Best Battery Guitar Amp (Jan 2023 Update)

The good: small, portable, can run off batteries. The wireless connectivity is really nice. Sounds decent for what it is. The bad: The interface on the unit itself and the app are confusing to say the least, and you are pretty limited in the use of effects. The ugly: all those free Katana patches being posted on the Boss site? Incompatible. All the patches for regular Boss Katana amps WILL NOT WORK on this unit. Thanks for that Boss.Alexander

Overall: I may be mis-reading the manual but I've yet to figure out how to keep the wireless transmitter charged. I'm not new at this having gotten Line 6's wireless transmitters when they first arrived on the scene. They were easy to use and worked as advertised. While I am a huge Roland/Boss fan, I'm thinking they may have missed the mark in the "ease of use" category on the Katana Air. From a sound perspective, the amp, when plugged into a wall socket sounds great; just what you'd expect from a Katana amp. And when the transmitter is fully charged, the same can be expected. The problem arises when trying to figure out how to keep it charged. When running the amp on batteries only, this seems this seems to be problematic in that the amp stops charging the transmitter when the batteries are low. The problem is you don't know the transmitter is dead until you try and use it.My most predictable approach is to plug in the amp with the provided DC cable and do my charging while the amp is "hard-wired" to the juice coming from a wall socket.Once the transmitter is fully charged, in this manner, I can disconnect the amp and run it on a fresh set of batteries. This will afford you a "temporary" wireless operation. The transmitter that I received didn't have any where's near the claimed lifespan. I'd be curious to see how other's experience with the Katana Air played out. I will keep fiddling with the KA and if I discover what it takes to make it truly wireless, I'll get back to you in a follow up review. Strangely I did keep this item, hoping for a downloadable software cure.There is a nice free ap that accompanies the KA…..It allows you to change all of the amp's audio settings and to download free patch sets. This works well with my iPhone 7+.Martin

I've been seeking a modern, portable, reliable practice amp that can satisfy BOTH Acoustic and Electric guitars since Line 6 introduced their Amplifi series. I loved the Amplifi's techie saturated concept but no matter how bad I wanted it to work… it was always a low-fidelity 'noise' amp first without the ability to produce clear, hi-fidelity sound for either my acoustic or classical guitars. Designing an amp that can accurately reproduce hi-fidelity, low distortion sound begins with a good designed, quality build and above average components. As the old proverb states, "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear", you can build a noisy amp but don't ever expect it to reproduce quality sound. Amplifi is the sow's ear. I thought about testing their newer Amplifi 30 but after many bad experiences testing a 75 and reading that I was not alone … I lost all confidence that they could do HiFi right. The Katana Air checks many of my must-have boxes and it worked without a hitch. It was designed as a small practice amp and not a single solution for all your gigging needs. Adding in the convenience features like smart-on and multiple wireless features that include power/updating/tuning/modeling/backing tracks/guitar, makes this the practice amp I have been waiting a long timefor. Finally, I can take an amp sailing without worry of 'butt cleats' or adding more hazardous lines to my boat.pete1tod

Unbelievable. This is NOT my Vox AC30, and nor is it my 100W Katana. However, for a package that is powered by batteries and can, quite literally, fit into the palm of your hand, the Katana Mini is simply fantastic. The amp models are brilliant and the delay (reverb) function is an excellent feature. On "clean" settings the volume of the amp is perfectly adequate and will fill a room with no issues, and on the "crunch" and "brown" settings, the amp was more than loud enough to fill a large room at 2/3 volume. Whilst I personally think that this is not quite enough for an advanced/intermediate players sole amplifier, I would completely agree that for a beginner, they would need no more than this. Having tried options from Yamaha and other brands, this is firmly my favourite battery powered micro amplifier for any level of guitarist and equipment, the tone is simply that good! The best way I can describe it is this – when I first plugged my PRS McCarty 594 into it, I was vaguely aware that I wasn't playing through my Vox. However, after five minutes or so, I had completely forgotten this wasn't a "real" amp, and had to keep looking down at the tiny box on the floor to believe it! Well done, Boss!Mr I. F.

