Check out these excellent amps from some of the best brands in the industry.
This page uses affiliate links and Premier Guitar will be compensated for any purchases you make.
Archon 50W Head
Greek for “ruler” or “lord,” the PRS Archon is a commanding 2-channel amp with versatile overdriven tones and sparkling cleans with plenty of headroom. Designed with five gain stages before the master volume, the Archon’s lead channel is voiced to cover everything from Classic Rock to Metal with full, lush distortion. The clean channel provides rich tones that retain clarity even at high volume, and there is ample headroom, creating an excellent platform for pedals. The Archon has remarkably responsive tone with incredible note separation, whether you’re playing on the clean channel or chugging on the lead.
The PRS Archon is powered by two 6CA7 power tubes, which fall between EL34 and 6L6 tubes, offering the best of both worlds. 6CA7’s are warm, full, and articulate with smooth high end and tight low end. They chug, distort, and get heavy without over-saturating, and they sing without becoming harsh.
Badlander 50 1x12 Combo
Delivering a sonic and weight profile that’s a bit more lean, the Badlander™ 50 holds its own while adding a distinct tonal character to the Badlander Series. Even more aggressive, yet with an inviting, effortless feel, it’s ready to go places where less power is the call. Two channels feature 3 new dynamic Modes as its 100-Watt counterpart. CLEAN, CRUNCH and CRUSH repeated supply the gain, shaping power and an urgent personality to navigate any venue. Here in the Badlander 50, the 2-Channel preamp hooks up with two different and perfect power displacements that enhance everything from clean to clipped to wildly saturated. The 50-Watt setting delivers bold authority and the highest headroom while the 20-watt setting finds the power tubes re-wired for Triode operation that unveils greater clipping potential and a mid-scooped, harmonic-laden response that reveals trademark EL34 Tone.
TAD 6L6GCM-STR REDBASE™ PREMIUM Selected
As the first tube of the new TAD REDBASE™ series, the TAD 6L6GCM-STR REDBASE™ has a powerful but always well-defined bass range, with clear, silky and transparent highs - offering plenty of headroom.
In every setting, the TAD 6L6GCM-STR REDBASE™ responds directly and with great dynamics, from soft and warm to punchy and powerful, without ever losing detail or depth.
An effective upgrade
The TAD 6L6GCM-STR REDBASE™ is the recommendation for lively clean sounds as well as powerful broadband multi-channel amps. This makes the TAD 6L6GCM-STR REDBASE™ an effective upgrade for virtually any amp that uses 6L6GC or 5881 tubes.
SLO Mini
The SLO Mini head is a 30-watt powerhouse with the same rich overdrive and crunch as the original amplifier. This ultra-compact head delivers searing harmonics, and the perfect balance of gain, sustain and tight touch response that the SLO has become famous for.
THR30 II Wireless 30-watt Modeling Combo Amp
No matter where you are, you can plug into a Yamaha THR30 II Wireless and experience realistic tube tone. This battery-powered combo amplifier includes a full arsenal of guitar and bass amp emulations, along with mic models for your acoustic-electric and flat modes for everything else. Ditch your pedalboard — the THR30 II Wireless’s 3-band EQ, and a great-sounding selection of modulation effects, echoes, and reverbs, have you covered. Bluetooth support enables you to stream backing tracks — with full Hi-Fi quality — through the THR30 II Wireless’s stereo speakers. The THR30 II Wireless also includes plug-and-play USB connectivity for recording and playback, along with a built-in wireless receiver for performing cable-free.
Katana-50 MkII 1 x 12-inch 50-watt Combo Amp
The BOSS Katana-50 MkII is the latest installation in BOSS's esteemed line of Katana series amplifiers. And whether you're interested in accessing its pummeling 50-watt output section and platform-perfect 12-inch speaker to amplify your existing modelers and preamps, or in building your dream tones from the ground up to create the ultimate all-in-one gig and practice solution, take it from Sweetwater — the Katana-50 MkII is a powerful tool in the hands of any electric or acoustic player. Cab-emulated outputs and monitoring make the BOSS Katana-50 MkII a truly silent stage and studio guitar solution, while multichannel footswitch support provides hands-free remote access to every sound in your arsenal. New amp variations and access to 60 timeless BOSS effects within the BOSS Tone Studio editor make the 50 MkII a tone tweaker's holiday.
Down with the noise! Here are 10 options to rid your rig of those buzzy demons.
