Top 10 Best Sounding Clean Amps EVER! 

300watts : perfect amp for clean tones and blowing out all the windows in your house.

The Fender Princeton Reverb clean is stunning. The 6V6 tubes are the key ingredient. Incredibly rich and clear with a lovely lower mids to bass.

I played on a Roland like that many years ago in a music store. I still talk about the sound of that amp. Cool that it made the list.

Great to see someone focusing on cleans for a change. Really nice demo and totally agree with your No.1.

Had the chance to perform with the roland jazz chorus last week. Amazing amp. Unreal chorus and clean tone.

I've been playing a 1983 jc120 since then, love it, cleanest sound. Thank God for the wheels.

Your channel deserves to be at least 500 times as big as it is. I always enjoy your videos. Thanks.

I love your cuts/edits. It gives you that classic Max Headroom presentation

I agree 100 percent with your top 2. Twin reverb and Jazz chorus are the best of the best

Best clean tone I ever got with my Telecaster was through a Legend A60. Clear, full, and loud. Excellent with all the pedals I used. It's on my Why did I sell that? list, the same list that every guitar player has.

Like the "share the music"! So true too! Most of us have items kicking around we find old or ordinary that kids would pee themselves for... great idea!

Great video! Thanks again.

I read the title and instantly thought Mesa Lonestar and Fender Deluxe Reverb! Excellent list!

Here's one that flew below the "clean sounding" radar back in its day: the Peavey Session. The Session was designed as a keyboardists and pedal steel guitarist's amp. It has 200 watts of clean RMS power. It is LOUD and won't break up at all. As a guitarist, I used a Session head in bands I played in back in the 80s. Since it wouldn't overdrive at all, I had a decent pedal for that purpose. As a clean amp it had a lot of body to its sound, and really did sound nice with my guitars.

Thank you for coming up with this list, this is very helpful. Gotta try the Ampeg and also I am very curious about the Panama. I tried the JC at a local store and it is really impressive. Cheers from Costa Rica!

Perfect again! I have a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and love the thing. I almost said my Vox two watt Night Train but in the nick of time I remembered that it is gain monster.

Always enjoy these lists. I would probably add (3) Mesa Rectoverb 1 x12 combo, (which is also a fire-breathing Dragon), the Laney Cub & the Quilter 101 ( all Fender Princeton-like pristine Clean's ) - but all of your choices were spot-on. Great information here. oNe LovE from NYC

The Mesa Boogie Mark V clean tone is pretty amazing as well. It just gets overshadowed by it's high gain tones.

I've had the AC 15 and Roland jc 120 and loved both. One that I use in the house now is the Yamaha THR1011 which also sounds great.

Always love your reviews! Thanks a lot for this one :)

The Roland JC120 is definatly THE best clean amp ever made! I haven`t been able to play one yet, but hearing it on Metallica`s concert in Seattle 1989, and other places, it is the next amp on my list for sure !

I agree.. The Loanstar amps sound beautiful and very musical.

Nice video. I own an AC-15 which I bought for that "jangly" clean tone, although it breaks up nicely, too. I was surprised that no Acoustic amps made the list. Never owned one, but a couple of friends did and as I recall they had a really clear, crisp tone.

My amp made #2 on the list!! Bought a '65 DRRI earlier this year before the introduction of the Tone King versions. I don't know why it took me so long to subscribe here. I've long been fond your interesting, informative videos presented in your inimitably humble fashion, from your well-lit dungeon. lol

Recently bought a Roland Jazz 40. After having a Vox AC 15, Fender Twin Reverb, Vibrolux, ect. If you want that glassy Fender sound just engage the clean about 1/4 of the way. The new distortion is nice. And you can also add sound, you can't add clean. It's either there or it isn't. Tired of the tube amps. You have to turn them up so loud to get tone you want that they just aren't practical. With the right solid state amp you can keep the volume down and still get a great tone.

Thank you, Robert. Recently been watching JC120 reviews. Too big for my apt. but I agree with your choice after hearing it. I don't like 'chorus' very much but the JC is not average sounding chorus.

Right on Robert. Thank you once again!

Cool vid as always!! Great amps on that list - Ampeg SVT, Vox AC-30, Mesa LS, Fender Twin, HIWATT - I'd favor the CP over the DR but that's my particular. A few I'd probably mention - Matchless, Morgan, Milkman, Reeves, etc. . . .

