Amplifiers

The heart of your tone. We review tube amps, solid-state workhorses, and state-of-the-art digital modelers.

Start Here: Amp Buying Priorities

Wattage on the badge is a poor bedroom-vs-gig test. A 50 W modeling combo with a 0.5 W setting is often quieter and more useful at home than a 5 W tube combo. Decide volume, then tube vs modeling, then features.

Need	Start With	Best Next Page
One amp for home and small gigs	Boss Katana-50 MkII	Katana-50 review
Apartment / desk volume	Low-watt practice amp or modeler	Best practice amps
Tube feel vs modeling features	Decide the architecture first	Tube vs solid state
Why a “5 W tube” still wakes neighbors	Speaker sensitivity and clean headroom	Amp wattage explained

Buying Notes (Listing Checks)

Confirm generation (Katana MkII vs newer Katana Gen 3 listings) and wattage (50 vs 100) before you compare prices.
If you record, USB out on a modeling combo is a convenience, not a replacement for a dedicated audio interface.
Hum that follows the guitar cable is often a ground or cable problem. Read how to reduce amp hum before returning the amp.
Need a pedal in front of a clean channel? Start with the Ibanez TS9 review.

The modern gigging guitarist who needs a broad palette of tones