If you listen to music, you’ve heard a Fender amp before. The best Fender amplifiers are ubiquitous, definitive and instantly recognizable – both visually and aurally, and just the same as Fender guitars. Fender’s titanic sonic status is thanks to two things: a rich sense of tradition and a commitment to innovation, the latter of which paved the way for the former.
Fender’s commitment to electrical equipment shouldn't come as much of a surprise considering the origins of the Californian company. Founded in 1938 and initially named ‘Fender’s Radio Service’, Leo Fender brought together a bunch of qualified electronic engineers who were employed to repair home audio amplifiers and PA systems. This electrical experience and knowledge would help in creating the company's first amplifier in 1946, affectionately remembered as “The Woodies” due to their hardwood cabinetry.
Fender amplifiers have won over artists across the spectrum of music and performance, some Fender designs have come to define the sound of entire genres. We can thank the blown-out saturation of the Fender Champ for The Rolling Stones’ most iconic early works, and the Twin Reverb for the ear-splitting liveliness of both The Grateful Dead and Dinosaur Jr. However, Fender’s biggest amplifier-borne export is its glassy clean tone – an idiosyncratic pureness of sound that’s enabled so many Fender models to infiltrate so many different signal chains.
With such a long history in the game, the choice of Fender amplifiers is dense. That’s where we come in. We’ve amassed a list of the best Fender amps currently on the market. From 4x10 heritage monsters to portable headphone amps, there is a Fender amp out there for every budget. Let’s take a look.
Best Fender Amps: The Quick List
The Fender Blues Junior is one of the most popular gigging amps in the world thanks to its balance of affordability, excellent tone, and fantastic feature set.
Possibly one of the most influential amplifiers of all time, the Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb is a timeless classic, used on countless hit albums and by many pro guitar players.
If you're looking for a Fender-branded practice amp, the Champion 40 has multiple voices and effects built in, allowing you to cover loads of sonic ground with it.
If you like pristine clean tones at loud volumes, the Fender '68 Custom Twin Reverb is the one for you. A superb pedal amp, it pairs wonderfully with overdrives, fuzz, and any other effect.
If you're a sucker for tube tone but you don't like the weight of the real deal, Fender's Tone Master Princeton Reverb does an incredible job modeling realistic tube tone.
For those who want a lot of different sounds in one amp, Fender's Mustang GTX 100 combines a myriad of voices and effects, with plenty of power for gigging.
Best For Gigging
We are now on the 4th iteration of the Fender Blues Junior and with every release, this plucky little amplifier has topped the best seller charts. For good reason: there is an array of compelling features that make the Blues Junior a compelling option. It strikes a great balance between affordability and reasonable power output, meaning you don’t have to crank it too loud for a natural overdriven tube amp tone.
Powered by three 12AX7 preamp tubes and two EL84 power amp tubes, the Blues Junior will offer plenty of glassy Fender spank when the gain is eased off. Activating the “Fat” button will add a little extra oomph and take the amplifier into overdriven territories. The “Fat” button is also useful at lower volumes to help put a little meat on your tone.
You’ll hear these pretty tones through a 12” Celestion A-Type speaker which has a relaxed American-inspired midrange. The speaker is housed in a 0.75” particle board weighing in at a very portable 31.5lbs. Lastly, a word for the reverb. There is an authentic spring reverb tank in this Blues Junior which adds a lovely depth to the low end and can get you into surf territory if you so desire.
The Blues Junior is our go-to option if you are after a tube-driven Fender amplifier – give one a try if you haven’t already, you won’t regret it.
Best Overall
The Deluxe Reverb deserves a spot on our list out of sheer influence. Perhaps the most recorded amplifier in history, the Deluxe Reverb was used by studios across the world from Nashville to Abbey Road during the most famous decades in musical history.
