Customer Kudos
"zZounds is amazing. In this day and age to have a store that still offers in house no interest payment plans, AND a great selection of gear is pretty amazing. I love these cats!"
March 22, 2024
All-Star Gear: Guitar Amps
Our customers' favorite combos, heads, and stacks
A great amp should hit every mark for a guitarist: the right volume range, ease of use, necessary features -- and of course, it should capture the tone they dream of. But every player is different. Some want oodles of high-gain saturation, and others covet the smooth, subtle breakup of an all-tube, hand-wired circuit. Regardless of taste, when a guitarist finds the amp, they want to let everyone know (and hear)!
zZounds customers have favorites of their own, and gladly sing the praises of their most cherished amplifiers. From budget wonders to pro-level monsters, this All-Star list is chock full of sweet tonal goodness. Read below to hear from our customers, and see if your top amp made the list!
See more All-Star Gear Guides »
zZounds customers have favorites of their own, and gladly sing the praises of their most cherished amplifiers. From budget wonders to pro-level monsters, this All-Star list is chock full of sweet tonal goodness. Read below to hear from our customers, and see if your top amp made the list!
Eddie Van Halen 5150 III Amp Head
Our customers say...
"Its second channel has more gain on tap than on the 100, and both have more gain on Channel 3 than any human being could EVER use! If you can't get enough gain out of either, you don't need a stompbox. You need an exorcism!"
- Michael in Gary, SD
"Nothing short of AMAZING! This amp is incredibly well-made and sounds brutal, responds to the volume knob on your guitar like no other amp I've ever played."
- Mike in Cape May, NJ
"I couldn't stop playing 2-3 hours a day almost every day when I first bought it, because when the tone sounds this good, you cannot stop playing!"
- Darien in North Hollywood, CA
"Its second channel has more gain on tap than on the 100, and both have more gain on Channel 3 than any human being could EVER use! If you can't get enough gain out of either, you don't need a stompbox. You need an exorcism!"
- Michael in Gary, SD
"Nothing short of AMAZING! This amp is incredibly well-made and sounds brutal, responds to the volume knob on your guitar like no other amp I've ever played."
- Mike in Cape May, NJ
"I couldn't stop playing 2-3 hours a day almost every day when I first bought it, because when the tone sounds this good, you cannot stop playing!"
- Darien in North Hollywood, CA
Vox AC10C1 Combo Amp
Our customers say...
"Really happy with this little amp. I got it for smaller gigs and studio work. I was shocked by the tone! This amp has the Vox sound, but cleans up nice and without the ice-picky highs."
- Ryan in Amity, OR
"It has sweet tone, and great volume for a 10-watt model. I mic the amp on a guitar stand if I play the occasional gig, and it does really well. Very happy with this amp, and it will be my main squeeze from now on."
- John in North Ft. Myers, FL
"I use a blues pedal and through this amp it sounds so sweet it just blows me away. Totally exceeded my expectations."
- Bill in Temecula, CA
"Really happy with this little amp. I got it for smaller gigs and studio work. I was shocked by the tone! This amp has the Vox sound, but cleans up nice and without the ice-picky highs."
- Ryan in Amity, OR
"It has sweet tone, and great volume for a 10-watt model. I mic the amp on a guitar stand if I play the occasional gig, and it does really well. Very happy with this amp, and it will be my main squeeze from now on."
- John in North Ft. Myers, FL
"I use a blues pedal and through this amp it sounds so sweet it just blows me away. Totally exceeded my expectations."
- Bill in Temecula, CA
Boss Katana-50 MkII Combo Amp
Our customers say...
"Great sounding models straight-away of the panel options and nice effects. Using the software opens up so, SO much more. This is a useful tool in a myriad of ways, and for the cost of a pedal, if you know how to tweak it: pure gold."
- William in Spring Hill, FL
"This has possibly the best tones of a solid state amp its size. The “brown” or metal tone can hold its own to some of the more well known metal amps on the market especially when played on its “variant” setting."
