There are many reggae music enthusiasts who have been looking for the best guitar amps to use when playing this type of music. The right amp will help you achieve the best sound possible without too much crunch, in which reggae infamously has very little.
The perfect guitar amp to play your reggae music will depend on a few factors. A good one should provide the right amount of clean tones and dynamics, while still being versatile enough for any style of music.
If you are looking for a guitar amp that will provide the perfect sound to play your reggae music, then this is the buyer’s guide for you. I have compiled a list of 5 of the best guitar amps that can work well when playing reggae music.
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Fender '65 Twin Reverb Combo Amp
The Fender Twin Reverb amp is a legend in its own right, having been played by numerous guitarists over the years, many of them famous.
Reggae music had its own famous musician use this very amp – Bob Marley.
Featuring 2 twelve-inch speakers Jensen speakers, this amp can get really loud. But turn the volume down, and the amp still sounds phenomenal.
If you only use the reverb effects that are in this amp it would be enough. But add a few of your favorite reggae pedals and you will have an awesome reggae sound with power to spare!
Some of the features include 2 channels, a 3-band EQ, Reverb, and a Bright switch for each channel.
If you’re looking for a great-sounding amp that sounds great at both high and low volumes, look no further than this beast, made by the Fender company.
Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus
The Roland Jazz Chorus guitar amp is one of the cleanest sounding amps available on the market today.
It also takes pedals really well, enabling you to really dial in that reggae sound.
I would say the only downside to this amp is that the distortion is not the greatest.
That’s because this amp was made to be an ultra clean-sounding amp. Fortunately, this little issue can be easily fixed by adding on an overdrive or distortion pedal of your choosing.
The fact of the matter is that this amp goes great with any genre of music, but this is especially true for reggae, blues, and country – basically the types of music that work well with cleaner styles of amps.
Either way, you can’t go wrong with the Roland Jazz Chorus JC-120 solid-state guitar amp.
Peavey Classic 30 Combo Amp
You might see the Peavey name and only associate their amps with the harder genres of music like metal and hard rock.
However, Peavey also makes “softer” amps that are great for the calmer genres of music like reggae, blues, and jazz.
All the knobs on this amp are mounted on the top of the unit, which gives the front-facing area a cleaner look compared to other guitar amps.
Some of the features of the Peavey Classic 30 include dual channels that are switchable with any foot pedal of your choosing, spring reverb, and the ability to hook up external speakers, enabling you to take this awesome amp out on the road and play for a small audience.
Simply put, if you’re looking for a versatile, nice-looking, fantastic-sounding guitar amplifier that works great for not only reggae but other “softer” styles of music then look no further.
This Peavey Classic 30 amp is probably right up your aisle. It’s also very affordable for its sound and versatility, which means you don’t have to go broke to add one of these to your collection.
Fender Mustang LT-25 Digital Amp
The Fender Mustang LT-25 is a solid-state modeling amp that has many different built-in amplifier sounds and a built-in digital effects processor.
This is a great amp for both beginners and novices because it allows you to experiment with a wide array of different amp sounds that you might not be able to unless you had a lot of money and could buy several amps to play with.
The Fender Mustang has amazing sound quality and endless modeling and effects combinations. Because it is only 25 watts, the ideal place to use this amp would be your home.
However, you could hook up a microphone to it and use it for street playing, otherwise known as busking.
This is one of the best amps that you can get at its low price point. You’ll be nothing short of amazed by this amp once you plug it in and start messing with all the various options. It’s also extremely beginner-friendly because it is so easy to use.
Positive Grid Spark Combo Amp
If you’ve ever wanted a great-sounding practice amp that would allow you to try out tons of pedals without having to buy the pedals, then this modeling amp from Positive Grid is exactly what you’re looking for.
Although the Spark amp does not require the use of the accompanying smartphone app which has dials for volume, tone, amps, effects, and more, you will definitely want to pair this small practice amp via Bluetooth to your phone.
Another cool feature is its USB interface that allows you to play through your computer’s speakers or record your playing on whatever DAW you like, including GarageBand.
The amp also has a built-in tuner, which is awesome. Just note, however, that the tuner is not the greatest for alternate tunings. I would recommend using a clip-on tuner instead.
So, if you’re looking for a smaller practice amp that will allow you to dial in any reggae sounds without having to buy all the pedals, then look no further than this awesome modeling amp.