I have a micro, although it is not my main amp, that is a Katana mkii head, since I usually play in one place. But when I am away and bring the guitar, I bring the micro. It really could be all you need for home, until you want a looper or something.
The micro is reasonably priced, rechargeable, takes Bluetooth in with ease, and can even plug into a PC or Mac for recording and additional processing.
I have plugged mine into the auxiliary in on a stereo system and played that way as well, if you want to share with others.
Thanks. That’s what I was hoping to hear. I’ll look into getting one. I just need to convince my son to let me “borrow” his since he isn’t using it now. (He’s in law school and just got married, so no time for hobbies.)
You may already have settled on a solution, here’s something else to consider. My typical practice setup, which I usually do either very early in the morning or late at night.
It’s really straightforward:
Guitar into Katana Mk2 100 amp
Laptop (MacbookPro) into Katana via USB
Headphones into Katana
This enables me to practice quietly, and I can hear both the laptop (usually Justin giving a lesson) and the guitar in the headphones. The USB also makes it easy to record using GarageBand.
The advantage is having the amp:
at some point you are probably going to want to play without headphones - even if it’s just for yourself when no one is home
an amp like the katana gives you access to lots (and lots) of virtual pedals. Drive/fuzz/wah/octave/reverb/delay etc. is all built in.
Downside is portability, and cost (maybe). I write maybe cost because 1) if you stick with the guitar you will probably end up buying an amp anyway and 2) while more expensive than the personal-headphone setups, a katana is cheaper than buying a lot of pedals (though maybe less fun than buying pedals).
Thanks for your input. That’s certainly another option to consider and the amp doesn’t seem to be overly expensive. I’m quickly learning that there are lots of options and no shortage of ways to part with some cash with this new hobby.
I use a very similar set up, except I use an Android pad in to control the katana and a separate old iPhone plugged in to it. No Bluetooth. With a jack splitter at the katana headphone out, I can listen to the guitar, the Android and the iPhone all at the same time!
Question for @jsgreen
There is this thread here asking about the katana and difficulty setting up with Mac. Would you consider adding your input, since you successfully installed a Mac katana driver? Thanks!
I recent got a Boss Pocket GT and it works great. Boss Pocket GT review | Guitar World
You can use this as a stand-alone, no computer/phone/amp needed, or connect to one of these. the connection can be done over Bluetooth so no need for more wires.
After having it for a few weeks, I’m very happy with it.
I agree with Jamolay, It’s brilliant. It has lots of amps you can play through although I tend to stick to a couple. About a £100 in UK; about the same as the cheap amp I have for my acoustic which has disappointed me. Headphones must be wired; I use Aftershokz, and connects to my iPad over Bluetooth to listen to Justin at the same time as playing.
I have an Apogee Jam+. I used it over Christmas vacation to continue with Justin’s course unabated while I was visiting my folks. The guitar and headphones plug into it, then it hooks to your phone, pc, or iPad (it includes a variety of cables, including a very long Lightning cable). It can serve as an audio interface and uses power from the device it’s connected to. In my case, I used the Lightning cable to plug it into my iPhone; I used it with Bias FX (Garageband works too) and Justin’s Beginner app without any trouble (it sounds great). It’s got a nice little overdrive mode too, which is fun to play with.
Yes, I have one of these too. It’s a little more expensive than the Fender Micro, but I think it has a lot more flexibility, with the Boss app basically giving you the same capabilities as the GT-1.
I find the Youtube importing, markers and AB looping quite useful, if a bit limited in what videos it works with.
But for a portable amp/fx unit, and recording interface it’s hard to beat.
The micro is so cool that you can actually plug it right into your pedalboard at the end and it’ll work just like a regular amp, so you can use it with loopers and other stuff. Think I saw a demo from Andertons where they did just that. Just make sure your headphones have a really long cable!
Thanks for this setup info! Does anyone have an equivalent setup they recommend for playing along to songs with the JustinGuitar app? How can I listen to the songs and my guitar and amp, all at the same time, but on headphones so I don’t disturb the family? The app would run on an iPhone or iPad, and my amp is a Katana 50 mkII. Is there a way to connect from an iPhone’s lightning port to the aux in on a katana? Is there any chance of latency or lag between the aux input and my guitar, as they get ‘mixed’ together and sent out via the headphone out jack?
I couldn’t find this elsewhere in the forum, and this seemed like a good thread to co-opt for my question…
There should be an “aux” in on the back of your amp. All you need is to plug the iPhone into it. You need a lightning to headphone adapter.
I use something like this (not this one) so I can charge my phone while I play it.
[2 in 1] Headphone Adapter for iPhone，Apple MFi Certified Lightning to 3.5mm Jack Dongle Aux Audio Charger Splitter Compatible with iPhone 13/12/XS/X 8 7 Audio Earphone Adaptor Support All iOS System Amazon.com
No lag if wired like this, only if you tried to connect with Bluetooth.
Hi everybody. I have the same idea as OP and found this post from last year quite useful. I am also on the market for the headphone amp and also for the suitable headphones.
For the headphone amp I am serious abour Fender Mustang Micro because of the shear simplicity of the device. I do have a stand alone Marshall amp for when I want to explore.
For the headphones I am looking into beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro and I have no clue what dB rating do I need. It is sold as 32, 80 and 250 dB option. Which one should I get for playing electric guitar through headphones amps and listening justinguitarapp or YT backing tracks through tablet pc? And sometimes music in general. The price is the same.
Thanks for quick reply. I will check Nux amp… Still have few weeks as I am counting on some good Black Friday deals.
Yes, it is actualy Ohms not dB, thanks for correcting. I don’t understand the logic behind this and I don’t find usable info on the internet… What would happen if I would buy 80 Ohm version? I think that these headphones would be louder on PC or some other device, but on the headphone amp it would achieve the same loudness as 32 Ohm verison since the limitation is in the battery operated amp… or is there something else?
The 80 ohm version should work, but would be a bit quieter. The higher the impedance, the more powerful the amplifier needs to be to drive it and get to a specific volume level.
Usually, for the higher impedance headphones, you need a headphone amp or a reasonably decent audio interface. The higher impedance ones are supposed to sound better when driven properly, but will sound quiet when connected to a typical phone or other portable device.
Just been using the “clean” model of this to practice, as I was away from home. It has an aux input and I simply plugged in a tablet with some backing tracks. Runs off 2 AAA batteries - I use rechargeables so you can swap them out easily when necessary.
