Welcome to my review of the 15 best small guitar amps to play & practice everywhere!
Stay with me on this journey to discover a portable amplifier to practice on the road or play at home. You can be sure that there is a lot to talk about these little marvels.
Join me on this magical and mystery tour to discover the 15 best guitar small amplifiers for home use and practice.
Click here to skip the quick overview and jump right to the in-depth reviews.
Quick Overview
Our Top 5 Choices For Small Guitar Amps
Vox Mini 3 G2
This tiny but strong three-watt amp is like a Rocky Balboa that knockouts Apollo Creed in the first round. Packed with eleven great amp models, it supplies a vast set of tones from transparent cleans to full shred overdrive and shows that small can sound huge.
Boss Katana Mini
The Boss Katana Mini is an easy to use tiny samurai that has arrived from Japan to smash the small guitar amps competition. It is a portable practice amp with 7 watts driving a 4-inch speaker that will make you invest a small budget to get an amp that generates many wonderful tones.
Orange Crush Mini
When you buy the Orange Crush Mini, you get Orange’s tiniest amp that packs a big punch. You also get classic Orange tones in a lightweight package. It is the best budget small guitar amp to jam in your bedroom or warming up backstage.
Fender Mini ’57 Twin Amp
The Fender Mini ’57 Twin is a super-cool small amp that packs in two 2-inch speakers and looks like a model amp. This tiny twin amp comes with a realistic vintage visual vibe due to the genuine tweed-covered wood cab.
The 15 Best Small Guitar Amps To Play & Practice Wherever You Want!
Click here to jump to our Top Picks.
#1. Boss Katana Mini Review – Best Value for Money Small Guitar Amp
The Boss Katana Mini is an easy to use tiny samurai that has arrived from Japan to smash the small guitar amps competition. It is a portable practice amp with 7 watts driving a 4-inch speaker that will make you invest a small budget to get an amp that generates many wonderful tones.
The Katana is a big rock tone, compact, great value amp between the best little amps on the market. It has received accolades from electric guitar players everywhere for its great sounding.
Thanks to its analog gain circuit and three selectable voicings, the Katana combo amplifier delivers exceptional sound in a compact, portable package.
The Clean amp voicing provides a bright tone with a wide dynamic range, while the Crunch amp voicing offers overdriven rhythm tones. In addition to this, the Brown voicing delivers an iconic high-gain tone ideal for metal leads.
With the Katana, BOSS makes the Katana tone accessible in a small, portable amp that runs on batteries. The Katana guitar amp is your ideal practice partner.
You’ll love this:
- You obtain the same cascaded gain approach found in high-end amp designs because the Katana incorporates BOSS’s decades of research in energy-efficient design, providing class-defying power and punch.
- The Katana was specially designed for top-quality sound and produce a big, full tone that will encourage you to plug in and play for hours.
- You get maximum sound quality due to BOSS’s design, including advanced hardware, refined circuitry, appropriate component selection, and a custom speaker.
- Enjoy expressive tones, rich with harmonics due to the Katana’s Brown setting inspired by BOSS’s flagship Waza amp.
You might not like this:
- It can be a little annoying that it doesn’t come with a power adapter, which has to be bought separately.
Conclusion
With the Katana, you get a great Katana tone in a highly portable amp. It is undoubtedly one of the best practice guitar amps you can get. Its rich sound far exceeds other guitar amps in its class.
You can experiment with a wide range of sounds thanks to its three-band analog tone EQ, three versatile amp types (Brown, Crunch, and Clean), and its authentic multi-stage analog gain circuit.
You can take the BOSS Katana everywhere. It is a compact size, robust carry handle that weighs less than three pounds. You get up to seven hours of operation by powering it with six AA batteries.
#2. Fender Blues Junior IV Review – Best Value for Money Tube Amp
The Fender Blues Junior IV is the new version of one of the world’s most popular guitar amps. It is a durable grab-and-go amplifier that delivers stunning clean and overdriven sounds. It is actually one of the best tube amps, and it is definitely the Best Value For Money Tube Amp.
