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To go along with our previous article about travel guitars, I thought it would be fitting to also highlight some cool (and very small) practice amps.
It’s one thing to be able to bring a guitar with you wherever you go – but what are you going to plug it into?
Well, one of these.
There are plenty of mini/practice/travel guitar amps out there, so I’ve included a range of prices here.
Your least expensive option is going to be the Danelectro N-10 HoneyTone.
If it looks like it was made from the grill of a ’53 Chevy, Danelectro has done their job, and they have – with the “Daddy-o yellow” vintage vibe going on.
It has three knobs, which is very good for a mini guitar amp – volume, tone, and overdrive.
It does come in two other colors – Nifty Aqua, and Beatnik Burgundy.
This unit is, of course, plastic.
The sound is surprisingly good, and the little bugger gets loud!
If a decent amp at the best possible price ($20-$30) is what you need, the Danelectro N-10 Honeytone might be your best choice.
The box it comes in is 6 x 6 x 3 inches, if that gives you any idea of the size, and it weighs in at just one pound.
The next level up in price between these three is the Pignose 7-100. Ye ol’ standard practice guitar amp. I have played through countless Pignose amps, and they all sound great. They have a certain warm sound that just does more for your soul than you would think a small amp like this could do.
Many professional musicians have used the Pignose in recording studios and as a preamp for live performances. The sound is that good, which more than makes up for the fact that it’s uglier than a bucket of mud.
It only has one knob – shaped like a pig nose, and that’s the volume knob.
You can however open the casing to get some different tonal variations.
If quality and reliability is your goal, and effects and distortion aren’t what you’re looking for The Pignose ($74-$90) might be your thing.
The Pignose is much bigger than the Danelectro, coming in at 6.25 x 5 x 9.5 inches, and it weighs 5 pounds.
The next option step up is a Roland. At this point we’re only spending around $130, and the options (and knob count) have increased – and in a delightful turn of events, this one actually looks like a guitar amp.
Roland’s Micro Cube has excellent tone, both clean and distorted.
It offers seven different models of popular amps, as well as independent chorus, flanger, reverb, phaser and tremolo.
The Micro Cube’s construction is the most solid of all three of these amps, which would make it the best to bring along on a road trip.
Other options Roland was kind enough to provide in the Micro Cube are an onboard tuner, ipod input for jamming along with your favorite tunes, and a carrying strap.
If you have the money to spend for a mini / practice amp, and want the most power, flexibility, features, and sounds, this one will surely keep you happy.
It weighs in at almost 7.5 pounds, and its measurements are 9-5/8 x 6-9/16 x 8-15/16 inches.
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