I hope this video serves as a good long-term guide to picking a great practice amp based on features, price, and size! Many of the samples were re-recorded for this video, so I hope you find it helpful. Let's get this to 1000 thumbs up to get it out there! Thanks again, everyone for the support. Rock on! Check the timestamps and amp links in the description box.
Hello Shane. 15 years.thinke ive seen you on/off 9-+10 with a couple different accounts. Seen ya going better n better as musican and getting more n expencier gear. Nice life traveling. You are one of the very few utubers that I actually thrust giving your real opinion, smd not an bought one. Ok you rarely use words like "shit" but we get what you really are saying. Dunno why your channel isnt bigger by now? Maybe cuz youre not based in US or Europe? Best of wishes Shane 👍
Hi Shawn and thanks for that! Yes this whole range is absolutely confusing, so I will concentrate on a special segment: The halfwatter tube amps. First, thanks for reviewing the Hageramp. This thing got me. While checking it out I stambled over the Kowalski Dark Gene 0,5W tube amp. Same approach, as far as I can tell. But the second gain knob works as a Master Volume! There are two versions... I would live to see you reviewing this amp (If you have the chance to) and compare it to the Hagerman. I need one of this living in a flat and liking pedals so much!!! I send you the Best wishes to the other end of the world!
spark mini is my favorite, portable, rechargeable usb battery and killer sounds. has all the app features of the 40 watt, and is a mini Bluetooth player. I keep it next to my lazy boy and jam all the time on it, also great for outdoor and camping trips.
Orange TerrorStamp: 20W in pedal-size. Loud enough for band practice (if the bass player doesn't have a SVT), can even work live with the cab-sim output. I love mine!
Katana Mini is great for really low volume distortion, you can get a great sound no matter how low and you can crank it up when you want. A big plus is the headphone jack works properly, every other practice amp has headphone jack that sounds like a trapped bee.
@11:58 I still have my pre-Infinium V5. Years ago I had some money burning a hole in my pocket and I decided this little amp would be fun to mod. I bought a 10" Ragin' Cajun speaker, and an upgraded OT and choke. Once I got it back from the amp doctor I can say this little amp is a beast. Lots of fun that takes people by surprise when they play through it. Stock they are fun little amps.
Boss Katana Head. It has a built in practice speaker, is portable, and has tons of great sounding amps and effects built in. But unlike the others, the Katana head is also powerful enough to do live gigs with a cabinet, as it has a 50w and 100w output option.
@@lw1391really a very good solution, between that or the Kat air EX, the head would be the way to go if you need to go live through a passive cabinet, great community behind these amps which is always a thing to look at. The gen3 katana head I don't think you can go wrong
I got the gen 3 head and did not like the sounds I would get from the internal speaker. I’d say if you are not gonna get a cab with the head I wouldn’t get it. I might return mine. Probably just gonna use my katana go with the katana mini as a speaker.
Hi Shane Vox made the Pathfinder 15 non reverb first, then the 15R I know this cause I had both ! I still own a 15R and never will part with it. Surprised the Vox Mini 3 wasn't in there superb wee amp great sound and lots of features ! Cheers
From experience the DSL1 head and the little Marshall mini stack mg cabinets are pretty great for a person in apartments or roommates. That's my number one bedroom amp for classic rock and 80's hair metal. The vox mini super Beatles amp are pretty cool for a small living room amp ! Cool effects like tremolo and reverb. Screams through a 412 cabinet or 212 alnico cabinet, omg ! Supro DK 12 is awesome 👌 All tube, reverb and it's got a killer distortion channel. The reverb is killer as it's speaker. Loudest 12 inch little 15 watt combo I've ever !😮 Orange OR15 head is awesome bedroom amp that will drive a 412 just fine. Sounds killer with 212 alnico cabinet but I've yet to hear an amp that failed to sound better in the alnico 212 cabinet😂 bedroom and head room switch are very useful. Line 6 mk2 spider 212 amp or head are awesome. Very versatile and sounds killer with bass guitars and synthesizer systems. Very good, very easy to recommend. Rocker terror 15 head unit. Killer amp, similar OR15 but has 2 footswitch channel where OR15 is one channel. Can recommend. Orange cr20 combo, no reverb just 2 channel footswitchable. Highly recommend for an analog solid state amps that really do sounds good,especially with vintage guitars and vintage speakers, omg ! Cool, cheap amp. Marshall DSL40 COMBO , very cool and sounds really good ! EVH stealth 50 watt head and matching 212 cabinet. Best amp I've ever had ! Great for bedroom and arena rock ! Loudest 50 watt I've ever heard ! Easy just as loud or maybe ever louder than my peavey 6534+ head unit into it's matching 412 cabinet. 😂 crazy to think a 50 watt head into its matching 212 is louder than a 120 watt head into its matching 412 cabinet but it's true. Maybe peavey should start using celestion speakers or better eminence speaks like the British series or the eminence legend.😂 Any way, these are all modern amps you can get today that i have experience with and can really recommend 👌 👍
Great video. The DSL5CR is underrated IMO. Love the clean channel, dirt channel is a bit dark for me but I’m generally using the clean channel with pedals anyway. Sounds great at super quiet (talking) volumes in my experience. Had mine for a couple of years, they’re only £350 in the UK.
Great Video Shane Thanks for all your years of great content from a long time subscriber… I’m throwing in my two cents on small home practice amps… all at US dollar price points. Fender Super Champ X2 (no longer in production) all tube amp. Under $300 used. Vox AC4 all tube amp. Bare bones but great pedal platform. You can also find them used under $300. Quilter Superblock Series solid state pedalboard amp runs at either 25W or 9 volts. Sells new for $299. With master volume, FX’s loop, reverb & 3 amp models. BlackStar ID Core:100 2x12 Solid State (50W per side and also no longer in production?) has a master volume, looper, FX’s loop & tons of effects. Under $300 used. Thanks Again for all your efforts & Keep On Rockin’ In The Free World! 🎸🔊🎶🤘✌️❤️🤟
Great video!!! I have a Roland Cube 40XL that I've been super happy with for a bunch of years. With the Power Squeezer I think it drops it down to 5 watts. A bunch of amp sims, delay, reverb (a bit too polite for me, but whatever), the regular modulation effects, a "solo" function (a rudimentary personal preset), a looper, and some other stuff I never use. You can pick these up used for super cheap.
