Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
  • Guitars
  • Amps
  • Pedals
  • Drums
  • Synths
  • Software
  • Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Recording
  • Buyer’s guides
  • Live
  • DJ
  • Advice
  • Acoustic
  • Bass
  • About Us
  • More
    • Reviews
Magazines
  • Computer Music
  • Electronic Musician
  • Future Music
  • Keyboard Magazine
  • Guitarist
  • Guitar Techniques
  • Total Guitar
  • Bass Player
More
  • Take our survey to win a £300/$350 Ticketmaster gift card
  • Type beats
  • 86000+ free music samples
  • How to make an AI cover song
  • Three-chord trick

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. News

Amp buying guide: best home playing and recording amps

By Guitarist
published 12 December 2012

Our guide to the best amps on the market

Best home playing and recording amps
Looking for something small and affordable? Step this way...

Best home playing and recording amps

Looking for a new amp can be a minefield, but here at MusicRadar, we like to think of ourselves as veterans who can guide you through without a scratch.

We've scoured all our amplifier reviews, weighed up all the pros and cons and settled on the finest amps on the market right now in various handy categories. First up is home playing and recording amps, an increasingly popular purchase for folks looking for something with tone that doesn't take up the entire front room. Read on for our pick of the bunch...

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
Yamaha THR10
£299 / $470 (approx)

Yamaha THR10

Yamaha has reinvented the practice amp to dovetail neatly with the demands of most guitarists’ modern day lives. It’s the perfect solution for playing and jamming at home, and records well, too.

TYPE: Solid-state modelling amp with built-in effects

OUTPUT: 10 watts

SPEAKERS: 2x3.1”

WEIGHT: 2.8kg/6.1lbs

Full Yamaha THR10 review

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
Vox AC4C1-BL
£358/$577 (approx)

Vox AC4C1-BL

Vox has got it just right with this little amp. The fairly priced AC4C1-BL would grace anyone’s practice area or living room. The addition of a pedal or two will have you playing away in whatever style you like.

TYPE: Valve combo

OUTPUT: 4 watts

SPEAKERS: 1x10” Celestion VX10

WEIGHT: 9kg/19.84lbs

Full Vox AC4C1-BL review

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 5
£389/$627 (approx)

Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 5

Many will wonder whether this is a better choice than a digital modelling amp. But a valve amp of this nature sounds more visceral, has a different response to the overdrive and all-important midrange.

TYPE: Valve combo

OUTPUT: 5 watts

SPEAKERS: 1x8” Celestion Eight 15

WEIGHT: 7.4kg/16.3lbs

Full Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 5 review

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
Marshall JTM1
£589/$949 (approx)

Marshall JTM1

This little belter belies its tiny rating with a throaty, vintage voice that’ll keep you smiling. Not as big sounding as the Class 5, but it’s still a piece of history that all self-respecting guitar players should consider owning.

TYPE: Valve combo

OUTPUT: 1 watt

SPEAKERS: 1x10” Celestion G10F-15

WEIGHT: 7kg/15lbs

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
Blackstar HT-5
£349/$562 (approx)

Blackstar HT-5

It looks cool and is priced affordably – and it offers handy features such as an MP3 socket. Very versatile, and it also passes the most basic test: it roars like a goodun’ – in other words it’s a true ’Star.

TYPE: Valve combo

OUTPUT: 5 watts

SPEAKERS: 1x10” Custom-design Celestion G10

WEIGHT: 11.5kg/25lbs

Full Blackstar HT-5 review

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
Guitarist
Guitarist
Social Links Navigation

Guitarist is the longest established UK guitar magazine, offering gear reviews, artist interviews, techniques lessons and loads more, in print, on tablet and on smartphones
Digital: http://bit.ly/GuitaristiOS
If you love guitars, you'll love Guitarist. Find us in print, on Newsstand for iPad, iPhone and other digital readers

