TOP 5 compact guitar combo amplifiers for home and studio

One of the most popular low—power transistor models from Fender — Champion 20, is attractive, first of all, for its accessibility, compactness and the presence of built-in effects with analogue modeling.

The manufacturer's design is immediately recognizable — black upholstery, dark grey fabric mesh with a corporate logo, a reliable carrying handle on the top panel. The controls are placed horizontally in a row on the front side and slightly recessed — to avoid accidental switching. The compact design is reinforced with metal corners and weighs only 5 kg. There is no back wall in the case, which allows the high and medium frequencies of the speaker to more clearly "cut through" the overall mix.

And now about the dynamics itself. Here it is 8-inch 2-band, and produces a fairly clean, legible sound with a power of up to 20 watts, which is enough for home rehearsals and even chamber performances. Fans of "warm tube sound", of course, will wince, but, firstly, the Champion model is transistor, with one channel, and secondly, it sounds very good for its size and price. Analogue modeling is implemented for a reason. There is some failure in low frequencies, but the available spectrum is quite enough to support semi-acoustic performances, and the "combo" was not intended for more.

The indisputable advantages include the presence of built-in effects: Echo / Delay, Reverb, Chorus, Vibratone and others, as well as a lot of useful settings and adjustments. Separately, we will highlight the Tap Tempo button, which allows you to manually adjust the delay time and the modulation speed of the effects. The controls are simple and intuitive, even for a not very experienced musician. There is a headphone output and a line-in input, into which you can connect a player to play phonograms.

Summing up, let's say that the Fender Champion 20 is a very good option for rehearsing beginner guitarists and voicing acoustic performances in small clubs, but it does not pull for the title of champion. Except that, in terms of price.

The MG30CFX combo amplifier from Marshall is a solid transistor "low-cost man" with a lot of settings and effects that allow you to fully experience the beauty of the electric guitar sound.

The design of the model is more restrained in contrast to the classic "Marshall" — there is no "gold" in the design, everything is black-white-chrome, but it is assembled, of course, qualitatively and neatly. The texture of the upholstery is pleasant and durable to the touch. The weight of the cabinet is slightly more than 10 kg, which is even small for its size (420x480x225 mm). In general, there are no complaints about the assembly and design, but we still found one drawback — the mains wire does not detach from the housing, which is not very convenient during transportation.

The CFX line is Marshall's first "digital" one. Any instrument sounds good with it, even the 1979 Lead Star, due to the emulation of a tube amplifier, in fact, the imitation of "tube sound" using analogue modeling. The maximum power of our combo is 30 watts, which is quite enough for both individual rehearsals and sets in small clubs: the sound is pleasant even at full overload. There are four channels with adjustments – Clean, Crunch, OD-1 (overdrive almost like in the iconic "Marshal" JCM900 tube amplifier) and OD-2 (even sharper overload).

Switching between channels is carried out both on the front panel and via the optional footswitch foot controller. From the settings: 3-band equalizer, two reverb presets, Gain controls and total volume. There are also Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Octave and Delay effects with level adjustment and manual setting of the delay time using the Tempo Tap button. 4 manual settings can be saved as preset. Separately, it is worth noting the headphone output for "silent" play and the line input, into which you can connect a player to play phonograms to rehearse for them.

Numerous settings and effects, along with the ease of control and the classic "Marshall" sound, make MG30CFX a universal choice for both beginners and already more experienced guitarists. An excellent model at a reasonable price for rehearsals, recordings and club performances.

The AV30 tube combo amplifier has been manufactured by the British company VOX since the 60s, and although the materials have since become much more modern, the lamp circuit has not changed fundamentally.

A solid chipboard case with black trim, shaped like a suitcase, has not changed its design in 50 years. The front speaker and the bass-reflex opening are covered with a beautiful coffee-milk-coloured fabric. The control regulators are conveniently located on top of the transport handle. On the back panel, the manufacturer placed switching connectors. The weight of the model for its dimensions of 513x474x247 mm is relatively small — 12 kg. There are no comments on the assembly and design.