Great to run into you at lunch today. I like using the Katana mini for practice. Also, the Engl Thunder 50 is great for practice as the lead channel has a separate volume control. I can turn it down really low but still sounds good.
My go to practice amp is the Fender Sidekick 15 Reverb, swapped the speaker to Celestion eight 15, and now the thing is marvellous. Another trick for silent playing is to run a cable from headphone out to ir-loader/daw. Try one I guess you wont be dissapointed.
I have two Pathfinder 15R amps. One completely stock and like new and another in a custom 1x12 cabinet complete with Vox tolex and diamond grill cloth. These are very impressive amps. I was fortunate to discover them many years ago and purchase them before the viral demand. I’ll certainly keep them, as they’re getting more difficult to find. Cheers
That's awesome. I am always keeping an eye out for one here, but they rarely show up in any sort of decent condition when I do find them. It's hilarious how great they sound into a larger cab! Nice!
I have a THR 30, I put it through a Focusrite interface/two Adams ax7 monitors. Huge range of sounds and features and the USB computer "thing" it comes with is monster. I also have a Harley Benton 12" 15 watt all tube jobbie. Very cheap, very, very good from clean pop, smoky sweet to bite, Keef chuntering, early tweed sounds and loves pedals to bits. No trace of modelling or plugin tizz - beautiful for home recording, a real doddle dialling it in. Even on the 1 watt setting, it's plenty loud. Somehow, it's got a "gut moving something" that the THR doesn't "get" and picks up my vos Gibson es 335, straight in and clean like.............wow, that's such a good, good sound. Another voice in there, almost like a twelve string or a distant echo coming back in another range but - indescribable.
Iv been thinking about getting the 5cr for a while. I would love it if marshal would put the preamp from the 5cr into the 1 watt version to give the best of both worlds
Great video Shane. The only one I would add is the Vox Adio Air GT which is similar to the Yamaha THR. It's wide stereo sound really fills the room too.
I love the JMP1C as a practice amp. 1/0.022W so very easy to crank in a small space. Definitely the most authentic way to get those classic rock plexi sounds at low volumes.
Thanks for this and all your videos. I have a VOX Pathfinder 15 that I got in 1999 (15Rs not released then). I'm mainly a guitar player, but for some tunes my geezer band requires me to blast through a harp. The Pathfinder set to "boost", coupled with a cheapo Danelectro PBJ Reverb pedal and a Green Bullet mic conjures up Little Walter type tones. I can't play the harp that well but I sure sound good!
I love those green bullet mics, I sometimes use them on vocals as well to get that clipped telephone voice that some of the blues guys and Mark Linkhouse from Sparkle horse use. I also play the harp (badly lol)
@@michelleneeds4165 Oh yeah! I sing through the green bullet on several tunes. My favorite is "Bring it on Home" We do a hybrid Sonny Boy meets Zep version...."watch it now, watch it!"
Hey Shane a very wide range of Practice Amps. It blows me away the "Gear" options available today. I'm 67 and started Guitar about 3 and a half years ago, and borrowed a JB Hi Fi Strat/Drive CD100 Starter Pack from a friend. I used it for 6 months and decided I was in for the long haul. I am lucky i don't need a real low volume Amp, but still don't want to practice at Gig Levels. Tried a few Amps that were a step up, did not like the Multi Sound Modellers eg Katana 50, Mustang 25 etc. I went with a Fender Champion 50XL, sounded fine at low to mid volume clean and experimented with Pedals. After 12months I did a speaker upgrade, (based on your suggestions as a good bang for buck modification). Found a Demo Jensen Neo Stealth 80 wow what a difference. Twelve months ago I had an idea about the tones I wanted out of my gear and did not want or need two, three or four Amps. Just wanted a higher quality Amp that I could Gig with and still practice at lower volumes as well. I like Fender amps and saw the Tone Masters, played a Deluxe Reverb, great Amp with attenuation, but Music store owner said he had a TM Super Reverb on the way. I waited, plugged into it and I was hooked. I saved up, put a deposit, paid it off and 9 months ago I brought it home. It does everything I need at whatever Volume I need, through 0.5, 1, 5, 12, 22, 45 Valve emulation Watts. I am still hacking away at it, as in the end it's all in the Fingers, at least now, I can hear the mistakes my old Fingers make as clear as a bell. Onward and Upward Shane. Cheers Pete
Great video Shane. I used to own a THR amp for years and it's a great amp with lots of features. I didn't even need to connect it to a computer, it was great right out of the box. It takes pedals surprisingly well too. Speaking of home practice, what do you recommend for making your practice space more "soundproof" so to speak. Can it be done DIY or should i see a professional about that? It's a subject that guitar channels never talk about and i would really appreciate your help on that subject Shane 😀
About PG Spark amps. You don' need DLC's to play. So far the only DLC i've seen was Jimi Hendrix stuff, and it's completely optional. It just adds a handful of amp models, plus some pedals, plus mb some jam tracks. There's plenty stuff to chose from even without this DLC. The choice is not as overwhelming as for multiprocessor units, but there's basically a couple of everything. The amp works as a plain bluetooth speaker, so you can use any backing tracks or drum loops, even without the application. And there are 4 presets that can be programmed and stored in the amp itself. So you can use application for the initial setup and never touch it again, if that's what you want. The things i don't particularly like in my spark mini: latency for audio interface feature (it works for recording, but it's not as fast as a dedicated interface, so no real-time playing through PC), android application sometimes bugs out, headphone output volume is kind of low for backing track.
Yay, Shane! I picked up a Vox 15R about 5 years ago at a used music shop for $90 and quickly realized it’s worth way more than that. Glad you agree 👍 Sorry you don’t have one, but you should :D
Great vid !! I'm adding good ole Roland MicroCube - versatile 3W with COSM effects works on batteries too... And BlackStar ht-1R MK1, pure tube 1W joy. Top two for me
I bought a Monoprice 5w tube amp- way too loud for my apartment excepting when it's tamed with my NUX Horseman. I have a Flamma FA05 amp (discontinued) desk top that's really good for the little money I spent for it new: $100 CAD. A great buy for my bass was my JOYO MA-10B. $74CAD brand new and works great even with pedals for guitar. My Yamaha thr10 had a fall and no longer works. Sigh. Latest thing for apartment is my headphone friendly Cube Baby. Huge sound through my cheap headphones for $53CAD. Great time to pick up small home amps, Shane!
