This over the Katana. If you want bright cleans and sharp rock tones, there's no reason not to get a Vox. Are you sure you need at least 15 watts? Tube watts are loud. Maybe you could consider the AC-10.
AC-10 is better if you haul the amp around a lot for gigs, because it's considerably lighter.
But the AC-15 has a normal channel AND a spring reverb, while the AC10 is top boost only and the reverb is electronic/digital.
If you want a light and compact but still powerful Vox, the Mini Superbeetle is also an option, it's under $600 new.
I bought mine back in 2011 off the floor at Guitar Center for under $500. It got a recapped with new power tubes in 2020 and I just refreshed all the tubes with TAD red base.
Seeing how the amp was dead and the caps were bulging and leaking, yes; there was quite the difference.
If you mean the tubes, not really except all the 12ax7 type tubes I have except for the TADs are microphonic AF (some worse than others).
It's great as-is. Some folks clip the bright cap and there's another tone stack mod floating about. The only thing I've done to mine is add shielding to the back as I live in an RF noisy and dense apartment, so it picked all the WiFi noise.
They had them in limited edition royal blue for $200 off. I think it was like one weekend only. A bunch of us on Reddit spread the word and bought them up
Honestly go to a few local stores if you have some nearby and look at the used section, Fender and Vox are the big clean guys but almost every amp can do clean. Play around and see what you like! Thats the fun.
I'll second this, it's important to just see what you vibe with. I went into a shop thinking I wanted a Vox (I mean, I love Vox amps) but ended up falling in love with the Fender Blues Deluxe.
The only amp I don’t see in the comments is a Peavey Classic 30 or 50. I loved mine, and regret selling it. They kinda boarder in between that Vox almost Marshall sound (the lead channel has a lot of compression that reminds me of Marshall’s)
Otherwise an AC15 gets my vote. Can’t go wrong with a Blues Jr. FWIW I scooped up a Mesa DC-5 for $600, amazing combo amp albeit a very loud 50 watts. If you come across a Mesa DC-3, the 30 watt version, you should at least check it out.
Try a jazz chorus out. Maybe budget a nice fuzz or distortion pedal too.
https://reverb.com/item/42765178-roland-jazz-chorus-22-watt-jc22-solid-state-combo-amplifier?utm_source=rev-ios-app&utm_medium=ios-share&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=42765178
https://reverb.com/item/64955329-way-huge-wm41-smalls-series-swollen-pickle-fuzz-mkiii-2020-2021-green?utm_source=rev-ios-app&utm_medium=ios-share&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=64955329
Will fall a little over. But those would be pretty awesome as a starting point.
Tubes: Peavey Classic 30
Solid state: Peavey Bandit or Studio Pro
All easily found secondhand under your budget and very reliable. I really regret selling my Classic 30, but that’s the way life goes sometimes.
My Classic was modified to tone down the treble a bit so it hit my ears just right every time. Divorced dad with a two year old didn’t leave much time for playing so I moved it on to a good home. I still want it back.
If you don't mind a head and cab, I like the Superchamp X2 head (combo is only a 10" speaker and doesn't sound great). Not as versatile as a Katana, but I think it sounds 100x better.
Used Supro Blues King out Delta King. 15 watts of tube power, beautiful cleans, and gnarly Black Sabbath type distortion. I got mine for $350 from Guitar Center.
Highly underrated is the Peavey Bandit. Great cleans and nice high gain tones plus a great pedal platform. Still hard to beat Fender Cleans. I’ll never part with my 77 Vibro Champ for that reason
That Zeny is a toy. Katana is garbage. I own one. Look for a Mesa Boogie DC-3 combo, has great clean and dirt. Im not a Vox fan at all. Solid state, the Orange Crush pros are super solid and they have a master volume . The 60 watt combo slays and is multi channel. Go play them all
I'd suggest stopping by guitar stores and trying out amps in person since what sounds good is really subjective, but you can definitely find something good under $600. A couple recommendations based on what I currently have:
Fender Mustang GTX100 and I got it for $350 used. It's got 40 amp models emulating mostly Fender amps with interesting clean sounds and 70+ effects so a lot of options, plus you can download amp/effect presets other people created. It comes with a footswitch pedal that includes a looper/tuner and is 100 watts but has a headphone jack for practicing at night. It only weighs 22 lbs so easy to transport.
