NAMM 2026: Fender is “dropping the hammer on the low end” as it rolls out a free update for its Mustang Micro Plus headphone amp that revitalises its compatibility with bass guitars.

Initially launched in 2024 for electric guitar and bass, the well-received device is getting a bass-centric boost with a free-to-download firmware update.

“This isn’t just bass capability,” Fender says. “It's a full-blown bass rig revolution in headphones, turning the Micro Plus into the ultimate silent-practice accessory.”

So, what’s new? Well, there are 10 new bass amps and tone models for starters, from the “thunder” of the Super Bassman and vintage charm of the Bassman TV, through to the more modern-minded Rumble V2/V3 and generous headroom of the Dual Showman.

But not all of its amps are Fender builds. From outside of Fender’s sonic borderlines comes the celebrated SWR Redhead combo amp; the Rockin’ Peg, inspired by the 300W Ampeg SVT; and a Flip Top preset that offers “classic thump,” which is potentially based on the Ampeg B-15 Portaflex.

Finally, the KGB-800 brings the Gallien-Krueger 800RB to the table, and there’s a heavy metal-friendly preset called Monster, too.

Rounding out the update is a Switchable Input Pad, designed for users of hot and active pickups to “keep everything clean, controlled, and pro-level.” That sounds especially useful considering our GW reviewer, when playing through an electric guitar, found its bass output got overloaded at higher volumes.

The headphone amp market is hotly contested, with IK Multimedia's Tonex Plug and the Boss Katana: Go both key players in the game. This update, then, helps Fender stay competitive.

See Fender for full details regarding the update, and how to download and install it.

In other news, Fender has forged a partnership with Samsung to bring its educational Fender Play service to TVs.

What is it?

It’s pretty safe to say that as guitarists, we’re absolutely spoiled for choice nowadays when it comes to headphone amps for guitar. What started as a niche genre has resulted in nearly every major manufacturer offering one of their own, and the latest entrant into the fray comes in the form of the Blackstar Beam Solo.

Like most guitar headphone amps, the Beam Solo is compact and black, with a large dial for controlling parameters and buttons along the side to change certain functions. It has a companion app that gives you more in-depth control via your smartphone, Bluetooth connectivity to let you jam along to your favorite tracks, and an online community to share your best tones, and try out other people's.

So far, so standard. Unlike the obvious rivals in the Fender Mustang Micro Plus and the Boss Katana Go, there’s no screen on the Beam Solo. Instead, a dynamic ‘light beam’ display gives you visual cues as to what you’re adjusting on the unit itself.

Another thing it does differently is the addition of a headset mic input via the headphone jack, with a built-in preamp and reverb to let you record vocals alongside your guitar. How many musicians are actually using headset mics these days I'm not sure, but it's an interesting proposition for singer-songwriters.

With such stiff competition, there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s going to be a difficult task for the Beam to outpace the more established brands in the space, so let's see what it's made of...

Specs

• Launch price: $129.99 | £119 | €139
• Type: Headphone amplifier
• Origin: China
• Channels: 5 presets
• Controls: Patch, gain, EQ, FX, volume, rotary control
• Connectivity: 1 x 1/4" (instrument), 1 x 1/8", 1 x USB-C
• Weight: 0.45kg (0.99lbs)
• Dimensions: 67 x 37.2 x 20.5mm
• Contact: Blackstar

Build quality

Build quality rating: ★★★½

Having tested both the Mustang Micro Plus and the Boss Katana Go, the Beam Solo feels a little cheap and plasticky in comparison. It’s a bit bulkier than the aforementioned units but despite this, feels more lightweight in my hands.

The overall feel of the chassis is fairly solid despite the light weight, and like the Mustang Micro and Katana Go there are rubber feet on the back side which help it grip when on a desktop or sitting flush against the guitar body. The lack of heft does mean there’s basically no impact at all when you plug it into a guitar, and I certainly can’t feel a difference in weight when plugging it in.

Like the Mustang Micro Plus, the Beam has a large rotary knob on the front face, which looks a lot like a speaker cone. It does feel quite flimsy under my thumb though, and whenever I press down on it with a bit of force, it affects the travel of the knob, getting caught at certain points. The lack of robustness here does make me wonder how long it’ll last under heavy-handed use.

The five buttons on the side feel pretty solid, but not quite as tactile as the ones I’ve tried on other units. They click nicely and don’t need too much force to get them in, making it easy enough to manipulate them when plugged into my guitar. On the opposite side, the 'on/off' switch feels similarly decent quality, and there’s a dedicated button for connecting to your phone via Bluetooth.

The input jack is on a swivel that gives you 270 degrees of rotation, which should mean no issues fitting it into the vast majority of guitar types. I tried it on a Strat, Tele, Jazzmaster, and a semi-hollow guitar without issue, so unless you have a particularly niche output jack, you shouldn’t have any problems here.

Usability

Usability rating: ★★★★½

Plugging the Beam Solo into a Jazzmaster copy I’m also reviewing, I set about playing with the buttons on the side of the unit. Below the button names there is a long strip of light that illuminates the text depending on which button you've engaged.

