If you’re a beginner guitarist looking for a high-quality, capable practice amp, then any one of the best budget guitar amps under $500 is going to be perfect for you. Although a well known cliché, there genuinely has never been a better time to buy a budget guitar amp - with all the major brands (and some smaller ones) getting in on the action.
Whether your budget guitar amp is going to be used for recording, gigging, home practice or all of the above, there’s something here for you. Today’s budget amps not only offer better tones than ever before, but many deliver them in lighter, smaller formats, too. We'd even go as far as to say that, with solid state, digital and app-based technology at the best it's ever been, there's never been a better time to buy a budget guitar amp. Back in the day, you'd have had a hefty bill to pay if you wanted access to hundreds of different amp, cabinet and pedal tones and combinations – but now all of that can be at your fingertips for as little as a couple hundred bucks.
The guitar amplifiers in this guide stretch all the way from tube-equipped micro-heads to amps capable of sophisticated digital imitation and modeling, and range in output from 120 watts all the way down to 0.5. Thankfully, even the smallest, quietest budget amps pack a mean punch, and with top-notch tones, features and functionality – and all for under $500? Now that's value for money.
We’ve included some in-depth buying advice at the end of this guide, so if you’d like to read more about the best budget guitar amps under $500 and what you should bear in mind when buying one, then hit the ‘buying advice’ tab above. If you’re here to look at the products, keep scrolling.
Best budget guitar amps: Guitar World's choice
Highly praised among guitarists of all abilities, the Boss Katana-100 MKII series offers the best tone-for-buck ratio of any guitar amp on the market right now. The Katana’s five amp characters (Clean, Crunch, Lead, Brown and Acoustic) span just about any genre, while Boss’s industry-standard effects are also included, with 15 varieties covering your boost, mod, FX, delay and reverb needs.
All the amp’s parameters can be adjusted via Boss’s Tone Studio software, and line-outs and USB recording mean it’s as home studio friendly as they come - but packing 100W of power, it’ll hold its own on any stage too. All things considered, it’s the best budget guitar amp under $500 right now.
If the Katana is too big for your needs, then our recommendation is the Yamaha THR10 II W. Frankly, we love this amp. Yamaha helped to pioneer the whole desktop amp concept with the THR range, and this 20-watt modeler certainly impresses. You’ve got 15 new amp tones and four effects onboard, as well as built-in wireless and Bluetooth connectivity – making the THR10 II W a seriously impressive amp.
Best budget guitar amps under $500: Product guide
Even ignoring their affordable price tags, Boss’s Katana modeling amps have earned a reputation as some of the best guitar amps you can buy today, and the MkII line-up only bolsters that reputation.
This solid-state 100W model is gig-ready, and like the rest of the range, boasts five amp characters (Clean, Crunch, Lead, Brown and Acoustic), plus variations for each. This being a Boss amp, you also get five independent digital effects sections thrown in (Booster, Mod, FX, Delay and Reverb), all of which are savable across eight tone setting memories.
Our testing proved that it's the tonal control that really makes the Katana a top buy, however, with adjustable cab resonance options, Power Control and easily recordable mic’d cab-emulated outputs.
It's worth noting the prices we've listed are for the 2x12" combo, but a 1x12" is also available for a little less.
Read the full Boss Katana 100 MKII review
Yamaha’s toaster-sized THR amps are a complete joy to both use and listen to. This one, the THR10 II Wireless, sits just below its top-of-the-line 30-watt sibling, which is just a smidgen too pricey to include in this guide.
Despite the THR10 moniker, there’s actually 20 watts on tap here, which is more than enough for practising at home. Provided you and your chums are into one of the more serene musical genres, such as some forms jazz, folk or country, that’s possibly just enough oomph for band practice. However, unless you mic it up it’ll struggle with live performance.
No matter, Yamaha designed this amp to look good and sound great in the home. It’s fantastic at both. Its appearance, in our opinion, remains peerless for a desktop amp, and it will happily complement almost any style of domestic décor.
And the sounds? Yamaha’s music division robbed the brand’s home entertainment division of all its best ideas so that the pair of small 3.1” (8cm) full range stereo speakers would sound their best. Which they do – this thing sounds incredible, with the driven sounds sounding especially impressive for such a small amp.
You get to choose from 15 guitar amp models, three bass amp models, three mic models for acoustic/electrics and flat voicings for other instruments such as keys. There’s also a generous handful of on-board effects plus a compressor and noise gate accessible via the THR mobile app. Unlike its bigger, more expensive brother there are no line-outs, which is a shame, but there is USB, allowing the THR 10II to act as an audio interface. There’s also an Aux In and Bluetooth connectivity.
