Reference

Amp Types

All 25 GarageBand amp models (plus the transparent preamp), mapped to the real-world amps that inspired them — and when to reach for each one.

Tweed — 1950s American

Warm, dynamic Fender circuits from the dawn of rock 'n' roll. They clean up beautifully with your volume knob and break into smooth crunch when pushed.

Tweed

Small Tweed Combo

Based on: Fender Tweed Deluxe (5E3)

The classic 1×12 studio secret weapon. Smooth transition from clean to crunch — roll your guitar volume to move between them. Blues, roots rock, and raw garage tones live here.

Era 1950s
Cabinet 1×12
Best For Blues, roots, classic rock
Character Warm, touch-sensitive, gritty
Tweed

Large Tweed Combo

Based on: Fender Bassman (5F6-A)

The 4×10 that launched a thousand amps — Marshall literally copied this circuit. Big, open, and transparent with more headroom than its little brother. Great for full-band rhythm work.

Era 1950s
Cabinet 4×10
Best For Blues, rockabilly, country
Character Open, transparent, punchy
Tweed

Mini Tweed Combo

Based on: Fender Tweed Champ

Tiny 1×10 practice amp that recorded some giant guitar tracks — crank it and the whole amp saturates. Lo-fi charm with surprisingly usable clean and crunch tones.

Era 1950s
Cabinet 1×10
Best For Recording, lo-fi, blues leads
Character Small, saturated, raw

Classic American — 1960s Fender

Scooped mids, shimmering cleans, and tight lows — the blackface and silverface sounds behind surf, soul, and country.

American Combo

Large Blackface Combo

Based on: Fender Super Reverb / Twin Reverb

The quintessential mid-60s American clean machine. Well-balanced with sparkling highs and tight bass — the sound of surf, soul, and countless studio sessions.

Era 1960s
Cabinet 4×10
Best For Surf, soul, country, indie
Character Sparkling, balanced, scooped
American Combo

Silverface Combo

Based on: Fender Silverface Twin Reverb

Ultra-clean with massive headroom — it stays pristine at volumes that make other amps cry. The pedal-platform king; percussive and crisp.

Era Late 1960s–70s
Cabinet 2×12
Best For Clean rhythm, jazz, pedal platforms
Character Ultra-clean, percussive, loud
American Combo

Mini Blackface Combo

Based on: Fender Princeton / Deluxe Reverb

The recording engineer's favorite — small enough to crank, bright and open with that unmistakable blackface chime. Breaks up sweetly around 7.

Era 1960s
Cabinet 1×10
Best For Studio work, indie, blues
Character Bright, open, chiming
American Combo

Small Brownface Combo

Based on: Fender Brownface Deluxe / Vibrolux

The transitional early-60s circuit between tweed warmth and blackface sparkle. Smooth and rich with a slightly hairy edge when pushed.

Era Early 1960s
Cabinet 1×12
Best For Blues, Americana, roots
Character Smooth, rich, slightly hairy
American Combo

Blues Blaster Combo

Based on: Fender Brown Pro / Vibrosonic

A 1×15 with clear top end and a big, tight low end — the larger speaker gives leads extra body without getting flabby.

Era Early 1960s
Cabinet 1×15
Best For Blues leads, jazz, swing
Character Clear, full, tight lows

British Stacks — Marshall

The sound of rock. From plexi warmth to JCM800 aggression, these are the stacks behind AC/DC, Van Halen, Green Day, and Guns N' Roses.

British Stack

Vintage British Stack

Based on: Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead 100)

The late-60s plexi — powerful, smooth distortion that responds to your picking hand. This is the amp on our Brain Stew, Paradise City, and Back in Black tone cards. Crank the master for power-amp grind.

Era Late 1960s
Cabinet 4×12
Best For Classic rock, hard rock, punk
Character Smooth, powerful, dynamic
British Stack

Modern British Stack

Based on: Marshall JCM800

The 1980s evolution of the plexi — tighter gain structure, more aggressive midrange, and enough headroom to stay articulate at high volume. Punk and classic metal's home base.

Era 1980s
Cabinet 4×12
Best For Punk, hard rock, classic metal
Character Tight, aggressive, mid-forward
British Stack

Brown Stack

Based on: Marshall Plexi (Variac-modded)

The 'brown sound' — a plexi run at reduced voltage the way Eddie Van Halen did it. Looser, warmer, more saturated than a stock plexi, with singing sustain.

Era Late 1970s
Cabinet 4×12
Best For Hard rock, shred, 80s rock
Character Saturated, warm, vocal
British Stack

British Blues Combo

Based on: Marshall Bluesbreaker (Model 1962)

The 2×12 combo Clapton used on the Beano album. Loud and aggressive but cleaner than the stacks — aggressive blues crunch with singing sustain.

Era Mid 1960s
Cabinet 2×12
Best For British blues, blues rock
Character Loud, crunchy, vocal mids

British Combos — Vox & Boutique

Chiming top end and jangly mids — the AC30 family that defined the British Invasion, plus its modern boutique descendant.