Unless you’re in a Sonic Youth tribute band, or maybe you’ve finally realized your dream of starting an avant-garde tribute to Neil Diamond, you might have a bit of noise in your signal chain you would want to eliminate. These 10 options aim to slam the door on extraneous buzz and hum, and at high-gain settings, they will keep your rhythm chugs tight.
Boss NS-1X Noise Suppressor
Centered around the company’s MDP technology, this gate aims to eliminate noise without sacrificing feel or response. It also includes an effects loop and a mute mode.
$199 street
boss.info
GUPTech MWAC Noise Gate
Precise and high performance even at lower signal, it excels in all situations—from high-gain havoc to gentler terrain. Available in four colors: red, orange, purple or army green. It's affordable enough for everyone to clean up their act.
$127 street
guptech.ca
Revv G8 Noise Gate
A pedal-sized version of the noise gate in the Generator 120, this stomp offers hold, release, and threshold controls, and a full effects loop.
$199 street
revv.com
MXR M135 Smart Gate
The single-knob design allows for on-the-fly tweaking, but the included extended trigger range and three different noise bands allow for a highly versatile setup.
$149 street
jimdunlop.com
ISP Technologies Decimator II
One of the most popular noise gates, this pedal uses Time Vector Processing to help craft a smoother level of noise reduction. You can also link multiple units for maximum signal tracking.
$143 street
Isptechnologies.com
TC Electronic Iron Curtain
Housed in a rock-solid enclosure, this gate features decay and threshold dials, a switchable mute control, and an entirely analog circuit.
$49 street
tcelectronic.com
Darkglass NSG
With a push of the big knob, you can move between soft and hard gain reduction, which can be adjusted from -65 dBV to +5 dBV.
$199 street
darkglass.com
Electro-Harmonix Silencer
With three different controls (threshold, decay, and release), you’re able to dial in and customize the exact level of gain reduction. It also features an effects loop to help with any noisy pedals.
$80 street
ehx.com
Ibanez Pentatone Gate
Nabbed from the Pentatone preamp, this standalone version offers a dead-simple setup with a single threshold knob and a switch to move between high and low modes.
$99 street
ibanez.com
Pigtronix Gatekeeper 2
A studio-quality gate created around a JFET circuit and a release control that dials in the speed of the gate.
$119 street
pigtronix.com
Featuring a 12AX7 tube, 3-band EQ, and true bypass switch, this pedal is designed to deliver versatile tone control and stage-worthy durability.
"We chose to base our pedal on one of the best tube-driven bass amps ever made, the AD200B. From full, powerful cleans to beautiful harmonic break up to full out fuzz this pedal covers it all. To build a true amp in a box we run a 12AX7 tube at 250vdc, full tube amp voltage, and use MalloryMl50 and Silver Mica signal capacitors just like you would see in a real, high-end tube amp."
- 3 Band EQ for total tone control
- True Bypass on/ off switch
- 9-volt operation with standard DC input
- Solid aluminum housing for stage-worthy durability
The Blood Orange has a street price of $355 CAD with a JJ 12AX7 tube included or$325 CAD if you have your own stash of tubes. The pedal can be purchased directly atweethunderamps.com with free shipping on all pedal orders.
For more information, please visit weethunderamps.com.
Blood Orange Bass PreAmp/Overdrive Pedal
Alex Lifeson’s signature 30-watt, 6L6-powered combo offers tones from clean to scorching, that offer much more than just Rush sounds.
A powerful grab-and-go tube combo with gutsy lead and rhythm tones from an admirably simple control complement. Nice construction quality.
Independent lead and rhythm gain controls would be a plus.
$1,999
Lerxst Chi Combo
mojotone.com
In addition to being one of the world’s most-accomplished rock guitarists, Alex Lifeson is, it seems, a dab hand at product conceptualization, too. The latest evidence is the CHI Combo, a new addition to the Lerxst amp series, which is Lifeson’s collaboration with Mojotone of Burgaw, North Carolina.
The CHI was designed as an easily portable amp that Lifeson can reach for when a last-minute show pops up. It’s ostensibly “Marshall-y” in attitude, though it’s also very much a modern-voiced circuit with footswitchable clean and lead channels. It generates 30 watts via two 6L6EH output tubes and three 12AX7s in the preamp and phase-inverter stages. It’s a straight-ahead amp, wonderfully free of excess features to throw you off course. And while it's perfect for the diehard Rush fan (manual-suggested settings for several Lifeson signature tones, including “Limelight,” “Fly by Night,” and “Working Man,” confirm as much), there’s plenty here to satisfy guitarists outside the Canadian prog-rock obsessives club.
