A high-quality amplifier is one of the best ways to improve your metal tone. When it comes to choosing a metal amp, you have a lot of options. You can opt for a high quality all-tube amp, but when talking about high distortion tones solid-state amps can be just as good of an option in some cases. The bottom line is that you need something that fits your application as well as tone desires.
Are you looking for a gigging amp or do you need to be able to practice in a small apartment? Some guitarists prefer massive power when it comes to metal amps, while others are looking for more built-in effects and tone control options.
I’ll start this article by reviewing the best metal amps at each price point. I will cover options that will meet a wide range of applications and help you choose the right amp for your needs. If you’d prefer to learn more before diving straight into product reviews, you can start by reading our buying guide at the bottom of the page here.
Best Metal Amps In 2023 (combo & Head)
My Review: This amp has been known to be a beast of hard rock and metal music for decades. It packs that classic Marshall tone, earning its reputation since the late ‘70s and the early ‘80s. And today, the Marshall JCM800 remains one of the most iconic guitar amps to exist. It has been used by an incredible lineup of notable musicians who find these amps to be worth every penny. Guitarists such as Angus Young from the band AC/DC, Kerry King from Slayer, and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audio Slave have astonished audiences with their performances using this metal amp.
Key Specs and Features: The JCM800 comes with 100-watts of pure power. It’s an all-tube amplifier, providing unparalleled volume and purity of tone. Classic Marshall design with the black and gold coloring is always lovely to look at. It’s one channel, 3-band EQ amp that runs at 100 watts, meaning you can play anything but the largest of stadiums. The 2203 also comes with a series of effect loops. The JCM800 is known for its “tonal tenacity, ” in part because it was one of the first amps to feature a master volume and because it’s one of the few vintage reissues to feature the same. The EQ settings are extremely versatile, so even if you’re not playing heavy metal or rock, you’ll still appreciate the bright cleans of the sound coming from the speakers. It also features the iconic gold front panel and the white Marshall logo front and center. It’s considered a “players amp” since the controls are so simple and straightforward to use. There are a few on the back, but most are lined up on the front, easy to turn and easy to reach. Speaking of controls, the JCM is single-channel so that you won’t be dealing with any footswitches. Plus, you’ll probably have just as much fun as we do with the master volume since it will crunch louder as you drive it harder. The series effects loop is on the back, which is helpful, and great for musicians who rely heavily on pedals and especially musicians who like to switch pedals in and out.
Target Customer: If you’re someone who prefers metal amps for clean tones, this amp can do the job as a pedal platform. However, if you’re looking for preamp tube distortion, that classic Marshall crunch, then this Marshall JCM800 2203 is for you as that is where this amp truly shines.
How To Get The Perfect Metal Sound Out Of Your Guitar Amp
Bottom Line: You’re not buying this amp for a wide variety of effects. You’re buying it for the back end power and tonal quality that it offers. One of the best amps for hard rock and metal music out there.
My Review: Mesa has now broken with tradition and produced its first-ever non-limited signature model, the JP-2C, in recognition of Petrucci’s outstanding association. The JP-2C powers on quietly and smoothly, with practically no hum. While the channels lose some of the Mark V’s multi-mode functionality, there’s no loss of tone. Mesa Engineering is in a league of its own.
Key Specs and Features: The JP-2C is contained in a short head cabinet, faultlessly finished in black vinyl. The internals is typical modern Boogie with a neatly laid-out main PCB incorporating some of the quirks that date back to the original Mark IIC+, supported inside a beautifully finished aluminum chassis. All the usual Mesa components are here. Custom resistors, Orange Drop decoupling caps, and a lot of relays, topped with a mains transformer that’s about the same size and weight as a Mini Cooper. But the most obvious and striking external feature of the JP-2C is its control panel, which comprises three independent channels and two separate five-band graphic EQs. The EQs can be assigned to any combination of channels, as well as working off the supplied six-button foot controller, or through MIDI, which governs most of the JP-2C’s switched functions. Each channel has identical (though differently voiced) controls for gain, master, bass, mid, treble, and presence, together with an EQ assign toggle. Channel 2 and the slightly higher-gain Channel 3 have push/pull switches on the gain and presence controls, which govern a gain boost and increased presence range. Finally, you’ll see a large toggle that selects either 60 watts output or the full 100 watts.
Fender Frontman 20g Guitar Amp: Canadian Online Music Store In Oakville, Ontario
Target Customer: Signature products are sometimes double-edged swords. The artist’s name is there to hopefully boost sales, but special features don’t always appeal to a broad range of players. Either way, this amp is supposed to be used by skilled guitarists that can use all of its features to the fullest.
Bottom Line: Mesa has hit a home run here, teaming one of its biggest metal guitarist ambassadors to bring us a truly killer amp head that’s way better than I could have imagined.
My Review: Mesa Boogie has been ever-present in the world of heavy metal, crafting some of the best metal amps to ever grace a stage. Cannibal Corpse, Ministry, Lamb Of God, Suicide Silence, the list is far too long to go on, but the Mesa Boogie metal family is extensive. This is thanks to the brands’ focus on boosted, high gain articulation, and the ability to create amps that sound amazing when cranked into gritty distortion. Put simply, they perform best at high-gain levels and are designed for metal guitarists.
