Smaller amp

bluemoon · #1 06-09-2018, 09:00 PM

Hi folks

I have a nice strat that’s not getting the attention it deserves. I originally got it with a blues jr tweed amp which looked cool, but was just too loud in the house with a new baby. He’s a little bigger now so with some free time I’m looking at trying my hand at electric today.

What would everyone recommend? I’m looking at smaller practice amps with a headphone jack being a must. I’ve been looking at the Roland microcube and a few others.

Budget less than $200.
Thanks!

muscmp · #2 06-09-2018, 09:33 PM

amplifi tt by line 6. headphone jack, bluetooth and amp out if you want to go to an extension speaker or PA or your blues junior. perfect for you.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...ects-processor

play music!

BoneDigger · #3 06-09-2018, 10:07 PM

Yamaha THR5 is a great little amp for around $200 new.

bluemoon · #4 06-10-2018, 05:48 AM

Thanks I’ll look into those. Does anyone have any experience with the boss mini katana?

jonfields45 · #5 06-10-2018, 06:08 AM

I have the Mini Katana and like it. I am using it mostly to boost my parlor acoustic guitar to noisy room volume levels, but it sounds nice with my Les Paul. It has a delay, not reverb, but that delay does a decent ambiance effect and I always use it (acoustic and electric). I Velcro'ed a now discontinued Volto to the side for a rechargeable 9 volt power source. Compared to the Yamaha it is cheaper, lighter due to a plastic box, has full EQ, but only the one delay effect.

My acoustic guitar settings are shown in this picture:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1I1...O9fvTCc3pK0Qgj

BoneDigger · #6 06-10-2018, 09:25 AM

I have the Katana 50 and like it quite a lot, but I have not played the mini.

Steve DeRosa · #7 06-10-2018, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluemoon

...I have a nice Strat that’s not getting the attention it deserves. I originally got it with a Blues Jr. tweed amp...I’m looking at smaller practice amps with a headphone jack being a must...Budget less than $200...

Bugera V5:

$199 street, can be had for $149-159 on Coupon/Holiday Sale Days at your friendly local big-box/online dealer;
5W single-ended tube amp with simple controls (gain/tone/volume/reverb) and all the tonal goodness that implies - kinda '50s tweed meets pre-Top Boost Vox in character - the built-in attenuator lets you power down to 1W/0.1W (so you may not always need the built-in headphone jack), and there's enough full-power volume for band practice/coffeehouse gigs;
The inherent Bugera V-Series tonal balance favors single-coil/mini-bucker pickups; I use mine with a Strat, Yamaha SSC-500, P-90 LP, Taylor solidbody, and Gretsch semihollow - sounds wonderful with all of them, and the fact that it's a lightweight/compact package doesn't hurt either...

paulp1960 · #8 06-10-2018, 11:48 AM

I heard a review of the mini Katana where the amp was close miked for the recording and it sounded pretty good.

Then I got to hear one at a guitar shop and it sounded really boxy through the 4 inch speaker.

Songtown · #9 06-10-2018, 12:03 PM

I have the mini Katana and like it a lot. I also have the Blackstar Fly3. I take one camping and leave one on the coffee table in my living room. I use a looper pedal and create loops to jam over. I like them both. They are not a replacement for a larger amp but for practice and jamming on my own I really like them.

bluemoon · #10 06-10-2018, 01:03 PM

Looks like I’m checking out a katana mini. Thanks for all the input !

muscmp · #11 06-10-2018, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluemoon

Looks like I’m checking out a katana mini. Thanks for all the input !

note that all of the above have a speaker in it that you don't need since you want to go with headphone out, and, you have a great speaker in the blues jr.that will operate alone or with something like the amplifi tt that will plug into it. i don't own the amplifi tt but thought it would work well for you.

just a heads up, but certainly your call. good luck!

play music!

Steel and wood · #12 06-10-2018, 06:56 PM

My first amp was a Roland Microcube and I still have it. (Fantastic little amp).

slide496 · #13 06-10-2018, 07:25 PM

I have both a Roland Microcube and a Thr5a for acoustic,

I like both but the THR series you can do more with - you can tweak profiles with their software connected to a computer, its very light and small and I think it's probably considered better for sound by musicians. Both models you don't have to play very loud and I don't think they project the way the larger ones do.

Harriet

Minstermarce · #14 06-11-2018, 02:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluemoon

Hi folks

I have a nice strat that’s not getting the attention it deserves. I originally got it with a blues jr tweed amp which looked cool, but was just too loud in the house with a new baby. He’s a little bigger now so with some free time I’m looking at trying my hand at electric today.

What would everyone recommend? I’m looking at smaller practice amps with a headphone jack being a must. I’ve been looking at the Roland microcube and a few others.

Budget less than $200.
Thanks!

+1 on Yamaha THR 5 or THR10 - fantastic amp.

maxtheaxe · #15 06-11-2018, 12:35 PM

I'd also recommend that you look into an older Line 6 POD, which you can find for about $100.00. The earlier versions of this have a surprisingly organic sound to them and enough different amp models and reasonably decent FX to keep you occupied for a good long while. You can use the headphone jack or plug it into just about anything that amplifies signal, although anytime you use a headphone setup, it's very easy to overdo it...leaving you with ringing ears/hearing loss (ask me how I know!).

I still gig with my POD version 1; gets me everything from Fender clean to Marshall roar & just about everything in between. It does like to have a compressor in front of it...I'm using the old standby Boss CS-3.