Best combo amps: Our choice of the best all-in-one combo amps for every budget

Providing an all-in-one solution to your guitar amplification needs, the best combo amps combine amp and speaker in one package, so you get your sound wherever you go. Combo amps can range from small and portable 1x8 options right through to huge 2x12 monsters that will deafen everyone in the vicinity and with options from all the major manufacturers like Fender, Marshall, Orange, and more, you’ve got plenty of choices no matter what your taste in tone.

Having a head is great for saving weight when you’re gigging or going to practice, but you’re at the mercy of whichever tired old cab the venue or rehearsal space with this option. With a combo you know you’re always going to be able to deliver your signature tone no matter where you’re playing, which is why we love them so much.

If you’ve never used a combo amp or you’re just new to guitar amps in general, make sure to have a look at our buying advice section which features loads of great insight from the experienced guitar gurus here at Guitar World. If you just want to see the best guitar combo amps available today, keep scrolling for our top picks…

James Farmer

James is a freelance writer and former Junior Deals Writer at Guitar World. Before writing, James worked as a guitar salesman at a local music store, so he knows a thing or two about matching people with their perfect instruments. James also has experience working in other areas of the music trade, having briefly worked for online music distributor, RouteNote. James is a guitarist, bassist and drummer and has also toured the UK and Europe with his old band Hypophora. 

Best combo amps: The quick list

Best combo amps available today

Here you'll find full writeups and review of the best combo amps available today. The majority of these have been personally tested by our writing team, so you can rely on our recommendations.

Best overall

Having gigged the Orange Rocker 32 for the last year so, we comfortably say that it’s one of the best tube combo amps money can buy. We’ve never had so many compliments on our guitar tone as we have this, and it’s got some hidden features that we love too.

Our studio engineer always waxes lyrical about this amp thanks to its mid-focused tone that sits perfectly in a mix with minimal tone tweaking required. The clean channel has a single knob and works brilliantly with a pedalboard, whilst a more traditional gain channel with three-band EQ provides some searing tube overdrive tones.

The stereo FX loop is a unique and useful feature, allowing you to run it in stereo or split the two speakers into a wet/dry layout. Paired with stereo reverbs and delays it sounds absolutely phenomenal, and the speakers face slightly outwards to help increase the spread. It’s small for a 2 speaker tube combo but it’s still pretty heavy, which is about the only negative we can say about this brilliant amplifier.

Best modeling

The Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb actually outsold the reissue Deluxe Reverb for the first time last year, which tells you a lot about how far modeling amps have come. Based upon one of the all-time classic gigging and recording amps, this 1x12-equipped combo amp delivers on all fronts.

We’re willing to bet most listeners will be unable to tell the difference between an actual tube-equipped Deluxe Reverb and this Tone Master edition. In fact, the only difference you might spot is the label on the grill, as it looks exactly the same too. On clean and low gain settings it positively sparkles and sounds fantastic with a load of pedals in front of it.

It has a built-in tremolo and reverb, both of which are superb sounding, and the multiple attenuation options make it usable in almost any situation. A direct out means you can utilize it in a silent recording rig, and it weighs half as much as the original, making it an easy one-hand carry.

Best tube amp

If you’re a fan of Marshall, you’ll definitely be familiar with the DSL range. A near perfect blend of quality and value for money, the DSL40CR is one of the best combo amps we can find for less than $/£1,000. 

With ‘classic gain’ and ‘ultra gain’ channels present, it won’t shock you to hear that this amp truly sings when overdriven - but while Marshalls are not especially known for their clean tones, this DSL really pulls something special out of the bag. The 3-way EQ is powerful and exceptionally intuitive, and onboard reverb helps give your playing a bit of breathing room. Dirty, this amp comes to life - and the low output setting provides access to these tones much more easily. 40W of all-tube power is monumental, after all. 