I watch, I learn. Thanks Robert.

The older Fender black and silver faced twins are some of the best amps ever made. I'm also a fan of the silver and red striped Peavey Bandits, very loud and clean sound.

Love ❤️ the lead solo at the end of this video !! 👍🏻

My 100 watt Heathkit stereo amp that I built in 1966 while in high school. In the late 1960's I had a Plush 100 watt Bass Amp head. It was designed by Carl Marantz and it was a spectacular amp.

I would be hard put to better that list. The no's 01 & 02 are just stellar pics in my opinion. Just spot on m8, spot on !!

Amen -the JC120 is the absolute "Clean" beast - cleanest amp I have ever played - he didn't mention it is a stereo amp too - Unfortunately I can't afford a Kilobuck for one so I got a Randall RG200 - 200 watts and it's clean channel is to die for - like the 120, the dual stage distortion channel is ok, but it sounds better running your pedals through the clean channel and letting the pedals add the flavor.

Great review!!! Matchless are extremely clean, I use them with Fender tube amps, which all sound pretty close to each other.

My first amp was a princeton reverb, and my next one (in the mid 70's) was the JC-120, both for the clean tone and the amazing chorus it has built in. I really love clean, but I also love tubes, that's why I play with a UK valve marshall and a fender SuperSonic.

Also worth looking into is the Peavey Bandit 65 and the Peavey Backstage Chorus 208. Sweet clear clean tones that sound almost acoustic with single coil guitars.

Great video. Thanks. I would like to just add my two cents and say that the Fender Champion, a solid state 100 watt version 212, is extremely clean sounding. Recently, I am really curious about the Marshall Origin serious. Marshall designed it to not have the highs and lows taken out like many Marshalls of today are engineered, so with the Origin there is a natural wide spectrum of sounds available. People say that the Origin sounds a little bit like a Fender.

Enjoyed it. Good info!

Another great video ... Thank you! Once upon a time back in the mid-Eighties I owned a '65 Fender Twin Reverb with Utah speakers, but wound up selling it because it was just gathering dust (Yes, sacrilegious indeed!). However, in 2008 I wanted another 2x12" Combo to practice with and use for small gigs, but did not want to spend a lot much money. So, I bought a new Fender Frontman 212R from Musician's Friend (MF) with a Tank Reverb. It's a nice combo amp that possesses 100 Watts. The problem was that the "Fender Designed" speakers lacked character, clarity, definition, muddy when the distortion channels were engaged, along with not being able to handle the amp's power. Hence, taking from the lesson-learned in outfitting my Carvin MTS 3200 Half-Stack with the Warehouse Guitar Speaker (WGS) ET-65's and Retro 30's (which I shared with you on a previous post), I did the same to the Fender Frontman 212R, which I only paid $54 for each speaker (One ET-65 / One Retro 30) about three years ago from MF before the WGS price increases. End result? A totally different combo that is supremely better in every way; clarity, headroom, definition, the ease of handling pedals (which I seldom use), impressive distortion, and the speakers' effortless handing of the amp's brute power, I kid you not. On its clean channel I can turn the volume to '4' and its loudness is incredibly ear splitting, yet pristine clean. Moreover, I never used the amp to gig before the new WGS Speakers, but now I do. Plus, the speakers are so efficient I do not need to crank it as much as before either when just practicing. Take a look - wgsusa.com/et65 / wgsusa.com/retro30 . *PS:* I am in no way affiliated with WGS. I just love their speakers and wanted to share.

Great video. I tried a Princeton Reverb at a music store and was blown away by the great clean sound coming from such a small amp but too expensive for me at the time. I had a great Twin Reverb about 50 years ago but you'd almost need a forklift to hoist it (so heavy). Today I get a decent clean sound from a Blues Jr iii by adjusting the volume lower and master volume higher. I also have a Peavey Envoy (solid state) that is surprisingly great at cleans too.

One video of the beat clean of amps for practice in the home please! 🙏

I bought a JC120 in 1979. Fantastic amp, and I used it all through the 80s with pedals. Also, it has a twin power amps - so it does a true chorus, and you can connect remote cabinets. As for the marshall story, you got it correct except for the transformers - they were radio spares, not mercury magnetics.