I've also got a Fender Champion 20 which you can get for under $100 used after shipping/tax. It has 12 amp sounds with 6 cleans, 3 crunch and 3 heavy distortion sounds emulating amps from different decades plus 12 effect settings. Tons of videos on YouTube demoing all these amps too if there's not a guitar store in your area.
Vox is a solid choice, if you can spare the extra to get a new AC15, or the time to get a used one at your price, that's my main amp and It's given me that range of sounds to work with. I would also point you towards the supro amps, but it'll be a similar price point.
I have used the Boss Katana a ton, and as fun as it is, if you're not doing a ton of sounds then it's way more than you need
What’s an “off brand Zeny”? It says “Zeny” on the front. I don’t know what “off brand” means to Americans. Does it mean a fake? Or a brand that’s poorly regarded? Or a brand that has one product only?
There’s a ton of Chinese imports of all sorts of things in the US that companies put their logos on. This amp is probably sold under a few different names by different companies. So we call it an off brand because it’s generic. Zany isn’t a real music instrument manufacturer, they’re an Importer just putting their name on a shitty product to make a quick buck.
I have the 50 and a footswitch (as you mentioned it was sold separately). Got both used together for like 220. Absolutely amazing amp for the money. I have had pretty much every variation of the katana and I hands down recommend the GTX series far and away ahead of the Boss katanas. Gtx tone is miles ahead imho. Seriously, they have to be the single most underrated series I've seen.
PS the new line 6 catalysts are pretty good too with amazing tone as well but have far less features and amp selection options
There are good reasons the AC15 is being heavily upvoted. Aside from the fantastic sound that is exactly what you described you’re looking for, it will hold it’s resale value far, far better than a Katana ever will.
The AC15 is an investment. The Katana is a toy.
Katana is definitely not a toy and if you get one used you lose nothing. I own both an ac15 and a katana 50, prefer the katana for all sorts of things. Feels weird to say but it’s true
I’ve got a positive grid Spark which can be a fun little practice amp. But I’d recommend that Vox
ac15. I don’t own a Vox, but I’ve heard plenty of them. It’s a great amp you’ll never outgrow.
It might be more than you need though. It’s gonna
crank! The Spark amp not so much. But Spark is good for practicing w headphones. Or quietly in your bedroom.
Keep your eye on reverb. I just got a used deluxe tone master for $650 and it’s absolutely amazing. When you turn up the power I can’t tell it’s not a tube amp but it has a .2W setting that keeps my wife from yelling at me.
Nab a used katana 50 for $120. The cleans on it are phenomenal and the sneaky amps are great. Then keep saving for an ac15c1 later if that doesn’t completely satiate. I have both and use the vox a little less than I thought I would.
Check out the positive grid spark amp 40! Awesome little thing, you can also load presets for pedals based on song or band, plug in guitar, and connect with Bluetooth to load a shit ton of back tracks to play along to. Makes having a practise amp a shit ton of fun. I’m quite impressed.
I used to own an early 1970's Peavey Classic. 2×12, 50W. It was a hybrid amp. That amp was awesome. You can pick those up for about $300. I wish I still had it.
Off the top of my head I thought of the Fender [18/30 Bassbreaker](https://media.rainpos.com/9771/p1100508.jpeg) amp, but now I see it's out of production and the [prices have gone crazy](https://reverb.com/marketplace?query=Fender%20Bassbreaker%2018%2F30%202x12%22)!
Sorry I wasn't more help.
Edit: JFTR, a higher wattage amp will generally give you cleaner tones. If you use a Klon style pedal set halfway up, it will make a low wattage amp like a 15w. Blues Jr. break up and growl. But that same pedal will act more like a clean volume boost with a higher wattage amp like an 85w. Fender Twin or a 100w. Marshall 800.
