The best mini guitar amps
“Can you please turn the music down?”
These are words that every guitarist dreads. Whether you’re practicing for a gig, performance, or just polishing techniques, nothing gets in the way of your flow like noise complaints from neighbors. You can’t blame people for complaining about loud music, so, the best solution is to change your guitar amp.
Mini guitar amps are known to provide great tone and sound quality without being too loud. These amplifiers are great for practice since they are easily moved around, have a decent tone, and some even come with built-in effects!
On top of producing less noise, mini guitar amps cost less and use less electricity than large combo amplifiers. So, if you’re looking to save money but still get killer tones and polish your guitar playing, a mini guitar amp might be the right choice for you.
Finding the right model can be really tough. There are different models from a bunch of different brands all around the internet, so narrowing down your options is not easy. But with our list of the best mini guitar amps on 2022, you’ll find that making the right choice will be much easier for you.
Best overall
Roland Micro Cube GX 3W Mini Guitar Amp
Roland Micro Cube GX 3W Mini Guitar Amp
Any guitarist looking for a quality micro-amp would enjoy the Micro Cube. Whether you’re a beginner looking to learn the ropes, or a professional looking for a simple practice amp, the Roland Micro Cube will do the job very well.
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We kick off our list with the Rolan Micro Cube. Most guitarists will already be familiar with the Roland Cube, considering it’s one of the top amplifiers in the market today. The Rolan Micro Cube isn’t too different from its larger relative, with the main difference being that the Micro Cube is only 3W.
The amp’s dimensions are 9.7’’ x 8.9’’x 6.7’’, making it very portable. So, guitarists can store it in a small corner of their room when not in use, and easily bring it around with them if they have a jam or performance. It has a small, 5’’ speaker which is loud enough for practice and for jamming with friends, but it will not be loud enough for gigs, so keep that in mind.
The Rolan Micro Cube comes packed with different built-in effects such as chorus, reverb, flanger, delay, and tremolo, which gives guitarists enough room to experiment with a bunch of different sounds. On top of all that, it also comes with an amp modeler so you can select different tones and amp presets for different types of music.
Best affordable
Blackstar FLY 3 Mini Guitar Amp
Blackstar FLY 3 Mini Guitar Amp
Guitarists looking for a simple practice amp will enjoy using this Blackstar model. It’s an ideal pick for beginners because it is simple, easy to use, but allows guitarists to experiment and create their own unique tones.
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Our next entry comes from Blackstar, another brand known for making great amps. This model is a 3W mini amp, perfect for guitarists looking for a practice amplifier. Since it’s so small, it won’t be loud enough when jamming with a full band, which is why this model is best for solo practice.
This amp is a very simple model, with four knobs for delay, EQ, gain, and volume. Guitarists can tweak and experiment with the knobs to come up with really unique and great-sounding tones. However, since the EQ is only controlled by one knob, you don’t have too much control over the sound, which isn’t too big of an issue if you use the amp for practice.
This amp has an output for headphones, so if you’d like to practice and jam out quietly, you can do it by simply plugging in your headphones into the amp. And if you want to practice with a jam track, you can use an aux cable to connect your phone, tablet, or computer.
Best under $200
Yamaha THR5 Mini Guitar Amp
Yamaha THR5 Mini Guitar Amp
This is a great amp for any acoustic guitarist. While it’s too small for gigs, it’s a great practice amp that you can even bring to jams to create detailed and delicate tones ideal for any genre.
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When shopping for a mini guitar amp, it’s best to set a price range so that you can easily narrow down your options. This Yamaha model is one of the best ones in its price range, offering acoustic guitarists a great way to amplify their instrument. Keep in mind that this is an ACOUSTIC guitar amplifier, so your electric guitar might not sound that good when plugged into it.
The THR5 features a very nice design, with a gold and black colorway. This amp is designed to be used with Yamaha acoustic and silent guitars, as it’s tailor-made to produce a great tone with these instruments. However, since it’s made with great craftsmanship, this would be an ideal amp for just about any acoustic guitar.
The amp has a nice built-in handle that allows guitarists to easily carry it with them when needed and has a wide variety of knobs that control different features. For example, it can model the sound of different mics, it has a couple of built-in effects, and you can even control how much the amp blends your guitar’s tone and the amp’s tone.
Best premium
Fishman PRO-LBT-500 Loudbox Mini Guitar Amp
Fishman PRO-LBT-500 Loudbox Mini Guitar Amp
If you’re a musician who sings and plays acoustic guitar at the same time, this Fishman amp is the one for you. It’s a great companion for busking or gigs, and you can even use it to experiment with unique tones on your acoustic guitar!
