Picking the best practice amp to work on your guitar playing without making your neighbors or parents mad doesn’t have to be that hard. There are a bunch of different small guitar amplifiers that sound great at low volumes and are super affordable.
One of the biggest problems with finding a practice amplifier is that generally small amps don’t have very many features and don’t sound that great. That’s why we made this comparison. We’ve picked and reviewed several mini amps that have good tone, modeling capabilities, headphone jacks, and more features, so you can practice without breaking the bank.
That being said, let’s look at some of the top-rated guitar amps for practicing on the market today!
Compare the Top Practice Amplifiers in 2020 Below
Contents
- 1 Compare the Top Practice Amplifiers in 2020 Below
- 1.1 Fender Mustang I V2 20-Watt Combo Practice Amplifier
- 1.2 Peavey Vypyr VIP 1 20-Watt Amplifier
- 1.3 Marshall MG15CFX MG Series 15-Watt Practice Amp
- 1.4 Line 6 Spider Classic 15 Modeling Amplifier
- 1.5 Orange Crush12 Practice Amplifier
- 1.6 Blackstar IDCORE10 Stereo Combo Amplifier
- 1.7 Fender Frontman 10G Practice Amp
- 1.8 Vox Pathfinder Combo Practice Amplifier
- 2 What We Recommend and Why
Here is a list of the best guitar practice amps on the market today that will help you become a better player.
- Fender Mustang I V2
- Peavey Vypyr VIP
- Marshall MG15CFX MG Series
- Line 6 Spider Classic 15
- Orange Crush12
- Blackstar IDCORE10
- Fender Frontman 10G
- Vox Pathfinder
Fender Mustang I V2 20-Watt Combo Practice Amplifier
Specs, features, and benefits
Fender has been making amps since 1946! As a guitarist, you will probably stumble upon many different Fender amps in your lifetime, and you’ll probably love some of them.
The Fender Mustang I V2 is a great practice amp, providing a wide range of sounds, from the fifties to this day of age; you have it all in a small 20-Watt amp. This combo is packed with eighteen amp models, thirty-seven effects, and twenty-four presets. This is making the amplifier very versatile, and there is even more!
The Fender Mustang I V2 has an onboard control knobs for Gain, Volume, Treble, Bass, and Master. It also has an onboard tuner, Aux In, Headphones Out, and Footswitch In.
What is really making this amp stand out is the USB port, that lets you to send your audio directly into your DAW, or manipulate the amp completely with the Fender FUSE Software, and tune in your perfect sound.
This amp has one 8-Inch speaker.
Pros and Highlights
- Versatile – This amp offers a wide range of sounds. You can tune your sound just the way you want it with the onboard amp models and effects. And the USB connectivity is just amazing, offering even more!
- Great sound – This is not a surprise when it comes to Fender amps. It sounds beautiful!
- It has all the features you will ever need on a practice amp – USB port, Aux-in, Headphones out, Footswitch in, versatility… It is also very easy-to-use amp – just plug & play!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- The amp is not high-gain friendly – If you are into metal, and you just can’t go without your high-gain screaming distortion sound, this amp is not recommended. Doesn’t sound so well with high-gain settings.
Bottom line
The Fender Mustang I V2 is a great practice amp. Great for on the road – behind stage practice, for bedroom practicing, and for home recording. The amp is pretty versatile and sounds great. The USB port allows the player to have the freedom that today’s technology gives us. However, if you are into high-gain distortion guitar sound, this amp won’t be the best fit for you. Yes, it has the presets to provide you with metal distortion, but it won’t sound great.
Peavey Vypyr VIP 1 20-Watt Amplifier
Specs, features, and benefits
The Peavey Vypyr VIP 1 is a great, little practicing amp, perfect for practice and rehearsal. Multi-instrumentalists will love it – it has amp models for electric, acoustic, and bass guitar.
The amp has thirty-six amp models and twenty-five effects onboard, and sixteen presets bank. The Peavey Vypyr VIP 1 has a Headphone out, and Aux-in, but it also has a USB port, that is actually a built-in audio interface. With connecting the Amp to your computer, you can record your instrument in your DAW, and you can edit your amp presets with the Vypyr Edit Graphic User Interface software.
Also, the amp has onboard controls for volume, high, low, mid, pre-gain and post-gain with led indicators for full control over your sound.
It has an 8″ speaker.
Pros and Highlights
- Great for multi-instrumentalist – The amp has input modes for electric, acoustic and bass guitar. Some owners are claiming that this amp sounds great with a wide pallet of other instruments, like a harmonica, electric violin, etc.
- Built-in audio interface – Yup, just connect this amp with your computer and record directly in your DAW. The amp’s 32-bit SHARC processors enable you to record your guitar, without any problem. Also, you can edit your presets with the software that comes with the amp.
- Versatile – The Peavey Vypyr VIP 1 has a wide range of amp models and effects that enable the player to have a big pallet of different sounds.
Cons and Potential Flaws
Difficult to use – It might take you some time and nerve to learn how this amp works. If you are the “straightforward” type of guitarist like me, you better look at some other options.
