You know how it is: you have just bought your first guitar and barely managed to sort through all the superabundant options on the market, and pick the right one. The same thing is expected to happen when buying your first guitar amplifier, right?
Now, that’s where you are mistaken! I’m here to help! I’ve tested a wide range of amplifiers, and in this article, I’ll show you my top picks for the best beginner guitar amps in 2024.
About the author
How I chose the amplifiers for this list?
While choosing the best beginner guitar amps, I had a couple of things in mind. First of all, one of the most important criteria for picking guitar amplifiers is their size and portability.
As a beginner, you usually don’t want to buy a gigantic amp that uses a lot of space in your room. You are just trying out, seeing if the guitar is the right fit for you. Therefore, committing yourself to buy a bigger (oftentimes more expensive) amp isn’t really the right choice for you, at that moment.
Next up, I have considered volume and wattage. Beginner amps are usually bedroom amps that need to stay within certain loudness ranges, so they don’t disturb your surroundings.
Pricing is yet another important aspect of a good beginner amp. You don’t want to spend too much money on something that you may not do for long, right?
Finally, I considered the tones and effects of these amps. They need to have something flashy to offer, but not too much. Otherwise, the abundant options would confuse the beginner guitarist and probably leave him disheartened.
These are the best guitar amps for beginners:
- Boss Katana-50 Mk2
- Blackstar Fly 3 Bluetooth
- Fender Mustang LT50
- Vox VX15 GT
- Line 6 Catalyst 60
- Orange Crush 20
Boss Katana-50 Mk2
- Power output: 50 W
- Speaker size: 12″
- Inputs/outputs: 1/4″, 1/8″, USB
- Footswitch I/O: Yes, 1/4″
- Bluetooth: No
- Dimensions (HWD): 15.6″ x 18.5″ x 9.3″
Boss were those guys that made some legendary pedals, right? What are they doing in the guitar amp world? Well, delivering a certain special model of a guitar amp! The Katana-50 Mk2 is a real powerhouse of versatility. It gives its users a really wide array of options.
Since it’s a modeling amp, it allows for five different amp voicings and over 60 different effects. This may seem a bit overwhelming to a beginner, but no worries! The interface of the amp is rather simple and user-friendly. In other words, you can use the amp to dial in a vast array of different tones in a rather non-complicated way.
Once you have got the guitar-playing momentum going, you might want to start recording yourself, right? The cool thing is, there is a USB connectivity that you can use to connect your amp to your PC and start recording!
What I like
- Great tones/effects.
- Very versatile.
- Simple, beginner-friendly.
What I don’t like
- Not powerful enough for larger gigs.
Blackstar Fly 3 Bluetooth
- Power output: 3 W
- Speaker size: 3″
- Inputs/outputs: 1/4″, 1/8″, RJ45
- Footswitch I/O: No
- Bluetooth: Yes
- Dimensions (HWD): 4.96″ x 6.69″ x 4.01″
The best thing about this amp is its loudness-to-size ratio. The amount of sheer volume you can get with this one is really incredible when you take into account the fact that its speaker is only a 3-inch one!
No worries though, you can also use this amp at much quieter volumes that are neighborhood-friendly. Another cool thing is that the light weight of the amp makes it highly portable.
With the Fly 3 Bluetooth, you are getting two separate channels, with an added delay effect. One channel is obviously the clean one, while the other one provides you with a slightly more overdriven tone.
Probably the coolest feature of this amp is the fact that you can connect two Fly 3 amps in stereo, and then use Bluetooth to jam to some backing tracks. A very cool little amp indeed!
What I like
- Great sound for such a small amplifier.
- Bluetooth functionality.
- Can be battery-powered.
What I don’t like
- Nothing, for what it is.
Fender Mustang LT50
- Power output: 50 W
- Speaker size: 12″
- Inputs/outputs: 1/4″, 1/8″, USB Micro-B
- Footswitch I/O: Yes, 1/4″
- Bluetooth: No
- Dimensions (HWD): 16.5″ x 17″ x 8.5″
The Fender Mustang LT50 is probably the most versatile single-channel amp ever made! That one channel packs 20 different amp voicings as well as a set of different effects.
