Desktop sized practice amp recommendations

[paul6string]

Looking for something obviously small that has a decent high gain sound, and reverb. Looking to keep it under $150.00. Not interested in Spark stuff. I sold mine because I barely have enough memory on my phone for another app.

[greatmutah]

Used Yamaha THR5? I remember hearing those were legit.

[Vladimir Putin]

Do you have a tube amp or two already? If so, get a used Two Notes Captor and just run the amp direct in to your DAW

[Guitarbilly]

Do you have a tube amp or two already? If so, get a used Two Notes Captor and just run the amp direct in to your DAW

I second this. Or the Suhr Reactive Load, same thing.


The Yamaha THR is cool too.

[diddlybo]

I have a Blackstar Fly, which I like for its simplicity. Super simple, super small, no apps, just 4 knobs. Its a great practice tool but it doesn't do high gain. Its a clean channel and a crunch channel only, with volume, gain, tone and delay. I have zero complaints with it. Plus its around $60 so it doesn't hurt your wallet.

I also have a NUX Mighty Air, which is the same size as the Blackstar but has many more features. However, you must use an app to control it. Lots of amps and effects to choose from and the wireless feature is nice. Its a step up from the Blackstar but it costs three times as much too, so there's that.

If you want high gain and a simple platform, look at the Boss Katana mini. It has clean, crunch and high gain channels with simple eq and delay, which can be set to sound like reverb.

You asked for recommendations so I would suggest you get a Boss Katana mini for $99 and a simple wireless unit for $50. Being able to walk around the house while playing was a game changer for me. Plus, you can find very decent wireless units running at 5.8ghz for super cheap these days.

[Guitarbilly]

I have a Katana mini on my repair bench to test pickup installs, cables etc. It's a good sounding little amp. Definitely good enough for home practice.

[Maddnotez]

I have a Katana mini on my repair bench to test pickup installs, cables etc. It's a good sounding little amp. Definitely good enough for home practice.

That would be kind of awesome. I have the 50w MK2 1x12" and I definitely recommend a Katana. For what it is they sound really good. I haven't played a ton of non tube amps but mine has some pretty good feel to it and it was easy to find an acceptable tone.

[Landshark]

i probably play my Hotone Pulze more than i play my EVH and Randall V2.

its $419 (i got it for $380 new ... cheaper used ones showing up now), but it does have some great high gain tones, and doubles as a Bluetooth speaker. using an old Android tablet i had sitting in a drawer for the app/interface.

A/B'd it with the Ampero II Stomp + Headrush FRFR, and it sounds a lot better ... with the POS Headrush being the weak link.

like the Ampero, you don't need to do a whole lot of knob twisting to get a good sound. i was unsure if i wanted to dick around with IR's, so i bought it on Amazon so i could easily return it if i needed to. slapped a free "amp in the room" IR in it, and use that for most stuff ... it was a keeper.

[paul6string]

I'll check out the katana mini. I have a bunch of tube amps, but I don't have a practice room per se unless my daughter moves out. I have them either behind couches, under stairs, or in closets, and they're mostly covered because I have 3 cats. I'm either playing in my living room, or the screened porch. I mostly practice unplugged, but I occasionally like to hear the nuances that are otherwise barely audible lol.

[Landshark]

another option is a Peavey Vypyr VIP1 ... i have one hidden in a corner on the side of a couch. i set it to the 6534 and haven't touched any settings in years.

bought it for $50 LOL