Cheap Guitar Amps- It’s About Power
Cheap guitar amps come in all sorts of incarnations, from tiny micro amps to practise amps, to amps that might just about have enough power to get through a small gig without you being drowned out by the bass player. The trick, as with most things gear related, is to make sure you’re getting what you really want. In particular, since costs for amps generally go up as their power goes up, you need to work out just how much power you really need.
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What Do You Want?
Well, that depends on what you’re planning on doing with the amp. If you’re only ever going to use it to practise through headphones, then some sort of mini amp, like the Danelectro Honeytone M10 or the Dean Markley GR1000, is probably going to be enough for you.
If you’re planning on using it for practise, but would rather not have one extra wire getting tangled on the way to the amp, then possibly a slightly larger practise amp is in order. Rogue’s 10watt practise amp may not sound like it has much power, but it’s probably enough for a bedroom. The same applies to other good practise options like the Rocktron Velocity series 10W or the Fender Frontman 10W. Particularly good value for money is offered by the Behringer V-tone 15 Watt amp, which uses modelling technology to produce a number of different amp tones by offering options on amp type, speaker simulation, and gain type. Don’t let the slightly higher wattage fool you though, it’s still very much a practise amp.
So what do you do if you want cheap guitar amps that can handle large practises and some gigging? You up the power, of course. A thirty to fifty watt amp should be adequate for most small gigs, and you can always run it into the PA at larger venues, plus you can still usually roll back the power enough to practise without annoying the neighbours. Line 6’s Spider amps come in a thirty watt incarnation that lets you bring the versatility of modelling to your playing, while Marshall’s MG4 amp comes in at the same power, sounds good, and has one of the great names in amp design on the front as a bonus.
Generally, something in the 50 watt range will cover most needs, but if you’re gigging seriously, you might want to go bigger still. Much past 100 watts, of course, it becomes hard to see how you could practise without either having to use headphones or seriously annoying the neighbours, so you’re probably looking at a dedicated amp. It should also be remembered that more power generally means more cost. Raven’s RG100 is probably the cheapest of the hundred watt amps out there, and could well be worth a go if you’re looking for cheap guitar amps but still really need the extra power.
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