Best Small Jazz Guitar Amp (Jan 2023 Update)

I love this amp 4 its warm tone and great reverb. I got 2 of the dedicated cabs 4 a mini stack and stereo use. This (2 me) is a jazz guitarists dream. If u can't afford (like me) a henricksen or price like amp I recommend u think twice before getting a price like of this head (unless u get the heads with gain and reverb). I enjoy this head 4 jazz(mostly) and clean stuff. This would make an arch-top and semi-hollow jazz guitar sing it warm tones (depending on the pick ups on u ax or how the heads controls r set ). I recommend any 1 getting this u will love it and not 2 mention its price.mrfix

I bought this amp…… then I sold this amp…… then I went out and bought another!!! That's how much I missed it. For Jazz tones you will not find a better amp in this size (1×8"). I also have a Roland JC-40, which is also a great Jazz amp! The DV Mark is warm and clean, no breakup at all, tons of headroom. I was surprised at how much bass frequency it pumps out, which was a pleasant surprise I must say. I actually had to roll the bass on the amp back a ways to lighten it up a bit. It has an xlr out, which is helpful in larger settings – it also has an aux in, which is really cool. It's my only amp with an aux in and it's nice to be able to play backing tracks through it. Great practice amp too! My only complaint with it is the Reverb feels too "springy" to me. I know this is personal taste and some may think it's wonderful – but I'll end up using my Strymon Flint for the Reverb, which is fine. It takes pedals, like Reverb and Modulations well. Overdrive pedals have to be played with to get a sound that I like (again this amp isn't your 'break up' sound, which is okay – it's not intended for that). All in all, this is a great little amp, good for smaller (coffee shop) venues or bigger (with xlr out or mic'ed). Perfect for Jazz. I don't have any problems with the fan that other reviewers talk about. It doesn't really bother me. All the DV Mark amps seem to have fans (that I have seen) – this is just them I guess. I think it's quiet and I'm not recording with it right now – might try that later. Get it – you won't be disappointed.bill

I was skeptical about the overall quality and that small speaker, however…….tone is full and I did not have to fight it to get a good sound out of it. I wanted a small amp to move around the house. I will use this amp at low volume only. No fan on this one. Nice, warm jazz tone with the archtop. The reverb sounds a bit weird, like there's some delay in there but the good news is that I like to add some delay and I use it sparingly anyway. Not sure how this would perform in a band setting but for my needs, it's perfect.Rchtop

Just got this today and was really surprised at just how well it sounds with my archtop guitars. Digital reverb sounds great on this amp. for only an eight inch speaker it really fills a good size room with it's rich jazz tones. Was going to buy a "Henriksen Amp" but they are way to much $$$$ for me. Glad I bought this amp to add to my collection. Time will tell if it holds up electronically. Cooling fan is really quiet and mounted on the inside of the amp. Amp is only 15 pounds great for playing on my front patio. EXL – 1, T50 Slim. and AF – 95 guitars!Paul

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

I was excited to procure this battery/ac amp at a fair price, so I bought a used one listed as "great condition." These amps are hard to find on the used market and ZT told me in an email production has ceased for this model until Q2 2022. The amp was indeed in semi-great condition except for a small puncture in the foam of the 5" speaker which buzzed. Quality control was obviously lacking as it's noticeable while playing the bass strings on an electric guitar irrespective of where the ZT's tone control is set. Accessing the speaker simply requires removing the grill without tools and applying a bit of speaker glue to the damaged part of the cone. I did it myself instead of returning it to GC, which I would have pondered if ZT wasn't horrendously backlogged. These amps sound stellar for home, busking, or as a personal stage monitor. I have two of them for a stereo pedalboard and Rick-O-Matic guitar. I have a DI on my pedalboard. I wouldn't mic the ZT. Conversely, the active tone control has excessive bass for the small speaker to handle, and I suspect many amps result in ripped cones if played loudly with the tone control at less than 12:00.Ed

The sweet analog tone coming from this little guy really inspires me to play & practice. Great cleans but the real surprise is it has the best grind of any solid state amp I ever played when pushed. This amp reacts very much like a valve amp. I owned a 200w lunchbox and like the tone of the junior more.tony f

I was well aware of the dimensions of the thing before it arrived, but opening the box and actually holding it is still pretty shocking. I found it to be small on a scale that it left it hard to believe that it would be functional for more than a practice amp. I accepted that the small size could be handy but expectation of sound quality was suddenly diminished. I stand corrected. The sound is excellent. It is definitely more than a curiosity that is smaller than a breadbox. It will put out a substantial amount of volume with a substantial low end range that was a tremendously satisfying surprise. For my modest needs, it far exceeds my expectations. I would like to note, for jazz guitarists I think you'll find this to be a surprisingly versatile and capable tool, not just a toy.Bliss

I bought this amp after not playing for a couple years, been playing around with it for about 4 months before writing this review and I have to say I'm pretty disappointed with it. At first I loved it because of the on board delay effect and I still find it to be a fun addition to this amp. Onto the bad, the eq knob doesn't adjust the tone as much as I had hoped and the overdrive isn't adjustable. If you're gonna play clean this is a great practice amp but if you're looking for a cheap amp that does a lot of things this ain't it palBrandon I

Super clean tones and the built in delay is hella cool! Always love purchasing from AMS, the payment plans are the only way I can buy the gear I want/need!very fast shipping and customer service is always superior. Would recommend this amp for anyone practicing in an apartment like myself. I’m was surprised at how powerful the 10 watts sounds when I have it cranked.Evan