I have noticed with amps I have owned over the years that its not just the amp. Its also the pickups and guitars used to get nice clean tones. Not only that, a nice cabinet that has the right matching speaker setup to match the amp and guitars.

Yamaha G100mk2 and Lab L5 are great sounding solid state clean amps used by lots of players.

Awesome list. Thank you!!! Why wasn't Orange included? 😕

Great job !! My eyes are opened on some of these you put up, but I was waiting to see if you’d put up the Roland.... and was happy to see that you put it at #1 !! I have at least 12 Guitar amps...all tube....except my Roland. I’m in full agreement about the tone and the pedal platform. I can pretty much do any style with it, AND it also works great for acoustic guitar !! Not to mention...the best chorus in the world 🌎🎸

Glad I found this post! Do you have thoughts on the Randall RC-235 Stereo Chorus? There aren't many out there (it seems) but just a couple used ones.

The JC 120 is just awesome!

The Ampeg VT 22. Ampeg's Version of the Fender Twin. Incredibly Clean with Enormous Headroom. Weights as much as an Anchor to the Titanic.

Great video I wondered this I'm a clean sound lover

Love your reviews

Try the Carvin Belair 212 Vintage Series. I own 2. It is one of the best clean amplifiers out there. IMHO

Yeah those old jazz chorus's are amazing I used 2 of them on stage, 1 for my cleans and one as my chorus through my Dumble. Iv'e moved on to Fenders for my cleans but still love those Rolands.

I agree. I recently purchase a used tweed hotrod deluxe and does have nice clean tones. However I stumble upon a JC - 40 a few weeks later and almost took the deluxe back.LOL. The clean is amazing. I certainly look to pick one up in the future.

Thank you for your summation Sir...absolutely agree with your comments. I own 3 of those mentioned...FENDER ROLAND & BOOGIE....all fantastic super clean units....the only way to play. Look fwd to your next post

Princeton Reverb limited ed with a stock 12” speaker is the best small amp I’ve ever heard. Big sound. I had a blue jr with mods and new speaker and the Pr Reverb blows it away.

Thought I'd post a few details in a comment about this review, Cuz I have 76' Fender Twin Reverb and I just got a 93' Hiwatt DR103 this past week. The DR actually stands for Dave Reeves (No Big Deal, I like this Guys Channel and watch it quite often cuz it's Very Helpful in Many Ways) So the DR103 Custom Hiwatt 100 is of the Hiwatt Biacrown UK, 51 Hallgate Doncaster Made in England era. It's the version with the dual Normal Channel and dual Bright Channel inputs that can be bridged and used at the same time. I ran that into the 2 OS Rectifier Straight Bottom Mesa Boogie 4x12's Cab that I use for jamming with my drummer. I gotta tell ya, I've been utilizing a Dual Rec 100 watt head for Rig 1 and a Triple Rec 150 watt head for Rig 2, So them Cabs get plenty of juice, but Somehow that Hiwatt head puts out So Much More Power than both of those Mesa Boogie Heads put together! I think it could Blow All 8 of them 12's right outta the Cabinets without even being turned up Half Way. By that, I mean having the Normal Channel at around 1 o'clock so it gives it a Complete warm and full bottom end, with the Bright Channel at around noon to give it a Crystal Clear high end. At those settings, It's getting plenty of the Pre-Amp Tubes working, But only had to turn the Master Volume up to maybe close to the 10 o'clock position and That Was Pretty Violent, To say the least, lol... It could've kept right on going up, but I've Never Ever heard them 2 Cabs have that 'Please Don't Kill Me' sound like that before. That type of Clarity at Such a High Volume is Absolutely Amazing! Them OS Rectifier Straight Bottom Cabinets are some Seriously Tough Cabinets but they are No Match for the Headroom of that Hiwatt. The Hiwatt head does not have Distortion or Reverb, So It's All About Crystal Clear Power, and The Fact that It takes Pedals like a Champ, Is a Tremendous Bonus, So Without a Doubt, It's The Best Musical Investment I've Made Yet, Hands Down. I only paid a lil over $1800 for it with shipping included, So I got into the 'Hiwatt Club' without losing a limb. The 76' Fender Twin Reverb I have, I picked up for only $200 on Let Go. Them Tubes are kinda Beat Up, and the Pots are a lil Scratchy and Dusty, but the Screen is Tear Free, So I'll say it's still in Pretty Good shape considering it's a 42 year old amp. I will also be Inclined to Agree, That Infamous World Renowned Instantly Recognizable Reverb is purely a Gift from God Himself to the Music World, and has Definitely earned it's way into being 1 of The Top Best Sounding Amplifiers of All Time. It weights around 85 lbs, So it spends it's time in the Corner of My room, Nice and Cozy. It don't see No Travel or Gig time, Only Playing and Recording time, and it is Perfect for both, IMO. I hope y'all enjoyed a few extra details about a couple Historical Amps from a neutral persons Point of View. Have a Great Day - Jay