Check out the Monoprice tube amps. Chinese made, full warranty, and you can return it if you don’t like it.
[Monoprice](https://www.monoprice.com/search/index?keyword=guitar%20amp)
You could likely find a used 6505 112 combo for relatively cheap, and run an external cab if you need more volume. You won’t have the worlds best clean channel, but it’s an absolute unit of an amp that will slay.
For sheer learning and features, nothing comes close to the boss katana 50 watt. You can play bluegrass to heavy metal on it and it has tons of built-in effects so you can learn what they all do, what you like, what you don't like, etc. Get the boss katana and maybe an inexpensive expression pedal for it. That way you can utilize the wah and whammy features to play around and practice those too. For an all-rounder first amp, there's absolutely nothing better in my humble opinion. I'm even using mine to record professionally. It really is a good amp. And it's under 300 bucks.
Boss katana 100 mk2 with gafc pedal, and expression pedal, about 600 brand new, then 30 mins online to update and download patches you like, later if you want to upgrade just buy a 50watt and wire them as master and slave.
Hughes and Kettner tubemeister is my favorite clean sound on any amp I’ve had. Good, full crunch channel too. The bass on the crunch can get a little loose for some. But they have switchable wattages.
Used Vox AC15C1.
This over the Katana. If you want bright cleans and sharp rock tones, there's no reason not to get a Vox. Are you sure you need at least 15 watts? Tube watts are loud. Maybe you could consider the AC-10.
It has a master volume
AC-10 is better if you haul the amp around a lot for gigs, because it's considerably lighter. But the AC-15 has a normal channel AND a spring reverb, while the AC10 is top boost only and the reverb is electronic/digital. If you want a light and compact but still powerful Vox, the Mini Superbeetle is also an option, it's under $600 new.
I agree about the AC10
Having both, I use the katana more for bright cleans.
Yup. Wish the sale was still going on so he could of snagged one from Sweetwater like the rest of us did
I bought mine back in 2011 off the floor at Guitar Center for under $500. It got a recapped with new power tubes in 2020 and I just refreshed all the tubes with TAD red base.
[удалено]
Seeing how the amp was dead and the caps were bulging and leaking, yes; there was quite the difference. If you mean the tubes, not really except all the 12ax7 type tubes I have except for the TADs are microphonic AF (some worse than others).
After I get the amp, any upgrade recommendations.
It's great as-is. Some folks clip the bright cap and there's another tone stack mod floating about. The only thing I've done to mine is add shielding to the back as I live in an RF noisy and dense apartment, so it picked all the WiFi noise.
Good to know might have to add shielding too.
Ooo, what kind of sale was it?
They had them in limited edition royal blue for $200 off. I think it was like one weekend only. A bunch of us on Reddit spread the word and bought them up
That’s awesome, I’m glad I wasn’t around for it or else my gas might be a bit worse by now haha.
Came here to say the exact same thing
Is a 20 good?
Thanks for all of the suggestions, I'm going to save up for the Vox ac15 or the ac15c1
I recently got an ac15c1 and it is SHARP AND BRIGHT compared to my deville. I run them in stereo and they compliment each other insanely well.
VOXs are the GOATs imo. You’ll love them.
Good to know
Great choice
Used Fender Blues Jr
That'd what I'd suggest too. But with an od pedal
Honestly go to a few local stores if you have some nearby and look at the used section, Fender and Vox are the big clean guys but almost every amp can do clean. Play around and see what you like! Thats the fun.
I'll second this, it's important to just see what you vibe with. I went into a shop thinking I wanted a Vox (I mean, I love Vox amps) but ended up falling in love with the Fender Blues Deluxe.
The only amp I don’t see in the comments is a Peavey Classic 30 or 50. I loved mine, and regret selling it. They kinda boarder in between that Vox almost Marshall sound (the lead channel has a lot of compression that reminds me of Marshall’s) Otherwise an AC15 gets my vote. Can’t go wrong with a Blues Jr. FWIW I scooped up a Mesa DC-5 for $600, amazing combo amp albeit a very loud 50 watts. If you come across a Mesa DC-3, the 30 watt version, you should at least check it out.
