Guitar Amp Noise Troubleshooting For Sale (2024 Update)

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

Seems as well built as the other options I've seen. Better tonal range than Vox and better than having to buy 2 or three devices. First impressions were not that good but as I've used it a bit more I can see me getting more used to it. I probably expected to much and was basing my hopes on the FLY amps. I think the effects are too limited to be worthwhile and would prefer Blackstar to focus on better amp tone. Still, I'm happy with it and for the type of device this is I know of nothing that sounds better. If I lost it I would probably look at the latest options but as it stands this is still the one I would buy. I think all of this type of device are over priced when you consider what a small amp costs but for portable practice in a small space it can't be beaten. This Blackstar amplug is in my opinion the best VFM option available.Paul S.

Amazing bit of kit for the price! Clean, over drive and distortion channels in a small box the amps to headphones perfectly! Can’t really comment on the effects as not really tried them out! But if you need a tiny portable amp that connects to your headphone for practice i would throughly recommend! Just noticed it even has aux in so I can listen to my Fender tutors without having to have 2 different sets of headphones on the go!!! Total novice managed to get it working in 3 minutes without reading the instructions!Mike

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

I just completed my Mod 102 kit. An excellent experience! I was delighted with the quality of components, clarity of instructions, and, perhaps most importantly, the sound of the amp. It is very loud – currently running into my Fender Twin Reverb cab (2×12) and very sweet! I will be running it into a new 1×12 cab with a new Celestion G12 M Heritage 'Greenback' when I get a case for the speaker (on order). My only criticism (and something to look out for) is that the chassis is very nicely painted in gray gunmetal paint. Even following the directions to file all the holes, it is very hard to get a good ground connection at every point a terminal strip connects. I worried about this, and about 1/3rd of the way through the build, took an ohm meter to check all the connections, and as I had suspected, some of the connections were not great (9-10 ohms or so!) So I removed the terminal strips (with the components I had already soldered still attached) and scraped away the paint under the tabs of the strips to ensure a good connection. Re-testing showed virtually zero resistance. I'd strongly recommend scraping the paint away at all holes under the chassis before getting started on the build. Even better, suggest that Amplified Parts leave the inside chassis unpainted (at least around the important holes). Aside that one criticism, I am delighted with the kit and with Amplified Parts. Everything was delivered promptly and they are a class outift. I'll probably try some of their other kits soon.vpmerlyn

I spent three evenings building the MOD102. The instructions are very easy to understand and the amp has a great Fender sound. I had one grounding issue that was easily fixed with a little help from tech support, which was excellent. If you're good at following step by step instructions and can solder well this is a fun little amp to build. Only small issue is the labels. They could stand an improvement.Brandon

I just finished this amp build and it sounds fantastic! I also just finished a Marshall 18 Watt clone and I have to say that the Mod102+ holds its own very nicely alongside the Marshall. In fact, I will probably use the Mod102+ for recording because it sounds amazing at lower volumes (the Marshall is loud AF). Honestly, if I were only going to build one of them today, it would be the Mod. I'm blown away by the tone! Great kit with excellent instructions. Great bang for the buck. The parts all seem to be top quality. I love the old style cloth solid core wire, too. I find it much easier to work with than modern stranded wire. The labels are a bit lame but I covered them with packing tape as suggested before cutting them out and they look fine. If you're thinking about building an amp, build this one.danjbeckett

What a great sounding mini amp. I've had to use headphone mini amps for the last 15 years due to time constraints and location of practice area. I didn't want to use the precious practice time I had just to set up full size amp for only an hour or so and then return everything back to storage area. It was so much simpler and convenient just to plug a mini amp into my guitar, put on head set and play. Down side was always the quality of the mini amps I was using. I was getting them for around half of what a vox cost.. I always wanted a vox but they were expensive. After joining mf rewards club and making several purchases I bought my vox for about half price by applying my points to the purchase. I should have never waited. This vox is 10 times better than the cheaper brands. As soon as I opened the packaging and held it in my hand I could feel the quality. When I first plugged it in and started playing I got really upset. Not at the mini amp but at myself for waiting so long. I highly recommend buying this mini amp. Trust me. It's really worth it and you'll be glad you did.Horn

