7 Best Clean Guitar Amps (That Make Great Pedal Platforms!)

• Need a reliable clean guitar amp?
• Like to use your clean amp as a pedal platform?
• We’ve rounded up 7 of the best guitar amps for clean tones.

---

While many guitarists enjoy the drive provided by their chosen preamplifier, a large demographic pledge their allegiance to the clean amp. Clean amps provide players with gobs of headroom, enabling the amplifier to operate at high volumes without any pre or power amp breakup or distortion. 

This is important for players who require their tone to remain squeaky clean at gigging volumes; it also provides a fantastic base for players who prefer to build their sound off of stompboxes such as drives, fuzzes, modulation, and time-based fx.

If you are seeking out the cream of the crop regarding clean headroom and amplifiers that bode well with pedals, rest assured we have curated a lineup that is sure to please players of all budgets and skill levels.

So let’s dive into our 7 Best Clean Amps (That Work Well As Pedal Platforms)!

What Are The Best Clean Guitar Amps?

The Supro 1970RK Keeley stands tall as our #1 pick, a collaboration between Keeley and Supro. This 60s-inspired combo was purposefully designed to have an incredibly high input headroom, ensuring it plays nicely with any pedal you run in the signal chain. 

The Fender Blues Junior IV is the latest in a lineage of classic combos and takes the cake as our best choice for the budget-conscious player. Offering fantastic value and sound at a price point that isn’t going to break the bank.

Lastly, the Dr. Z Z Wreck rounds our list as a boutique pick for those who will not settle for anything less than the best. Signature model of country superstar Brad Paisley, this amp boasts a premium build quality and the sound to back its price tag.

Our complete roundup includes the following amplifiers.

1. Supro 1970RK Keeley (Our Pick!)
2. Fender Blues Junior IV (Best Value)
3. Dr. Z Z Wreck 112 (Premium Option)
4. Vox AC30C2
5. Fender ’68 Custom Twin Reverb
6. Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus
7. Fender 65′ Deluxe Reverb

1. Supro 1970RK Keeley

Overview

Designed in collaboration with Keeley Electronics, the Supro 1970RK Keeley provides a great sonic foundation for any pedal chain, easily providing headroom for days on any stage.

Features

• High input headroom
• 25 Watts Class A
• 2 x ECC83S (12AX7) preamp tubes
• 2 x 6V6GT power tubes
• 1 x 10″ Supro CR10 speaker

Review

The Supro 1970RK Keeley immediately greeted us with its retro aesthetic and vintage vibe, but this by no means indicates that it gives off a pawn shop impression. The build quality is stellar, and we have no qualms with how any of the switches, potentiometers, or pilot lights feel. 

The Supro CR10 speaker is an excellent addition to this combo amp providing a deep and tight bass response and crystalline highs that will indeed punch through any live mix. Country, funk, and legitimate jazz licks all resound from this amplifier with a genuine authenticity that will please even the most strident genre enthusiasts. 

However, not everyone will want to conjure up such polite sonics while using the Supro 1970RK Keeley, and we are thrilled to report that this amp ate up Fuzzface, tube screamer, and Klon-style drives with ease. Offering all of the garagey grunge and grit that one with a penchant for these sounds would require for utter satisfaction.

The Supro 1970RK Keeley also features a transparent FX loop for those that require one, and we are pleased to report that it played nicely with a plethora of time-based and ambient FX.

Overall, the Supro 1970 RK Keeley left a deep impression on us, taking out our top spot in the 7 Best Clean Amplifiers.

Pros

• Specifically designed to be a pedal platform
• High input headroom
• FX Loop

Cons

• Some players may prefer a 12″ speaker

2. Fender Blues Junior IV

Overview

By this point, the Fender Blues Junior has established itself as an institution for players needing a workhorse combo for the studio and stage, all the while proving to be a budget-friendly option for the working player time and time again. Now in its 4th reiteration, how is the Blues Junior holding up? 

Features

• 15 watts of power
• Portable size
• 1 x 12″ Celestion A-type speaker
• Onboard spring reverb
• 2 x EL84 power tubes

Review

The thing we were looking forward to most when it came to testing the Fender Blues Junior IV was the new preamp, which Fender has claimed to have modified to provide a bolder and fuller tone. While messing with a classic can prove to be a disaster, we feel that, in this case, Fender has made a good move, only improving on the formula previously established by this combo amp.

The 12″ Celestion A-Type speaker compliments the new preamp design quite well, and we enjoyed this configuration. Proving to be useful in many genres, the humble Blues Junior still manages to hold its own against the competition.

Another feature we appreciated is the inclusion of a genuine spring reverb; this addition is bound to knock down the size of your pedal board. The unit in the amplifier provides an authentic ambience that is bound to please, especially for those who are partial to spring sounds for styles such as surf and rockabilly. 

