The best portable guitar amps

[Securb]

I am thinking about doing a column on the best portable amps and would love the input of the forum members. An amp you can pick up with one hand and easily transport but is still powerful enough to get over the drums and gig with. Of course, the Deluxe Reverb is at the top of the list but I am looking for other amps that might be budget-priced, feature full or quirky in some way. Something a New Yorker could carry on the subway or bus.

[jeremy]

i have a 5f2 (tweed princeton) kit amp in a 1x10 cab that is awesome and light. its only 5w, volume and tone controls, but it sounds and feels amazing. granted i have a very efficient speaker in it, a weber alnico, getting over a drummer with a clean sound would be a challenge for anything but a jazz gig though. i usually run the volume most of the way up for gigs and use the guitar volume to control the amount of dirt

[Hsb]

Katana would top the list.

[Fender_Punk]

Fender Blues Junior has to be mentioned. One of the most gigged amps by weekend warriors for it's great tone in a small, light combo.

Vox AC10 and AC15 are popular pedal platform amps, especially amongst indie bands.

Peavey Classic 30 is slightly larger and heavier but another highly gigged amp in small bars and clubs.

Orange Tiny Terror for the metal heads!

[Inflames626]

Katana would top the list.

Katana seems to be what is pushed now for this purpose. I am looking for a practice amp for my non-PC room, preferably something new that can get a variety of sounds and not a standby from days gone by.

The problem is as you go up in price more features are added. You think, "Well if it's going to only be a few hundred I'll get a better value by going up the chain." Then you end up paying as much for a practice amp as you would for a low to mid tier gigging amp.

Yamaha THRs and Positive Grid Sparks also seem popular in this category.

[Hsb]

Forgot to add, the H&K 18 or 20 watters on the used market are great. I have one of the 18 watters, sounds really good, can get very loud, very quickly. I didnt pay much more for that than a new Katana.

I thought about the Sparks for my first response as well but he did mention keeping up a with a drummer and in a gig, so I ruled it. Spark, THRs could work if you are using a mic and a pa for it though

[ehdwuld]

Katana seems to be what is pushed now for this purpose. I am looking for a practice amp for my non-PC room, preferably something new that can get a variety of sounds and not a standby from days gone by.

The problem is as you go up in price more features are added. You think, "Well if it's going to only be a few hundred I'll get a better value by going up the chain." Then you end up paying as much for a practice amp as you would for a low to mid tier gigging amp.

Yamaha THRs and Positive Grid Sparks also seem popular in this category.

most modeling amps fit this very well

I have the Peavey VIP2 40 watt 1x12 it can play out

Roland Cube 30 works but struggles at volume with loud drummmers

one of the Positive Grid offers would work the 40 watt Spark should work well, I have the Spark GO and it fits in the gig bag with the guitar and is great for a hotel rig

the BlackStar St James is designed just to be light and great sounding

with that said I have the H&K Tubemaster 20 and it is awesome. pair a neo loaded cab and it is very portable

but bear with me, at the crux of the issue is portability

I think a grab and go amp probably should be a combo of some sort

my choice would be the Stage Right / Monoprice 15 watter with a speaker change
15 watts of tube amp will be plenty of stage volume

[Inflames626]

most modeling amps fit this very well

I have the Peavey VIP2 40 watt 1x12 it can play out

Roland Cube 30 works but struggles at volume with loud drummmers

one of the Positive Grid offers would work the 40 watt Spark should work well, I have the Spark GO and it fits in the gig bag with the guitar and is great for a hotel rig

the BlackStar St James is designed just to be light and great sounding

with that said I have the H&K Tubemaster 20 and it is awesome. pair a neo loaded cab and it is very portable

with all that said

I think a grab and go amp probably should be a combo of some sort

my choice would be the Stage Right / Monoprice 15 watter with a speaker change
15 watts of tube amp will be plenty of stage volume

In this category, it's hard to find a good middle ground between "toy" and "amp."