Cannot praise this device highly enough. It sounds great, and is ridiculously versatile for such a small device, comprising not only Gain, Tone and Volume controls, together with three levels each of effects options Chorus, Delay and Reverb, but also Clean, Crunch and Lead. Two AAA batteries are required (included), and give hours of usage. Just plug it into your guitar, attach headphones (decent pair of over-ear type are best, but don't need to be expensive) and, if wishing to practice over a track by your favourite band, simply attach an appropriate device such as a tablet or 'phone. If you require to free your amPlug2 sound from the confines of headphones, Vox also offer a mini, 2 watt, amPlug2 amp/speaker to which you attach your amPlug2 and play out loud (but not loud enough to annoy the neighbours. The wonderful Vox 50 watt amp/cab stack Mini Superbeetle Audio blue tooth speaker also doubles as a guitar amp, complete with amPlug2 compatibility, but at full volume, this would definitely annoy the next door neighbours, and possibly those further afield. The amPlug has given me new found freedom to play and practice without needing to wait for opportunities where it can be done without audibly intruding on the personal space of others in the household. I have subsequently invested in the equally good Classic Rock amPlug2 (and which, on balance, I prefer), together with both the aforementioned Vox Mini amPlug2 cab/speaker and Superbeetle Audio blue tooth amp/speaker stack. Basically, the freedom afforded by the amPlug2 headphone amp has reinvigorated my love of guitar playing, and I try to squeeze in some practice time on a daily basis. I even felt enthused enough to unnecessarily treat myself to a new guitar. This amPlug2 is real value for money, but it has inadvertently cost me a small fortune.johnclark1954

So far so good. A little hot with active pickups, def functionally. Appreciate the aux in to feed music or backing track while practicing and very portable. Worth the price.matta2z76

Had my reservations about buying this, a cheap headphone amp, as I have had others in the past and the o/d or distortion always sound awful. Don't get me wrong it isn't replacing my Marshall amp, but for a really portable and handy headphone amp it is great. I can use this, and move, whilst the kids are in bed, no more having to be 2 mtrs from my big amp….. As a practice and experimenting tool I love this!gastall1978

It's better than expected, though the design might not compatible with some guitar models. It requires an AAA battery. Works pretty well with any headphone. It also has an AUX port so that you can plug and play any songs you like and jam along. Thumbs up from me!wamin0

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

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

Because the Stage Right 5-watt tube amp (#611705) has control knobs only for Volume and Tone, I found that I get the best-to-my-ears guitar sound when I put an equalizer pedal between the guitar and amp and then adjust the equalizer to the tone that I'm looking for. On the guitar the Volume and Tone knobs are set fully open and on the 5-watt tube amp the Tone knob is fully closed and the Volume knob is set to the volume level acceptable to the environment (for home practice the Volume knob is set to level 3 at full 5-watts). The Stage Right 5-watt tube amp is my first tube amp after having used modeling amps for at least five years. I had heard that tube amps more often than not sound better than modeling amps. After now having experienced using a tube amp I agree that tube amps (at least the Stage Right 5-watt amp) sounds better than the modeling amps I've used (which to me sound great too). If you're looking for your first tube amp (like I was) or you are looking for a low-watt tube amp for home use then I highly recommend the Monoprice Stage Right 5-watt tube amp #611705. Review about Monoprice customer support: The 5-watt tube amp that I initially received had a cosmetic defect (a hole) on the textured surface on the front side of the amp. The Volume knob when set to fully opened level 10 produced normal speaking level sound instead of the noise-complaint loud volume that I expected. Monoprice customer service was great and easy to work with in submitting an amp replacement request. I described the problems, sent pictures of the cosmetic defect and a video demonstrating the Volume problem. After Monoprice customer service reviewed the pics and video they sent me a free shipping return label, a RMA label, and they ordered me a replacement amp which arrived within 7 days after I submitted the replacement request. The replacement amp that I received had no cosmetic defects and the Volume knob set to max level 10 is loud enough to generate noise-complaints from neighbors, though I normally use the amp at Volume level 3 for home use.New User