The Fender Blues Junior IV weighs a very reasonable 31.5 lbs, which is excellent news for the gigging player who intends to lug this combo around on the tube weekend after weekend. All in all, the Blues Junior has yet to move an inch off its pedestal as a great budget combo for the working player, and we look forward to seeing what Fender does with it next.

(We also included the Blues Junior IV in our roundup of the best 15-watt guitar amps.)

Pros

• Affordable
• Inbuilt spring reverb
• Authentic Celestion Speaker

Cons

• Some players may find more value in one of Fender’s higher-end offerings, such as the Fender 65′ Deluxe Reverb.

3. Dr. Z Z Wreck 112

Dr. Z is the brainchild of Mike Zaite, who has taken the boutique tube amp world by storm out of his Cleveland, Ohio, workshop. The Z Wreck is the signature model of Brad Paisley and promises to grant any player a new level of sonic ecstasy with a price point to match.

Features

• NOS Russian (6n14n) EL84 tubes
• 1 x 12″ Celestion Gold alnico speaker
• 30 watts of power
• High headroom

Review

Overbuilt to exude the utmost essence of prestige quality, the Dr. Z Z Wreck is a sight to behold. Its cabinet will withstand the rigors of road abuse, and its understated aesthetics will stand the test of time.

Having tested more tube amps than we could count, it’s understandable if one is skeptical of the hype surrounding boutique amps such as the Z Wreck. Quite often, the overt enthusiasm of the guitar community for such products isn’t warranted, and players are left disappointed when they finally get the opportunity to test drive these elusive units.

However, regarding the Dr. Z Z Wreck, we definitely felt an increase in dynamic sensitivity that warrants the hype surrounding this 30-watt combo. From a light pick touch or subtle volume pot manipulation to all-out overdrive, the Z Wreck navigates a variety of sonic applications with ease, and we very much enjoyed our time testing this amplifier.

Unfortunately, as with many boutique products, the Dr. Z Z wreck will be out of the price range or accessibility ratio of many players. Alas, If you are in a position that grants you the opportunity to try this one, we couldn’t recommend it any more highly. 

Pros

• Excellent build quality
• Enhanced Dynamics
• Also available as a head for those who dislike combo amps.

Cons

• Expensive

4. Fender ’68 Custom Twin Reverb

Overview

A vintage classic survived for the modern player, the Fender ’68 Custom Twin Reverb harkens to an age where you needed high wattage to be heard on stage, all with no signs of breakup or power amp distortion, a true king of headroom.

Features

• 85 watts of power
• Custom-made Schumacher transformers
• 4 Groove Tube 6L6 output tubes
• 2 x 12″ Celestion G12V-70 speakers
• Reverb, tremolo, 2-button footswitch

Review

From Hendrix to Clapton, the Fender ’68 Custom Twin Reverb has endured much celebration throughout its 50-plus-year lifespan. The silver face plate strikes an immediate nostalgia chord as we find our minds wandering back to amps we have seen packed high in the depths of vintage guitar shops for exorbitant prices worldwide.

And this isn’t without reason; after all these years, the Fender ’68 Custom Twin Reverb still sounds fantastic. This dual-channel beast is a pristine clean platform, making it a phenomenal base for players utilizing pedals to obtain their drive sounds. From breathing fire to serenading the masses, this amp harnesses a certain versatility that immediately accentuates what has made it such a classic in the first place.

And my goodness, is this amp loud. At 85 watts, this combo can carve its sonic space out over even the loudest of rock drummers. All the while, I was retaining a pristine clean tone with no sonic artifacts such as tube break-up or distortion.

The silver face twins reverb and tremolo circuits remain intact on this re-issue, sounding as fantastic as they always have, rounding out a great all-around pick for anyone looking to invest in a classic.

Pros

• A vintage classic
• High wattage
• In-built tremolo and reverb

Cons

• May be overkill for those playing smaller venues

5. Vox AC30C2

Overview

The sound of the British Invasion, the Vox AC30C2 encapsulates all of the features of its predecessors in a neat and tidy package. Ready for the modern player to take control, is the AC30C2 still as relevant as ever after all these years?

Features

• Master volume section with tone cut control
• True bypass effects loop
• 30 Watts
• 2 x 12″ Celestion G12M Greenback speakers
• Onboard reverb and tremolo

Review

For over 60 years, the Vox AC30 has shaken the world. Providing sounds for the likes of Queen, The Beatles, and Tom Petty, you know that this pedigree amp will satisfy even the most hard-to-impress purveyors of clean tones.

And this is where this iteration of the AC30 excels; the cleans are pristine and crystalline, with the onboard spring reverb and tremolo effects harkening back to the British invasion. Not that this amp is stuck in the 60s, as we found this version of the AC30 to be exceptionally versatile, with a plethora of tones packed in under the hood. 

The build quality is excellent, with Vox opting to bestow this combo with a set of Celestion G12M Greenback speakers. We found these versions of the Greenback speaker adequate for clean playing but felt that the amp’s inbuilt drive sounds were lacking due to mating this speaker with this specific preamp.