An Expert Guide To Boutique Amps
Key Specs and Features: The Mini Rec is housed in a black powder-coated metal lunchbox-style case, lightly textured for an industrial feel. The Rectifier’s now-legendary truck-ramp metal plate texture adorns most of the front panel, through which you can see a menacing red glow when powered up rock. Despite the tiny size, the Mini Rec features two independent channels, each with two modes, offering everything from Fender-derived cleans, through more British crunches, heavily saturated classic rock distortion, and modern metal crunching high-gain. Channels one and two are foot-switchable, but the modes need to be set via mini switches on the front panel. Besides, each channel has a choice of either 10- or 25-watt operation. The lower power mode, according to Mesa, runs the Mini Rectifier’s pair of EL84 output valves in class A/B triode mode, while 25 watts uses Mesa’s patented Dyna-Watt circuit, class A/B pentode, for maximum power and more pronounced attack with notes. Completed with two rows of identical, self-explanatory control knobs, there’s nothing here to confuse you. And what about that cabinet? Shaped like a Recto 412 but in miniature, it houses a single Celestion Vintage 30 driver.
Target Customer: For lovers of heavy metal with limited space, the 25 watt Mesa Boogie Mini Rectifier is a great choice for practicing your riffs at home with a small cab. The sound you get out of it makes it one of my favorite metal amps ever crafted. Its ability to drop the wattage from 25 to 10 means you get the same bone-crushing tone at a lower volume that won’t destroy your windows or annoy your neighbors, a perfect choice for gigging small and medium sized venues as well as practicing at home.
Bottom Line: In any real-world playing situation where a 50- or 100-watt valve amp is just too much, this little box does a thoroughly convincing job for all rock styles. It lacks reverb, and the omission of a speaker-emulated direct out feels like an oversight, but if what you seek is a go-anywhere, no-fuss rock amp for small gigs, the Mini Rectifier fits the bill.
Amazon.com: Pyle Mini Electric Guitar Amp
My Review: Blackstar’s new HT Stage 100 MKII boasts so many improvements over the previous HT Stage 100 introduced eight years ago that they could have given the model an entirely new name. But it shares so many of its predecessor’s most beloved features. It includes a similar control panel, functionality, and affordable price. Keeping the model name was a solid decision. This metal amp hosts an incredible amount of versatility and can adapt to any stage or studio you prefer. Each of the metal amp’s channels has a voice switch,
Target Customer: Signature products are sometimes double-edged swords. The artist’s name is there to hopefully boost sales, but special features don’t always appeal to a broad range of players. Either way, this amp is supposed to be used by skilled guitarists that can use all of its features to the fullest.
Bottom Line: Mesa has hit a home run here, teaming one of its biggest metal guitarist ambassadors to bring us a truly killer amp head that’s way better than I could have imagined.
My Review: Mesa Boogie has been ever-present in the world of heavy metal, crafting some of the best metal amps to ever grace a stage. Cannibal Corpse, Ministry, Lamb Of God, Suicide Silence, the list is far too long to go on, but the Mesa Boogie metal family is extensive. This is thanks to the brands’ focus on boosted, high gain articulation, and the ability to create amps that sound amazing when cranked into gritty distortion. Put simply, they perform best at high-gain levels and are designed for metal guitarists.
An Expert Guide To Boutique Amps
Key Specs and Features: The Mini Rec is housed in a black powder-coated metal lunchbox-style case, lightly textured for an industrial feel. The Rectifier’s now-legendary truck-ramp metal plate texture adorns most of the front panel, through which you can see a menacing red glow when powered up rock. Despite the tiny size, the Mini Rec features two independent channels, each with two modes, offering everything from Fender-derived cleans, through more British crunches, heavily saturated classic rock distortion, and modern metal crunching high-gain. Channels one and two are foot-switchable, but the modes need to be set via mini switches on the front panel. Besides, each channel has a choice of either 10- or 25-watt operation. The lower power mode, according to Mesa, runs the Mini Rectifier’s pair of EL84 output valves in class A/B triode mode, while 25 watts uses Mesa’s patented Dyna-Watt circuit, class A/B pentode, for maximum power and more pronounced attack with notes. Completed with two rows of identical, self-explanatory control knobs, there’s nothing here to confuse you. And what about that cabinet? Shaped like a Recto 412 but in miniature, it houses a single Celestion Vintage 30 driver.
Target Customer: For lovers of heavy metal with limited space, the 25 watt Mesa Boogie Mini Rectifier is a great choice for practicing your riffs at home with a small cab. The sound you get out of it makes it one of my favorite metal amps ever crafted. Its ability to drop the wattage from 25 to 10 means you get the same bone-crushing tone at a lower volume that won’t destroy your windows or annoy your neighbors, a perfect choice for gigging small and medium sized venues as well as practicing at home.
Bottom Line: In any real-world playing situation where a 50- or 100-watt valve amp is just too much, this little box does a thoroughly convincing job for all rock styles. It lacks reverb, and the omission of a speaker-emulated direct out feels like an oversight, but if what you seek is a go-anywhere, no-fuss rock amp for small gigs, the Mini Rectifier fits the bill.
Amazon.com: Pyle Mini Electric Guitar Amp
My Review: Blackstar’s new HT Stage 100 MKII boasts so many improvements over the previous HT Stage 100 introduced eight years ago that they could have given the model an entirely new name. But it shares so many of its predecessor’s most beloved features. It includes a similar control panel, functionality, and affordable price. Keeping the model name was a solid decision. This metal amp hosts an incredible amount of versatility and can adapt to any stage or studio you prefer. Each of the metal amp’s channels has a voice switch,
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