For the price (I got it when priced $119) it is fantastic. It's simple, straightforward and sounds good. Nice warm tones. If you're a fantastic guitar player, this amp will sound fantastic. If you're an okay guitarist, you might want to invest in some pedals (or just keep practicing). I only say that because it is very clean and bright and it really shows off what you're playing. (I've been known to hide my sloppiness with reverb, distortion, etc.) BUT It does take pedals well – thankfully! Adding a good reverb pedal, delay and an overdrive to go along with this little guy is a good idea. The Pros: Value to Price ratio. Looks well built. Warm tube sound. The handle (yes I am talking about the amp's handle) is nice! Better than I expected. In fact, everything looks pretty good (except the cheap control knobs). 5 watts is plenty loud for home/recording use. The Cons: Good sounding, but there are better sounding. Please don't buy this thinking that this is a $500 amp. It is not. But sub $200 it is a good one. The chickenhead knobs are cheap looking. I took them off and painted them. But that's a dollar or two easy fix (if it bothers you at all). Overall: I totally recommend for $150 or less. Probably for $200. If the prices climb too much beyond that, I think there are other options. If you want to jam at home and record with it, I think you'll be happy.Brad

The Monoprice 5 watt guitar amp arrived just a few days after ordering, and arrived in good shape, due in part to the excellent shipping carton. Upon taking it out and inspecting it, I could find no flaws in the cabinet, and due to the cream color of the covering, it seemed a little bigger than I was expecting. I plugged it in, let it warm up for almost an hour, and then plugged in an ES339, using no pedals. At first, I wasn't all that pleased with the sound I was getting, but it was my fault. I had it adjusted as I do with my Albion Hybrid, but that wasn't the way. I found the best sound came from turning the Monoprice all the way up, and then use the guitar controls for volume instead. That did it, and the little amp came a alive in a big way! Sounding very similar to a Fender champ, it could go from nice clear tones to crunchy heaven with the ES339's humbuckers. I plugged in a Strat with an HSH configuration, and the single coil really made it sound Fenderish. Sweet. The only thing I found one might improve on the amp, is the speaker. As such, I plugged into the built-in external speaker jack on the back, a little Randall 8" cabinet. That really did it for me. The sound was fantastic through the entire spectrum, and was loud enough to be heard down the block. I then bi-amped it with the Albion, and the sound had all the creamy goodness I've been seeking, and that is how I now have it setup for daily use. That said, there's nothing wrong with the stock speaker on the Monoprice, and I suspect it will satisfy most users. Am very happy with this purchase, and glad I bought it for such a great price. Almost every electric guitar player could find a use for this amp. Buy before the price goes up, or they quit making them!T

Bought this for my grandson to use. My other amps are too big for him to take to lessons and school. This isn't the cheapest practice amp but the sound is great and the overdrive DSP is as good as much more expensive amps. Excellent amp for the money.digital_photog

Got this Amplug Blues today plugged it into my Strat and it sounds great! and I highly recommend it! Now is it perfect? the answer is the usual NO. I think it can be improved on as follows. 1. Put a little color on the dials… the plastic is all black and the plug can rotate to different orientations. Would really be nice to have the dials stand out better with different colors. 2. Change the AA batteries to USB rechargeable Lipo battery. No reason to burn batteries when you can recharge! 3. My main change request is to have Bluetooth Audio In because you plug in the Amplug and then connect headphones (great for practicing). But to add audio to jam to you need to connect another cable to the Aux jack. So for me it just get's to be too much. Since nearly everyone has a smart phone it would be great to use Bluetooth for the Audio In so you can wirelessly play jam track and stuff without needing the 2nd cable. But it does sound really good and I'm keeping it!Harpster58