Two of my favorite practice amps are the Boss Katana Mini and the Carvin Vintage 16. The Katana Mini is really simple and the crunch and lead settings sound really good, and the clean setting works well with pedals and can break up a bit if you like. It also has a nice sounding built in delay. It does take six AA batteries and they last a long time. The Carvin is no longer made but if you want a good tube amp for pedals it’s great and I highly recommend getting one if you find it for a good price. It can also get pretty loud while staying clean.
For 99% of genuine home use, in houses that 99% of us inhabit - even 5w of tube amp power is way too much. In which case you are better off with a modeler, which simply sound better at TV volume
Hi Shawn and thanks for that! Yes this whole range is absolutely confusing, so I will concentrate on a special segment: The halfwatter tube amps. First, thanks for reviewing the Hageramp. This thing got me. While checking it out I stambled over the Kowalski Dark Gene 0,5W tube amp. Same approach, as far as I can tell. But the second gain knob works as a Master Volume! There are two versions... I would live to see you reviewing this amp (If you have the chance to) and compare it to the Hagerman. I need one of this living in a flat and liking pedals so much!!! I send you the Best wishes to the other end of the world!
That Joyo DC15S is what my original Roland MicroCube wanted to be when it grew up! I’ve still got that beatiful little amp and I love the COSM version of a Blackface… I haven’t changed the channel in about 5 years - since I started playing a lot more blues and jazz! Also think you should have tried the Orange Crush 20 RT - bought mine last year and it’s seriously loud - fills a large village hall with more than ease. The overdrive channel isn’t as overdriven as I’d like - but the amp’s a crackin’ little beastie!
@@rockingirish Yup, I found when I tried the smaller amps I always came back to the bigger 50. Also, I connect my two 50s ABY with the Radial Bigshot for wet/dry glory, attenuated for home practice and sounding great.
I really love my Quilter Interblock 45. Powers any cab, can be used with headphones. Effects loop, couple options on tone stacks. 45 watt amp. I’ve used it for recording and a killer back up amp. (Which I used when my blues deluxe died mid-gig)
Great video Shane! After buying an Artist TC59 guitar on the basis of your review I would always trust your opinion. However, I'm not in the market for a new practice amp at the moment, mainly because I have three already - a Roland Microcube GX, a Kustom KGA10 and a Kustom Dart 10FX. Happy with all of them, but I would never part with the Kustom amps because I think they are so good! If anyone sees one going cheap s/h buy it - you won't be disappointed!
I got a Vox Pathfinder 15 (before they gave it reverb) in 1998. Just use a reverb pedal. Still works fine 26 years later. The Pathfinder 15 debuted WITHOUT reverb but with tremolo, then they gave it reverb later after consumer demand. They stopped Pathfinder 15R production in 2013. There's only the Pathfinder 10 now.
Great video! Is there a big difference in sound quality in the built in speakers of the Joyo, Nux and Yamaha? If so, which do you think sounds the best?
Hi Shane. I just found you today, a review of the Artist TweedTone20R. I like the tone of that better than any of these. Did you exclude it because it does not have any output jacks? I was going to buy one of these today until I realized that. I use Logic Pro X for recording. I am thinking that the Yamaha amp would work very well. Thanks for your good work.
put a celestion greenback then Marshall DSL5CR turns into an absolute winner. you can straight fit 10inch greenback speaker(99 pounds). or Mod it with a 12inch greenback - 12inch makes for a proper pro sound with hefty bottom when played loud. Usual greenback top end honk. Marshal valve 5W is more than plenty loud for practice with small band. Out of box celestion 10 30 is mids focused and ok to practice at very low volume too. DSL5CR is exceptional valve amp value, there are a few second hand floating around too.
Love my DSL5CR but have considered swapping the speaker, my only concern is that currently it sounds good at very low volumes but I’ve heard some speakers are not so great quiet, how’s the greenback quiet? How would you say it improves the sound? Ty
You know what I like about your reviews is you playing now it may not be for me but - you get some great tones _ I would love to own everything reviewed but I don't have the space. But I am getting a Couple of Artist Guitars for Fun
I had Blackstar ID:Core 10, it was good but I didn't like how small speakers sound. Bought HT-5R with 12" speaker instead and I'm happy with its big and natural sound.
Another SS that does not get the love it deserves for a doom rig is the Laney linebacker... Same push/pull function as the AOR and absolute fire as a foundational doom rig! Run mine in stereo with an orange CR120 through an orange 412HP8. Can vouch for Hilbish as well and run a PB-10 paired with a crown. 🔥
Nice video mate. I've got the Mighty Space and think it's great, altho a lot of the default patches need refining quite a lot. There's plenty of scope for tweaking though. I've also got a Vibro Champ which is great. Still beats the NUX for what it does 👍 keep up the good reviews!
Wow another lefty!!! What’s your favorite left handed electric guitar? The QC from most guitar manufacturers for lefties is hot garbage so I’ve went with Schecter USA Custom shop on my last couple guitars and I’m sold!!! Acoustics are a little different, Taylor and Martin make enough models to make any lefty happy and have great QC.
I've got a Spark Mini. It’s very good but I missed a tube amp so just got a Supro Delta King 10 yesterday! THR is brilliant, used to have one, regret selling
Yes the Vox pathfinder 15r Great amp been saying it for ages now it's old and unknown people ask what valves it uses. It's Stupidly easy to record and it's loud enough on it's own for most of the gigs i have been doing and or a easy mike up...
I have the Joyo DC-15S. Also, the Marshall DSL1CR which is the DSL5CR's little brother and has a 0.1watt option with 8" Celestion. Roland/Boss have some nice offerings that hopefully you'd consider testing.
