best beginner guitar amp

THESE 10 Best Beginner Guitar Amps Are Great First Amps!

Updated on April 1, 2022 by Dan Harper

ATTN: Beginner guitar players!

Need an amp but not sure what is best for you?  Look at this:

Quick Links To Our Best Beginner Guitar Amp Choices

  • Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 20 – OUR TOP BEGINNER AMPLIFIER CHOICE because it has all the basics with an excellent sound at a great price!  Amazing tones, huge range, great for new guitarists.
  • Fender Champion 20 – great portable practice options for new guitarists.  A portable practice amp with a Fender pedigree!
  • Boss Katana 50 – Lots of tone features with built in effects and tones.  Enjoy exceptional tone quality with this small yet mighty!
  • Line 6 Spider V 30 MkII – super versatile for playing all kinds of music.  Experience the magic of award winning Line 6 tone for yourself!
  • VOX AC2 RhythmVox Mini Guitar Amplifier – great choice for beginners playing at home.
  • Orange Crush 12 – top brand at a beginner level.
  • Marshall MG30CFX – For the Marshall fans!  World class sounding in a small package!
  • Roland Cube Street EX – has amazing clean tones.  Get the legendary sound of a Roland amp at an unbelievable price.
  • DV Mark Little Jazz – amazing tone in a small package.
  • Yamaha THR10 – affordable modeling amp for beginners with plenty of effects and models.

How These Electric Guitar Amps For Beginners Were Chosen

For beginners now, there are a ton of options.  In order to pick the best ones, I looked at:

  • Easy to use – I want a beginner guitarist to be able to easily plug in and play.
  • Sounds great out of the box.
  • Affordable.

Beginners….these are the amps for you!

Choosing the top beginner guitar combo amp is almost as important as choosing a guitar. More and more musicians rely on amps to generate about 50{0794a961920d97099aea99cac5a861228867c4461e5cf936a4873e99fb4a0da6} of the sounds they produce—including the all-important nuances that contribute to developing a signature musical style. Unfortunately, the task can often be overwhelming for new musicians because of the many things that must be considered with amplifiers.

These amp-buying criteria include size, control options, special built-in sounds effects, power sources and models that are transistor, valve or modeling amps for beginners. You might prefer a mini amp for intimate sessions, and small acoustic amps are also an option for those who prefer more natural sounds. These details will be covered in the following 10 recommendations of the best beginner guitar amps.

You can also take a look at these best electric guitar amp under 200 if you have this budget.

Our Beginner Guitar Amp Reviews

Check out all these amplifiers below with a full review of each.

Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 20 – Our Favorite Beginner Guitar Amp

The Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 20 is a best choice for beginners because it delivers the basics at an affordable price. There are plenty of special effects and a great EQ feature, which Blackstar calls the ISF, that switches between American and British tones. Other special effects include distortion, overdrive, delay, reverb and modulation. Control features include the EQ, gain, volume, effect level, tuner and tap tempo.

Blackstar is a well established manufacturer of valve and modeling guitar amps, and this modeling amp is affordable and portable with “Super Wide Stereo” effects and a built-in Looper function. It has 20 watts of power, and one of the best features is the starter amp’s headphone-out port that can be used to record with the speaker tone intact.

Superior High-gain Tone

They are suitable for beginners, compares favorably with more expensive brands that feature high-gain tones, which are used by many artists that include Richie Sambora, Frederick Akesson, Gus G and many other respected musicians. You get the same tones that others deliver in a compact unit without the high cost.

The amp generates great sound for practicing at home, and it’s easy to create a unique sound right out of the box. Primarily used for modeling, you can also use it for performances at small clubs and informal venues.

The pros of the guitar combo amplifier include the following:

  • Ability to control the width of the stereo field
  • USB connectivity
  • Ability to stream music via Bluetooth
  • Six electric “voices”
  • 12 built-in sound effects
  • Great “dirty” sounds and a clean tone that has exceptional clarity

The cons of the Blackstar include:

  • Difficult to use software
  • Effects that are hard to master

Check out our Core Stereo 20 review here!
Our Rating –
5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 20

Fender Champion 20 Starter Amps

The Fender Champion 20 is perfect for practice sessions because it’s highly portable, so you can take it almost anywhere. Although it has 20 watts of power, which is sufficient for small gigs, it doesn’t have enough power for a large bar band, big stage performance or outdoor venue. It’s ideal for practicing, however, because you can shape your sound with special effects and the equalizer that has bass and treble functions.

