Listening to music is great for the soul — playing it is even better. While there are plenty of instruments you can choose to master, there is nothing quite like the electric guitar. The instrument is essentially synonymous with being cool, if we’re being frank. Regardless of your reasoning behind picking up an electric guitar (or bass), you’re going to need a high-grade electronic amplifier to get the best quality sound. Having a poor amplifier can totally defeat the purpose of creating music — or in other words, instead of creating beautiful music, you’re essentially producing the rock-n roll equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. If you want great sound, you’re going to have to pay the price. Lucky for you, the price isn’t all that high. Let’s look at some of the best electric guitar amps on a reasonable deal.
Best Overall Guitar Amplifier
There is arguably no bigger name in electric guitars than Fender. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Fender Mustang I V2 20-Watt 1×8-Inch Combo Electric Guitar Amplifier ranks amongst the best electric guitar amplifiers out there today. This 20 Watt amp is powerful enough for beginners and experienced guitar players and contains 17 different amp models that can accommodate virtually almost any style or genre of music. It comes with an auxiliary input as well as a 1/8th headphone output to help you practice in private. Additionally, the amp comes with the Ableton Live Lite 8 Fender music software, so you can edit and produce your music from your Mac or PC.
Best Travel Amplifier
If you’re looking for something a bit smaller and cheaper, the Blackstar Electric Guitar Mini Amplifier is a great choice for both beginners and seasoned pros who need something more travel-friendly. This portable three-watt mini amp combines two channels, tape delay, and a Blackstar-patented Infinite Shape Feature to help provide quality sound at all times. It also comes with a built-in MP3/ line-in jack that allows you to connect to your MP3 player, smartphone laptop, tablet or any device, in addition to an emulated output for your headphones.
Best Headset Amplifier
For those either with roommates, still living at home, or in a place with thin walls and cranky neighbors, you should probably opt for a headphone amp for your late-night jam sessions. The VOX AP2AC amPlug 2 AC30 Guitar/Bass Headphone Amplifier will provide you with high-quality sound from your headphones, essentially mimicking a regular amplifier in every way. It’s built with aux in, headphone out ports and requires just two AAA batteries to run. For something cheap, inexpensive, and totally noise proof, this is your best bet.
