Best Small Guitar Amp for Beginners in 2021

If you got yourself an electric guitar or any electrical instrument that needs an amp (Electric drum kits for example), the best thing to do is get a low watt (Anything under 30 watts) small guitar amp or better known as a practice amp.

You see, professional amps are over 60 watts. Practice amps are between 8 to 30 watts.

With 10 to 15 watts being the ideal number (Especially if you practice in an apartment).

So what’s the difference between a 100 watt amp and a so called small amp?

As you may have gathered by now, besides the obvious, with small amps or “practice amps”, you can practice playing your instrument without annoying the crap out of your neighbours.

Plus these small guitar amps are much smaller in size. So you can carry them around with you to small gigs or just for practicing while on the road, etc.

The small guitar amps you’ll find here for guitars but some may work on other instruments as well.

Just contact their respective manufacturers to further inquire about them.

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Donner DEA-1 Small Guitar Amp

Now if you already have a guitar, most likely you heard of the Donner brand. They’re quite famous for making electric guitar pedals, such as compressor pedals, overdrive pedals and many things of that nature.

The DEA-1 small amp t’s considered one of the best value practice amp.

The DEA (Don’t worry, it doesn’t stand for Drug Enforcement Agency) is considered a really good choice for someone who is just getting started with an electric guitar. If you happen to be someone who got away from strumming away on some good old strings, the DEA 1 is a great amp to help you get your your feet wet again.

A possible setback could be the humming sound that occurs when you turn up the volume to the max.

A common issue with a lot of the amps out there. Although you don’t necessarily need to practice at such a high volume but if you do, you have to deal with the humming noise.

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Monoprice 611815 15Watt

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This 15 watt beauty by Monoprice is heavily respected by veteran guitar players.

Now I don’t know about you guys but that is a great sign. Although the reverb feature on this can be a hit and miss, overall, this Monoprice amp is considered one of the best practice amps out there today.

If you are looking for something that is proven, creates great tones and has a nice vintage look to it, the Monoprice might be the horse to bet on.

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Fender Princeton Reverb

If you know guitars then you already know Fender. This name is synonymous with electric guitars and with amplifiers as well. If you’re into rock or country music, you may find the Princeton reverb practice amp quite fun.

Most even report the Fender Deluxe has a way cleaner sound then the other popular Mustang amp (Another popular Fender amp).

Overall enjoy rich clean tones that are brighter than your usual amplifier. The Princeton reverb comes in two models. The 65 and the 68. If you already have a few pedals that you work with, this amp may play a great role in that guitar chain of yours.

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Fender Acoustasonic 15

This amplifier only has 15 watts but that is just the perfect amount up wattage that you need to practice your guitar playing. Also don’t let the small size fool you. Some people also report that they’ve used the Fender Acoustasonic 15 in live gig settings and the response has just been awesome.

The team at Fender really thought this one through because the Acoustasonic has several additional inputs which will make your life easier. Feel free to connect your headphones, or even a mic to this little beauty (Using XLR inputs which is great). As expected by any Fender amp, the Acoustasonic has a nice sturdy build and if taken care of properly, should last you for quite some time.

It wouldn’t hurt to have a higher volume on this (Just a personal preference) but you can easily use it to fill smaller so called ‘venues’ like public library space, a decent room in a nursing home, etc. If you need higher volume, we would suggest having a look at the Roland Street Cube.

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Roland Street Cube

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Although the Roland team wants you to believe that this is a great amplifier for traveling artists, truth be told that a lot of people find this as a great practice amp for in-house use as well.

It’s one of the few battery powered practice amps on this list. Which simply means you can power it throw a normal power source as well (Just plug it in).

The Roland Street Cube as you can probably tell by the name it’s somewhat aimed at the new beginner generation. If you’re looking for a nice small portable amp, then you can use in small gig settings. As a matter of fact, the Roland Street Cube should fulfill that role quite nicely.

As far as the battery-powered thing goes, I would still stick to the traditional power source that it comes with (Like many other amplifiers). By the way, as most guitar enthusiasts report, the sound is great.

Regardless, if you like making music at the house and like playing outside as well, the Roland Cube practice amp that may be right up your alley.

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Fat Boy FBGA15

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Another 15 Watt beauty, the Fat Boy FBGA15 is one of the most recommended practice amps for beginners. If you are not that crazy about achieving super clean tones and just need something to get started on (Which actually sounds decent), this amp is for you.

It literally is made for you to practice on. It does the job. By the way, it’s not just for guitar players, harp players really enjoy this too.

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Donner DBA 1

The practice amplifier by Donner is specifically designed to be used by guitar enthusiasts of all levels.

Before we get going though, keep in mind this is the DBA 1 not the DBE 1 we mentioned earlier.