I use it primarily as a practice amp at lower levels, but I'd feel confident doing coffee house gigs with it, and maybe smaller clubs too. It sounds warm and rich at low volumes, and the EQ is effective. All three voices are useful and I'm not left wanting. I have to make special mention of the delay. I adore reverb (including and especially spring reverb and gritty, trashy reverb of all kinds) but a simple delay circuit is way more useful in this amp. Doubling, slapback, echoes. The treble roll-off and fixed feedback are well-tuned. If you're using this for busking or other guerilla performance, you will suddenly realize that a single delay is worth more than a thousand reflections, because those reflections sound godawful* against naturally-occurring surfaces. *maybe awesome in a sound design way thoughChesterfleet

Wasn't sure about this little guy – – but the one I received was in pristine shape, with power brick and carry handle. I power it with 6 rechargeable AA Lithium batteries – and it'll run x 6 hours easy without recharging. I play an acoustic guitar (i installed a Fishman rare earth pickup) in a small orchestra with a piano, trumpets, trombones, saxophones, etc, and only need to run at about 35% max volume to blend in well with the group. The effects are great and well modeled. I'm very happy with this Roland – Highly Recommended.oxydoc

I've taken up giving lessons in my home and, in other locations and, dragging around even a moderate size amp was not in my plans. I did some shopping and, came up with the Micro Cube as my answer, WOW what a feature filled little powerhouse! I debated going to just a plain small practice amp but, after I tried one it reminded me of trying to play through an old transistor radio. Very bland boring sound and, only a push button to get an overdrive sound that sounded pretty bad. This Roland unit sounds Fantastic at 3w and, with only a 5" speaker, I don't know how they do it but, it's Great!! The convenience of battery power is something that I really enjoy also. Take it anywhere! The FX sound Super, amp models are a nice touch and, even a tuner. The 1/8" input is a nice touch to jam with backing tracks or any type of sounds. Taking this to lessons is sooo much more handier than a 30lb. amp. There is only a tone control but, it is really all you need to get the sound you want. The memory function is a handy feature so save preset sounds for each amp model. The only thing I haven't tried is to plug a Mic in and, check it out but, I definately will and, I'm betting that the results will be positive there also. I'm soooo glad I spent the extra dinero and, went with this amp. I'm very satisfied and, definately recommend this anyone looking for small portable amp for practice or any other reason to have a light weight amp that sounds really good. I don't think that I would run a bass through it but, at low volume I wouldn't be surprised that it could handle it. I play a lot of different instruments, fiddle,mandolin,ulelele and, harmonica and, going to try them all in this amp.terrygh

In general this is a great little amp. It is loud, but its frequency range is narrow. I would expect something so small to be weak on bass, but I am surprised at how poor the high frequency is. I have to turn the tone all the way up to make it sound like a regular amp. I will try different speakers and the line out into a different amp to see if the poor high end is either the speaker or amp. The headphone output sounds much better, so I believe the issue is not in the internal electronics. In general I would recommend this amp. So much that I am buying another to give to my son in college as a dorm amp. He is interested in the headphone feature, which sounds very good. As a practice amp this little thing does a great job. The effects are better on some settings than others. but I think there are more effects on this amp than other brands. The portability is great. The battery life it pretty good for how loud it is. With the line input you can not only play along to songs, unaffected by the guitar effects, but it turns your phone into a loud jam box. There is a lot of loud "bang for the buck" in the little amp.Dowacky

If you like Fender modelling amp sounds, you'll find this perfect for headphone practice. The selection of Amps is a bit more limited than in a Fender Modelling amp, and the Effects depths similarly limited, but hey, the thing is the size of a matchbox and it allows you to jam along with your online selections, via Bluetooth. Your headphones must be cable, not Bluetooth, however, to avoid latency. But as the headphone cable goes over your shoulder straight into the Mustang Micro, you are not hampered by any connecting cable to your playback device. Until you try this, you may not appreciate how liberating and convenient this is. Its pivoting jack also allows it to go into a Strat recessed socket, many others don't.Geoff

Overall: I'm very pleased with the Micro overall. Read my review below. It really is great. If I were to suggest any changes to the Mustang Micro, it would be this: 1. Include some earbuds with the amp…I mean, why not? You can buy decent earbuds for ten bucks these days…probably cost Fender fifty cents and would mean ready to go out of the box. 2. In the new model, set it up to have a bluetooth output for using wireless headphones. While not a huge deal, I'd really rather not have that wire running from the headset to the guitar. I always end up fumbling with it when taking the guitar off or putting it on. 3. Go ahead and print the basic amp settings on the Micro. The reference card works. But, just having the amp models printed on the amp itself would be handy. There is enough blank space on the Micro to accommodate this.These are just my ideas for improvements. The amp is already a great sounding and super handy device.Ericbstl

I picked this up on a friend's recommendation as a better than average headset amplifier. My Likes: In terms of sound quality it is quite good. It is compact and I do like the USB charging feature a lot. The amp models are better than I expected and sound different with each guitar I use, just like a good amp should. The effects were a nice bonus, simple and effective. I haven't tested bluetooth connectivity yet, but I presume that it will do its job. My concerns, Use while Seated – nearly impossible,as with most headset amplifiers, especially with a side mounted jack . With my Fender Stratocaster, it is more easily used because of the top mount, but with any side mount, it gets caught on my knee and can get pulled out when seated. EQ feature. It does not seem to impact the sound very much in clean or driven settings. I would have preferred paying an extra $20 for a small set of wheels for hi/mid/low Overall it is a B+ for Fender, which could be a quick A with some more mounting options and a small 3 band EQKAS