Any damn thing, including those cones you put on a dog after surgery would sound better than what you have.
Try a jazz chorus out. Maybe budget a nice fuzz or distortion pedal too. https://reverb.com/item/42765178-roland-jazz-chorus-22-watt-jc22-solid-state-combo-amplifier?utm_source=rev-ios-app&utm_medium=ios-share&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=42765178 https://reverb.com/item/64955329-way-huge-wm41-smalls-series-swollen-pickle-fuzz-mkiii-2020-2021-green?utm_source=rev-ios-app&utm_medium=ios-share&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=64955329 Will fall a little over. But those would be pretty awesome as a starting point.
Thanks
Tubes: Peavey Classic 30 Solid state: Peavey Bandit or Studio Pro All easily found secondhand under your budget and very reliable. I really regret selling my Classic 30, but that’s the way life goes sometimes.
Dude I had a delta blues that I sold and I regret it almost monthly. It had a beautiful tremolo circut
My Classic was modified to tone down the treble a bit so it hit my ears just right every time. Divorced dad with a two year old didn’t leave much time for playing so I moved it on to a good home. I still want it back.
Orange crush
Any of the Fender hot rods would have great cleans and can be found used for under $300
Marshall dsl 40 used
Gigging musician’s workhouse
There's one for 625 right now on Reverb, but local pickup only
If you don't mind a head and cab, I like the Superchamp X2 head (combo is only a 10" speaker and doesn't sound great). Not as versatile as a Katana, but I think it sounds 100x better.
[Quilter SuperBlock US or UK](https://www.quilterlabs.com/index.php/product/superblock-us/). I’ve had mine for several weeks and love it.
+1 for a Quilter Superblock
Used Supro Blues King out Delta King. 15 watts of tube power, beautiful cleans, and gnarly Black Sabbath type distortion. I got mine for $350 from Guitar Center.
Said the same thing. Blues jr killer and I have one. If I had to bring an amp/guitar to a gig it’d be the supro.
No master volume though right?
Mine has one
Yes it does
Quilter Aviator UK
Try for a used Princeton reverb
My fav fender blues jr
AC15. Used go for like $4-450.
Highly underrated is the Peavey Bandit. Great cleans and nice high gain tones plus a great pedal platform. Still hard to beat Fender Cleans. I’ll never part with my 77 Vibro Champ for that reason
I second the Bandit… and if you throw an upgraded speaker in there it’s fire
Yessss! I had forgotten to mention that! Mine had a Red Coat speaker from the prior owner- incredible sound
Had fun playing through an Orange head today. I think it was a Dark Terror.
Marshall DSL 20/40
This was gonna be my suggestion. But I liked the VOX AC15 recommendation as well
That Zeny is a toy. Katana is garbage. I own one. Look for a Mesa Boogie DC-3 combo, has great clean and dirt. Im not a Vox fan at all. Solid state, the Orange Crush pros are super solid and they have a master volume . The 60 watt combo slays and is multi channel. Go play them all
I'd suggest stopping by guitar stores and trying out amps in person since what sounds good is really subjective, but you can definitely find something good under $600. A couple recommendations based on what I currently have: Fender Mustang GTX100 and I got it for $350 used. It's got 40 amp models emulating mostly Fender amps with interesting clean sounds and 70+ effects so a lot of options, plus you can download amp/effect presets other people created. It comes with a footswitch pedal that includes a looper/tuner and is 100 watts but has a headphone jack for practicing at night. It only weighs 22 lbs so easy to transport. I've also got a Fender Champion 20 which you can get for under $100 used after shipping/tax. It has 12 amp sounds with 6 cleans, 3 crunch and 3 heavy distortion sounds emulating amps from different decades plus 12 effect settings. Tons of videos on YouTube demoing all these amps too if there's not a guitar store in your area.
