Guitar amp under $300: What you should and should not expect?
As a beginner, purchasing an expensive guitar amp doesn’t make sense because you are still discovering your style and learning new skills. At the same time, you need a guitar amplifier that lasts you for a long time and turns you into a rockstar.
Advantages of using a guitar amp under $300
- Affordable
It is cheap, obviously. Even if you decide not to go ahead with your music journey, you won’t feel guilty about spending too much money. You can also sell it to another aspiring guitarist, which can afford the amp. It makes a good Christmas gift for your child who is developing a liking for music.
- Made for rugged use
Amps under $300 are designed for rugged use. Beginners tend to experiment with amp because they are discovering new things, so these amps make a great choice.
- Lightweight
All the seven amp models we reviewed in this article weigh less than 40 pounds, making them easy to carry around. None of them have a glass or any delicate part, so you don’t have to worry about breaking it either.
Disadvantages of using a guitar amp under $300
- Not for versatile use
Most affordable amps are solid-state amps, which aren’t as versatile as tube amps. It creates a warm sweet distortion, which is suitable only with electric guitars.
- Difficult to produce heavy amp distortion effects
If you are into heavy metal and know that is what you want to go ahead with, these amps might not be the best. They can only be created using amplifiers and not pedals or effects.
Features to consider while choosing a guitar amplifier
Your dream guitar needs the perfect amp partner to deliver outstanding performance. Here are five features to consider while buying your dream guitar amplifier:
Type and Configuration
There are four types of guitar amplifiers to choose from including modeling, tube, solid state, and hybrid. A solid-state amp uses transistors for power sections and preamps. They produce a clean tone, while some have a distortion effect. It is the perfect touring amp for traveling musicians
Guitarists who enjoy warm, organic and fat tone distortion choose the tube amplifier, such as the Vox AV15. Even though it consumes the same wattage, it produces more sound than a solid-state amplifier. However, it has a short product life, so you have to change it often depending on you. Modeling amps, like the Marshall Code 50, are similar to tube amps but a more vintage model. Hybrid amps are the best of all amps as they are a combination of the tube with the solid state power section.
Every guitarist is different, and their requirements vary accordingly. That’s where the configuration matter. A combo is a self-contained unit that has the speaker and amplifier in one box. Then, there are head amps tat require a separate speaker.
Power and speakers
More powerful the amplifier, the more expensive it will be. The products we featured are between 15W to 50W and have speakers between 8 to 12 inches, which are commonly found in solid state or modeling combo models. They are suitable either for studio or small and medium venue use. The Orange Micro Dark is the smallest powerful unit on your list, but keep in mind that it requires a speeker.
If you are playing at larger venues, you will need a 100W amp to cover the area. You can also use two 50W amp units and it will work in the same way.
Built-in effects
Amp units come with a number of built-in effects with the most famous being tremolo. It works best with a surf guitar. You will find the most built-in effects in modeling amp units. Other features include reverb, which defines the sound produced by an acoustic guitar and distortion, which alters the sound of an electric guitar.
Some extra features that an amp might come with include preset effects and channel switching.
Inputs
A good amp unit is one that has at least two USB inputs and one headphone output. However, since the models we reviewed are what we can say budget-friendly, not all have inputs and outputs. If this criterion is important for you, Orange Micro Dark and Line 6 Spider V 20 are two good units.
Warranty
Most brands offer one or two-year replacement warranty. If you plan to use the amplifier for a long time, go for Fender Champion 50XL or Vox.