Xoo Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 I'm looking for some ideas for a small "guitar" amp: people here are very helpful - and knowledgeable (and I'm tapping into your wisdom...aka being a little lazy to start with). My 7 year old son has decided he's going to concentrate on learning recorder and ukelele. His latest acquisition is a one-off electric ukelele, something of an impulse purchase (at a country fair of all places!). We want to get him a small amp: there was a Vox battery powered one he played through at the fair which made us think about what we could get that has a speaker, supports headphones, has some internal FX and ideally has a line-in so he can play along to music. Definitely doesn't need to be battery powered though. I could trawl through manufacturers' websites but I know people here may well have some ideas before I start down that rabbit hole! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Stanton Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 my son bought me a "Spark Mini" - small cube amp with BT and USB options + direct input and lots of fun setting options via the phone app. https://www.positivegrid.com/products/spark-mini Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xoo Posted September 12, 2023 Author Share Posted September 12, 2023 I'd looked at them (or similar) then discounted because of price - we weren't expecting to buy another instrument, let alone a custom electric uke 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Stanton Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 i use mine mainly as a single mono source for monitoring mixes, and secondly for my uke bass and my guitar when i need something to plug into quickly and just play around on. but it is a bit pricey but nicely made with decent LF response (and of course the epic stadium rock god setting is awesome for those times needing to crank the stratocaster for an imaginary crowd of thousands 🙂 ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xoo Posted September 12, 2023 Author Share Posted September 12, 2023 Does it need a phone/tablet to adjust it (in more than just very basic ways)? That's not going to be practical if so unfortunately. It might be a Christmas/birthday present, but I was hoping to find something a little cheaper for now. I'd looked at a Boss one which is probably "good enough" (https://www.amazon.co.uk/BOSS-KTN-MINI-Katana-Portable-Amplifier/dp/B072XKP8TH/ref=sr_1_23?crid=3U2N14MH6RDY2&keywords=small+guitar+amp&qid=1694519906&sprefix=small+guitar+amp%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-23) or a Blackstar (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blackstar-FLY3-Fly-3-black/dp/B0BS9V2V9J/ref=sr_1_24?crid=3U2N14MH6RDY2&keywords=small%2Bguitar%2Bamp&qid=1694519906&sprefix=small%2Bguitar%2Bamp%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-24&th=1) which does at least match the uke! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Stanton Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 (edited) yeah once you decide to tweak it you need a phone or tablet for the BT connected app. but out of the box it works ok. my preference would be the BOSS. last band i was in the rhythm guitarist had the Katana 50 which could hit all kinds of power levels and awesome effects. if i didn't have a bunch of other guitar amps i would have picked one up. i have 2 Roland 40W Cubes from 1980 or so - still kicking. i use one in conjunction with the Orange 50W bass amp to make it powerful enough to operate in louder environments 🙂 so in my mind the BOSS / Roland products are really nice quality. but the Blackstar looks like it might be the right fit for your needs. Edited September 13, 2023 by Glenn Stanton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesse g Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 (edited) Look on Reverb.com for the one you want first and see if it is being sold at a lower price. No reason to pay the retail price when he is just learning and may need a larger one later on. Spark Mini on Reverb Edited September 13, 2023 by jesse g Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xoo Posted September 13, 2023 Author Share Posted September 13, 2023 6 hours ago, Glenn Stanton said: yeah once you decide to tweak it you need a phone or tablet for the BT connected app. but out of the box it works ok. my preference would be the BOSS. last band i was in the rhythm guitarist had the Katana 50 which could hit all kinds of power levels and awesome effects. if i didn't have a bunch of other guitar amps i would have picked one up. i have 2 Roland 40W Cubes from 1980 or so - still kicking. i use one in conjunction with the Orange 50W bass amp to make it powerful enough to operate in louder environments 🙂 so in my mind the BOSS / Roland products are really nice quality. but the Blackstar looks like it might be the right fit for your needs. Thanks - I'm thinking of the Boss too, as I know how they work more than the Blackstar! It's a really interesting build: Fender Jazzmaster shape, P-bass pickups, simplified Les Paul wiring (one volume, one tone, one 3 way switch) and 9 gauge guitar strings (throw away the Es), and more frets than a standard uke. Low-G ukelele tuning. and sounds half-way between a ukelele and a guitar. Should be fun. And at least it can be played with headphones 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Roseberry Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 You might consider something like a Line-6 Pod-Go. If you're not familiar, the Pod-Go is essentially a cut down Helix. Would be super convenient for playing events, talent-shows, etc. Our guitar player is using a Pod-Go for the shows in this video. https://www.facebook.com/gypsykyngsbandohio/videos/231680486540349 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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