I regret, that I was mistaken in my previous review. I had claimed that the sound was great – but, that some functions were missing, after about a month of use. That is not true. I re-read the slightly, confusing, manual. The unit itself is – slightly, confusing* – but, it does work the way it is supposed to. In fact, you have a serious selection of effects – at least, three levels, of each one of, three effects – far more than other units in this category of headphone amplifier. The sound is incredible – the thing's got, big, b*alls! – and that, in itself, is worth five stars. Amazing job!
*The effects are split by two different buttons at two different ends of the unit, which makes it a bit uncomfortable.Dale Alan Bryant

I have 3 of these amps so far and love them. You can't expect a big tube sound because it's not that but rather a smaller very useful sound. I customize them slightly with an 8" speaker that fits in them and do a few other little things. For very little money you can have a killer little tweed looking amp. Works great for rockabilly and roots music with an archtop for me and takes any pedals well. Can't beat these little work horses.Travis

Beautiful cover and vintage tweed appearance. Good for an office. If it got ripped off you would get over it quick. Have to use pedals or limited functionality makes practice boring rather quickly. Clean very good. Gain option is unfortunately toy-like and useless. Just leave it off.Records Reills

Cool little amp. Been spending some time playing with it. Love the tweed look. Wish they hadn't put the Rogue plaque on the front of the grill, and had kept true to the Champ 600 look by putting it on the top of the amp over the speaker. The clean channel is good, wish it had some built in reverb. The distortion channel is good too. I ran my "Bluesdriver" pedal into it and it sounded even better. I will likely change out the stock speaker for the Eminence 6.5 speaker to try and coax a little more sound out of this great little amp.KWB MUSIC

I bought this amp to have a small, cheap portable amp to play harmonica through. For that, it is decent enough. I use a Shure bullet mic and the amp produces good enough tone and is plenty loud for practice or small gigs. When I plug my tele into it the clean channel is decent and clear, but the overdrive channel is junk and hurts my ears. I would rather run the clean channel and use a fuzz or distortion pedal. So that being said it is decent enough to practice licks on and it is tiny so it tucks away easy. If you look around you can find a bigger amp with more features used for the same price but if you want a new amp, this one is probably worth what they charge for it. I would only buy it if you have a specific purpose for it though.Roy

It's small, and pretty portable. However, the sound quality is trash, given the speaker is tiny, but the overdrive is just horrible. If you buy this, try returning it. If you can't return it, just get a fuzz pedal and leave it on clean. Imo, just buy the mustang lt25-50Hotdog Games

I bought this amp to have a small, cheap portable amp to play harmonica through. For that, it is decent enough. I use a Shure bullet mic and the amp produces good enough tone and is plenty loud for practice or small gigs. When I plug my tele into it the clean channel is decent and clear, but the overdrive channel is junk and hurts my ears. I would rather run the clean channel and use a fuzz or distortion pedal. So that being said it is decent enough to practice licks on and it is tiny so it tucks away easy. If you look around you can find a bigger amp with more features used for the same price but if you want a new amp, this one is probably worth what they charge for it. I would only buy it if you have a specific purpose for it though.Roy

It's small, and pretty portable. However, the sound quality is trash, given the speaker is tiny, but the overdrive is just horrible. If you buy this, try returning it. If you can't return it, just get a fuzz pedal and leave it on clean. Imo, just buy the mustang lt25-50Hotdog Games

Overall: Recieved this amp on saturday. Took it out of the box, looked great. plug in to 4*12 marshall cabinet and turned on to standby. Plugged in my Westbury custom to test. From the very beginning to was cracking, snapping then full blown static. I played all of two minutes before it started picking up radio signals and static was loud. No guitar signal was heard. Im not sure if its inherent in these amps but I am returning and not wanting another egnater productsVito