You see the 1x12" and say, "I might as well get the 2x12". I'll never know when I may need the extra volume."

Until you just buy the flagship rig and defeat your purpose of trying to go small and cheap. Because while the small was nice, it still somehow felt cheap unless you went go for more features.

[ehdwuld]

In this category, it's hard to find a good middle ground between "toy" and "amp."

You see the 1x12" and say, "I might as well get the 2x12". I'll never know when I may need the extra volume."

Until you just buy the flagship rig and defeat your purpose of trying to go small and cheap. Because while the small was nice, it still somehow felt cheap unless you went go for more features.

Yeah
I don't do that

I have a head and two 1x12 cabs
One cab is 1x15 with an adapter ring

Its all modular

I also have several combos and modelers that can plug straight into a PA and sound good

the bane of my quest for a hotel rig
Was as soon as i find what will be the best compromise amp
A Blackstar BEAM 20 watt
Positve Grid comes out with the GO literally the week it shows up

The GO was my grab and go hotel rig
They now have the Powered Cab that will make the hotel Rig a gigging rig

Yea thats gonna be my vote

Positive Grid something with that powered cab

Great sounding

[Securb]

They now have the Powered Cab that will make the hotel Rig a gigging rig

Didn't even think of this route. Something small like a Headrush MX5 with a JBL EON 10 or 12 and you could play anything from a coffee shop to Madison Square Garden.

[ehdwuld]

Didn't even think of this route. Something small like a Headrush MX5 with a JBL EON 10 or 12 and you could play anything from a coffee shop to Madison Square Garden.

Super light weight
modular
Scalable

Win win win

Like i said the Spark go is in the gig bag for the hotel
A small Zoom pedal could be there
Head rush
Any number of modeler
And a powered cab

some venues may even have one for you

[Mincer]

Yeah
I don't do that

I have a head and two 1x12 cabs
One cab is 1x15 with an adapter ring

Its all modular

I also have several combos and modelers that can plug straight into a PA and sound good

the bane of my quest for a hotel rig
Was as soon as i find what will be the best compromise amp
A Blackstar BEAM 20 watt
Positve Grid comes out with the GO literally the week it shows up

The GO was my grab and go hotel rig
They now have the Powered Cab that will make the hotel Rig a gigging rig

Yea thats gonna be my vote

Positive Grid something with that powered cab

Great sounding

I have a Spark Mini, and now I want to get the powered cab. It seems like a great idea.

[Coma]

You could get one of those Mooer mini pedals and hook it up to the PA. Then you've basically an amp that fits in your pocket.

If we're talking something with its own power stage then there's the Engl Ironball. I picked mine up used (non SE-version) for €400. Dirt channel sucks but it kicks ass clean. Can easily be lugged around in one hand. But that's just the head.

If you want an all-in-one solution, then we're talking combos. I'm guessing solid state, as anything with tubes in it is going to come with at the very least a ten inch speaker, and at that point it's probably already too large to just carry around over any significant stretches, even more so if you're looking for something loud enough to overpower a drummer.

[Hsb]

Didn't even think of this route. Something small like a Headrush MX5 with a JBL EON 10 or 12 and you could play anything from a coffee shop to Madison Square Garden.

Love my little MX5, use that with headphones more than I do my Jube or little H&K 18 watter. Even ised it thru my Jube for some diff tones, I dig.

MX5 or a Pod Go with an frfr speaker, you are golden

[Inflames626]

Someone may have mentioned the smaller kinds of speakers made by Positive Grid and others. These are hi fi as opposed to proper guitar speakers.

Ola Englund took a look at these and tended to favor outright guitar speakers instead. Just another reason to go up the price chain.

Again, it's hard to find a sweet spot between "toy" and "amp" in this segment. Splurging on a top end Katana could be a solid end down payment on a used Axe FX or Kemper and be a good investment toward a proper stripped down touring rig.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wxuqRXHP7U