Before I review, I would like to say I am reviewing this product from a perspective as a gigging instrumental acoustic guitarist. Had to do an outdoor gig with no electric outlets available, that's when i looked into buying this thing, and it did the trick. Also had to fly somewhere across the country to do a gig where the venue didn't have a PA system, and I was able to pack this in my luggage, and this little thing did the job. For a tiny amp only a bit bigger than a Kleanax box, this thing is plenty loud. It's able to emmenate the volume to within about a 500 square feet coverage. Even louder if you play a distored electric guitar, as electric gutiar pickups don't consume as much power as an acoustic pickup. This is the perfect amp if you travel alot and need to fit something on the plane, for your living room, as a practice amp, for porch picking, camping, small coffeehouse venues (under 500 square feet), busking, or any scenario where there's no electric outlet nearby. Granted, this small little thing will not replace a PA system or something like an Acoustasonic Jr. I do a weekly coffeehouse gig (about 500 square feet) with my Fender Acoustasonic JR, and one day, my Acoustasonic JR wasn't working, so I brought in this little Roland instead. Granted, it was loud enough to fill up the whole entire coffeehouse volumewise, and although I much prefer to gig with this as it's super lightweight and won't hurt my back like the Acoustasonic JR, the sound didn't have the full definition as the Acoustasonic JR, or a real PA. Because of the tiny speakers, you only get treble, no bass response, less definition overall. However, as a portable battery-powered amp, this thing is awesome. It also serves mutiple purposes, I regularily plug my ipod to this and use it as a home stero system in my room.sman-eNpbJ

Bought the Roland MC over 10 years ago. I still own it and thought a review might help someone shopping for an amp. In my opinion, the Roland MC is a great solo or small group, highly portable, extremely low watt, practice session amp. For electric guitar, it sounds great clean with a tough of reverb, but don't expect much bass or volume. IMO, the Overdrive setting is just OK, and the Distortion/Fuzz is terrible. Before I forget, buy the AC power adaptor as battery life is very limited, especially at anything but the lowest volume settings. For the built-in effects, the chorus button works fine for the simplest applications, along with the somewhat adjustable delay, but there are lots of limitations. Consider them a nice "toy" feature of the amp, nothing more. As a PA, I found the Roland MC very useful, and used it for years with my acoustic-based, rock band as a single mike PA during our quieter practice sessions. It provided just enough amplification for lead vocals to cut through 2 guitars and an electric bass playing at low to medium practice volume levels. However, as soon as we added a drummer, it was over for the little MC. As far as battery use, I font recommend it. I tried it once on Halloween dressed as Brett Michaels playing "Every Rose Has It's Thorn" on acoustic-electric. Terrible performance. People started singing along and a friend turned up the volume…the amp had no dynamic range and actually get LESS loud the harder I strummed the guitar. The ultra low wattage of the amp severely limits its usefulness in performance scenarios. My son took the amp to college and he uses it in his dorm room where noise levels must be kept low but prefers practicing with a Scarlett USB interface and headphones and is looking for an amp with more power. Anyway, I hope you found this review helpful.Bruce S.

OK, I purchased this amp because of it's DC power, mic and instrument channels and small size. I'll use it for busking or jamming, anywhere I want without thinking about an AC outlet. I did purchase the AC adapter which came in very handy initially, given the batteries it came with were so weak the amp would not work properly. At first I thought the amp was malfunctioning. Strange things happen when battery juice is low. In my case there was sound break up, like there was short or bad connection. With AC power or a fresh set of batteries, it works well. If small and portable is your thing and you want mic and instrument inputs, this might be just what you are looking for. I've sure had fun with mine. So far, good. As I said in the review above, don't expect a really full sound with low end bass. All things considered, if you do not need the DC power option, I would see no reason to purchase this amp.More harmonica, please

I was lent this amp from a pal before buying one. Really really like it. The vocals are superb and the guitar voicings are really handy. I play an uke, acoustic, semi acoustic guitar thru it and get a great sound. Recently got a Jazzmaster Single Coil and running this thru the amp on our mains get a hell of a lot of noise. However, running it thru the battery all the noise is gone. This is normal apparently. My daughter has used it for busking and it does a great job. RecommendedReviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This busking amp is perfect. I have already performed with it 5 times and my colleagues are all jealous. I love its' longevity. I love that it has alternative sonic settings ie. distortion. I love that I can accompany myself with two mics, or play with a friend. 100% would recommend.C-stine

