Best Guitar Amp
Carlos Sanatana teaches the soul of guitar

The 5 Best Guitar Amps Under $100

If you think that getting a solid guitar amp for under $100 is an impossible task, you are wrong. Amps are just as a crucial piece of equipment for all the aspiring young guitarists out there as the ax itself and can define one’s sound in a vast array of different ways.

Click Here to Jump to The 5 Best Guitar Amps Under $100.

Whether you’re a pro musician with years of recording and performing experience under your belt or just another fresh face trying out the ways of the six-string, having a portable, a small-sized amplifier is a must. It’s not all about rocking out in major venues, that’s a stage one can only reach after tedious practice and skill development, a process that kicks off at your very own home with a guitar plugged into a convenient amp.

The 5 Best Guitar Amps Under $100:

Below we briefly focus on 5 of the best guitar amps under $100 you should most definitely consider purchasing. Details below.

1. Fender Mini Deluxe Guitar Amp

Fender Mini Deluxe Amp

Neatly designed and highly portable, the Fender Mini Deluxe amplifier has got your back covered for a vast array of playing styles. Whether it’s jazz, blues, rock, metal, you name it – it’s covered.

Most musicians who gave this amp a go agree that the power delivered is way more than you’ve paid for, but also point at several slight twists. The amp reportedly doesn’t come with its own power adapter and is prone to damage, so take make sure to take good care of this fellow.

2. Marshall MG15CF MG Series Guitar Combo Amp

Marshall MG15 Guitar Combo Amp

With an iconic rock brand logo in the front, the Marshall MG15CF MG Series 15-Watt Guitar combo amp has all you need to kick off your rock star career. Both the clean and overdrive channels deliver high-quality audio at every volume range.

It’s Marshall we’re talking about, so even the smaller devices have what it takes to deliver when cranked to 11. If your preferred musical styles vary from crunchy blues to full-on heavy metal, this little guy is just the thing you need.

3. Behringer AT108 Acoustic Guitar Amplifier

Behringer Acoustic Amp

Behringer might not have the household status of Fender or Marshall but still knows how to pack a strong punch with some of its products. One such device is the AT108 15-Watt Acoustic amp, more of a niche device focused on all you acoustic guitar players out there.

The amp’s smoothness is what impresses most of the players who decided to give it a go. Although occasional hums might occur, the AT108 will give your guitar a smooth, crackling-free sound perfect not only for house jams but smaller club gigs.

4. Vox amPlug AC30 Guitar Headphone Amp

Vox Guitar Headphone Amp

If you want to go all the way mini, we’ve got something completely different for you. If a 4-ounce amp doesn’t sound too tiny, Vox’s amPlug AC30 headphone amp is what you need.

You’ll obviously get the ultimate mobility and you’ll be able to hear the guitar while strumming. It obviously can’t deliver the top-notch performance, but the sound is far from bad. Truth is, it’s not even mediocre – it’s good. If you’re planning to hit the road and simply can’t bring both the guitar and amp along for the trip, Vox amPlug AC30 Guitar Headphone Amp can fit into your pocket, giving you an instant jam on the go.

5. Pignose 7-100 Legendary Portable Guitar Amplifier

Pignose Portable Guitar Amp

Finally, this one’s for all the old-school vibe fans. Pignose 7-100 not only looks like a retro device but also delivers a sound similar to the past, of course with a few modern adjustments.

The classy appeal will always garner a solid niche crowd, but the 7-100 delivers a lot more – the crunchy sound stands out among the device’s most praised features, while the clean channel hardly lags behind, delivering soft notes when needed.

What to Look for in a Guitar Amp Under $100

Although smaller amps tend to compromise with various features, the truth is that not all of the given specs are needed for a good house jam. So basically, the catch is in finding the best piece of equipment for the given surrounding. Fact is, big amps don’t work too well at low volume, and you simply can’t blast them to 11 all the time, it’s not good for your ears or your relationship with the neighbors.

But you don’t want an amp that works properly at low volume only, you need to get to a mid-volume range to truly experience the sound configuration you’ve assembled. A lot of guitars sound great at low volume, but once you get them even a tiny bit up, the sound turns into plain awful. So the focus we had in our minds was on the sound, as well as getting a realistic image of your sonic impact prior to hitting the big amp for the gig. You probably saw at least a few guitarists struggling in the studio with a lousy tone, swearing how good they sounded back at home.

Another nice feature to have is a decent amount of guitar effects to experiment with. Having too many can also turn out to be a con, as none of them are really good. So the best path to take is the one with just the basics covered, and by that, we mean properly covered, delivering a sound good enough for the musician to actually learn how to use it, rather than just struggle with tens of useless tweaks.

Should I buy a Smaller Guitar Amp?

Why yes, you most definitely should. As pointed out in the introduction, smaller amps offer an array of their own pros, most of which the bigger amplifiers simply don’t have. Convenience, portability, even the sound in certain surroundings, we’ve listed them all.

As a modern guitar player, learning how to be versatile is a critical task and overcoming smaller amps as a transition toward the big ones drops as a crucial step along the way. No matter what your guitar status might be, we highly recommend giving any of the listed amps a try – you’ll hardly regret it.

Avatar photo

Marko Jovanovic

Marko is a freelance music journalist from Serbia. As a tech savvy individual and a regular Ultimate-Guitar.com news and feature article writer, he contributes on a wide array of musical topics with at least a pinch of rock 'n' roll always present in his work.

Add comment