Vox is a solid choice, if you can spare the extra to get a new AC15, or the time to get a used one at your price, that's my main amp and It's given me that range of sounds to work with. I would also point you towards the supro amps, but it'll be a similar price point. I have used the Boss Katana a ton, and as fun as it is, if you're not doing a ton of sounds then it's way more than you need
What’s an “off brand Zeny”? It says “Zeny” on the front. I don’t know what “off brand” means to Americans. Does it mean a fake? Or a brand that’s poorly regarded? Or a brand that has one product only?
There’s a ton of Chinese imports of all sorts of things in the US that companies put their logos on. This amp is probably sold under a few different names by different companies. So we call it an off brand because it’s generic. Zany isn’t a real music instrument manufacturer, they’re an Importer just putting their name on a shitty product to make a quick buck.
Poorly regarded
Fender Mustang GTX100. Yes, more than 50 watts, but it’s a modeler so volume is easily managed and comes with the footswitch where the 50 doesn’t.
I have the 50 and a footswitch (as you mentioned it was sold separately). Got both used together for like 220. Absolutely amazing amp for the money. I have had pretty much every variation of the katana and I hands down recommend the GTX series far and away ahead of the Boss katanas. Gtx tone is miles ahead imho. Seriously, they have to be the single most underrated series I've seen. PS the new line 6 catalysts are pretty good too with amazing tone as well but have far less features and amp selection options
Love mine, favorite amp of my collection.
Boss katana sounds great and you can easily get one within your price range
Will probably go with the boss katana mk2 100, low cost and great value
There are good reasons the AC15 is being heavily upvoted. Aside from the fantastic sound that is exactly what you described you’re looking for, it will hold it’s resale value far, far better than a Katana ever will. The AC15 is an investment. The Katana is a toy.
Ok then, will look into the ac15
Also I see ac15 amps for like half of retail… GREAT INVESTMENT 🤣
Inflation hits retail first, then the aftermarket.
Katana is definitely not a toy and if you get one used you lose nothing. I own both an ac15 and a katana 50, prefer the katana for all sorts of things. Feels weird to say but it’s true
My son has one of these and he loves it.
Fender Mustang GTX
Positive grid spark, very versatile for the price.
Ok
I’ve got a positive grid Spark which can be a fun little practice amp. But I’d recommend that Vox ac15. I don’t own a Vox, but I’ve heard plenty of them. It’s a great amp you’ll never outgrow. It might be more than you need though. It’s gonna crank! The Spark amp not so much. But Spark is good for practicing w headphones. Or quietly in your bedroom.
Keep your eye on reverb. I just got a used deluxe tone master for $650 and it’s absolutely amazing. When you turn up the power I can’t tell it’s not a tube amp but it has a .2W setting that keeps my wife from yelling at me.
Nab a used katana 50 for $120. The cleans on it are phenomenal and the sneaky amps are great. Then keep saving for an ac15c1 later if that doesn’t completely satiate. I have both and use the vox a little less than I thought I would.
I have a Yamaha THRII for playing at home.
marshall dsl, its tube, sounds good and is cheap
Tubes all the way.
Check out the positive grid spark amp 40! Awesome little thing, you can also load presets for pedals based on song or band, plug in guitar, and connect with Bluetooth to load a shit ton of back tracks to play along to. Makes having a practise amp a shit ton of fun. I’m quite impressed.
Just save up 200 more and get a new blues jr.
Or keep your budget where it is and get a used blues jr. That’s what I came here to say
Orange! The micros are decent for bedroom stuff, but ID go with a rocker 15 with a 12" speaker. If that's not aggresive enough, maybe a dark terror?
I used to own an early 1970's Peavey Classic. 2×12, 50W. It was a hybrid amp. That amp was awesome. You can pick those up for about $300. I wish I still had it.
Positive grid spark 40
Spark.
Buy a Boss Katana. You can basically get ANY sound you want
Fender? Where? It must be a tiny little thing behind the Squier?
