What is the best Amp for a Gibson ES-355? (our top pick)
The Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb
To compliment the smooth and strong clean tone of the Gibson ES-335 hollowbody, we recommend one of the Fender tube combo amps, particularly the '65 Deluxe Reverb. These amps are some of the best when it comes to clean tones and make for a good pairing with the ES-335.
For the Gibson ES-335 we're looking for an amp that is strong on clean tones, runs tube circuits, has onboard reverb, and won't cover over the natural tone of the ES-335. The ES-335 is a beautiful instrument, so we want its natural profile to be undigitized and easy to spot through the mix.
Your amp should also be nice enough (decently high price point) to match the quality of the Gibson ES-335.
In other words: Don't cheap out (more on this below).
One of the amps that checks all these boxes is the Fender' 65 Deluxe Reverb, or just Fender combo amps in general.
Read more: Best Fender amps
Fender combo amps have all the goods when it comes to clean tones.
Another honorable mention, and perhaps a more conventional choice, would be the Marshall SV20H Studio Vintage amp head. If you've got some money to work with, the Marshall JCM800 amp head is a pro-level option that would fit nicely with the Gibson style.
All of our recommendation articles are based on opinion and should be taken with a grain of salt. They provide a direction to go in with some context, but your own context might be different. Also, note that we use partner links (the orange buttons) to support ourselves but at no extra cost to you. If you want to help us out, consider using this links to purchase, if and when the time comes.
Compare with honorable mentions
We've already mentioned the two Marshall amps, so we'll make those available for comparison here. We'll also add one more recommendation to give you four total. Use the compare bar to check pricing and basic specs. You can also add more amps via the compare box (launch below table).
AMPS | Title | Rated | Browse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb | n/a | |
 | Marshall SV20H Studio | n/a | |
 | Marshall JCM800 | n/a | |
 | Mesa/Boogie Mark V:25 | 94.8 |
A full look at the silver style of the Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb combo amp.
Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Pricing Tools
Fender amps have been around for a long time and have made their rounds with a lot of different vendors. Our tables below pull pricing from several of the more popular vendors, but note that we don't have access to Guitar Center or Musician's Friend pricing.
Though they are usually in line with retailers like Sweetwater and ZZounds.
You can also sign up for a price drop alert and check the price history graph. If you have questions about our pricing tools, feel free to reach out via the comments section below.
Prices accurate as of Fri, September 29th, 2023.
Amazon Pricing
Additional Vendors
Price Alert (lowest price among listed vendors)
Price History (lowest price among listed vendors))
Price History for Fender Vintage Reissue '65 Deluxe Reverb 1x12" Tube Combo Guitar Amplifier
Statistics
| Current Price | $1,399.99 | October 20, 2022 |
| Highest Price | $1,399.99 | June 29, 2022 |
| Lowest Price | $1,399.99 | June 29, 2022 |
Last price changes
| $1,399.99 | June 29, 2022 |
Honorable Mentions and Feature Recommendations
Let's quickly review the criteria we'd like to see for the ES-335's ideal amplifier:
- Good with clean tone
- Tube circuits (at the preamp and power amp)
- Onboard reverb
We're flexible with the onboard reverb, though if you miss out on an amp-based reverb we'd recommend a reverb pedal of sorts. There are plenty of great reverb pedals out there to choose from.
Other considerations would be the dual humbucker setup on the ES-335 which will give you a thicker and heavier sound. We'd obviously recommend considering price, which is related to your budget but also related to the high quality of the Gibson ES-335.
In other words, don't combine a really nice guitar with a budget amplifier. Make sure your budget makes room for a decent amplifier that can properly express the tone of the ES-335.
- Price range corresponding to Gibson ES-335
- Friendly to the dual humbucker pickup configuration (not too bright or high)
Marshall Amps in General
Marshall amps and Gibson guitars are a common matchup, but for the hollowbody Gibsons we'd prefer something a little less bright and smoother.
That said, the Marshall tube amps are still a fantastic choice (we've clearly recommended two of them), just not my personal favorite option.
Mesa/Boogie Amps
This is probably my favorite amp brand despite their expense. They're one of the best when it comes to modern tone and distortion, though also able to handle the vintage side of the spectrum.
If you want to spend a little more, the Mark V series is one of our favorites. Look at the Rectoverb combo amps as well (that's what I have).
Conclusion
As I said in our disclaimer, you're the only one that can make this call. I personally like the Fender combo amps.
I also like the Marshall and Mesa options.
So sure - I would advise staying away from solid state amps or the digital modeling variety, but that's just my two cents. Your situation might be different, so leave thoughts and disagreements in the comments section below.
We'll see you there.
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