The Best Desktop Guitar Amps - 2023 Shoot Out

I like the Sire guitars, I don't have one but was thinking about getting the Tele (T7) but keep hearing the pickups are bright sounding. I am curious why you picked the Monty's to put in the S7 and are their recommendations for good Tele pickups that would work with the T7 if I get it and feel it is too bright.

I would be curious how you could build your own with a small clean amp and a small modeler. I have am MV50 which is a great small portable amp and if you had a small modeler you might endup with a more flexible solutions that is still easy to take places.

I have the Spark and agree a looper is nice to have. Also would have been interesting to know if you have an external cabinet to connect to which one would sound best. I agree that the Yamaha is cool looking but that should be the least important thing to consider. It really should boil down to the functionality offered the simplicity of the interface (trade off between functionality and simplicity) and of course how they sound. I would grade them as following -- Interface Spark, Katana/Nux, Yamaha -- Features NUX, Spark, Katana, Yamaha, -- Sound Katana, Spark, NUX, Yamaha -- Looks Yamaha, Katana NUX/Spark (tied for third).

What was the name of the NUX wireless system? Thank you!

You have to mention the poor reliability of the Spark40. There are many videos of Spark users with TONS of comments of other people who have the same problem. The Spark40 stops working sooner or later and produces an extremely loud hissing noise that won’t let you use the amp anymore. Only fix is sending it in for repair. Mine has the same right now.

Guys ......PLEASE..??!! Build quality? Where are they made...? Great review but there's lots of people who are wanting to know which country that their money is going to these days! Thanks!

I got the NUX Light and I wasn't a big fan of it, I ended up returning it… I feel like if you’re going to spend that much money anyway, spend the extra 20 and get the Spark Go…

Enough talking pls . I want to hear the amp

I have all of the positive grid amps and I just had the new speaker cab system delivered. Awesome! Allows even the pocket sized 'GO' model to be gigged! Must see a review from you guys on that.

That was an excellent demo guys. First rate!

I use the NuX wireless and it is great 👍

I want to hear the tone differences while using the wireless options. I've tried both the g10 anf the g10ii, with my thr30ii wireless, and find that these are just horrible tone killers :-/ . If i use my Senny wireless, then it seems to actually make the amp sound better than using a cable. So i assume that this has something to do with the output level of the wireless going into the amp? But with the thr receiver being built in, i dont see any way of tweaking that. It would also be nice to see how each of these handles different pedals, and of course pickups.

Can someone help me. Farely new to electric guitar and i want to purchase a desktop amp that has a loop pedal also im not sure what the wires are called that you plug into the guitar and what they are called. I already have a electric guitar just missing everything else. Any help would be greatly apreciated

Spark has the best features but i didnt like the sound. It sounds too muddy, the katana & the yamaha sounded the best

Those are still too big. Do a mini shoot out - battery powered and for apartments with 1x4 speakers and 2x2 speakers.

Katana or THR30

Thanks. Now there is more boss ir2. Which one is better?

I don't know how you'll see it, but they all sound dull to me, a horn sound. It is probably because the speakers are small and the volume was possibly a bit loud for this diameter of speaker.
The test has been interesting, now I am looking to buy one and from what you have touched I will stick with Boss no matter how poor the application is. Second, I am between Yamaha and Spark, and the one that I completely destroyed due to its sound is the Nux. You can even bring a '59 Chevy Impala as a gift, but if it doesn't sound good I'm not going to use it.

Sitting on the sofa playing this through my TV, the Yamaha & Katana sound much better. Both the others sound a bit woofly

i am considering selling my blues junior 4, because i am just cannot use it when little boy goes to bed. i am thinking about buying the spark, i hope it sounds good at reality.

Love my THR30II - I play more guitar now. Gorgeous cleans and EVH tones. Perfect for what I wanted and it doesn't Sound or Feel digital. oNe LovE from NYC

You guys need to do something about all the vaccine commercials that you're letting get foisted onto your viewers.

The NUX has a lot of different cabinets it´s called IR in the app. I have the NUX Mighty Air so I know it and I have seen it in this Video in the app.

how can you demo these when you have them miced up to a bigger speaker not giving the actual amp sound on it's own.

I'm a big proponent for constraints/limitations in gear, especially for beginners. With too many parameters to control, a lot of people get super carried away playing with different sounds or tweaking settings instead of actually practicing/playing. Not that thats necessarily a bad thing for everyone, it's just a distraction that can easily slow progress and hold someone back from reaching their potential as a player. While the Yamaha doesn't have the vast feature set some of the others offer, everything their amps do, they do very well. And they pretty much covers all the bases, giving the user a model for any genre they want to work with.

I have only ever experienced the THR30 so I can't compare it to any of the others. I must say, the amp sounds really great and warm.
The only thing that I don't like is the fact that when you save settings, the clean channel is never the same volume as the rest. So, when I have saved for example the standard EVH sound (that is a preset you can load down) and made a crunch sound as well as a clean sound, the clean sound will almost be silent, so you have to turn up the amp. When you then switch to a different preset, the amp will be then far too loud in comparison.
Has anyone found a way around this?

