It’s easy to get bogged down in tone snobbery. Many of us would rather find a pustulant
boil on our genitals than find a solid-state amp as our only source of sound on a big
gig. But we’re not talking first choices here, we are talking survival, or getting through
a gig when our “A” rig goes belly up. I’m sure there are hundreds of serviceable options
for a small, cheap backup amp, but here are a few suggestions.
It’s cheap as you
could hope for and
sounded good online.
Worth a look.
Peavey
Bandit 112
80 watts
Street price: $349.99
(find secondhand for
as little as $50)
The Ranch, and he
sounded like… well
… Keith Urban.
Electro-Harmonix 22
Caliber
22 watts
Street price: $104
This thing is tiny,
about the size of
a smallish pedal.
ZT Lunchbox
200 watts
Street price: $245
This is a “friend of a
friend” recommendation. I’ve never
even seen this amp,
but the size works
and I’m told that
it sounds great and
can keep up with
loud drums.
A combo amp but
can drive any cabinet. There’s nothing
pretty about this
amp, but it is cheap
and nearly indestructible. Pick a used one
up for $50 and leave
it in your trunk just
in case. I actually saw
Keith Urban play
through one of these
with his old band,
Traynor
Quarterhorse
25 watts
Street price: $239
The size of a large-ish stomp box, this
amp can plug into a
4x12 cab and rawk.
Or run the headphone out directly
into a board for a
convincing speaker-simulated sound.
Diago Little
Smasher
5 watts
Street price: $189
Though I’ve not
played through this
head, the size and
simplicity appeals
to me. A meager 5
watts may not be
able to keep up with
the band, but in a
pinch, this could
get you through.
Fender solid-state Tweed
Bronco
15 watts
Street price: No longer
in production,
around $50 to $120
used
A combo amp with
a measly 5" speaker,
this sounds great
when driving a
4x12. Very small
and light. I’ve used
this for everything
from guitar to pedal
steel to bass. Sounds
great, less filling.
3Leave your top shelf rig at home
If you read Premier Guitar
you probably have stuff …
lots and lots of stuff: multiple
amps, guitars, stomp boxes, etc.
Assuming that’s the case, you
may reconsider touring with
your best gear. Gear is made to
be played, but regrettably, the
road is like Ike Turner, constant-
ly handing out a beating. Your
“best” stuff will soon become
your “okay” stuff, eventually
downgrading to your “not work-
ing” stuff. I only use my favorite
amps for recording and travel
with my “B” amps. As abysmal
as it is to have your amp die on
tour, having your best amp not
work at a session is worse.
Guitars aren’t as susceptible
to breaking down as amps are,
but they are more likely to be
stolen. Escaping unnoticed with
a hefty amp is difficult, but it’s
relatively easy to grab a guitar
and run. I’ve never lost a guitar