The icing on the cake is its wireless capabilities and its powerful, rechargeable battery. Just imagine noodling away for hours anywhere in your home, completely unhindered by cables of any sort…
Supro is one of the biggest names in tube amps. With names like Jimmy Page, Lenny Kravitz, Vernon Reid and Mark Lettieri all having played and repped Supro amps in their time, we’d be daft not to join them with the Delta King 8.
The Delta King 8 is a 1x8” 1 watt all-tube combo amp. The smallest sibling of Supro’s Delta King series, this amp is all about great tones at volumes that won’t get you in trouble. They say that there is beauty in simplicity - and we’d have to wholeheartedly agree.
An input volume, tone, master volume and boost switch is all the Supro comes equipped with - and it’s really all we needed to coax out some killer practice tones during testing. Crank both volume controls, and you’ve got one wailing watt of harmonic richness, or ride both independently for some quiet gain tones or sweet cleans. We were a bit sad about the lack of reverb onboard, but hey - for under 500 bucks, there’s nothing really to complain about.
Possibly the world’s only bona fide metal amp that can fit inside a guitar case, the Micro Dark is nevertheless packed with features that include volume, gain and shape controls, a 1/4-inch headphone output, speaker output (minimum 8-ohm load) and an effect loop.
The tiny unit boasts a preamp driven by a single 12AX7 tube and a 20-watt solid-state power amplifier that pumps out impressively loud volume levels, with mammoth bass thump and harmonically rich grind.
The shape control produces a variety of tones by sweeping across a wide midrange sweet spot that can also enhance treble and bass as desired.
The effect loop, meanwhile, enables guitarists to patch a studio multi-effects unit, reverb, delay or modulation pedal in between the preamp and power amp sections to produce truly professional-quality tones with low noise and impressive definition and articulation that sound particularly huge when recorded.
We found the Micro Dark to be a surprisingly versatile and powerful “secret” weapon for metal guitarists who love highly saturated grind but are tired of grinding their spinal discs lifting heavy equipment.
Watch the Orange Micro Dark review video
Positive Grid is a relatively new kid on the block, but don’t let that put you off. They’ve taken the guitar amp world by storm of late with their incredible BIAS tone engine, and the Spark is a neighbor-friendly, wallet-friendly vehicle for that fantastic software to shine.
With access to over 10,000 tones with the companion app, as well as 30 amp models and 40 effects already onboard, we found the Spark to be more than capable of covering any genre we could think of during our testing. USB inputs and outputs are standard, allowing you to turn your Spark into a guitar audio interface for easy recording, and Bluetooth is included to make streaming music easy as pie.
The Spark’s ace-up-the-sleeve is definitely the learning tools it offers. ‘Auto Chords’ will find chord charts for any song you choose and send them straight to the app for you, and ‘Smart Jam’ will learn your style of playing, and generate an accompanying backing track that will play along to you.
Read the full Positive Grid Spark review
The Katana Air is a desktop amp developed in the same vein as Yamaha’s pioneering THR series, albeit one that looks a little less ‘hi-fi’ and a little more traditional guitar amp. It’s a dark yet attractive look that some may favour over Yamaha’s slightly more showy aesthetic.
Just like Yamaha, Boss (a sister brand of Roland) is held in extremely high regard for the quality of its modelling and the Katana Air doesn’t disappoint. Its five amp characters, which are derived directly from Boss’ Katana stage amplifier line, doesn’t sound like many but they actually provide the full gamut of tones from sparkly cleans to modern ultra-high gain. There’s also an Acoustic Character setting for acoustic/electric playing and 50, yes 50, available effects to shape your tone. And we all know how good Boss effects are.
Like the THR, the Katana Air can be operated wirelessly for tether-free playing, but unlike the Yamaha the transmitter is bundled with the amp, which saves quite a wedge of extra cash. However, although the Katana Air can run on battery power you’ll need to feed it a ready supply of AAs as it doesn’t have a rechargeable battery built-in.
There’s Bluetooth for streaming music from other devices, and a Boss Tone Studio smartphone amp that takes a lot of the complexity out of configuring it. As well as saving you from having to reach for the physical controls.
The Katana Air also has a phones/recording out with cab simulation for silent practice or recording your best efforts. It’s even possible to alter the mic position on the cab sim using the phone app.
Read the full Boss Katana Air review
Fender is no noob when it comes to modeling amps and its Mustang series has always been impressive in terms of features, sound quality and ease of use. The LT25 is a portable modeling combo featuring an eight-inch speaker, 20 amp models, 25 effects, USB connectivity and an auxiliary input.
