Best Combo Amp for Every Budget: Fender, Orange, Marshall & More
Which model is your favorite and which ones did we miss?
4,3 / 5,0 | 
Sure, modeling is all the rage, tubes are from the golden era, and solid-state amps are your easy middle ground. But what if you’re looking for a more compact solution that’s still a real amp? Then, our picks for the best combo amp might be exactly what you’re looking for. Check these out!
Our Picks for Best Combo Amp
Best Combo Amp: More versatile, more mobile
Why bother looking for the best combo amp? There are amps and cabs, amp pedals, modelers, and plugins—who even needs combo amps these days? These make much more sense, especially for beginners who might not have the space, budget, or neighborhood-friendly practice situation. Plus, since many seasoned players started on combo amps, quite a few have a soft spot for these all-in-one solutions.
Take Josh Homme, for example, who swears by the tiny Peavey Decade so much so, that they just introduced a dedicated signature edition of the tiny combo amp. Then, there is convenience. Any pedal amp or modeler solution needs actual amplification once you’re in a rehearsal space or a gig. And then you’re very much dependent on what the respective PA has to offer in terms of Watts and fidelity.
With a combo amp, you literally have everything: amp, speaker, effects. All you need is a guitar, a cable, and some people to jam with. Also, these days, manufacturers like Boss or Blackstar are increasingly building modeling technologies into their combos, which gives you an even broader sonic spectrum.
As usual, these lists are strictly sorted by price, not by preference or quality.
Harley Benton HB-15GXD JamBox
This best combo amp offers a lot of value for its price. 15 Watts, eight amp models (Jazz Chorus, X Clean, TS9, SD1, Crunch Box, X Power Drive, X Power Drive Rhythm, MT2), six effects (delay, reverb, chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo) and a built-in drum machine. If you need something to get you started, to plug in your very first guitar and jam around, take a closer look.
Sure, the HB-15GXD might not give that high-end sheen, that tube-driven warmth or super shiny clean sounds. But at this price point, it’s tough to find a comparable alternative. And if you’re looking to move to a combo with a higher quality built, you can always pass it on to the next generation of beginners. The HB-15GXD JamBox is available at Thomann* for 89 euros.
Mooer Hornet Black 30W Modeling Amp
If the model from Harley Benton got you interested in combo amps, but you want more of everything – more watts, more amp models, more effects – then the Hornet from Mooer is worth a look. You get nine amp models, nine effects, an integrated tuner, and even Bluetooth functionality. So, you can play along to your favorite tracks from your phone!
The Hornet is particularly versatile in that it offers dedicated amp models not just für electric guitar, but also for bass, and acoustic guitar. There is also a headphone jack on the back for practicing at home. It’s available from Thomann* for 109 euros.
Boss Katana 50 Gen 3
Compared to Mooer or Harley Benton, the Boss Katana series might be a little more expensive. But these amps are so popular for a reason. On this 50-watts model, you get two channels, each with different sonic characters to choose from. There are six amps to choose from, and another six through the variations button. You can also set the combo amp’s output range with a dedicated switch from full to half to 0.5 (very neighbor-friendly!) to standby.
There are also five effects included, where Boss has drawn from their popular and wide-ranging pedal series. In addition, you can create presets and change rigs through the Boss Tone Studio App. This best combo amp is available at Thomann* for 285 euros.
Positive Grid Spark 2
It might look like just an amp head, but the Spark 2 from Positive Grid is a full-fledged combo. It offers a staggering 100 drum patterns for practicing and jamming at home, 33 amp models, and 43 effects. If you connect it to your computer, it also acts as an audio interface. So you can easily record your guitar in a DAW using Spark 2.
But the most interesting part of it all isn’t the amp, but the accompanying app. Through machine learning, it will automatically create full virtual rigs just by naming a song or an artist – genius! From what I’ve heard, even from more seasoned players, this works surprisingly well. You can get the Spark 2 from Thomann* for 298 euros.
Marshall DSL40CR
There HAS to be a Marshall amp on our list of the best combo amp. Sure, you won’t much of the digital bells and whistles of many of the more affordable amps, we’ve mentioned to far. But what the Marshall DSL40CR offers you with its two channel is endless sonic variety from creamy cleans to piercing high-gain.
40 watts, 12″ Celestion V Type speaker, four ECC83s in the preamp, two EL34s in the power amp – that’s a lot of sonic might in a very compact format. This thing can get LOUD. For the Classic Gain channel, you get the two voicings, clean and crunch, while the Ultra Gain channel offers you Lead 1 or Lead 2. This amp stands on the shoulders of amplification giants. And it’s available at Thomann* for 699 euros.
Orange Rocker 15
If you’re more into Stoner Rock or and other more dusty form of Rock ‘n Roll, this model from Orange might be the best combo amp to choose. The Rocker 15 is based on the famous Rockerverb model and it’s loaded with tubes: three ECC83s and one ECC81 in the preamp, two EL84s in the power amp.
Make no mistake—these 15 Watts might look small on paper, but the Rocker 15 is a gnarling beast. Fittingly, it comes with a ‘Headroom/Bedroom’ switch to attenuate the amp’s output (options are 15, 7, 1, or 0.5 Watts). That way, you can distort the hell out of your signal – without disturbing the hell out of your neighbors or roommates. In addition to a clean channel and a dirty channel for crunch, the Rocker 15 also includes an FX loop. And it’s available from Thomann* for 859 euros.
Vox AC30 C2
If there is one combo in the history of rock music that’s been on more records than just about any other one, it’s the AC30. This 71 pound beast comes loaded with no less than three ECC83s in the preamp and four EL84s in the power amp. Add the two Celestion G12M Greenback 12″ speakers and this thing will sonically overshadow most other amps and speakers on stage.
For extra flexibility, this AC30 model offers four inputs: a low gain and a high gain one for both the normal channel and the top boost channel. It also includes a reverb and a tremolo, for all the vibes and tones you could ever want. At Thomann*, the AC30 C2 costs 1,089 euros.
Fender 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb
I debated whether to choose this model or the Tone Master Princeton Reverb. But as that one was already on the list of the best budget solid-state amps, but you can’t really make a list for the best combo amp without a Fender model, I went for the 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb.
It’s lighter than the AC30, it oozes 60s classic rock vibes, and, like the AC30, the 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb offers four inputs for its two channels, both high gain and low gain. Plus, you get a Fender tube-driven spring reverb and tremolo as effects. It does not get much more vintage than that. The Fender 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb is available at Thomann* for 1,499 euros.
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