The ‘65 reverb is an all-tube-powered 22-watt combo amp capable of spanky clean tones and delicious tube overdrive that not many others can equal. The Deluxe Reverb’s versatility makes it an ideal weapon in a guitarist's arsenal; it’s loud enough to sit next to a drum kit, there is inbuilt spring reverb and vibrato and the headroom isn’t too excessive that it will stifle natural tube overdrive.
There are two channels; normal and vibrato. The normal channel is a lot more stripped back with three controls; volume, treble, and bass. On the other hand, the vibrato channel is where the amp comes alive. As well as vibrato, the spring reverb is active, and when paired together it’ll lull you into a trance-like musical state. There are two inputs on both channels where input 1 provides 6dB more gain than input 2, so plug into channel 1 if you’re needing more juice.
A perennial classic, the ‘65 Deluxe Reverb is a legendary workhorse that will be your amplifier for life. There aren’t many amps that deserve a place on this list as much as this.
Best For Practice
If you haven't been playing guitar for long, then you’ll want to go with a practice amp that can be effective at low volumes, have multiple inbuilt effects and voices, and will cover as many bases as possible; ergo, you want a Fender Champion 40.
This 40-watt solid state practice amplifier is loaded with multiple different amp types, from clean to metal, and has plenty of onboard effects to boot. From reverb and delay to chorus and tremolo, you can shape your sound and get a hands-on experience dialing in a tone. Being able to play along to your favorite songs is key to learning effectively and the wealth of amp voicings and effects will allow you to best recreate your heroes’ tones in an affordable package.
Other handy features on the Champion 40 include a headphone output, ideal if you’re practicing into the wee hours, and an aux in, meaning you can play along to backing tracks via your smartphone. The Champ’s user interface is a breeze to work and you won’t get lost in any digital screen settings, just dial the knobs as and how you like for some killer tones.
There are multiple different sizes available in the Champion range. Although the 40-watt model is great at low volumes, you can always go for the Fender Champion 20 if you’re concerned about annoying the neighbors.
Best For Pedals
For the live player who wants clean tones at loud volumes, look no further than the Fender ‘68 Custom Twin Reverb. This tube-powered giant has 85 watts of all-tube power and headroom for days, meaning if you want to play loud and clean, the Twin will get you there.
This Silverface ‘68 Custom is a little different from a standard Twin, its two channels have very distinct voices. The vintage channel is straight-up Twin Reverb – however, the custom channel has taken inspiration from a modified Bassman tone stack for big, stadium-rocking tones. Also, both channels have access to the in-built spring reverb and tremolo, a feature usually found on channel 2.
With all of the Twin Reverb’s headroom, achieving natural tube distortion does mean you’ll have to crank this thing super loud. If you’re playing in smaller venues and rely on tube distortion for your tone, the Twin may not be the best choice. However, it is a fantastic pedal platform and you can get there a lot easier using overdrive pedals. The Twin’s natural character works great with pedals and, although the weight and volume will be impractical for some, there’s nothing quite like the sound and character of a Twin.
Best Modeling Amp
The Princeton Reverb stands as the most compact amplifier within Fender's Tone Master series. While the allure of significantly reducing weight, as achieved with the Tone Master Twin Reverb, might hold less sway due to its smaller size, the focus shifts more prominently to nailing the sound of the tube power Princeton accurately. We’re happy to say, Fender has done a fantastic job of doing just that – this thing sounds amazing.
Fender has achieved this by a few different methods. Firstly, the amp is equipped with a 10” Jensen C10R speaker, which is an often-used option for the original Princeton. A Princeton’s soul lies within its reverb and tremolo and Fender didn’t scrimp on the technology to achieve an organic reproduction. By using half of a quad-core DSP for just the reverb and a whole core for the amp’s sound, this is a high-tech bit of kit.