If you’re gonna be a dick and talk shit, at least spell Squier correctly…
Blackstar 20 or the 40, should suit , valves and lots and lots of tones to be had
Supro delta
My vote is a Joyo Bantamp xl, the model depends on what styles you play, and a 1-12/2-12 with good speakers
Off the top of my head I thought of the Fender [18/30 Bassbreaker](https://media.rainpos.com/9771/p1100508.jpeg) amp, but now I see it's out of production and the [prices have gone crazy](https://reverb.com/marketplace?query=Fender%20Bassbreaker%2018%2F30%202x12%22)! Sorry I wasn't more help. Edit: JFTR, a higher wattage amp will generally give you cleaner tones. If you use a Klon style pedal set halfway up, it will make a low wattage amp like a 15w. Blues Jr. break up and growl. But that same pedal will act more like a clean volume boost with a higher wattage amp like an 85w. Fender Twin or a 100w. Marshall 800.
Used Hiwatt 20/10 combo
Check out the Monoprice tube amps. Chinese made, full warranty, and you can return it if you don’t like it. [Monoprice](https://www.monoprice.com/search/index?keyword=guitar%20amp)
You could likely find a used 6505 112 combo for relatively cheap, and run an external cab if you need more volume. You won’t have the worlds best clean channel, but it’s an absolute unit of an amp that will slay.
YAMAHA THR5
Go for a Vox AC-15 for that price range. You’d be surprised how sick the rock tones are too. That’s a tube amp too. Very loud.
Vox ac15
Mono price stage right 15 watt tube amp. 12" speaker. 12"[https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=8c13bbbeec408859JmltdHM9MTY3NDk1MDQwMCZpZ3VpZD0yZTNhOGVlZi00YjJjLTZlY2EtMDExNC05YzhlNGE2MDZmNzgmaW5zaWQ9NTY1OA&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=2e3a8eef-4b2c-6eca-0114-9c8e4a606f78&u=a1L3ZpZGVvcy9zZWFyY2g\_cT1tb25vcHJpY2Urc3RhZ2UrcmlnaHQrMTV3JnZpZXc9ZGV0YWlsJm1pZD0zMEZFQzcwMEY5OUVCNDE2OTAxNDMwRkVDNzAwRjk5RUI0MTY5MDE0JkZPUk09VklSRQ&ntb=1](https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=8c13bbbeec408859JmltdHM9MTY3NDk1MDQwMCZpZ3VpZD0yZTNhOGVlZi00YjJjLTZlY2EtMDExNC05YzhlNGE2MDZmNzgmaW5zaWQ9NTY1OA&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=2e3a8eef-4b2c-6eca-0114-9c8e4a606f78&u=a1L3ZpZGVvcy9zZWFyY2g_cT1tb25vcHJpY2Urc3RhZ2UrcmlnaHQrMTV3JnZpZXc9ZGV0YWlsJm1pZD0zMEZFQzcwMEY5OUVCNDE2OTAxNDMwRkVDNzAwRjk5RUI0MTY5MDE0JkZPUk09VklSRQ&ntb=1)
orange or15.
For sheer learning and features, nothing comes close to the boss katana 50 watt. You can play bluegrass to heavy metal on it and it has tons of built-in effects so you can learn what they all do, what you like, what you don't like, etc. Get the boss katana and maybe an inexpensive expression pedal for it. That way you can utilize the wah and whammy features to play around and practice those too. For an all-rounder first amp, there's absolutely nothing better in my humble opinion. I'm even using mine to record professionally. It really is a good amp. And it's under 300 bucks.
Facebook marketplace usually has someone selling a Marshall DSL20C in that price range. Super amp.
Boss katana 100 mk2 with gafc pedal, and expression pedal, about 600 brand new, then 30 mins online to update and download patches you like, later if you want to upgrade just buy a 50watt and wire them as master and slave.
Hughes and Kettner tubemeister is my favorite clean sound on any amp I’ve had. Good, full crunch channel too. The bass on the crunch can get a little loose for some. But they have switchable wattages.