Practice amps that are worth the while?

[Einhander]

Price range?

And what exactly do you mean by practice amp? You mentioned traveling. Trying to figure out what kind of solution you're looking for:

• laptop, software, and headphones (and/or monitors)
• 1x12 combo
• mini head and 112 cab
• Kemper, Helix, etc

Small amps sufficient tone for sevens. I actually solved my amp problem over the weekend. But while we are on the subject I will ask if you are a helix owner and if so thoughts?

 

[bostjan]

I've been through a hundred practice amps. None of them sound great, IMO. I've tried every one of the amps mentioned here, and, although I think they sound good for what they are, for me at least, they never sound anywhere near as good as a full sized amp.

Right now I'm using a Blackstar Fly most of the time on the go. It fits in your pocket, it sounds like hot garbage, but IMO no worse than the smallest varieties of the Katana or the Yamaha. Apps and software and so forth always has some sort of a catch that makes it unusable for me. If you have an apple product, maybe iRig would still be a viable way to go, but that was cool nearly a decade ago. I got the version for android and it is terrible.

Like @budda said, it's a practice rig, so don't waste your time obsessing over it.

 

[Wucan]

I have a Boss Katana and I like it very much, but I agree with criticism that it can get muddy - specially if you're trying to make use of extended range like most of us here. You'll need to spend some time tweaking the tone to get more acceptable sounds.

I don't have a THR but every metal demo I've seen of it has sounded great with minimal work necessary to dial in a good tone.

 

[Hoss632]

I vote for boss katana. I've heard the yamaha amp folks keep throwing around in here and to me it just sounds like shit. I've got a katana 100 2x12 and it sounds great. Outside of that I'd say if you have a solid computer invest in an amp plug in. Much more compact and will sound pretty much like your favorite tube amps with as good as most of them are now days.

 

[MFB]

You're comparing a 100W Katana 2x12 combo to a 20W 2x3" portable amp; gee, I can only wonder why one might sound better?

(even though I still think all the Katanas don't sound that great)

 

[budda]

I'll say it again:

The amp that lets you hear your mistakes is a decent practice amp. If you want great tone at low volumes, get a 5150 (heh) or go digital.

 

[Emperoff]

I will never understand why everyone bashed Boss GT modelling for ages but the Katana gets amazing reviews. It's exactly the same as the GT-100/GT-1, which in turn is pretty much the same as the GT-10, GT-8, and so on. I had two friends one buying the Katana and the other the Yamaha. Guess which one kept the amp

The Yamaha sounds so much better. They're very different concepts, though. The Yamaha is the best practice amp around (which is what you asked). The Katana is just a decent budget amp.

If you want something like the Katana (proper amp size, but cheap). The Spider Valves were way, way better. Not only the digital modelling was better, but they also had an actual tube poweramp that you can use with other stuff, and real speakers. If they get too loud just get whatever pedal with a volume control in the loop to tame it down. They're dirt cheap used.

Or just get a Mooer GE150 and plug it anywhere.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

I really like my Peavy Vypyr VIP 2 as a practice amp. Versatile, sounds good (for the price and versatility), and most importantly for me it can reproduce high gain / high distortion rock/metal tones at very low volumes (especially if you tame the volume with the Sanpera pedal).
The stock speaker cone is almost certainly the weakest part of the chain (but not bad), so I would consider upgrading that before replacing the amp, if I ever start to become dissatisfied with it. The amp sounds very different through my Grado headphones!

Years ago, I made the mistake of buying a 100W Marshall JCM 900 2x12" combo and couldn't get anywhere near the tones I wanted without cranking the volume way beyond bedroom levels. I really should have done more research before buying that amp haha! Now I'm too apprehensive to risk getting a valve amp for home use.

Edit: If you really want valve, one of the older (pre-VIP) Vypyr "Tube" models could be a good option. I imagine they're relatively cheap on the used market.

 

[Drew]

My Mesa Mark V through a 4x12 is the best practice amp I've ever used. If ou need something more portable, though, I still have a Tech-21 Trademark 30 kicking around for when I need something small and light to travel with, and while I've never liked active EQ, if you just leave everything flat it sounds remarkably good for the size.

 

[USMarine75]

Small amps sufficient tone for sevens. I actually solved my amp problem over the weekend. But while we are on the subject I will ask if you are a helix owner and if so thoughts?

Kemper here. Fantastic for practice and live.