Mini guitar amps are normal amplifiers in a small package. They are great options for practicing or if you travel a lot. You can practice or create guitar riffs wherever you are.
These amplifiers have low wattage, small speakers, and are very lightweight. You can use it in your bedroom or put it in your backpack and take it on a trip.
Almost every amplifier brand has mini combos and all of them share similar features.
What’s The Best Mini Guitar Amp?
There are numerous great-sounding mini guitar amps and I made a list of amps I think are the best among others.
1. Boss Katana Mini
Boss Katana-Mini is the smallest member of the Katana amp series. It’s a compact-sized guitar amplifier for practicing and warm-ups. Offer 7 watts of power and is equipped with a single 4” speaker. Has headphone output and can work up to seven hours on battery power.
With Katana-Mini you get to choose between three amp voicings and control gain, volume, and 3-band EQ. A great feature is a built-in delay. It gives you more tone options. You can practice and play clean crunch, or heavy riffs. Read my Boss Katana Mini review to learn more about it.
2. Blackstar Debut 15E
Blackstar Debut 15E is another great mini guitar amp for practicing. It’s a stereo amp with two 3” speakers and produces 15 watts of power. Has headphones out and also you can connect to it on any device and listen to music.
This Blackstar mini amp is straightforward to use. Has a clean and dirty channel with standard controls. Has a built-in delay and the best thing is the stereo capabilities. Two speakers give the sound more depth and make sit richer.
3. Orange Crush 12
Orange Crush 12 is a great-sounding small amp with awesome features. This 12-watt amplifier has a single 6” speaker, headphone output, and a very simple layout. Practicing or warming up is a pleasure with this Orange mini amp.
It’s a single-channel amp, but it has a dedicated overdrive knob you can use to control the amount of overdrive. In addition to that, you have gain, volume, and 3-band EQ knobs. It’s simple but sounds awesome like other Orange Crush amplifiers.
4. Vox Pathfinder 10
Vox Pathfinder 10 is a 10-watt mini guitar amp with a single 6.5” speaker. The Vox mini amp offers classic Vox sound in a compact box. Very simple to use and made for bedroom practice. Also, you can put it in your backpack and take it wherever you go.
With Pathfinder 10 you get a headphone out and a very simple control layout. A button for the dirty channel, single volume, and gain knobs. And you can control only treble and bass. Although it has no mid control, sounds and works perfectly.
5. Marshall MG10G
Marshall MG10G offers cool sound in a small box. Classic Marshall’s looks and sound are great for practicing. It produces 10 watts of power and is equipped with a single 6.5” speaker. A great and simple Marshall mini amp.
Perhaps it’s the simplest amp from this list. Has a volume knob for the clean channel, gain, and volume for the dirty channel, and a contour knob to shape the sound. Also, it has I/O for headphones and aux.
6. Peavey Backstage
Peavey Backstage is a great mini amp with awesome features. The amp can produce 10 watts of power with a 6.5” speaker. Has a very minimalistic layout with headphones out and a few control knobs.
It’s a two-channel amp with dedicated volume and overdrive knobs. the EQ section consists of high and low knobs. The best thing is the Transtube technology which emulates real tube amp sounds. So, you get a great sound in a small package which is a great thing.
7. Fender Frontman 10G
Fender Frontman 10G is equipped with a single 6” speaker and produces 10 watts of power. It has everything you need in a small amp like headphones out, aux in, etc. It’s a very straightforward and useful Fender mini amp.
You can switch between clean and dirty sounds with a button. You control gain and volume, and it has a 2-band EQ. The dirty channel has a decent sound like in other mini amps. But clean is good and reminds me of Fender’s famous clean sound.
8. Danelectro N10
Danelectro HoneyTone is a series of mini guitar amps that come in different colors and are great traveling combos. It’s so small that can be put in a backpack. Also, the design is very classic and retro looking which I like.
The amp has a guitar input, volume, tone, and overdrive knobs. the tone knobs work like a balance between bass and treble and overdrive adds really cool blues tone. It also has a headphone out and works on a 9-volt battery.
What Is Mini Amp Good For?
You may ask what is a mini amp good for and it would be a fair question. Any device or gear has its purpose and mini guitar amps are the same way.
These kinds of compact guitar amplifiers are great for practicing, quick warm-ups, or capturing riff ideas.
Also, because of the size, it’s very easy to put it in your bag and take it wherever you go. You can play in the park, in your backyard, on the beach, or any other place. Also, they are great to travel with.
It may sound crazy but mini amps can be used for recording. Especially if you want to create a unique sound. These types of amps were used on many famous records like Rage Against The Machine’s debut album or Songs For The Deaf by Queens Of The Stone Age.
Summary
Any mini guitar amp from this list will work perfectly. You can use them in your bedroom to practice. Or take them out in parks, and backyards, or travel with them. You will be able to warm up or capture new riff ideas wherever you go. They are small and can fit in your backpack easily. Also, these best small amps are very affordable and can be a great gift.