What is the Best Travel Guitar Amp? | Thomann

[@LaneyAmplification]

We think the Laney sounds the best. Unbiased opinion of course ;-)

[@SalmiRahman]

XD ♥

[@shug73shug99]

My only problem is that I have bought a Laney Mini ST lionheart and the front grill wasn't glued in properly and it fell out. This happened again with the replacement. Not sure if I can trust Laney's manufacturing anymore.

[@rafaelrada9861]

Laney Amplification I have used Laney my whole life. I loved my Cub 12 R and wanted that sound in a portable version and I think you guys made it... buying it soon 😊

[@michael_caz_nyc]

@@shug73shug99 I'm Surprised the company never responded to this. If it were my company, I'd want to make-it-right. Speaks Volumes.

[@shug73shug99]

We have got a special one man made and my son is a lot happier and is playing amazingly

[@landonbailey]

I love the look of that Strat!

[@lynyrddeville]

The cleantone through the Blackstar sounded just great

[@kolikari3813]

Do they sell the charger separelty in ur country as well?

[@tanmayjha7721]

@@kolikari3813 in my country, they send the adapter included with the amp combo

[@deanlikesknives2354]

You know, the fact that there are so many different opinions here really highlights that different people are after different tones. All of these amps sounded great to me for different reasons. I own a Katana Mini and love it but I would be happy with any of these. That crunchy tone on the Laney is superb. For whatever reason, the Katana seems to like humbuckers more than single coils in my experience. Anyway, dang it's a good time to be a guitarist! You can buy a cheapo bluetooth amp that's powered by batteries and have disgusting tone. I love it.

[@parkerfilms1]

All of them were surprisingly good. I liked the Blackstar and the Laney slightly more than the others, but, in all honesty, I would be quite happy with any of them.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

That's the spirit man! All really good options as long as you can keep playing on the go :) Thank you for watching! // Guillaume

[@theblytonian3906]

Most honest comment. Coincidentally, I agree with your preferences. I liked the Laney best. I say that without bias or affected by misplaced owner pride. Disclaimer: I've owned a Blackstar Fly 3 for about a year in its Vintage skin inc its Fly satellite combo upping total output to 6W. I am well pleased with it for purpose. Wife prefers the 3W single too vs cranking up the 40W or 100W. Happy wife, happy life.

[@brianm9902]

Just purchased a Katana Mini , I cannot believe the sound, I love the simplicity I don't need apps or Bluetooth, just plug it in and go, no farting around with an app, and the Katana-Mini does that for me,

[@chipcaronte]

I got myself one about 6 months ago. I was impressed! And to this day, no regrets at all!

[@ronpopeil7]

I have the MightyLite and I am super happy with it as a travel companion. Small, sounds decent, rechargeable batteries last forever. But honestly they all sound good.

[@djentcommunion2422]

@Yuri Coutinho nope. i'd rather go with silent street

[@Kostas-Kantounis]

Seems like a great little amp. I have the Fly. Rechargeable batteries last ages wit the Blackstar too.

[@ronpopeil7]

@@Kostas-Kantounis yeah - can’t go wrong with either.

[@TroyNaumu808]

@Yuri Coutinho By themselves on a busy noisy street probably not...at least not without some help. I plug mine into the Samson p.a. that has a rechargeable lithium battery. So in that sense it acts as a head. I own the Blackstar Mini (/w cab) and the Boss katana Mini and I sometimes use them both on my pedal board to get both a louder sounds and complimentary sounds.

[@zammie01]

Thomann comparison videos are comprehensive but ultimately ALWAYS frustrating because the reviewers always play different stuff each time, making a close objective comparision impossible.

[@jaerichards7833]

I was blown away by the Boss Katana mini, which is strange because i've never liked the larger Katana's. I ordered one in white. The others sounded amazing as well!

[@stefanw2123]

for me, it's the Laney!!!

[@CatchMeOutside361]

That Blackstar sound phenomenal in the room for what it is

[@SlowToe]

I have the Boss Katana Air and I think the Government's across the world should make sure that every household has one. Life giving necessity on par with water.

