Musicians are always cognizant of how their instruments sound and how it can be amplified. While some instruments rely on the musician’s ability to play louder or softer, others rely on amplifiers to really broadcast the sound that they’re creating. This is especially true for guitar players. Guitar players rely on a variety of equipment to have the perfect musical set-up, and their amp is one of the most important pieces. But it can be time consuming and labor-intensive to bring everything around with you all the time. Packing up your guitar is easy enough, but sometimes the amplifier that you use at home isn’t what you want to be lugging around with you when you’re playing your guitar at small gigs, outside, or at a friend’s place. In these situations, it’s helpful to have a small, portable guitar amp that you can easily bring with you. With your guitar in one hand and the portable amp in the other, you’ll be ready to play your guitar in no time with minimal set-up and hassle.
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It is definitely possible to get a quality portable guitar amp at a decent price, but it’s also time intensive to search the internet for one that’s perfect for you. So we’ve done the work and selected our picks for the best mini portable guitar amp for your money. Without further ado, take a look below for our 2020 recommendations!
Our Favorite Mini Portable Guitar Amps In 2020
If you’re a fan of classic Fender looks but want something a little bit more portable, look no further than the Fender Mini Deluxe amp. This replicates the full-size deluxe amp but at a fraction of the size and cost, but you’ll still be able to tap into that pure Fender tone that you might be craving. For portability, it has a dogbone handle, and for functionality, dedicated tone, volume, and gain controls. It has dual 2” speakers so that you can get the volume that you’re looking for, and a ¼ inch headphone jack and 9V adapter jack. Since this is battery-powered, you don’t need to worry about plugging it into anything before you can rock out to whatever songs are in your repertoire. The only downside is that it isn’t built as well as you would expect a standard-sized amp would be so you need to be a little careful with how you’re handling it, but that’s to be expect regardless of the price of the amp that you’re getting. One reviewer commented on the sound quality by saying that “what came out amazed me for the size this is (2 watts I believe). For practicing on your own or even in a house to not disturb others this is perfect (or even as a display as a collectors item). It’s super tiny but for how big it is has an impeccable sound.”
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Boss is a big name when it comes to amplifiers, and the Katana Mini is definitely reminiscent of the others in its line. For those who want something a little more advanced than a plug-and-play, this has an authentic multi-stage analog gain circuit and three-hand analog tone stack. You can choose between brown, crunch, and clean within the selector switch. The built-in tape delay sets this apart from other mini amps on the market and delivers a rich, full sound and warm ambience when you’re practicing your guitar. You have the option to run it as a battery-powered amp (it utilizes 6 AA batteries) or you can run it on a standard 9V adapter. There are on-board speakers or you can plug headphones into the headphone jack so you can practice without disturbing your roommates or neighbors. As one reviewer raved, “I am completely blown away by how great this amp sounds. And, it’s surprisingly loud. For me, the brown channel really shines. It’s just sweet goodness… This is definitely not a toy. It’s a serious amp and well worth the buy if you need a simple, portable and quality sounding amp.”
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Vox built a mini amp that is packed with options and combinations. Some of the many features that are included are modeling, compressor, flanger, chorus, reverb, and much more. If you’re unsatisfied with just simply amplifying the sound of your guitar, you can utilize the features to add tweaks and get professional-level echoes and reverbs that you wouldn’t have expected to make from your room. You can plug it directly into your computer to record your performances or practice sessions to playback at a later time, or plug in your phone, other music devices, and even microphones. There are dual power options on the Vox Mini3 as well–use the AC adapter that’s included, or use 6 AA batteries to get up to 10 hours of music enjoyment. In regards to the sound quality, one reviewer noted that “I purchased this amp about two weeks ago because of the great reviews and the portability it offers. I’ve been playing tube and hybrid amps for the past 45 years and accepted that a battery powered compact amp was going to be a huge tonal sacrifice. This amp has exceeded my expectations for sound and quality.”
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Fender starts and tops this list because of its unrivaled quality and value. In addition to the classic, uncolored Fender sound that you get from amplifying your guitar, this amp comes equipped with a wealth of effects that allow you to play with tonal coloring, textures, and atmospherics. You can fiddle with tremolo, chorus, reverb, delay, and much more to get the exact sound that you want. Aesthetically, this features digital amp modeling that draws its style from a variety of old and new amp styles. You can store extra cables and other small equipment and accessories in the open back cabinet, which adds to the portability of the Fender Champion. As a testament to the sound quality, one reviewer commented that “the range of sounds it can produce using the “voice” dial is broad and all are useful. It has a full sound unlike other small amps which can sound boxy or lack body. The tone controls give a broad sweep and the onboard effects are really really good. It’s also loud enough for small pub gigs without further amplification. For larger gigs it sounds great mic’d up through the PA. For the price this thing excels for both portability and sound quality.”
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