Are you looking for a small amp that still sounds great a low volumes? Here are our recommendations.
Quick Links To Out Top Low Volume Guitar Amp Picks
Contents
Our Best Sounding Low Volume Guitar Amp Reviews
Positive Grid Spark
The Spark amp from Positive Grid is a great little amp that delivers big sound for its size. It’s great for recording and home practice. The amp features several useful features such as a tuner and tons of built in effects thanks to the app that works with it. It also has a 3-band EQ which make it very easy to dial in a good tone.
The small package makes it easy to pack around and works well with guitars that are a bit smaller as well. It’s well made, sounds amazing and is available at a decent price point.
The digital app that works with both Android and Apple devices offer a ton of features that make it very easy to use. You can easily connect and update without any issues.
This digital amp has plenty of different channels to choose from and will provide loads of different tones no matter what type of music style you play. It’s great for live shows as well. If you are looking for a digital amp with a lot of great features, the Positive Grid Spark is one that should definitely be on your list to check out.
Pros
- Great for practicing and recording.
- Lots of different tones available with the app.
- Easy to use and very intuitive.
Cons
- There is a slight learning curve to using this amp with the app.
Fender Champion 40
This amp is hard to beat. It’s high powered and has a lot of flexibility. The Champion 40 is perfect for playing small venues (concerts, pubs and other live venues) and can handle just about any genre of music.. Fender has made sure that this amp sounds great at low volumes too with its “spill-proof” tone circuit, which provides a shapely tone even when you have the volume turned up very low.
It is a 40 watt solid state amp that features a single 12″ speaker. The Fender Champion 40 is also a great choice for recording and practicing at low volumes. It doesn’t distort the way other amps do at very low volumes and it is really responsive to pick attack.
This amp is easy to use and has several tone shaping controls, like bass, middle, treble and presence. You can set the amp to clean or overdrive with a simple twist of the gain knob (this is great for channel switching).
Pros
- This amp has low wattage
- Tone is terrific for even small venues
Cons
- This amp is a little heavy and tall. It also has a relatively bulky footswitch (not really a problem, though).
Orange Crush 20
If you’re looking for an amplifier with a great clean sound and a lot of vintage-style tone, you should check out the Orange Crush 20. Orange amps are best known for their bright and biting distortion tones that are really aggressive. This isn’t the best choice if you’re into smooth jazz or mellow blues.
The Orange Crush 20 is a 20 watt amp with an 8″ speaker. It has a response curve that is very receptive to picking nuances, which makes it great for recording and practicing. The amp can easily take the rigors of playing live, as well.
The Orange Crush 20 also has two channels. It has a clean channel, of course, and a distorted channel. The boost channel provides more gain and volume for using it in a small venue or recording situation.
Pros
- Cleans are nice and sparkly with this amp.
- It’s easy to sound great at low volumes.
Cons
- Not super versatile in tone.
Bugera V5
The V5 is a very versatile amp. It is a bit underpowered, but it can easily be used with lower volumes and still sound great. The tone is fairly clean, but it also has some nice overdrive to give it some extra bite as well. The amp’s punchy mids make it an excellent amp for live playing or recording with.
It can be quite loud and has plenty of clean headroom without sounding too harsh or distorted at lower volumes. This amp is a low wattage, 5-watt amp with a single 8″ speaker. It features one master volume and one channel.
It also has a nice vintage look to it, which is a bonus if you like that style. The amp’s preamp design makes it very easy to dial in your tone.
Pros
- Very clean tone at low volumes
- Has some nice overdriven tones as well.
Cons
- The tubes could be a bit better quality but given the inexpensive price, they are still okay.
Yamaha THR 5
The Yamaha THR is a very versatile amp. It has a big sound, considering the fact that it’s only a 5 watt amp. It’s not as loud as some of the other amps on our list but it does still have plenty of volume for small venues (college cafeterias, coffee shops and small clubs). And at lower volumes, it sounds great!
It features a wide range of tone controls and is easy to use. This amp has a switchable clean and overdrive channel. The THR also has a headphone output as well as an auxiliary input you can use to connect to other types of music gear.
This amp is fairly versatile and is a great choice if you’re looking for an amp with some nice clean tones that are still easy to dial in at lower volumes. Whether you’re playing live or recording, the Yamaha THR is a great choice for any situation.
Pros
- Dual Channel capabilities
- Has an Aux in for recording and to connect with other music gear.
Cons
- The overdrive of this amp is pretty plain and simple. It doesn’t really have enough gain if you’re looking for a really aggressive tone.
Low Volume Guitar Amplifier Conclusion
Can you use guitar amps at low volumes?
In this guide, we’ve reviewed the best low volume guitar amplifiers. We’ve taken into consideration different features, usage scenarios and price to come up with a list of the best amps under 20 watts. We also compare these amps in terms of price as well, in case you are looking for an affordable amp that still has enough features to make it worth your money.