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Fishman is a company known for producing great pick-ups for acoustic guitars. Because of this, most people aren’t aware of how good their acoustic guitar amps are. Again, keep in mind that this model is an acoustic amplifier, so electric guitars will not work too well with this amp.
It has a classic rustic design that features nice brown and cream tones and has a variety of knobs that guitarists can tweak to create unique tones. Another great feature of this amp is that you can plug in a microphone as well, making it a great pick for guitarists and singers.
The guitar amp comes with built-in chorus effects, and users can up the gain to add a bit more crunch to their tone. On the microphone side of the amp, you can also control gain and even add a bit of reverb for some more depth. On top of all of that, it also has Bluetooth connectivity so you can connect your phone or other Bluetooth devices to the amp and play backing tracks or use it as a speaker when you aren’t practicing!
Best with effects
Vox MINI3G2BK Mini Guitar Amp
Vox MINI3G2BK Mini Guitar Amp
This amp would be great for buskers, singer-songwriters, and guitarists looking for a versatile amp. With this VOX model, you can create and recreate a bunch of unique guitar tones, and with its mic input, you can even use it when there’s a singer around!
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VOX is a great amp brand for anyone who needs crunchy electric guitar tones. And just because this model is a mini guitar amp, doesn’t mean you can’t use it to rock out. This model is battery-powered, which allows guitarists to practice just about anywhere they are. And if you want to perform for a crowd and busk, this is also a great pick. While it might not be loud enough for large crowds, it can still work for small spaces.
One of the key features of this VOX amp is its amp modeling. There’s a knob on the top of the amp that allows users to choose from a variety of amplifier sound profiles to really get the tone they want. Guitarists can choose between a bunch of classic VOX amp sound profiles to capture the sounds they want to produce.
This amp also comes packed with a bunch of built-in effects like reverb, flanger, tremolo, chorus. Guitarists can also experiment with overdriven tones by pumping up the gain on the amp. This amplifier also has a mic input, so you can plug in your microphone and start singing along with your guitar! And on top of that, this amp also has a built-in tuner so guitarists don’t have to worry about spending a long time trying to tune their instrument.
Best for headphones
VOX amPlug AC30 Guitar Headphone Amp
VOX amPlug AC30 Guitar Headphone Amp
Guitarists who prefer practicing privately, or those that can’t blast music loudly from their rooms would really enjoy this amp. All you need to do is have a nice pair of headphones handy, plug the amp into your guitar, and start rocking!
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Not everyone has the luxury of blasting their guitar as loud as possible. Some people have roommates, neighbors, while others just prefer practicing privately. This VOX amp is perfect for silent practice.
Unlike the other amplifiers on this list, this model doesn’t have a built-in speaker. Instead, guitarists have to plug their guitar and headphones into the amp and rock out while the music blasts through their headphones. One downside to this is that you’re going to need a quality pair of headphones to really get the full potential of this amp.
It’s battery-powered and fits in your pocket. This is one of the simplest amps on the list and it could be just the right model for you. It’s portable, easy to use, and allows you to rock out for hours on end without bugging your neighbors or roommates.
Best under $100
Orange Crush Mini Micro Guitar Amp
Orange Crush Mini Micro Guitar Amp
This amp is best for rockers on a budget. With simple controls, great sound quality, and a great design, any guitarist out there looking for a quality amp would love the Orange Crush Mini.
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The Orange brand is synonymous with so many bands. Known for their signature crunchy sound, Orange amps are fit for just about any rocker. And if you’re a budding rockstar on a budget, the Orange Crush Mini might just be the right amp for you.
Keep in mind, this is a mini amp, so you won’t be able to bring this with you to gigs, but it’s more than enough for simple jams and practicing alone. Coming in a signature bright orange tone, this amp can be a great addition to any practice or jam room out there.
It has an aux input and speaker out, so you can plug your phone into the amp and use it as a speaker while also plugging the amp into an external speaker for recordings or performances. This amp comes with three simple knobs, volume, gain, and tone. While this doesn’t give you the most control, it’s good enough for practice and simple jams.
Another cool feature is the built-in tuner. And since it’s a chromatic tuner, guitarists can also experiment with new and unique tunings without worrying about sounding out of tune.
Best with Bluetooth
NUX Mighty Lite BT Mini Guitar Amp
NUX Mighty Lite BT Mini Guitar Amp
This is a great all-around amplifier ideal for guitarists who play with backing tracks. You can connect your phone or other devices to the amp via BlueTooth or use the pre-loaded drum tracks to jam for hours on end!
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The last pick on our list comes with BlueTooth connectivity. This allows guitarists to easily connect their phones or other BlueTooth devices to the amp and rock out with a backing track or practice track.