[@Walkerbjj]

I played several and bought the blackstar fly. It’s unreal how great they sound in person and the price is insane.

[@TroyNaumu808]

I own the Blackstar Mini (/w cab) and the Boss katana Mini and I sometimes use them both on my pedal board. I like both for different reasons.

[@melodicshredder5834]

Nice. I have a orange crush 35rt. I'm looking for a smaller one use with my pedalboard containing 10 pedals. So which one reacts better? I guess Boss Katana because blackstar sounds very weak in high gain. As you have both, let me know honestly. Take care.

[@kennethcarvalho3684]

I really liked the Katana one, in fact I just purchased it online and cant wait for its arrival

[@MANGATU555]

The Black star fly is real. No doubts.

[@erichemard7066]

I travel internationally and have traveled with the Nux and the blackstar. The Nux has some neat features and an app you can use to craft the tone. It's a cool little amp, it just doesn't take pedals well especially a Boss looper. The blackstar has a great clean, takes pedals really well, just don't ask much from the overdrive. I run a Friedman smallbox through it on the clean channel and it sounds really good.

[@simo4068]

the laney mini sound very good

[@MrPoilleke]

For me the same

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

It really did! // Guillaume

[@siqthepunk]

Yups...

[@yogieyo9935]

@Paul David Lape i think every small amp could

[@madmod]

@@yogieyo9935 This is not true. These are way ahead of most small solid state combos for usable tone and are loud enough to cut. The problem is crappy stock speakers for most of the entry level amps. With small speakers getting hugely better over the years in bluetooth as well pro audio monitors, they are easily able to kill the tone of older 6-8inch speaker practice amps.

[@Jostar-v9e7g]

Room mic comparison is awesome

[@zerosiii]

Oh if you have time, please do a similar video with acoustic guitar amps. I'm killing myself trying to find a good portable battery powered amp for my acoustic guitar. It's really useful if you can fit an amp into your backpack, and use it for busking, easily carry it around. Also if there are some capabilities for plugging in a guitar with a mic (like an iRig acoustic), as well as a standard guitar (piezo) pickup, that's awesome as well!

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

That's a really good idea thank you very much! I'll do my best to make it happen, but on the off chance I can't here is a list of amps that fit what you are looking for :) // Guillaume www.thomann.de/gb/acoustic_amplifiers.html?price-first=0&filter=true&feature-12753=true&feature-12758=true

[@mlagathomason2555]

For me the boss is the best one but it just a bit big so the one I would s Go for is the Nux or blackstar

[@johnbraucher1499]

The black star ID:260 and all those amps are pretty cool but compared to the Katana MKII they have out now, the katana absolutely steals the show over ANY amp for the price point and the sound. You can literally do ANYTHING with the katana MKII. Any size. I couldn't BELIEVE the metal tones I was able to get especially once I was given access to the full app on my laptop. It can also be used with android with third party app. The worth of this thing as to what you pay is INSANE. I picked up a brand NEW MKII 50 Special edition white. In the box wrapped in plastic for $230!! I didn't expect much but this is THE BEST amp I've EVER owned, and I'm just scraping the surface of what this thing can do and handle. I don't even have the footswitch and a few patches so far. I've been playing for almost thirty years now. I HIGHLY.....HIGHLY recommend ANYONE who is too lazy or just don't want the app, to GET IT. If you have a negative opinion of this amp, right now, and you actually get INTO the tone studio and mess around with it, you'll be CHANGED forever. It's absolutely a PHENOMENAL amp. So much potential and people don't ever take advantage of it the way it should be either. I've heard SO many say "ah well I don't need that app it makes noise the way it is" NO! That's where this thing SHINES. Do NOT neglect the tone studio if you get one, you WILL regret it! Thanks for reading my rant! Lol

[@caprise-music6722]

It’s got metal tones alright, but I’m not yet sold on the clean tone. Certainly not from this video

[@pjrodz]

Great comparison man! Thank you 😊

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Thanks Paulo, glad you appreciated it :) // Guillaume

[@edbrito-swdev]

We need the same for bass. Travel or best budget/value amps for practice.

[@dhio9615]

The Nux can double as one if I could remember

[@edbrito-swdev]

@@dhio9615 I'm not sure the speaker can handle that...

[@jaredpoblador8808]

The nux takes bass surprisingly well. I tried it

[@guitarguy3221]

For bass I went with the joyo 10w on amazon, trying it out later today

[@madmod]

I have a vid of my Fly3 into a 70 watt power amp, then ran into my 4x12. It was actually impressive.

[@ThierryAndriamirado]

Interesting.. using the "E.M Output & phones" output? I just bought the Blackstar Fly 3 which has such great sounds, but am curious about how it'll sound in a small venue when directly linked to a mixer using the "EM output"..

[@madmod]

@@ThierryAndriamirado yes I used the emulated out feature. As for using this thing at any kind of venue, I played small parties alongside an acoustic with no issues but I would choose most other small combo amp for live use. I certainly would not want to rely on it for primary use even if only for a preamp but it will work if it's all you have. Wayne static performed for thousands of people across several countries using a line 6 pod so it's all in how you use it.

[@bikersoncall]

Which two did you like the best, tone wise, and what about the tone impressed you?

[@NiekopTube]

Beware of the Blackstar Fly 3 LT, as sold by Amazon. A little cheaper, but LT means... NO reverb!

[@pcorke65]

Great demo! Thanks.

[@NathanMichalik]

1:53 headphone warning

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Thanks I wasn't expecting it either! // Guillaume

[@macleod41069]

I’ve had all of these amps, the nux is by far the best

[@krisnot6470]

You mean in terms of features i guess but in high gain doesn’t the katana win by far with the larger speaker and fatter tone? Or the Nux is good enough?

[@macleod41069]

KriSnot no, I like the nux better across the board.

[@francisfabian242]

@@krisnot6470 The Nux had fatter and heavier distortion channel. If you were to plug it into an interface or straight into computer, it would be a great sounding distortion.

[@sohibconner6926]

why thomann doesnt ship to algeria altho its near from germany, me and my friends are intrrested to buy gears, i hope you do shipping to my country

[@theogeelhoed1589]

Running it through a cabinetspeaker or PA doesn’t give an honest review, Whats the sound standalone while practising?

[@stevendegoodmojosmet4034]

The Nux sounded very good for two weeks, then it was broken, love the Fly3 and Katana is alway's good mojo .

[@Pharesm]

Good comparison! Can you tack the NUX mighty Air to the end of that video? ;D

[@hughjarrse]

I expected the Blackstar to be the worst, But I think it sounded the best

[@emerging_macro]

VERY nice video! Thx bro!

[@cjleongson]

The NUX's app was a killer... that shouldve been shown here

[@Siam_Thai.]

Best clean = Laney / Best drive = Boss

[@stratojazzy]

I have the Boss katana mini. It's Brutal!! And a good choice if you want a great sound.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

It absolutely is a great sounding amp! // Guillaume

[@sboistan]

Is there are difference between the laney stereo ironheart and the lionheart in terms of sound? Also, are the BT models different in terms of sound compared to the non-BT version? (putting aside the bluetooth functionality..)

[@thassiok]

Laney ♥️

[@orionbekesi]

very informative video!

[@Terrible_Peril]

I know a lot about the level of your speaking voices and just about nothing about the level of the cranked tones in any of these amps. Instead of the inset camera showing the amps’ panels, a view of the dB meter while playing would have been very useful. I do appreciate the level meter being in frame at the end but where it was only the single short clean riff with each amp it doesn’t tell quite enough about the relative volume capabilities of the amps. Thanks for the content either way, it’s more than most give!

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Thank you so much for your comment! I completely get your point but the emulated out we used to record mutes the amps' speakers so I was listening to monitors that weren't reflecting the actual volume level of the amps, hence no misleading dB meter :) // Guillaume

[@Terrible_Peril]

You’re a gentleman and a scholar, sir. Thanks for clarifying. I see now that I should have thanked you from the start for what was good framing in the best interest of the viewer

[@lightfoot413]

all were good the Laney sounded the best for me...

[@ikealamp53]

I have a boss katana II, the 50 watt version but just ordered the Laney today because of the tonebridge app. Will do a lot of couch practice with it.

[@leszekkrasnodebski4197]

Hi, It Seems All Are Amazing Mini Amplifiers; Would e.g. Nux Function with an Acoustic Pre-Amplifier Guitar Furch Jumbo Model..?

[@baronvonchickenpants6564]

I bought the boss, very disapointed I use it as a powered speaker for my phone, crappy guitar amp if only they'd put reverb on it

[@jeremiedsouza6703]

U turn the delay close to zero it's a good reverb

[@davidsmethurst3818]

Turn level of delay on full and time to nothing and it's reverb

[@jeffreyeagen4896]

I thought the blackstar sounded the best

[@theblytonian3906]

It's less than a balanced fair comparison. In my country, for the same price as the Boss Mini-Katana (supplied without PSU) you can buy Blackstar's Fly 3 Combo package comprising the Fly 3, its satellite Fly 103 for a total of 6W in a stereo sound image, and includes the PSU (mains step down transformer)! Another point and bone of contention, none of these reviewers seem to know how to use (are familiar with the characteristics of) the ISF control, an important feature and aspect of even the base model Fly 3 powered by batteries. It completely alters the drive tone in particular, so any comparison is to be meaniful/valid, the amps need to be set up like for like. Also overlooked is that the Fly three has two channels, clean and OD, but that Crunch can be quickly and easily dialed in from it clean channel with its gain & ISF control. Yes, I'm a fan. So good I own both. In terms of value, Fly 3 is unbeatable. Integrated BT Fly 3 is available for about the price of the NUX. The NUX is decent too, but overpriced in my country IMV, probably because of its integrated BT feature being a must have easy sell to a certain demographic. Any of them will do the job. Not a fan of the Laney, weakest of the bunch, if well priced.

[@mycrushisachicken]

@@theblytonian3906 Nice job on writing a full essay on a 1 year old, 7 word comment

[@theblytonian3906]

@@mycrushisachicken Thank you for your comment. I'm pleased it's made you feel better about yourself today. The less pleasing news is, if you think that's an essay, you can add the deficit of comprehension challenged to your apparent ntellectual encumbrance. Understandably, logic not strong point with you either. Elapsed time since the comment it was made in response to is irrelevant. Its purpose on the other hand isn't. The video and comment still present in YT suggestions thanks to the YT alogarithm.

[@mycrushisachicken]

@@theblytonian3906 I didn't mean to be mean or anything, I just had to laugh when I saw this long comment under such a simple comment xD

[@asieselfutbol2.066]

You can tune your guitar before The demo...

[@lauranceemory4448]

Emulated output is a waste of time. Use a mic a couple of feet back to hear what amp sounds like

[@mangojam8554]

How about Roland mobile cube?

[@itt4311]

Where is the Yamaha thr?

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Hey thanks for watching! We did think about it of course but it is twice the size and price so we figured it wasn't playing in the same ballpark. Great piece of gear though! // Guillaume

[@itt4311]

Makes sense 👍

[@landonbailey]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses agreed!

[@simoniskierka]

Where is Roland Micro Cube? :)

[@simonhumby323]

The Roland Micro Cube sounds better than all of these - probably because it has a 5" speaker. It also uses AA batteries so, if you keep some spare, it'll never let you down or have to be thrown away because the batts no longer keep a charge.

[@caprise-music6722]

All of these also use batteries. At least the blackstar and boss katana. It’s an important feature for sure

[@sharkhardware]

I cant believe my eyes that i got Nu-X mighty lite for a 50$ SEALED. Still, thank you for review!

[@chipcaronte]

Same $50 for the Katana Mini, not sealed but in mint condition!

[@sharkhardware]

@@chipcaronte yoo!!! that's awesome! But my NUX sounds pretty bad so :D Sadly, can't workout my hands to play on guitar heheh

[@AshShearer]

1 - Katana mini 2 - Fly 3 3 - Ironheart Mini 4 - MightyLite

[@PooNinja]

so JCM800 with a pair of 4 12 cabs is out I guess.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

We just couldn't find enough batteries for it. // Guillaume

[@RapttorX]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses just get a truck battery, should fit the size and weight of the rest of the rig

[@chekozmd]

What song is he playing at 5:54?

