Picking a smaller amp for gigs

[Kunji]

Hey everyone!

I've been researching these forums a lot and I know a lot has already been posted here (but maybe there's new info!), but rather than looking for more suggestions I'd need some help deciding on a perfect amp. My issue is that youtube videos are mostly useless and awful to listen to, and that there aren't many of these amps available for testing where I live, so I have no other option but to rely on people's opinions.

I already own a '78 Fender Pro Reverb which is amazing, but it's heavier than me and basically just an overkill for a lot of the venues I play in. So I'm looking for something light and portable, preferably less than 15 kilos. I mostly play modern jazz, both clean and overdriven sounds, lots of effects, but I also often play folk music, funk, pop and rock, so it has to be versatile. Sound is a priority, but unfortunately I can't afford stuff like Henriksen or Mambo. Portability is important too, and even better if it's battery operated, so I can sell my Vox Mini3 G2 - but it's not a necessity.

I've been looking at the following amps:

Yamaha THR10 (there's 3 of them though!)
DV Mark Little Jazz
Roland Micro Cube
Kustom Tube 12 or Defender 15
Vox Pathfinder 10
Ibanez TSA15
Monoprice 5-Watt
VHT Special 6
Fender Pro Junior III or IV (no idea about the difference)
Fame GTA-40
Kustom Sienna 30

As I said, I'd need it for smaller gigs, sometimes with percussion or a drummer that plays on brushes, and suitable to run with pedals. The guitars I use are Epiphone Les Paul, Fender Strat, Ibanez semi hollow-body and an electric nylon hybrid (like a Godin), so the amp can be acoustic as well. I don't care if there's no effects, just an EQ would be fine, and I don't want it to break-up and distort by itself, I want to use the pedals for all of that

So any opinions and comparisons are welcome, thanks so much for your help!

[Kunji]

Sorry about the 'must read' icon, I thought I had selected the newbie one

[dconeill]

The OP might want to consider Henriksen amps as part of the list. They have (I think) 3 sizes available, one of which is a 9 inch cube pushing around 120 watts, and equipped with a switchable tweeter to support more acoustic sounds. It masses about 8 kilos.

In the interests of showing my prejudices, I own a Henriksen Bud, which is the 9 inch cube. I am well pleased with the sound and controllability. My back, in particular, likes it; but if it didn't sound good to me I wouldn't have purchased it. I've played some of the other amps on the OP's list and never liked any of them enough to buy one. I use the Henriksen primarily with a Gibson ES335 and a Heritage Sweet 16, but I've also used it with a piezo-equipped acoustic. Works well for all. I'm not much of a distortion guy, so I think my opinion on how it works with distortion pedals should be discounted; but it sounds acceptable to me using a Barber big-box LTD and Direct Drive. The other pedals I've used with it are mostly modulation and delay pedals, and as you'd expect it works fine with those.

I was surprised to find the Henriksen available at one of my local music stores and bought it there. But they're also available via the internet from the manufacturer and from at least two 3rd party vendors, and there appear to be lenient return policies.

[Kunji]

Oh man I'd love a Hendriksen, but it's a 1000$, I've never come across a used one in Europe, and I simply can't afford it

[dconeill]

Oh man I'd love a Hendriksen, but it's a 1000$, I've never come across a used one in Europe, and I simply can't afford it

I've never come across a used one either. But as I look back at my history of amps, especially since I married, I paid something like US$900 for an Evans 80 in around 1995 and used it for 20 years. That's $45/year. Since I expect to keep the Henriksen for many years the cost amortizes down to a few cups of coffee and maybe a dinner a year.

In the long run you will spend less money if you buy the thing you want and keep it than if you buy several things you sort of want and sell them as time goes by.

[Alder Statesman]

DVMark Little Jazz is pretty decent imo. I had a gig last month and it served me well. I pointed the amp at me a couple feet in front to serve as a monitor and ran it into the house’s PA using the XLR out.

Pretty hard to beat the price.

[Greentone]

If you want small, loud, clean, jazzy, and you want to save money get a Henriksen Blu.

[Jonathan0996]

You don't say what kinds of groups you play with, but if you're with a full rhythm section, you need at least a 50 watt amp. If you play with a loud drummer, go for 100 watts or more. Forget the 5, 10 and 15 watt amps for those situations, even if they sound really good in the store. Those amps sound loud at home and in the store, but out on stage with drummers and bass players they can't keep up.

Given the wide variety of styles you play and the fact that you like the Fender tube amp sound, you might try one of the solid state modeling amps that are on the market. I'm not sure what's available where you are, but you might try a Katana 100 or Fender Mustang GT 100. The Fender will probably have the kind of EQ curve that you're used to, so you might like it. Either one would be powerful enough in any of your playing situations and would be significantly lighter than your Pro Reverb. They're also reasonably priced. You might want to hang on to that Pro Reverb though. You might eventually decide the weight is a worthwhile trade-off for that sweet tube sound.