The responsiveness is suitably accurate and the amp will respond differently between a set of single coils and humbuckers, with the latter pushing the front of the amp into a rich overdrive. Although 12 watts doesn’t sound like a lot, it is loud enough to pester those around you and the power toggle on the back can reduce the output all the way down to a sociable 0.3 watts. Finally, there’s also a balanced line out and two cab simulators for plugging straight into a PA or recording any new ideas. The Princeton Reverb Tone Master is digital excellence and, in our opinion, is the best Tone Master yet.
Best For Versatility
The GTX100 is Fender’s most advanced model currently in the Mustang lineup. This thing is feature heavy, with 200 modifiable presets, an inbuilt looper and a wide selection of authentic effects. The GTX100 is capable of any tone that springs to mind.
If you’re a player who enjoys tinkering with effects then it's good news, as the GTX100 allows you to organize effects in any order across the signal chain. If you want to get creative and have your fuzz going into a reverb, no problem – it’s fully customizable. Some may be put off by the amplifier’s digital screen but the wi-fi capabilities allow you to connect any device and deep-dive into edits through the Fender TONE 3.0 app, allowing for easier control. The app also has hundreds of community patches you can download and have fun with.
With 100 watts of power, you can easily gig the GTX100, and the included GTX-7 footswitch is a brilliant added extra that makes this amp ready for any musical performance. For those seeking a more modest power level, the GTX50 presents itself as a viable alternative at 50 watts, catering perfectly to bedroom-level playing.
More Options...
Initially designed for amplifying the P-bass, the Fender Bassman hit the market in 1952 and quickly diverged from the path it was created for. Guitarists such as Jimmie Vaughan, Buddy Guy and Mike Bloomfield discovered the Bassman’s sheer power and raunchy tone when used with an electric guitar, perfect for blues and rock.
Today, the Bassman is a holy grail amp for many and this Fender Vintage Reissue '59 Bassman has been kept quite true to the original “narrow-panel” Bassman of 1959, albeit with a few modern improvements. In line with the ‘59 5F6-A Bassman, the re-issue features four 10-inch Jensen speakers, a lacquered tweed covering, four inputs across two channels and an added midrange control not found on earlier versions.
The ‘improvements’ include 12AX7 preamp tubes and an internal bias pot meaning you can experiment with different tubes if you so desire. As for the sound, well, when cranked, the ‘59 Vintage Reissue Bassman is perhaps the best-sounding amplifier out there. If you’re brave enough to crank it, the Bassman produces a thick, viscous overdrive that only gets better with turning it up. At more moderate levels it’s just as good and you can expect to hear a sparkling, vintage flavor that will excite any guitarist out there.
The Bassman isn't tailored for the faint of heart. However, if you're fortunate to reside in a location removed from sensitive neighbors, you'll discover endless satisfaction in pushing the boundaries of this iconic amplifier to its maximum potential.
The Fender Mustang Micro is a fantastic choice if you’re in the market for a portable headphone amp. With 12 amp models spanning super clean Twin Reverb tones to overdriven dirtier sounds, this little gadget is perfect for practicing. Additionally, there are 12 effects you can stick on at the click of a button, although you don’t have much control over editing the effects.
The Mustang Micro is no bigger than a smartphone, so if you’re wanting to play guitar on the move this thing will fit in your pocket with no bother at all. The addition of Bluetooth allows you to stream music through the device meaning practicing along to your favorite songs has never been easier.
With a USB output onboard you can hook the Mustang Micro up to a computer and effectively use it as an audio interface, utilizing the amplifier settings and effects. The rechargeable battery means you won’t have to lose money on continuously buying new ones and the lifespan from one single charge is a suitable four hours. If you are going to take the Mustang Micro on your travels, be careful not to overextend the jack as the plastic holding it in place isn’t the sturdiest.
Read the full Fender Mustang Micro review
If you’re a singer-songwriter frequenting local coffee shops and bars then the Fender Acoustic 100 is a fantastic, practical little companion. With 100 watts of power and a robust frame, the Acoustic 100 is a transparent amp that lets your acoustic guitar do the talking.