Independent presence and resonance controls allow some pretty in-depth tone tweaking, perfect for studio use. This thing sounds great mic’d up, but when that’s just not possible the emulated output comes to the rescue. Marshall has teamed up with Softube to provide an exceptional emulation of the 1960 cabinet - meaning that you needn’t make any noise at all while laying down your guitar parts. All in all, the DSL40CR is a much welcomed update to the DSL line, and definitely worth looking at.

Best for versatility

The Katana series is known by many for being able to do pretty much anything. With versatility at its core, the five onboard amps will cover many - if not all - musical scenarios, with Clean, Crunch, Lead, Acoustic and Brown amp models. Boss has also sprinkled in a whole bunch of fantastic effects, making the Katana a dark horse of a modeling amp for gigging and bedroom musicians.

The 12” custom speaker can shift some serious air, and it needs to. This Katana model is 100W - more than enough for any live performance. It’s not all flapping trousers and bleeding ears though, with an onboard attenuator allowing you to switch down to 50W - ideal for most rehearsals and smaller gigs - and 0.5W - which makes neighbor-friendly bedroom shredding entirely possible. 

Best value

One of the most popular amps in the world, the Orange Crush 35RT may be low cost but it doesn’t cheap out on great tone. Working well both at home and mic’d up on a stage, the Crush 35RT is perfect for those who don’t want to break the bank on a new amp.

Both the clean and dirty channels here are fat and warm sounding, delivering an excellent emulation of a tube guitar amp. The clean channel makes an excellent platform for pedals, whilst the dirty side can do anything from indie rock through to all-out metal. It sounds great at any level too, whether you’re playing at home or on stage.

It’s got a built-in reverb that’s surprisingly lush sounding, as well as an always useful chromatic tuner that sits on the top panel. You can also record with it or go straight into a PA thanks to the CabSim circuit, making it an incredibly versatile bit of kit for relatively little money.

Best for gigging

The Fender Blues Junior has been one of the most iconic small combo amps of the last few decades, and to be honest, we can understand why. The amp we’re talking about here is the most recent mark IV version, so let’s see what Fender has going on under the hood here. 

One speaker, one channel - the Blues Junior IV is truly simple and straightforward to use, and with that simplicity comes great joy. This mark IV variant adds both modified preamp circuitry and a smoother sounding spring reverb - delivering that timeless Fender tone that we all know and love. The 12” A-type Celestion is well balanced and sweet sounding,  delivering crisp highs, a full, warm bass response and laid back midrange. It sounds delightful.

Now, it’s not a 100-watter like some of the amps we’ve seen so far, but don’t be fooled by the lower output. This thing can get loud, and do it very tastefully too. Either ride the input and master volume controls and set it as clean as you can, or dime the input volume, engage the ‘fat’ switch and bathe in the harmonic glow of those ECC83’s. Your call - but it’ll sound pretty good either way.

More options...

Another entry from the big ‘F’, the Mustang amps have been Fender’s go-to amp for reliable, affordable modeling technology. Widely seen as a great practice amp for beginner to intermediate players, the GTX series takes the sheer convenience of having every tone at your fingertips to another level. 

Creating your own presets is a breeze. The signal path on the GTX is entirely configurable, meaning you can reorder the blocks in your signal chain, all at the touch of a button - or change any settings you want from the Fender TONE 3.0 app. If you’re not keen on endlessly tweaking settings, then a massive collection of 200 artist-designed presets should be just right for you.

The 1x12” specially designed speaker boasts a pretty flat tonal response, so whether you’re replicating a Blues Junior, Deluxe Reverb, Bassman or using the Bluetooth connectivity to stream your favorite tracks, everything should sound just right. The included footswitch enables you to change presets on the fly, as well as access the onboard looper - making the GTX100 a pretty versatile amp, and one of the best combo amps you can buy.

Simply put, Blackstar makes some brilliant amps. Their versatility and sheer ability has made a once fringe amp manufacturer one of the world’s most popular brands, and the small-but-mighty HT5-R MKII is proof of that. Designed to be a killer practice amp for those who want all-tube tone at affordable prices and sensible volumes, the HT5-R MKII emphatically fits the bill. 