Your channel deserves more attention 🤘

Great list man! If I had to make the same list it would be just about the same, Thanks for the video and links 🎸🎸👍

I have the *Roland JC-77* 80 watts 2x10. Half the weight of JC-120. Rarely needs to go past 2, it's that loud and Clean. Takes pedals and all-in-one processors very well. *Traynor YCV* series is a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe style 2 channel 1x12. I have the YCV40. Takes pedals well, and loud enough on 2 to play bars un-mic'd. I run the amp clean and have 3 dirt pedals in front, depending on the tone I'm after Mojo Mojo Overdrive, Boss Combo Drive (AC30) and Radial Tonebone Hot British. There are many Marshall 2 or more channel amps with amazing clean that I played. JVM100 combo (friend owns) and JMD501 combo (I own)

The top 3 were spot on...no argument here, dude

Big fan of the Peavey Classic series cleans. I have a Classic 50 212 and a Delta Blues 115. Both great amps.

great vid thanks i have a laney cub 8 does a lovely clean tone more vox than fender but with its own character.

Without a doubt the Roland Jazz Chorus is THE clean amp to gig with.

What are your views on the Vox AD 30 VT ? I'm starting to play guitar again after an injury that caused a partial amputation to my right and dominant hand. It's been a struggle learning how to use my hand again and playing guitar. When I saw the injury to my hand, my first thought was, "My God, I can't play". I Liked and Subscribed, Robert. Cheers.

My number two is an old Alamo amp( tube practice amp form the seventies). With a Montclair reverb. Awesome sounds

I had an Epiphone Super Eight [4 Jensen 8"] with Hammond Reverb as my first amp back about 1964 or 65 can't fucking remember. Great 30 watt surf guitar amp and a real clean sound. Miss the old girl. Playing thru a Twin now. Love the Twin. It's ALIVE!

Rivera s120 or Rivera knucklehead are amazing clean amps. Swart amps are great for clean. Of course Fender.

I know that you could not possibly know of every great clean amp, but there is one you ought to know about, 1949-51 Gibson GA-50 and GA-50T with tremolo. At approximately 30 watts from 2 coke-bottle 6L6s it has one 12” and one 8” speaker. It’s brown and looks like an old suitcase. I have one and also a ‘65 Deluxe Reverb, a ‘64 AC-30, a 1999 Komet Fischer Trainwreck 60 and many more of those kinds of amps. The GA-50 simply kills every other clean amp I have ever heard. The great Jim Hall used one for a time and said that it gave him the absolutely the best tone he ever had. It takes pedals like a dream even though it was designed and built a decade and a half before pedals were invented. It can play quite loudly with lots of headroom and if turned way up will produce a creamy and powerfully harmonic overdrive. However, that is not the best way to use it. Set at a low level with pedals is the key. Not only does this preserve your hearing and your lease, it preserves the amp as well. Those late’40s speakers are incredibly good sounding and are very hard to impossible to replace or to repair. You must treat them gently. Check one out, they occasionally show up on Ebay and Reverb and there are RU-vid vids (for better or worse) of them as well.

I just bought a used Peavey VK 112 that I've been running through a Fender Tone Master 412 . The Clean Channel sounds Awesome. I'm going to turn my VK into a 50 watt head. The open back combo cabinet does a disservice to this amp. My Laney VC-50's Clean Channel rivals Fender Clean My Fender Red Knob "The Twin" has an awesome Clean Channel. Previous amps that I've owned, like the 100 watt Crate Blue Voodoo and the Crate VC 50 are incredibly clean amps. Generally any commercial amp can produce clean if you use the right tubes, speakers and sometimes upgrading the Caps.. Cheap Tubes equals cheap sound. Off the shelf stock amps are cheap to get out the door, but need upgrades.

