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!
Hmm, so maybe I should be looking at something other than the Peavey Bandit for home practice. I was looking at the Laney Linebacker too. You find yourself looking at these old buses when the budget (and talent) don't stretch over £100 😂
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.
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.
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!
@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.
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.
I own the White Mooer Hornet 15 watt model. First thing I did was replace the speaker with a Jensen 8" guitar loudspeaker. Made a huge difference. Past that, this guy costs me $129.36 TOTAL from Thomann in March of 2021. Small, light, portable and loud as all get out. I use it for both acoustic and electric playing. The Mesa Boogie is my favorite model to use. Cool retro look to it as well.
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. 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 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.
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
The lead guitarist in my band used one of the VOX 15 R amps. We had our doubs when we first saw it as well, until he plugged it in. Amazing little amp. All he ever used with it was an EQ pedal for his leads
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 👌 👍
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 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.
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!"
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 play only on my bedroom at small ish volume values. Currently I have a Fender Mustang 150W which is too much. I wanted to trade it with a smaller (however premium quality), and possibly second hand tube amp. Which one would be the most suitable for me? Thanks in advance
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!
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!
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.
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 😀
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 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.
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
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!
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
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.
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
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)
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!
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...
@@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.
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 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!
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
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!
After looking at far too many reviews, trying far too many amps, losing far too much money along the way, something clicked in my brain and presto, I’ve entered Jazz sound Walhalla. I just connect the earphone output of my Fender Mustang Micro to a Sangean U4 (a fairly simple ‘builders’ radio) and that’s it. The versatility of the little Fender (amp modelling, effects) gives me plenty to experiment with and the (brilliant!) Sangean has totally acceptable sound for home use (not forgetting FM, DAB, blue tooth connectivity etc). And if necessary it all works on batteries if you want. And I’m fine without all the overhyped app-tweeking. So I’m not falling for the commercial traps set by amp manufacturers again. Maybe I’ll change my mind when I start gigging, but that’s a highly unlikely scenario. Would love to see someone showing this solution on youtube
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. 🔥
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.
I wish the THR30 had a FX loop so I could use my Ditto+ looper pedal with different sounds. No, I don’t want to buy that new uLooper or what’s called. Think I have to go for an Orange Crush 35RT. But would have been cool with some more features on that one.
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 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.
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?
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.
i play only on my bedroom at small ish volume values. Currently I have a Fender Mustang 150W which is too much. I wanted to trade it with a smaller (however premium quality), and possibly second hand tube amp. Which one would be the most suitable for me? Thanks in advance
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.
My favorite practice amp is the Marshall code 25. That amp is impressive and fun. I don't care for the code 50, but for some reason the 25 sounds way better.
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…
I appreciate that you can't cover everything and need to define what you consider to be a practice amp. What are your thoughts on some of the headphone style amps? The new Boss Katana Go headphone amp looks like its going to be a ripper, 😊 although like everything, in $AUD, it hits the bank balance a bit 😢
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!
Hmm, so maybe I should be looking at something other than the Peavey Bandit for home practice. I was looking at the Laney Linebacker too. You find yourself looking at these old buses when the budget (and talent) don't stretch over £100 😂
Wow 15 years. Well done and keep going. Really like your videos.
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.
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
Damn Shaun , 15 years, your an all star. No wonder you're so good at this. Keep it up 👍.
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.
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!
Great list! Lump me in with the LOVE IT camp for the THR30II. Its great for both guitar and bass practice.
@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
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.
I have a Blackstar ht1r. I'm really happy with it. That white Strat is awesome btw
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.
Orange on the thumb, not mentioned in the video, either small Crush up to 35RT - will give all other combos run for their money.
I own the White Mooer Hornet 15 watt model. First thing I did was replace the speaker with a Jensen 8" guitar loudspeaker. Made a huge difference. Past that, this guy costs me $129.36 TOTAL from Thomann in March of 2021. Small, light, portable and loud as all get out. I use it for both acoustic and electric playing. The Mesa Boogie is my favorite model to use. Cool retro look to it as well.
I have two Mooer Hornets (blue and pink), love em, they are my bedroom rigs. Love em!
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. 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 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. :)
Incredibly informative! Kudos my friend! Love the channel!