The amps sound effects include chorus, vibratome, delay and reverb, and the voicing options include British, Tweed, Blackface and Metal. You can actually fine-tune each voice, and Fender states that the features can generate up to 12 individual “voices.”

Dynamic Voicing Control

Practice sessions are where serious musicians can craft a signature sound, and the Fender Champion 20 provides voicing control that allows you to dial through clean and distorted sounds to mimic the sounds of most musical genres or create your own individual sound. The sounds that you can generate include:

  • British: You can generate broth American and British tones that sound like the classic rock sounds of the 1960s and 1970s.
  • Tweed: The Tweed sounds call to mind early Fender tones produced by Fender amps, such as the Twin Deluxe and Princeton.
  • Blackface: The Blackface featured small controls that resembled hats, and the look continues in today’s designs. Blackface was introduced after Tweed.
    • Metal: This voice increases the gain to reproduce the classic rock sounds of the 1980s and 1990s.

The pros:

  • Incredible range of guitar amp modeling settings
  • Affordable, practical and portable
  • Classic Fender styling
  • Range of built-in effects

The cons:

  • Insufficient power for larger venues
  • Inefficient design for the power switch, which is located on the back of the amp

Check out our review of the Fender Champion 20 as well.  this is one of the best amp for Telecaster guitars as well.
Our Rating –
4.5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Fender Champion 20

Boss Katana 50 Entry Level Guitar Amp

The Boss Katana 50 is a modeling amps that’s best for beginners, and even experienced musicians often choose for practice and home use. The favorable balance of quality and low price make it perfect for a range of musical styles. You can choose your power range—from ½ watt up to 50 watts. It offers five different modes: acoustic, clean, lead, crunch and brown, which is the manufacturer’s proprietary take on the sound of 1980s rock.

The special features allow beginners to develop their own musical style. The single-input combo amp has controls that include gain, volume, 3-band equalizer, delay/FX selector, delay/FX level control, boost/mod selector and level control, reverb selector and control, power control, channel selector and tap tempo.

Outstanding Performance

This 50-watt guitar amplifier gives you so many options that it’s perfectly suitable for live performances in smaller venues, but it’s primarily used for practice and creative sessions. The Boss 50 can capture most of the common musical sounds and flourishes that musicians use, and one of the prized benefits is that it can make your electric guitar sound like an acoustic instrument.

The optional Tone Editor software opens up even more sound options and gives you the ability to record presets so that you can use multiple effects simultaneously, such as modulation and distortion

The pros of the Boss 50 include the following features:

  • Affordable
  • Wide range of sounds and features for beginners
  • Works well as a clean platform with pedals
  • Killer sound quality
  • Power attenuation

The cons:

  • Lack of a line-out connection
  • No built-in chromatic tuner

Our Rating –
4.5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Boss Katana 50

Line 6 Spider V 30 MkII Beginner Practice Guitar Amplifiers

The Line 6 Spider V 30 Mklll is a beginner modeling amp that’s best for beginners who have a distinct sense of personal style The Spider amps have a distinctive design that features black vinyl and a black and silver grille. Color-coded lettering delivers a futuristic look, but demanding beginners and amateurs appreciate the range of effects and high quality functionality even more. There are more than 200 effects and 100 presets that allow complete customization.

You get a built-in tuner, metronome and custom Android or iOS apps to craft your signature sound. The built-in receiver accepts connections on Line 6 for wireless transmissions, and the receiver also features an aux-in and USB-out port, which allow you to record sessions on a PC, tablet or mobile phone.

Enjoy Intuitive Controls

Unlike some amps—even those recommended for beginners—the Line 6 Spider combo amp has controls that are amazingly intuitive. Coupled with the amp’s ability to deliver excellent sound quality, even at low volume, the amplifier can be used for both electric and acoustic guitars.