[@thomasecallaghan1111]

Lenny, Stevey Ray Vaughan

[@chekozmd]

@@thomasecallaghan1111 Thank you so much!

[@sonny6string822]

IMHO they all sound acceptable when playing clean and they all sound horrible when being pushed... being a shredder I don't think any of them would be good for a computer room jam amp... if the tone isn't there you're just not inspired to shred. To bad I got the Laney on the way, guess I'll give a try, who knows I might like it, it won't be the first time I'm wrong. Happy Pickin' :)

[@rafaelrada9861]

Sonny 6String I’m about to pick Laney too... honest opinions after a month of use?

[@sonny6string822]

@@rafaelrada9861 It arrived, I plugged in... back it went. Instead in the computer room I'm using a Zoom G2 plugged into the efx loop return of a Randall RG25RM amp... had these sitting around and they sound awesome imho. I just checked and both are available on ebay for about what you'd pay for the amp. Hope this helps! :)

[@STRUMMERBOY1975]

Blackstar all the way....

[@michael_caz_nyc]

I'm surprised: the Boss Katana Mini Sounded the worst ( by far ). No clean chime or sparkle. Very disappointing. Great & fair comparison though.

[@sfz13]

When u say travel amp u should include the alternate current supply i.e. battery powered feature in that particular amp, right?

[@rafaelrada9861]

I think most of them have battery option bro.

[@jeppyjep]

The Nux can use microusb plugged into a powerbank

[@fatcattohits]

@@jeppyjep are u sure about that ??

[@jeppyjep]

@@fatcattohits yup. I have one.

[@FishBoy-c6q]

@@jeppyjep Unfortunately, if you use a 5v powerbank, the reduced voltage results in very noticeably weaker output. But it's OK in a pinch if you're out of batteries.

[@ryan-kv2ct]

what song is he playing at 1:30

[@adrboe3027]

No, the Katana Mini doesn't have Bluetooth

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

True, my bad! // Guillaume

[@sohibconner6926]

it doesnt have effects too except delay and hidden reverb its not best practice amp for beginners

[@carlosperezcambron8681]

@@sohibconner6926 which one would you recommend then? I want a mini amp to start practicing in my room (I don't want to annoy my roommates), I was considering the mighty lite bt

[@sohibconner6926]

@@carlosperezcambron8681 first off all these modeling amps have MP3 input so you can practice with earphones or headphones to not annoy anyone, i do that with my 20watt vox vtx amp, The katana mini is good but it has only 2 effects, mighty light is also a good amp with more effects but you have to use the mighty light phone app to access to all the effects, I think mighty light is better for you🤔

[@carlosperezcambron8681]

@@sohibconner6926 oh ok thank you so much!

[@bikersoncall]

I highly doubt that any one of these sound anything like this recording in person, not mic'd , or line in, just open air.

[@jeffthebaptist3602]

Is that the 6W or 3W Laney? It looks like the 6W because the control layouts are different.

[@rafaelrada9861]

that's the bluetooth 6W version, latest mini amp Laney version.

[@rafaelrada9861]

Jeff Acheson which one you bought? Or not decided yet?

[@jeffthebaptist3602]

@@rafaelrada9861 I haven't bought it yet. The bluetooth model doesn't seem to be that widely available right now.

[@ENRIQUEGOITIA]

Do any of these come with mic input

[@patrickd1805]

vox does

[@VMTDesign]

Katana mini doesn't have an app.

[@jjdubois6101]

Why delay instead of reverb? Seems a strange choice.

[@tylercielen2216]

I think that with delay, you can mimic reverb, but not the other way around

[@doobiedooo3720]

Which one should I get?