Regardless, this article is lining up the 7 Best Clean Amplifiers, so we can’t knock the Vox down too harshly for this. Overall, we found the AC30C2 to be an adequate contender in the current tube amp market, still asserting its relevance after all these years.

Pros-

• The signature sound of the British Invasion of the 1960s
• Inbuilt reverb and tremolo circuits
• Authentic Celestion speakers

Cons-

• Weak overdrive channel, not applicable to this review, but worth mentioning regardless.

6. Roland JC-120

The only solid-state selection to make our list, the Roland JC-120 has garnered a massive following over the years due in part to its stellar in-built chorus effect. Providing massive headroom and solid-state reliability, how does this amp stack up against the competition all these years later?

Features

• Two channels
• 2 x 12 speaker configuration
• Legendary chorus effect
• Solid-state amp
• Very durable

Review

The Roland JC-120 has been in steady production for over 45 years, boasting 120 watts of solid state power; its two 12″ silver cone speakers still harken back to how this amp looked when it first appeared on the market in the mid-70s.

This entry in the Jazz Chorus line is also well known for its extremely flat frequency response, which doesn’t give any bias to either the high, middle, or low bandwidth. This alone makes it a phenomenal candidate for use as a pedal platform, and we had good results with a range of drive, modulation, and time-based effects running into the front end of this combo.

Another factor that makes the Roland JC-120 a good candidate for the gigging musician can be found within its solid-state construction. This makes the JC-120 less vulnerable to the rigors of regular gigging and touring,› ensuring that you will spend more time on stage and less time at the repair shop. 

Overall, the Roland JC-120 still stands as a fine choice for any player looking for a high-wattage combo amp with plenty of headroom, still packing a build quality that will hold up for decades.

(You can read our deep-dive review of the Roland JC-120 here!)

Pros-

• Durable
• High wattage
• Fantastic inbuilt chorus effect

Cons-

• Some players may prefer to use a tube amplifier.

7. Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb

The Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb is yet another iconic Fender design that has remained in the consciousness of modern players long after its initial release. What secrets is the Deluxe Verb hiding under its chassis?

Features

• Two channels and 22 Watts
• 2 x 12AT7, 4 x 12AX7 tubes
• 2-button footswitch
• 12″ Jensen C-12K speaker with a ceramic magnet
• All tube amp

Review

The blackface Fender Deluxe Reverb joins the upper echelon of American amp designs, joining the likes of the Fender Twin Reverb, the Fender Bassman, and the Mesa Boogie Mark series as vintage classics that will always remain accessible to generations in some shape or form. 

The classic two-band eq, reverb, and vibrato remain intact on the current iteration of the Fender Deluxe Reverb. And we are thrilled to report that they all sound as good as ever, providing a fantastic basis for many tones both on stage and in the studio.

A tight low-end, palatable mid-range, and crisp highs all work in combination to ensure that this 22-watt tube amp will punch through even the densest mix. We never felt limited by this amp’s simple 2-band EQ, always managing to find the adequate setting to service our needs.

Lastly, gigging players will be pleased that the Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb comes in at a reasonable 42 lbs, considerably less than many other combo amps offered by Fender within a similar wattage range. This will be sure to save your back until the time comes when you finally leave the heavy lifting up to the roadies.

Pros-

• Inbuilt reverb and vibrato
• Classic Fender sound
• Simple 2-band EQ

Cons-

• May be overkill for some players’ needs.

Final Thoughts

With so many classic amps still available on the market, it can be headache-inducing to figure out which will suit your needs best when it comes to providing a great clean tone and pedal platform.

Fortunately, we have taken the struggle out of such a task for you, lining up 7 of the best choices available on the modern market today.

If you know what features you require regarding wattage, in-built effects, and speaker configuration, the answer will become clear once you have worked through our collection.

As always, we wish you the best of luck on your sonic journey toward finding the best amp for your home studio or gigging guitar rig.

(If you’re still thinking, you can read 8 Best Guitar Amps Under $500 In 2021 (All Genres), as many of these amps also sound great with effects pedals.)

FAQ

What are the benefits of using a clean amplifier as a pedal platform?

Some players feel they are granted more flexibility and control when using a high-headroom clean amplifier as a pedal platform. 

Does double the wattage equate to double the power?

No, a 100-watt tube amp will tend only to be 3dB or so louder than a 50-watt variant of the same circuit. This difference in volume will be hardly noticeable to the average audience member at a bar or club gig.

In addition to increasing headroom, higher wattage amps tend to change the feel of an amplifier in terms of response, dynamics, and frequency response. 

What is headroom?

Generally, headroom is the highest output level an amplifier can achieve before encountering harmonic artifacts such as distortion and saturation.

In the case of a clean amplifier, a high headroom is desirable as this will ensure that the signal is clean even when pushed to high dB levels, which may cause other bands to break up into harmonic distortion.