It’s a simple amp, with four knobs. You can control the gain, volume, tone, and tweak the reverb/delay settings with knobs, which opens up a lot of opportunities for guitarists. If you’re a beginner, you’ll be glued to this amp for hours just seeing what different sounds you can get out of the amp.
This amp has built-in drum patterns and runs on batteries. So, not only is it portable, but you can also play the pre-programmed patterns and create your own unique jams and songs. It has three channels built-in which are overdrive, distortion, and clean, so guitarists will have a great time seeing what they can do with this amp.
What to look for in a good mini guitar amp
Here are the most important factors to consider when shopping for a mini guitar amp:
Tube vs Solid State vs Digital
The first consideration you’ll have to make is where your amplifier draws its power. For many decades, tube amplifiers were considered the gold standard. They are known for producing the classic electric guitar tone we’ve all grown accustomed to.
However, modern tube amps tend to cost a lot of money. That’s why when looking for a practice amp, experts recommend that beginners either get solid-state or digital amps. These amplifiers are equipped with technology that can reproduce the tone of tube amps and even produce newer, more modern sounds.
While tube amps sound nice, they can be impractical for beginners who just need a practice amp. So, if you’re looking for more tone variety and lesser costs, we recommend that you look at the solid-state and digital amps on the market.
Wattage
Another thing to consider is wattage. For a mini guitar amp, 3-15 watts would be fine. However, amps with lower wattage have lower power outputs, which could potentially affect tone and volume.
If all you plan on doing with your mini guitar amp is practice alone in your room, you can get an amp with very low wattage. Low wattage also means that you use less power, so you can save on electricity. However, if you plan on bringing your amp with you to jams with friends, we recommend getting an amp between 10-20 watts for the best results.
Effects
Some mini guitar amps out there come with a preamp, while some don’t. Others might have built-in effects like distortion, chorus, overdrive, and reverb. These additional features aren’t required, but they can give guitarists more variety when it comes to the sounds they can make.
Ideally, it would be nice to get your hands on a mini guitar amp with an equalizer and built-in overdrive. This gives you a lot of control over the sound the amp produces, which can also help beginners understand how to produce great guitar tones.
With that said, amps with built-in effects tend to cost more than amps without them. So, if you’re looking to save money and already have a couple of effects pedals in your collection, then you don’t need to get an amp with extra built-in effects.
Additional outputs
If all you plan on using the amp for is practice in your room, you might not need additional outputs. With that said, it might be beneficial if the amp had a headphone output so that you can practice in silence and privacy without bugging neighbors with the noise.
If you plan on using a mini guitar amp for studio sessions and jams, it would be nice to have an additional output. That way, you can plug the amp into another cabinet or speaker if you need a volume boost or plug it into a recording interface so you can record the sounds coming out of your amp cleanly.
Tone
Lastly, we recommend getting an amp that can produce a tone that YOU enjoy. To only real way to test out the tone of the is to plug your guitar in and try playing it. If you get the opportunity to test out the amp, we recommend doing it with your favorite guitar. That way, you can hear the combination of the two and decide if you like the tone or not.
Everyone has different tastes when it comes to tone, which is why we always recommend trying a guitar amp out before buying it.
FAQ
Is a 3-watt amp good?
3-watt guitar amps will be okay for practicing alone in your room. However, since they have such low wattage, they won’t be able to produce the best or loudest sound. So, if you plan on jamming with friends or using the mini guitar amp for gigs and performances, we recommend getting an amp between 15 and 30 watts.
Is the amp more important than the guitar?
When it comes to the tone of an electric guitar, the amp might actually play a bigger role than the guitar itself. The chances of getting a good tone with a bad guitar plugged into a good amp are much better than your chances when you plug in a good guitar into a lousy amp.
Are expensive guitar amps worth the money?
Yes, they are. However, it’s important to remember that an amp can only amplify the sounds you make on your guitar. So, if you aren’t that versed in different techniques on the guitar, we don’t recommend buying an expensive amp just yet. Remember, amplifiers are only as good as the player playing through it.
So, we recommend that beginners start with a budget-friendly amp and slowly upgrade their equipment as they progress with their guitar playing.
Final verdict
And with that, our list comes to an end. Everyone has their own unique tastes and preferences, especially when it comes to guitar amps.
When on the hunt for a mini guitar amp, guitarists need to factor in a lot of different things like sound quality, price, effects, and much more. If it’s your first time looking for a mini guitar amp, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. But if you make sure to put in the time to understand the type of amp you need and look through the different options, you’ll find that all the effort will be more than worth it!
And before you know it, you’ll be rocking out for hours on end in your room, living room, or at a jam room with friends using your very own mini guitar amp!