I just used this amp at an outdoor gig lawn type affair, lots of people. Guitar and vocals. I dreaded dragging my PA system and all the stuff that goes with it so I just took the Cube. It gave plenty of coverage and good sound. I had no complaints everyone could hear me. No I was not blowing the solo cups off tables but it was plenty loud enough. And to mention I was loaded in and out in no time. I felt like I was forgetting something. (I used the pedals I usually use for guitar and my Boss simple harmony pedal that has effects also). Use the guitar setting on the amp and then play with the volume and gain knobs to get your desired volume. I had the 50 watt one long time ago but never needed the full 50 watts and it was heavier. Don't discount this amp because it's only five watts.AZ Solo

I bought this amp to use in a limited space and at a low volume for very low cost. It obviously doesn't compare to a normal size amp in quality but for being a practice amp it is perfect. Many reviews across the web say it loses power or sounds bad after a short time, but its literally as simple as changing the battery in my case. The manual even says to change the battery if there is an issue with sound, and the battery that comes with it isn't really the best and doesn't last long. It has great sound at a low and mid range volume for the little power it actually has but when you ramp it up it does sound a little distorted but not bad at all for $23-$29. Hopefully my review helps someone get a decent product!Lucas

While you certainly could use it in the studio for certain alt/auxiliary tones and/or layers and achieve fantastic results (producer/artist discretion advised), It's not meant for that. It's meant purely for being able to enjoy playing electric, untethered, while wandering about randomly and/or practicing. …Whether outdoors or indoors. …At home, in the park, around the neighborhood, at a camp site or a BBQ, wherever. Perhaps even during your breaks at work. It's not meant for playing in a full band situation (especially with drums), nor is it meant for getting a half-stack sound (or even normal combo-amp sound), for a fraction of the price, during a high-end studio session or full-on concert. It's a fantastic tool, meant to serve a single purpose. Choose and use your tools accordingly.Cristyn, E

mini-amp works great as a travel amp, or playing early in the am when ppl are sleeping lol it fits perfectly inside my hardcase, along with my electric guitar, headphones, tuner, cables, etc. performs as expected.. dont look to be amazed at its performance lol but for practice/travel its the perfect amp. has a heavy grind for chunky metal riffs. doesnt pick up the p[inch harmonics that great, but they do come through. the clean setting is great, too, and for a tiny little fkr it really kicks pretty good! had my finacee yelling at me to "turn that fkn thing down!" so, lol, it hits pretty hard for a small little guy.. but like i said, dont expect it to put out the tones of a line 6 spider IV or a Marsall half-stack cuz it aint capable for that. it isnt designed for gigs lol so dont expect that kinda sound. but, i love this mini-amp; its my new best friend!da.davc.mcoumykeiu

I have had the older version for years. I mostly used it around the house instead of powering up other amps. Also at farmers markets and parties. The new features are great. I think it does sound much better than the early version. If it didn't I would have returned it in a minute. After seeing what the blue tooth adapter does I ordered it before the price goes up like every thing else has done. You can easily do a coffee house gig with it volume and sound wise. I can not find one negative thing with this amp. Roland does not spend millions to put out junk. It is a little money maker.Street James

I had the early version for years. I don't busk much but I do a farmers market sometimes so I dont have to string out 100 feet of cord. Its nice for parties. Ive yet to use the looper but I do set the harmony on double slightly. Any guitar I have plugged into it sounds good. It has enough volume to do the job. It has battery saver mode which is plenty of volume for most uses. The chorus and delay are on one knob and reverb is on another knob. For busking, coffee joints and wine bars it is a money maker. Mine is red.wy03bay

I ordered this amp with hopes that I would love it. Here are the Pros & Cons: Pros: compact size, very light weight (9lbs- 12 oz), uses readily found "AA" batteries in addition to AC power (power cord included), built-in effects, direct out jack and other bells & whistles. Cons: A bit bright of a sound/tone for vocals & acoustic guitar. And the one I received would make a loud hum once I turned the instrument channel volume passed half-way. The Treble EQ must have been set to pick up frequencies around 24KHz and perhaps even higher because it grossly amplified the slightest fret buzz, I have never encountered that with any of my other four acoustic amps. These problems may be exclusive to the one I received, I don't know that for certain. But, since I wasn't happy with the bright sound of this amp, I didn't want to exchange it for another. My very compact Kustom PA50 which has two 4.5" speakers and a 3.5" horn has a warmer sound, low notes sound much better, more presence and 50 watts of power. However the Kustom PA 50 weighs 14.7 lbs and doesn't have a built-in battery or effects. But that's okay I have effects foot pedals. I shipped the cube back.Jeff