[@sudarshankhanal3673]

Roland micro cube

[@yoan973]

Love your strat, which model is it please? And by the way, the Nux would be my choice.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Hey man thanks! :) It's a 1993 Made in Japan Strat that's been previously modified with Eric Johnson PUs and an Emerson treble bleed kit. // Guillaume

[@yoan973]

Thomann's Guitars & Basses alright thanks a lot man. Really love the style and the sound.

[@alexmoncaut]

I don't think there's Bluetooth ont thé boss katana mini :/

[@briantran2170]

@Ben Hackett how does it sound bro ?

[@FabrizioPeretti]

Are the nux and boss amps digital?

[@FabrizioPeretti]

@Ben Hackett hate it! There's no good s.s. amp around anymore

[@mikecorbett1030]

The boss is analogue preamp, analogue tone, digi delay, I think Blackstar and NUX are digi. Laney don't seem to say anywhere, but I guess maybe analogue partly, untill you get to effects - esp with the app input

[@MrJuan2828]

Laney por los cachos los demás son juguetes el nux tiene como que mas versatilidad

[@LittleKickShip]

This guy gets facts wrong about the katana mini. It doesn't have Blu tooth support or app. This video might have other faults information

[@elenamuhlbauer3251]

definitely blackstar for me......

[@WoutervanTiel]

If you are going to travel all things being close, even a bit off, I'd go with the lightest and smallest. Why? because if you want truly good sound you don't use a mini amp anyway. Great to see these being made. Note to manufacturers - LETS MAKE ONE FOR BASS!

[@guitarguy3221]

@@dmitry6042 People have had probs with the fly3 bass. I went with the joyo 10w on amazon, trying it out later today

[@chipcaronte]

@@guitarguy3221 how did it go? How about these six months?

[@guitarguy3221]

@@chipcaronte I haven't used it very much so far. But I tried it out. It plays clean and well loud enough for self practice. But MUCH quieter than a comparable battery powered guitar amp like the boss Katana mini I've used the katana mini for hours and hours and loved the distortion with LOADS of volume to spare. I cranked the Joyo to max while sitting in my silent foyer, and didn't push any threshold on my ears at all. A spirited acoustic guitar would probably drown it out That said - if you're a devote electric bassist and need something absolutely portable, it's a great investment, albeit the only one right now

[@Sam-n2f5q]

The nux had the best distortion but the fly better amp

[@YouTubeHandlesAreMoronic]

Using the "line out" for the sound samples makes this review pretty much useless; that's not why people are here. They want to know how the in-room sound of the tiny cabs compare. Your statement in the comments, "We think the Laney sounds best," is the only useful piece of data from the whole video.

[@phildale8451]

Another video on travel amps and another video without a mention of the mighty Pignose which started it all.

[@Livengoodproject]

As cool and ICONIC as the Pignose is, it’s not in the same league as this née breed of stuff. For better or worse.

[@phildale8451]

@@Livengoodproject no, its streets ahead. I've used all the new stuff and it's lame, toneless crap in my opinion of course. But then again, I do know how to play and get the best from it.

[@CharleyHale]

I think the boss sounds the best non boxy

[@doncoyote2]

Am I understanding correctly, you are not using these amp speakers?

[@rafaelrada9861]

Denis Fitzgibbons he is using headphones output to record the first part of the video and then he set ST Mics to grab the output of the amps’ speakers.... so yes, but in the second half of the video hahaha

[@simonhumby323]

I'd prefer one without built-in rechargeable batteries. They wear out and can't be replaced then the whole thing has to go in the trash. Not very environmental.

[@keithmooore]

But where is yamaha thr?

[@layback7]

Fly3 is the real guitar amp

[@theblytonian3906]

Meaningful comparison is void and the exercise pointless unless playing the exact same riffs for clean and gain on ALL amps.

[@JohnStringer]

only did the same rif for the final room comparison

[@michaelquintana5511]

The nookie

[@thjs]

Thomann...?? ...could use a harley benton strat to test amps. (Btw shaking the git to make vibrato looks like ass) Blackstar or laney.

[@YouTubeCommentator.]

This do not give an idea of the real room sound. You should have recorded the sound with a mic

[@useless...6295]

Katana is the best.

[@theblytonian3906]

Katana fanbois present and bleating as usual.