Finding the best tube amp for your electric guitar can be a challenge. Every all tube amplifier for guitar sounds a little bit different and the prices are all over the place. Deciding on the right amp means you have about what you are going use it for.
For example, your recording tube amp might need different features than a live tube amplifier that you use for shows. Size, weight, durability, and sound all come into play when choosing the right amp.
That’s why we made this comparison. We review all of the most popular tube guitar amplifiers, so you can see the specs, pros, cons, and features and decide which one is right for your playing style and needs.
Let’s jump into it and look at some of the top-rated tube amps on the market today!
Compare the Top Tube Amplifiers in 2020 Below
Contents
- 1 Compare the Top Tube Amplifiers in 2020 Below
- 2 What We Recommend and Why
Here is a list of the best tube guitar amplifiers that will make your tone scream at home or on stage.
- Marshall 2525C Mini Silver Jubilee
- Peavey 6505 Head
- Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb
- Line 6 DT25 Combo
- Marshall DSL Series DSL100H
- Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 III
- VOX AC15C1X
- PRS Sonzera 50 Combo
- Egnater REBEL-30 112 MARK II
Marshall 2525C Mini Silver Jubilee
Specs, features, and benefits
The Marshall 2525C Mini Silver Jubilee is a 20Watt two-channel combo with one twelve-inch Celestion speaker. It has an all-tube amp with two EL34 power tubes and three ECC83 tubes in the preamp. On the control panel, starting from the left, there is the input, control knobs for Input Gain (with pulling it you’ll get overdriven sound), Lead Master, Output Master (pulling this control knob you will change the channel), Treble, Middle, Bass, and Presence, Low/Stand-By/High Output switch, and the Power On/Off switch.
With setting the Output switch at “Low” setting, you will adjust it the amp’s power to 5Watts, which is great for rehearsing and practice. On the back of the amp, you can find the FX Loop jacks, the Footswitch port, the D.I. output, and the speaker output jacks (1x4Ohm, 2x8Ohm, 1x8Ohm, 2x16Ohm, 1x16Ohm). The Marshall 2525C Mini Silver Jubilee comes with a Footswitch for channel switching included in the price.
Pros and Highlights
- Great sound – The amp sounds fantastic. It has perfect crystal-clear sounds and warm and rich overdrive tones.
- Great for practice – The fact that you can attenuate the power is making this amp perfect for bedroom rock shows.
- Intuitive – The amp is very easy-to-use. No bells & whistles – you can set your perfect tone in seconds.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Try it before you buy it – Not everybody likes the sound of this amp. So, in order to avoid disappointment and headaches, just try it and decide whether it fits your sound preferences.
Bottom line
If you are looking for a “bedroom” amp and amp for rehearsals with your band, the Marshal 2525C Mini Silver Jubilee is a great choice. It sounds fantastic, both clean and overdriven. However, we suggest trying it before buying, because not everybody likes the same sound. We advise you to do this with every amp, and every piece of equipment… Not every foot fits the same sandal, right?
Peavey 6505 Head
Specs, features, and benefits
The Peavey 6505 head is a 120Watt tube amp with two switchable channels. The 6505 by Peavey has four 6L6GC tubes in the power amp, and five 12AX7 preamp tubes. From left to right, the 6505 has two inputs, High-Gain for the guitars with active pick-ups, and Normal Gain for the guitars with passive pick-ups. Then we have the channel push-button switch. The Rhythm has Pre-Gain control knob, and two push buttons, Bright and Crunch.
The Lead channel also has a dedicated Pre-Gain control knob. Next, we have the Equalization cluster with Low, Mid, and High control knobs, dedicated Post Gain control knob for each channel, and Resonance and Presence control knobs that apply to both of the channels.
Finally, we have the Standby and the Power switch. On the back panel of the amp, there are the Effects Loop jacks, the Preamp Out, the Remote Switch (footswitch) jack, and two Speaker Outputs with switchable Ohmage (4/8/16). The included footswitch has a channel switch, and effects (Effects loop) switch.
Pros and Highlights
- Massive and raw sound – Great for metal!
- Versatile – Three channels!