Bottom line
The Peavey Vypyr VIP 1 is a great amp for practice, rehearsals, and little gigs too! It has a lot of amp models and effects, and you can play it with different instruments. The USB port allows you to record your guitar with good quality, and to edit the presets. Many players love this amp; while others find it difficult to set their tone due to the somewhat complicated controls. We recommend trying before buying applied to this amplifier.
Marshall MG15CFX MG Series 15-Watt Practice Amp
Specs, features, and benefits
If you are looking for a “straightforward”, simple, and easy-to-use practice amp, the Marshal MG15CFX is a great choice. It is a 15-Watt combo with eight-inch speaker and core features that will make your practice time satisfying.
On the amp, you can find control knobs for Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Reverb, Volume, FX, and Master. The FX control knob is packed with five effects from which you can choose: Chorus, Phaser, Flanger, Delay, and Octave.
Above the control knobs, there are the push buttons: Clean/Crunch, OD-1/OD-2, Tap, and Store. The “Store” button will store your preset.
It also has Aux input, Headphones out, and Foot controller input.
Pros and Highlights
- Easy-to-use – This amp is pretty straightforward. You don’t have to be a scientist to tune in your sound, just turn around the knobs and find your sweet spots. Very intuitive!
- Cool features – You basically have everything you need with this little combo. Effects, aux in, phones out… Great for practice in any situation.
- The Marshall Sound – With this amp, you will get the classic Marshall sound, packed in a small box!
Cons and Potential Flaws
It doesn’t look very attractive – But we are not here for the looks, right?
Bottom line
If you are looking for a simple practice amp, with which you can set your sound in seconds, the Marshall MG15CFX is probably a good fit for you. It doesn’t look like the other Marshal amps. That’s for sure, but we are talking quality in sound and performance here, not looks.
Great sounding, sturdily built practice amp with cool features.
Line 6 Spider Classic 15 Modeling Amplifier
Specs, features, and benefits
Small, yet very flexible and easy to use, the Line 6 Spider Classic 15 is still finding its spot in many guitar players’ bedrooms. The amp has 15-Watts of power and eight-inch speaker.
On the front panel, you can find the control knobs for Drive, Bass, Middle, Treble and Volume, two Smart FX knobs, and Master. The Smart FX knobs contain Chorus, Flanger, Tremolo, Sweep Echo, and Reverb.
It has four amp models, Clean, Crunch, Metal, and Insane – which you can set with the four push buttons right above the control knobs. It also has a push button for the Tap Tempo, and with pressing and holding that same button you can access the Tuner. The amp also has CD/Mp3 input,
Headphones/Record output, and FBV pedal input. Through the FBV input you can connect the Line 6 FBV foot controller and edit/save your presets with the Spider Edit software.
Pros and Highlights
- Affordable – This amp is one of the cheapest practice amps, perfect for beginners!
- Versatile – You have a lot of flexibility with this amp…
- Easy to use – The Line 6 Spider Classic 15 is a very intuitive, easy-to-use guitar amp
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Bad sound quality – Many players regret buying this amp due to its sound. A lot of the owners are pretty much satisfied with what this amp can do for them, while others – absolutely hate it. Well, we guess that you get what you pay for. It is recommended that you should try out this little monster in your local guitar store, and then decide if you should buy it or not.
Bottom line
The Line 6 Spider Classic 15 has all the features a practice amp should have. It’s small, yet very flexible. It’s also a very affordable one; many beginners are having this amp as their first one. If you are a newbie, you probably won’t go wrong with this one. However, the sound of this amp is not the best. It sounds cheap and somehow digital. Many owners don’t have a problem with that, but also a lot of the owners regret buying it, due to its sound.
Orange Crush12 Practice Amplifier
Specs, features, and benefits
If you are looking for a sturdy, affordable, great sounding, analog practice amp, you can’t go wrong with the Orange Crush12. It has the control knobs for Gain, Overdrive, Bass, Middle, Treble, and Volume. It also has Headphones out for quiet practicing.
The Orange Crush12 is an analog amp, and that’s why it is one of the best sounding practice amps on the market. It doesn’t offer effects or some fancy features like some other amps on this list, but in terms of quality in sound and performance, it is hard to beat this orange fella.
Orange Crush12 is a 12-Watt amp with a six-inch speaker.
Pros and Highlights
- Great sound – Don’t get fooled by the size of this amp, it provides a great and punchy sound, due to the analog circuit and high-quality speaker.
- Affordable – The amp comes for a very reasonable price;
- Sturdy, compact – The amp is very small, meaning you can carry it on the road without any problems, and it is very sturdily built – this is pretty standard for all Orange products.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No other effects than Distortion – Well, this might not be a flaw because the Orange Crush12 handles pedals very nice, but still, some of the players would like some reverb, delay or modulation effects on their practice amp.
Bottom line
Orange Crush12 is a high quality, sturdily built, awesome sounding, and little amp. It provides great sound due to the analog circuit and high-quality components. You will be surprised how loud this amp can be; having in mind that it has a six-inch speaker. Some of the players might want to have some effects on their practice amps, but we encourage them to rather plug in their pedals since this amp sounds great paired with pedals. There are other options for a practice amp that have a lot of built-in effects, but either their price is high, or their sound quality is low.
