amp combos

Portable but potent, packed with innovation: our winning combos

paul Reed smith Sonzera 20 1x12 £699

After the extravagant excess of PRS’s JMOD 100 head, it was a welcome surprise to come across this highly portable 1x12 combo, which might be made offshore but has plenty of boutique credibility, with an extra-resonant poplar ply cabinet, a pair of 6L6 power valves and a wellsorted preamp that sounds just as good at low gain settings as it does with the dials maxed. The Sonzera is all about great tone at affordable prices and this little amp scored a major win on both counts. www.prsguitars.com

VictoRy V40 Deluxe 1x12 £1,569

Victory’s widebody 1x12 combo is based on the V40 Duchess head, but with added tremolo and spring reverb, for an array of classic Americana tones that sound great with single coils or humbuckers. The traditional ply cabinet is impeccably finished and houses one of Celestion’s best ever loudspeaker designs, the superb Creamback G12H-75. Maybe a little on the heavy side for a 1x12, the V40 Deluxe makes up for it with some seriously heavyweight tones that can be as vintage or modern as you need. www.victoryamps.com

supRo 1605r reVerb 1x8 £999

Supro’s 1605R combo features a particularly funky valve-powered vintage spring reverb effect and three line outs, which let you tap the reverb signal, the dry signal, or a mixed output. With a single 6V6 output stage, the 1605R is great fun to use, either as an amp or a standalone reverb effect. Its gnarly, vintage distortion tones are rooted in 60s Chicago blues and sound great with single coils or humbuckers. Buy one and you’ll need a padlock and chain, because everyone will want to borrow it. www.suprousa.com