- Reliable, Sturdy – This is a great amp for any kind of situation – gigging, touring, recording, etc.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons!
Bottom line
If you are looking for a sturdy tube amp, that offers tons of gain, and massive sound, that can stand proudly on the stage, and you can record with it also, you will not make a mistake if you go for the Peavey 6505 Head. It has three channels; it has tons of gain, and raw and massive sound. Great for metalheads and hard rock guitar players.
Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb
Specs, features, and benefits
The Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb is a 22Watt combo with a tube amplifier and one twelve-inch Jensen Special Design speaker with ceramic magnet. It has four 12AX7 and two 12AT7 tubes in the preamp section, two 6V6 power tube, and a 5AR4 Rectifier tube. It has two channels, Normal and Vibrato.
The control panel of the amp consists of two clusters, one for each channel. The Normal channel has two inputs, and control knobs for Volume, Bass, and Treble. The Vibrato channel has also two inputs, and control knobs for Volume, Treble, Bass, Reverb, Speed, and Intensity. On the back panel of the amp, you can find the Power on/off switch, the Standby switch, External Speaker Jack, and Footswitch port.
Pros and Highlights
- Amazing Tone – This combo sounds fantastic! Sounds great both clean and distorted! It also takes pedals very well.
- Great for gigging – It is a sturdy, compact amp that sounds great and performs flawlessly. Great for gigs!
- The Reverb and the Vibrato sound beautiful – You have to check them out!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- None!
Bottom line
Sweet sound, sturdily-built, compact-design, great for gigging combo amp. The Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb is definitely on my list of top most beautiful sounding amps!
Line 6 DT25 Combo
Specs, features, and benefits
The Line 6 DT25 Combo is a 25-Watt (it can be switched to 10-Watts) tube amp with one 12-Inch speaker with a great amount of versatility. This amp was born out of a collaboration between the well-known German amp-builder Reinhold Bogner and Line 6. It has one 12AX7 preamp tube and two EL84 power tubes.
The amp has two switchable channels A/B. The amp has dedicated control knobs for each channel, Drive, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence, Reverb, and Volume. Then there is the switch that offers four different amp modes, Classic American Clean, British Crunch, Class A Chime, and Modern High-Gain available. Next, we have the Pentode/Triode flick switch, the Class A/Class A/B, the Master control knob, the Standby switch, and the On/Off switch. Pretty fascinating, huh?
This amp offers a lot of different sounds. It is completely analog, and you can get all the classic amp sounds from the past. On the backside of the amp you can find a Low Volume Mode On/Off switch, Midi In and Out, Line 6 Link for connecting the amp with the Line 6 POD HD, Footswitch input, Effects Loop, Cabinet Simulated Direct Output with a ground/lift switch, Four-Ohm, Eight-Ohm, and Sixteen-Ohm Speaker Outs.
Pros and Highlights
- Versatile – This amp offers a lot of different amp sounds. Almost over-whelming!
- Sounds amazing – This amp sounds awesome due to the all-analog circuit and the fact that it is a tube amp.
- Massive, yet compact – The amp is very compact, and still can be played in big venues or even stadiums! Just connect a big extension speaker in the back, and there you go!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Hum – Many owners complain that the amp produces hum, others claim that their amp is kept getting defective, every time they got it back from the repair center something new breaks. Not cool.
Bottom line
The Line 6 DT25 Combo is a very versatile tube-amp with massive tone. Just like other Line 6 amps, this one is packed with features and will give you great sound.
Marshall DSL Series DSL100H
Specs, features, and benefits
The Marshall DSL100H is a 100Watt tube amp head with two switchable channels. It has four EL34’s and one ECC83 tube in the power amp and three ECC83 in the preamp section.
On the control panel, starting from the left, there are the Power and the Standby switch, dedicated Reverb control knob for each channel, Equalization cluster with Resonance and Presence control knobs, Tone Shift push-button, and Bass, Middle, and Treble control knobs, Ultra-Gain channel with Lead1/Lead2 push-button and Volume and Gain control knobs, and Classic Gain channel Clean/Crunch push button and Volume and Gain control knobs.