What I liked the most is the option to store different presets that you like. Saves a ton of time of having to dial in new tones every time you plug in your guitar.
As is the case with all the Fender output pretty much, the Mustang LT50 is a great amplifier, given its target market.
What I like
- Versatile.
- Factory and user presets.
- USB connectivity.
What I don’t like
- Inbuilt speaker is not of the highest quality.
Vox VX15 GT
- Power output: 15 W
- Speaker size: 6.5″
- Inputs/outputs: 1/4″, 1/8″
- Footswitch I/O: Yes, 1/4″
- Bluetooth: No
- Dimensions (HWD): 12.32″ x 13.94″ x 8.19″
With a wide array of tonal possibilities, adequate size, and loudness, the VX15 GT could be a great first amp for any budding guitarist.
The sealed cabinet is made out of ABS which is very lightweight, providing you with a great deal of portability. It is made in accordance with the bass-reflex design which provides you with tight lows, and a very focused sound in general.
As a modeling amp, the Vox VX15 GT provides you with 11 different channels for you to utilize. You can dial in anything from the vintage AC30 sounds, up to some high-gain metal crunching.
The 15-watt speaker and a total number of eight different effects give you the opportunity to tweak your sound both in terms of loudness and texture. All in all, it’s a lightweight, versatile, beginner-friendly amplifier!
What I like
- Pretty loud.
- Lightweight and versatile.
- Great for beginners.
What I don’t like
- Its somewhat strange sound might not be to everyone’s taste.
Line 6 Catalyst 60
- Power output: 60 W
- Speaker size: 12″
- Inputs/outputs: 1/4″, 1/8″, USB MIDI
- Footswitch I/O: Yes, 1/4″
- Bluetooth: No
- Dimensions (HWD): 17.5″ x 19.9″ x 10.2″
Now, what an amp this one is! Well, first of all, it’s a modeling amp that features a great deal of studio-grade effects. The Catalyst 60 is a descendant of a legendary lineage of modeling amps and as such, it bears no shame on the family name!
This amp incorporates a wide array of different amp models. From all the crystal-clear, clean types of sound, all the way up to high-gain metal sounds. So, versatility is no issue here.
One of the coolest things about this amp is its Catalyst Edit app you can use to finely tweak your sounds and save them to one of the two memory slots. From there, you can do instant recall.
Read the full Line 6 Catalyst 60 review to find out more.
What I like
- Huge number of different tonal avenues.
- Good for both studio and live situations.
- Useful app.
What I don’t like
- Controls may be a bit complicated for some.
Orange Crush 20
- Power output: 20 W
- Speaker size: 8″
- Inputs/outputs: 1/4″, 1/8″
- Footswitch I/O: Yes, 1/4″
- Bluetooth: No
- Dimensions (HWD): 12.8″ x 14.67″ x 7.75″
If you are a beginner who likes some harder rock genres, this just may be the right amp for you! English manufacturer Orange has always been heralded as one of the best high-gain amp makers. This amp is no exception! The fine-grained distortion you are getting here is nothing short of legendary!
On the other hand, if you are looking for an amp that features some fancy effects, look somewhere else! This one is a bit of a one-trick pony. But a truly great one!
Since versatility is not the real star of the show here, this is an amplifier for someone who specifically wants some spectacular high-gain sounds! If that’s you, then look no further!
What I like
- Great for hard rock.
- Easy to use.
- Affordable.
What I don’t like
- Not particularly versatile.
Conclusion
All in all, the today’s market is jam-packed with great beginner-friendly guitar amps. The tricky thing, however, is to find the right option for you with all the options being very enticing in their own way.
I have tried to represent the amps that can serve in different genres, that are placed in different pricing ranges, as well as to fit in the aforementioned picking criteria.
With this information, rest assured you will make an informed consumer decision!
Aweseome article.