My Tweaker 15 half stack is my primary gigging amp. I don't like a ton of stage volume, and in any case this little rig is a lot louder than you'd expect from 15 watts. Using an angled-back stand for the cab, I can point it at my ear level and hear myself just fine w/o having to have guitar in the monitors. Hang an e906 in front of the speaker, and good to go. This rig's best feature is the broad range of useful tones. The various toggles and knobs actually DO something. Since I switch up between twp very different guitars (ES-335 to G&L SC2) in our current live sets, making a couple-three quick changes gets each guitar into its sweet spot and at the right volume easily. Foot-switchability would be even better, but it's quick enough. The gain control is particularly well done. There's some real range, not the "all or nothing" thing that a lot of amps' gain controls give. The Vintage/Modern voicing toggle offers distinct differences, as well. This rig takes pedals nicely. I use both individual stompboxes (recording) and an M13 (live…don't hate!), and both sound good. The one thing I dinged it a little on was that the lower ranges on the Master Volume aren't as useful as I hoped they would be when using the Gain. There's a big, non-linear jump in volume in the first quarter of the dial's movement. Not only does this jump bypass the volume I really wanted (for apartment playing), but the tone on the low side of that volume jump isn't nearly as good as the tone AFTER the jump. Not a problem on stage or even recording, but for those who have to be concerned about volume at times, it's not an ideal practice amp. Bottom line: a lot of great tones at a price that makes touring with it less nerve-wracking.David K

This amp provides a much better value than similarly designed amps by the top manufacturers. I was looking for small wattage amp to get natural tube break-up (previously playing 100 watt fender twin) at small room club-approved volume. I was down to this amp vs. Mesa Express 25 watt. Although the small Mesa's like the Express and TA models have more channels, I just really felt that the 2 channels of the Egnater were more versatile and responsive. I truly feel this amp does the best job of getting a Fender-ish clean and a Marshall-y overdrive in 1 amp. The overdrive channel is what really sold me. The dynamics make it really fun to play. It can get very saturated without sounding metal, and it compresses naturally. I've used on a couple recordings and can't believe the sound is coming from one 12" speaker and a 30 watt head. Sounds way bigger. This channel can also be used as more of a dirty clean channel. That is my one major qualm with this amp though… I like that the new 2 channel tweaker has a gain knob on both channels. I wish I could get a Stones-ish breakup sound using the clean channel on this amp without turning up to 10. So i'm forced to use a pedal and that's just not the same. Oh well, can't have everthing. I still wouldn't get the 2 channel tweaker because this overdrive channel is better to my ears – way more dynamic and responsive. The clean channel is stll great and I can turn it up to like 6 on gigs and get warm sounds. It can still get me the Fender cleans that I need – or close to them while still having a solid overdrive sound at the same time. That's the big win here. I agree with most that the wattage knobs are pratically useless – but to me, having both set of tubes is so cool. Clean channel can truly sound either Fender or Vox on 6V6 vs. EL84. I love being able to get Stratty Fender sounds with 6V6 and then flip to EL84 and get my Tom Petty sounds going. The distortion is slightly creamier with 6V6 but I like the feel changes depending on what guitar I'm playing. In general, it's nice to have 6V6 for strats and EL84's for Les Pauls all in 1 amp. I've had no issues with this amp (knock on wood) and have played steadily for over a year. Overall, this amp has 2 great channels instead of 4 decent channels. That's how I feel about it. Again, I wish they would have thrown a gain knob on the cleans for a slight break-up at low volume, but that is my only qualm. However, I'll gladly find a pedal solution for that instead of paying a lot on a bigger name brand. Thanks Egnater!WarrenHaynes4Prez

I was really surprised at how good this amp sounds. Years ago I tried Line 6 and was not at all happy with the tone; but this is another story. It does take me awhile to dial in a specific classic rock tone, but when I do, it sounds better than any other amp that I've tried. I have tried the Marshall Code, Blackstar id Core, Vox Valvetronix, Boss Katana; as well as some all tube amps. The only other amp that is a close 2nd is the Fender Mustang GTX; also a great amp. The Spider V is fairly easy to operate. It offers lots of choices for amp models and cabinets. I like that it has variations of a mic'd cabinet. The parametric eq is a plus. I haven't played around too much with the effects yet, so I can't comment on that. The only negative thing I could say is that when you're editing a preset and want to hear how it sounds before you save it, you only have a short time before it goes back to the Home Screen. This really is a small price to pay for the quality of the amp and all the versatility it has. I like the App too. Musicians Friend got me a great on this as well; and their agent is following up making sure that I'm satisfied. The funny thing is that I came across this by accident. I placed an order for a Peavey amp that was on back order. I called Peavey multiple times, but they never returned my call. I also emailed them, but they didn't respond to that either. As far as I'm concerned, Peavey doesn't have any customer support.crrkr