Thank for the list! One I highly recommend is Henriksen. I’ve been using the 110 and 112 for the last 10yrs. Think modern day Polytone.

Morgan PR12 combo (maybe the best I've ever heard) Swart Atomic AST Pro head Swart Atomic Jr head Laney IronHeart 120 Orange Crush Pro (surprisingly good)

JC120 is a killer amp. The Chorus on it is superb. The newer recent versions tackled the overdrive on it and it's somewhat better. Waiting to get a newer version 2nd hand.

Right on ! Thanks

I have a Traynor Guitar Mate, very satisfying clean tone, just slightly darker than a deluxe reverb.

Cool list with a few amps I don't know. I agree with your choice of the JC-120 as your favorite clean amp. They aren't really my thing, but they provide a great clean sound with an excellent platform to use for pedals. Though I no longer own one, the 72 DR-103 I used to own is one of my all time favorite amps for getting clean sounds. I still own a 79 SA-112 50 watt combo and a 71 DR-112 which is a 6 channel PA head with a DR-103 power section, so I can still get the Hiwatt clarity if need be. I got the PA head as a way to mod a Hiwatt. A tech has been incrementally modding it and it now has an awesome sounding clean channel plus a JP-103 "Jimmy Page" style Hiwatt that he used throughout 1970. I got the PA for next to nothing a decade ago before the Hiwatt craze really kicked in. A wide open Hiwatt is a hard amp to beat if you love things loud & clear. If you are a technically challenged player, the Hiwatt is not a forgiving amp so it will expose all of your technical flaws. Their inherent clarity is also why they are such an excellent choice for clean guitar tones. No saggy or mushy sounds ever emanate from a well tuned Hiwatt. The most usable tone stack for amplifying guitar that has ever been devised. As a former owner of a 67 Marshall plexi 50 from a bit past the "Black Flag' era, I absolutely agree that they are an awesome clean amp. I owned that amp for a good period and used it a bunch for clean guitar sounds in the studio. One time a client left a 67 Traynor YBA-1 and it simply smoked the 67 Plexi. I then discovered that the early small box Traynor YBA-1 and early plexi Marshalls are based on the same Fender Tweed Bassman 5F-6A amp. I knew this about the Marshall, but never knew that the YBA-1 was based on it. Pete Traynor being a bass player even made the amp more clear as he was modding a 5F-6A to be an actual bass amp. You can also still find the early YBA-1 heads for well under $1,000 whereas you won't find a "Black Flag" Marshall for anything less than $5K(more like $8-10K or more). If you are an adventurous type, look for an early 4 channel Traynor YVM-1 PA amp. One sold on eBay last week for a bit over $300. Those have a multitap output transformer so you can easily run a stock 16 ohm 4X12 Marshall cab. You can mod those to have a clean & dirty channels as there are enough tubes. A friend modded mine to have an EF86 Vox type preamp which gives some unique sounds. Though people know about them, the Traynor amps from 65-73 are still an incredible value and simply sound gorgeous. I think you are missing the mark on the Princeton Reverb. In my experience, my favorite Fender clean tones come from the 60-63 6G "Brownface" amps. For sure I would reach for my 62 Princeton before my 67 Deluxe Reverb for a clean sound. When I used to actively record, I can't tell you how many times I would use a 6G-9A Tremolux for clean tones. To me that is about the best overall amplifier that ever came out of Fullerton. The blonde Tremolux just makes any guitar sound great. They stay clear until about 6 and then they get a sumptuous overdrive at 7 that the higher powered 6G amps just don't quite attain. The power section uses a pair of 6L6GC with an output of 35 Watts RMS. The 6G-11A Vibrolux is the same amp, but as a 1x12 combo. Those sound phenomenal as well.I love the AB763 type circuit, but that circuit lacks the midrange that the early Tolex amps have. An 85 watt Twin Reverb with JBL speakers is a monument of clean guitar tone, but I will always pick a 6G era Fender first(especially my Tremolux, but honestly all of them have a great clean sound-try a Pro or Vibrosonic with its 15 inch speaker and you will achieve some awesome clean sounds)

Love the AC30CC2, feels like the tone is going through my hand into the neck of the guitar. Glassy tone is how I would describe it.

