One of the most essential pieces of equipment in any home studio is a guitar amp. This device is essential for creating great guitar tones and mixes.
There are plenty of brands out there offering a selection of guitar amps. It is up to you to determine which amp best meets your requirements.
Blackstar Studio 6L6
The Blackstar Studio 6L6 is an ideal home studio guitar amp. This 10-watt combo amp offers full-on tube tone from its single 6L6 power tube, giving off that vintage round low end sound along with bright clean tones. Plus, its Celestion Seventy 80 speaker adds extra punch when playing your guitar.
This amplifier boasts an array of features that make it suitable for both home studio and live performance use. With its straightforward control panel, you can dial in your desired clean or overdrive tones with ease. Furthermore, you can adjust the tone, reverb and master volume on this amplifier using just a few knobs.
This amplifier features two channels; the Clean channel offers volume, bass and treble controls while the Overdrive channel includes gain, reverb and Master Volume controls. Both can be toggled using the foot switch for different sound profiles derived from HT-Drive pedal’s popular tone profiles.
Each channel also has its own tone knobs and EQ controls to customize your sound to your preference. The Clean channel offers a clean tone reminiscent of Fender blackface sparkle with single coils, while Overdrive utilizes touch-sensitive overdrive which can bring out either your humbucker or single coil tones with ease.
This amp is capable of handling any genre of music you play. The reverb is lush but not so long that it drowns out your playing, and it isn’t overly harsh either, making it ideal for guitarists who want their guitars clean while recording.
The reverb has a smooth midrange, making it ideal for players who prefer their tones with some texture. The sound is crystal clear, and you can turn up the reverb up to an impressive level.
Blackstar has always been known for the quality of their valve amps, and this latest release from them proves it. This trio of 10 watt valve combos offers home and studio guitarists a wide variety of tones in an ergonomic, compact package.
Fender
Fender is a well-known brand that provides an extensive selection of guitars and amps. They’re renowned for their signature tone and iconic designs, while also constantly striving to improve their products.
Home studio guitar amps from this company are a top choice, offering several models to fit different budgets. The Princeton Reverb is an all-valve amplifier featuring multiple controls, reverb and a twelve-inch speaker. It boasts 10-watts of power and is user friendly for effortless operation.
The American Performer Strat is a classic Fender model that’s been around for decades and continues to be produced today. This versatile guitar can produce various tones, such as classic rock and blues. It boasts three single coil pickups plus an innovative push-pull switch which splits the humbucking coils for smooth jazz tones or classic rock ones.
These Fender instruments come in an array of colors, making them ideal for players who want to stand out from the rest. Plus, these instruments are incredibly durable – capable of withstanding up to a lot of abuse.
They offer stainless steel frets, which are an ideal feature for players who like to bend their strings without damaging them. Furthermore, these instruments are comfortable to play and can be adjusted to fit any playing style.
Fender guitars boast a variety of pickup combinations that all work to produce an individual tone. This model features three single coil pickups for bright and clear sound, as well as a Jazzmaster pickup in the bridge for country twang or smooth jazz sounds.
For the perfect guitar to suit your style, this Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat Acoustic-Electric is an ideal option. It comes in natural color and features Fishman Isys III system and scalloped X bracing as well as rosewood bridge mask and chrome diecast tuning keys.
Supro Delta King
The Supro Delta King series is an ideal choice for those seeking a compact and portable tube amplifier. These amps boast plenty of features at an unbeatable price point, making them perfect for anyone wanting to add high-end sound quality to their home studio without breaking the bank.
The Delta King 10 is an ideal option for guitarists seeking a clean and powerful tube amp to play through at home or during practice sessions. This amp features a Class A power tube for great tone quality. Plus, it has field effect transistor boost which adds thicker, more vibrant tones.
Another impressive feature on this amp is its line out jack, which lets you connect directly to your digital audio workstation (DAW) or PA system. This function has become increasingly popular recently as it eliminates the need to mic your amp for recording purposes.
This 15-watt combo is the ideal option for guitarists just starting out and don’t want to invest in an amp. It provides a warm tone ideal for beginners, plus it has an impressive boost function that lets you really dial in your sound when needed to cut through the mix.
Pigtronix FAT high-gain mode offers an intense boost to your tone, producing huge and saturated tones – ideal for heavy blues riffs and licks.
Finally, this amp features a custom 12-inch speaker designed specifically for it and offering great tone with an emphasis on midrange. These speakers were made to recreate the vibe of original field-coil speakers used by amplifier manufacturers in 1950s, so you can expect rich, full tones.
The Delta King 8 is the smallest model of this series, yet it delivers an authentic sound sure to inspire. Compact and lightweight, you can take it with you wherever life takes you – making it the ideal amp for any guitar player.
Vox AC15
The Vox AC15 offers classic tones ideal for any guitarist. This amp provides plenty of volume for home studio playing, plus it features an onboard reverb. Furthermore, this amplifier boasts many features that set it apart from other amps on the market.
Its clean sound is ideal for practicing and recording, with plenty of low end. Additionally, it has some EQ options to help control the tone a bit. Plus, its spring reverb and tremolo are impressive features that take advantage of multiple pedals well.
The AC15 is an ideal home studio amp for guitarists looking to recreate that classic British sound at home. Its chiming tone is ideal for early Beatles songs and bands with a jangly, British invasion vibe.
Dick Denny designed the AC15, an all-tube, single-channel guitar amp in 1958 for Jennings Musical Instruments (JMI). This was the first amp specifically tailored to guitarists’ frequency range rather than being adapted from other tube amplifier circuits.
This amp is known for its crisp chimes and jangle, but also has a warm midrange emphasis. It makes an ideal choice for lead guitar players who require a clean amp that can still deliver distorted tones.
In addition, the AC15 features two EQ knobs in its Top Boost channel that allow you to adjust bass and treble frequencies. Furthermore, there’s a volume control available for adjusting gain.
Another impressive feature of the AC15 is its spring reverb, giving it a classic ’60s sound. Additionally, you can adjust its tone using its control knob by darkening or brightening it to blend seamlessly in with other instruments.
The Vox AC15 was one of the original amps to define British sound, and it remains a go-to choice on stages and studios worldwide. At 15 watts, its design provides manageable volume in live situations while its 25-watt Celestion Greenback speaker helps reduce some high frequencies.