The Gibson Les Paul is one of the most recognized guitars ever made, thanks to its unique single-cutaway body form. If you want to get the most out of your Les Paul, you must select the greatest amplifier.
The idea is to select an amplifier that enhances the inherent characteristics of a Les Paul. In this article, we’ll show you a variety of high-quality combo amps that highlight the warm, enveloping tone of the renowned Gibson axe. If you are interested in these models, keep reading our 3 Best Amp for Les Paul review for more information below.
Our Top Pick: Fender Bassbreaker 15 Combo Guitar Amplifier
The Gibson Les Paul is one of the most recognized guitars ever made, thanks to its unique single-cutaway body form. If you want to get the most out of your Les Paul, you must select the greatest amplifier.
The idea is to select an amplifier that enhances the inherent characteristics of a Les Paul. In this article, we’ll show you a variety of high-quality combo amps that highlight the warm, enveloping tone of the renowned Gibson axe. If you are interested in these models, keep reading our 3 Best Amp for Les Paul review for more information below.
Description: Those looking to invest in a dependable tube combination from one of the industry’s biggest names should keep the Fender Bassbreaker 15 in mind.
Features: While it lacks an abundance of features and built-in effects, its strong sound and full control over tone and volume are all you’ll need. Fender is not just one of the world’s leading manufacturers of electric guitars, but it is also recognized for producing dependable, thrilling, diverse, and frequently wonderfully inexpensive guitar amplifiers.
The Fender Bassbreaker 15 combination is a guitar amp with personality, and we can’t picture anyone absolutely disliking it. If you are looking for the 3 Best Amp for Les Paul, you should give this one a chance. This is probably one of the best 3 Best Amp for Les Paul you can find.
Nonetheless, because it’s one of the most costly 15W amps on the market, it’s a good idea to do some research on its particular features and attributes before getting yours. To keep things as easy as possible, let’s go over its main distinguishing features one by one.
The Fender Bassbreaker 15 is a stunning contemporary combo amp with a somewhat strong body (it measures 12.5 x 25.75 x 21 inches and weighs 40 pounds), making it ideal for use in studios or rehearsal rooms while still being completely adequate for live use.
It’s worth noting that, in addition to the combination version we’re looking at today, the Bassbreaker 15 is also available as a head-only model according to our 3 Best Amp for Les Paul review.
Because the Fender Bassbreaker 15 lacks a plethora of creative features, your only choice for modeling your sound with various effects is to install your own external units or tinker with the sound in post-production. Nonetheless, even with a restricted set of settings, this amp can be utilized to artistically shape your tone in a variety of ways.
Power and Mute toggle switches, a diamond-shaped LED indicator indicating the amp’s (in)activity, and knob controls for Gain, Structure, Bass, Middle, Treble, Master, and the on-board Reverb are all available on the control panel (which is the only in-built effect you can find on this combo amp).
It’s a very traditional arrangement, yet every control and function is fine-tuned to perfection according to our 3 Best Amp for Les Paul review.
Pros
- Excellent value for money
- Perfectly versatile
- Loud and bold sound
- All-tube warmth
- Suitable for all genres and styles of play
Cons
- Doesn’t stay clean beyond bedroom levels
Runner Up: Peavey Classic 30 112 Guitar Combo Amp
Description: Peavey Classic 30 112 Guitar Combo Amp is ideal for small-to-medium-sized gigs, and it is an excellent all-arounder, providing excellent loud sounds.
Features: The top-mounted control panel has single volume control for the standard channel and pre and post controls for the second channel. Between the regular and pre portions is a button that switches between channels, which are noticeably different, but more on that later.
A reverb level control is also included, as is an EQ section with bass, mid, and treble knobs. Each chicken head knob may be turned up to 12 (which is two louder—and better—than 10)! Both channels are served by the EQ section.
If you are looking for the 3 Best Amp for Les Paul, you should give this one a chance. This is probably one of the best 3 Best Amp for Les Paul you can find.
Another button labeled “boost” is located between the mid and treble settings. This is the hip new twist on the Classic 30. The boost increases the gain while also opening up the top end in a warm and vibrant manner.
It, like the EQ knobs, may be utilized on both channels. There are also I/O connections for the gleaming clean effects loop (though we prefer to stack our pedals in front of the amp’s signal), on/off and standby toggles, and a pilot light to let you know when you’re ready to go.
While all of this adds up to a lot of useful features, they’re all familiar and simple enough that we felt confident bringing the amp to a two-night event on Memphis’ Beale Street the day after it arrived.
This reverb sounds fantastic. And, despite the fact that the circuit is driven by an op-amp rather than a tube, it sounds comparable to the tank on our ’66 transition-era Twin. It provides atmosphere at low volumes and lingers wonderfully at high volumes, making it ideal for surf licks according to our 3 Best Amp for Les Paul review.
The control is smooth and effective, adding or removing reverb without any abrupt changes. It’s so beautiful that we were disappointed that the natural reverb from the club’s brick and glass structure forced usto turn it off for the performance.