I think you covered the 80's Randall RG80 or something like it in one of your other videos. I have one and it sounds great with pedals. The clean sound is very neutral and highly useful. The Celestion G12 - H100 driver sounds phenomenal with this amp and helps the low end project. It's a gem that I need to have fixed up to get it back in top shape, but I'm thinking it's going to be well worth keeping it up.

Great video. I never thought finding an amp with a good clean channel would be difficult, one of the learning curves of playing the guitar I guess. I think we have all had some pretty bad ones. I also appreciate the comments of others sharing good clean amps. I would love to see a top 10 worst clean channel amps. I started out with a peavey vypyr

A Fender Champion 100 has recently become my favorite amp.

Hey bub when you get the chance and come across a Carvin x100b.

Good list. I’ve owned a few Twins from recent examples to originals from the 60’s, but I still own my Jazz Chorus . I do have a SF Princeton though. I agree with you about the Lonestar, but I’d also throw the 5:50 into the ring as a second Mesa that excels with its cleans.

This is the first vid Ive seen from you. Keep it up. I Will contact the used gear thingy. It is a great idea. Longa Liva aRoka ana Rolla.

Awesome 10 list Robert. I can definitely get on board with this list. My list would have placed the HiWatt at a tie with the Reverb series at #2. The Vox would have been lower down the list. But other than that, I would pretty much agree. I love clean amps, especially clean tube amps, and I can't argue the JC-120 being at the top of the pack. I own a Fender Pro Reverb Ri, and is my go to amp. I also own a Marshall DSL-40C and several other combos mostly solid state. And I'm a pedal guy, so the Fender is the clear winner for me. Not saying the DSL doesn't take my pedals well, I just prefer the Fender nearly every time.

The Polytone Mini brute, some Carvins...but I prefer the Twin Reverb.

I have a Twin Reverb RI and Roland JC120 which are both great clean, but the best clean sound I've heard is from a friend's Bassman '59 reissue manufactured around 1996.

Thanks for your experience & expertise on this. I hope to audition these amps to see which one most compliments my Johnny Smith. My Peavey Studio Pro 112 is clean, but does not caress the acoustic nerve. I want an amp that makes my ears tingle. Thanks again, brother. Hope all is well there.

I've found that a lot of the Orange Amps, even the solid-states have a a great clean sound. Nice sorta jazzy sounds. The Rockerverbs and the Crush series are good with pedals too.

most of rirvera but to be fair he used to work for fender.

Have you ever tried a Carvin AG-100 amp. It’s a combo with push button for acoustic. I’ve had mine for 15 yeas and I still love it. Just curious if you have any thoughts.

I bought a old mint JC-120 in 2003 for $300. The guitar player for Al Green used it on tour a few times. Man I miss that amp. Something about running a Overdrive pedal through a JC120 for the first time make you realize how a clean high headroom amp is really a pedal players delight.

As a finger picker I use a peavey Nashville 1000,nothing can touch the full range response..

The Peavey Stereo Chorus 400 from the 80's is nothin' to sneeze at either.

Great video !

love your videos. keep up the good work . i also have one of your wost amps . the Marshall MA 50 but im thinking of have my go to guy for electronics put a triode pentode switch in it that MAY make it sound better. BTW the Crate Club 50 ALSO has great clean tones. i have 2 of them and i think they are sleepers soon to be rediscovered

Carvin Legacy VL100. An absolute underrated gem amp. Pun intended.

All of this and yet absolutely no mention of the Music Man amplifiers. They sound superb and absolutely slaughter both Fender and Roland amps. It’s the pristine sparkly top end of the Jazz Chorus meets the warmth of a Twin Reverb. Quick attack but absolutely massive sounding and a much thicker tone than a Twin Reverb. It takes pedals better than a Jazz Chorus, especially drive pedals. The only amp that I enjoyed equally as much was a Matchless.

Amazed no mention of MusicMan amps. Hands down best sounding clean amp ever. I have an RD50 and it just sings sweet as you like.

My brother just gave me a 1980 Roland JC 60. I love it!!