I played through this amp with the battery and with the AC adaptor, and with multiple guitars. Switched from clean to dirty and used my bridge and neck pickups with and without the coil tap. This amp isn't super loud at 5W, but it is an amp made for portability and practicing. Sounds awesome clean with the neck pickup single coil, and gets nasty dirty (a little too much with gain set anything past 6)with my bridge double humbucker. The sound is really quite good for this size amp. The tone control has a decent range of sounds to switch between. I was out on my deck last night playing through this thing and the sound and portability reassured me I made a great purchase. Definitely would buy again.Ace McCloud

This little five watt amp has the heart of a Lion. Clean channel is from crisp and articulate to warm and wrap it up in a sweater goodness. The drive channel with the greater level of tone control can be any sound you want, truly. It's up to you. I drive this amp through a close backed cabinet of my own design made with plank spruce and 8" Jensen Mod 35 speakers. It sounds amazing. Rich full tone and great response to picking level (hit it hard and it'll bark at you. Soft and it will whisper too.) It also has digital reverb which for me coming from spring will take a little getting used to. Overall a great addition to anyone's arsenal of amps.codboy61

I bought this strictly for my bedroom but found it's much more. It gets loud enough for band practice on the dirty channel and the clean with the volume up gets a nice breakup. It handles pedals well in the loop or an overdrive out front. I don't care for the morph when it's fully left or right on the dirty channel but you get nice tones on the clean side. The attenuator is the reason I bought it and I love it. I A/B'd it with the ht5 and couldn't see spending the extra cash on the Blackstar. Then I A/B'd with my modded dsl15h on triode (7 watt) and it made me wonder how much of the signal is tube and how much is solid state, but I don't know if that's fair given the Marshall has 4 12ax7 and 2 6v6 tubes. Can't speak to durability yet but it seems well built, and I haven't used the emulated out. All in all I'd recommend it for the price and the featuresgbob61

If you're expecting an amazing Marshall sound, you might want to invest in some of the bigger amps Marshall has to offer. If you think you can get a concert level sound out of this little guy, you will not be the happiest person. However, that level of "high" expectation would not be very reasonable or even realistic for such a little amp. This is a very cute, small amp that will help you plug your guitar so you can practice quietly in any room in your house without annoying your wife. It will distort if you crank the volume all the way out, and if you're used to the full sound of a bigger Marshall (like I do) it might make you feel like you're hearing your guitar over an old telephone (just my opinion). However, if you calibrate your instrument volume & tone you can find a happy medium. With that said, for the price it is a very nice solution to practice and if the sound seems too weak for you, you have the choice of putting headphones. I personally use it just for practice on the fly, it serves it purpose, but then again I was not expecting the best sound output. So I am happy with the purchase.BeeZee

It's basically a toy amp. I can see it being used as a portable amp for non-serious performance. Personally, I like it for a quick jam and for (relatively) quiet practice in my apartment setting. Won't disturb my neighbors but it does get noticeable at the highest volume. That and the overdrive knob are the two main controls. By default it just does a clean sound but overdrive lets you toggle in some gain for that distortion. It has a good look that definitely models after its bigger brothers.Rick

I don't know what some of you guys expect from this thing, but be realistic: it's an inexpensive 5 inch tall, 1 watt amp. It's not designed for anything but sitting in a chair and entertaining yourself or a couple of people. Within that context, I enjoy this thing and sometimes get it off the shelf and play around with it for awhile. Also, when I owed somebody a 1 minute long riff for his podcast and my main amp was getting some regular tech service, I plugged my American Standard Strat into this thing, mic'd the amp, used the OD channel with the volume and tone both on 10, played the part, then added tons of bass, reverb, and chorus to it in post, and it sounded great and nobody ever knew that I recorded the part using a 5 inch tall amp. It is what it is as long as you don't expect the world.Steve

Overall: overall – maybe the best sounding low wattage amp ever. only small difference in sound between this & a tube amp. weak point is lack of features. they really skimped. twice the price of other compared to other practice amps that have way more features. you're really extra paying for tone here.pro's – * truly terrific tones* even if you have a tube amp that sounds good at whisper volumes (i have a 15w egnater tweaker) it's so convenient to be able to play this on top of your desk.* clean and modern settings are fantastic. i don't use the other amp settings much, but they sound great as well. the only setting i don't like is brit hi.* effects sound good* tap tempo* good tuner* the features are weak* pricey – other practice amps have many more features. they sound pretty good themselves (just not quite as nice as this). so if features are important to you, get something else. digital amps these days all sound not bad to downright good.* are the tones here so much better that it's really worth double other companies' amps? honestly hard to say, but this one does sound the best* can't save settings* one knob control of all mod effects is really limiting* can use the software to tweak settings and effects, but as soon as you unplug, you lose them* max volume on delay is occasionally not enough. usually it's ok. but sometimes, you want a little more & doesn't have it* as mentioned, brit hi setting not that great* the name "modern" might be misleading. i mentioned that modern sounds good, but, it doesn't have enough gain to get you into mesa rectifier range. you're going to need a pedal for that.A