On the back of the head, you can find the Speaker outputs (4/8/16OHM), the Footswitch port; the Effects loop jacks, and the Triode/Pentode switch that can attenuate the power of the amp to half.
Pros and Highlights
- It is a Marshall! – Marshall amps are one of the most popular guitar amps for decades. Maybe you would ask yourself, Why? Because they are durable, reliable, and they have a great tone!
- Great sound – With this amp, you have all those classic Marshal tones, as well as the new, modern ones!
- Affordable – Well, of course, having in mind all of the features of the amp!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- The Reverb is lame! You can end up with a DOA amp – We can probably agree that the reverb is pretty lame on this amp. This might not be a big deal. What should concern you more is that there are many disappointed owners of this model who received their amp defective or dead on arrival. Try it before you buy it, folks! You don’t want to throw away your hard earned money.
Bottom line
It is a Marshall amp, but I must say that I’m a bit disappointed with the quality of this amp. It is not like the old Marshall amps that we are used to. Well, there are a lot of happy owners of this amp, but of course, there is a lot of disappointing ones too. Our best advice for you, if you are planning to buy this one, is to try it before you buy it. And you should probably go to your local guitar store and get one, rather than buying it on the internet.
Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 III
Specs, features, and benefits
The Fender Hot Rod Deville 212 III is an all-tube guitar amp with two 12-Inch Celestion speakers and 60-Watts of Power. It has three 12AX7 preamp tubes, two 6V6 power tubes, and a solid-state rectifier.
It has two inputs with Normal/Bright push button, Volume control knob, Drive control knob with two modes Drive and More Drive, Treble, Bass, and Middle control knobs, Master control knob with a push-button for channel select, Reverb control knob, and Presence control knob. It also features a Preamp Out, Power Amp In, Footswitch input, Standby switch, and On/Off switch. This amp is very powerful and sounds amazing. Also, it comes with a footswitch with Channel select, and Drive/More Drive footswitch, and a protective cover.
Pros and Highlights
- Powerful! – This amplifier is very loud and powerful. The 60-Watts of Power and the two 12-Inch speakers deliver massive tones!
- Three channels – It has a Clean, and two Drive channels – Drive, and More Drive. Pretty self-explanatory, right? And they drive you man!
- Sounds amazing – This is an understatement. Of course, it does!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Weights a lot! – This amp weights over twenty-five kilograms. That’s a lot. This might not be a problem for everybody, but before buying this amp, consider this if you have weak arms.
Bottom line
Definitely, one of the best combo amps on the market. The Fender Hot Rod Deville 212 III is a great, massive-sounding tube-amp with cool Reverb and Vibrato effects, and three channels. Awesome for gigging. It weights a lot, but hey, the tone you will get out of this monster is priceless.
VOX AC15C1X
Specs, features, and benefits
Vox has a half-century tradition of making great sounding amps. The Vox AC15C1X is a perfect example of that. We are talking about a 15Watt tube amplifier set in a combo with a twelve-inch 16Ohm Celestion Alnico Blue speaker. The amp has three 12AX7 preamp tubes and two EL84 power tubes. It has two channels, Normal channel, and the Top Boost channel. They have separate inputs.
The control panel of the amp consists of Normal channel’s Volume control knob, Top Boost channel’s Bass, Treble, and Volume control knobs, Reverb level control knob, Depth and Speed control knobs for the Tremolo, Master Volume and Tone Cut control knobs, a Standby switch, and the On/Off Power switch. The Tone Cut control is like a low-pass filter – this will brighten up your tone to a big amount. On the backside of the amp, you can find the External/Extension speaker jacks with switchable Ohmage, and the Footswitch port.
Pros and Highlights
- Sweet sound – The Vox AC15C1X is a perfect example of Vox’s tradition and work. It is sturdily built, it is compact, it looks beautiful, and it sounds amazing. Great job, Vox!
- Flexible – You have two channels on the amp, the Normal, and the Top Boost. The two of them sound great, from clean, to fully overdriven, the amp sounds warm.
- Reverb/Tremolo – Both of these effects are a great addition to your sound. They both sound warm and natural.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons!