Fender has made one the LT40.

I watched this because I bought a Spark in the presale a few years ago and I just can't stand how boomy it is, even with the bass port stuffed, so I simply never use it. Interesting to see how others compare, as I'm in the market for a better desktop amp. I'll check out that firmware update on the Spark, though, see if it helps (might save me having to buy a different amp)

I don't know how you can beat the Spark. It's plenty loud and has every tone you could imagine!

The Boss sounds WAY better than the others, although the first one (the spark?) Comes very close. I'll be buying the Boss for sure.... great video.

I have the Yamaha th10 and the Spark. I'm not big on using the apps. The one thing I would like to see is the controls on the front. They are both on my desk but up against the wall. I've got them both propped up on something so that they tilt forward so I can see the controls. And I still have to go looking to make changes.

I feel a better analogy to home theater surround sound would be soundbar to individual speakers.

I still have the Yamaha Thr10, JoyoTweedy and Quilter Superblock US and I use them all. The ones I have are great. Tweedy Has Bluetooth if you want to jam along with Backing tracks on you tube. The other two are more straight ahead.If I had to choose only one I think it would be? Hmmmm Yamaha no wait Quilter no wait, Joyo Tweedy no I'm not choosing one over the other Because I don't have to. lol They all sound so good. However, the Joyo and Quilter both require a speaker. I play mine thru JBL 1 x 12". which I also use for my 1948 McGohan two channel modified PA with 2 6L6's and 12ax7's which sound like an old Blackface Bassman. I am 74 years old and still picking like a Bad A$$ Mo Fo. Mostly smooth jazz these days. Grew up in the 50's, 60's & 70's era when music was actually played by real people and not generated by machines. I remember when reverb was a big thing to have. Now look where we are. Oh well, You better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone for the times they are a changing.

Question anyone, how do you do firmware updates to these amps?

have a 12yo super champ. maybe not a desktop per se..and not stereo. very old school. New is nice. great sound. price is right...

What is this shootout, do you mean shooting and do the police need to be called?

i got a spark and i use it for small shows i play acoustic gigs i run it through a power bank so i can set up anywhere . i even played a lodge gig they had no power. i love it to be honest i also got the spark cab on its way

I had Yamaha and it was fine until I got Marshall dsl40. Comparison makes me want more.

I have the spark its great. And through headphones its phenomenal. Ive gigged with it by running it through the pa ( a pair of turbo sounds ip 2000) and it sounded great. They make a 4 way wifi foot switch now but i might sell it due to the catalyst 60 i just got

It's a bummer you posted this right before the Loudbox Micro came out, I would've liked to see how that compares

Which one is good for metal/hi-gins?

I never bought the THR hype until I found a great deal on a used one locally. Ever since then I haven't touched any of my other amps because they just don't have enough articulation. They all sound like pure mud after playing the Yamaha THRs (I have the THR10 II 20 watt). It's not about power, it's about pure uncompromised sound quality, and the Yamaha is unbeatable.

Glad Rob is gone. The videos devolved into adolescent slapstick entertainment, full of quacking noises, silly graphics and incessant interruptions. I had to unsubscribe for a couple of years but now it seems to be back to good quality gear reviews. Thanks Lee.

Trying to figure out which one is gonna be the best for small jams/teaching/writing

Guys, can someone honestly answer me this, pretty please?
I'm a longtime classic all-tube amps lover. I had owned a whole lot of them during my more active years - fenders, mesa-boogies, oranges, even some no-name and small niche brands. Also I am a huge vintage hi-fi lover in general. Now I started to play again after some years of inactivity of my previous bands. I bought a Vox AC10 for a home usage and I like this amp a lot. Perfect sound and simple one channel. However - it is still to loud for my current situation of home playing.
Question is - can such a hardcore tube lover and purist like me be happy with a modeling desktop amp for a home use?
Because I see the progress and amps like that were not available before.
Thanks to all answers! M

Can you guys do this same video for acoustic guitars? Thanks!

I’ve owned the Spark and still own the Yamaha THR30ii. The Spark has way more features in the app, but it was way too bassy for me. However, it appears they may have fixed that, as Lee mentioned. While the app for the THR is a bit behind the times, the tone is so much better. Also, while I don’t mind using apps, I much prefer using knobs and pedals to craft my sound. The THR takes pedals really well, but is also great on its own.

Put above the camera a poster saying like and subscribe so you don't ever forget lol

40w? On a desktop amp? What a waste. THR 10 does everything I need and it's cheap

I've had the Spark 40 for a year or so. It's all I need and then some. I use it as an interface for recording as well. The only other thing I need... well, I don't need, but I really like the idea of the Spark GO. So that's on my Christmas list.