Wanted a mobile rig to jam with family and friends. Hope to street busk soon when I learn enough songs. The street ex is loud, lighter than it looks in weight, and extremely versatile. The many input/ outputs gives the user many different options. I use the stereo inputs for my floor modelers, the street ex is capable of being an FRFR for the many digital modelers available today. I love the battery operated compartment design. It is loud and a great portable PA, my kids use it for home karaoke too. This PA has pretty good guitar tones. Limited in guitar amps and fx but it has the basics, that's why I use digital amp modelers run through stereo inputs. Doesn't have smart capabilities or an app interface. Lacks Bluetooth connectivity that many competitors offer. When run at max volume mix can get a little fizzy but distortion is low. Overall this PA masked as an amp is great if battery portability and loudness are important. If a guitar amp with fx and amp models are what your looking for this is not it. It is very well built and can take many inputs. Great for outdoor gatherings and hangouts. I use it on my pontoon many of times. It's an on the go rig must have.Fatback Benny

First, I would NOT consider this a guitar amp, and if you buy it as one you'll probably be disappointed. The COSM is fine and nice to have, but the guitar amp tones just aren't good enough to hang with real amps. I find there's always too much mid range muddiness that I can't dial out with EQ. As a mini PA, though, this is a great option. It gets plenty loud, the battery power option is great, there are good input and output options to allow you to use it as a powered monitor for a larger PA setting or connect it with other powered speakers to expand your sound. My vocals and acoustic guitar sound really nice through it. I've gigged a LOT with this for a few years, and it has held up well. It's really lightweight and I appreciate being able to roll into a gig with a very light and broken down setup. I've played small to medium sized rooms packed with people and never needed to turn this more than 75% up. Probably not gonna be enough with a full band, especially if your drummer and guitar amps like to play loud, but for duos and acoustic gigs, great option. When you consider how versatile it is, I think it's well worth it.Someguy

Damn good little amp, the modelling component is a little bit half assed, but usable nonetheless. I love that I can pick it up with 2 fingers, it can be bloody loud if you wish it so. Strangely enough rechargeable batteries last longer than ordinary ones. One thing missing is the ability to charge the rechargeable batteries. All in all pretty happy with the purchase.Ian F.

I picked this up for my son so he could practice around the house. Killer stocking stuffer! When the son is away the dad will now play. I started playing my Mustang Bass through this and it did the job. It's a small amp, not a practice amp. This is perfect for camping trips, rocking at the office or kicking it in the backyard. Oh yeah and you can plug in 1/4 headphones and keep the concert to yourself. It runs on a 9-volt battery or you can plug in a 9-volt adapter.SERGIO

Took a chance on this and purchased it without every playing it. Watched video reviews on it and gave it a shot. Yes, I know that it's small in size, smaller than a kids lunchbox but I hoped it'd produce quality sound and what I got was muddy sounds at increased volumes. It's not clear sounding and my goal to play through an amp is to sound good and I felt if I actually played this in front of people, the muddyness would make me sound amateurish. So, for what you pay for this, yes, you get amplified but it's not real great quality, unless you're a metal player because you don't get a clean sound from this. I rate this 3 stars because it's convenient to have a portable battery operated tiny amp that you can plug into and get sound from, however, the quality almost makes you not even want to play it.Jesse

This ain't no micro cube or vox. This less than 20$ & runs on 1 9v battery or 9v plug in the wall.(transformer not included)& Holy Friggin' Smokes does this baby perform.Monster overdrive tone & super bright, clean tone.Headphone input.Probably exceeds 60 decibels,which is beyond city ords. could get U a fine it's so damn loud. My Strat Squire sounds soooo Fender good out of this lil sucka & my electric/acoustic, sooo crisp.Ultra light to carry around.I've been using the JOYO mini,I love it,plug in,no chord,fun but this Fender mini is a bit more.More tone options and louder.I've yet to find out how quick it eats batteries. The JOYO burns them up fast.Get the rechargeables.Also the JOYO has an MP3 input.This doesn't. I run guitar strap thru the handle so the chord is like non-existent or U can old school it and have a 10 or 20 ft chord.So light it can be pulled over by the chord.These mini amps also pick up radio signals. When I turn them on I can hear radio stations at certain angles. So get 1 for the road.It's all about the fun.annoyingted1