Personally I'm between deciding on getting either the NUX Mighty BT Lite MKII or the NUX Mighty 8BT MKII. I'm thinking maybe bigger speaker equals fuller tones. But the BT Lite sounds good at least in video demos. Does the 8BT that you reviewed in another video - is it worth the extra 50% more? I do like the BT Lite as well.
I live in an apartment and have tried all sorts. Obviously anything with headphones will basically work, but so far the Spark is the best I’ve had. I bought a regular 40w or whatever it is. I didn’t want to like it because of the mess they made during their launch and how they handled it, but damn it’s nice lol and sounds really good low without headphones. I like it a lot better than the THR’s, it sounds better and it has more tones. And unfortunately, anything with a big speaker is going to be tough in an apartment. And by big speaker I’m just talking about 10” even. Had a Vox Mini Beetle and those sound incredible too (still like the Spark better) and that little speaker was too loud really to play without headphones. Those have a 10” speaker I think.
Never had a better deal than my secondhand Vox Pathfinder 15R - this amp was too good for the money, that’s the only reason I can find why they stopped producing them…
Hi, nice video, first time here, just a comment: your table makes the mic go boom when you touch it, it's probably in contact with the mic stand. Cheers.
Ive tried going the route of the small inexpensive digital practice amps but I’ve come to realize that for me there’s no point. I have a 65 reissue Princeton that with the 10 inch speaker can get very quiet and still sound way better with pedals than the small digital stuff at low volume. When I go digital it’s an HX Stomp (or pick your alternative) into studio monitors and you can then use stereo effects. Costs more but will last a long time and serves as all my wet effects on my pedal board.
I bought a Marshall DSL5cr when they were still $400. I would have recommended that over anything else, as a practice amp, but then the price shot up to $800 It sounds amazing with a speaker upgrade but not loud enough to keep up with a drummer. It’s a thing that I really enjoy, and it’s so cool, but I wouldn’t pay $800 for it!
Some of these are so cool! Don’t really need one (now), but the categories are kind of kind of mixed up. Like, the ones that need a cab… Would you really consider that a practice amp? A lot of guys use those with the cab mic’d for actually gigging.
The VOX 15R is like the Fender Frontman 25R. You cant find them and they are the holly Grail practice SS amps witch you could run on small gigs... Just pure solid state reliable sound... I've been looking for them for a long time. Cant find one
I like some of Supro amps. I just think they are too expensive since they are made in Indonesia or China now. The Royal Reverb is one of my favorite amps of all time.
@@intheblues Yes, I bought mine used (2nd hand), so it was not so expensive. But i like it a lot for practicing at home (more than the Yamaha THR 10 that I had before). Greetings and regards from the other side of the planet! (Spain)
The best practice amp is a peavey bandit. 2 channels with full eq(bass,mid,treble), effects loop. It has a power amp in so you can basically use it as a powered speaker. Only bad thing I can say is it doesn't fit on a desktop.
Hello. I'm not sure if you've come across many harmonica players, but as we tend to use guitar amps for playing amplified, would you recommend any of these amps to try out? Thanks
I hope this video serves as a good long-term guide to picking a great practice amp based on features, price, and size! Many of the samples were re-recorded for this video, so I hope you find it helpful. Let's get this to 1000 thumbs up to get it out there! Thanks again, everyone for the support. Rock on! Check the timestamps and amp links in the description box.
Hello Shane.
15 years.thinke ive seen you on/off 9-+10 with a couple different accounts. Seen ya going better n better as musican and getting more n expencier gear.
Nice life traveling.
You are one of the very few utubers that I actually thrust giving your real opinion, smd not an bought one.
Ok you rarely use words like "shit" but we get what you really are saying.
Dunno why your channel isnt bigger by now? Maybe cuz youre not based in US or Europe?
Best of wishes Shane 👍
Oh - and if you need headphones - get a modelling pedal.
Hi Shawn and thanks for that! Yes this whole range is absolutely confusing, so I will concentrate on a special segment: The halfwatter tube amps. First, thanks for reviewing the Hageramp. This thing got me. While checking it out I stambled over the Kowalski Dark Gene 0,5W tube amp. Same approach, as far as I can tell. But the second gain knob works as a Master Volume! There are two versions...
I would live to see you reviewing this amp (If you have the chance to) and compare it to the Hagerman. I need one of this living in a flat and liking pedals so much!!!
I send you the Best wishes to the other end of the world!
spark mini is my favorite, portable, rechargeable usb battery and killer sounds. has all the app features of the 40 watt, and is a mini Bluetooth player. I keep it next to my lazy boy and jam all the time on it, also great for outdoor and camping trips.
Wow 15 years. Well done and keep going. Really like your videos.
Orange TerrorStamp: 20W in pedal-size. Loud enough for band practice (if the bass player doesn't have a SVT), can even work live with the cab-sim output. I love mine!
Katana Mini is great for really low volume distortion, you can get a great sound no matter how low and you can crank it up when you want. A big plus is the headphone jack works properly, every other practice amp has headphone jack that sounds like a trapped bee.
I have the Orange Crush 20RT. I love the tone to it. I think it’s another fabulous practice amp.
Me too ,it’s nice eh !
I have it and it's perfect
@11:58 I still have my pre-Infinium V5. Years ago I had some money burning a hole in my pocket and I decided this little amp would be fun to mod. I bought a 10" Ragin' Cajun speaker, and an upgraded OT and choke. Once I got it back from the amp doctor I can say this little amp is a beast. Lots of fun that takes people by surprise when they play through it. Stock they are fun little amps.
I have the t5 lunchbox head...took off the cage from the top that protects the tubes and mounted it inside an old '40s radio cabinet
Great list! Lump me in with the LOVE IT camp for the THR30II. Its great for both guitar and bass practice.
Boss Katana Head. It has a built in practice speaker, is portable, and has tons of great sounding amps and effects built in. But unlike the others, the Katana head is also powerful enough to do live gigs with a cabinet, as it has a 50w and 100w output option.
Jack of all trades, master of none type of situation.
Not a good solution.