You’ll find 30 presets on-board presets, easily selectable using the large encoder to the right of the amp’s screen. These presets can be tweaked and your custom profile saved with ease.
There are plenty of Fender’s typically smooth, bright and clean sounds on offer here, but we loved the chunkier high gain emulations on offer too.
In terms of effects, you get everything from compression and gates, through to octave, auto-wah, delays and reverbs. If you’re a beginner or a student, for this price, you can’t go wrong.
Read the full Fender Mustang LT25 review
We love the cuddly little HT1R MkII, especially in Surf Green or silvery Bronco Grey. With their textured Tolex finishes and chicken-head knobs, both have a cool California vibe about them – quite something for an amp developed in Northampton, UK.
It may look a cutie but there’s some real grit here waiting to be unleashed. We all know that a tube amp only comes into its own when cranked, and we also appreciate that doing that is rarely conducive to remaining on your neighbors’ Christmas card lists.
Not so with the HT1R, because its output is rated at just one watt. It’s still surprisingly loud but doesn’t have the muscle to rattle your neighbors’ windows or their false teeth. What it does have is the potential for beautiful driven tones.
There are two channels. Select the overdrive channel and you can dial in anything from an articulate crunch to high-gain madness. Swap to the clean channel for American sparkle or chimey Brit tones. Both channels respond exceptionally well to dynamic playing.
The HT1R MkII was born to live at home yet can act the perfectly behaved studio guest too. Recording big, full, high-gain tones sounds like a job for a powerful combo or stack, but a small amp can get the job done with just as much character and a lot less bother. You can either mic up the little Blackstar or take a direct feed via USB.
If you crave the sound of a real valve power amp in a home setting then the HT1R MkII is well worth a look, and a listen. There’s also a head version if you need something even smaller for recording over USB, or if you fancy hooking it up to a cab.
The Orange Crush 20 is a compact and killer 1x8” combo, with the distinctive looks that we know and love. Orange’s styling is certainly a statement - and their tones live up to the same reputation - so the Crush 20 was a no-brainer for this guide.
Clean and dirty channels, a three band EQ, an aux input and a cab-sim loaded headphone output make up the Crush 20’s limited spec list, but while there may be fewer bells and whistles on the Crush than something like the Katana, this amp is all about simple, great tones, and nothing else - and that’s a priority list we like the look of.
While the 8” Voice of the World speaker won’t really cut it in a gigging context, it’s more than enough for practicing at home and will happily put up a fight against a drummer. As a practice amp, there aren’t many better solid state combos around for the money.
Read the full Orange Crush 20 review
Part of Marshall’s CODE Series, the company’s first foray into the world of digital modeling amps, the CODE50 is a 50-watt combo with a single custom 12-inch speaker that provides four power amp models, 14 preamp models, eight speaker models and 24 effects (up to five effects can be used simultaneously), and can store 100 presets. Standard front panel controls include Volume, Gain, Master and Bass, Middle and Treble EQ.
Whereas most digital modeling amps try to be everything to everybody, the CODE50 mainly focuses on the company’s greatest strength - genuine Marshall tones.
The preamp and power amp models are comprised mostly of Marshall’s most popular designs, including JTM45, Bluesbreaker, Plexi, JCM800, Silver Jubilee, DSL and JVM models. American clean and overdrive models and an acoustic simulator provide just the right amount of tonal contrast and variety.
Effects consist of all the essentials like compression, overdrive, modulation, reverb and delay, and up to five effects can be used at once. We found the free Marshall Gateway app, which allows users to control all functions with an iOS or Android device via Bluetooth, was easy to use, and didn't detract from the amps impressive performance.
A great choice if you love Marshall tones but also desire the convenience, versatility and power of a modern digital modeling amp.
Read the Marshall CODE50 review
The Spider has become something of a beginner guitar amp staple owing to its exhaustive array of amp and effects models, and with the Spider V MkII series, it’s never sounded better.
This 120W version is perhaps the standout of the series, with over 200, amps, cabs and effects, spread across 128 presets, and newly revoiced for this range. During testing, we felt that these are ideal especially for beginners - as a way of getting quick and easy access to a host of classic guitar tones.
You also get a ton of practice aids thrown in, including a tuner, metronome, drum loops and a 60-second looper, plus direct recording via XLR and USB, and even built-in wireless capability. It’s all controlled via an easy-to-use interface and Line 6’s free Spider V Remote app, which all combines to make this one of the best budget guitar amps under $500.
The Fly 3 takes the micro amp concept to the extreme, with three watts, two channels, digital “tape” delay and Blackstar's Infinite Shape Feature for British and American sounds. Furthermore, an MP3/Line In socket allows the FLY 3 to be connected to an MP3 player, mobile phone, laptop or tablet.
