SSHHH!
PG looks at five inexpensive amplifiers
that you can explore late at night, in small
spaces, and at volumes that won’t find the
gendarmes and irate neighbors calling.
I
n a time when the sonic merits of small amps are well known—both onstage and in the studio—
how exactly do you define “practice amp?” Well, two obvious criteria are small size and the potential
for performance at low volume. But given the way digital technology makes oodles of effects and
recording functionality available on the cheap, a practice amp can now be a canvas for exploring
hundreds of guitar textures and committing them to demos, digital sketchpads,
and even studio recordings instantaneously. And now that many manufacturers
have seen the worth in making small tube amps overseas, classic low-wattage tube
sounds are available for very little cash.
Yes, the divisions between a practice am p and an
amp that’s simply small have blurred. But that hasn’t
eliminated the need to practice. And more and more,
players have to fit that practice in
around the constraints of limited
time and small places where getting
loud isn’t a real possibility. With those
limitations in mind, we picked five
amps that make practice within those
constraints not just possible, but a
creative and satisfying experience.