More about guitars
Prashant Aswani with his new Charvel signature guitar

Prashant Aswani on his guitar journey: “My brain was ready… I was driven. Greg Howe could play anything, anytime. I wanted to achieve that, so I had a standard to get to”

Rolling Stones Lady Gaga

Stevie Wonder plays Rhodes, piano and Moog as he and Lady Gaga cut loose with The Rolling Stones on new single Sweet Sounds Of Heaven

Latest
Layne Staley, lead singer of Alice In Chains performing on MTV Unplugged in 1996

Learn 4 key guitar chords from classic grunge songs

See more latest ►
Most Popular
Natal launches Zenith: a vintage-inspired, modern drum kit in five finishes

By Stuart Williams29 September 2023

Bandcamp is under new ownership once again, as Epic Games offloads it to music licensing company Songtradr

By Ben Rogerson29 September 2023

Jack White’s Third Man Hardware and CopperSound team up for a special anniversary edition of the Triplegraph Digital Octave pedal

By Jonathan Horsley29 September 2023

There’s no need to wait for Black Friday with these software savings - Waves just dropped a load of titles to $29.99

By Chris Barnes29 September 2023

Al Di Meola suffers heart attack onstage – guitar maestro in stable condition and plans return to the stage in 2024

By Jonathan Horsley29 September 2023

5 underrated DAWs that aren't Logic, Ableton or Pro Tools, and why you should consider switching

By Andy Jones29 September 2023

Modern life getting you down? Here are 10 atmospheric DnB tracks that keep the ‘90s dream alive

By Tim Cant28 September 2023

“For pianists, it's a magical feature”: StaffPad can now generate sheet music just by ‘listening’ to your acoustic piano playing, which sounds like an AI-powered tool we could get on board with

By Ben Rogerson28 September 2023

Best Christmas gifts for piano players 2023: the ultimate festive gift guide for pianists

By Daryl Robertson28 September 2023

Moog Music breaks its silence on rumours of layoffs at its US headquarters: “We are looking forward to getting past this painful phase with renewed energy and enthusiasm”

By Ben Rogerson28 September 2023

Bored at work? This Max for Live device will turn your spreadsheets into music

By Matt Mullen28 September 2023

  1. Piano Capture tool also brings MIDI input to the app, and you now import video, too
    1
    “For pianists, it's a magical feature”: StaffPad can now generate sheet music just by ‘listening’ to your acoustic piano playing, which sounds like an AI-powered tool we could get on board with
  2. 2
    “I didn’t want to have anything to do with the song. To me, it was like: ‘Are we turning into Depeche Mode?’”: Europe’s John Norum says he thought The Final Countdown was “dreadful” at first
  3. 3
    “When I finished the solo to this one, Mustaine came into the studio, listened to it once, turned around and, without saying a word, shook my hand" – the story of Megadeth's Tornado Of Souls
  4. 4
    Interview: "I am really still a student of blues and soul" – the remarkable return of Paul Rodgers
  5. 5
    Peter Gabriel reveals that he spent time in his “home studio” with Skrillex: “He was trying to encourage me to write a song about staying up all night in a night club and that sort of thing”
  1. Close-up of music keyboard
    1
    Yamaha, Korg, Roland and Casio face legal action from customers seeking compensation after all four companies were found to have engaged in price fixing in the UK
  2. 2
    “For pianists, it's a magical feature”: StaffPad can now generate sheet music just by ‘listening’ to your acoustic piano playing, which sounds like an AI-powered tool we could get on board with
  3. 3
    This 'experimental' new DAW has a ton of innovative features that we haven't seen anywhere else: "This is something that should have existed for years"
  4. 4
    “When I finished the solo to this one, Mustaine came into the studio, listened to it once, turned around and, without saying a word, shook my hand" – the story of Megadeth's Tornado Of Souls
  5. 5
    Moog Music breaks its silence on rumours of layoffs at its US headquarters: “We are looking forward to getting past this painful phase with renewed energy and enthusiasm”

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.