With two combination inputs, this is a versatile amp that will allow you to use either XLR or ¼ jacks, so plugging in a guitar and microphone is no issue. If the 100-watt output isn’t enough then you have an XLR out on the back for plugging straight into a desk or the PA.
The effects are synergistic and range from essential reverb to adventurous delays and the USB jack will let you capture every performance on a computer. The amp’s transparency is effective in authentically amplifying the best qualities of your instruments, but we have noticed the high-end can sometimes get a little lost. Pair this with an EQ pedal and you’ll eradicate that problem.
The amplifier is also Bluetooth-compatible, so playing along with backing tracks is possible. Its natural plywood design and subtle muted brown cloth not only looks classy but also adds a touch of elegance to your performance space. Overall, the Fender Acoustic 100 is the go-to choice for acoustic musicians on the move.
The Fender Mustang LT25 Combo is the platonic ideal for modern practice amps. It utilizes powerful digital modeling technology to provide a smorgasbord of amp and effect sounds – 20 and 25 respectively, which are used gainfully in 30 pre-programmed presets that run the gamut from ’80s glam to modern metal.
The control interface is easy to navigate, and it’s easy enough for you to create your own programmed sounds with the 20 spare banks left for you to play with. Each preset has room for an amp model and four effects – Stompbox (covering distortion, compression and octave), Modulation, Delay and Reverb.
The amp itself is a capable 25-watt solid-state affair, which may be a touch quiet for most live and loud applications. However, at home this amp excels, with comfortable bedroom-level volumes and a great clarity in spite of them. Its plurality of sounds and built-in USB interface make it perfect for home recording, too.
FAQs
What Genres Are Fender Amps Good For?
Fender amplifiers have been used across a wide range of genres throughout their illustrious history. Firstly, their clean tones are primarily what the Californian giants are known for. Generally, Fender amps have plenty of headroom and lots of output, making them an ideal option for crystal-clean electric guitar tones. This suits country and bluegrass music to a tee. Fender’s smaller models, like the Blues Junior, which have a little less headroom and can be cranked without blowing the roof off, are perfect for hard rock and electric blues, as the name suggests.
Even their slightly larger models like the 22-watt '65 Deluxe Reverb will be perfectly at home playing funk, pop and R&B. Fender amps are also fantastic pedal platforms and will get you to your desired tone with a combination of the correct pedals. If there is one thing Fender amplifiers aren’t renowned for is their ability to perform well with heavier music like metal. Primarily due to their usually large headroom, achieving highly saturated gain isn’t in their wheelhouse.
Should I Choose a Solid-State or Tube Fender Amp?
There are two essential types of Fender guitar amp (and a secret third option, which we’ll touch on shortly): tube and solid state. Tube amps are the OGs, wherein all their amplification, saturation and even some on-board amp effects rely on vacuum tubes.
With time and technology, the vacuum tube was out-designed by the transistor – a component which fulfills a similar purpose to the tube, but using solid semiconducting materials in germanium or silicon instead. This gives rise to the name ‘solid-state’, solid-state amps being designed around transistor-populated circuit-boards.
There are a number of attributes that can be assigned to tube and solid-state amps respectively, some more subjective than others. Generally speaking, tube amps are considered to saturate more favorably when pushed, and even possess generally richer harmonic content. Solid-state amps, meanwhile, can often be described as clean, ‘glassy’ or bright. In reality, an amp sounds the way it was designed – and Fender’s designs are legendary.
From the Fender Champ (the original rock’n’roll machine, used by such luminary hands as those of Keith Richards and Joe Walsh) to the Twin Reverb (the notoriously-heavy heavy-hitter, shamer of PA systems and chosen amp of Jerry Garcia and Let It Be-era Beatles), Fender tube amps have a reputation for character and volume.
Fender’s solid-state designs are less-venerated than their tube amps, but often wrongfully – older solid-states like the Master Lead Combo are pleasingly voluminous and a steal on eBay, while Fender’s modern solid-state line-up consists of highly dependable units from the Frontman to the Champion.
