- 12AX7 tube preamp section and solid state power
- Heavy duty metal housing
- Huge tones using only a master volume, gain and shape controls
- Headphone jack, Fx loop send/return and speaker out
- 8 ohm minimum to 16 ohm impedance to match and use only speaker cables
The Micro Dark is a mini amp based on the well acclaimed Orange Dark Terror and can be considered the more heavier sounding version of another successful amplifier from Orange which is the Micro Terror. It is a 20 watt high gain amp with a 12AX7 tube on its preamp section enclosed on a heavy duty housing and has intuitive shape controls to a mass smooth clean sounds to screaming dirty tones that can be heard across and to fill a room.
Playing with the shape control can deliver a smooth mid-range to smooth highs that becomes even more pronounced as you begin add and push the gain control for more beef. The Micro Dark compared to the Micro Terror allows any number of effects and cables to be patched using an effects loop located at the back of the head that makes it very versatile for players who uses lots of effects. 8 to 16 ohm impedance and only use proper speaker cable.
Fender Super Champ X2 HD
- 15 watts guitar tube amplifier head
- 1x12AX7 tube on preamp section and 2x6V6 on the power section
- Best paired with the Fender Super Champ SC112 cabinet
- Main controls on the amp are volume 1 knob for the clean, channel select, gain control, volume 2, voice with 16 different amp types, 2-band EQ treble-bass, FX adjust level, FX select with 15 effects and tap
- Features at the back are On/Off power switch, USB for easy digital connectivity, line out, speaker out and footswitch
Come alive and have unlimited tones to be created with the Super Champ X2 head. This head amplifier has a 12AX7 tube on its preamp section and 2x6V6 on the power section to pair it perfectly with the 1×12” inches Celestion speaker Fender Super Champ SC112 cabinet or to use the amp with other compatible enclosure as well. It is a 15 watt tube amplifier with a compact design and comes with the same useful features of its combo counterpart, the Fender Super Champ X2.
Main controls on the amp are two volume knob for the clean and drive channel, channel select, gain control, voice with 16 different amp types, 2-band EQ treble-bass, FX adjust level, FX select with 15 effects, and tap that makes the Fender Super Champ X2 HD ready for any given situation. Other features that come with the amp is a USB output for easy digital connectivity and the channels are foot switchable. 8 to 16 ohm impedance and use only proper speaker cable.
Randall RD5H Diavlo
- 5 watts guitar tube amplifier head
- 2x12AX7 preamp tube and 1x6V6 vacuum tube
- All black housing with metal grill and handle
- Front panel controls consist only of gain, 3-way toggle ToneStackShift, tone and master volume
- Speaker out, FX loop send/return and speaker emulated XLR direct output with ground lift
Make no doubt about it, 5 watts of power on an tube amplifier can be a lot of juice for the volume output and can definitely deliver the kind of vintage sound any guitarist will love to have on an amp. So for that reason alone, it is time now to introduce this next all tube driven amp coming again from Randall which is the RD5H Diavlo single channel head amplifier that runs on a 2x12AX7 preamp tubes and has 6V6 vacuum tube on its power section.
This tried and tested amp is a workhorse to use for long hours of jam rehearsals and nevertheless to bring on top of the stage when you call for. The control panel is direct to carve out tones consisting only of a gain, tone, master volume, and a 3-way toggle ToneStackShift for mid-range contour with class A discrete instrument level FX loop and speaker emulated XLR direct output with dummy load for silent operation and ground lift. 8 to 16 ohm impedance and use only proper speaker cable.
Marshall DSL1H
- 1 watt guitar tube amplifier head
- 2xECC83 preamp valves and 1xECC82 power amp valves
- Housed in the iconic cabinet with gold panel, gold knobs and Marshall logo
- Controls are the EQ section bass-mid-treble with tone shift, ultra gain section consisting of a gain knob plus volume, classic gain volume, reverb effect and channel select button
- At the back of the amp is an FX loop send/return, aux-in, emulated output, low power button switch, and speaker out
Dream amplifier of many guitar players and no stranger when it comes to great guitar amplification, Marshall offers their DSL1H tube amplifier head with an on-board reverb effect to deliver what players call the Marshall tones. This two channels amp head has 2xECC83 preamp valves and 1xECC82 power amp valves that is ready to rock cranked-up tube tones suitable for those who likes to play a tube amp with a decent amount of volume at home.
The amp is enclosed on the iconic cabinet head that carried Marshall to the upper echelons of amp housing design with gold panels complete with black and gold knobs. Controls to shape and dial-in crisp cleans to crunch and commanding high gain tones are the refined EQ section bass-mid-treble with tone shift, ultra gain section consisting of a gain knob plus volume, classic gain volume, reverb effect and channel select button. At the back of the head is an FX loop send and return, aux-in, emulated output, low power button switch, and speaker out. 16 ohm impedance and use only proper speaker cable.
Related topic: