9 Practice Amps To Avoid

[@MrPolevaulter]

Check out the 10 BEST practice amps ever: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZrYeYmKj9uInbssi=wo_99XeVn_SXq3s9

[@derekjohnson5720]

It was me who suggested the amps to avoid, glad you did it 🤘🤘

[@louiscyfer6944]

i practice on a two rock with a fryette on there. works perfectly fine. why use a different amp than what you use to play?

[@davidharbilas4185]

THANK YOU for including the Fender Frontman. I had a 10G, and it was just garbage. Couldn't imagine a less inspiring amp, ever. It made me want to just quit playing.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Pretty much what I thought.

[@johnf.r6658]

I have a fender frontman 15g and the big chunky brother the 212r and they both sound awesome to me, real clean fender tone, the drive chanel on the 212r are very bad but since I have a bunch of pedals it's an amazing amp, at least to me

[@theguynamedgio]

The front man 10 is hot trash. However every size after it is awesome cheap fender

[@abc123gpl]

i put Jensen Speakers in and it was nice. the original speakers were not good.

[@dizzy7454]

@@davidharbilas4185 my first practice amp was a frontman 25r and for what it was it wasn't bad. Couldn't keep up with a Drummer but at home at 14 years old it had a bit of punch

[@JasonT-xp3kh]

People are just spoiled today. Try learning how to play on a gorilla amp or a Peavey rampage with an 8 inch speaker. You'd really be crying. We thought it was awesome. It was all we had so we just made it work.

[@brucehayes7251]

Nothing screams like a gorilla, I had the 60 watt, late 80s. The cheapest amps today are still sadly better than back then . The Ross 10 watt had no reverb, awful gain and cost a little over $200 aus

[@honkytonkinson9787]

I had some kind of 30 watt SS peavey amp from the early 90s that sounded pretty bad. It didn’t bother me that much at the time. I upgraded because I needed to be louder and that first real amp sounded so much better! There did seem to be a lot of bad options in this video. I recall the little frontman amp I had, also in the 90s, didn’t sound that bad

[@OLLiGoldeaux]

In the 80s gear was rare and expensive - i play trough an old Tube Radio with Booster for years, later a Lead12 Marshall before all the modelers came..... it was not easy to play at home😮

[@honkytonkinson9787]

@@OLLiGoldeaux my first amp was a boom box tape player, through the RCA input.

[@fuzzymuppet1990]

My first guitar rig in the late 80s when i was a kid was a 30 watt gorilla bass amp, (yes bass amp) , a dod american metal pedal , and a metallic brown peavey t-15 guitar. There used to be a running joke with my other guitar buddy. That gorilla amp had a "FUNK" switch. About 30 years later, we were at a guitar store, and i was talking to the clerk about the mesa mark v. All those features and no damn funk switch ! 😂😂

[@Miloykus]

As someone who has recently upgraded to THR30ii, I can say that it was worth it. It's not only an amp, improved from the previous model, louder, still you get lot of gain on a low volume, great for practicing, but also for small gigs, as it has a line out and can be plugged into a PA system. Another thing is the speaker, I also use it as a bluetooth speaker, as well as an output speaker for my digital piano. And it beats my Bose Revolve. Very sturdy and with a relay, adds a sense of freedom. I wish the bag is included in price, but I'm happy with it. Still better than Katana

[@electropentatonic]

Did you upgrade from the thr10? I have the 10 and would like a little more headroom. The speakers get muddy pretty quick, and I'm a relatively low volume player

[@adamberes1246]

The ID core v3 stereo 40 is my second amp ever. I bought it half a year ago and I'm still using it. It might just be me, but I'm very pleased with its performance. It has delay (not the best but still a delay), reverb etc. It sounds very good in my oppinion, I love it's clean tone as well as its distorted one. Probably an unpopular opinion, but I recommend it

[@RespectTheMusic]

I started off 14 years ago with a Line 6 spider 4. At the time, I really liked it and honestly it gave me the opportunity to experience different ideas of effects to help me figure out moving forward what I liked. As I got older though I realized how bad it really sounded and upgraded to a spark amp around the time they came out and that alone sounded SO much better. Now I rock with a fender blues junior 3 and am extremely happy with it and being able to start dabbling with pedals. But I gotta say, even tho the line 6 sucked. It kinda helped keep guitar interesting for me and learn about effects, then when I went to the spark (which I still use) it helped me understand the idea of pedals more and which pedals did what. In the end, it lead me to where I am today and have a better idea of what pedals I should buy to get the tone I want, instead of buying up a bunch of pedals I’m never gonna use. Moral of my comment is that sometimes a bad amp isn’t a bad thing for someone NEW if it will keep practice from getting boring and keep them invested. However, at this point in time there’s definitely some affordable good choices that can do what I mentioned with the line 6 😂 either way, thanks for your content dude! Really enjoy your stuff and agree with a lot of the points you make on your videos!

[@lloydonlead]

Elmo, you crack me up! I love your honesty. Keep doing what you're doing.

[@scottmuir5773]

Nice one Elmo great insights as ever. Good guitars are available these days for reasonable prices, its a bit more difficult with amps.

[@joerogansghost7402]

Man it's CRAZY how bad that Fender Champion 50xl sounds. I have their Champion 40 and love that amp. Bought it mainly for the clean tones Fenders are known for, but that little practice amp sounds so good even for heavier stuff I rarely use my other gear like my Marshall when I'm just jamming at home. Cool video brother. Love your gear reviews.

[@mikehurley5052]

I got one too, good amp for the price and 40 watts is enough for me.

[@georgedaniels3683]

I have the 20w only for home because I need clean sound with reverb and it’s perfect for that.

[@patrickleatham6511]

Great video as always. I'm going to go to bat for the Orange Crush 20 tho - you can get the Orange sound dirt cheap (or at least an approximation of it), great for classic rock 60's 70's stuff. If you don't want that then yes, avoid as it isn't exactly versatile...good quality speaker in it as well.

[@ll14m4n]

Catalyst is boring? Nonsense. It's a full-fledged amplifier with a proper speaker, which is quite suitable as a practice amp, cos. it sounds great at bedroom volume and has all bells and whistles of "desktop" amps like usb audio interface, effects etc.. And it's awesome for it's price. What is really boring is that most practice amps that come with tiny flat "hifi/frfr/music" speakers, including the expensive ones. From those I have or had: Yamaha THR and Roland Micro Cube (your holy grail), the Catalyst sounds much better at the same volume (and it can be louder), primarily because of the proper 12" speaker, not only cos. of modeling technology from Helix. I currently have also a 20W tube head with 1x12 cab, but I still play on the Catalyst 90% of the time quietly in the evenings. I used to have a 4x12 and a 100w tube head at my apartment quite a long a time ago when I was young and gigging, and event that is was OK as practice amp if you carefully turn the knob to make it quiet but not silent 😀 The term "practice amp" was invented by marketers to sell us junk 😆. You can practice unplugged with no amp as well.

[@canadianintheukbrian]

I have one amp BOSS Katana Mini , sounds great , does what it needs to do , when I started to learn guitar I remember getting that Fender Affinity pack with that Frontman both crap that Frontman sounded like bad case of the runs it was horrible, how the hell do you inspire new learners with that crap, if I need an honest no bs review this is the channel I go to , I find it funny some of big KZbin reviewers praise some these amps to avoid , you can't make accusations but it does sound like someone is getting their palms greased if you know what I mean,

[@Guitarnivore]

THANK YOU! Someone else that agrees that the Gen 3 Katana price hike isn't justified enough, especially since the bluetooth is not built in.

[@mountkarate-nunchucka]

I thought the bt was built in? I would have considered it just for that. Oh well, happy with mk2

[@Guitarnivore]

@@mountkarate-nunchucka Nope. You have to buy the $60 dongle, which isn't terrible, but then you still have to update the firmware via PC/Mac. I love the Mk2, but I maybe still get a Gen 3 50 watt later on when the prices start to drop a bit on the used market.

[@raythompson7079]

Appreciate the video. It definitely enlightened me to some of those brands. I primarily use my practice amp for clean tones. I don't run it through the gammit that Emo did. I rely on my effects processor for my tones through my practice amp.

[@davidfisher5022]

Nice video and accurate. I've played most of them and agree they aren't the best options out there. I would say that when i had a peavey x1 i didn't mind the 6505 tones for really heavy stuff but i get you're more into the Marshall sound.

[@ManuandFuci]

Interesting and surprising review. I own a CODE25 and a THR 10 II, both are very cool. Suprised that the more powerful versions come short in your review.

[@JonKaybassenthusiast]

I personally think the orange crush is amazing for it's size but that's just me.

[@richardsmith9615]

I agree with you. They're great little amps. Great price too

[@varanzmaj]

Orange Crush is awful....and this is coming from someone who loves (and owns) Orange amps. Orange should stay within tube amp territory.

[@dizzy7454]

These sounds just make me sad The orange isnt bad though

[@richardsmith9615]

Orange and the Line 6 sounded completely fine to me.

[@yippy327]

Much love to you, sir. People hope that because they like something, and they also like you, they are upset when you don't agree with them on everything. It's just an opinion people! We are all allowed to have them. Peace, dude! After listening more then half of the video, I realize it's because you can make anything sound better, to most of us, can.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@MsEcko95]

I started playing through the old Soviet “hi-fi” solid state amp Амфитон У101, and that piece of non-guitar crap still sounded better than a half of the amps from this video. Now I have a Marshall DSL amp at home and I can’t be happier.

[@PhillipHolt-f9r]

Thank you Elmo there was a couple I had my eye on but I'll talk your word for it. It's a pain sending something back online. I research everything before I buy. I've only sent four items back.

[@alexanderkastaniotis4097]

The THR30II has programmable presets, a built-in rechargeable battery, can work as a Bluetooth speaker , has a dedicated line out, and can accept a Bluetooth pedal to access the programs. In addition to being wireless. Hooked into a PA, it's gig-able.

[@christian-van-e]

I have the Fender Champion 100; a lot bigger ofcourse, but I think it's one of the best amps I ever had (also had Spider III 75, Yamaha THX-III, Boss Katana, Positive Grid Spark amp, etc)

[@brucehayes7251]

Champion 100 almost on par with the tonemaster twin if you just want a big pedal platform and at a fraction of the price

[@carloswhomusic]

Thanks for your great content. One other caution from my experience: 20 WATT heads and combos are POPULAR. I bought one. It sounds great. UNTIL I play with a drummer. THEN the clean channel doesn't have enough headroom. So most advertising suggests that 20-watts will handle practice..... and a drummer ....no problem. It probably won't.

[@sinthetx]

Just curious. Who makes the guitar you play? Is Rising Horse the model or manufacturer?

[@RichardBoling-tk4pj]

Hi Elmo, the only amp you tested and didn't like that i will defend is the Peavey Bandit but you tested the current model and I have no experience with those but my teal stripe Bandit from 1992 I would not trade for the world, it is 32 years old and sounds and works like new with no scratchy pots and basically 2 effects loops that work perfectly and in my opinion when an amp can be over 30 years old of constant use and work like new and have great tone that is a damn good quality amp, and Peavey made their amps bulletproof back in the day, but like you said everybody is different and likes different things and as I said I have no experience with the current model Bandits but the old USA made ones kick ass in my opinion

[@LumaTo]

I ended up getting talked into a THR30, and have been spoiled rotten since. Yeah it's pricey, but it's tone is amazing.

[@Sambre.]

I'd like an honest opinion on the blackstar 5w ht mkiii. Thanks in advance. Love your work.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks! Not sure if or when I'll check that out. Sorry.

[@Deadman327]

For the price of the Yamaha. You could get the Fender Blues JR. Wish I would've never got rid of mine after I upgraded to the Blues Deluxe. Also the Harley Benton Tube 15 would be a great option as well. Here in the U.S its only $304.00. Joyo makes great heads with the Bantamp and a cheap cab would be better than any of these.

[@Colin-o9t]

I remember trying a Marshall code for a laugh and i couldn't get any decent tones from it. When you reviewed it I felt your pain. Long way from a plexi 😳

[@jckelley10]

Thank you for enduring those amps so that we don’t have to!

[@BonJovi1987Fan]

I personally own the THR30II and it'd amazing but I use the line 6 g50 wireless.

[@Addahasan]

Dear Elmo, from almost all guitarist and tube lovers I've heard that in solid State amp "Roland JC-40 (JAZZ CHORUS)" takes the crown? Would love you see a review or hear your opinion on that.

[@matzer8846]

I'm in need of bad sounds ... so this list could be4me BUT my superpower is: make good amps sound bad

[@patschubert2662]

I think you need to remember when we were beginning guitar players we got what we could afford that we thought sounded good but as our guitar playing progressed so did our ear for better tone. I agree with you on about half of these but remember some amps sound amazing with one guitar pick up selection but might sound terrible through another. I think we all have our amplifier prejudice and sometimes they are well warranted - my first amplifier was a Peavey, I even bought a bigger one to try to improve my sound and now I can't stand Peavey amps or speakers even the 5150? Oh and that line 6 sounded really good with your pups - just saying!

[@hetuman]

My first amp was Hohner CD-100 Force series. Everything on your list sounds so pro if we compare it to this Hohner! And i still have it! Well it sounds crappy but dude it can black metal and noise well!

[@donnybrook8051]

The Yamaha thr(all versions) is/are worth every penny. It really is an amazing practice amp. Not sure what you're talking about.

[@danedearmond4905]

Man, some of those were truly awful... Fender, I'm looking pretty hard at you right now.... The two Fenders were particularly horrible in my opinion. I've owned two Fender amps in the last 6 years. I started with the Mustang LT-25 (small 25 Watt 8" driver modeling amp), which I really liked for jamming in my bedroom and playing with the internal filters and effects. But in the last year I upgraded to the Fender Mustang GTX100 amp, and I must say, I don't think I'll be buying any more amps. This GTX100 I have is all I need and some extra. 100 Watts, a 12" driver, TONS of built in modeling effects and amp sims (plus I've seen a couple expansion updates from Fender since I got it). With as much as I've loved my Mustang series amps (the LT-25 and the newer GTX100) it's horribly sad to see Fender was okay with putting their names on those two amps you showed... That 50W Champion XL sounded like complete trash. By the way, I love the scalloped frets on the strats you used to test those Fender amps, that's a nice touch I may have to look into.

[@rfritchman]

Elmo, how about a review of small form-factor amps? Hendriksen and Orange, for example.

[@richardsmith9615]

I wonder if I need my ears changed, the overdriven tones from that Line 6 amp 2 were pretty nice through my headphones. Maybe it sounded awful in the room, but recorded with mic it seemed good to me.

[@xamislimelight8965]

Honestly, my mindset is when it comes to practice (particularly alone), there's no such thing as bad tone. I used to think it mattered, but as I got older I noticed worrying about that was taking away a lot of play time. 3 to 4 minutes, actually. That's a whole ass song just spinning knobs and what-not. That being said, it probably is a good idea for beginners to get an amp thats good both solo and in a band. Mostly to save money and space.

[@nouvellecivilisation5895]

I'm still looking forward to your test of the Boss Katana Air, which is a great amp. I'm still looking forward to your Boss Katana Air review, which is a great amp. I had the Blackstar ID Core V2 which I found good for effects and distortion but not very good or excellent. The clean was bad, really!

[@leobendang2643]

Hey Elmo, what's your opinion on the Marshall JMP 2203, I reckon it holds its ground against the jcm 800 and even the plexi

[@jorgeambriz5411]

you should have listed the vox pathfinder 10w too.

[@mikemercer5808]

I totally agree on the Fender Champion. It was terrible sounding. I could get no high end out of it, even with the treble cranked. it just sounded muddy and dead.

[@danedearmond4905]

As someone who DOES like Fender products (maybe not the price tags, but the products are pretty solid) THAT was one disappointing amp. It just sounded muddy and awful. I've seen little 5 and 10 Watt practice amps that sounded better...

[@RickMichaelis63]

Thanks for the video Elmo! 🙏✌️❤️🎸🎵🎼🎶

[@MrPolevaulter]

And thank you 😊

[@johnf.r6658]

Hey I been playing for like 15 years with a frontman 15g and a 100 watts 212r and they both sound amazing to me, the drive channel it's just awful, but the clean tone is pretty amazing, really good pedal platform too, maybe I have bad ears or something (I heard some low level valve amps from fender and there's nothing there that I can't do with my amps and my pedalboard, I push it with a ts9 and a big muff and it's great)

[@Addahasan]

I just recently bought Laney LX65R. An amazing amp at an amazing price. Loving it, upgraded from LX35R which also was good sounding amp (Cons of 35R not heavy on amp section as per 35Watt, less bass)

[@JamesDierken]

Coincidentally I have a Peavey Vypyr 100 2x12 and it does the exact same resonance thing. The amp and cabinet is cheap quality but the speakers are decent, they seem to work ok with other amps.

[@stevepelham9010]

Got the Harley Benton 20-R thank`s Elmo. The HB20-R good sounding and built like an brick I love it.

[@benligil]

I have a Washburn 20 W and Marshall MG30CFX beside my regular amps. Any small amp suffers severly of their tiny low quality speakers. Mod them to connect to a half stack or 1X12 cab and at least I saw a huge difference

[@richardpierce7819]

Some people say the red knob fender twin is junk. But the ones I've heard sounded great. If you listen to any Skynyrd from the time Huey Thomasson played with them he used the red knob twin. I tried to find one to go with my other twins but there pretty expensive.

[@musemuser777]

I like my THR-10X (metal version mod)... It was half as cheap as the one you were referring to. It came with Cubase DAW software a!so. Don't know if the newer THX comes with it. 10 watts but it can crank for a little amp. Only thing is that it's hard to see the settings because it's army green color and it lacks the wireless capability. 🔥🎸🔥

[@carlfrei2419]

I have the Orange Crush 20 and with 1 mod things got much better... I installed a jack on it so I could use my 1x12 cab and that made the amp 10x better. As irony would have it I have an old Frontman 25r in red tolex I did the above mod to as well as put a Jenson mod speaker in it.

[@BlackjackHookers-nj7qj]

When I was learning elect I had two amps one was a run of the mills peavy that I used for clean and bass well my squire amp was just a tiny little beater but hooked up running piggy back to a backing audio system got the job done for bar gigs I did lol

[@joachimdeissler3198]

Great Video! Thats what i need for now!

[@rockerbuck967]

As big of a Yamaha fan as I am, I agree with you on the THR 10-2. I have an older THR 10-C, and it crushes the newer one - hands down. I've tried all the amp modes in the new one (high gain, classic, etc) and it just doesn't cut it.

[@hairnation68]

I own the 10C and the 30Wii. 10 is not better, both are excellent and so easy to get a tone you want. C is limited on not having a heavy tone.

[@SLB4523]

Yep 10c is fantastic. Mic it up with pedals and see how it sounds!!

[@jimmyjames2022]

Phew lucky I never tried any of these "amps to avoid" let alone paid for them! Not a fan of any of them. Kat Gen 3 is price gouging, but I even bought a Katana V2 combo finally, a 50W on 40% off clearance. At that price why not. But still I think it's going to my grandson at Christmas. He's a drummer but I'm trying to coax him to guitar a bit.

[@nellayema2455]

I bought the Blackstar ID:Core v3 20W amp on sale for $89.99. I'm sure that the v4 at over $200 it probably isn't worth it. For $90, it is a good "bedroom" amp. I get good sounds both clean and dirty at easy on the ear volume levels. Cranked up it sounds like I expect 2 5" speakers to sound--not good. It works for my purpose! If I need to crank, up I have other amps that do that well.

[@Shamacanada]

Nothing boring about my Catalyst 100. It sounds just great! Dont know why you didnt like.

[@DoomPotato]

Frontman 20 - that was my first amp ever. I remember that little f***er. I thought that it was great until my friend come to me with his roland cube 10gx.

[@juanvaldez4043]

I think another factor that hits a lot of people is availability and location.here where I live, they push fender and line6 , like a lot.

[@kerkuss]

Elmo - the Catalyst got a firmware update and double the sounds. The sounds ae so much better now. I do own one and I believe it's at least decent and the clean tones are (and always were) really good. Most definitely it sholud not be here. Maybe check it again?

[@Shamacanada]

I agree, bought a Catalyst 100 and it sounds so good. For the price it's a fantastic amp.

[@ll14m4n]

It is. And it was sounding much better than most/all amps on the list event before firmware upgrade.

[@markharwood7573]

I have recordings of my 1970s 10 Watt CMI amp that had no gain control, no overdrive, and a broken tremolo control, and it sounded far better than any of these toys. And that was with a junk no-name guitar that had a Fender-style headstock, 19 frets, an SG-style body and a total weight that was down in the ounces.

[@williammolina9792]

I agree with you the Yamaha thr30II is way too expensive....

[@drpfrutti]

Are there any good practice amps that can handle overdrive/distortion etc. pedals well? What should I be paying attention to when I look at them?

[@MrPolevaulter]

Harley Benton Tube 5 or 15.

[@drpfrutti]

@@MrPolevaulter thank you very much, Elmo! Much appreciated!

[@marciopaivaRS]

Elmo take a look at the new Laney lionheart lf60. It looks promising. 60w with 1w option, Very bare bones, clean, crunch and reverb

[@aozora7]

I honestly think that Orange overdrive one sounds good.

[@daniellarson3068]

Thanks Elmo - Lots of choices out there. Maybe the sounds of some of these amps is, as you say, an acquired taste. Glad that I don't need one.

[@hailmaryrecordings8255]

Spend $500-$600 and get a Vox AC-10, a Fender Blues Jr, or a little Marshall DSL. It’s worth the wait. Just practice through your DAW for a while.

[@jfrankcarr]

Behringer used to sell a nice practice amp, the GM108, that had their version of a SansAmp GT2 built into it and a 8" speaker. I don't know why the discontinued it, especially for an amp that has a poor modeling circuit and a 6" speaker.

[@Dnell-tb1yd]

Probably getting tired of lawsuits

[@jfrankcarr]

@@Dnell-tb1yd They still sell the circuit as their TM300 Vintage Tube Amp pedal.

[@PaulEvans-j7h]

Most small amps will not have rich well developed sound but will make guitar noises for practice. Beginner guitarists will enjoy the sound palette. The nastiness only becomes obvious when you try to use the sound or a more experienced player tries to refine and use the sound. These amps need less cheap effect units built in and give a small basic 2 channel amp with good tone. A new player can learn much from such a unit.

[@JohnCarloDevera-b9x]

Please make a review for Laney lf60-112. We need an honest review from you!

[@Michel-r6m]

Think I agree except the 50XL (only heard over YT) I may actually like.

[@igy123]

Will you review the new mxr yngwie malmsteen overdrive??

[@hairnation68]

The Yamaha is fantastic. Yes it’s expensive but nothing is close in tone quality. So easy to get great tone quickly. I’ve owned many others.

[@ellenrugowski6255]

A Fender Frontman - UGH!! those things have been awful forever IMO. As for the Marshall Code - I tried a couple of them a few years ago, and every time, my response was MEH!!! Generic tones that don't even sound good (for the Generic sounds the amp tries to emulate). You can make a Marshall MG (which has never been more than a mediocre amp) sound better. In short, I avoid Marshall Codes like the plague. I like Orange amps (I still have a soft spot for the Tiny Terror I had to sell when I was broke, I always love playing the Rocker series amps, and I have contemplated buying a Dark Terror), but while my Crush Acoustic 30 has done an acceptable job of filling in for my Fishman Loudbox Mini Charge (until I quit being lazy, and try to fix the thing) in the one acoustic guitar gig I have (yes, at age 60, I play in a church band), I just cannot warm up to the Crush electric guitar amps. They're like one big blast of midrange tone, no decent bottom end, or grind - they kind of sound like the bad sounding overdrive tone you'd hear from a so-so 80s solid state amp, like a Crate.

[@willraven7]

WHERE DO I GET ONE OF THOSE GUITARS??❤

[@RJW14]

I have a yamaha thr10 first gen, I got it for 265 euro cause it was a demo model, that's a good price for one. 700 euro is bullshit and you're better off buying a host of different options.

[@jihamiya5755]

It's an amazing amp, but definitely not 700 euros amazing.

[@federicoresendiz3617]

I got a thr10c used but in perfect condition on *etsy* for a mere $125USD. I was forced to sell it when I ran into some hard times. But man was that the best practice amp I’ve ever owned.

[@tonray9395]

​@@federicoresendiz3617I just bought an old THR10C for $130 in Bangkok..it is killer !

[@RJW14]

@@federicoresendiz3617 yeah they're definitely proper.

[@jasujokelainen5073]

10 watts and 265 €? OMFG.... 😮

[@fredc5812]

My fave practice amp at the moment is an old Marshall MG 30 CFX (with the silver branding). 4 channels, all sound great, what more could I want! Certainly not a Code 🤣

[@sigiligus]

Orange Crush sounds fine, it’s just not a metal amp. It’s also not a digital/modelling amp, so it’s not even pretending to be able to do everything

[@shannnism]

The Orange 20 to me was clearly the best of the worst. I dont like modeling amps tho. I thought the orange was ok for what it is

[@NJTRAF]

I tried out an Orange Crush 20 RT in a store a while back and I didn’t like it. I think, I might be wrong, but I think it’s the little 8” speaker that’s the problem. I don’t know the technical ins and outs, I’m not that guy at all! But whenever if heard 8” or smaller speakers they just sound bad to my ears, a few 10” speakers can be good here and there but 8” or smaller is a complete no go for me. (For clarity though, I am also partially deaf in one ear - even though the VA says it’s not service related 😂 - so that may be something to do with it 🤷🏻‍♂️)

[@TheWolvesCurse]

my favourite practice amp is with me since 2009, the Roland Cube 60.

[@barrettflorida]

I bought a Line 6 Catalyst a few years back. Returned it the next day. Compared to my cheap, old Peavey Vyper 2, it sounded like a tin can. Horrible.

[@bozeeke]

I won't comment on the Behringer and the Blackstar ID both of which I haven't tried, but among the handful of these amps that I have tried, other than the Fender champion, Fender Frontman and some of the settings on the Marshall Code, most of them are not that bad sounding. Again, I think some professional quality players even though they intellectually understand that these are practice amps and not expensive tube amps, still subconsciously expect them to sound like a more expensive amp and they just don't and won't. For practice amps they are ok in my opinion. And as for Orange it's definitely an acquired taste. Only has sounds that work for stoner rock or doom rock. Can't get other good tones out of it in my opinion.

[@RomainG6409]

yep we agree to disagree ... I get the subjective mention at the beginning of your video, but objectivity should prevail when the list is supposed to tell people what to AVOID (meaning they are really crap). This is not a question of subjective taste, it is a "technical" expertise ... Catalyst, Yamaha ? Just to mention these two. Avoid ? Really ? ...

[@LucyLeheilleix]

I have a THR10 II and absolutely love it. Yamaha products are top notch. Their guitars are particularly amazing.

[@MrPolevaulter]

It's all subjective. If you like it, you do.

[@gktde9874]

Hi Elmo…please check up the new MXR Yngwie Malmsteen Overdrive Pedal. I liked the Fender version.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Planning on doing it.

[@gktde9874]

@@MrPolevaulter Thanks Maestro 🙏

[@joeMW284]

The entire Orange Crush series is so beyond overrated IMO. They sound like what they are - a cheap solid state amp. Either really buzzy or a creamy fuzz, no definition. I swear people just buy them because they look cool.

[@RichardKraneis]

Elmo, Always appreciate your reviews and videos. Any thoughts 9n the older Peavey Vypyr VIP-2 ? I know you thought poor quality on the Peavey X2. Was the Peavey VIP-2 any better? Thanks.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Haven't tried it.

[@RichardKraneis]

Elmo, thanks for the reply. I know you're busy. I own VIP-1 that I am enjoying. I practice electric and acoustic. Even using VIP-1 for my new free bass: my house contractor gave me 2008 Deltatone bass, for free. So now I am thinking of upgrading from VIP-1 to VIP-2. So, looking at VIP-2 locally in Chicago, IL USA. Also, my contractor gave me a free Dean MLX from 2009 that needs some work. Thanks again for your videos.

[@justmehere6094]

I agree with you on all the amps with your given reasons, except one. Just don't agree with you on the Catalyst. First that speaker on the Catalyst NEEDS breaking in, more than most amps I've tried. Second, you take the minute or two to create your own preset. Put it in manual, select an amp type, dial-in the EQ etc, and save.

[@iancurrie8844]

Catalyst sounds like garbage. The drive sounds are so unbelievably fake. It’s like a recoding of an amp.

[@justmehere6094]

@@iancurrie8844 Have you actually played one in person, let alone with a broken in speaker? I doubt it. It's the exact same modelling engine as the Helix (in fact, Helix added the Catalyst amp models to the Helix). So you are saying Helix sounds like garbage. As great as ELmo does, he did a BAD job of representing how the Catalyst sounds, in his review. Always the old saying applies, opinions are like ***holes, everyone has one.