If you like that rich and reverb tube tone of a Fender guitar amp, you will not be disappointed with this latest member of the Fender tube amplifier family. The Junior series has been in production since around 1993.
This 15-watt tube amp is a perfect acquisition for those who want a compact, lightweight, and pedal-friendly tube amplifier combo. These qualities have made this amp one of the most popular gigging combos in the world.
With this new version, you get the best from Fender. It includes an A-Type Celestion speaker, and the black vinyl and the yellowed silver sparkle grille are inspired by the blackface reverb-equipped combos of the 1960s.
You’ll love this:
- The Junior grants stunning clean and drive sounds thanks to five valves – three 12AX7s and a pair of EL84s.
- It delivers a great control versatility, and it includes gain, bass, middle, treble, reverb level, master volume, and a small push-button ‘Fat’ switch.
- You can use it with any guitar you want, the Junior sounds excellent with both single coils and humbuckers, and it works well with drive pedals with great volume.
- It is easy to see why the Blues Junior remains a firm favorite withing tube amp combos, thanks to compact dimensions and lightweight.
You might not like this:
- Due to its low range of 15 watts, it may not be the best choice for those looking for a higher wattage tube amp.
Conclusion
When you get a Fender Blues Junior, you get simplicity, the richness of tube tones, and great sound quality. It is a classic combo amp with a single-channel that delivers astonishing clean and drive sounds. It features a pair of EL84 power tubes and three 12AX7 preamp tubes, a 12-inch A-type Celestion speaker, and delivers an all-tube 15 Watt.
#3. Orange Crush Mini Review – Best Budget Small Guitar Amp
When you buy the Orange Crush Mini, you get Orange’s tiniest amp that packs a big punch. You also get classic Orange tones in a lightweight package. It is the best budget small guitar amp to jam in your bedroom or warming up backstage.
If you are a beginner who wants to practice at home or a pro that wants to play on the road or warm-up backstage, the Crush Mini is the perfect companion for you, and it is between the best home practice amps that you can catch right now.
You get access to all kinds of classic sounds due to the Crush’s simple controls layout. You can get heavy distortion by cranking up the Gain or dial in clean tones by backing off the Gain and turning the Volume control up.
You can hook up the Crush to almost any speaker cabinet and get an amazing, great sound thanks to its Speaker Output of 8 Ohms minimum.
You can play your favorite tracks using the Aux-In, you can tune your guitar with the Crush Mini’s built-in tuner, and you also can mute the speaker for silent practice connecting your headphones to the Crush Mini’s output.
You’ll love this:
- The Crush Mini switches on automatically when you plug in your guitar, and you can power it with the included 9V battery or an external 9V DC adapter.
- You obtain classic Orange tones thanks to its simple Gain, EQ, and Volume controls. The Crush Mini makes it easy to get shades of those iconic Orange sounds.
- You can practice wherever you go. The 1/8″ aux input and the onboard tuner make the Crush Mini an amazing portable practice tool.
- When you want to jam everywhere from your bedroom to the beach, you only need to bring your guitar and a 9-volt battery.
You might not like this:
- The battery door can be a bit fragile.
Conclusion
The Crush Mini is a mighty 3-watt practice amp powered by a standard 9-volt battery or a 9-volt pedal power supply.
You can turn your Crush Mini into a battery-powered amp head to play on stage by connecting a cabinet to the 8-ohm speaker output.
You get the iconic orange vinyl and woven grille in addition to a minimalistic layout of controls that include Gain (drive), Shape (EQ), and Volume.
#4. Fender Mini ’57 Twin Amp Review
The Fender Mini ’57 Twin is a super-cool small amp that packs in two 2-inch speakers and looks like a model amp. This tiny twin amp comes with a realistic vintage visual vibe due to the genuine tweed-covered wood cab.
With the Mini ’57, you get a versatile and portable Fender practice amp with a simple control layout that includes volume, tone, and drive controls. Plus one sober watt of power and 2 – 2″ speakers.
You can get the classical cool tone for practicing plugging into the 1/4″ headphone jack. You can also use it as a line out to a power amp or recording gear.