When connected to a FLY 103 extension cabinet (sold separately or as part of the Fly Stereo Pack), it becomes a 6-watt stereo amp for guitar or music playback.
For all its features, it’s the tone that really makes the Fly 3 soar. The unit sounds as good as practice amps four times the size, with thick bass, ringing cleans and substantial gain. Overall, a huge success in a tiny box.
This miniature amp stack, a recreation of the iconic Super Beatle, stands nearly two feet tall. But don’t be fooled by its diminutive stature - the amp is more than loud enough.
The Superbeetle can pump out 50 watts of output at four ohms, 25 watts at eight ohms and 12.5 watts at 16 ohms. The head is powered by analog Nutube circuitry, which employs a VFD (vacuum fluorescent display) tube that captures the same sound and response of vacuum tubes without any of the inconsistent elements - something which especially impressed us during testing.
Controls include volume, bass, treble and gain and a mini-toggle standby switch. The digital spring reverb and tremolo each have their own singular control, with the tremolo being driven by Nutube technology.
On the rear panel, there’s a flat/deep EQ switch, impedance switch, ECO switch, dual speaker output jacks and a headphones/line out jack. The Mini Superbeetle’s vertical open-backed cabinet with chrome stand (and no, it doesn’t tilt) houses a single custom Celestion 10-inch speaker.
The result is classic looks combined with sweet jangly tone in a miniature amp stack that will sit well onstage - or anywhere.
Read the Vox Mini Superbeetle review
Best guitar amps under $500: Buying advice
What to look for in the best budget guitar amps
You can trust Guitar World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
The market for great budget guitar amps is truly vast, which has its advantages and disadvantages when looking for one that’s right for you. The best budget guitar amps should produce tones that you love, be easy and straightforward for you to use, and provide suitable levels of volume for every single one of your music scenarios.
What size amp do you need?
A big thing to consider is the size of the amp. Are you looking for a budget guitar amp to play gigs with, or is it just for home practice? Something like the Blackstar Fly 3 or the Supro Delta King 8 is great if you want a compact and portable combo amp, but you’d struggle to be heard playing in a band. Amps like the Spider V 120 and Katana 100 will deliver enough volume when it comes to playing gigs, but you sacrifice portability. Despite its size, the Orange Micro Dark will get you through most gigs, but remember that if you’re going for a head, you’ll need to pair it with a speaker cab too.
What tone are you looking for?
Think about the sort of sound(s) that you’ll want out of it too. If you just want a clean sound, with maybe an overdrive too, then you might be better with something simple and straight forward. If you want a wide variety of sounds, then there are some fantastic budget modelling amps that give you everything from shimmery and sparkly cleans, through classic crunchy sounds, all the way up to high-gain tones reminiscent of the most gnarly metal amps. If you’re wanting to switch between these sounds on the fly, then the ability to save and recall presets will be really handy - a lot of the time, you can switch between these with an additional footswitch.
Different amps will offer different amounts of gain. The Roland Blues Cube Hot and the Vox Mini Superbeetle both replicate the sound of an overdriven tube amp really nicely, making them a great choice for blues and old-school rock. If you’re into hard rock and heavy metal, then it’s worth looking at a budget amp with a little more distortion on tap - most modelling amps will have some sort of digital replication of a bunch of classic metal amps.
Some amps, like the Positive Grid Spark allow you to delve even deeper via an app on your smartphone.
Many great budget guitar amps even have effects built in, so you can expand your sounds even further. Adding a touch of reverb or delay can really help add some texture to an otherwise dry guitar sound, so an effects section is definitely worth checking out. You can of course, opt for an amp without any effects and use separate pedals, if that’s how you want to do it.
Nowadays, guitar amps can be operated in different ways. Some, like the Katana and Micro Dark have a fairly traditional layout, and all you have to do is tweak the knobs on the amp until you get your desired sound. Other amps, like the Line 6 Spider and the Marshall CODE allow you to navigate lots of presets via an LCD screen - from there you can then tweak using the knobs on the amp. Some amps, like the Positive Grid Spark allow you to delve even deeper via an app on your smartphone. Which style is right for you boils down to personal preference, so have a think about how you’d like to dial in your sound.
What can you expect to pay for a budget guitar amp?
Some of the best budget guitar amps are just a few hundred dollars or pounds - you can get something with a really wide range of sounds and effects on board for around the $/£250 mark. If you’re looking for a giggable amp, then you’ll probably be looking more around $/£300-500. However, the Blackstar Fly 3 - which makes for a superb home practice amp - comes in at well under $/£100. It's one of the very best beginner guitar amps too - proof you don't need to spend a lot to get started.