British Combo

British Combo

Based on: Vox AC30

The chime machine — the Beatles, Queen, U2, and Radiohead all leaned on this 2×12. Jangly cleans that break into a musical, harmonically rich growl when cranked.

Era 1960s
Cabinet 2×12
Best For British Invasion, jangle, indie
Character Chiming, jangly, harmonically rich
British Combo

Small British Combo

Based on: Vox AC15

The AC30's little brother — half the power, darker voice, earlier breakup. Perfect for recording that Vox chime without leveling the studio.

Era 1960s
Cabinet 1×12
Best For Indie, jangle pop, studio work
Character Chiming, darker, compressed
British Combo

Boutique British Combo

Based on: Matchless DC-30

A hand-wired modern take on the 60s British sound — richer, more refined, with glassy cleans and a smooth overdrive that stays articulate.

Era 1990s
Cabinet 2×12
Best For Indie, alt-rock, session work
Character Glassy, refined, articulate

British Alternatives — Orange & Hiwatt

The other British stacks: Orange's thick midrange grind and Hiwatt's crisp, arena-filling clean power.

British Alt

Sunshine Stack

Based on: Orange AD30

Loud with full, thick mids — the Orange sound behind stoner rock and garage revival. Grinds early and stays chewy.

Era 1970s (reissued)
Cabinet 4×12
Best For Stoner rock, garage, doom
Character Thick, mid-heavy, grinding
British Alt

Small Sunshine Combo

Based on: Orange Tiny Terror

The lunchbox legend — big Orange grind from a tiny head. Simple controls, huge character, instant garage-rock attitude.

Era 2000s
Cabinet 1×12
Best For Garage rock, indie, recording
Character Gritty, simple, characterful
British Alt

Stadium Stack

Based on: Hiwatt DR-103

Pete Townshend's weapon — crisp, clean power that fills arenas. Stays articulate at absurd volume; the sound of 70s stadium rock.

Era 1970s
Cabinet 4×12
Best For Arena rock, prog, power pop
Character Crisp, clean, thunderous
British Alt

Stadium Combo

Based on: Hiwatt Custom 200

The stack's 2×12 sibling — smoother and rounder, with that same glassy Hiwatt clean at more manageable volume.

Era 1970s
Cabinet 2×12
Best For Clean rock, prog, pedal platforms
Character Smooth, round, glassy

High-Gain — Metal & Modern

Cascading gain stages and scooped mids — the modern high-gain machines for metal, hardcore, and djent.

High Gain

Modern American Stack

Based on: Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier

The ultra-high-gain icon of the 90s and 2000s — huge scooped lows and searing highs. Nu-metal, metalcore, and drop-tuned everything.

Era 1990s
Cabinet 4×12
Best For Metal, metalcore, drop tunings
Character Massive, scooped, saturated
High Gain

High Octane Stack

Based on: Diezel VH4 / Soldano SLO-100

Boutique high gain — smooth, liquid distortion that transitions seamlessly from crunch to lead. Tighter and more refined than the Rectifier.

Era 1990s
Cabinet 4×12
Best For Prog metal, lead work, hard rock
Character Liquid, smooth, focused
High Gain

Turbo Stack

Based on: Bogner Uberschall

Aggressive German high gain with spiky highs and brutal attack. Built for detuned riffing that needs to cut through everything.

Era 2000s
Cabinet 4×12
Best For Extreme metal, hardcore, djent
Character Aggressive, spiky, brutal

Studio & Specialty

Versatile workhorses and lo-fi character pieces — plus the transparent option when you don't want an amp at all.

Specialty

Studio Combo

Based on: Mesa/Boogie Mark IV

The Swiss Army amp — pristine cleans, singing leads, and tight rhythm crunch from one 1×12. Santana to Metallica on a single channel strip.

Era 1990s
Cabinet 1×12
Best For Fusion, session work, versatile rock
Character Versatile, tight, singing
Specialty

Boutique Retro Combo

Based on: Silvertone Twin Twelve (1484)

The Sears catalog amp that became a garage-rock cult classic. Vintage character with a raw, slightly unstable edge — Jack White territory.

Era 1960s
Cabinet 2×12
Best For Garage, blues punk, lo-fi
Character Raw, vintage, edgy
Specialty

Pawnshop Combo

Based on: Supro S6616

A tiny 1×8 with maximum attitude — allegedly the secret behind early Zeppelin studio tones. Instant lo-fi grit and compression.

Era 1960s
Cabinet 1×8
Best For Lo-fi, garage, slide blues
Character Gritty, compressed, lo-fi
Specialty

Transparent Preamp

Based on: None — clean DI

No amp modeling at all — a transparent preamp for when you want your interface signal untouched, or you're stacking your own effects chain.

Era
Cabinet None
Best For DI recording, acoustic-electric, custom chains
Character Clean, uncolored, neutral

Every model shares the same control set — Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, Master, and Output — plus five selectable EQ voicings (British Bright, Vintage, U.S. Classic, Modern, Boutique), six cabinet sizes, and seven virtual mics you can reposition against the speaker cone. Amp names in GarageBand are Apple's; the real-world amps listed are the widely documented inspirations, noted here for identification only.