This is not a stadium amplifier, or strong enough for a concert hall. It is a great small amplifier for practicing when overwhelming volume will wake everyone in the house or start the neighbors complaining. It has great sound and dissolves any fuzz or squelch. The controls are easy to use and adjust with great range for such a small amp. I bought the amp for an inexpensive junior guitar (38") so i could practice and improve my skill after a 3 decade hiatus. I did not want to invest a lot of money only to find that I was no longer interested in really stepping out. It is perfect for me to relearn, and to sample some new music with an electric acoustic guitar. I made a very good choice, and recommend this amp if you want to practice on your front porch or in your living or rec room. The sound is incredible for a one ampere peak to peak amplifier. Much louder and more defined than one would expect. The fidelity is excellent. A great buy for a small start without having to take out a 2nd mortgage.roberwit14

It's a novelty item I keep on my desktop. I can actually play my guitar through it, but it doesn't produce "good" tone. However, it does produce a tone that sounds 'cheap' but not horrible if you make a little effort to 'dial in' the best sound you can get working with what you've got. This is not a product for gigging or recording. It is what it is.Rico

I collect mini amps and added this one to the shelf. I did plug it in and as expected, not much in the way of power or tone, but I had no expectations beyond looks. It is nicely detailed with corners, handle and grille with logos. It's is what it is. A detailed scale model of a Fender Amp. Fits perfectly into the collection. Not likely to plug it up again. Equally poor on AC or Battery. Rated 5 as collectible replica. Rated 1 as an amplifier. Hence the 3. Wouldn't recommend as a guitar amp.Mike

Seeing that one buyer sadly gave this product only 1 star, I was obliged to comment. You can get good cleans and some sweet sounding OD tones from this little mini. I own 14 other minis, and this is the second best. Only the Blackstar Fly and a Pignose might be a better choice, but the Pignose is a bit more than a mini, and it doesn't have the built in delay that gives this Laney a good depth of tone. I've yet to play around with the download voicings/fx, but I'm sure that will only increase my appreciation of this little amp. I'm only deducting the one point since the Blackstar does a bit better at more output with less noise, but again, with minis you need to expect that when you are driving them hard, or putting pedals in front that tend to increase the frequency range further beyond its comfort zones. Most of the time, I'm not hearing noise, just hearing one of the sweetest OD tones I've heard from a mini. The dual voicings and AUX input are also a plus.GAS Man

Laney Mini STB . Looks great and seems to be well constructed, early days yet. The basic sounds from the amp are astoundingly good for its size. I like simple knobs, and knob twiddling is what its all about. Careful use of the gain knob instantly takes you from a really lovely clean sound through slight break up to fairly grungy crunch. The facts that you have a single tone control makes it easy to shape the sound to suit your guitar and taste. The guitar level knob serves as a second soft gain, or if you like channel volume to be topped of with the main master volume knob. Judicious use of the delay 'Leve'l and 'Delay' knobs can take you from gentle reverb like spaciousness to a more experimental long delay effect. The only issue i have is with the delay 'effect' control is the absurdly small level button knob, it is too short. I don't have the largest fingers but I find it impossible to adjust unless I shift the delay and tone knobs out of the way. The drive button shifts the gain starting point and brings in some very dirty sounds indeed can get a bit fizzy at the extreme but plenty of very usable overdrive sounds are there. Using the LSI cable link and Tonebridge App is fun. It takes a while to balance the output volume of your phone/Tablet, with the levels on the amp, and the levels on the App itself . You get there in the end and have some fun sounds to play with. Given that this is a very small portable practise amp which fulfils it basic purpose extremely well with the onboards electronics , I'm not sure how much I would actually use the LSI going forward.Each to their own I guess. Not tried bluetooth yet for playing along to backing etc.Also gives you the option to use the amp as a simple blutooth speaker I guess. I decided not to purchase the PSU straight off and to try the amp with rechargeable double AA's. So far they are lasting for many hours and still going strong.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I was impressed from the moment I hooked this small tabletop amp up. It’s got big sound for such a small package. The app is decent too, but could use some more songs to jam with. I think that overall this is a fun way to work on your music late at night or when the mood and inspiration hits. It’s loud, but not so much as it would bug any neighbors or house guests. I use it just as a Bluetooth speaker as well to jam out to my favorite tunes. I would highly recommend this little beast of an amp for its tight bass response and it’s amazing functionality. Cool AF!DJ Lewis

Good for busking and practice with nice tones. The wireless and drums are nice features . Good size for traveling and no need for outlet with rechargeable battery. The jam tracks and artist's songs are limited but you can stream any songs you want via Bluetooth. The price was reasonable as well.Doug