- Dennis in Riverside, CA
"The delays in this amp are outstanding and there are many. The power switch has 50w, 25w, and 1/2 w settings so you can crank it or choose low volume without losing tone. This has to be the best amp at this price point."
- A Happy Owner
"Great sounding models straight-away of the panel options and nice effects. Using the software opens up so, SO much more. This is a useful tool in a myriad of ways, and for the cost of a pedal, if you know how to tweak it: pure gold."
- William in Spring Hill, FL
"This has possibly the best tones of a solid state amp its size. The “brown” or metal tone can hold its own to some of the more well known metal amps on the market especially when played on its “variant” setting."
- Dennis in Riverside, CA
"The delays in this amp are outstanding and there are many. The power switch has 50w, 25w, and 1/2 w settings so you can crank it or choose low volume without losing tone. This has to be the best amp at this price point."
- A Happy Owner
Orange Micro Dark Terror Amp Head
Our customers say...
"There is near infinite amounts of tonal options you get from this amp. Turn down the gain and raise the volume, I hit the full potential of what the Micro Terror gave me. Crank up the gain and I get all the distortion and punch I want. Love using it with my TS9 overdrive."
- Kenny in Miami, FL
"I was genuinely impressed by the tone quality and overall loudness of this amp. One thing that caught me by surprise was how great the clean tones were! Most choose the Dark Terror for Hard Rock/Metal tones, but this thing really does it all!"
- KC in Forney, TX
"Great amp, perfect in a lot of ways. The shape knob actually does change the sound and far more than a dark to light sound. There's gain for days and it can do a decent clean or just on the verge of break-up clean."
- Waylon
"There is near infinite amounts of tonal options you get from this amp. Turn down the gain and raise the volume, I hit the full potential of what the Micro Terror gave me. Crank up the gain and I get all the distortion and punch I want. Love using it with my TS9 overdrive."
- Kenny in Miami, FL
"I was genuinely impressed by the tone quality and overall loudness of this amp. One thing that caught me by surprise was how great the clean tones were! Most choose the Dark Terror for Hard Rock/Metal tones, but this thing really does it all!"
- KC in Forney, TX
"Great amp, perfect in a lot of ways. The shape knob actually does change the sound and far more than a dark to light sound. There's gain for days and it can do a decent clean or just on the verge of break-up clean."
- Waylon
Laney IRT120H Ironheart Amp Head
Our customers say...
"This amp is amazing. Money well spent. The red LED lights make this monster look menacing. Knobs are sturdy and smooth for easy adjusting and EQ. Tons and tons of gain for days."
- Brad in Wichita Falls, TX
"The note articulation is far superior, clean channel is simply amazing, built-in boost gives it the right amount of extra gain to achieve the sound I was going for. The amp carries and sustains as well as any others, the presence knob is very responsive and the dynamics control can really tighten or loosen the bottom end."
- Roman in Colorado Springs, CO
"This amp is very versatile. Great metal tones. The push/pull options on the EQ knobs allow for great tone shaping. The dynamics knob allows it to sound good on virtually any cab."
- Kevin in Glenshaw, PA
"This amp is amazing. Money well spent. The red LED lights make this monster look menacing. Knobs are sturdy and smooth for easy adjusting and EQ. Tons and tons of gain for days."
- Brad in Wichita Falls, TX
"The note articulation is far superior, clean channel is simply amazing, built-in boost gives it the right amount of extra gain to achieve the sound I was going for. The amp carries and sustains as well as any others, the presence knob is very responsive and the dynamics control can really tighten or loosen the bottom end."
- Roman in Colorado Springs, CO
"This amp is very versatile. Great metal tones. The push/pull options on the EQ knobs allow for great tone shaping. The dynamics knob allows it to sound good on virtually any cab."
- Kevin in Glenshaw, PA
Orange Crush 20 Combo Amp
Our customers say...