@@eugenehavenswhy not? I'm thinking about buying one
@@lw1391really a very good solution, between that or the Kat air EX, the head would be the way to go if you need to go live through a passive cabinet, great community behind these amps which is always a thing to look at. The gen3 katana head I don't think you can go wrong
I got the gen 3 head and did not like the sounds I would get from the internal speaker. I’d say if you are not gonna get a cab with the head I wouldn’t get it. I might return mine. Probably just gonna use my katana go with the katana mini as a speaker.
Damn Shaun , 15 years, your an all star. No wonder you're so good at this. Keep it up 👍.
I have two Mooer Hornets (blue and pink), love em, they are my bedroom rigs. Love em!
Hi Shane Vox made the Pathfinder 15 non reverb first, then the 15R I know this cause I had both ! I still own a 15R and never will part with it. Surprised the Vox Mini 3 wasn't in there superb wee amp great sound and lots of features ! Cheers
Orange on the thumb, not mentioned in the video, either small Crush up to 35RT - will give all other combos run for their money.
From experience the DSL1 head and the little Marshall mini stack mg cabinets are pretty great for a person in apartments or roommates. That's my number one bedroom amp for classic rock and 80's hair metal.
The vox mini super Beatles amp are pretty cool for a small living room amp ! Cool effects like tremolo and reverb. Screams through a 412 cabinet or 212 alnico cabinet, omg !
Supro DK 12 is awesome 👌 All tube, reverb and it's got a killer distortion channel. The reverb is killer as it's speaker. Loudest 12 inch little 15 watt combo I've ever !😮
Orange OR15 head is awesome bedroom amp that will drive a 412 just fine. Sounds killer with 212 alnico cabinet but I've yet to hear an amp that failed to sound better in the alnico 212 cabinet😂 bedroom and head room switch are very useful.
Line 6 mk2 spider 212 amp or head are awesome. Very versatile and sounds killer with bass guitars and synthesizer systems. Very good, very easy to recommend.
Rocker terror 15 head unit. Killer amp, similar OR15 but has 2 footswitch channel where OR15 is one channel. Can recommend.
Orange cr20 combo, no reverb just 2 channel footswitchable. Highly recommend for an analog solid state amps that really do sounds good,especially with vintage guitars and vintage speakers, omg ! Cool, cheap amp.
Marshall DSL40 COMBO , very cool and sounds really good !
EVH stealth 50 watt head and matching 212 cabinet. Best amp I've ever had ! Great for bedroom and arena rock ! Loudest 50 watt I've ever heard ! Easy just as loud or maybe ever louder than my peavey 6534+ head unit into it's matching 412 cabinet. 😂 crazy to think a 50 watt head into its matching 212 is louder than a 120 watt head into its matching 412 cabinet but it's true. Maybe peavey should start using celestion speakers or better eminence speaks like the British series or the eminence legend.😂
Any way, these are all modern amps you can get today that i have experience with and can really recommend 👌 👍
Not really practice amps though 😂
Great video. The DSL5CR is underrated IMO. Love the clean channel, dirt channel is a bit dark for me but I’m generally using the clean channel with pedals anyway. Sounds great at super quiet (talking) volumes in my experience. Had mine for a couple of years, they’re only £350 in the UK.
I have a Blackstar ht1r. I'm really happy with it. That white Strat is awesome btw
Great Video Shane Thanks for all your years of great content from a long time subscriber…
I’m throwing in my two cents on small home practice amps… all at US dollar price points.
Fender Super Champ X2 (no longer in production) all tube amp. Under $300 used.
Vox AC4 all tube amp. Bare bones but great pedal platform. You can also find them used under $300.
Quilter Superblock Series solid state pedalboard amp runs at either 25W or 9 volts. Sells new for $299. With master volume, FX’s loop, reverb & 3 amp models.
BlackStar ID Core:100 2x12 Solid State (50W per side and also no longer in production?) has a master volume, looper, FX’s loop & tons of effects. Under $300 used.
Thanks Again for all your efforts & Keep On Rockin’ In The Free World!
🎸🔊🎶🤘✌️❤️🤟
Great video!!! I have a Roland Cube 40XL that I've been super happy with for a bunch of years. With the Power Squeezer I think it drops it down to 5 watts. A bunch of amp sims, delay, reverb (a bit too polite for me, but whatever), the regular modulation effects, a "solo" function (a rudimentary personal preset), a looper, and some other stuff I never use. You can pick these up used for super cheap.
Great to run into you at lunch today. I like using the Katana mini for practice. Also, the Engl Thunder 50 is great for practice as the lead channel has a separate volume control. I can turn it down really low but still sounds good.
Thanks mate! Cheers for saying hello and nice to meet you. :)
Been using the Bugera V5 for almost 4 years now, love it, hardly played on 5watt mode.
Vox needs to reissue the Pathfinder 15R..
My go to practice amp is the Fender Sidekick 15 Reverb, swapped the speaker to Celestion eight 15, and now the thing is marvellous. Another trick for silent playing is to run a cable from headphone out to ir-loader/daw. Try one I guess you wont be dissapointed.
I have two Pathfinder 15R amps. One completely stock and like new and another in a custom 1x12 cabinet complete with Vox tolex and diamond grill cloth. These are very impressive amps. I was fortunate to discover them many years ago and purchase them before the viral demand. I’ll certainly keep them, as they’re getting more difficult to find. Cheers
That's awesome. I am always keeping an eye out for one here, but they rarely show up in any sort of decent condition when I do find them. It's hilarious how great they sound into a larger cab! Nice!
I have a THR 30, I put it through a Focusrite interface/two Adams ax7 monitors. Huge range of sounds and features and the USB computer "thing" it comes with is monster. I also have a Harley Benton 12" 15 watt all tube jobbie. Very cheap, very, very good from clean pop, smoky sweet to bite, Keef chuntering, early tweed sounds and loves pedals to bits. No trace of modelling or plugin tizz - beautiful for home recording, a real doddle dialling it in. Even on the 1 watt setting, it's plenty loud. Somehow, it's got a "gut moving something" that the THR doesn't "get" and picks up my vos Gibson es 335, straight in and clean like.............wow, that's such a good, good sound. Another voice in there, almost like a twelve string or a distant echo coming back in another range but - indescribable.
I almost got the Marshall 5cr,but opted for the dsl1 amp and mx112 cab,and man..,it rocks seriously for a 1w tube amp!
