Hello everyone,
I am going to buy my first amp and I was thinking about boss katana mini. I live in a flat and just want to play for myself or family so I don’t need a lot of power. 7w would be enough or should I look for something more like 15? I wrote also to some music shop around me and they said that katana is ok but everyone told me that they would get something different and here is my question. They told me about:
Aroma AG 10 black
Marshall MG15 G Gold
NUX Mighty Lite BT MK II
What do you think about these? Are they better or should I get this boss katana mini. People in reviews or some music forum said that, for example Marshall MG series are bad. So I’m a bit confused:)
Hi Krzysztof @Nezril, welcome to the community! I’m still a beginner, so won’t give advice on a particular amp. Based on my experience, I will say this: it is your first amp. There will be others, maybe of a similar power and size, maybe larger or just different. I think the amps you’re looking at are relatively inexpensive, and you can always sell it later. I’d recommend looking for something you think you’ll be happy with for 1-2 years. After some guitar experience (and hanging out in this community), you’ll have a better idea of what is right for you.
In the meantime…consider heading to the Introduce Yourself topic and saying hello!
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Do you have the opportunity to go to said music store and try some amps out?
That’d be best. That way ya can hear it prior to buying.
I did that with my last amp. I didn’t get what I thought I’d get as I found something that suited me better. If I’d have not gone to the music store I just wouldn’t have the info to make an informed decision.
Good luck in your hunt. The hunt is fun. 
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I don’t know the other two, but the Nux Mighty range has some good reviews, and I’ve been pleased with my Nux MP-3.
Cheers,
Keith
I don’t think I use more than 2W to get plenty loud enough. I have a 5W head style that will get louder than I need.
I prefer larger speakers (10-12 inches) over the smaller, but you may want to try to listen to some in person if you can do so.
This is a common question. Have you searched the forums?
This is true. When I used my Katana 50, I don’t think I ever used anything more than the 0.5W mode.
It is worth saying that when it comes to loudness, not all “watts” are created equal. Amps that use different technologies (e.g. valves vs solid state) will have wildly different output levels for the same wattage figure. Also wattages on guitar amps won’t necessarily correlate with what you might see in a hifi shop if you were looking for a music system. So to echo what others say, if you can sample any in person, then do so, don’t get hung up on the number of watts
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Thank you all for all the answers! I don’t expect them to be so many and so quickly;)
fwiw,
Keep in mind Krzysztof. All amps have a volume control, ya don’t have to turn any amp up louder than you want.
The 3 amps I got will all blow you away (and them amps aren’t big amps either, 12w, 15w tube and 80w solid state). I just don’t turn them up that loud. While I don’t live in a flat, I do have a wife that lives here too… 
I still gotta keep the peace ya know.
Heck, I can generally speaking keep my amps at lower volume than my acoustic produces w/o a amp.
If I want, or have to. 
Just food for thought.
It’s a good point. But bear in mind that you can run a tube amp at low volume, but it’s not really going to sound any better than a much cheaper solid-state amp.
For instance, if you got a Vox AC30 and ran it at bedroom levels, it’s not going to sound any better than a (say) Orange Micro plugged into the same speaker cabinet.
If you want the “tube tones” from a tube amp, it needs to be run at fairly high levels. Now there are “low-wattage” tube amps which are much quieter than the AC30 I mentioned, but even a 5W tube amp can be loud when cranked.
Which is why load boxes exist which will allow you to get “tube tones” at bedroom levels. But it’s an extremely expensive approach.
If you truly need “bedroom” volumes, then I would recommend against any pure tube amp as you won’t get the tube tones from them, and you may as well go for a cheaper (and, often, better sounding at low volumes) modelling amp.
If you are talking solid-state, then running them at a lower volume is fine, although I would question getting a higher-wattage solid-state amp, like a Roland JC120 (I know that’s not what you are proposing, just pointing out there’s sensible limits).
On the other hand, a lot of the modelling amps can go quite loud, but are also specifically designed to sound good at low volumes.
By the way, I lived in apartments for a couple of years fairly recently and had to be very careful with amp volumes. In my case I used headphone amps and a Yamaha THR10ii which was perfect for that scenario, and could also be used as a Bluetooth speaker when I wasn’t playing guitar.
There’s no way I could have turned even a 5W tube amp up above about 2 or 3.
Cheers,
Keith
I think a Katana Mini would be fine for your use case. You don’t need 15W for beginner practice in a flat; a 7W transistor-based amp should be plenty. And the Boss Katana brand is a solid choice.
One more question, I understand that I can get a distortion sound with all these amps? Just want to be sure;)
And last question, anyone here with boss katana mini? I heard that without batteries it makes buzz sound, and it is best to get this : Roland PSB-120 , but it is quite expensive. Someone maybe got something different that remove this sound and works well?
Most power supplies can introduce noise into whatever they are supplying, which is one of the reasons to get a power supply which is well designed.
However, noise can still be there, so the simplest way to reduce it is to use Ferrite Cores (sometimes called Ferrite Beads).
The cable from the PSU to the amplifier is wrapped round one half of the bead, and then the two halves of the bead are snapped together.
These are available from RS Components as well as other places.
I ordered mine from Mouser, which is a US based company as they were far cheaper than anywhere else, but this only worked out ok because I was ordering other stuff as well (Potentiometers for the Guitar) - £33 of orders gets you free shipping (which was only a few days) otherwise find something more local to you.
Here’s one at RS Components:
Note that the one above may not the the correct size, it’s just an example.
Wherever you get them, just check the diameter of the cable (from the PSU to the Amp) and get the correct bead/sleeve/core…whatever the company calls them, as the inner diameter is what you need to know. Note that you need to ensure that inner diameter of the bead can accept the cable diameter TWICE to allow the cable to be wrapped in the bead.
If the cable to the amp is a flat kind, you’ll just need to make allowances for that rather than a round cable - if that makes any sense.
I put one at both ends of the cable, and also have a filtered power outlet extension lead, as the electrical noise in my flat is pretty grim.
These can also work well on PSUs for Guitar Pedals as well.
I have Katana Mini that I rarely use. Purchased it as a cheap practice / travel amp a few years back when I was finding myself away from my main home at weekends.
In all honestly it’s been the only piece of gear I’ve felt I’ve wasted money on (and I’ve spent some ££££ down the years!)
I am sure that others may find it useful and a nice little amp but for me personally it never really managed to decently meet expectations of fulfil its purpose Tinny speaker, lacking reverb and just not a great sounding amp in general. I’ve been meaning to get it sold for some time now as I much prefer the functionality and portability of the Katana GO for so many reasons if not using my primary 100W Katana,
If you’re considering a Mini as being your ‘main’ amp I’d honestly say forget it and look for other options in the more traditional amp format and then just keep the power/volume down or use headphones if noise levels are an issue for you.