Bottom line
It is not a secret in the community of guitar players that Vox makes one of the best (if not the best) sounding amplifiers. The Vox AC15C1X is a great sounding, sturdily-built, compact, and beautiful combo amp perfect for the studio and for gigging. You can’t make a mistake if you go for this one!
PRS Sonzera 50 Combo
Specs, features, and benefits
The PRS Sonzera 50 Combo is a 50Watt tube amp combo with one twelve-inch Celestion speaker. It has one JJ ECC835 tube and three Ruby 12AX7AC5 HG tubes in the preamp section, and two Ruby EL34 BHT power tubes.
It has two switchable channels, Clean channel and Gain channel. On the control panel of the amp, there are separate clusters for the two channels, a switch for channel selecting in the middle of them, a Presence knob that works for the two channels, and of course, a guitar input.
The Clean channel has control knobs for Reverb, Bass, Middle, Treble, Master, and Volume, and a Bright/Normal toggle switch. The Gain channel has control knobs for Reverb, Bass, Middle, Treble, Level, and Drive, and a Bright/Normal toggle switch. On the back panel, you can find the Power switch, the Standby switch, the Effects Loop jacks, Footswitch port, and five Speaker jacks (16Ohm, 16Ohm Ext., 8Ohm, 4Ohm external, 4Ohm).
Pros and Highlights
- Amazing sound! – The PRS Sonzera 50 Combo sounds incredible! You have to hear this beast. It sounds great on both channels, and it is extremely tweakable/flexible!
- Great for on the road – It is built like a tank, and it will take up the beatings of the road without crying. It is though!
- Affordable – Considering the sound you will get with it – it is cheap!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Hum, Buzz, Unreliable – Some owners are complaining that they received a defective amp. They claim that their PRS Sonzera 50 Combo is producing an unwanted hum. Some even claim that their amp blew up! Be sure to try it before you buy it.
Bottom line
The Sonzera 50 Combo by PRS is an amazing sounding amp. Both two channels sound incredible, it is flexible and sturdy. It also looks beautiful. However, there are owners that are disappointed with their purchase, due to the amp producing unwanted hum and similar problems. This says that PRS has poor quality control.
Egnater REBEL-30 112 MARK II
Specs, features, and benefits
The Egnater Rebel-30 112 Mark II combo is a 30Watt tube amp with one twelve-inch Egnater Celestion Elite-80 Speaker. It has two channels – Clean channel, and Overdrive channel.
It has two 6V6 and two EL84 power tubes, and five 12AX7 preamp tubes. On the control panel, we can find Play/Standby/Silent-Recording switch, Tube Mix (EL84/6V6) control knob, separate wattage attenuator control knobs for each channel; Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass, and Gain control knobs, bright switch, and tight switch for the Overdrive channel; Treble, Bass, and Volume control knobs, bright switch, and tight switch for the Clean channel; a channel button-switch, and the guitar input.
On the back panel of the amp, you can find the Effects Loop jacks, separate Reverb controls for the Clean and the Overdrive channel, Record/Line-Out port (XLR), Main and External Speaker Jacks with switchable impedance (4Ohm, 8Ohm, 16Ohm), the Footswitch port, and the Power On/Off switch.
Pros and Highlights
- Great sound – The Egnater Rebel-30 112 Mark II sounds great!
- Compact – Great for gigging! It won’t hurt your back, and it will sound awesome on stage!
- Flexible, Versatile – It has everything you will ever need on an amp! Also, you can set a lot of different sounds with this amp!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons!
Bottom line
If you are looking for a great tube combo amp, that is compact, sturdy, and great sounding, you won’t make a mistake with buying the Egnater Rebel-30 112 Mark II. This combo has everything that you will ever need; it is very flexible and sturdy. Great for recording, practice, rehearsals, and small venue gigging.
What We Recommend and Why
We recommend the Vox AC15C1X combo. Vox is a proved manufacturer of great sounding amps. The Vox15C1X is a great sounding, compact, sturdy, flexible, and beautiful looking amp. It is great for gigging and for recording!