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mini amps

bertanbertan Posts: 266
edited November 2006 in Musicians and Gearheads
hi there,

i'm interested in buying a mini amp to practice and because i love the concept :) could you recommend something? for me, the most important thing is the sound quality rather than loudness.

thanks
"hey na na na na hey that's something"

30.09.2006 Athens | 18.06.2007 London | 18.08.2009 London | 05.07.2014 Werchter | 17.07.2018 London | 08.07.2022 London
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Comments

  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    bertan wrote:
    hi there,

    i'm interested in buying a mini amp to practice and because i love the concept :) could you recommend something? for me, the most important thing is the sound quality rather than loudness.

    thanks


    The love pedal vintage is pretty nice.

    more expensive would be the zvex nano

    the Boss Microcube is pretty cool.

    If you really want a cheap battery amp Lil Smokies (built in cigarette packs are pretty fun)

    oh and then if you want to spend around $400 check out Bumbox amps

    http://www.orangeamps.com/crush/microcrush/newindex.htm

    and this one too. Love Orange.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • bertanbertan Posts: 266
    Pacomc79 wrote:
    The love pedal vintage is pretty nice.

    more expensive would be the zvex nano

    the Boss Microcube is pretty cool.

    If you really want a cheap battery amp Lil Smokies (built in cigarette packs are pretty fun)

    oh and then if you want to spend around $400 check out Bumbox amps

    http://www.orangeamps.com/crush/microcrush/newindex.htm

    and this one too. Love Orange.

    no i really don't wanna spend more than 70-80 dolars actually, it's a mini :D how about marshall's?
    "hey na na na na hey that's something"

    30.09.2006 Athens | 18.06.2007 London | 18.08.2009 London | 05.07.2014 Werchter | 17.07.2018 London | 08.07.2022 London
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Hey, the marshalls might be fun. The quality sucks so don't expect greatness but hey if you are looking for a cool looking mini amp that little stack is cool. Just don't buy an MG.

    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Hiwatt-Bulldog-10W-Guitar-Amplifier?sku=485011 that one's cool. Bigger than micro though.

    That little fender battery tonemaster might be fun as well.

    Sorry I guess I misunderstood what you were looking for.

    the little vox's are cool too but if you just want micro the little marshall battery stacks should be fun.

    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/product/reviews/base_pid=482816/rpp=10/
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • HailHailVitalogyHailHailVitalogy Posts: 5,204
    NO NOT THE MARSHALL MG SERIES!!!

    Good lord do not purchase anything from that line!!

    Ok, on that note...the Orange Crush series is pretty nice, I got to play a 15 watt version at a store, and it was a nice little practice amp, sounded good too for a little solid state...on ebay they go for less than 100$, they have a 10 watt version too
    2003: Uniondale, MSG x2 | 2004: Reading | 2005: Gorge, Vancouver, Philly | 2006: East Rutherford x2, Gorge x2, Camden 1, Hartford | 2008: MSG x2, VA Beach | 2009: Philly x3 | 2010: MSG x2, Bristow | 2011: Alpine Valley x2 | 2012: MIA Philly | 2013: Wrigley, Charlottesville, Brooklyn 2 | 2014: Milan, Amsterdam 1 | 2016: MSG x2, Fenway x2, Wrigley 2 | 2018: Rome, Krakow, Berlin, Wrigley 2 | 2021: Sea Hear Now | 2022: San Diego, LA x2, MSG, Camden, Nashville, St. Louis, Denver | 2023: St. Paul 1, Chicago x2, Fort Worth x2, Austin 2 | 2024: Las Vegas 1, Seattle x2, Indy, MSG x2, Philly x2, Baltimore, Ohana 2
  • bertanbertan Posts: 266
    Pacomc79 wrote:
    Hey, the marshalls might be fun. The quality sucks so don't expect greatness but hey if you are looking for a cool looking mini amp that little stack is cool. Just don't buy an MG.