Blackstar IDCORE10 Stereo Combo Amplifier
Specs, features, and benefits
Blackstar is famous for making high-quality, sturdy and affordable guitar amps.
The IDCORE10 has a ton of features. It has six amp “Voices”: Clean Warm, Clean Bright, Crunch, Super Crunch, OD 1, and OD 2. It has Gain control knob, Volume control knob, ISF (Infinite Shape Feature) EQ control knob. There are twelve effects on the amp – Reverb, Delay, and Modulation with four different modes each and dedicated Level control knob.
It also has a Tap Tempo button, USB jack for direct digital recording and editing presets with Blackstar’s Insider free software, Manual button, Emulated Speaker/Headphones out, and Mp3/Line in input jack. You can enter and set your presets with the “Manual” button.
The Blackstar IDCORE10 is a stereo amp with two three-inch speakers.
Pros and Highlights
- Versatile – This amp offers a lot of flexibility!
- High-quality sound – Blackstar always sounds great! Even with small amps like this, you will get a huge tone!
- Affordable – The amp comes for a pretty low price, having in mind all the features and quality you will get, it’s pretty damn cheap!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons! – Although many players had problems setting the USB feature with the computer (You will probably have to make some adjustments in your DAW to record with the amp), the sound and built quality of the amp are great. Also, it sounds way huge for an amp of this size.
Bottom line
If you are a beginner guitar player, and you are looking for an amp for your first electric guitar, or you want a decent practice amp, Blackstar’s IDCORE10 might be the right choice for you. The amp sounds amazing, it sounds a lot bigger than it actually is, and it has a ton of features that will spice up your practice. Great sounding, sturdily built, versatile practice guitar amp.
Fender Frontman 10G Practice Amp
Specs, features, and benefits
When it comes to guitars and amps Fender has been champion for a long time. They are proving themselves again and again for decades.
The Fender Frontman 10G is a 10-Watt guitar combo amp with a six-inch speaker.
It has the core features a guitarist would need on his practice amp: Control knob for Gain; Overdrive push-button; control knobs for Volume, Bass, and Treble; Aux in; Headphones out.
The Frontman 10G is a very sturdily built and compact, which is making the amp very compatible for taking it on the road.
Pros and Highlights
- Cheap! – You won’t find a better option for the price of this amp! For a very low price, you will get the classic Fender tone in your bedroom!
- Sturdy – Fender amps live a long, long life.
- Easy-to-use – There are no fancy features on this one, still it has all the features you will need to practice with and plug & play in seconds.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Cheap – Many owners are claiming that their amp is creating a buzz after short time-period of usage. Maybe you should save some buck, and get a more decent practice amp.
Bottom line
Although many owners of this amp are completely satisfied with its sound and performance, others claim that their amp is creating loud buzz. Some even claim that their Fender Frontman 10G completely died after a month or so… It is recommended to try this amp before buying. And even after trying it out and making sure that everything is ok, the possibility of having problems later in the future with the amp could happen. Maybe you should look for a better option on the market.
Vox Pathfinder Combo Practice Amplifier
Specs, features, and benefits
The Vox Pathfinder Combo is a 10-Watt Guitar amp with 6.5-inch speaker. As you probably know, Vox is a company famous for its high-quality, awesome sounding guitar amps, and this is the case with this amp too!
It has a push-button for engaging the Overdrive, and control knobs for Gain, Treble, Bass, and Volume. It also has a Headphones/Line Out jack.
The amp is built with high attention to details; it looks just like all the classic Vox amps and has the signature, warm Vox sound that is really easy to distinguish from others.
The Overdrive on this amp is the classic Vox distortion, which can go from blues to metal in seconds with just a tweak on the Gain control knob.
The amp comes for a very affordable price.
Pros and Highlights
- High attention to details – The amp sounds very good, and it looks very nice.
- Easy to use – The Vox Pathfinder has the core controls on it, and you can set a clean or crunchy tone in seconds.
- Affordable – This is the bang for the buck!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Low volume, not lasting – Many owners are not satisfied with this amp. Some say that the amp is very low at volume, and others claim their amp completely stopped working after a short period of light usage. Pretty bad, huh? Well folks, try it before you buy it! Or save some buck, and get a decent amp. 😉
Bottom line
While many beginner guitar players are satisfied with this amp, we do not recommend it if you are a professional who wants to practice on the road between gigs or something like that. Many players reported having issues with the amp short time after they bought it, and that is not something Vox is famous for, but we must be sincere here, right? Hey Vox, take notes!
What We Recommend and Why
If you are looking strictly for a practice amp, for example, you are a professional guitar player, playing gigs around the country and you need a little amp in order to practice in between gigs in hotel rooms, behind stages and similar, our recommendation is the Orange Crush12. Why? Because it is a sturdy little amp, that can take the beatings of a touring musician without crying and sounds great. It doesn’t have a lot of fancy effects on it, in fact, it only has distortion, but hey, you can just dial in your pedals, right? Great practice amp, for a reasonable price.
