The Best Mini Guitar Amps for Your Big Rockstar Dreams

My first mini amp, a VOX Mini5 Rhythm Battery-Powered 5W Modeling Amplifier, lasted 15 years. Easy as pie to use and loaded tons of cool effects baked into five glorious watts, the baby Vox was the best use of a $100 Sam Ash gift card I could have asked for, and I lugged it everywhere. Alas, the thing finally took enough tumbles that it stopped working over the summer.

But while I can still find a similar one on Amazon or eBay for about $120, guitar amps have come a long way in the last two decades. Many digital models have software libraries that make it easy to download effects and updates.

So I’ve started wondering if I should upgrade.

Therein lies my dilemma: Should go smaller and invest in a baby amp that I take on an airplane with my ¾-size Fender Squier? Or I can increase to a 10-watt model, so I won’t have to lug my Fender Mustang up a bunch of stairs for a more intimate gig?

Micro Guitar Amps: The Tiniest of The Bunch

Ask a guitarist what constitutes a “mini” amp, and you’ll get different answers. Some might assume a 10-watt amp is the definition of mini. But many musicians equate “mini” with the absolute tiniest amps, like the Positive Grid Spark GO. It’s small enough to tuck into a backpack.

So for the purpose of this piece, we’re going to categorize the amps you can carry in your handbag as “micro” amps.

Let’s start with the micro amp model that’s breaking the Internet: At four inches tall, the trendy, cute Positive Grid Spark GO ultra-portable smart guitar amp and Bluetooth speaker delivers the same 5 Watts that my old VOX amp did — at less than half the size. Also, its reviews on Sweetwater and sites like Guitar.com are glowing. I rarely see a bad review of the little Positive Grid model (except on one Reddit thread about a year ago, which was mainly criticizing its price).

What’s equally cute is the Orange Amplifiers Crush Mini 3W 1×4 guitar combo amp I snagged last year ($75, Guitar Center). But while it’s adorable and I use it for teaching and playing in my home office, it’s been challenging to get the right clean tone at a decent volume (without a microphone).

And while we’re on the topic of micro amps, there are a handful of other tiny models worth mentioning:

• The Blackstar Fly 3W Guitar Combo Amp is super versatile and comes with a handful of fun options for power and tone. ($74.99, Guitar Center)
• The tiny Marshall Micro Stack 1W Guitar Combo Amp in red is about the size of a Christmas amp, and that’s something. ($49.99, MusiciansFriend.com)
• The Laney Lionheart Mini is a powerful tiny tiger of an amp. ($76.99, Sweetwater)

If these prices are still too high, Sondery’s 5-Watt Mini Guitar Amp for Electric Guitars is a great option, available on Amazon Prime for just $29.99.

Larger ‘Mini’ Amps at 10 Watts and Up

First things first: My 60-watt Fishman Loudbox Mini amp is the best smaller-side amp I’ve ever purchased ($299, Music & Arts in Fairfield). I’ve used it at dozens of shows to plump up the sound of my acoustic guitar. At my last outdoor porchfest gig, it doubled as a PA. It’s powerful, super-functional, and easy to carry with just one hand!

But it doesn’t come with some of the neat-o little effects knobs that made my beloved old Vox DA5 so much fun.  

For these reasons, I’m on quest for a second mini amp that’s about the size of my Fishman, which would serve as dedicated sidekick for my electric guitars.  

One of the 10+ watt small amps recommended to me was the Marshall MG10G 1 x 6.5-inch 10-watt Combo Amp ($89, Sweetwater), which promises “revolutionary solid-state design [that] convincingly emulates a tube amp’s tone and response.” Another noteworthy model mentioned by a Rockmommy reader is the Boss Katana Mini – 7-watt Combo Amp (Sweetwater, $99), which markets “big tone in a compact, portable package.” Its “brown voicing delivers iconic high-gain tone — perfect for metal leads.”

Since I love the mid-century modern look of the VOX brand, I’m a little biased. The VOX Pathfinder 10″ Combo Amp has that vintage aesthetic, plus high-gain capability packed into a 10-watt, 1 x 6.5-inch combo package for $119.

Doug Eng, a guitar player and bassist for the band Trashing Violet, recommends the Stage Right by Monoprice 5-Watt, 1×8 Guitar Combo Tube Amplifier with Celestion Speaker ($159.99 via Monoprice, but out of stock). Cheaper than $200, this amp “gives you that warm natural tube sound for a great price,” says Eng. “Just run your pedals through it and voila!”

Rockmommy reader Jesse Ray Alford noted that the Lectrosonics The Mouse vintage amp is a favorite: The “rechargeable, battery powered busking amp” gets “pretty darn loud” for its size, Alford says.

Sizing it Up

So when should you scale up your mini? Again, it depends on the gig.

For bigger rock show, I plan to continue to rely on my 100-watt Fender Mustang III. Yet admittedly, I find myself pining for this Marshall head and cabinet bundle ($1299; Sweetwater) every time the Sweetwater catalogue hits my mailbox. But whether I expand beyond my trusty Fender combo amp is another debate (and rabbit hole) for another day!

2026 Update

Since writing this original post, I received the Spark GO! mini amp for Mother’s Day. I love it so much — it’s so easy to tote around my house — and it’s become my go-to for all electric-guitar playing activities (I couldn’t even tell you the last time I played the Orange Mini amp). I also have my eye on the new Blackstar Beam Mini Portable Guitar Amp w/ NAM, USB-C, and Bluetooth, which is garnering rave reviews for its immersive sounds, ease of use, and sleek design.

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Marisa Torrieri Bloom is the editor and founder of Rockmommy.