The mobile app connects easily without any trouble spots or glitches, and the ability to save and edit your own sounds makes it easier to advance your skills. The built-in Looper, drum loops and metronome make modeling sessions simpler, more fun and more productive.

The pros of the Line 6 Spider V 30 MkII include:

  • Stunning sound quality
  • Ability to double as a performance amp in smaller venues
  • Speaker Mode that delivers organic sound
  • Ability to draft unique sounds, unlike cookie-cutter special effects
  • Compatible with the Line 6 FBV 3 Foot Controller
  • 30 watts of power, which makes it suitable for small- and medium-sized venues
  • Free remote app

The cons:

Spider V Cons

  • Not compatible with older iOS devices and many Android devices
  • No Bluetooth means iOS or Android devices are tethered to the amp
  • Getting the most out of the amp isn’t possible without an FBV3 foot controller
  • The speaker doesn’t sound quite as good as the direct signal

Our Rating –
4/5


Check The Latest Price On The Line 6 Spider V 30 MkII

VOX AC2 RhythmVox Basic Guitar Amplifier

The VOX AC2 RhythmVox is a best choice for home use, beginner practice sessions and easy portability. It offers 2 watts of power and three types of sound: crunch, clean and lead. It also delivers five types of special effects that include delay, chorus and reverb. You can use the headphone jack to practice quietly until you master the piece you’re creating or learning to play.

The wattage was recently doubled from 1 watt to 2 watts, and the result is better sound quality. It features a range of high-quality effects and rhythm patterns that help you learn to generate professional sound in record time. The amp runs on batteries or power outlets, so you can take and use the amp anywhere—up to 20 hours when using the six AA batteries.

You Might Forget It’s a Mini

It delivers such great sound and so many musical options that you can easily forget that it’s a mini amp. It looks like a full-sized VOX amplifier, and it gives you additional equalizer variations of the crunch, clean and lead sounds: normal, flat and scoop.

The pros of the VOX AC2 RhythmVox include:

  • Useful for practice and backstage use
  • 81 rhythm pattern options: 9 genres and 9 variations
  • Bass-in and aux-in jacks
  • Mini phone jack
  • 3″ speakers
  • AA battery operation with optional AC adapter

The cons:

  • Only 2 W @ 4 ohms of power
  • Not suitable for performances, except as a rhythm box

More best battery powered guitar amp options to check out here.
Our Rating –
4/5


Check The Latest Price On The VOX AC2 RhythmVox Mini Guitar Amplifier

Orange Crush 12 Guitar Amplifier (A Great First Guitar Amp!)

The Orange Crush 12 amp is the smallest model of the classic Orange Crush Amps that rank among the most distinctive models on the market and great for a beginner. Orange is a brand chosen by thousands of accomplished professional musicians, and the distinctive basket-weave styling and orange color make the brand the most recognizable in the industry. Amazingly, the 12 watts of power deliver an incredible level of sound using the best solid-state guitar amplifier technology.

Multiple gain controls more than make up for having only a single channel. Those who prefer the “no frills” approach to musical tone appreciate the brand’s unique look and comfortable feel. There are no onboard special effects, except for the multilevel gain controls. Serious musicians appreciate the purity of using overdrive to mix things up with crunch tones, and cranking up the gain is perfect for performances in the rock and metal genres.

Unexpected Versatility by Maximizing the Basics

You can use the equalizer to create the tone you need in almost every case, and it’s actually fun to create your own clean tones by experimenting with the tone controls on your instrument. Most musicians and fans swear they the 12 watt amp delivers unexpectedly loud sound because of the superior engineering.

The pros:

  • Great choice for practicing used by world-famous musicians
  • Distinctive Orange Crush design that has featured basket-weave vinyl, picture-frame edging, woven grille cloth over the speaker and iconic hieroglyphs since 1968
  • Sturdy construction and high-quality sound
  • Surprisingly good tone for he price
  • Analogue amplifier circuitry, which is preferred by most music experts
  • 3-band equalizer

The cons:

  • No reverb effect
  • No auxiliary input

Try this as a amp for Fender Strat – sounds great!