But which type should you choose? Ultimately, you should choose the type of amp that speaks to you, but there are few things to consider – and that aforementioned secret third option to throw into the mix. Tube amps are musical but often pricey, while solid-states are often cheaper to design and manufacture; solid states are also less likely to color the sound of your guitar, making them excellent platforms for your guitar pedals.
A relatively new sub-category to solid-state, though, is the digital modeling amp, which incorporates digital circuitry in with the analog circuitry that amplifies the signal. This digital circuitry is used to model the character and sound profile of other amps, or add effects to your signal.
Amp-modeling technology has improved considerably in the last 15 years, with today’s modeling amps being far more convincing than they really have any right to be. As a newbie to Fender amps, modeling amps like the Mustang LT series could be a great starting point.
What Is The Fender Tone Master Series?
If you've been on the search, you might have encountered Fender's Tone Master series and found yourself pondering, what's the story behind these? Hitting the markets in 2019, the Tone Master series is Fender’s attempt to deliver the tone, responsiveness and characteristics of its classic tube amplifiers in a solid-state, fully digital package. Capitalizing on the aforementioned advancements in digital modeling, this range is a true marriage of tradition and modernity.
So why would you want a digital version of a classic Fender tube amplifier? Well, the weight, for starters. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of carting a Fender Twin Reverb down your local venue’s treacherous staircase you’ll know the weight of the thing is monstrous. After ripping all the tubes out, the Tone Master Twin Reverb is a leisurely 33lbs which is over half the weight of the tube variant. So if you’re looking for that Twin sound without breaking your back, check out the Tone Master.
Of course, the all-analog tube-amp adherents amongst us are still likely to harbor some healthy skepticism as to the capabilities of this modeling technology. The all-important tone is where tube aficionados will point toward the Tone Master’s potential downfall. After all, how can a digital amplifier compete with or even emulate the warm, saturated sound of a tube amplifier? Well, Fender has done a pretty darn good job of this by utilizing a huge amount of digital processing power.
A combination of humanity's most cutting-edge amplifier tech and hours of comparing, dissecting, criticizing, and testing tube models has resulted in an extremely good emulation of the Tone Master’s tube amp forefathers. Digital amp models are built from the ground-up, taking into consideration the impact of every component in a given circuit. Thanks to today’s computation capabilities, Fender is able to get frighteningly close to the true sound of an original analog circuit in the digital realm. So much so that, unless you’re a time-served Fender amplifier veteran, with your eyes closed it is a hard task discerning which one is solid state and which one is tube powered.
There are also other modern conveniences you can enjoy, and most likely, utilize often. The Balanced XLR line output which has impulse response, cabinet simulations, level control, and ground switch may not be needed on the wall-shaking Twin Reverb during gigs, but it does come in handy for its more diminutive sibling the Tone Master Princeton. The USB-out is there for any potential future firmware updates, and power attenuators make any Tone Master model multifaceted and suitable for both bedroom and stage.
How We Choose The Best Fender Amps
At Guitar Player, our team of writers aren't just music enthusiasts; we're real-life musicians. Our hands-on experience with Fender amps runs deep, ensuring that our reviews and recommendations are backed by practical knowledge and real-world testing.
When it comes to selecting the best Fender amps, we leave no note unplayed. We meticulously evaluate factors like tonal versatility, sonic character, build quality, and value for money. Only after rigorous testing in a variety of playing scenarios do we choose the cream of the Fender amp crop for our guides. We stand by our selections, ensuring that every amp we recommend is one we'd use ourselves.
Whether you're a budding guitarist or a seasoned pro, we've got you covered with a diverse range of Fender amps. From wallet-friendly options to boutique treasures, our selections cater to every budget and playing style. Rest assured, whether you're performing on stage or crafting music in your studio, any of these Fender amps will deliver the legendary tone and reliability you expect from this iconic brand.
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