Good Cheap Travel/Practice Amp Suggestions

[Hyperborea]

I'm looking for a cheap but decent sounding travel/practice amp. I'm going to guitar "camp" this summer and I'll need one there. I left my first no-name practice amp (which would have been ok to use) about 5 hours away by plane at my parents' house (useful for practice when I visit). The camp does have amps for rent ($35/week) but I figure if I can get something for about twice that it would be money better spent that way.

Anyways, what I want:

• decent sound (doesn't need multiple amp models though that's not a negative)
• fits into luggage
• cheap (if possible ~$70 or less or maybe at a stretch $100)
• battery powered would be nice but it's not a requirement and would be dropped if it conflicts with any of the above

I'm probably going to be looking at used amps given my budget but that's ok. So, suggestions can be for anything that's reasonably recent even if now discontinued and that I might find on Craigslist, eBay, etc. Recommendations on brands as well as models would be good. Negative suggestions of what not to buy would also be helpful.

[KR2]

This was posted earlier this month

http://guitarnoise.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=43315&p=395961&hilit=travel+amp#p395961

[Dan T.]

I'd recommend the Vox Pathfinder.

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... sku=481948

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_t ... 1&oq=vox+p

I got one for my son last year & he loves it. (Now I want one too! )

Have fun at camp.

Dan

[Hyperborea]

Thanks for the suggestions but I think those are too large - both the Vox Pathfinder and the H&K in the referenced post. That's pretty much the same size as my current Roland Cube 30 and that's too big to schlep on a plane. I was thinking more along the lines of the:
Roland Micro Cube
Vox DA5
Laney LG12
Pignose
etc.

Or maybe I should up the money a little and buy a Fender Champ 600 (I see them around for ~$150) or some of the other small tube combos? More fragile though but maybe better sounding. Still small enough to fit into a hard suitcase if the tubes are removed and packed separately (maybe taken as carry-on luggage). No headphone jack though.

Again, thanks for any advice.

[Wes Inman]

My vote goes for the Pignose, they are great amps. I have an old article by Jimmy Page, he used a little Pignose for many of his early recordings on albums, I, II, III, and IV.

[JoeHempel]

I played around with the Vox at a Sam Ash and it sounded pretty good to me, lots of features packed into that little box.

[KR2]

I remembered this thread posted back in February . . .
and I just finished ordering a travel amp based on the recommendations here.
I'm going up to Tennessee in a couple of weeks (to get out of this heat) and wanted to bring my guitar.
I don't have a lot of room in the car since we're also taking the dog . . .soooo . . .
I'm going to have the amp sent up there to meet me.
The one I decided on was the Roland Micro Cube (in black).

Thanks all . . . for your input . . . and thanks Hyperborea for starting the thread.

[Moonrider]

I'm looking for a cheap but decent sounding travel/practice amp. I'm going to guitar "camp" this summer and I'll need one there.

The first thing that popped into my mind was the Vox Pathfinder 15, followed by the Vox DA-5, and the Roland Cubes. I've used my Pathfinder as a lightweight gig-worthy travel amp for years. The Cube and the DA-5 have also gotten pretty nice reviews.

Also, if you're really lucky, you might be able to find a Vox VR15 in the used market. Again, another small amp with a huge sound. Last time I checked the prices were going UP on these little monsters though.

[Hyperborea]

I ended up getting a Vox DA-5 for $70 off of Craig's list. It was an awesome deal and that little amp sure does sound great for a little amp and pretty decent in general.

I took it away to guitar camp (National Guitar Workshop in L.A.) at the beginning of July (the reason that I bought the amp) and it was a good amp for that use. It was easy to carry about and worked well. I drove down to LA and so it rode in the car rather than going by plane but even then room wasn't that plentiful (I've got a sportscar) and so the small size was much appreciated.

I did try out a Micro Cube and I wasn't really that impressed with the sound quality. I have the larger Cube 30 and that sounds good but the little Cube doesn't follow in it's footsteps. The battery situation is better than the Vox since the Cube uses AA and the Vox uses C which are harder and more expensive to find as rechargables. I didn't bother with the C rechargables but just bought a regular set - I didn't end up using it on battery power that much anyways.

[Anne.Curtiz]

hello everyone thank you to all of your suggestions. it helps me a lot.