    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Hiwatt-Bulldog-10W-Guitar-Amplifier?sku=485011 that one's cool. Bigger than micro though.

    That little fender battery tonemaster might be fun as well.

    Sorry I guess I misunderstood what you were looking for.

    the little vox's are cool too but if you just want micro the little marshall battery stacks should be fun.

    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/product/reviews/base_pid=482816/rpp=10/

    yeah i'm looking for the micro ones, the ones that can work with battery as well :) i live in the dorms and the walls are quite thin. i don't need a loud amp, and i have a 15watt marshall back at home. so i just need a practice amp and the micro stacks look fun :) sorry if i didn't make myself clear.

    do you know how much is the orange micro crush?
    HailHailVitalogy wrote:
    NO NOT THE MARSHALL MG SERIES!!!

    Good lord do not purchase anything from that line!!

    Ok, on that note...the Orange Crush series is pretty nice, I got to play a 15 watt version at a store, and it was a nice little practice amp, sounded good too for a little solid state...on ebay they go for less than 100$, they have a 10 watt version too

    wow, that bad? it got pretty good reviews at musicians friend.
    "hey na na na na hey that's something"

    30.09.2006 Athens | 18.06.2007 London | 18.08.2009 London | 05.07.2014 Werchter | 17.07.2018 London | 08.07.2022 London
  • senninsennin Posts: 2,146
    I played on a Vox DA5 at Guitar Center....it was pretty fun!
  • seanw1010seanw1010 Posts: 1,205
    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Pro-Junior-Combo-Amp?sku=480861 - very nice amp. my friend has one, and thats what he uses when we practice. it is also surprisingly loud. i like how simple it is. ive actually been looking at one to use for practice sessions, instead of lugging my supersonic around, ill save that for the concerts.
    they call them fingers, but i never see them fing. oh, there they go
  • keeponrockinkeeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    What about those new little epis?
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • seanw1010seanw1010 Posts: 1,205
    keeponrockin wrote:
    What about those new little epis?
    the valve jrs.? theyre pretty nice too, but theyre heads
    they call them fingers, but i never see them fing. oh, there they go
  • moster78moster78 Posts: 1,591
    seanw1010 wrote:
    the valve jrs.? theyre pretty nice too, but theyre heads

    They make a combo too.
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    moster78 wrote:
    They make a combo too.


    the combo sounds weak. i was disappointed.

    but i bet the head, through the right cab, would sound pretty cool.
  • moster78moster78 Posts: 1,591
    exhausted wrote:
    the combo sounds weak. i was disappointed.

    but i bet the head, through the right cab, would sound pretty cool.

    Someone posted a link here awhile back about a mod kit for the Epi Jr's that made them sing.
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    yeah. mercury magnetics.

    i asked my wife to buy me the valve jr. head for xmas. then i will see about the upgrades.

    a low stakes, fun project i figure.
  • moster78moster78 Posts: 1,591
    exhausted wrote:
    yeah. mercury magnetics.

    i asked my wife to buy me the valve jr. head for xmas. then i will see about the upgrades.

    a low stakes, fun project i figure.

    Sounds like it. Let us know how it turns out if you do.
  • DOSWDOSW Posts: 2,014
    exhausted wrote:
    the combo sounds weak. i was disappointed.

    Yes it does. I don't know if it's the speaker or what, but it sounds horrible to my ears. It's really cheap though, so you get what you pay for.

    But yeah, mods would help, I'm sure.
    It's a town full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win
  • All Those YesterdaysAll Those Yesterdays Posts: 2,723
    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-Valve-Junior-Combo-Amp?sku=480260

    I actually prefer the head. Couple mods and your in business.
    E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06, 14 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy (1&2) 11, Chicago 13, Detroit 14

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  • DeLukinDeLukin Posts: 2,757
    All Those Yesterdays wrote:
    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-Valve-Junior-Combo-Amp?sku=480260

    I thought I was also in the market for a mini amp a few months ago. The problem is to get a nice one you have to pay almost as much as a "regular" practice amp. I ended up going with this:

    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-25R-Frontman-Series-II-Guitar-Combo?sku=480669

    It's is just as expensive as the 5W epiphone. Granted, it's not battery powered but it is small enough for a dorm room and you get so much more as far as quality, features, etc. I am completely pleased with it.
    I smile, but who am I kidding...
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    bertan wrote:
    yeah i'm looking for the micro ones, the ones that can work with battery as well :) i live in the dorms and the walls are quite thin. i don't need a loud amp, and i have a 15watt marshall back at home. so i just need a practice amp and the micro stacks look fun :) sorry if i didn't make myself clear.

    do you know how much is the orange micro crush?



    wow, that bad? it got pretty good reviews at musicians friend.


    Orange Crush is between 70 and 99 dollars I think. check musictoyz.com

    The Marshall MG series is built in Korea. I used to sell them but I refused unless everything else was out of thier price range. Crate builds a better cheap amp. Peavy builds better cheap amps. Everyone builds better cheap amps. The two worst amp lines of all time quality wise IMHO are the Marshall MG series and the Fender Dynatouch series.

    The worst I've ever seen. The quality control on those is attrocious.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • All Those YesterdaysAll Those Yesterdays Posts: 2,723
    exhausted wrote:
    yeah. mercury magnetics.

    i asked my wife to buy me the valve jr. head for xmas. then i will see about the upgrades.

    a low stakes, fun project i figure.


    about $30 later, and it sounds fantastic, and quiet as can be, the majority of the cost was a bigger transformer.

    Of course you can bargin guitar center down to sell just the head for $80
    E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06, 14 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy (1&2) 11, Chicago 13, Detroit 14

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  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    $300 for the mercury kit to mod it. hmmmm. maybe not such a good idea after all.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    exhausted wrote:
    $300 for the mercury kit to mod it. hmmmm. maybe not such a good idea after all.


    Unless it's a tone monster, then again you could do the same with a pro jr.

    The trannies supposedly make a tremendous difference in the tone.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • All Those YesterdaysAll Those Yesterdays Posts: 2,723
    Pacomc79 wrote:
    Unless it's a tone monster, then again you could do the same with a pro jr.

    The trannies supposedly make a tremendous difference in the tone.

    I'll get the manufacturer my buddy bought for his, we are going a replica of the same mods on mine.

    The difference in tone was night and day. Now he is messing with resistors.

    The heads are really good right out of the box (for the price). Pretty quiet (considering the cost), and a good tone. He has only dumped $30 in it and that thing is money. He is running it thru a single 10" cab, and I'm going to go thru a "roomie" 2 x12.

    You know that thing even takes pedals well (which we all know how that can go sometimes with a small amp). OCD that bad boy, or the '69 in front of it (or both), turn it up to about 6 or 7, and its good as gold.

    If you do a lot of home recording its a good tone to have. That and a gibson minuteman!!!!!
    E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06, 14 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy (1&2) 11, Chicago 13, Detroit 14

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  • bertanbertan Posts: 266
    thanks everyone, lots of good tips there, i'll visit a musicstore and try some amps with your tips in my mind :) if you have other ideas, please feel free to shoot :) thank you

    -bertan
    "hey na na na na hey that's something"

    30.09.2006 Athens | 18.06.2007 London | 18.08.2009 London | 05.07.2014 Werchter | 17.07.2018 London | 08.07.2022 London
  • who's_pearljam?who's_pearljam? Posts: 2,104
    I think the Roland Microcube.

    It uses batteries or wall power. It has some built in effects and is tiny. (Like 8"X8" or so) and sounds pretty good. It has a 5 inch speaker, so that's a bit limited, but you can plug it into a cabinet and it sounds pretty amazing.
    It also has a headphone out so you can bypass the speaker altogether.

    I have that little Lovepedal 1/2 watt amp and its a bit disappointing. It only uses the 9 volt batteries and doesn't have a wall power jack.
    Also no volume control, and it's pretty loud!
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