The Mini ’57’s tones are responsive, and the 2×2 speaker configuration produces a sonic field with more depth than most single-speaker small guitar amps.
You’ll love this:
- It is a real mini-sized Fender Twin that is perfect for those that want the classic looks and tone of a vintage Fender Twin Amp, but you don’t have cash enough to afford it.
- The Mini ’57 captures the atmosphere of the ’50s era Fender. It pumps one mighty watt through twin 2-inch speakers right down to the tweed covering.
- You can take the Fender Mini ’57 Twin anywhere. You can power it with a standard 9-volt battery, or you can get an optional AC adapter and always have this practice amp ready to practice.
- The Fender Mini ’57 Twin has a stereo speaker setup, responsive tones, and excellent build quality. It is the ideal small amp for practicing without waking up the kids.
You might not like this:
- It starts to overdrive at pretty modest volume levels and doesn’t offer a lot of clean headroom.
Conclusion
The Fender ’57 Mini Twin is a portable micro amp that offers a lot of satisfaction at a meager price. It is a single-watt perfect choice for players who can’t afford a real or reissue tweed amp.
The Mini 57 brings a decent portion of vintage Fender’s tone in an extremely compact format. There are only a handful of guitar amps that will do a better job than this Fender in the practice amp department.
#5. Blackstar Fly 3 Review
With the Blackstar Fly 3, you get a handy and practical cutting-edge 3-watt mini amp. This innovative guitar amp brings you two channels (Clean and Overdrive) and a 3-inch speaker delivering true Blackstar tones.
You get a mini amp that delivers tape delay effects to enhance your amp output during play. The Blackstar patented Infinite Shape Feature (ISF) allows you to change the sound of your FLY 3, which gives you endless possibilities on the tone of your amp.
It is an outstanding compact and portable guitar amp that packs a punch tone even at the lowest volumes.
You obtain a complete pack of valuable features such as an MP3 / LINE IN jack built to connect to your mobile device to jam along to your favorite tracks. You can also connect your headphones to the Emulated Output jack.
You’ll love this:
- You can take the Fly 3 wherever you go as a set of portable speakers thanks to its battery-powered capacity.
- Although extremely tiny, the Fly 3 can deliver the best tones at low volume for home use and practice.
- The Blackstar Fly 3 is a portable, great-sounding guitar amp that you can take wherever you need. You can power it with AA batteries or a DC adaptor.
- The Blackstar Fly 3 allows you to change and get a distinctive sound, thanks to their patented Infinite Shape Feature and its onboard tape delay effect.
You might not like this:
- Some users may find the Fly 3’s tone to be a bit muffled and flat-sounding.
Conclusion
The Blackstar Fly 3 is a very effective two channels and three-Watt compact mini guitar amp. You need to plug in your guitar and begin practicing. It delivers a revolutionary sonic performance due to its mini size. You also get many features such as Patented ISF (Infinite Shape Feature), emulated headphone output, digital ‘tape’ delay effect, and mp3/line input.
#6. Line 6 Micro Spider Review
When you want different guitar amps flavors in one portable and compact package, the Line 6 Micro Spider is an ultra-lean 6-watt and 6.5-inch speaker modeling guitar combo amplifier that can do an excellent job.
If you have heard about the Supro tube amplifiers’ amazing sound, you need to give a try to the Black Magick Reverb Combo.
The Line 6 Micro Spider is the most portable amp to date from the Spider Line 6’s segment. But it arrives with a lot of secret weapons. You get a 1-channel, 6-watt modeling guitar combo with a mighty six-watt, 6.5″ speaker.
#7. Roland Cube Street Review
Roland CUBE Street is a great-sounding Modeling Amp that you can use as a Mini PA as well. It is the perfect choice for on-the-go performers who need portability and great sound anywhere.
You get 2-channels, battery-powered, compact, and lightweight amp with a slanted cabinet design. The Roland CUBE Street is a powerful 5-watts guitar practice amp with two 2 high-performance 6.5″ neodymium speakers that produce great sound.