The layout is fairly simple - one clean channel, and one overdrive channel, and some reverb. Nothing crazy, nothing mental - just great tones. Each channel has a ‘voice’ switch which accentuates some of the high-mid and treble frequencies, giving a slight boost and an extra flavor to your playing. Blackstar’s legendary I.S.F (Infinite Shape Feature) control makes an appearance here too, taking your tone from ‘US’ to ‘UK’ in the twist of a dial.

Blackstar has also included a nice little treat or two for the home studio user, in the shape of a USB output and an emulated output. This means you can choose whether to use the HT5 through your interface, or as an interface. The emulated output can be used in live scenarios too, with 1x12” and 4x12” cab emulations to choose from. 

As the company who helped Heavy Metal find its sound, you’d be forgiven for overlooking Laney’s cleaner, more boutique-sounding amps. That doesn’t mean you should though - and in the case of the Cub-Super12, you really should pay attention. 

Laney has stuck to the magic formula here - a 15W, all-tube, single channel beauty - and we’re so glad they did. It’s a basic amp, but capable of some fantastic tones. A 3-band EQ allows for plenty of tweakability and tone-sculpting, and a footswitchable boost allows this single channel beast to essentially become a killer 2-channel amp, capable in practice and even small gig scenarios. Especially useful for practice is the additional 1W input, as you can get those stunning saturated tones without your neighbors kicking the door down. 

The footswitchable onboard reverb is another talking point for the Cub-Super12, using the highly acclaimed algorithm from the Black Country Secret Path reverb pedal. It’s more than just a basic spring reverb, and it’s here where this Laney comes into its own. With an external speaker output and FX loop, there’s not a lot this little thing can’t do. Yes, it’s only really got one channel, and yes, that’s a bit of a shame - but it’s one channel of super cool, boutique-inspired tone - and we like that very much.

The HT range from Blackstar has been a firm favorite since its release in 2010, with the Club 40 one of the shining stars of the series. After years of R&D, Blackstar has delivered the hotly anticipated Club 40 MKII. But was it worth the wait?

Bluntly, yes. Still capable of virtually anything you throw at it, the Club 40 MKII is seemingly a perfect blend of power, tweakability, simplicity and fancy added extras, all while remaining super easy to use. 40W of all-tube power provides bags of clean headroom, meaning you won’t have to look any further for that pedal platform amp you always wanted. That being said, it’d be a shame just to set this clean and let your pedals do all the work.

The overdrive channel on this tube amp is another hive of capability, with more than enough gain to satiate the majority of players. Pair this with Blackstar’s I.S.F (Infinite Shape Feature) calling card and you’ll go from Petrucci and EVH territory all the way across the Atlantic, to channel your inner Brian May. Power switching functionality allows you to bring the wattage down from 40W to 4W, so you can keep your tubes glowing without too much blood pouring from your ears. 

You can always spot an Orange amp from a mile off. They’re, well, bright orange for a start, but they also come accompanied by that signature tone. Orange amps always do things a little differently, and the Rocker 15 is no exception to that rule. 

Behind the iconic basket-weave grill cloth lies a 10” ‘Voice of The World’ speaker, and 15 watts’ worth of assorted glass. Together, they create a harmonious racket that you’d be hard pressed to dislike. The ‘natural’ channel is exactly what it sounds like - completely natural. With just a volume control, it’s one for the purists in the building. Where the Rocker 15 really flexes its muscles though is the ‘dirty’ channel. Delivering swathes of traditional, old-school Orange mojo, this is the channel where we’ll be spending most of our time. 

Thankfully, Orange has included many power switching options in the Rocker 15. With a cleverly named ‘Headroom/Bedroom’ switch to take the whole amp down to 1 watt, as well as a half power option, you can get those iconic driven tones at sensible volumes. The 10” speaker and small cabinet can combine to sound a little boxy at times, but for certain bluesy, vintage-inspired tones, that can work wonders. 