[@iancurrie8844]

@@justmehere6094 yes, I owned a 100. It had a really fake sounding high gain sound. No amount of speaker break-in would help it. If that's what a helix sounds like, then I guess that's what I'm saying. Somehow I doubt that's what it sounds like. Yeah, I'm sure the problem is Elmo and everyone else, not the amp. That's why the catalyst has lit the world on fire and surpassed the Katana in sales. ;)

[@justmehere6094]

@@iancurrie8844 Well. actually, that's what speaker break-in actually does help. Brand new, the speaker over emphasizes certain frequencies, and under emphasizes others. What makes digital/modelling amps sound 'fake' are a bunch of high frequency artifacts. WHICH go away as the Catalyst speaker breaks in. And speakers on any amp make up a large percentage of the tone. But then I don't use mine for high gain, I prefer it's edge of breakup tones, and light crunch tones (aka 60s/70s era) and feel over the Katana Artist I also have and like as well. The Katana is what I take when I have the stage room AND have both Acoustic and ELectric sets. The Catalyst when no need for acoustic, and a Helix/TOnex board, when there isn't room. And the Artist definitely benefits from the WAZA speaker, which is a fantastic speaker. I had a Katana 100, that I never liked completely, until I put a WAZA in it. Then I got a good deal on the Artist (and much prefer amp controls in front on any amp), put the 100 back to stock and sold it. And yes, in this case, Elmo did not capture how the amp sounds, not imho. He usually does, but every once in awhile doesn't, imho. Everyone else? I can point you to a bunch of people who disagree with you. Heck, there are even blind head to head tests with people choosing the Catalyst over the Katana. But what's the point. You have your per-conceived notion on it. That's fine too. Play what you like. I just never get the need for people to trash what they didn't choose. Yep Katana is leading in sales. But then, it's been on the market a lot longer, and is sold EVERYWHERE. Which I think is/was a mistake of Line 6's, not having it in as many distributors. They also have a wider line, from combos to heads, etc, that Line 6 didn't do because they have products like the HX Stomp, Helix etc.I also think they should have come in a little cheaper at each siz/level of the Katana. But that is neither, here nor there. Katana has FAR more units sold than my Fractal Axe FX III Mk2. But, it isn't even in the same sport, let alone ball park as the Axe.

[@zombiemontage]

Sometimes a really shitty amp can be unique and inspiring from the tones it produces. I have a Behringer AC108 and I can't replicate the sound it makes using anything else

[@MrPolevaulter]

True. They can have good specialist uses.

[@MrYORS_]

My first amp was the ibanez ibz1g and i dont know if it was only me but i hated it and i stopped playing entirely... until recently

[@kevincrozier8625]

I am not a fan of these modeler amps. Never have been. I use an old Peavey Backstage with a small speaker but plug into a 12" cab which, of course gives it a better sound. I don't play out in the bars anymore. Get together with friends and jam out. I like a regular amp and use my pedalboard. The modeler amps just don't have a great sound in my mind. Of course, I am an old caveman so ya gotta take that in effect. Lol.

[@MrPolevaulter]

😂

[@markferguson3745]

A long time ago, when I was still in middle school, a succession of truly awful solid state amps led to me quit playing.It wasnt until I came across an all tube Peavy Classic( the first blonde tweed version), and very soon after a Fender Princeton at 19, that I got serious and became a lifelong player. Should probably give some credit to the Green Rhino and Russian Big Muff as well.

[@salort2934]

Have you tried the Oripure 5 or 15 W?

[@MrPolevaulter]

Nope

[@bruhh368]

unsurprising to see the frontman 20G at the bottom of the list lol. I got the frontman15G a few months ago as a part of my first kit and yeah it sucks. its not just bad sounding, its also super inconsistent, like sometimes it sounds passable and other times it literally makes me want to stop playing. Luckily i should have a new amp arriving this week.

[@shawnbogstie2827]

I think there is a difference between a starter amp and a practice amp, no? The Berhinger and the Frontman seem to be more like something you'd get in a starter pack. Doesn't make them better, but they target a demographic that doesn't know any better.

[@utube321piotr]

Elmo, I wish you would play sound examples from some well known classic riffs or sound melodies to better expose a good or bad sound.

[@yvettelearnshowtoshred]

And what about the Linie6 Helix or Spider. They are legendary bad.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Never tried a Spider.

[@yvettelearnshowtoshred]

@@MrPolevaulter Then look at the Test from Glen Fricker 🙂