The 10 Best Amp Heads

It may not have the name recognition of many of the more popular brands out there, but the Quilter Labs Mach 2 Micro Pro shows that the company is capable of creating a powerful and capable amplifier with a whole host of tonal options.

The Peavey 6505 Mini offers three output levels, at 1, 5, and 20 watts, allowing you to drive the tubes without driving your neighbors into the madhouse. Its XLR direct input lets you plug the unit right into just about any PA system.

While the EVH 5150 III 50-Watt is certainly capable of providing you with pleasant clean tones and a cozy kind of overdrive, it's really designed to scream, with high-end lead distortion and sustain that add another dimension to pinched harmonics.

The Line 6 Spider V 240 HC can recreate the sound of just about any amplifier you can imagine, and it even comes with a small pair of speakers built into its housing, so you can practice at a low volume without having to lug around a heavy cabinet.

The Marshall JCM900 4100 is one of those amplifiers you've seen everywhere. Whenever a big rock act plays in front of a dozen full stacks creating that ear-splitting wall of sound, this is often the source of all their power.

While it may not be the ideal choice for a jazz guitarist, the Laney Ironheart IRT 120 H offers a lot of tonal options for players of rock and metal. The punched front grille allows you to bask in the glow of its tubes once they begin to heat up.

The Orange Dark Terror 15/7 is easily one of the warmest options in the company's lineup, allowing you to create the deep, gentle overdrive you might expect to hear out of a vintage Vox combo. If you need it to, however, it can thrash with the best of them.

If you need a live sound with a massive amount of flexibility and enough power to reach the back row at Budokan, then the Marshall JVM-410H Joe Satriani Signature is the one for you. It has four channels capable of pumping out 100 watts.

While the company may have made its name creating solid-state models of renowned amplifier sounds, the Line 6 DT25 creates a tone all its own, utilizing tubes and simple controls in place of elaborate digital modeling effects.

With two separate channels running through some of the most revered tubes and circuits ever to grace the stage and studio, the Orange AD30HTC can deliver tones that are reminiscent of rock's greatest, with just enough flexibility for you to find your own sound.