It's not a bad little practice amp. There's not a lot lot of range on it, but it doesn't boast to be. It has a fairly nice clean channel. The overdrive is a bit lackluster, but it offers a decent little punch. Speakers sound good. They have a good sound just using this as a speaker for an MP3 player through the AUX in. If you're looking for nice cleans and a decent little rock sound in a small form this will do the trick. The AUX and headphone jacks are a nice touch, and do their job. If you're looking for a more heavier sound I would suggest the 15e for a couple of dollars more. Definitely not disappointed.Charlie

I bought this for an upcoming camping trip and I am very happy with the tone and volume when using AmpliTube. I usually use an AXE-FX III through 4000w of FRFR speakers so I am really spoiled tone wise. I wasnt expecting much but at the price point it was worth a try and I must say I am quite pleased.galacticore

I didn't have huge hopes for this, but the second I turned it on the hissing white noise sound that came out made it clear that this amp was not for me. Even without anything plugged in and all of the knobs turned to zero, as much as I turned up the volume, that's how much noise I got. This DID not work at all for me with the Amplitube phone app, but did with the Amplitube computer app – with some significant drawbacks. The audio level was low, and when I turned it up to get some usable volume, that ever-present background noise just killed the tone. Sorry, but I cannot recommend this.B.G.

Product looks as good as advertised but have not had a great opportunity to make use of it as yet. Looking forward to getting to grips with it in more detail ASAP.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This is an amazing amp. Mesa Mark Vs are among the legendary and now I know why. Can run all the way from sparkling cleans to Metallica and everything in between (blues, 60s 70s 80s rock, etc) It has changed the way I play and in many cases made my distortion, boost and overdrive pedals irrelevant. For some people Vox, Fender, or Marshall amps make them really happy, but for me, this is it. Some tips: It has a lot of adjustability which makes it so versatile, so read the manual when you get it or you could get lost. Plenty of YouTube videos out there on how to adjust it. Also, with its small speaker and 25/10 watt adjustment it may appear to be a bedroom amp, but it's not. It is a very powerful amp and bedroom volume is just breathing on the master volume (less than 1 on the dial, if there were numbers) But all is not necessarily lost! My solution was to buy a JHS Little Black Amp Box volume knob and put it in the effects loop ($65) and the volume became very controllable while being able to crank up the tubes and get that amazing Mesa sound. I'd guess an eq pedal could do the same. The only question is which one is better for you: the 10' speaker 5:25 or the 12' speaker 5:35? Weight, size, cost, and use will decide that.Phil

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

Went for this as my first valve amp for room playing. Definitely an upgrade on sound over my 20w fender solid state amp. Would be nice to have a dedicated gain knob for the clean channel and/or presence adjustment, though within its price range it has the best value for money as it has dual channel and an fx loop. Also it was delivered next day on a Monday, contacting customer service was really helpful.Joaquin S.

Clean sound was fantastic, the amp felt well built and looks the part. Included footswitch was metal and felt really good. Reverb was good, for a built-in effect. However, even at 0.5W I just couldn’t dial in a crunchy/blues tone I liked. At louder volumes I could get it to break up nicely. I returned the amp, as I’m a bedroom player and needed something I was happy with at lower volumes. If you can open it up a bit more, this amp was excellent.Joe A.

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

Huge sounding and a lot of power for such a small amp. The Spark Control App gives you loads of choices from classic sounds to the most modern of amps out there today. You also have tons of effects to use in conjunction with all of these modeled amp choices. All of these possibilities can be saved as your own personal presets which can endlessly be tweaked to make you sound and play your best. You can also use the Jam Along feature which syncs to iTunes, Spotify, etc. while also displaying the chord changes as you play. The Spark amp also connects easily to any DAW for professional sounding quality recordings. This amp does it all for a fraction of the price.Javier

Used it only for practice. Unusable for live performance. Every update was a fiasco and after 11 months, it only works as a Bluetooth speaker as the Amp section gave up. Google that issue and found it happens to many other users. Defective chip and Positive Grid helpdesk is not responding.Cory

The amp is awesome. Well built and solid, very pleasant to look at, easy to use and the sound! Oh man, the sound of that little amp is just beyond belief. Full and rich, it fills the room as though it were five times the size. With the app on my android phone, fine tuning the sound is easy and intuitive, and you can save your sounds as presets if you wish. But even without using the app, the presets that ship with the amp are simply stellar. In my opinion, the amp is well worth the price.Richard L.

This is an amazing amp. Mesa Mark Vs are among the legendary and now I know why. Can run all the way from sparkling cleans to Metallica and everything in between (blues, 60s 70s 80s rock, etc) It has changed the way I play and in many cases made my distortion, boost and overdrive pedals irrelevant. For some people Vox, Fender, or Marshall amps make them really happy, but for me, this is it. Some tips: It has a lot of adjustability which makes it so versatile, so read the manual when you get it or you could get lost. Plenty of YouTube videos out there on how to adjust it. Also, with its small speaker and 25/10 watt adjustment it may appear to be a bedroom amp, but it's not. It is a very powerful amp and bedroom volume is just breathing on the master volume (less than 1 on the dial, if there were numbers) But all is not necessarily lost! My solution was to buy a JHS Little Black Amp Box volume knob and put it in the effects loop ($65) and the volume became very controllable while being able to crank up the tubes and get that amazing Mesa sound. I'd guess an eq pedal could do the same. The only question is which one is better for you: the 10' speaker 5:25 or the 12' speaker 5:35? Weight, size, cost, and use will decide that.Phil

It's light and easily portable due to that and its small size. I was impressed with just how loud this little thing can get. Really packs an auditory punch! The knobs have good turning range for the effects. Good for fine tuning. Just a great product for a small price.jenniferocious1979

Excellent little amp. Didn't think I'd get that big of a sound out of that little box. Been playing guitar professionally for over 45 years, and have seen technology really take off for the better in the music arena. Happy customer right here.gwil3861