Thank you, Glen! :)
i bought nux MKII. sounds so great
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
The lead guitarist in my band used one of the VOX 15 R amps. We had our doubs when we first saw it as well, until he plugged it in. Amazing little amp. All he ever used with it was an EQ pedal for his leads
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 😂
Been using the Bugera V5 for almost 4 years now, love it, hardly played on 5watt mode.
Vox needs to reissue the Pathfinder 15R..
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 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.
Peavey RAGE 108.
Had mine for 30 years.
Love it!!!
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
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!"
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 play only on my bedroom at small ish volume values. Currently I have a Fender Mustang 150W which is too much. I wanted to trade it with a smaller (however premium quality), and possibly second hand tube amp. Which one would be the most suitable for me? Thanks in advance
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 like my Spark Mini. Thanks for all the vids
I have the Vox Pathfinder 15R. Outstanding amp. And for a little amp can get loud.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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 .
Positive grid Go is really neat.
I use it for night time when I'm laying in bed and have the TV on.
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 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.
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 love my Blackstar HTR-1r
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!
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
Great video! My needs (ok, want) list just got bigger!
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.
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.
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
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, 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.
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!
Very enjoyable UA-cam channel. Thank you!
THR30ii is the best gear purchase ive made in 20 years.
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...
How about the Orange Crush Series?
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.
The original Micro Cube still works for me.
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 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!
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 :)
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!
Vox AC4 is really good, no modelling great sound. I also like the Mooer Little Monster AC it's also really good.
After looking at far too many reviews, trying far too many amps, losing far too much money along the way, something clicked in my brain and presto, I’ve entered Jazz sound Walhalla. I just connect the earphone output of my Fender Mustang Micro to a Sangean U4 (a fairly simple ‘builders’ radio) and that’s it. The versatility of the little Fender (amp modelling, effects) gives me plenty to experiment with and the (brilliant!) Sangean has totally acceptable sound for home use (not forgetting FM, DAB, blue tooth connectivity etc). And if necessary it all works on batteries if you want. And I’m fine without all the overhyped app-tweeking. So I’m not falling for the commercial traps set by amp manufacturers again.
Maybe I’ll change my mind when I start gigging, but that’s a highly unlikely scenario.
Would love to see someone showing this solution on youtube
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
Thanks Shane !
Blues On.... 💙
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. 🔥
GOOD round up of amps Shane! \m/
Thanks, DMS!
@@intheblues Cheers dude!
Great Video much apreciated.
Spark Mini! Great practice amp
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.
vox pathfinder
Jazz Hands!
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 wish the THR30 had a FX loop so I could use my Ditto+ looper pedal with different sounds. No, I don’t want to buy that new uLooper or what’s called. Think I have to go for an Orange Crush 35RT. But would have been cool with some more features on that one.
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 really liked the music that you played, how can I hear more of your musice of jams that you have done...Best wishes
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.
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?
the yamaha thr's are easily the best sounding.
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.
I love my dsl1r. Even in 0,1w mode. This little beast is loud
Spark 40 has been a pleasant surprise. Once I got a battery pack, it’s become my little workhorse.
Nux Mighty Lite BT MKII is the best I've played for its size/price.
Very helpful. Thanks.
Thanks Shane ! Great video
Many thanks!
Mooer Little Monster BM. I have been using it for 10 years.
i play only on my bedroom at small ish volume values. Currently I have a Fender Mustang 150W which is too much. I wanted to trade it with a smaller (however premium quality), and possibly second hand tube amp. Which one would be the most suitable for me? Thanks in advance
Why dont you like the tremlord 30 ?? I think its amazing !! I love it ❤❤
I think there was a reason Shane mentioned the NUX first. Such a convenient amp.
Vox ‼️‼️ please bring them back with Reverb. You’ll make a killing.‼️‼️
Great video, please consider a compare video of the new Nux mighty MKII, Mooer Hornet 30i, and the Joyo DC15S
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.
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.
My favorite practice amp is the Marshall code 25.
That amp is impressive and fun.
I don't care for the code 50, but for some reason the 25 sounds way better.
Vox AC4TV ftw 🙌
Very Helpfull information. Could you please tell me what version of Moer Hornet do you play in this video? Thank you
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.
I appreciate that you can't cover everything and need to define what you consider to be a practice amp. What are your thoughts on some of the headphone style amps?
The new Boss Katana Go headphone amp looks like its going to be a ripper, 😊 although like everything, in $AUD, it hits the bank balance a bit 😢