Been playing about a year, so my review is from the perspective of a complete newbie. The things I like- Lots of presets, mobile app functions, computer interface, and loads of user created effects available. Nice and loud, but no real basis of comparison to say if clarity is better or worse than other comparable amps. Don't likes- The micro-usb interface. I had to get an adapter and it's just not as good a connection as nearly anything else would be. IMHO, micro-usb is far too flimsy. Connecting to PC is far more problematic than just using the spider mobile app. It's probably a little more complicated than it should be for a beginner, but it's feature rich for the money.Nic T

I had a Line 6 120w amp for years that I regrettably sold a while ago and was looking for another amp. I looked at all the amp reviews I could find and decided that the new Katana was the way to go. I got the Katana home and absolutely loved it but the second day I had it it started a really loud buzzing that I couldn't stop. It probably was an easy fix but the fact is the amp was way too powerful for my purposes and their software wasn't compatible with the new Catalina OS. I returned and started looking again. I saw the 60w Spider V and the price was excellent so I made an on the spot decision to buy another Line 6 and I'm really glad I did. The tones this amp can get are incredible. There are so many amp models and cabs that you can dial in pretty much any tone you want from a crispy snapback country clean to the most vicious heavy metal and everything in between. You can use the presets as they are or you can use them as a baseline and tweak to your own liking or you can start from scratch and build your own rig from the ground up. The controls are intuitive and easy to use but there are some features where you'd have to be a professional to really know how to use or even care to use. The software and the mobile app are so easy to use and give you all the options at your fingertips. The amp comes with a lot of presets that I find are completely useless but there are a lot that are excellent as I already talked about. There are only four empty slots for your own custom presets and I wish there were more but if you use the mobile app you can have your own tone library on there. I bought the FBV3 foot controller so that gives me a lot of flexibility to have various effects. One of the limitations is the lack of good effects though. There's enough that if you work at it you can get a decent sound but there could be some better ones. Overall I would recommend the amp. Don't listen to the naysayers or the amp snobs, it's a quality amp and extremely versatile.Just Plain Joe

What a great sounding mini amp. I've had to use headphone mini amps for the last 15 years due to time constraints and location of practice area. I didn't want to use the precious practice time I had just to set up full size amp for only an hour or so and then return everything back to storage area. It was so much simpler and convenient just to plug a mini amp into my guitar, put on head set and play. Down side was always the quality of the mini amps I was using. I was getting them for around half of what a vox cost.. I always wanted a vox but they were expensive. After joining mf rewards club and making several purchases I bought my vox for about half price by applying my points to the purchase. I should have never waited. This vox is 10 times better than the cheaper brands. As soon as I opened the packaging and held it in my hand I could feel the quality. When I first plugged it in and started playing I got really upset. Not at the mini amp but at myself for waiting so long. I highly recommend buying this mini amp. Trust me. It's really worth it and you'll be glad you did.Horn

