The desktop guitar amp market is getting more popular, but with many companies now creating their own ranges to enter this market, how do you know which one suits you the best?
Lets look at some of the most popular and highest rated, and do a comparison! Our top picks are from Boss, Yamaha, Positive Grid & Nux. These desktop Amplifiers might just be the finest money can buy. These style of Amplifiers are somewhat a newcomer in the guitar industry, but the desktop amp has gained massive popularity with guitarists. In such a small package, they are able to match great sound, and sometimes come included with effective practice tools in the form of an app. Because of this convenience, desktop amps are now changing the way people practice. If you want to play late at night without disturbing the neighbours with their low volumes & headphone connectivity, or when inspiration strikes, getting one of these amps is a complete game changer.
Around 10 years ago, amplifiers designed for practice were low-quality items you find in guitar starter packs, great for starting out, but unfortunately not much else. This has completely changed now with guitar players having different needs, and with technology improving, it was only a matter of time until the quality of a practice amp compared to a regular amplifier has now blurred. Thanks to the improvements in modern technology, we now get great-sounding amp tones with Bluetooth connectivity, coupled with Smart Apps to help us practice better, and giving us more options at our fingertips.
We have pulled together our years of product knowledge & experiences trying out plenty of gear to give you this rundown of the best desktop guitar amps we feel that can be bought right now.
Yamaha amps have always excelled at producing crisp, dynamic modelling tones to capture the presence of a real tube amp. That’s why the THR is favoured by a number of pro musicians in need of an amp which sounds as good as it is portable. Switch between five savable onboard presets, with five guitar styles including clean, crunch and hi gain settings. Bassists or acoustic needn’t feel left out – there are three bass amps to customise across a three band EQ and an acoustic piezo style channel too.
The THR isn’t short of effects. Choose from a range of classic and contemporary echo, reverse, spring and hall reverbs. Modulation is on tap with a selection of flanger, chorus, phaser and tremolo.
Packed with 40-Watts of immersive, room-filling sound, ultimate on-board control and massively inspiring smart features like all new Smart Jam Live, Auto Chords, 10,000+ tones and more!
Vivid, spacious sound and elevated tone from the smart amp that started it all. Want a compact home rig that truly rocks? You’ve come to the right place. Jam, play and practice more with millions of songs. Access over 10,000 tones powered by our award-winning deeply powerful BIAS tone engine.
The NUX Mighty Space Guitar and Bass amp is a small yet commanding wireless 30-watt modelling amplifier that is perfect for practicing in any space, whether you’re at home in a bedroom or sat practicing before a gig. This little amp has got your back, giving you a whole host of tonal capabilities through its dual 4” loud coaxial speakers and its compatibility with the Mighty Amp app.
Included with a wireless transmitter, the NUX Mighty Space allows you to plug in and play without having to faff with cables, giving you the freedom to freely move around the room, comfortably sit down and not worry about being tangled in cables. The transmitter works perfectly with both electric guitars and bass guitars, whether you have active or passive pickups, this compact amp caters for them all. The NUX NMP-2 footswitch control is also compatible with this amp, giving you the added ability to loop riffs and add drum tracks to play along to.
After trying out and testing the various desktop amplifiers that are currently on offer, the amplifier that stands out and is currently pushing the desktop amplifier standards is the Boss Katana Air EX Wireless Guitar Amplifier. The quality of the Boss Katana range keeps improving, and keeps setting a new benchmark for what can be achieved for its price. With the convenience of having the range of quality sounds, all editable with the Boss Smart App, it will truly give you the urge to pick up the guitar and practice on a more regular basis.
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