Are budget guitar amps good?
You'd be forgiven for thinking that any budget guitar amps are going to suck. After all, we're taught 'buy cheap, buy twice'. While this may have been the case 10 or 15 years ago, nowadays? We'd have to firmly disagree.
Like all music making equipment, we've seen huge improvements in the quality of budget guitar amps in the recent past. This means that, not only have amps become lighter, more compact, richer sounding and packed with new tones and tone-making tech, but they've also become cheaper too. We'd even go as far as to say that what might have cost you upwards of $/£500 five years ago, might now only cost you half of that.
Take the Boss Katana for example. It's packed full of impressive features like power switching, cab simulations, emulated outputs and multiple different amp models onboard - and will handle any studio or live situation with relative ease. It might cost you 4-500 bucks today, but 10 years ago, something of the same versatility and quality would have set you back twice that.
There we have just one example of why buying a budget guitar amp isn't a waste of money.
It's also worth noting that there's huge amounts of competition between amp manufacturers nowadays. So many new brands have shot to the forefront – NUX, Headrush, Positive Grid etc. – which means that the bigger, more established names are under some real pressure to make great quality gear. This level of competition creates pure bliss for players, as it means that you'll always have a long list of great products to choose from – and none of these brands will put their name on trash, either.
Which brands make the best budget guitar amps?
Boss and Roland are owned by the same company and continue to release superb products, including some incredible budget guitar amps. Classic brands like Orange, Vox and Marshall also impress with their signature sounds without breaking the bank, and digital pioneers Line 6 carry on their legendary Spider series catering for every type of player out there.
Should I buy a tube or solid state amp?
For some, tube amps are the real deal, everything else is just fakery. It is true that there’s nothing quite as gorgeous as the sound of a genuine tube amp, whether it’s clean, lightly cranked or running at full chat.
It’s also true that good tube amps tend to be pricey, which is why you won’t find that many in this guide. Those that do fall under $500 tend to be small, ultra-low powered and fairly basic in operation, which is fine if you’re a house-bound tone hound who’s just looking for the most authentic sound at a manageable volume.
In the early days, solid state amps were fantastic if you were after very articulate clean tones – think the legendary ‘70’s Roland Jazz Chorus JC 120 – but awful for more gainful employment. They just fizzed like farting wasps.
These days though, thanks to modern modelling technology, they can be simply superb. Even below the $500 mark, you’ll find many, many fantastic examples. They also tend to be small and low on power, which is exactly what you want for a practice or recording amp.
One advantage that modelling amps do have is that they tend to come loaded to the gunwales with different amp emulations, effects and cab sims – often managed by a smartphone app. Despite this, many still prefer the more limited sound and simplicity of a basic tube amp.
Be aware that, because of their very different circuitry, a 5W tube amp can be just as loud if not louder than a 30W solid-state amp. In fact, 1W of tube power can be plenty in a home environment, while a 30W solid-state amp will probably struggle to be heard in a live performance.
To sum up, neither valve or solid state is better, just different. Only you can choose.
What ins and outs do I need?
If you’re after a guitar amp for less than $500, do look out for one equipped with a USB socket. USB can be invaluable for firmware upgrades and will probably carry audio as well as data. The advantage of this is that it enables you to use your new guitar amp as an audio interface, recording your chops directly into a DAW or other software.
Some practice amps may have a phones/rec out jack instead (or, as well as). You’ll also be able to record via this jack but will need an audio cable and a separate interface.
If you’re lucky, you may even find your amp has proper XLR line-outs so that you can hook it up to a PA system for live performance. There’s no lighter stage rig than a small, good quality practice amp equipped with a couple of line-outs.
How we choose products
Here at Guitar World, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything guitar and bass related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products for our guides.
When choosing what we believe to be the best budget guitar amps available right now, we combine our hands-on experience, user reviews and testimonies and engage in lengthy discussions with our editorial colleagues to reach a consensus about the top products in any given category.
First and foremost, we are guitarists, and we want other players to find the right product for them. So we take into careful consideration everything from budget to feature set, ease of use and durability to come up with a list of what we can safely say are the best budget guitar amps on the market right now.
Read more about our rating system, how we choose the gear we feature, and exactly how we test each product.
Related buyer's guides
- Spend a bit more on the best guitar amps under $1,000
- Check out our pick of the best beginner electric guitars
- Freedom on a budget: the best cheap wireless guitar systems
- On a budget? Try the best cheap electric guitars under $500
- Check out the best Tube Screamer clones