Cannot praise this device highly enough. It sounds great, and is ridiculously versatile for such a small device, comprising not only Gain, Tone and Volume controls, together with three levels each of effects options Chorus, Delay and Reverb, but also Clean, Crunch and Lead. Two AAA batteries are required (included), and give hours of usage. Just plug it into your guitar, attach headphones (decent pair of over-ear type are best, but don't need to be expensive) and, if wishing to practice over a track by your favourite band, simply attach an appropriate device such as a tablet or 'phone. If you require to free your amPlug2 sound from the confines of headphones, Vox also offer a mini, 2 watt, amPlug2 amp/speaker to which you attach your amPlug2 and play out loud (but not loud enough to annoy the neighbours. The wonderful Vox 50 watt amp/cab stack Mini Superbeetle Audio blue tooth speaker also doubles as a guitar amp, complete with amPlug2 compatibility, but at full volume, this would definitely annoy the next door neighbours, and possibly those further afield. The amPlug has given me new found freedom to play and practice without needing to wait for opportunities where it can be done without audibly intruding on the personal space of others in the household. I have subsequently invested in the equally good Classic Rock amPlug2 (and which, on balance, I prefer), together with both the aforementioned Vox Mini amPlug2 cab/speaker and Superbeetle Audio blue tooth amp/speaker stack. Basically, the freedom afforded by the amPlug2 headphone amp has reinvigorated my love of guitar playing, and I try to squeeze in some practice time on a daily basis. I even felt enthused enough to unnecessarily treat myself to a new guitar. This amPlug2 is real value for money, but it has inadvertently cost me a small fortune.johnclark1954

First off I'm an old school Sound Engineer. This little Amp does it all. It has so many uses even though it is so simple. It will teach you to learn to use the controls on your guitar better. Unlike several modeling amps this little piggy takes most stomp boxes GREAT!! Maybe he best feature is its Pre Amp Out which allows you a line into the PA or it will blow you away going into the input of your tube amp giving you a realist boost over any stomp box. At low volumes using the proper guitars pickups sparkling cleans. and this Piggy was made to be dirty. Best tool to have as a back up. Great traveling amp. Battery Life is goes a long way just get rechargeable and carry a small battery recharger in its little closed stash compartment. I don't recommend using the power cord. I'm sure there are some youngsters that differ with me but the old schoolers that like it raw and understand how to dial in their tone without playing with mods will dig this amp/fuzz box. If you have a nice clean tube amp but want some growl and extra volume pre amp this baby into your amp. I have several pedals and over drives and most all become thin bringing up the volume compared to this. it just gets thicker and more meaty as you increase the vol. My buddy are blown away with what comes out of the PA with this little Piggy and just a couple of effects my 86 RAT with this work well together.Cool mixes

I have the tweed covered version of the legendary 7-100, so it sounds the same as the leatherette covered version. I was very surprised at the rich tone of this amp. I am using it with 6 AA's not the power supply (dont know what difference that makes tonally) and it sounds like a tweed champ. You can get clean tones that have just a touch of twang with single coils or weaker humbuckers (gretsch) at a lower volume and form 1/4 of the way up you get progressively more and more tweedish ( let's face it-tweed breakup is basically distortion that fuzzes up as the gain increases) type distortion. With a tele you are in rolling stones territory, and with a humbucker equipped guitar you are in Neil Young land. It is awesome for recording, just stick your mic in front and go! It takes pedals well also. I love the simplicity-no time spent tweaking controls, plug in and rock. That said; this is not an ideal amp for a young beginner guitar player. A young kid will not appreciate what this amp gives. But for experienced players who like a "tweed' tone at a dirt cheap price this cannot be beat. Also, dont listen to the nonsense from guys who own one of the "original" ones that these new ones are no good-that's crap. The circuit has not changed regardless of who constructs it.padraic9143

Mr. Chatter is a great. The Pignose sounds line a vintage amp that gives you vintage guitar sounds from the 60s and 70s. This is a real analog amplifier not digital modeling The. Pignose is hand made and a quality piece of gear that will give many years of enjoyment with its rugged construction and quality components. The Pignose is surprisingly loud and versatile. The output jack allows you to send the Pignose to an amp or power amp/PA. I recommend getting the wall wart to save battery usage for outside use. Even the adapter fits inside of the Pignose. I got the original brown and it goes with home decor very easily. The Pignose can do cleans, overdrive and fuzz tones and does well with single coil pickups. The Pignose is very dynamic and you need to use your volume knob and hand to control the amp, like a real tube amp. Inwish I got a Pignose years ago. It is not a gimmick … its a real quality amp for children, adults and recording professionals.tnak4528