Best Amp for a Gibson Les Paul Junior (our pick)
Marshall DSL40CR
We've been touting the Marshall DSL series as one of the highest-value amps on the market for a long time. It gives you a reasonable price point and some high-dollar features including an all-tube circuit, emulated output, and two channels to work with. Reverb is a nice touch as well.
With a single P-90 pickup, the Junior is not Gibson's most aggressive Les Paul. It's a bluesier guitar, and the single pickup arrangement is somewhat limiting in terms of the flexibility you have from the guitar itself.
So I'd recommend pairing it with an amp with the following features:
- Two channels
- Heavy and light gain sources
- Reverb
- A flexible EQ
What's the best amp pairing?
I would also pair the Les Paul Junior with an amp that is similar to the Junior, in terms of quality, price range, and musical style. There are several options that would fit these descriptors, but my top recommendation is the Marshall DSL40CR.
We'll list some other amps for comparison, then cover more details about the DSL40CR as it relates to the Les Paul Junior.
More amps we like for the Les Paul Junior
This is a comparison table that includes the DSL40CR along with three other amps that we recommend for the Gibson Les Paul Junior. Use the compare buttons to see them side by side. You'll be able to see basic specs, live pricing, and demos of each amplifier.
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Amp | Name | Rate | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Marshall DSL40CR | n/a | |
 | Fender Tone Master Twin Reverb | n/a | |
 | Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb | n/a | |
 | EVH 5150 | n/a |
Compare More Amps
Search for more amps to add to our comparison bar that shows up at the bottom of this page. We have an expanding product database for easy gear comparing.
Methodology
We draw on personal experience for all our recommendations and do not recommend products that we haven't tried directly or consulted with someone who has.
All of our writers also have a lot of familiarity with the musical instrument market at large. We know which brands to trust, the products that have stayed in production the longest, as well as the products and brands to avoid. We use all of this knowledge to make recommendations.
So you're getting help from real guitar players and musicians, not third parties or marketing specialists. Thorough research, first-hand experience, market knowledge and established brand trust are the standards for every recommendation we make. If you have questions about our methodology, please feel free to ask.
Price Guide for the DSL40CR
This table lets you compare live pricing for the DSL40CR from the most popular retailers. Pricing is updated in real time whenever you refresh the page.
Features
We've touched on a lot of the features already, but we'll do a quick recap here. The DSL40CR gets the nod for being a good style fit for a Gibson Les Paul (Marshalls and Les Pauls have been paired together for a long time), along with the multiple channels, and tube circuits. Emulated outputs, reverb, and even a MIDI input are nice adds.
Pros
- Can handle both heavy and subtle styles
- Onboard distortion sounds great
- Back panel is more comprehensive than past DSL releases
- Tone quality meets the Gibson standard
- Tone flavor is a nice compliment to the P90 humbucker
Cons
- Price has run up in recent years, especially for combo amps in the DSL series
- No head version available that we've seen
Why we like the DSL series
There are certainly a lot of potential amp fits for the Gibson Les Paul Junior, but the DSL40CR just checks off a ton of boxes we like to see. Plus, it's Marshall. Any Gibson Les Paul should be paired with at least a reputable brand that has some legacy attached to it. This puts Marshall and Fender amps at the front pretty quickly.
Here are a few additional amps in the DSL series that would be worth a look for the Gibson Les Paul Junior:
Conclusion
Most of what we've said about the DSL40CR would apply to the rest of the DSL series. Take some time to read the specs, and if you have questions about these amps, or the Gibson Les Paul Junior, feel free to reach out via the comments section below. We think these amps would make a great pairing with your Gibson Les Paul Junior.
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