If you play guitar, then you know how important it is to get your rig together. Amps, pedals, speakers, modelers, whatever your choices involve, they literally give sound to your ideas. Once you’re comfortable with your live or studio rig, it’s important to have that same level of comfort when you practice.
There are many ways to practice effectively through modelers, headphones, studio monitors, etc., but I want to focus on the less-techy, self-contained practice amp. Practice amps have the advantage of being compact, lightweight, fuss-free, and volume friendly, so you can practice pretty much anywhere. They’re great for working on a new lick or technique, learning a song, checking out a new pedal, or writing music whenever and wherever the inspiration strikes.
How do you choose a practice amp? For me, I want an amp that sounds and responds like my main stage amp, scaled down to house-friendly levels. I also want it to be reliable and consistent, without having to sink a lot of cash into it. With those criteria in mind, here are eight under-$200, plug-and-play practice solutions, in no particular order. Although similar, they each have unique qualities that might make you choose one over the other. All of these are best sellers because they do what they’re supposed to do.
Marshall MG15GR and MG15GFX
If you want a scaled-down Marshall experience, the MG15s will provide it. They achieve this by using a few tricks, such as Frequency Dependent Damping. If your main rig is based around a Marshall amp, then definitely check these out. The MG15GR has clean and overdrive channels plus reverb. For a few more bucks, the MG15GFX offers four gain modes and adds five effects and a tuner.
Fender Champion 20
If Fender clean tones are your thing, the Champion is your amp. With four modes, the mid-and-higher-gain tones are satisfying too. This is a well-voiced amp with a range of added effects that you can select by simply turning a knob.
Orange Crush 20RT
In the same spirit, Orange amps have a particular sound and feel that carries through the entire line, all the way to the Crush 20RT. Details such as a 4-stage preamp ensure the Crush 20RT has the Orange sound and feel. It even has the same control aesthetics as their other amps, so it will be familiar to Orange owners. The added tuner is a nice touch.
BOSS Katana Mini
At a whopping 2.6 lbs., the BOSS Katana Mini is the smallest, lightest, simplest, and least-expensive option on this list. However, the Katana platform provides awesome big-amp performance in all its amp sizes, and the Mini is no exception. It can also be operated using six AA batteries.
If your main rig is more about amp modeling, presets, and deep parameter editing, then the next three amps will give you that same flexibility and control while staying in the portable self-contained format.
Fender Mustang LT25
Mustang has been a successful modeling platform for Fender. The LT25 comes preloaded with a “30 greatest hits” list of preset tones and USB connectivity for direct recording.
Blackstar ID:Core 10
The attribute that sets the Blackstar ID:Core 10 apart from the others is that it’s stereo, utilizing two 5-watt amps and two 3″ speakers internally. It has six amp voices and 12 effects, plus a phone-ready TRRS aux jack that allows you to connect audio from your media library to jam with, or capture performances directly. Its app lets you edit and store sounds, as well as change speaker cabinets and mic placement.
Line 6 Spider V 20 MkII
Line 6 has been using amp modeling longer than almost anyone, and this Spider V 20 amp utilizes that experience by offering over 200 iconic-rig and artist-designed sounds that are fully tweakable. There’s also a full-range speaker system that sounds good playing full mixes, amp models, or acoustic guitar. You can also switch to Classic Speaker mode, which defeats the high-frequency driver and gives more of a standard guitar-amp response.
Whether you’re a beginning guitarist looking for the right amp to start out with, a longtime guitar enthusiast who has the desire to get better on the instrument, or a pro player who needs an easy solution for practicing, a practice amp is worth a serious look. And it makes a great holiday gift to yourself!