It’s a model that is light on most people’s wallets, and serves its purpose in a very nice and friendly way. The Donner DBA-1 is the one those professional practice amps that are more designed for the beginner electric guitar player than anyone else.

At 15 watts, the size is small but the sound is appreciated by most. Some even use this with an electric drum set and have had a wonderful experience.

Some do report “humming” when the volume is turned to the max (Same issue as the DBE-1).

A common problem in most amps but thought we’d share it anyways. Best way to minimize this would be to use headphones. It does come with a headphone jack.

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Behringer Ultracoustic AT108 Instrument Amplifier

This was a bit of a surprise as we didn’t know Behringer was making small guitar amplifiers as well.

This is great news as they already kick some serious butt in the audio interface game and other sub genres of music production.

This amp is considered an instrument amplifier as it allows you to connect an electric guitar and other instruments as well. It comes in two models 15 watts and 20 but 15 is more than enough if you are just starting out.

So what kind of other instruments can you connect with this?

Well try an electric harmonica, electric ukulele and few more. Just check in with the Behringer team to make sure it works with your music instrument.

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Marshall M-MG15G-U

The only thing we would say about this small guitar amp is that it’s made by Marshall amps. They are the undisputed king of professional amplifiers and this one is no exception.

Quite possibly, one of the best 15 watt amps you might ever get to try.

At least that’s how most users feel about the Marshall M-MG15G-U.

If you are looking for that ‘rich’ full sound, this amp may be what you’ve been searching for. Great for beginners and for experts who like practicing on the road.

Thank you Marshall once again.

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Stagg 15 Amp

Most report enjoying a quite clear and clean sound. Considering the size, this is actually quite a feat. The Stagg 15 can serve as a great portable guitar amp as well and that’s not just because of the dimensions, but it’s also built pretty solid. The number 15 stands for 15 watts.

Most recommend this amp for a practicing and playing in small areas like a coffee shop or heck even entertaining your patients at a small clinic. Believe it or not, some doctors do enjoy playing a guitar. What a nice way to treat your patients right?

A big downside to this specific package though is it doesn’t come with any cables.

Which is a shame because we believe that should included in all amplifier packages.

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Fender Super 15

A lot of beginners simply love this small practice amp. If you think about it, what’s not to like? It’s a Fender, it’s 15 watts, and has great overall construction which creates great tones.

Of course we won’t suggest you use this amp if you are playing at the Madison square Garden but in any small room or area, this little amp can give most likely give you what you are looking for.

If you want to make the sound louder, some users even replace the existing built in speaker that it comes. Usually with something much bigger.

We only recommend that if you know what you are doing. If you are just starting out though, that might not be even necessary.

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Fender Super Champ X2

I think it’s safe to say that Fender did it again. This little black 15 watt amp is one of the most liked small guitar amps that most guitar enthusiasts have come across.

Especially by users who had the pleasure of trying more than one amp in their guitar playing journey.

The Fender Super Champ X2 comes with some additional features but as a beginner, you shouldn’t worry about them too much.

Might not be the best choice for ‘live’ guitar players but if you are practicing, this seems to be a popular choice.

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Vox AV15

Now you might not have heard of rock purists who absolutely despise small guitar amps but the Vox AV15 is very well received by most beginner guitar players and guitar geeks as well.

The Vox AV15 comes in two different models 15 watts and 30. We would suggest that you stick to the 15 watts for now. The Vox V15 produces great tones and just an overall bright sound.

If you are looking more of a general / versatile amp for your guitar playing needs, we highly encourage you to learn more about this amp.

However, since nothing is perfect, there is a little bit of an issue with this amp. Although most won’t notice this, if you are an intermediate player, the 10” built in speaker might not be enough for you (Volume might not be loud enough).

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Blackstar 15W

Now this Blackstar 10W amp is small but packs a wallop of a sound. It’s one of the most under rated practice amps out there as it does a decent job in filling a small space or a little hall.

The sound and tones produced are clean and some even report them as ‘crisp’.

Overall, a nice ‘purist’ small guitar amp that does the job. Isn’t that what it’s all about anyways?

Might we add the Blackstar 15W is one of the most beautiful looking amps as well.

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Fender Pro Junior IV 15 Watt Electric Guitar Amplifier

A classic look with modern guitar tones. Now that is a nice combination. The Fender Pro Junior IV has 15 watts and has great construction overall.

A quality amp all around with one negative aspect . . . metal lovers will not enjoy it. For the metalhead in you, we suggest stick to Marshall amps.

For all other forms of guitar music like rock, country, etc, you should do just fine.

Sources:

• Guitar, Bass, and Keyboard Amplifier Buying Guide
• Are low wattage amps better?