'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?
ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.
ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
This $180 Fender amp records straight to a PC and doesn't need a pedal board


I've been playing electric and acoustic guitars since I was 17, and finding a good practice amp that gives you a balance between sound quality, versatility, and price can be difficult. But the Fender Mustang LT25 is the best one I've ever had, and the only one you'll ever need.
It has 30 preset effects channels, allowing you to play around with different sound profiles, from country and classic rock to thrash metal and even simulated acoustic tones. It also has 30 blank channels for you to create your own tone profiles or tweak presets to give a unique-to-you sound.
Also: Buy the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 for their bassy sound, not their connectivity
The built-in tuner makes it fast and easy to check sound accuracy and change your guitar's tuning for playing songs in Drop D, E-Flat, or custom tunings (like the B F# B E G# C# in A Day to Remember's song "Bad Vibrations") so you can learn to play songs by your favorite artists or create your own.
You can also keep the firmware up-to-date by downloading the Fender Tone desktop program, which will let you access new presets and prevent software issues that could derail your jam or recording session.
The Mustang LT25 has an input for headphones so you can practice or zero in on your personal sound without annoying everyone in your home, or practice without distracting background noise. You can also connect the Mustang LT25 to your PC via USB to record directly to your favorite programs and cut your own demos or content for social media.
Also: How to go Live on TikTok (and earn real money)
The sound quality is great as well, giving you a clean, rich sound that doesn't have that "tinny" quality that other practice amps have.
Also: The best record players for your vinyl collection
And for less than $200, the Mustang LT25 is one of the most affordable practice amps on the market. Which means you no longer have to invest in an expensive cabinet, amp head, and dozens of pedals to get custom sound and clean output.