Instrumental accessories are vital for a full experience and for that there is a great need to do your research before you can actually be able to buy those desired accessories. Guitar amplifiers become very handy and vital when it comes to the guitar as it can raise the volume to notable levels. It becomes especially important to take considerable options into account when buying a new amplifier, particularly for amateur guitarists.
Battery-powered amplifiers are a great innovation to instrumental accessories as they are portable and lightweight which makes them easy to manage as well as making them super travel-friendly.
Most Popular & Best-Selling Battery Powered Amps
Blackstar Black (FLY3)
It is the smallest guitar amplifier that Blackstar has ever produced with the 3-watt amp that is basically designed to be used anywhere. Don’t let the size fool you, it’s extremely loud yet super portable battery-powered practice amp with a 3-inch speaker and 2 channels that produce the perfect tones. The control panel is simple that has a gain control, channel switcher which selects between clean and overdrive. Plus, there’s a master volume button to control the loudness level. Next to that on the panel is the EQ knob with ‘ISF’ labeling. If you turn it clockwise, it sounds more British and turning it anti-clockwise, it sounds American. Moreover, there are two controls for built-in delay, a little mini port for the level and the main pot controls the amount of time. Also, the amount of repeats is controlled with the delay.
To jam along with the backing tracks, it features 2 sockets to plug in your mp3 player or smartphone. To practice in your home without annoying your neighbors or waking your fellows, the compact amp has an auxiliary in and headphone out. Besides, the battery life is incredible as it uses six AA batteries. Take it anywhere you want as it weighs 1.98 pounds only. Being so compact, it offers a true tone and produces a loud big sound.
Roland M-CUBE Powered Guitar Amp
If you are a guitarist and looking for a portable amplifier that is powered by batteries, then Roland cube is the right choice for you. Roland’s micro cube amplifier has always been perfect for guitarists who are on the go. Moreover, this latest addition has some improvements in function and sound. The Micro-cube GX from Roland is easy to navigate, it features 8 renowned COSM models from Roland that includes an acoustic simulator, JC clean black panel, Britt combo, classic stack, R-fire stack, and extreme setting which gives you the most amount gain.
The portable amp system features an improved processor with 3-watt power and 5-inch powerful speaker. There are built-in effects, delay, and reverb: chorus, phaser, flanger, and brand new spring reverb. Plus, it has a built-in chromatic tuner that’s easy to work. Moving to the basic controls, you can control the gain, volume, and EQ with a single tone and master volume with knobs on the panel. Another notable feature this Micro-cube amp offers is the memory function which allows you to store your favorite setting that makes it a dual-type, dual-channel amp. What’s more? The Roland’s brand new I-CUBE link lets you connect iOS devices especially Apple iPod, iPhone, and laptop so you can jam along or integrate your favorite music apps with this amplifier.
This mini amp comes with a recording out/headphones jack and an AC adapter in the box. Enjoy 25 hours of playing time as it runs on six AA batteries.
Laney MINI-ST Series Guitar Amplifier
The Laney mini 6 watts guitar amp is perfect for desktop, practice or backstage use. It is a super-compact solution for guitar tone and performance with any style and anywhere with 2 channels. Laney MINI-ST measures 10 x 20.5 x 14.2 cm and weighs 998 g. There are 3 bite-size iconic designs to choose from; the mini lion, the mini supergroup, and the mini iron. Moreover, the construction of all 3 designs feels looks premium. All designs feature clean and drive channel, gain, tone, delay with level control, and volume dials plus a quarter-inch jack guitar input. For silent jamming, it has 3mm aux input and headphones socket. With its twin speakers, stereo, and integrated digital delay, the Mini-ST delivers full wide tones from its ultra-compact cabinet.
You can power this cute amp by six AA batteries that you have to insert in the battery cavity on the downside of the amp or separate optional power adapter. Also, it features the unique Laney smartphone insert technology that is LSI input. It means that you can easily connect your mini Laney to your favorite guitar tone generating app. Hence, find all the sounds that you prefer. Featuring A2DP audio streaming, this Mini-ST will be the hub for your listening experience whether you’re playing or just relaxing.
Boss KTN-MINI Katana Portable Guitar Amplifier
All those guitarists who are looking for a popular, reliable and portable little amp for traveling, this Boss Katana is definitely for you.
The Boss KTN-mini has built-in ¼ inch custom-made speaker which sounds really loud. It has 3 different channel modes; clean, crunch, and brown.
One interesting thing is that the gain stages of Katana mini are all custom tuned analog circuits so it’s not digital modeling. The mini amp has input stage 3 analog gain, 3-band EQ, and an analog delay. With all these features, this amp takes pedals extraordinary, doesn’t get fizzy, and works well for thinner tunings like a full-sized amplifier. This 7-watt solid-state amp runs on a Boss PSB or four AA batteries. Just plug-in and start practicing!
