Small practice amps

[Dan Beller-McKenna]

Following up on the Fishman Loudbox Artist for gigging: meh. Used it yesterday and it didn't quite cut it tone-wise. I'll still use it for a rehearsal amp in an acoustic situation; it's about half the weight and size of my Deluxe Reverb, and good enough for a rehearsal

[Derrick Unger]

I'll start by saying I have a Nashville 400, a Vegas 400,a Nashville 112, and a Fender Steel King...no shortage of true steel amps here, but I also have 14 other amps taking up space...all fenders and peaveys and 1 quilter..My favorite practice amp and favorite amp period is a Fender Sidekick Reverb 35...weighs about 30lbs..only mod is the 12" fender speaker has been replaced with a WGS (in Kentucky) speaker with specs very similar to a eminence Ragin cagin...I love it.
Got all these amps because I wanted to do a you tube video showcasing about 6 or 7 small fender amps that sound great with steel but are often overlooked or overshadowed by Peavey offerings such as the Peavey bandit series..maybe I'll get time to do the you tube video and have a fire sale on a bunch of fender amps..sorry for being windy!!

[Dan Fullmer]

Roland Cube-20XL Bass. Full range modeling amp for bass and great for steel and built like a tank. Has chorus, delay, reverb, overdrive and Aux In, all of which sound good. Weighs only 20 pounds! I could gig small venues with this amp.

[Jim Pitman]

Like Fred T., I use the Roland acoustic amp, AC series. Mine is an AC33 - battery operated, stereo, 2x 5" speakers, reverb and chorus. I roll back the treble a bit since its' very hifi.
I can plug my phone into the aux in, dial up a tune and learn/play along with it. It has built in reverb and a looper so if I'm inclined I can record a progression with my guitar and play steel to it.
It also has a headphone jack that keeps my family happy.
I really like the ease of not having to pug something into the wall too BTW.
I also use it at small gigs for my vocal and Dobro at times.

[Larry Dering]

Derrick, I would love to see that small Fender amp video.
Jim, can't believe that AC 33 can handle the lows. I have a Roland AC 60 and tried it on some small gigs for guitar only. Not enough tone without going through the PA. I do love the inputs and outputs giving me a versatile and useful practice amp.

[Carl Mesrobian]

My Rolls PM351. Great little box. It's straight signal with level adjustments. For sound checks I use a gig amp with any bells and whistles and blast it.

[Derrick Unger]

Thanks Larry..might get to it yet this winter..would probably include a fender sidekick reverb 35, fender sidekick reverb 65, fender 25r, fender Princeton 112 plus, and a fender super champ..maybe a fender rumble 100..

[Dennis Brion]

Be interested in seeing that comparison also Derrick!

[Jason Goodell]

I built a 5F1 Champ clone last fall, and am completely in love with this little guy. I plug into the #2 (low sensitivity) input, use a variable transformer to bring the line voltage down to 113V, and keep the volume below 4 ah la Keith Richards' studio setup. I like the Champ because of the natural compression of the circuit, and that feel when you dig in. But I would say try as many amps, practice and otherwise, as you can and decide what you like. There are no rules, your own tastes will change over time and experience, and try not to let others' opinions sway you too much.

[Tony Prior]

amps amps and more amps ! My small practice amp is the same as my small gig amp {Sometimes)

DV Mark Little Jazz 12. Aux in, phones out, Reverb , a bunch of other stuff. 20 pounds or so. 45 rated watts and a NEO 12 " speaker.



or this which is not really a good choice for Steel.

Aux in and phones out, USB charge..$30- new