#8. Yamaha THR5 Review
Yamaha THR5 is a powerful modeling combo amp that brings you everything you need. You get from essential amp tones and onboard effects to USB connectivity for recording, playback, and preset editing.
You can go anywhere with this amazing battery-powered portable amp. You get 5 great guitar amp emulation settings to access popular tube amps style, 4 modulation effects, and 4 independent reverb/delay effects. The Yamaha THR5 is perfect for practicing, songwriting, and recording.
#9. Marshall DSL1CR Review
The Marshall DSL1CR is a potent 1-watt tone beast that brings you classic gain, ultra gain channels, and an 8-inch Celestion Eight 15 speaker. Enjoy the iconic Marshall’s Legendary DSL flavor that is back in action.
The Marshall DSL1CR has the revered tonal heritage of the DSL series. It can combine the classic Marshall sound and today’s most modern features as the Refined EQ section, Studio-grade digital reverb, and the Rear-panel effects loop.
#10. Fender Mustang Mini Review
The Fender Mustang Mini is the perfect choice for those who want to have the Fender tone packed in a practice-size combo guitar amplifier. It delivers 7 watts and a purpose-built 6.5″ speaker that gives you enough volume for small sessions.
The Mustang Mini is an amazing practice amp to take Fender Sound on the go. It delivers 24 amazing presets to play modern or classic guitar tones. You can obtain eight different digital amplifier models and a dozen studio-style effects.
#11. Roland Micro Cube GX Review
The Roland Micro Cube GX is an incredible micro amp that covers any sound you can imagine on. You can play for up to 20 hours with 6 AA batteries or an AC adapter without repeating an amp model or effect.
The Micro Cube GX comes with a ton of features. It has amazing onboard effects, including eight COSM guitar amp models and many DSP effects such as chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, delay, reverb processor, among others.
#12. Marshall MS-4 Review
If you’re hooked on the Marshall tone and can’t afford a full-sized model, you can buy the Marshall MS-4 Micro Full-Stack instead. It pumps out a ton of pure Marshall tone with this mini-stack model size.
You can join the Micro Full-stack madness by the hand of the new Marshall MS-4 and take advantage of this battery-powered 1-watt guitar combo amp. You can obtain clean and overdrive settings, gain and tone controls, and it has a belt clip.
#13. VOX Pathfinder 10 Review
The VOX Pathfinder 10 is one of VOX’s best options in the field of practice guitar amps. It is an excellent British-sounding small and solid-state amp with classic Vox sound and style in a small size version.
ith the Pathfinder 10, you get those immediately recognizable, warm British sounds expectable from a VOX amp. All this in a compact package equipped with 10-watt and a 6.5″ speaker perfect for home practice, recording, and backstage warm-up.
#14. Danelectro Honeytone N-10 Review
The Danelectro Honeytone N-10 is an eye-catching retro look solid-state mini guitar amp. You can take an extra vintage guitar tone anywhere with this 1.5 watts, battery-powered guitar combo wonder.
You only need to power it up and dial the Tone and Drive knobs to dive yourself into a sea of vintage sound and get a huge palette of tones from light grit to hot blues sound.
You get 1.5 watts of power, a 2.5-inch speaker, an integrated clip for your belt, headphone output for private practice, and a leather handle to carry it anywhere.
#15. Marshall MG10 CF Review
The Marshall MG10G is one of the best home practice amps. It delivers an astonishing Marshall tone. Its 10-watt offers enough power for record in the studio, home use, or gigging on small stages everywhere.
It delivers a Clean channel, an Overdrive channel, and a Gain channel, and also Contour control for molding your tone. In addition to this, you get a custom 6.5″ speaker that gives classic British tone, emulated headphone, and line outputs for practicing and recording.
What to Consider When Buying a Small Guitar Amp
Small amps or practice amps are the best choices when you need a portable amplifier to practice with on the road or when you don’t have a lot of room at home.
These practice amps are portable amplifiers that provide a huge range of tones at low volumes, making them a great way to practice your songs, write music or jam with your band.
