Best Guitar Amps Under $500 You Should Buy in 2023

Looking for a guitar amp that is both affordable and high-quality is not easy because there are a lot of products on the market. Don't worry. In this post, we will give you in-depth reviews and recommendations for the best guitar amps under 500$.

• Best overall: Peavey Vypyr VIP 3

• Best premium choice: Yamaha THR10II

• Best purchased product: Bugera V22 Infinium 

• Best value product: Positive Grid Spark Guitar Amp

• Best cheap product: Orange Crush 35RT 

1. Peavey Vypyr VIP 3 

Product’s review:

Peavey Vypyr VIP 3 amp is one of the newest in the Vypyr series. It is a typical combination amp with one 12-inch speaker and total output power of 100 watts. Since it can also handle basses and acoustic guitars with piezo pickups, this amp is more versatile than a standard guitar amplifier.

It has the typical Vypyr amplifier controls, like pre- and post-gain, and a 3-band EQ. Additionally, it incorporates a "Power Sponge" a traditional power attenuator that lowers the output power to anywhere between 1 and 100 watts.

The wide variety of guitar amp models is its best feature. 36 amp models, 25 distinct stompbox effect models, and even digital copies of other instruments can be used to create nearly 400 presets. You can obtain sounds from a 12-string instrument or even a sitar.

Pros:

• Very versatile and features a lot of amps and pedal models

• Power attenuation (1 to 100 watts)

• Integrated audio interface and USB connection

Cons:

• Some amp models could be better

2. Yamaha THR10II  

Product’s review:

Yamaha's THR10II amplifier is a powerful one despite being small and having only two 3-inch speakers. In actuality, it may be applied to both bass guitars and acoustic guitars.

There are three versions for basses, three microphone models for acoustic guitars, and a total of 15 electric guitar amp models. Additionally, it contains two effect groups: one for delay and reverb, and the other for chorus, flanger, phaser, and tremolo. Two output controls are also included, one for the guitar and the other for any auxiliary audio you may have plugged into it.

Although pretty small in size, THR10II delivers a total power output of 20 watts. This can even be enough for a live gig. What’s more, being this compact, it’s really easy to carry around. But what surprised us the most was the overall tone quality. With this Yamaha’s amp, you’ll even be able to get some tones that closely resemble tube amplifiers and their impeccable dynamic response.

Pros:

• Fairly compact

• Great tone

• A lot of versatility

Cons:

• Relatively expensive for a 20-watt amp

3. Bugera V22 Infinium 

Product’s review:

The Bugera V22 Infinium offers bright and standard inputs in addition to a classic two-channel amp. It also has the boost switch and presence control in addition to the standard knobs. It has a total power output of 22 watts, and the "Tube Life Multiplier" technology ensures steady performance even after prolonged usage without tube replacement.

Pros:

• Great tone on both channels

• Inclusion of two different inputs, normal and bright

• Reverb

• Clean boost

Cons:

• It’s mostly good for just vintage blues-rock stuff

4. Positive Grid Spark Guitar Amp 

Product’s review:

The brilliant BIAS tone engine from Positive Grid has just taken the guitar amp industry by storm, and the Spark offers a wallet- and neighbor-friendly platform for that wonderful software to shine.

With the companion app, it contains over 10,000 tones in addition to 30 amp types and 40 effects that are pre-installed. Bluetooth is built-in, making music streaming a breeze. USB inputs and outputs allow you to use your Spark as a guitar audio interface for simple recording.

Pros:

• Seemingly endless tonal options

• Big sound for a small amp

Cons:

• None

5. Orange Crush 35RT 

Product’s review:

Orange Crush 35RT usually has a very specific tone with some sparkling and really fuzzy elements. It’s for the lovers of old-school rock, stoner rock, and some psychedelic-oriented stuff. If you’re into these kinds of fuzzy overtones, then Orange Crush 35RT is the right choice for you.

There isn't much extraneous fluff on this amp. It includes 35 watts of power, clean and dirty channels, and one 10-inch speaker. Although we have different volume settings for each of the channels, the controls are rather simple. The reverb is the only effect we can prefer most.

Overall, the tones this amp produces are extremely saturated. Additionally, a cabinet simulator that is intended to mimic those vintage 412-inch speaker cabinets is used for the headphone output. Additionally, we can see an integrated tuner, which is useful.

Pros:

• Very simple to use

• Great tone

Cons:

• Some may not like the amp’s specific tones

• Not many features

1. How to play electric guitar without an amp?

Despite the fact that the electric guitar is designed to be connected to an amplifier, there are a few ways to play without one. You can play through an audio interface, go straight into your home stereo system, and play through a mixer and a PA system.

2. How can a guitar amplifier be connected to an audio interface?

Connecting a headphone or line output with cabinet simulation is the simplest way to connect your amplifier. If not, you can record with one or more microphones. This is a little difficult, though, because the acoustics of your area will greatly affect the tone you use. The majority of the amplifiers on our list have a line-out or headphone output.

To be really honest, you cannot reasonably expect to get an amplifier that is fully professional for less than $500. This does not prevent you from having a decent tone and dependable operation, though. The amps we described above can be useful for beginners, intermediates, practice sessions, and even some semi-professional gigs.