What is the Best Amp for Telecasters? (our top pick)
Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Combo
If you're specifically looking for an amp that will compliment your Telecaster, particularly a Fender Telecaster, I'd recommend going with the Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb. Both clean and gain tones will work well with single coil pickups and provide that snappy twang that Telecasters are known for.
Even if you already have a Fender Telecaster, we'd recommend staying in the Fender brand if you're looking for a Tele-friendly amp. It makes sense since Fender has designed their amps to be particularly ideal for Stratocasters, Telecasters, and single-coil guitars in general.
Sure, they can be used with any guitar, but Telecasters and Stratocasters are both going to be the best fit, particularly when it comes to clean tones.
So while there are quite a few Fender amps I could put here, my top pick is the '65 Deluxe Reverb for it's two channels, onboard reverb, and incredible clean tone. As I mentioned in the summary box above, it does a great job of bringing out the "snap" and twang, especially from your clean tone.
It should be clear that this recommendation is based on my own experience and is informed, though inherently subjective. So understand that the Reverb series combo amps are in general great fits for Telecasters. But to give you more of a broad canvas to work with, here are the features I'm looking for:
- At least two channels
- Tube circuits preferred (some solid state exceptions)
- Onboard reverb (most Fender amps have this)
- Fender brand, if at all possible
- Strong clean tone that promotes a twangy response
Limit your search to amps that fit these criteria or just go with my top recommendation. You can't go wrong either way.
We make recommendations based on personal experience and a deep knowledge of the music gear market. However, understand that these recommendations are subjective and should be taken with a grain of salt. Also keep in mind that we use partner links to Sweetwater and other vendors to support Guitar Chalk. If you want to support us, consider buying gear through our links.
Compare Section
As I mentioned earlier, there are plenty of Fender combo amps that are great fits for Telecasters. This table lets you look at several of our top picks and compare them side by side. You can also add others by using the plus sign at the button of the pop up compare bar.
Amps | Title | Rated | Browse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb | n/a | |
 | Fender '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb | n/a | |
 | Fender '65 Princeton Reverb | n/a | |
 | Fender Blues Junior (series) | n/a |
A full look at the Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb combo amp.
Article Summary
Audio Demo
In Reverb's demo you can hear the clean and dirty tones, though it's on a guitar without single coil pickups. Even still, it gives you the basic tone profile of the amp and is worth a watch.
Pricing Tools
The pricing displayed below updates in real time, giving you a 100 percent accurate price for the '65 Deluxe Reverb and covers multiple vendors. We don't have access to Musician's Friend or Guitar Center's database, though we'd also recommend checking out where they have the '65 Deluxe Reverb priced.
Sweetwater Pricing
Additional Vendors
Price Alert (tracks with Sweetwater)
Price History (tracks with Sweetwater)
Price History for Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb 1x12" 22-watt Tube Combo Amp - Black
Statistics
| Current Price | $1,599.99 | September 26, 2023 |
| Highest Price | $1,599.99 | June 28, 2022 |
| Lowest Price | $1,499.99 | December 30, 2022 |
Last price changes
| $1,599.99 | January 12, 2023 |
| $1,499.99 | December 30, 2022 |
| $1,599.99 | June 28, 2022 |
Honorable Mentions
As I've already pointed out, there are a ton of viable alternatives worth considering, and a few that I've already mentioned in the comparison table above. Here are some additional amps that would make great pairings with a Telecaster.
- Fender '68 Deluxe Reverb
- Fender '65 Princeton Reverb
- Fender Blues Junior series
- Fender '68 Custom Pro Reverb
- Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Series
Other brands?
What about other amp brands that are good for Telecasters? We've been sticking with Fender, but there are a few other brands that fit some (or most) of the criteria we've established.
- Dr. Z
- Bugera
- Supro
Good fits for country?
Fender clean tones and Telecasters are some of the best setups you can get for country music. While new age country tends to be a bit heavier - with more distortion - vintage and garden variety country tones are well accommodated by Fender tube amps and Telecasters.
More Fender amp resources
We've provided several Fender amp resources if you're wanting to continue your research. Here are a few that might be helpful to you:
More Telecaster resources
Here are some additional Telecaster resources if you want to keep exploring/researching:
Conclusion
If you don't go with my recommendation, I'd still advise sticking with the list of five criteria I mentioned. If you want that twang that Telecasters are known for, warm tube amps with good onboard reverb are the best way to make sure that gets brought out of your Telecaster.
We'd argue the Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb is the best amp for a Telecaster available. Though it's not particularly cheap, so if the price isn't a good fit for you, drop down to smaller or lower wattage Fender tube amps so you can save some money.
If you have questions about Fender amps, Telecasters, or something else mentioned in this article, get in touch via the comments section.
I'll do my best to help out.
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Written by GC Editorial on Amps and Comparisons
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