Our Rating –
4.5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Orange Crush 12

Marshall MG30CFX Simple Guitar Amp Combo

The Marshall guitar amplifier name is one of the most recognizable, and the brand is the best choice of many legendary musicians including Slash, Jimi Hendrix, Randy Rhodes, Eric Johnson and many other guitarists. Even the entry-level model, the Marshall MG30CFX, features top functions, such as digital sound processing, Marshall’s classic crunch effects and analog tonality. Marshall voicing adds special appeal with its iconic distortion effect.

This solid-state amp is ideal for beginner practice sessions, songwriting efforts and performances at smaller gigs where you can deliver the “wow” factor of rock crunch and distortion. It features a front panel with an input jack and controls for gain, bass, middle, treble, master, FX, reverb, volume, headphone and foot controller socket.

Special Effects Wizardry

This is the perfect option for beginners who want to master hard rock and heavy metal. The clean/crunch channel delivers more gain than normal to the clean side, so musicians get the warm Marshall tone with an edge. Two overdrive channels allow you to adjust the gain progressively.

The pros of the Marshall MG30CFX include”

  • Built-in FX
  • Four channels
  • Programmable functions
  • Signature Marshall tone that’s prized by many professional musicians
  • Solid-state operation with 30 watts of power
  • Incredibly effective distortion effect
  • Loud enough for medium-sized gigs

The cons include:

  • Small controls that are difficult to use
  • No foot pedal included
  • Limited number of special effects

More best Marshall guitar amp options here as well.

Our Rating –
4/5


Check The Latest Price On The Marshall MG30CFX

Roland Cube Street EX Starter Amp For Electric Guitar

The Roland Cube Street Ex is a best choice for beginners because you can use it right out of the box. You just need to plug it in, and you can generate professional sounds right away, such as clean and crunch tones. It comes with an Acoustic Simulator, and the AC preamp is optimized for both electric and acoustic guitars.

The Roland Cube Street Ex is a modeling amp that’s battery powered, but it delivers big sound and 50 watts of power. The optimized speakers also crank up the volume far beyond what most battery-powered amps can deliver. It also uses battery power sparingly, and it has three settings: 50 watts, 25 watts and 10 watts. At the lowest setting, you can run the amp up to 20 hours on the 8 AA battery array. You also have the option of connecting to the power grid.

Unparalleled Efficiency and Thoughtful Design

The Roland Cube is great for composing, rehearsing, practicing and performing at small venues or in short sessions. The two 25-watt speakers deliver 50 watts of sound, so it can be used even in larger venues. The amp can also double as an exterior speaker or PA system when attached to the stand mount.

The amplifier design includes a clean control,panel divided into four channels. Two can connect to microphones using XLR technology. These channels connect to jack/XLR sockets or guitars. The Roland company created a respected COSM app simulation that provides clean, crunch and lead effect options.

The pros:

  • Lots of sound volume, even when using the lowest power setting
  • Highly portable
  • Great choices of sound effects
  • Lots of input connections for instruments, microphones and PCs

Cons

  • No drive or delay controls
  • Delay and feedback levels that are preset and not programmable

Our Rating –
4.5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Roland Cube Street EX

DV Mark Little Jazz Guitar Amps

The DV Mark Little Jazz guitar amp is lightweight and portable. The Class D power amp makes it possible to get the best big sound out of a small amp. The manufacturer is a company from Finland that has been in business for more than 30 years. The DV Mark comes in a compact cube shape and weighs less than 7 kilos, so it’s easy to take anywhere, including public transportation.

The cube houses an 8″ speaker behind a sturdy metal grille, and it features a 3-band equalizer, built-in reverb function and auxiliary input to connect to your phone, tablet or M3 player. The back panel houses a speaker output, DI/XLR output, headphone output and a control switch for the speaker.

Effective Controls in a Small Package

The sound is clean, warm and high-fidelity, so your music never sounds one-dimensional. The amp transmits the essential characteristics of your guitar and beginner playing skill. The digital reverb can be adjusted in pitch to generate a chorus-type quality to your music like Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.”