That one watt amp is a lot of fun! Very cool 😎👍
Iv been thinking about getting the 5cr for a while. I would love it if marshal would put the preamp from the 5cr into the 1 watt version to give the best of both worlds
I have the Vox Pathfinder 15R. Outstanding amp. And for a little amp can get loud.
The THR series, while expensive, has the best sound quality at low volume. It’s a marital strife stopper.
I have the thr10c and the sound is superior to any other small amp I've had.
@@richardread8281I have the THR10c and Spark Go & Mini, and the Spark Mini sounds best to me.
Wow...not gonna mention the Fender Champion?...Great pedal platform practice amp i.m.o. great clean, reasonable price. Thanks Fender.
Champion 40 is lightweight, loud, nice selection of classic tones, aux in, headphone jack, 2 channels, good price. I agree with you.
Great video Shane. The only one I would add is the Vox Adio Air GT which is similar to the Yamaha THR. It's wide stereo sound really fills the room too.
I love the JMP1C as a practice amp. 1/0.022W so very easy to crank in a small space. Definitely the most authentic way to get those classic rock plexi sounds at low volumes.
Thanks for this and all your videos. I have a VOX Pathfinder 15 that I got in 1999 (15Rs not released then). I'm mainly a guitar player, but for some tunes my geezer band requires me to blast through a harp. The Pathfinder set to "boost", coupled with a cheapo Danelectro PBJ Reverb pedal and a Green Bullet mic conjures up Little Walter type tones. I can't play the harp that well but I sure sound good!
I love those green bullet mics, I sometimes use them on vocals as well to get that clipped telephone voice that some of the blues guys and Mark Linkhouse from Sparkle horse use. I also play the harp (badly lol)
@@michelleneeds4165 Oh yeah! I sing through the green bullet on several tunes. My favorite is "Bring it on Home" We do a hybrid Sonny Boy meets Zep version...."watch it now, watch it!"
Hey Shane a very wide range of Practice Amps. It blows me away the "Gear" options available today.
I'm 67 and started Guitar about 3 and a half years ago, and borrowed a JB Hi Fi Strat/Drive CD100 Starter Pack from a friend.
I used it for 6 months and decided I was in for the long haul. I am lucky i don't need a real low volume Amp, but still don't want to practice at Gig Levels.
Tried a few Amps that were a step up, did not like the Multi Sound Modellers eg Katana 50, Mustang 25 etc.
I went with a Fender Champion 50XL, sounded fine at low to mid volume clean and experimented with Pedals. After 12months I did a speaker upgrade, (based on your suggestions as a good bang for buck modification). Found a Demo Jensen Neo Stealth 80 wow what a difference.
Twelve months ago I had an idea about the tones I wanted out of my gear and did not want or need two, three or four Amps.
Just wanted a higher quality Amp that I could Gig with and still practice at lower volumes as well.
I like Fender amps and saw the Tone Masters, played a Deluxe Reverb, great Amp with attenuation, but Music store owner said he had a TM Super Reverb on the way.
I waited, plugged into it and I was hooked. I saved up, put a deposit, paid it off and 9 months ago I brought it home.
It does everything I need at whatever Volume I need, through 0.5, 1, 5, 12, 22, 45 Valve emulation Watts.
I am still hacking away at it, as in the end it's all in the Fingers, at least now, I can hear the mistakes my old Fingers make as clear as a bell.
Onward and Upward Shane.
Cheers
Pete
Cheers Shane!
Vox shd definitely bring back the little 15R...
It's such an underrated amp and the fact it can power a larger cab is insane! :) Thanks mate.
@@intheblues Yeah mate, l gave mine to my mates lad, but we'd run it through an old 2 x 12 EV cab..
Huge sound!
The 15r is one of the best amps of vox's korg era
Great video Shane. I used to own a THR amp for years and it's a great amp with lots of features. I didn't even need to connect it to a computer, it was great right out of the box. It takes pedals surprisingly well too.
Speaking of home practice, what do you recommend for making your practice space more "soundproof" so to speak. Can it be done DIY or should i see a professional about that? It's a subject that guitar channels never talk about and i would really appreciate your help on that subject Shane 😀
I like my Orange Micro and my Marshall DSL 40 although its overkill for home use . I love your Keisel .
About PG Spark amps.
You don' need DLC's to play. So far the only DLC i've seen was Jimi Hendrix stuff, and it's completely optional. It just adds a handful of amp models, plus some pedals, plus mb some jam tracks.
There's plenty stuff to chose from even without this DLC. The choice is not as overwhelming as for multiprocessor units, but there's basically a couple of everything.
The amp works as a plain bluetooth speaker, so you can use any backing tracks or drum loops, even without the application.
And there are 4 presets that can be programmed and stored in the amp itself.
So you can use application for the initial setup and never touch it again, if that's what you want.
The things i don't particularly like in my spark mini: latency for audio interface feature (it works for recording, but it's not as fast as a dedicated interface, so no real-time playing through PC), android application sometimes bugs out, headphone output volume is kind of low for backing track.
Yay, Shane! I picked up a Vox 15R about 5 years ago at a used music shop for $90 and quickly realized it’s worth way more than that. Glad you agree 👍 Sorry you don’t have one, but you should :D
Great vid !! I'm adding good ole Roland MicroCube - versatile 3W with COSM effects works on batteries too... And BlackStar ht-1R MK1, pure tube 1W joy. Top two for me
Man a school I worked at had one of the pathfinder 15 's and it was my favourite amp they had by far. Such a versatile amp!
I bought a Monoprice 5w tube amp- way too loud for my apartment excepting when it's tamed with my NUX Horseman. I have a Flamma FA05 amp (discontinued) desk top that's really good for the little money I spent for it new: $100 CAD. A great buy for my bass was my JOYO MA-10B. $74CAD brand new and works great even with pedals for guitar. My Yamaha thr10 had a fall and no longer works. Sigh. Latest thing for apartment is my headphone friendly Cube Baby. Huge sound through my cheap headphones for $53CAD. Great time to pick up small home amps, Shane!
