Amp Reviews

Latest Amp Reviews

A Blackstar Beam Solo headphone amp for guitar plugged into a Stratocaster with a pair of headphones
“One of the best-sounding headphone amps for guitar I’ve had my hands on”: Blackstar Beam Solo review

By Matt McCracken Published

Blackstar enters a very busy market with their take on the ubiquitous headphone amp for guitar

Headphone Amps
Bad Cat Mod Shop Black Cat Combo: the new boutique tube amp is photographed in closeup
“A tighter, louder and gutsier tone from an already stellar-sounding amp”: Bad Cat Mod Shop Black Cat 30 review

By Martin Smith Published

Remixed and refreshed by the late, great amp-guru Mark Sampson, this Black Cat has two more tubes, 10 more watts and a whole new voice

Combo Amps
A pair of Positive Grid Spark Neo Core headphones on a silver flight case
“Can absolutely replace going the traditional route of a practice amp”: Positive Grid Spark Neo Core review

By Matt McCracken Published

PG's follow-up to its first wireless amp-headphone solution for guitar gives players a massive price cut, but it doesn't get everything right

Headphone Amps
Fender Blues Junior IV 30th Anniversary: the classic combo is refinished with a touch of cowboy western flair, and is here photographed against some weathered floorboards in close-up
“The standard-bearer against which to judge all small combo amps”: Fender Blues Junior IV 30th Anniversary review

By Martin Smith Published

Decked out in tooled western-style livery with a saddle bag’s worth of speaker and circuit upgrades, this anniversary edition stands strong in the lineage of the classic benchmark combo

3 Comments
Combo Amps
Victory V40 The Duchess MK II Lunchbox Head
"Adding a few tweaks to the winning formula… The perfect pedal platforms": Victory V40 The Duchess Mark II review

By Pete Emery Published

Learning some tricks from the development of the super high-end MK Clean, Victory upgrades the Duchess range

Guitar Amps
Doug Aldrich's signature amp, the Blackstar DA100, is photographed in moody low-light situations.
“A new benchmark for heavy guitar sounds at a relatively accessible price point”: Blackstar DA100 Ruby review

By Martin Smith Published

Blackstar created this fire-breathing signature head for guitar icon Doug Aldrich. But does it rock our world?

Guitar Amps
EVH 5150 Iconic Series 15-watt 1x10 combo
“Though this 15W combo is technically advertised as a practice amp, it can churn out some serious sonic damage”: EVH 5150 Iconic Series 15-watt 1x10 Combo review

By Amit Sharma Published

This may be the smallest amp in the Iconic series, but it sure packs plenty of firepower

Combo Amps
Two Notes Torpedo Reload II
“This Swiss Army knife for amp connectivity is simply the best in its class”: Two Notes Torpedo Reload II review

By Martin Smith Published

A reactive loadbox with dual-mono 215 watts (per channel), stereo effects loop and expanded connectivity from a market-leading brand? It's gotta be good, right?

Guitar Amps
Blackstar ID:X 50
“A Katana killer? The jury’s still out, but one thing’s for sure – this is a great addition to the ID range”: Blackstar ID:X 50 review

By Matt Owen Published

Blackstar is gunning for the Katana crown and has launched a new modeling amp that it thinks will be worthy of the title

3 Comments
Combo Amps
PRS Archon Classic 50: the stylish new amp head offers a more classic voicing than the regular Archon – but it's similarly well-priced.
“Impressive value for guitarists seeking rich clean/overdrive tones and timeless distortion tones”: PRS Archon Classic Head review

By Chris Gill Published

The PRS Archon Classic runs the gamut from crystal cleans to classic crunch and hot-rodded high gain

Guitar Amp Heads
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