Good luck. I hope you find something you really like.

[mambosun]

I would recommend to look at a second hand Fender superchamp XD as well; I've done some rock/pop gigs with it.
It a very nice and versatile little combo (2nd channels has some good OD 's) and not that much heavyweight to carry around.
On stage the amp is usually miked, hence there's no need for something heavier and bigger.
I think you should find some SCXD around 200$

[Alter]

The fender superchamp XD (about 250e used) and the fender blues junior (350-450e used) seem ideal for small gigs. I liked the super champ a lot, more fenderish than the el84 blues junior, but both do the job great. The superchamp is also very light, about 10 kilos, but you do lose some bass due to the small enclosure. It also has effects, that are surprisingly gig worthy.

[dwparker]

ZT Lunchbox maybe? I understand they work well with pedals, and can get plenty loud, though I haven't used one myself so I can't talk from experience.

[sgosnell]

I second the Little Jazz. It's incredibly loud for its size, and sounds as good as any amp I've heard. 15 pounds (less than 7 kilos). Clean to full volume, but that's too loud for me. The XLR direct out lets you connect it through a PA system if you need really, really loud. Should be readily available and reasonably priced in the EU. I haven't tried any of the other amps listed, so no comment on them.

[fep]

Look at the Boss Kantana 50, 25 pounds (12 kilos). The amp has gotten good reviews by folks on this forum, and is not expensive.

[mambosun]

Fender SXCD Bass issue can be solved by swapping the stock speaker for a better one, such as the Eminence the Lil' Buddy. Deeper sound and a bit more of headroom too

[Woody Sound]

Unless I missed it, you don't say where you are. Is around $700 too much? How about a Quilter Aviator 8? Roughly 22 lbs.

[Longways to Go]

I love little amps and I have a few on your list.
Here's my 2 cents on amps I know on your list:

Yamaha THR10c
Nicely made, very small, battery operated is a plus. It has lots of good sounds and features (like a built in tuner) but it feels a bit like a toy for taking out on a gig. Good for home practice, but that's about it. I don't use mine very much. It's a bit fiddly, and the reverb comes on way to strong.

DV Mark Little Jazz
Light weight and good jazz tone. I dig this amp and have used it on a few gigs. Not everybody likes it, but I do.

Roland Microcube
I have the Microcube RX -- a slightly bigger model than the smallest Microcube. It's a great amp. Battery operated too. I've played a couple of small gigs with it. It's a winner. If I weren't such an amp junky, I could be happy using this one a lot more often.

VHT Special 6
I had one and sold it. Nothing special going on with this one IMO.

Fender Pro Junior III
This is my current favorite gig and practice amp. I love the size, the simplicity, and the tube tone. It's louder than I ever need.

If I was shopping, I'd be looking hard at the Henriksen Blu too.

Happy Hunting !!!

[Boston Joe]

If you want small, loud, clean, jazzy, and you want to save money get a Henriksen Blu.

I'm listening to some recordings I made over the weekend, and last night, of various sessions where I'm playing my new Blu. I am seriously blown away that sound that good comes from something that small.

[wzpgsr]

I’ll chime in in support of the VHT Special 6. Nice little tube amp for the price, squarely in the Fender tweed neighborhood. Benefits from tube swap and perhaps a speaker swap. It’s not the loudest amp in the world, if you’re considering this you probably ought to step up to the VHT 12/20.

[srlank]

What's the difference between the Fender X2 vs the XD?

[nopedals]

The Bud works great if you get called to play bass, too. Obviously there are situations where it would not keep up, but not the ones I play.

[mambosun]

Both are good options: X2 replaced the XD and is still available in the market.
X2 has more modeling options featuring "Fuse" which too provides the possibility to tweak your tones and effect with a PC.

I bought my XD back in 2011 and still regulary use it without having any issue since. I even still get the original tubes.

[kevmoga]

The Bud works great if you get called to play bass, too. Obviously there are situations where it would not keep up, but not the ones I play.

Not meaning to derail the bread, but does the bass capability hold true for the one-channel Blu as well?

[kevmoga]

Not meaning to derail the bread, but does the bass capability hold true for the one-channel Blu as well?

Autocorrect is not my friend this morning - thread, not bread.

[Pierrot]

I've had many small amps in my life. The most versatile I've ever found is the Roland Cube 60.
They are great amps for any style of music, from jazz to heavy metal, they even emulate an acoustic amp for folk music for instance, they are very reliable and they are very cheap in the second hand market.

[Stanford J17]

Since you talk about kilos, I assume you are in Europe.

There actually is a used Henriksen 112 on eBay Germany. Starting price is 500€. No bid so far. Almost two days to go.

Henriksen JazzAmp 112-ER Gitarrenverstärker Guitar Amplifier top Zustand | eBay

I have no affiliation with the seller.