Two of my favorite practice amps are the Boss Katana Mini and the Carvin Vintage 16. The Katana Mini is really simple and the crunch and lead settings sound really good, and the clean setting works well with pedals and can break up a bit if you like. It also has a nice sounding built in delay. It does take six AA batteries and they last a long time. The Carvin is no longer made but if you want a good tube amp for pedals it’s great and I highly recommend getting one if you find it for a good price. It can also get pretty loud while staying clean.
For 99% of genuine home use, in houses that 99% of us inhabit - even 5w of tube amp power is way too much. In which case you are better off with a modeler, which simply sound better at TV volume
100% which is why the tube amps in this video can be switched down to 1-watt or less :)
Yeah i learned this the hard way. I bought a vox ac15c1 and then moved into an apartment. My neighbors hate me 😂
any recommendations for a modeler? thanks in advance:)
Incredibly informative! Kudos my friend! Love the channel!
Thank you, Glen! :)
Hi Shawn and thanks for that! Yes this whole range is absolutely confusing, so I will concentrate on a special segment: The halfwatter tube amps. First, thanks for reviewing the Hageramp. This thing got me. While checking it out I stambled over the Kowalski Dark Gene 0,5W tube amp. Same approach, as far as I can tell. But the second gain knob works as a Master Volume! There are two versions...
I would live to see you reviewing this amp (If you have the chance to) and compare it to the Hagerman. I need one of this living in a flat and liking pedals so much!!!
I send you the Best wishes to the other end of the world!
That Joyo DC15S is what my original Roland MicroCube wanted to be when it grew up! I’ve still got that beatiful little amp and I love the COSM version of a Blackface… I haven’t changed the channel in about 5 years - since I started playing a lot more blues and jazz! Also think you should have tried the Orange Crush 20 RT - bought mine last year and it’s seriously loud - fills a large village hall with more than ease. The overdrive channel isn’t as overdriven as I’d like - but the amp’s a crackin’ little beastie!
Still love my Boss Katana 50 MkI and MkII. Not as small, sure, but perfect for home play.
3rd try for a practice amp was the 50 also. Not small like you said but covers pedals if you don't want to go get all that stuff
@@rockingirish Yup, I found when I tried the smaller amps I always came back to the bigger 50. Also, I connect my two 50s ABY with the Radial Bigshot for wet/dry glory, attenuated for home practice and sounding great.
i bought nux MKII. sounds so great
I really love my Quilter Interblock 45. Powers any cab, can be used with headphones. Effects loop, couple options on tone stacks. 45 watt amp. I’ve used it for recording and a killer back up amp. (Which I used when my blues deluxe died mid-gig)
Great video Shane! After buying an Artist TC59 guitar on the basis of your review I would always trust your opinion. However, I'm not in the market for a new practice amp at the moment, mainly because I have three already - a Roland Microcube GX, a Kustom KGA10 and a Kustom Dart 10FX. Happy with all of them, but I would never part with the Kustom amps because I think they are so good! If anyone sees one going cheap s/h buy it - you won't be disappointed!
The original Micro Cube still works for me.
THR30ii is the best gear purchase ive made in 20 years.
I got a Vox Pathfinder 15 (before they gave it reverb) in 1998. Just use a reverb pedal. Still works fine 26 years later. The Pathfinder 15 debuted WITHOUT reverb but with tremolo, then they gave it reverb later after consumer demand. They stopped Pathfinder 15R production in 2013. There's only the Pathfinder 10 now.
I made an extra speaker output in the pathfinder 10 (switches the vox speaker off) sounds great in a celestion 12” cab.
I love my Blackstar HTR-1r
Great video, i picked up a black star mini for 20.00 used on a whim, turns out to be a good little amp. Its not loud, but loud enough to have fun.
I really liked the music that you played, how can I hear more of your musice of jams that you have done...Best wishes
Great video!
Is there a big difference in sound quality in the built in speakers of the Joyo, Nux and Yamaha?
If so, which do you think sounds the best?
How about the Orange Crush Series?
Very Helpfull information. Could you please tell me what version of Moer Hornet do you play in this video? Thank you
Hi Shane. I just found you today, a review of the Artist TweedTone20R. I like the tone of that better than any of these. Did you exclude it because it does not have any output jacks? I was going to buy one of these today until I realized that. I use Logic Pro X for recording. I am thinking that the Yamaha amp would work very well. Thanks for your good work.
Very enjoyable RUclips channel. Thank you!
Vox AC4 is really good, no modelling great sound. I also like the Mooer Little Monster AC it's also really good.
I think there was a reason Shane mentioned the NUX first. Such a convenient amp.
put a celestion greenback then Marshall DSL5CR turns into an absolute winner. you can straight fit 10inch greenback speaker(99 pounds). or Mod it with a 12inch greenback - 12inch makes for a proper pro sound with hefty bottom when played loud. Usual greenback top end honk. Marshal valve 5W is more than plenty loud for practice with small band. Out of box celestion 10 30 is mids focused and ok to practice at very low volume too. DSL5CR is exceptional valve amp value, there are a few second hand floating around too.
Love my DSL5CR but have considered swapping the speaker, my only concern is that currently it sounds good at very low volumes but I’ve heard some speakers are not so great quiet, how’s the greenback quiet? How would you say it improves the sound? Ty
@cliffhanger8170 I got a 10 inch greenback and it sounds fine at low volumes. 12 inch greenback sounds best at full power.
@@anmolsingh9025 thank you :)
You know what I like about your reviews is you playing now it may not be for me but - you get some great tones _ I would love to own everything reviewed but I don't have the space.
But I am getting a Couple of Artist Guitars for Fun
Ok but why does this guy only review left-handed amps
😂
Counter-clockwise knobs and all that….
Hilarious!
It's for the left handed people like me 😂
Hendrix played a left handed amp - but he turned it upside down
I had Blackstar ID:Core 10, it was good but I didn't like how small speakers sound. Bought HT-5R with 12" speaker instead and I'm happy with its big and natural sound.
the yamaha thr's are easily the best sounding.
Another SS that does not get the love it deserves for a doom rig is the Laney linebacker... Same push/pull function as the AOR and absolute fire as a foundational doom rig! Run mine in stereo with an orange CR120 through an orange 412HP8.
