practice amp in 2025 ?

[Late Comer]

I know you said no modelling, but....

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Spark40!!

Once you tweak the presets, it's plug and play, down to 0.00001 dB.

Its a LOT simpler and smaller than the Katona.

Headphone jack so it can be silent.

Only $250-$300.

The updated Spark2 is supposedly even better, but I can't comment on that.

 

[Mister Vain]

May I suggest going to a music store and trying out a few with your guitar in hand. Solid State amps are pretty cheap, though I prefer tube amps (analog over digital for me). The main thing is find something you like "the easy way" - which is going down and trying out amps in your price range that fit your needs. If something catches your fancy - see if you can rent it for a week. Try it out at home - if it clicks, great! if not - you can try another. When you find "your" amp - you can check the local craigslist or what have you and see if you can get a used one on the cheap. The goal here is not to buy until you know exactly what you want.

 

[Galen1960]

Marshall DSL1. Two channel, Classic gain and Ultra gain each with its own volume control. No master volume though. Treble, middle, bass and reverb. It's one watt so it is quiet enough for home but can get suprisingly loud. Not loud enough for band practice or gigs though. It's tube but small and light enough. Comes with a channel footswitch. Nice amp with classic Marshall tone.

 

[Chiogtr4x]

Practice amp fun at home right now!

( pedal is new/used Wampler Tweed '57- fun!)

 

[rasilly]

Howdy,

So I'm looking for a practice amp, I mean I'd.... love to have a 5e3 or a Jtm 45 but that might get too loud and pricey for home only use.
besides getting better I want to get out of the pc simulation thing, I want an amp that I turn on and play without any other distractions, I'm amp-less at the moment and play trough pc.

doesn't need to be new but no crappy stuff,
needs to have at least reverb,
master volume eventually depending on the amp
no boxy sounding amps,
no desktop amps,
no amp pedals,
tubes ? .. I'd love to but maybe not for this application..

Take it as a reference only: I've seen on YT Marshall JTM studio & Tone kink Falcon Grande, but those are real proper amps and to pricey for my pockets, but I love the sounds they produce.

What do you amp experts suggest ? I've stopped looking at gear and not up to speed, again the goal is get off the pc

Thanks !

Years ago, a respected musician and audio pro suggested the Vox Pathfinder 15R and I have it as a home or quiet gig amp for the past 20 years for it’s quality clean sound, reverb, and tremolo. Solid state, small/light, cheap, and reliable. It’s a great amp and I have owned many.

If you’re looking for good, onboard overdrive and distortion then this is not the amp for you but you like quality and even inspiring clean tones, it’s an amp I recommend to tons of folks.

Oh shoot, looks like they stopped making it! why Vox? Posting anyways in case you see one around used. I wouldn’t pay too much though as new they were only $130 CAD

The VOX Showroom - The Vox V9168R Pathfinder Amplifier with Reverb

 

[AlanJammin]

I went with the Laney Foundry LF60 (the basic model with reverb, boost, clean / dirty channels). It's a
very compact combo 60watts or switches down to 1 watt. Can do loud or quite. Sounds quite tube-like
to me and looks good imo. It's well worth a look! I use a Digitech pedal for my effects when needed.

 

[Cosmic Cowboy]

Small tube amp

 

[martwest]

Howdy,

So I'm looking for a practice amp, I mean I'd.... love to have a 5e3 or a Jtm 45 but that might get too loud and pricey for home only use.
besides getting better I want to get out of the pc simulation thing, I want an amp that I turn on and play without any other distractions, I'm amp-less at the moment and play trough pc.

doesn't need to be new but no crappy stuff,
needs to have at least reverb,
master volume eventually depending on the amp
no boxy sounding amps,
no desktop amps,
no amp pedals,
tubes ? .. I'd love to but maybe not for this application..

Take it as a reference only: I've seen on YT Marshall JTM studio & Tone kink Falcon Grande, but those are real proper amps and to pricey for my pockets, but I love the sounds they produce.

What do you amp experts suggest ? I've stopped looking at gear and not up to speed, again the goal is get off the pc

Thanks !

 

[martwest]

Not an expert but my Roland Blues Cube Hot gives me all the tone I need.

 

[Juan1]

1. The best answer is a solid state modelling amp.

2. For tube purists, get a used VHT Special 6 Ultra. It does blackface to tweed-ish. Add a master volume (see Rob Robinette's website). There you go, a good 5W amp with power scaling and a master volume for cheap.