This amp is FUN. The sound quality is great, and it is packed full of amp models, effects, and pre programed drum loops. That combined with a 40 sec looper, and it's become the most effective practice tool I own. And it's so simple, I don't need a bunch of equipment, it's all in the amp. For me, it brings the fun back to practicing.Russ

This amp has a great range of sounds, including some earthy grungey stuff, and weird vocoder setting. The most all-round versatility of this unit is a combination of the Rhythm section, the separate input and control of the Mic, and the Looper section. With up to 10W of output this unit can entertain more than just yourself. I like the tri-select of output power, (especially when the missus wants to watch tv!). The footswitch to select between effects, rhythm and looper is more essential rather than desirable, yet it cost me another $100+ to buy, which seems like a lot for just switch (although it's heavy duty). The only other downside is the rhythm tempo switch, which needs a guess in the time between button presses to alter timing. This would be better done and made more repeatable with a rotary switch. Great little portable unit, and my new GoTo.David M. C.

Good guitar amplifier which is small, easy-to-carry, but powerful enough. Especially love the power switch feature so I can run it as 1W in my room without driving my roommate crazy.QI

This could be one of Line 6's most awesome products to date. I needed a good practice amp for in-home jamming and lessons I could take with on the go. I wasn't expecting much from the built in settings, but there are 5 amp models (including acoustic), basic effects and even a distortion pedal noise gate and tuner LED integrated. The headphone jack and guitar, aux and input are useful as well. Probably the best feature is the battery powered option which allows you to go mobile for jamming in the park or just not dealing with being plugged into the wall. Some downfalls however include some need to roll back the sound channel when switching models (followed by a pop sound), and a few other minor things. Some people complain about Line 6 sometimes stoic amp models, but they work here because its a small form factor, inexpensive and the expectation isn't much. I only briefly checked out the portable amp models market, but this is got to be a great amp for starters or even serious players that want to improve or have some portability.JZman

The Micro Spider III is my first amp and was just lucky that this was the practice/portable amp sold at the guitar store that sold me an Epi Special II guitar a year ago, because one week later I was starting an intro guitar class with a dozen acoustics and (not knowing what I was doing) it only took me minutes with the acoustical setting to dial in a comparable sound! Within 2 months, I bought a MIM Strat and now with these three items I can play just about any sound from Buddy Holly to blues, to surf, to Jimi, to Black Sabbath!!!!!!! With settings from clean to metal, crunch, and insane and 3 adjustable modulations and 3 adjustable ambiance effects, not to mention all 3 EQ knobs, I'm still finding new sounds and I practice up to 4 hours per day! I crank it up in my cabin and outside and can keep it very quiet in my apartment in the winter with mega hours on it and no issues. The 4.5 for quality is due to the not so great built-in tuner, that I quickly bought a Korg tuner to assist my learning ears. Now that I have experimented with all sorts of genres, and now an intermediate type of player, I'm defining my specific sounds that I want to specialize into the future much faster than I could have possibly dreamed of… basically because of the wide array of music I can play with this amp!!! Thanks Line 6 for an awesome product like this. I'll never be able to play a tube amp quietly or out in the woods, so this is a keeper. BTW, I found an insulated Igloo cooler that the amp fits in perfectly for traveling and a car adapter for running off your cigarette lighter socket. Wow!!!!!!!!ObsessedGuitarPlayer

A great mini amp suited to acoustic guitars for private use applications in living rooms or bedrooms. The sound quality is very crisp and clear. There is a choice of microphone emulation to simulate mic-ing up your acoustic guitar. The signal from this mini amp can be fed into a PA or a mixing desk using the Phones output socket. This amp is not really suitable for rock electric guitar sounds like crunch and distortion. The Yamaha THR5 is more suitable for this purpose.Danny

I have looked at the Yamaha THR line of amps many times in various retail shops. Finally saw one on MF in open box condition. Thought, "What the heck." Looks and functions as new. I bought the THR5A to use with my acoustic-electrics. I wanted a small portable amp with good effects for small venues and home practice. For me, a solo singer song writer playing originals, this little amp is a true gem. I use it for effects support in stereo, the other line run through my 40 watt Fender Acoustasonic. For years I have used the durable Acoustasonic as my PA, monitor, and for my vocals, and my Boss RC3 Looper. The THR5A is used simply to tweak the sound of the guitar. The effects are very nice, lots of range to dial in. The modeled Mics offer enough variety to cover the 3 different AE guitars I use. (Carvin AC175, Carvin AE185, Huss and Dalton CM). I can even use my OCD pedal through the THR5A for playing blues leads over the Loops. I would recommend this amp to any player of AE guitars because the sound quality out of this small inexpensive amp is truly amazing. But remember young squires, the THR5A is a very low watt amp with tiny speakers, so do not expect it to support you in a setting of more than 15-20 attentive listeners!Surflad