The Princeton Reverb has been a staple of Fender’s amp repertoire since 1964, and few amps sum up the ‘Fender’ sound quite like it. 

This ‘68 Custom iteration of the Princeton Reverb pays homage to the iconic look, sound and performance of the ‘silverface’ Fender amps of the late ‘60s, but with a little twist for the modern player. This comes in the shape of a modified tone circuit, which provides you with an earlier onset of overdrive, as well as loads more flexibility with pedals. 

Equipped with a 10” Celestion speaker, the tone you’ll get from the ‘68 Custom is a little more modern and punchy than others. For a single 10” speaker in a small cabinet, this Princeton really outdoes itself, pumping some serious air and serious volume. It’s perfect for Fender fans, with the traditional reverb and tremolo onboard and is by far one of the best guitar amps under $1,000 - but be warned - the circuitry involved here is not that of the more traditional ‘blackface’ amps, but more of a modernisation. A more modern interpretation of the Princeton, if you will.

The Tone Master series of amps has finally enabled people to access great, authentic Fender tones, without the pitfalls of their standard tube amp range. While the 'original' tube iterations of these amplifiers are still fantastic, the Tone Master Super Reverb takes things to another level - offering killer tones and looks, without the back breaking weight or the lofty price tag.

Now, it's worth noting that this amp is not solid state, but is actually a digital - and super accurate - recreation of the Super Reverb. This means that the vintage, vibey tone of the original is still there - and when you see all of the modern features on the rear panel, it's clear that this amp is suited for anyone, from old school to modern guitarists. The 4x10" speakers provide an exceptional dynamic response, and are capable of kicking out anything from a warm, sweet, tremolo-laden clean tone to some swampy, dirty gain tones.

It's a 45 watt amp, so there's still plenty of headroom if you're someone who likes a pedal platform, and the Tone Master is designed to respond just like a tube amp to anything you put in front of it. If pedals aren't your thing, or you just fancy taking things down a notch, then the Super Reverb also has six separate power modes - meaning that you can coax a world of gain out of this amp at practice volumes.

Read the full Fender Tone Master Super Reverb review

The Jazz Chorus line is Roland’s claim to fame in the world of guitar. This amp has been on seemingly infinite amounts of era-defining records since its introduction in 1975, and it continues to enjoy cult status over 45 years later. 

The JC-120 is so-named due to its all-encompassing chorus and humongous 120 watt output - and it’s this fantastic stereo chorus and masses of headroom that makes this amp so desirable. Essentially the JC-120 has two 60W amps inside, which allows for a ‘true stereo’ chorus. Makes you feel like you’ve traveled back to the ‘80s, doesn’t it?

It’s a fantastic pedal platform amp - as it’s super clean and super loud. The second channel features an onboard distortion effect, but in all honesty we much prefer using a dedicated drive pedal. Chances are though, you’re not buying this amp for the gain. 

Vox amps have been part of the foundation of rock and roll for decades, with the AC30 being their most iconic offering to date. Favored by guitarists like Brian May and The Edge, there’s a certain personality to the AC30 that keeps us coming back for more and more. 

Pumping a fairly meaty 30W through two Celestion Greenbacks, there aren’t many situations this amp can’t handle. If vintage-style British tones are your thing, then the AC30’s Normal and Top Boost channels will be right up your street. A delectable onboard spring reverb and tremolo top off this iconic piece of rock architecture. 

The AC30C2 can also be employed as a fantastic pedal platform. Clean headroom aplenty, you’ll be able to utilize the true-bypass effects loop to its full potential and populate your signal chain with whatever you fancy.

22 watts of pure all-tube Fender tone is enough to make anyone weak at the knees. All we know is that there’s nothing quite like a Deluxe Reverb. 

With enough power to see you through in the vast majority of live and studio settings, the ‘65 Deluxe delivers warm, soothing cleans - all the way through to bright, old-school grit that has become synonymous with the ‘Blackface’ era of amps. Pair that with the frankly stunning onboard reverb and vibrato, and you’ve got yourself one heck of a tone. 

