ISO practice amp - Seeking recommendations

[zkinard]

Hello all,

I know there are previous posts regarding practice amp preferences/recommendations but I couldn't find any that were too recent so wanted to put this up here again to see if there may be any new models that have come out since the suggestions made in the last "practice amp" post. I'm looking to downsize. Right now I have this behemoth Line 6 DT 25 modelling amp and the accompanying POD HD500X effects processing unit for it. While it's cool and fun, I just don't use/need it. I'm a novice to intermediate player who formerly enjoyed making noise and trying to learn rock guitar in my younger years and have little to zero interest in that any longer. Plus, I am simply a hobbyist and have no need to have any equipment above and beyond what is practical to play at home; I'm not going to be playing to an audience anytime soon. I want to sell off this amp/effects unit and find a lightweight/reliable practice amp that doesn't take up much space, can easily travel from room to room in my home, and is sturdy enough to withstand the destruction of a 2 and a half yr. old. Bluetooth connectivity would be nice to play along with tunes but not a must. The only guitar I plan to keep is in the below link, so looking for something that provides a nice, suitable jazz tone.

Ibanez AF95RW - Natural | Sweetwater

Thanks in advance for any wisdom,
Zach

[John A.]

The two I know well are the Fender Champion 20 and the DV Mark Little Jazz. Both are small, light and very portable. The Fender is cheaper and has more tone options. The DV is more powerful and does only one sound (which it does well).

The Fender can be gigged with smaller/quieter groups; the DV can hang with bigger/louder groups. Either sounds great for home/practice use. I think either would stand up to a toddler, but the Fender is cheap enough that if it doesn’t you can get another.

[Dennis D]

The two I know well are the Fender Champion 20 and the DV Mark Little Jazz. Both are small, light and very portable. The Fender is cheaper and has more tone options. The DV is more
powerful and does only one sound (which it does well).

The Fender can be gigged with smaller/quieter groups; the DV can hang with bigger/louder groups. Either sounds great for home/practice use. I think either would stand up to a toddler, but the Fender is cheap enough that if it doesn’t you can get another.

Is there another option, maybe a little higher price level, which would ( hopefully ) guarantee an amp w/ a cabinet that didn't rattle ? I bought a Peavey Envoy years ago as a practice amp, and it's rattled almost from day one. I've reglued the trim pieces, but this is now getting into ' pet peeve' territory...: )

Thanks

[jim777]

I have a Fender Champion 40 I could get for you cheap It's 19 pounds, doesn't rattle, and has some effects. I actually used in band practice twice before stepping up to a Tone Master Twin.

But there are a ton of low wattage amps out there, and a lot of tube options in the 20W range as well.

[mr. beaumont]

As far as a purely practice amp goes, I've never liked anything more than my Yamaha THR.

[AllanAllen]

I like my Vox Pathfinder. They're like $90, 15 watts, it makes the guitar louder.

[bmw2002]

If you decide to go that route, I do have like-new DV Mark Little Jazz listed in the for sale section. (Sorry for the shameless self -promotion.)

[zkinard]

As far as a purely practice amp goes, I've never liked anything more than my Yamaha THR.

What do you like about this model? I havent run across this one in my limited research so far.

[John A.]

Thanks

Is there another option, maybe a little higher price level, which would ( hopefully ) guarantee an amp w/ a cabinet that didn't rattle ? I bought a Peavey Envoy years ago as a practice amp, and it's rattled almost from day one. I've reglued the trim pieces, but this is now getting into ' pet peeve' territory...: )

Thanks

There are many other options at many price points, but these are the ones I know best. I've had a Champion 20 for about 7 years and have used it on literally 100s of jams sessions and gigs. No rattles, and good as new in all respects. I don't own a DVM LJ, but know several people who own them (including one with whom I have done many gigs). No rattles. TBH, I've never had a problem with any amp cabinet rattling. I've had problems with other things rattling (e.g., tube retainers, stuff left inside the cabinet inadvertently, other things in the room resonating), but not the actual cabinet. So I wouldn't really know where to begin with recommending something based on its propensity not to rattle.

[mr. beaumont]

What do you like about this model? I havent run across this one in my limited research so far.

The speaker is voiced more like a quality bluetooth unit as opposed to a guitar speaker only, so it really fills a room at a low volume, and it sounds great if you play tracks through it to play along, easy to balance yourself and the backing.

Pretty much all of the play with a track vids I've posted here over the last few years are with the THR. Here's an example:

[Woodstove]

I am traveling with a Spark practice amp as I write. This is truly meant for practice and has a quite amazing feature. They provide an app that pairs via Bluetooth that will find any recording on you tube, stream it and provide looping and playback speed control. Great on an ipad maybe less so on a phone. These are flawless. It also provides the chords very inexactly. But wait there’s more. It has a BITB ability to create bass and drum backing but to what you play, not by writing in the cords. AI actually helping! The amp also uses a limitless amount of modeling effects made by the parent company Positive Grid. For a lightweight gig I take the tonemaster DR but as a true practice amp this is hard to beat. Weighs about 5 lbs and will slide under the seat when I board the plane.

[zkinard]

Picked up the Yamaha THR and I love. Might be best gear money Ive ever spent and have only had it for a week. Thanks all for the help. Anyone with one of these have any preferred amp/tone setting they like to use or that sound great?

Thanks,
Zach

[st.bede]

When it comes to protection against toddlers, my best solution has always been out of reach.

I have never had anything but amazement, in the plethora of creative destruction, that small children can call forth at anytime.

How my son was able to jam three CDs into my car stereo, continues to amaze me, many years later.