Boutique Tube Amp Heads

A head is the amplifier on its own, built to drive a separate speaker cabinet. Going with a head lets you pick the cab, swap speakers, and keep the electronics away from speaker vibration. It is the standard format for higher-wattage and high-gain amps.

Boutique heads cover everything from low-watt, single-channel amps meant to be cranked to multi-channel heads with footswitching, effects loops and power scaling. Check the output impedance options against the cabinet you plan to use.

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In the directory

184 amps from 22 builders

Listed prices

$1,099–$5,495

Median $2,950, across 143 with a public maker price

Most common features

  • Hand Wired 54%
  • Footswitchable 45%
  • Tube Rectifier 44%
  • Master Volume 43%
  • American Voiced 41%
  • Effects Loop 41%

Most models listed: Victoria Amplifiers (21), Friedman Amplification (17), Matchless Amplifiers (15), Dr. Z Amplification (14), Suhr Amplifiers (13).

184 products

184 of 184 items

AMW 39 Head Divided by 13

hand-wired · point-to-point · tube-rectifier · effects-loop · master-volume · class-ab · british-voiced · boutique

AST Head MkII Swart Amplifiers

$3,094

hand-wired · point-to-point · tube-rectifier · reverb-onboard · tremolo-onboard · master-volume · footswitchable · boutique · hand-built

Bel-Ray Head Carr Amplifiers

$3,460

hand-wired · point-to-point · tube-rectifier · tremolo-onboard · attenuator-onboard · british-voiced · boutique

BTR 23 Head Divided by 13

hand-wired · point-to-point · tube-rectifier · master-volume · class-a · class-ab · british-voiced · boutique

BW 1969 Divided by 13

hand-wired · point-to-point · effects-loop · class-a · class-ab · american-voiced · british-voiced · boutique

C-15 Matchless Amplifiers

$3,260

point-to-point · hand-wired · boutique · hand-built · tube-rectifier · effects-loop · master-volume

CCC 9/15 Head Divided by 13

hand-wired · point-to-point · tube-rectifier · master-volume · class-a · class-ab · american-voiced · british-voiced · boutique

CJ11 Head Divided by 13

hand-wired · point-to-point · tube-rectifier · master-volume · class-a · american-voiced · boutique

Cub V Head Bad Cat Amplifiers

$3,199.99

hand-wired · point-to-point · tube-rectifier · reverb-onboard · effects-loop · master-volume · footswitchable · boutique

Encore Head Allen Amplification

$2,099

hand-wired · point-to-point · tube-rectifier · reverb-onboard · tremolo-onboard · master-volume · class-ab · american-voiced · boutique · kit-available

Era 30 Head Bad Cat Amplifiers

$3,999.99

hand-wired · point-to-point · tube-rectifier · channel-switching · effects-loop · master-volume · footswitchable · boutique

FTR 37 Divided by 13

hand-wired · point-to-point · tube-rectifier · reverb-onboard · channel-switching · class-a · class-ab · american-voiced · british-voiced · boutique

HC-30 Matchless Amplifiers

$3,772

point-to-point · hand-wired · boutique · hand-built · tube-rectifier · effects-loop · master-volume · class-a

JRT 9/15 Head Divided by 13

hand-wired · point-to-point · tube-rectifier · channel-switching · class-a · class-ab · american-voiced · british-voiced · boutique

MAZ 18 Head Dr. Z Amplification

hand-wired · tube-rectifier · master-volume · reverb-onboard · effects-loop · footswitchable · american-voiced · british-voiced · boutique

MAZ 18 NR Head Dr. Z Amplification

hand-wired · tube-rectifier · master-volume · effects-loop · footswitchable · channel-switching · american-voiced · british-voiced · boutique

Rambler Head Carr Amplifiers

$3,330

hand-wired · point-to-point · reverb-onboard · tremolo-onboard · class-a · footswitchable · american-voiced · boutique

SST-30 Head Swart Amplifiers

$3,774

hand-wired · point-to-point · tube-rectifier · reverb-onboard · tremolo-onboard · master-volume · footswitchable · boutique · hand-built

Suhr PT100 Suhr Amplifiers

$3,099

hand-wired · hand-built · channel-switching · effects-loop · footswitchable · american-voiced · british-voiced

Super Bee Head Carr Amplifiers

$3,300

hand-wired · point-to-point · tube-rectifier · reverb-onboard · attenuator-onboard · class-ab · american-voiced · boutique

Telstar Head Carr Amplifiers

$3,330

hand-wired · point-to-point · reverb-onboard · attenuator-onboard · class-a · american-voiced · british-voiced · boutique

What to compare

  • Channels: one great channel paired with pedals, or multiple channels with footswitching.
  • Voicing: American (tweed, blackface), British (plexi, JTM, AC-style), or modern high-gain.
  • Output impedance: make sure the head can be set to match your cabinet, usually 4, 8 or 16 ohms.
  • Features: effects loop, master volume, power scaling or built-in attenuation, and a direct or line output.
  • Construction: hand-wired versus PCB, which affects price, serviceability and weight.

Common questions

Do I have to match the head to the cabinet?

Match the impedance: set the head's output to the cabinet's rating. Running a tube amp into the wrong impedance, or with no speaker connected at all, can damage the output transformer.

Is a high-watt head too loud for home use?

Usually, unless it has a master volume, power scaling or an attenuator. Tube amps tend to sound best when the power section is working, which a 100-watt head won't do at bedroom volume.