Can vouch for Hilbish as well and run a PB-10 paired with a crown. 🔥
Great video, please consider a compare video of the new Nux mighty MKII, Mooer Hornet 30i, and the Joyo DC15S
Nice video mate. I've got the Mighty Space and think it's great, altho a lot of the default patches need refining quite a lot. There's plenty of scope for tweaking though.
I've also got a Vibro Champ which is great. Still beats the NUX for what it does 👍 keep up the good reviews!
Great video! My needs (ok, want) list just got bigger!
Wow another lefty!!! What’s your favorite left handed electric guitar? The QC from most guitar manufacturers for lefties is hot garbage so I’ve went with Schecter USA Custom shop on my last couple guitars and I’m sold!!! Acoustics are a little different, Taylor and Martin make enough models to make any lefty happy and have great QC.
Spark 40 has been a pleasant surprise. Once I got a battery pack, it’s become my little workhorse.
I've got a Spark Mini. It’s very good but I missed a tube amp so just got a Supro Delta King 10 yesterday! THR is brilliant, used to have one, regret selling
Yes the Vox pathfinder 15r Great amp been saying it for ages now it's old and unknown people ask what valves it uses. It's Stupidly easy to record and it's loud enough on it's own for most of the gigs i have been doing and or a easy mike up...
I have the Joyo DC-15S. Also, the Marshall DSL1CR which is the DSL5CR's little brother and has a 0.1watt option with 8" Celestion. Roland/Boss have some nice offerings that hopefully you'd consider testing.
Hi - how do you like the dsl1cr ? I hesitate between the 1 and the 5.
I love my dsl1r. Even in 0,1w mode. This little beast is loud
Thanks for this video! Curious if you could share your thoughts on why the Boss Katana is not on this list?
Mooer Little Monster BM. I have been using it for 10 years.
Personally I'm between deciding on getting either the NUX Mighty BT Lite MKII or the NUX Mighty 8BT MKII. I'm thinking maybe bigger speaker equals fuller tones. But the BT Lite sounds good at least in video demos. Does the 8BT that you reviewed in another video - is it worth the extra 50% more? I do like the BT Lite as well.
I live in an apartment and have tried all sorts. Obviously anything with headphones will basically work, but so far the Spark is the best I’ve had. I bought a regular 40w or whatever it is. I didn’t want to like it because of the mess they made during their launch and how they handled it, but damn it’s nice lol and sounds really good low without headphones. I like it a lot better than the THR’s, it sounds better and it has more tones. And unfortunately, anything with a big speaker is going to be tough in an apartment. And by big speaker I’m just talking about 10” even. Had a Vox Mini Beetle and those sound incredible too (still like the Spark better) and that little speaker was too loud really to play without headphones. Those have a 10” speaker I think.
Nux Mighty Lite BT MKII is the best I've played for its size/price.
Jazz Hands!
Never had a better deal than my secondhand Vox Pathfinder 15R - this amp was too good for the money, that’s the only reason I can find why they stopped producing them…
They went to a 10 amp version to take care of some complaints of loudness, which is what I've heard from vox.
Hi, nice video, first time here, just a comment: your table makes the mic go boom when you touch it, it's probably in contact with the mic stand. Cheers.
Ive tried going the route of the small inexpensive digital practice amps but I’ve come to realize that for me there’s no point. I have a 65 reissue Princeton that with the 10 inch speaker can get very quiet and still sound way better with pedals than the small digital stuff at low volume. When I go digital it’s an HX Stomp (or pick your alternative) into studio monitors and you can then use stereo effects. Costs more but will last a long time and serves as all my wet effects on my pedal board.
i would love to here a great number of amps for acoustic 12 string. love your shows
Thanks Shane !
Blues On.... 💙
I bought a Marshall DSL5cr when they were still $400. I would have recommended that over anything else, as a practice amp, but then the price shot up to $800
It sounds amazing with a speaker upgrade but not loud enough to keep up with a drummer. It’s a thing that I really enjoy, and it’s so cool, but I wouldn’t pay $800 for it!
Well done! You got it for a great price. Those amps are something else. :)
They’re still super cheap in the UK thankfully
@@cliffhanger8170 the boat ride to the US is very expensive these days!
All one needs now is the Boss Katana Go with headset or loud speaker. I'm sure you'll be doing a demo on it soon. BTW, love your channel.
Thanks, mate! The first I heard about them was today, but if I get a chance to borrow one from Sky Music, I'll check it out for sure.
Spark Mini! Great practice amp
Some of these are so cool!
Don’t really need one (now), but the categories are kind of kind of mixed up. Like, the ones that need a cab…
Would you really consider that a practice amp? A lot of guys use those with the cab mic’d for actually gigging.
Yeah nice I've got the Joyo and the Spark... well actually the Go and the Mini. Aswell aswell as three other amps. I think I have a problem 😅
Great Video much apreciated.
Leaving the Roland Blues Cube Hot off this list is criminal. Its an at home practice amp AND small gig amp
The VOX 15R is like the Fender Frontman 25R. You cant find them and they are the holly Grail practice SS amps witch you could run on small gigs... Just pure solid state reliable sound... I've been looking for them for a long time. Cant find one
I love the vid, but in the joyo it seems like not having Reverb is a HUGE setback for a tiny amp
What you think about the Supro Delta King series? I own a Delta King 10 and it is a really great pedal platform
I like some of Supro amps. I just think they are too expensive since they are made in Indonesia or China now. The Royal Reverb is one of my favorite amps of all time.
@@intheblues Yes, I bought mine used (2nd hand), so it was not so expensive. But i like it a lot for practicing at home (more than the Yamaha THR 10 that I had before). Greetings and regards from the other side of the planet! (Spain)
Why dont you like the tremlord 30 ?? I think its amazing !! I love it ❤❤
The best practice amp is a peavey bandit. 2 channels with full eq(bass,mid,treble), effects loop. It has a power amp in so you can basically use it as a powered speaker. Only bad thing I can say is it doesn't fit on a desktop.
Hello. I'm not sure if you've come across many harmonica players, but as we tend to use guitar amps for playing amplified, would you recommend any of these amps to try out?
Thanks