Pros
- Ideal for small-to-medium-sized gigs
- Excellent all-arounder
- Excellent sounds
- It’s rather loud
- Simple to use
- Lovely reverb
- A lot of amp at a low price
Cons
- Not the cheapest option available
- There isn’t much tone distinction across channels
- Color and detail enthusiasts may prefer greater color and detail
Best for Budget: Boss Katana-50 MkII 1 x 12-inch 50-watt Combo Amp
Description: The BOSS Katana is one of, if not the, greatest modeling amps available today. It’s also one of our favorite combination amplifiers.
Features: The Katana’s clean and elegant form conceals a plethora of fantastic functions. This is a fully stacked amplifier.
Because this is a modeling amp, you have more options than just the normal ‘clean’ and ‘gain’ controls. There are five amp settings (acoustic, clean, crunch, lead, and brown) plus a variation button that gives you a total of 10.
Les Paul guitars are quite flexible in their own right. So, in our perspective, having an amp as flexible as the Katana to complement a Les Paul is amazing. If you are looking for the 3 Best Amp for Les Paul, you should give this one a chance. This is probably one of the best 3 Best Amp for Les Paul you can find.
Each of the amp settings sounds fantastic. They don’t sound digital or flat. We even thought the acoustic setting sounded extremely genuine. You’re also not restricted to what’s on the amp.
Connecting the amp to a PC or Mac allows you to customize and store your own presets to the amp. The program is really simple to use, and we found creating our own presets to be both simple and enjoyable according to our 3 Best Amp for Les Paul review.
We would have rather that BOSS include a USB cord. The Katana is powered via a USB type B cable, which not everyone has laying around. Of course, the amp does not have to be connected to anything other than a guitar.
Aside from the amp settings, you also have access to an Effects area. Overdrive, flanger, delay, compressor, and other effects are available under the effects section.
It was simple for us to flip between effects and tweak them. The effects are equally as good as the amp presets in terms of tone and responsiveness according to our 3 Best Amp for Les Paul review.
The BOSS Katana-50 MKII is an incredibly flexible amplifier. From a large number of amp presets to the high level of flexibility available. We’re having trouble finding anything wrong with this amp, and we’re sure you will as well.
Pros
- Excellent clean and distorted tones
- Versatile
- Simple to use Excellent value for money
- Power amp input for up to 5 effects at once
Cons
- Some jobs require a bit more volume
- It would have been wonderful to add FX bypass buttons
Buyer’s Guide for 3 Best Amp for Les Paul
Think about the speaker configuration and size
You may not have given it much thought, but the speakers in your amplifier do make a difference. The obvious distinction is in power output. A bigger diaphragm speaker will provide far more power than a smaller speaker.
However, this does not imply that bigger is always better. There are reasons to choose smaller speakers. Smaller speakers, for example, are more sensitive and have a tighter assault. Larger speakers, on the other hand, will have significantly more low-end but will also be more uniformly distributed over the frequency range.
Consider the sort of music you’ll be playing. If you mostly perform jazz and blues, you’ll probably be better off with a smaller speaker because you won’t require as much power according to our 3 Best Amp for Les Paul review.
When it comes to rock and metal, larger is better. In that situation, you’ll probably want to go with a two-speaker amplifier. Something similar to a Fender Champion. Larger, more powerful speakers will also enable you to perform in bigger places.
Choosing the Appropriate Wattage
This relates to the size of your speakers, but you should also think about the wattage of your amplifier. More wattage will, of course, allow you to perform in larger settings. You can perform concerts with a 15-watt amp, but the true issue here is headroom.
Particularly, headroom with a clean sound. For those bright, dazzling cleans, a higher wattage amp will offer a lot more headroom. If you want to utilize pedals with your amp, you’ll need plenty of headroom. This leads us to our next point.
Do You Have Pedals or Just the Amp?
This is another critical factor to consider. Different amps respond differently to pedals. Some amps function beautifully with pedals, while others dislike being hooked into. Other amplifiers work well with some pedals but not others. There are also amps that function nicely with pedals up to a degree.
If you don’t intend to or need to utilize pedals, you won’t have to be as concerned. Just make sure the amp can still perform what you need it to. However, if you want to utilize pedals, particularly to enhance the sound with effects such as flangers and delays, you must ensure that the amp still sounds fine with a pedal put in.
Tube amps are notoriously finicky when it comes to pedals, and digital pedals are even more so. We’d just seek footage of the amp we wanted to play being played with pedals. Going to a store and trying it out for yourself would be much better. Even if you don’t intend to use pedals, you may change your mind later.
The Amp's Versatility
Of course, the genres and kinds of music you perform will influence your choice. Do you desire a versatile amplifier? Or do you want an amp that can only perform one thing well?
If you primarily perform jazz and blues, an amp like the Marshall DSL40CR would be excessive and unneeded. If you like blues but also like rock and metal, the Blues Junior IV isn’t going to cut it according to our 3 Best Amp for Les Paul review.
Personally, we believe that a more adaptable amp is preferable to one that is more focused on a single sound.
Conclusion: 3 Best Amp for Les Paul [2022 Review]
A Les Paul, whether produced by Gibson or Epiphone, deserves to be partnered with a high-quality amplifier. Hopefully, this list has directed you in the right direction in choosing the perfect partner for your lovely guitar.
It takes time to learn how to use a new amplifier, so be patient and you’ll be making some fantastic tones in no time! We hope you liked our 3 Best Amp for Les Paul review and it was helpful.