What is the Best Travel Guitar Amp? | Thomann

Looking for a small battery powered amp that sounds decent and fits into a backpack?
We picked our top 4 small and lightweight travel guitar amps. Maybe one of them does the trick for you... Which one do you like best?

Interesting bits and pieces:
0:00 Intro
0:20 Introduction

0:55 Blackstar FLY 3 | Specs
1:33 Blackstar FLY 3 | Playing Clean
1:53 Blackstar FLY 3 | Playing Gain

2:04 Laney Ironheart Mini | Specs
2:24 Laney Ironheart Mini | Playing Clean
2:39 Laney Ironheart Mini | Playing Gain

2:58 Nux MightyLite | Specs
3:23 Nux MightyLite | Playing Clean
3:43 Nux MightyLite | Playing Crunch
3:53 Nux MightyLite | Playing Gain
4:07 Nux MightyLite | Playing Drum Machine

4:20 Boss Katan Mini | Specs
4:46 Boss Katan Mini | Playing Clean
5:06 Boss Katan Mini | Playing Crunch
5:20 Boss Katan Mini | Playing Gain

5:35 Room Mic Comparison
5:53 Blackstar FLY 3 | Room Mic
6:08 Laney Ironheart Mini | Room Mic
6:23 Nux MightyLite | Room Mic
6:38 Boss Katana Mini | Room Mic

6:54 Outro & Goodbye

Visit our blogs:

[LaneyAmplification]

We think the Laney sounds the best.

Unbiased opinion of course ;-)

[deanlikesknives]

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.

[parkerfilms]

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.

[brianm]

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,

[ronpopeil]

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.

[zammie]

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

[lynyrddeville]

The cleantone through the Blackstar sounded just great

[Walkerbjj]

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

[jaerichards]

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!

[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.

[_alo]

That Blackstar sound phenomenal in the room for what it is

[MANGATU]

The Black star fly is real. No doubts.

[erichemard]

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.

[kennethcarvalho]

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

[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!

[hughjarrse]

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

[johnbraucher]

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 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

[lauranceemory]

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

[macleod]

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

[MrTroy]

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.