Greek to Me
The CHI exudes a businesslike demeanor, but it’s also stylish enough to stand apart from the scores of lookalike classic clones out there, dressed up as it is in race-grey levant vinyl, red-garnet piping, and black-matrix grille cloth. The logo panel sports a striking red font inspired by the text on the iconic Moving Pictures album cover, and the control panel carries an etched Starman graphic that lights up red when you flip the power switch (there’s no standby on this model). The 24" x 20" x 9", 49-pound amp, with its Baltic birch cabinet, feels solid and substantial, too. Mojotone’s reputation for quality cabinets extends back further than its amplifier business, and the company has supplied many top boutique amp builders. It’s easy to imagine why.
“Access to the fluid, singing tones that define much of Lifeson’s playing with Rush is easy.”
Controls include input gain, lead master, output master, treble, middle, bass, and presence, and there’s a pull switch for a “rhythm clip” function on the input gain, which adds a little dirt to erstwhile clean tones. Around back, you’ll find a jack for the single-button footswitch, a send and return for the effects loop, two 8-ohm speaker outs, and a single 16-ohm out. Inside, the CHI’s circuit is wired across a primary printed circuit board. Three smaller boards host output-tube connections, effects send/return and speaker outs, and the LED array that lights up the Starman. Workmanship is tidy throughout, with neat wire runs and tube sockets that are bolted to the chassis for support in addition to their connections to the respective PCBs.
The CHI’s 30-watt rating comes courtesy of cathode-biased 6L6s. The configuration slightly reins the power from these tubes, which can produce around 45 watts in a fixed-bias configuration, but they can often sound a little juicier and more harmonically complex when cathode biased. The setup also means you can replace the output tubes without having to reset their bias. (We will say, though, be careful when removing or reaching behind the amp’s upper-back panel: A sharp edge on the roughly cut protective screen left this reviewer with a slice on my index finger.)
A Ride in the Red Barchetta
Tested with a Gibson ES-355 and a Fender 1956 Stratocaster Reissue, the Lerxst CHI swiftly revealed itself as a versatile performer—able to do far more than the expected Lifeson-alike tricks that would appear to be its raison d’etre. Going straight to the gained-up lead channel with input gain set at 2 o’clock or more—a route that’s hard to resist on an amp like this—accesses a boatload of muscular grind, sustain, and sizzle. Attaining the fluid, singing tones that define much of Lifeson’s playing with Rush is easy. Dial down the input gain to noon or below, though, and you can tap into plenty of earthy, rootsy rock ‘n’ roll tones. A little tweak here and there delivers everything from gritty classic rock to dirty blues to gnarly garage-rock tones.
Rhythm channel tones will stay relatively clean at pretty hot settings, so you can play loud without sounding muddy. This capability will be a boon for texturalists who need headroom for detailed time-based and modulation effects. But the rhythm channel also works great with overdrive pedals (a TS10 Tube Screamer and Wampler Tumnus Deluxe both sounded excellent). Pulling out the input gain knob for rhythm clip is also an effective tool for adding dirt to the rhythm foundation. The overall level drops slightly, too, but since it’s not a footswitchable function you’re more likely to use this very practical mode with its own gain settings.
With that in mind, it’s worth noting that the CHI’s gain staging, and the knobs that control it, take some getting used to. Since input gain controls the drive level for both channels, you’re tied to finding a compromise between them, then balancing the lead output via the lead master control, and the overall volume of both channels at the output master. Including just one more knob to allow for both rhythm gain and lead gain controls would be more intuitive. As it is, the setup certainly works once you get the hang of it, and both channels can sound great, but it sometimes requires a little deviation from your ideal tone on one channel or another.
The Verdict
The Lerxst CHI combo is a convenient, versatile amp with more than enough punching power to keep up with a heavy drummer, and still sounds great when reined in to basement practice levels. While saturated rock sizzle is very much its forte, the medium-grind overdrive tones are appealing, and both cleans and clipped settings on the rhythm channel are useful and satisfying. Independent rhythm and lead gain controls would have been a plus, but the CHI combo has much to offer just as it is, whether you’re a Rush fan or not