The second thing that pleases in the amplifier after a nice design is a wide range of settings. We have two channels (clean and overloaded) with separate gain adjustments, 3-band equalizer, volume and 4 preamp presets per channel in 2 versions (Clean 1, Clean 2, Crunch 1, Crunch 2, Od-1, Od-2, High Gain 1, High Gain 2). Also available are three built—in Delay, Reverb and Mod effects with the ability to manually adjust the gain.

The model is equipped with a full set of switching connectors: line input and for footswitch, headphone output, connectors for connection to the gap and to an external speaker system.

The 10-inch Celestion Greenback speaker with a power of 30 watts and 7 lamps (three in the preamp, and four in the output stage) are responsible for the sound. The sound is old–school — warm, natural, most suitable for a clean and crunchy sound or small distortions (metallers are resting).

The AV30 is great for working in a small studio or chamber performances. The price for such a power is somewhat too high, but it is justified by the rich functionality and the combo brand itself. After all, Vox is a real British legend, on whose apparatus the grandees of world rock music have played and are playing.

"Spiritual successors of the legendary JCM800" — this is how Marshall positions its DSL line and its most famous lamp model — 15C.

In appearance, all the same classic details and design elements for "Marshal" amplifiers: black leather upholstery, lacquered corners, speaker grille, gold-plated control panel plate, vintage round handles. The back panel is partially open, but the speaker is additionally protected by a metal mesh. The weight of the combo is 16.8 kg, which is quite normal with dimensions of 475x505x255 mm and a 12—inch ferrite Selection driver inside.

There are two settings for each of the two channels (Classic Gain – pure and Ultra Gain – overloaded): Gain and Volume. Switching between channels is carried out by a button on the front panel and using the footswitch controller. Common to both channels are: a 3-band equalizer, Presence adjustment, as well as switches Deep (adds bottoms) and Tone Shift (cuts out the middle). For a snack, we have a built-in Reverb effect, which, by the way, sounds no worse than many inexpensive analogue pedals, and an interesting Pentode/Triode function that allows you to add smoothness and softness to the sound by doubling the power from 15 to 7.5 watts.

The DSL15C perfectly conveys the classic Marshall sound — the Ultra Gain channel is as close as possible to the famous high-gain JCM800 with an expressively raised middle. A real pleasure for a guitarist who likes to "pump" (play on a powerful overload).

With the right approach to sound, the DSL15C is a very worthy "first amplifier" for beginners and a good home option for more experienced ones. Fully reveals the richness of sound in cases where a large volume is not needed. The price for someone will seem overpriced, but not for fans of the brand and connoisseurs of a truly "delicious" sound.

By combining the standard functions of the guitar "combo" and its legendary Tube Screamer overdrive pedal, the Japanese manufacturer Ibanez managed to get a very original TSA30 tube model.

The case of the combo amplifier is not quite the usual white colour with a black protective mesh turned out to be strong enough to withstand frequent transportation. But in this regard, he also has a considerable weight — 17.7 kg. It is not very easy to carry for one person, even for such compact dimensions (a little less than half a metre in height and width). The back cover traditionally has wide openings for full sound transmission, and the control is conveniently located on the front panel above the grid covering the speaker.

Next to the instrument cable connection socket there is a control unit for the built—in OD — Tube Screamer effect with distortion level, volume and timbre adjustments. The effect is considered to be a classic example of overdrive, which many other manufacturers of analogue and digital pedals are equal to. Its sound is deep, open and soft, while powerful enough, especially in combination with humbuckers. In a word, an perfect option for blues rock.

To the right of the Tube Screamer settings are located: input signal booster (+6 dB), 3-band equalizer, volume and gain controls. On the back panel there are connectors for connecting: headphones (Speaker out); external effects in the gap (Send/Return); additional cabinet (Ext Speaker Out); footswitch foot controller (to control the booster and effect), which, unfortunately, is not included in the kit, but could.

The successful combination of the built-in amplifier and the 12-inch Celestion speaker creates a dense, rich sound that cuts well through the overall mix. The sound, flavored with a built-in effect, fits the definition of "classic old overdrive", and the wedge and crunch sound with a wide warm shade. The output power of 30 watts is enough for stage use, but only with additional sound in the portals.

In general, the model is perfect for studio work and deserves the attention of professionals, especially thanks to the built-in Tube Screamer. But beginners may not like the "kombik" for the lack of any built-in effects, except overload.