The amp’s 45 watts of power is suitable for practicing and performing, despite its small size. The amp is designed for use on stage, and if it can’t deliver enough power, you only need to place a microphone in front of it to increase the sound output. The amp is a great choice for jazz musicians and those who like to get sound from multi-effect boards or foot pedal attachments.

The pros of the DV Mark Little Jazz include:

  • Compact and lightweight
  • Superior design and workmanship
  • Plenty of power for most venues
  • High-fidelity sound and tone

The cons:

  • Higher cost for an active stage amp
  • Continuous fan cooling that can be distracting

Our Rating –
4.5/5


Check The Latest Price On The DV Mark Little Jazz

Yamaha THR10 Amp Head

The Yamaha THR10 is an affordable modeling guitar amp that’s a top choice for beginners. It comes with the amplifier, AC adapter, Cubase Al6 DVD, USB cable and stereo mini cable. This combo amp, which runs on AC or battery power, uses 20 watts of power and is suitable for a beginner, modeling and small performance venues. The emulation settings provide 15 excellent effects, and the sound from this small amp has excellent volume and tone.

Although the Yamaha THR10 is designed for home use, it has advanced features that make it a workable amp for live performances in smaller venues. These features include input and output jacks, modulation effects, outstanding Yamaha sound quality and Yamaha Editor Software. These advanced features include choruses, reverbs and controls for the various effects.

Crafting a Perfect Signature Sound

The Yamaha is perfect for creating a signature sound using effects and controls like flanging, delays, reverbs and other intense effects that you can dial up with the tempo button. Yamaha uses its proprietary VCM technology to deliver advanced features and controls to create the best sound quality that rivals a Fender Twin professional amp. Regardless of your genre or musical style, you can produce a sound with great variations, overdrive tones, metal tones and other sound innovations.

The pros:

  • Helps each user develop a unique musical style
  • Lightweight and portable
  • Affordable choice for beginners
  • Simple, user-friendly design
  • Wide array of special effects choices

The cons:

  • Relatively small speakers
  • Some design shortcomings

Our Rating –
4.5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Yamaha THR10

Things To Consider When Buying A Beginner Guitar Amp

So you have just started to learn to play electric guitar and need a beginner amp. There are some things that you will want to consider before you buy.

Do Your Research

The best way to make sure you get the right option is to do your research before buying anything. Know what it is you want out of your amp before purchasing so that it will work for what you need it for.

Consider Your Amp Budget

Consider how much money you are willing to spend. If you have an unlimited budget, then you can buy any amp you want. However, if your budget is limited, then you will have to carefully consider what amp is best for the money that you are willing to spend. Amazon and other online sites usually have deals on musical equipment so be sure to do some research before finding something that will fit your price range.

Consider Size

If you will be keeping your amp at home, and not carrying it around, it doesn’t matter how big the amp is. If you want to take it somewhere with you though, be sure to look for a small amp. Those are not as loud so they are better for practicing at home or taking to a friend’s house to play in their room.

Consider Noise

This is a big deal, so be sure to consider your neighbors, or anyone else who may be in the same house as you and how loud your amp will be. If you live in an apartment, you may want to buy a small amp because it won’t be too expensive to move out if the other person wants to pay for much of the damage that can result from making too much noise.

Consider Power Output

This is important because different options produce different amounts of power at their different settings. The difference is due to the wattage of the amp. The more watts, the louder the amp.

Consider Your Space

This is important if you are buying a big amp because just like with noise, you want to consider how much space that amplifier will take up and whether or not it will fit in your room or apartment. It may be worth it to buy a smaller amp if it means that you can move around without bumping into its walls all of the time.

Best Beginner Guitar Amps Conclusion

Ideally, you should try a before you buy it, but that’s not always practical or even possible for some beginners. Playing a few minutes won’t give you the experience you need to make a wise choice, but careful comparisons of features and reviews can give you a more complete picture or the top beginner guitar amps for your needs.  Maybe take a look at these best guitar for beginners too!

However, if you know someone who has the best starter model you’re considering, you might be able to arrange for some extended playing time. Using your amp effectively takes time and commitment, and you’ll learn from the experience of choosing an entry-level amp as you build your musical resume and expertise.