Unfortunately, the DRRI is not for everyone. Modern players may find the lack of versatility a little limiting, and although it’s no slouch, it doesn’t quite have the tightness of most modern amps. Saying that, it’s a faithful reissue of an amp from 1965 - so what do you expect?

Read our full Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb review

The Marshall Plexi is in the upper echelons of guitar amps, however the 100W Super Lead head is heavy and impractical. The Marshall Studio Vintage SV20C is a Plexi in a 20W combo format, with the ability to knock it down to 5W.

It’s very much like the original Marshall amps of the ’60s - there is no master volume, so to get that famous mid-heavy Marshall crunch, you need to turn the volume up to get those tubes working. However, at either 5W or 20W, it’s a lot more usable for modern players. You can get some beautiful clean tones from this, though the amp is famous for its prominent use within blues and rock. 

It’s fitted with a single 10” Celestion V-Type speaker, so it’s relatively portable too - you could carry this into venues with the other hand free for your guitar, no problem. If classic rock crunch is your thing, then this is the real deal. 

Supro’s Black Magick Reverb beautifully captures all that is so delectable about old-school Supro amps, while adding in some super useful features for the modern guitarist. 

The 1696 Black Magick Reverb is an update on the award-winning recreation of the vintage Supro amp that Jimmy Page loaned to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum. Developed in collaboration with the one and only Lenny Kravitz, this modernized Black Magick delivers that same iconic tone, but with added extras like all-tube reverb, a 2-band EQ and a master volume knob. 

With two independent channels that can be linked together using the 1&2 input, you can obtain some seriously fat tones from this amp. Supro has also upped the gain for this model, so you’ll notice a fair bit of breakup earlier on in your volume sweep. The speaker, among other things, is a faithful recreation of the original - as to keep the original vibe alive. It’s a vintage inspired amp, for those who live for the classic tones of yesteryear - and it does a good job.

Want an amp that can do virtually anything? The JVM410C only stops short of making your dinner. Made in England, the JVM410C is Marshall’s flagship combo - and it’s one heck of an amp. 

An all-tube, 100W 2x12” combo seems pretty excessive, and we’ll be honest, it is for most scenarios. Equipped with 4 different channels, each with 3 gain stages, the JVM410C essentially becomes a 12 channel amplifier. The gain stages, as well as the channels, are all footswitchable. This functionality allows ultimate tweaking power, but also allows the opportunity to play virtually any style. With 2 footswitchable master volume controls too, the possibilities are endless.

Ahh yes - reverb, reverb, reverb. The JVM has plenty. Each channel has its own reverb level control in order to keep things a little easier and more straightforward. One thing you’ll notice about the channels is that they are all the same - making the overwhelming amount of dials and knobs a little easier to get your head around. With a series/parallel footswitchable FX loop and a great emulated line out, the JVM410C is a beast on the road and in the studio. Yep, it might cost you an arm and a leg, but we think it's worth it.

Best combo amps: Buying advice

How we choose products

How we choose the best combo amps

At Guitar World, our team consists of expert musicians with years of experience playing and testing various guitar products, including a plethora of guitar amps. As passionate guitar enthusiasts, we understand the significance of achieving the perfect tone and sound, and we leverage our extensive knowledge and practical experience gained from using these products in live performances, recording sessions, and rehearsals to identify the best products for our guides.

To curate our list of top combo amps, we combine practical experience, user feedback, and in-depth discussions with our editorial team to reach a consensus. We take into account several factors such as pricing, tonal versatility, build quality, and portability to ensure that we showcase the very best products available on the market today.

As guitar players ourselves, we understand the importance of having the right gear to create the perfect sound. Therefore, we are committed to providing reliable and informed recommendations to help guitar players find the ideal combo amp to suit their specific needs and preferences. Our ultimate aim is to empower guitar players to unlock their full potential by elevating their sound with the best guitar gear available.

Read more about how we test products and services and how we make our recommendations.

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