"The clean channel is nice but I didn't buy this for 'nice.' I bought this for crunch, as in "KAH-RUNCH!"The four-stage "dirty" channel is capable of everything from a subtle overdrive to full-on thunder."
- Mark in Metairie, LA
"In my opinion, if you want an amp that sounds close to a tube amp (without the expensive prices), I recommend this amp. You won't be disappointed in the clean and distorted tone of this little amp."
- Nathan in Greenville, KY
"Its really small footprint is great, and the tones are typical ORANGE! I've been using both of these for recording into my DAW, and they are excellent!"
- Ron in Burleson, TX
"The clean channel is nice but I didn't buy this for 'nice.' I bought this for crunch, as in "KAH-RUNCH!"The four-stage "dirty" channel is capable of everything from a subtle overdrive to full-on thunder."
- Mark in Metairie, LA
"In my opinion, if you want an amp that sounds close to a tube amp (without the expensive prices), I recommend this amp. You won't be disappointed in the clean and distorted tone of this little amp."
- Nathan in Greenville, KY
"Its really small footprint is great, and the tones are typical ORANGE! I've been using both of these for recording into my DAW, and they are excellent!"
- Ron in Burleson, TX
Line 6 Spider V 20 MkII Combo Amp
Our customers say...
"The interface on the Spider V Remote app is amazing and seemingly endless with adjustments. I started using it to record with and the output quality through the USB is perfect and makes a separate rack interface basically pointless. This amp replaced about 1200 bucks worth of recording equipment for making demos in a 20 lb box of holy sh*t awesomeness."
- Dennis in Mattawan, MI
"I'm blown away by the features on this little beast. Great tones and really easy to use. A lot of bang for your buck."
- Phil
"The amp modeling on this thing is so much better that what they've done in [past] years. Can get some wicked metal tones out of it. It also has a tone knob that is similar to Blackstar's British to American sound. Definitely recommend."
- Matthew in Louisville, KY
"The interface on the Spider V Remote app is amazing and seemingly endless with adjustments. I started using it to record with and the output quality through the USB is perfect and makes a separate rack interface basically pointless. This amp replaced about 1200 bucks worth of recording equipment for making demos in a 20 lb box of holy sh*t awesomeness."
- Dennis in Mattawan, MI
"I'm blown away by the features on this little beast. Great tones and really easy to use. A lot of bang for your buck."
- Phil
"The amp modeling on this thing is so much better that what they've done in [past] years. Can get some wicked metal tones out of it. It also has a tone knob that is similar to Blackstar's British to American sound. Definitely recommend."
- Matthew in Louisville, KY
Fender Hot Rod Pro Junior IV Combo Amp
Our customers say...
"What a beast! It has a very nice chime to it, yet can get dirty when pushed. Takes pedals very well. I'm impressed. It's a great buy for studio and home practice."
- Michael in Delmont, PA
"This IV version is nothing like the past models. It is like a scaled down Blues Jr. It will get very loud without flubbing out. The Jensen speaker makes a big difference and the electronics have been upgraded. I do use a reverb pedal with it."
- W in North Arizona, AZ
"Every time I take it out to a gig I like it more and more. I played with a loud band this time and had to run it up to 12:00. My little amp set next to a big Fender two-twelve something and had no trouble keeping up."
- A Happy Owner
"What a beast! It has a very nice chime to it, yet can get dirty when pushed. Takes pedals very well. I'm impressed. It's a great buy for studio and home practice."
- Michael in Delmont, PA
"This IV version is nothing like the past models. It is like a scaled down Blues Jr. It will get very loud without flubbing out. The Jensen speaker makes a big difference and the electronics have been upgraded. I do use a reverb pedal with it."
- W in North Arizona, AZ
"Every time I take it out to a gig I like it more and more. I played with a loud band this time and had to run it up to 12:00. My little amp set next to a big Fender two-twelve something and had no trouble keeping up."
- A Happy Owner
