Practice Amp Setups

Rukulele · #1 01-25-2023, 10:25 AM

I need to get an amp for use in my dorm at college. It can't be too big, and under 500 dollars at the most. I'm interested to know what most people are using for their low volume practice setups.

For myself i've mostly been considering the Yamaha THR series, but I'm not sure if I should just get the 5 to save money, or if the 10 or 30 is worth the extra cost. I have also thought about the Fender Mustang Micro headphone amp. Obviously it would be the smallest choice, but I would like to have the option to play without headphones sometimes. If anyone has recommendations of any small combo amps (1x8 or 1x10) that they really like, I am open to those options as well. I have thought about the Blackstar ht1.

Also, I have been watching videos about amp and cab sim pedals like the Walrus Audio ACS1, DSM & Humboldt simplifier, and the Blackstar Amped 1. Does anyone use something like that into headphones as their practice setup?

Mostly I just want to find out what other people are using and have some discussion, thanks.

Chickee · #2 01-25-2023, 10:50 AM

Go an extra $50 on your very generous $500 practice amp budget and get a Yamaha THR 30ii bluetooth/wireless table top rig. I am telling you in all honesty, I have used this amp more in the last few months than any other amp i own. Between the headphone out, battery power for hours and hours, line outs(to the BoseS1’s-you could rock the entire dorm!) a phone app with tons of modeling options, ridiculous amounts of eq, more effects, cab sims, electric guitar, bass, acoustic guitar options, this is the portable, tiny footprint answer to your needs. And with all i just listed, the best part of this mini rig is the SOUND!!! And yes, they have an acoustic version w/mic channel if thats your thing.

frank d.

DB8A0935-D74F-47C5-8F27-7873B8945842.jpg

nostatic · #3 01-25-2023, 11:00 AM

Will you want to gig with it? Coffeehouses at college, etc? If so that will lead you in one direction. If not, then frankly anything will work. Plenty of inexpensive small amps, pick one that seems cool and run with it. I'd say having a headphone option is a good one.

Amp pedals - if you're early in your electric journey, I'd just go with an amp. The pedals bring another layer of complexity into things, and I think guitar+amp=fun is the calculus.

mr. beaumont · #4 01-25-2023, 11:15 AM

If strictly for practice, the Yamaha THR is the best practice amp I've ever used.

warfrat73 · #5 01-25-2023, 12:36 PM

Strictly for practice, I use one of these (Valeton GP-100): https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...0?ie=UTF8&th=1

While probably not the best headphone/DI, it's not bad. And if I really need to hear myself without headphones, I plug into my real amp (Deluxe Reverb Reissue).

$500 for a strictly practice amp seems unnecessary. Cheap combos are a dime a dozen used at every guitar shop. But you do you.

If you don't already have a gig-worth amp, you can get a Blues Jr. or similar for the price, and no reason you can't practice with it.

martinlover · #6 01-25-2023, 12:37 PM

Vox Pathfinder 15R. Best bang for your Buck

1neeto · #7 01-25-2023, 01:09 PM

Spark 40 has the most practice features, and it’s priced right. It’s surprisingly loud, and also a killer Bluetooth speaker. There’s also the Spark mini which is a tiny battery powered amp with the same features.

Steve DeRosa · #8 01-25-2023, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rukulele

... If anyone has recommendations of any small combo amps (1x8 or 1x10) that they really like, I am open to those options as well...

Although I usually use higher-powered stuff (in the name of dynamic range/headroom) for home practice, when I've gotta go low-volume I reach for this:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...tube-combo-amp

- or one of these, with a cab of your choice (while I use a Randall RG8 when size matters, any of these should work https://www.musiciansfriend.com/guit...Page=30&Ns=pLH):

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...ss-a-tube-head

No frills, no bells-&-whistles - just lotsa straight-ahead tube tone for not a lotta bucks...

glaze3 · #9 01-25-2023, 01:26 PM

There's never much talk around here about the Boss Katana, but with 15 million sold I don't know how you can overlook them. My son uses one exclusively even though there are several great tube amps at our house. Well within your price range - 50w are around $250 and 100w about $350. Both of those have power settings that go down to .5W which is great for bedroom playing, but you can easily gig at full power. Digital with just about every type of pedal imaginable built in as well as global eq.

1neeto · #10 01-25-2023, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glaze3

There's never much talk around here about the Boss Katana, but with 15 million sold I don't know how you can overlook them. My son uses one exclusively even though there are several great tube amps at our house. Well within your price range - 50w are around $250 and 100w about $350. Both of those have power settings that go down to .5W which is great for bedroom playing, but you can easily gig at full power. Digital with just about every type of pedal imaginable built in as well as global eq.

I had a MKII 50 and it’s a great amp which is loud enough to gig with. One thing about the Katana is that you must be quite comfortable with tweaking with your computer. Even something as simple as a firmware update requires several quite annoying steps. But overall just about the best thing out there for under $300. Just not as portable as a Spark or THR.

nostatic · #11 01-25-2023, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glaze3

There's never much talk around here about the Boss Katana, but with 15 million sold I don't know how you can overlook them. My son uses one exclusively even though there are several great tube amps at our house. Well within your price range - 50w are around $250 and 100w about $350. Both of those have power settings that go down to .5W which is great for bedroom playing, but you can easily gig at full power. Digital with just about every type of pedal imaginable built in as well as global eq.

I have a 50 mk2, picked it up when they dropped to $229 shipped a month or two ago. Ridiculously good amp that can keep a guitarist entertained for a long time. Also has a passable "acoustic" amp mode and can be tweaked to sound very good (ie not fizzy) with the global eq.

I've owned a lot of good (and heavy) tube amps over the years. I likely will end up with another at some point (really liking the Suhr Hombre but don't have the electric guitar gigs at the moment to rationalize it), but for now the Katana scratches an itch.

rmp · #12 01-25-2023, 02:12 PM

had this for a few weeks

it's cool and sounds way bigger that its size

Around $300 unless you shop around, (I paid about $220 direct from Positive Grid)

glaze3 · #13 01-25-2023, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmp

had this for a few weeks

it's cool and sounds way bigger that its size

Around $300 unless you shop around, (I paid about $220 direct from Positive Grid)

Love the Bigsby SG!

rmp · #14 01-25-2023, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glaze3

Love the Bigsby SG!

yea - it does add a bit of "Whoppie!" when playing it! just a little..

Rukulele · #15 01-25-2023, 02:43 PM

Wow, thanks for all the responses.

I did think 500 might be overkill for a practice amp, I wasn't planning on spending that much unless I felt it would make a huge difference in enjoyment and usability. I plan on buying used.

I don't have any plans to gig while I'm here. But several of the people I jam with here gig frequently and we've considered doing stuff together. But I think I would be more likely to record stuff for social media if I ever get the time. So something like the THR that has a usb out for quickly recording guitar parts would probably be more useful to me than a "giggable" amp.

I guess the main objective for my dorm room amp is to not take up space.

Thanks a lot for all the input.