Guitar Heads
Guitar Heads For Sale on Reverb
Your guitar is only one piece of your tone. A guitar amp head accounts for a huge component of your sound and your search, for the perfect rig should never be limited. Whether you're looking for the classic breakup of a '60s Fender or the British top-end of a Vox, browse new, used and vintage guitar amp heads from classic manufacturers like Orange, Marshall, Fender, Vox and more.
What Is an Amp Head?
An amp head is an amplifier without a speaker -- aka the power amp. It takes the output from your guitar’s pickups and amplifies the electrical signal. In tube guitar heads, the sound is amplified via vacuum tubes (also called valves). Solid state amp heads use transistor circuits to convert your pickup signal into an audio wave and amplify it.
Amp heads often have gain, volume, and equalization controls. Some may also have a built-in reverb or tremolo unit. Amp heads aren’t exclusive to electric guitars either -- you can find a selection of acoustic amp heads on Reverb.com.
Can You Use an Amp Head Without a Cabinet?
No, you typically cannot use most amp heads without a cabinet. And you shouldn’t try it. In some cases, you can fry the output transformer of your amp head. Even if that doesn’t happen, without a speaker cabinet attached, there’s no way to turn the signal from your guitar into audible sound.
In some instances, a guitar head will have an output jack for headphones, or potentially a balanced XLR output, but these aren’t considered common features for guitar amp heads.
How Can I Find a Cabinet for My Guitar Head?
You can find a cabinet for your guitar head anywhere guitar cabinets are found!
As far as choosing a speaker cab for your guitar amp head, you’ll want to find a cabinet with a speaker that matches both the impedance (ohms) and wattage of your guitar amp. Look to the back of your guitar amp head for that information, or reach out to your manufacturer. From there, you can choose whichever speaker and configuration sounds best to your ears.
For more information on matching your amp head to a guitar cabinet, click here.
What Is a Mini Amp Head?
A mini guitar head is exactly what the name implies: It’s a guitar amp head that’s much smaller than normal. But don’t let the name fool you—mini amp heads can pack a punch. Their output and features depend on the brand. For example, the Blackstar HT-1RH MKII has just one watt, while the Orange Micro Terror can deliver a 20 watt output.
In addition to their size (they can fit easily in a Mono M80 Tick or a backpack), mini amp heads often have headphone outputs for quiet practice, or can plug directly into a DAW, like Laney’s Lionheart L5 Studio offers with its T-USB connectivity.
Guitar Heads Near Me
To exclusively browse guitar heads near you, reference the list of top cities and countries available on Reverb to search within a desired location. You also can review shipping details within an item’s “Shop Policies” section.