 

[Doctor Fauxcaster]

Vox -a new or used Valvetronics with the 8 inch speaker. Killer tones and a headphone jack. I've used it for recording and jamming(as a pre-amp to juice up a SS amp).

 

[Kozmyk]

I've got a number of different 'low power' guitar amps, both valve and modelling.
One that really surprised me was the Blackstar HT-1, in the house it's Really Loud !!
I'm an old Sound Engineer and the volume from that 1 Watt amp shocked me !

I've got a couple of 15 Watt amps, My Fender runs through a Captor X and mercifully my Laney IRT 15 has a 1 Watt mode built in.
Then there are the Spark 40 and Spark Mini. Why two sparks ? I couldn't find a decent deal on a 19 volt battery pack for the 40 so I got the Mini for portability.
I eventually found a source for a Talent Cell pack ... about 2 weeks before the Spark 2 was released
NVM .. The Spark 40 is fine.

 

[rdwest1]

Howdy,

So I'm looking for a practice amp, I mean I'd.... love to have a 5e3 or a Jtm 45 but that might get too loud and pricey for home only use.
besides getting better I want to get out of the pc simulation thing, I want an amp that I turn on and play without any other distractions, I'm amp-less at the moment and play trough pc.

doesn't need to be new but no crappy stuff,
needs to have at least reverb,
master volume eventually depending on the amp
no boxy sounding amps,
no desktop amps,
no amp pedals,
tubes ? .. I'd love to but maybe not for this application..

Take it as a reference only: I've seen on YT Marshall JTM studio & Tone kink Falcon Grande, but those are real proper amps and to pricey for my pockets, but I love the sounds they produce.

What do you amp experts suggest ? I've stopped looking at gear and not up to speed, again the goal is get off the pc

Thanks !

 

[Stingfan73]

Howdy,

So I'm looking for a practice amp, I mean I'd.... love to have a 5e3 or a Jtm 45 but that might get too loud and pricey for home only use.
besides getting better I want to get out of the pc simulation thing, I want an amp that I turn on and play without any other distractions, I'm amp-less at the moment and play trough pc.

doesn't need to be new but no crappy stuff,
needs to have at least reverb,
master volume eventually depending on the amp
no boxy sounding amps,
no desktop amps,
no amp pedals,
tubes ? .. I'd love to but maybe not for this application..

Take it as a reference only: I've seen on YT Marshall JTM studio & Tone kink Falcon Grande, but those are real proper amps and to pricey for my pockets, but I love the sounds they produce.

What do you amp experts suggest ? I've stopped looking at gear and not up to speed, again the goal is get off the pc

Thanks !

At some

Howdy,

So I'm looking for a practice amp, I mean I'd.... love to have a 5e3 or a Jtm 45 but that might get too loud and pricey for home only use.
besides getting better I want to get out of the pc simulation thing, I want an amp that I turn on and play without any other distractions, I'm amp-less at the moment and play trough pc.

doesn't need to be new but no crappy stuff,
needs to have at least reverb,
master volume eventually depending on the amp
no boxy sounding amps,
no desktop amps,
no amp pedals,
tubes ? .. I'd love to but maybe not for this application..

Take it as a reference only: I've seen on YT Marshall JTM studio & Tone kink Falcon Grande, but those are real proper amps and to pricey for my pockets, but I love the sounds they produce.

What do you amp experts suggest ? I've stopped looking at gear and not up to speed, again the goal is get off the pc

Thanks !

At some point, EVERY amp (guitar, or bass, or otherwise) is a compromise. It just depends on what you're willing to compromise- even the vaunted Dumble and money-no-object amps have compromise. You can't outspend compromise. Right now, one of their compromises is the out of the universe price and availability. So... no amp is so compromising as a PRACTICE amp. Approach accordingly.

I love my 1974 Silverface Fender Champ. Small. Lightweight. Sounds great. Great volume control. Tube. Inspiring to play/makes me want to play it. No reverb though. Compromise. I use a pedal for that. Look for one that has reverb. Giggable in the right situation, and a great PRACTICE amp.

 

[Jon S.]

Surprised we’re 4 pages in and I’m the first to recommend the Quilter Cub.

 

[Happy Enchilada]

OK, one last time ...
THE ONLY AMP YOU'LL EVER NEED:
Blues Cube Stage

Nice Fenderish tone.
Usable reverb & gain.
2 channels with master volume.
Wattage selector switch lets you go from "bedroom" to "outdoor gig" volume.
Same tone all the way up and down.
60 Watts of LOUD when you need it.
12" speaker lets you keep up with a drummer.
Roland product and SS, so it's built for the real world.