VOX Mini5 Rhythm Battery-Powered 5W
VOX Mini5 is a simple, classic-looking practice amp that produces a great tone. It’s a 5-watt amplifier with the Vox Bulldog heavy-duty 6.5″ speaker with 8-ohm power with a nice vinyl cloth grill finish on the exterior giving it a vintage look with open back design. The amp has 2 channels; clean and overdrive that can be switched via a button.
Though it’s a solid-state amp, it’s also all analog to give you clean tones with minimal effort. Weighing less than 12 pounds and measuring 43.2 x 20.3 x 30.5 cm, it is pretty small and compact that’s easy to carry around anywhere. Almost all mini amps on the market are build of plastic; the VOX has durable composite wood construction. For easy usage, the controls are simple and nice. The control panel features gain, treble, bass, and volume knob controls plus an aux-in socket. You can practice without disturbing others, thanks to the headphone line out.
On the whole, the VOX Mini5 has got a great tone that you don’t expect from a solid-state amp.
Other Battery Powered Guitar Amps to Condier
- 10 Watts
- 1-6" Fender Special Design Speaker
- One Channel
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- VERSATILE: The Frontman also puts out 20 watts into an 8” Special Design Speaker...
What to Look for in A Battery Powered Amplifier?
Following are a few key points to keep in your mind while shopping for battery-powered amp:
Battery time:
It is super important to take into account the hours or days an amp promises to work for between charges, the amp with a lower voltage will prove to last longer as compared to those having a higher voltage. It is also extremely important to remember that voltage alone is not the reason for consumption of battery, in fact, there are many factors that should be considered such as the fact the playing songs or your guitar on the amplifier with higher volume levels will drain the battery as compared to lower-level volumes.
Transportability:
The most crucial thing about the battery-powered amp is that it should be portable and easily manageable. It is the main purpose why this innovation was brought to light in the first lace as old amplifiers were bigger in size and made a hindrance and fatigue when they were to be moved. No matter how lightweight the amplifier seems it is vital to consider the transferability of that amplifier.
Features and tonal controls:
As more and more brands keep releasing their newer versions of battery-powered amp it is a bittersweet experience; on one hand, you get various new and more innovative options but on the other hand, the dilemma is that more options make it harder to pick out the best one. The key to picking out the best amplifier is to look closely and thoroughly for the features that are available on the amplifier. The most common and core features that are included in any amplifier feature reverb, distortion, delay, gain volume and delay time. So look for an amplifier having all the features that you could need according to your guitar playing style. But do keep in mind that these features cost you your amplifier’s battery.
Volume and Watts:
It’s a popular misconception that having more watts means having louder volume levels, although this concept is utterly false as the volume levels are mutually exclusively related to the decibels that can be reached by the instruments. So it is important to remember that watts are not equal to sound levels.
Purpose of Battery Powered Guitar Amplifier:
The main purpose of battery-powered amplifiers is to enable the guitarists and enhance their music as well as make it louder. Some guitarists also treat the battery-powered amplifiers as recorders. The amplifiers not only amplify the sounds of the guitar but also provide different dimensions as preferred by the artists as they can adjust styles and tones according to their tastes.
The battery-powered amplifiers are also a great help when you’re not looking to be loud but need to pump the volume of your electric guitar. Many great guitarists admit that amplifiers make their performance balanced and enhanced.
How to Ensure Optimal Output:
For getting the most out of your amplifier there are major steps and precautions that cloud lead to a more successful and best possible result.
Longevity:
To increase the battery life of your amplifier it should be considered that how can you make cuts to reduced the battery consumptions while not risking your performance or practice session, the only thing that you can do is use the battery-powered amplifier in a mindful way. By choosing an amplifier that has all the features you’ll require and not the one loaded with extra and useless features you’ll be saving your amplifier some battery.
Batteries:
The batteries that most battery-powered amplifiers require are the standard ones but by switching to rechargeable batteries be it AAA or AA, you can help in maximizing the output of your amplifier. Do make sure that the amplifier that you’re going to buy fully supports interchangeable rechargeable batteries.
Knowing the crowd:
If you’re a street performer or a busking artist, it is vital for you to estimate your crowd and buy the amplifier according to that estimated crowd. As the outdoors musicians cannot worry too much about the semantic noise and ambient sounds that surround them, they should focus on their crowd size and location in the sense that if you’re playing for a small audience at a quieter and less busy location you can do fine with an inexpensive version of battery-powered amplifier that may not have many features but if you’re trying to entertain a larger gathering at a busier place like a subway, then you’ll want to go for one of the bigger yet manageable amplifiers powered by batteries and adjust the tones accordingly.
Basic knowledge:
It may seem obvious but gaining basic knowledge of amplifiers and guitars is the most crucial step in becoming a perfect guitarist. The main point is that you should know what you want to play and what is the style of your song going to be, this is the fundamental knowledge that will help you play perfectly, again as obvious as it seems, knowing your playing style and genre will help you greatly.
For instance; if you want to play something with more pickups such as metal or the sub-metal genre, you’ll want to go for an amplifier with options like distortion and delay but if your genre is depending on a lower number of pickups and tuning, like acoustic you’ll need some amplifier with fewer options as they won’t really come in handy for you anyway.