The rivals

Fender’s Custom Tweed Champ (£1,035) is possibly the best-known single-ended guitar amp of all time, using a 6V6 output valve to generate around five watts of power, driving an eight-inch loudspeaker. Thanks in part to its longevity, the tweed Champ has been responsible for many iconic guitar recordings. Laney’s unique Lionheart L50H head is, to our knowledge, the only single-ended amp that uses five EL34 valves for a total of around 50 watts of pure Class A power. You can pick it up for around £1,100. Retailing for around £357, Vox’s AC4 uses an EL84 single-ended output stage, delivering around four watts of power into a single 10-inch loudspeaker. At the other end of the scale, Carr’s Mercury combo (£1,899) uses a single EL34 for around 10 watts of power. Along with Supro’s Comet, the hand-wired Mercury is one of the few single-ended amps to use EL34 or 6L6 power valves – most use smaller types as they’re more cost-effective