Small guitar amp has been becoming very popular during the last few years. Now guitar players have more options than big stacks or combo amplifiers. Now they can choose these smaller, low-watt combos.
In response to this wave of popularity, companies like VOX, Fender, and Marshall have created a whole range of small, low-watt combo amps. Let see now what to take into account when buying a small amp.
Why Are Small Guitar Amps Better?
A big guitar amp is just too loud to be played at home or in a small studio. So, except you are consistently playing in big places where you can blow up your amp volume to its maximum, you will never be able to get the most out of a big guitar amp.
On the other hand, a small guitar amp can deliver you a better tone at a lower volume. Of course, those small amps are less powerful, but it is a significant benefit because you can push a small guitar amp into a nice bluesy break-up at a lower volume.
What Size Is Better for a Practice Amp?
When you’re looking for an amp to practice with, it will be better that you get a practice amp with a power between 1 and 20 watts and a speaker of 6 to 10 inches. Maybe speaker size may seem an unimportant matter, but speakers of this size enable you to produce a higher frequency than you’d be able to with larger sizes.
Guitarists who play in bands need amps that have the power to compete with other instruments. They need a powerful enough rig to play on stage, but when it comes to practice at home, small or practice amps must sound good at low-volume levels and not take up a lot of space.
Do Small Guitar Amps Sound Good?
Small guitar amps sound really great. With this kind of guitar amplifier, you can get excellent clean tones and rich overdriven tones at lower volumes. You won’t be able to play with a clean tone at a higher volume.
As with a larger guitar amp, you can, of course, use guitar pedals to alter your tone when using a small guitar amp. Maybe the only problem when using small guitar amps is that they lack headroom. Headroom refers to how much power an amp can provide before the sound starts to break up and overdrive.
What Is the Difference Between a Small and a Big Guitar Amp?
Both large and small amplifiers have their benefits, and which one you choose depends mostly on your needs. It depends on if you prefer great power, portability, headroom, and many other characteristics.
The popularity of smaller amplifiers doesn’t stop increasing because these tiny marvels bring guitar players many benefits. The first obvious benefit of using a small amplifier is portability.
Taking your amplifier to a venue becomes a much simpler and functional task when you use a small amp. Another benefit of using a small amplifier is that it really can be pushed.
How Loud are Mini Amps?
It depends on how you will use a small amp, but if you use it to practice or record at home or in the studio, it can be loud enough for your taste.
It’s pretty common for musicians to consider only the wattage of the amplifier when it comes to getting an idea of how loud it’s going to be.
But while the amp’s wattage is certainly important to determine an amplifier’s loudness, you should also think about the speakers’ sensitivity and efficiency connected to the amplifier.
Top Picks
It is time to show you my Top Picks from the article reviews. Below I will tell you which small amps are the best overall, the best value for money, and the best budget guitar amplifier options, so you can choose the best one for you.
Vox Mini3 G2 Guitar Amp – Best Overall Small Guitar Amp
Vox Mini3 G2 Guitar Amp
The Vox Mini3 G2 is a great modeling guitar amplifier with 3-watt of power and a 5-inch speaker. This little combo supplies a great set of tones, from transparent, cleans to full shred overdrive.
Boss Katana Mini – Best Value for Money Small Guitar Amp
Boss Katana Mini
The Boss Katana Mini is a portable combo amp with 7 watts of power that you can take everywhere. It delivers up to seven hours of operation with six AA batteries.
Orange Crush Mini – Best Budget Small Guitar Amp
Orange Crush Mini
The Orange Crush Mini is a great small guitar amp to jam in your bedroom or warming up backstage. A 9-volt battery or AC adaptor can power this 3-watt practice amp.
Conclusion
“This is the end, beautiful friends,” as Jim Morrison sang so beautifully in “The End” song. These were the reviews of the most amazing small amps to play along everywhere.
With these reviews, I expected to show you which are the most genius small guitar amps so that you can choose with confidence and precision.
You now surely know much more about small amps than before reading this article. I hope you have enjoyed this magical and mystery tour to discover the small amps to satisfy your taste.