And best of all - available around $500 gently used @ Reverb.

This based on 60 years playing and dozens of amps.

 

[David PNW]

Howdy,

So I'm looking for a practice amp, I mean I'd.... love to have a 5e3 or a Jtm 45 but that might get too loud and pricey for home only use.
besides getting better I want to get out of the pc simulation thing, I want an amp that I turn on and play without any other distractions, I'm amp-less at the moment and play trough pc.

doesn't need to be new but no crappy stuff,
needs to have at least reverb,
master volume eventually depending on the amp
no boxy sounding amps,
no desktop amps,
no amp pedals,
tubes ? .. I'd love to but maybe not for this application..

Take it as a reference only: I've seen on YT Marshall JTM studio & Tone kink Falcon Grande, but those are real proper amps and to pricey for my pockets, but I love the sounds they produce.

What do you amp experts suggest ? I've stopped looking at gear and not up to speed, again the goal is get off the pc

Thanks !

I have multiple amps, the Blues Jr, Kind of expensive new, you could use at a gig or small venue, great Fender tone, with reverb. Some say it is boxy sounding, but most amps small do not have the room to breathe in a small cabinet. For home and maybe playing with others, go for a Katana 50 watt Gen 3 new $349. Multiple voices and built in effects, enough to keep you interested. I have an old Roland Cube 30. 7 voices and a 10 inch speaker. The Katana has 12 voices & a 12 inch speaker. Now it also depends on the guitar. These amps sound great with single coil & humbuckers. I have the Cube amp sitting by my computer. Solid state for home is great, although most of my amps are tubes, the SS sounds good for doing most venues with enough volume up or down to please most players. If you wanted, you could use pedals on the Katana, but mostly not necessary. For the Cost of the amp, I would buy new, you could pay more for a pedal. Below is a picture of my Roland cube, 20 yrs old and still working great. Same company Boss and Roland. By the way, all the reviews I have seen are positive. Sweetwater has 4.5 rating. Also easy to carry.

Perfect for home playing, and good enough to use with a quiet band. The Katana also has a larger cabinet, open back. There are so many small amps to choose, each having its own flavor of sound, the Fenders, Vox, Marshalls, etc. each offering a small amp, but having an amp with voices, you can go from a Fender clean, to an overdriven Classic (Marshall) to a rectifier sound in one amp and effects, makes it a one stop shop.

 

[bserrill]

Fender Blues Junior
1x12 speaker, master volume, reverb, lightweight, durable, can be found at a good price used
Like a Ford or Chevy, it gets the job done

 

[David PNW]

OK, one last time ...
THE ONLY AMP YOU'LL EVER NEED:
Blues Cube Stage

View attachment 1405967

Nice Fenderish tone.
Usable reverb & gain.
2 channels with master volume.
Wattage selector switch lets you go from "bedroom" to "outdoor gig" volume.
Same tone all the way up and down.
60 Watts of LOUD when you need it.
12" speaker lets you keep up with a drummer.
Roland product and SS, so it's built for the real world.

And best of all - available around $500 gently used @ Reverb.

This based on 60 years playing and dozens of amps.

This is great for playing out, but the OP is just using the amp at home. I would still recommend the Katana 50, so many great sounding tube amps, but for home use, not really necessary. I recently purchased a Marshall 20 DSL another great little amp, but for owning only 1 amp, the Katana fits multiple styles and the cost is only $349.99 plus tax new.

 

[David PNW]

Fender Blues Junior
1x12 speaker, master volume, reverb, lightweight, durable, can be found at a good price used
Like a Ford or Chevy, it gets the job done

Yes for most players, wanting a Fender Amp, the Blue Jr. is a great little amp. I have one, modified by Bills Mods, years ago. Sounds great, but it is a 1 sound amp. Overdrive is ok. But For just buying 1 amp that can do multiple styles, for the price I still believe the Katana fits the bill. With the Blues Jr. it takes pedals well, and great for playing out. The OP wants something that can sound like a Marshall or that expensive Tone King, so for a first amp and the price, the Katana could possibly meet those requests. As I posted my Roland cube sits by my desk, and sounds great at home. Multiple voices and built in effects, Solid State, instant on, no need to heat up the tubes, no tubes to replace. Great for practice and home use. The Katana is an upgraded Roland Cube 30 which is what I use mostly at home.