This 'light beam' system reacts differently depending on which button you’ve engaged, with the volume setting giving you a light that gradually fills from left to right to indicate the volume level. The gain works similarly to the volume, while the patch setting lights up increments of the bar to indicate which of the five hardware presets is engaged.

When using the FX button you can set a tap tempo by pushing the button to your desired rhythm, and when used in conjunction with the large encoder set the mix level for the effect on that particular patch.

It’s really intuitive and clearly laid out, and I don’t need the manual to work out what’s what. I really like that the LED also acts as a basic tuner when you hold down the volume button, as it’s one of my pet hates having to access an app on my phone to tune my guitar. It doesn’t tell you the note so you’ll need your string to be in the ballpark, but I found it responded well for quick tune-ups when needed.

Installing the Beam app on my Pixel 9 via the Play Store, the connection process is incredibly simple, and amongst the easiest out of any Bluetooth-equipped guitar device I’ve tried. However, I have a problem in that it won’t stay connected to the device and times out after a few minutes. After some back and forth with Blackstar, I’m advised it’s because I have had a pre-release version of the hardware previously, so it shouldn’t be an issue for anyone buying a new unit.

The app itself is very slickly presented, with the amp models represented with some nice high-resolution graphics. The app allows you to save five presets to the hardware, much like you get with the Positive Grid smart amps. There’s a record function that requires you to connect to the unit via USB-C, a community section to download user-generated presets, and your typical menu options.

The bottom portion of the app contains your signal chain, with sections for pre-fx, amp, post-fx, cabrig, and music streaming. You can interact with the actual controls displayed on screen by sliding your finger or tapping to engage footswitches, which gives a nice tactile feel when tweaking settings. It’s super smooth too, and I never find any issues with lag or very fine control.

Under the music streaming option there's a bunch of backing tracks to jam along to, Blackstar Lessons, and drum loops that make great practice tools. It only covers rock and blues at the moment, but I sincerely hope that Blackstar continues to expand this section as I have great fun jamming along with the 'Spacey Dystopian Ballad'.

Sounds

Sounds rating: ★★★★★

Getting stuck into the sounds with my studio headphones I begin with the five presets that come loaded onto the hardware as standard. You get clean, edge of breakup, crunch, high gain, and a lead tone to start with, so all the typical sounds are accounted for. There are eleven guitar amps, one acoustic pre, three bass amps, and thirty-six effects in total, with a mixture of Blackstar’s own products and some classic amps and stompboxes.

The sounds are phenomenal too. Armed with my trusty Telecaster I start with the Super Clean setting, which uses the St James 6L6 clean channel. As you’d expect it’s reminiscent of the classic American amps from the 60s, giving you pristine clean tones perfect for arpeggiated chords and hypnotic drones with open strings.

Next up is the Artisan 30 model, which gives me some delightful edge of breakup tones. It clean up nicely with the volume knob, and you can pick harder to get gain like you would with a real amp. A lot of modelers struggle with these types of sounds, but here it's very convincing.

The HT Club 50 is the model for the super crunch preset, which even with the single coils is a little too gain-y for my definition of crunch. Removing the Yellow Drive from the front does the job though, and I’m straight into Marshall-inspired tones perfect for double stops and power chords.

The High Gain Stack delivers the heavy stuff, and does a really impressive job again. There’s none of the fizz that affects a lot of high-gain models on other units I’ve tried, and plenty of low-end chunk when I switch to my baritone guitar for some proper downtuned riffing.

There are plenty of different non-Blackstar amp types too, with most of the typical bases covered from Fender-inspired cleans, Vox chime, Marshall crunch, right through to the high-gain tones of the 5150. Each delivers those unique tonal qualities of their respective amps, which means plenty of choice no matter what type of tone you’re going for.

The effects are similarly great quality too, especially the reverbs. There are only three algorithms but they cover plenty of ground with hall, plate, and spring modes. You can additionally add a room sound to the overall tone via the Cabrig section, which lets you select the size of the room, how much of it you hear, and the width of the space.

Verdict

There are a lot of guitar headphone amps out there at the moment, with nearly every major manufacturer offering one. That means it’s difficult to stand out, especially as this jam-packed product type has some incredibly high-quality competition. The Blackstar Beam Solo does a lot well though, and certainly holds its own against the more established brands out there.

The big negative for me is the build quality of the unit. It just feels a bit cheap, especially that jog wheel, which I can’t see standing up to much abuse over time. Compared to the Fender and Boss units I’ve also tested, the Beam Solo lags behind a little bit here. On the other hand, it does the most important job, the sound, incredibly well. It’s one of the best-sounding headphone amps for guitar I’ve had my hands on, and that’s big praise considering the competition.

Guitar World verdict: While others did it first, the Blackstar Beam Solo can certainly hang with the big boys thanks to its fantastic quality of amps and effects modeling. It delivers an inspiring sound that’s sure to have you reaching for it time and time again, but is slightly let down by a less-than-stellar build quality versus the competition.

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IK Multimedia has entered the headphone amps for guitars game for the first time with the launch of the TONEX Plug.

The pocket-sized headphone amp is IK Multimedia’s answer to the market’s leading contenders, with the TONEX Plug set to go up against the likes of the Fender Mustang Micro Plus and Boss Katana:GO.

Of course, not much can be done to reinvent the form factor of a headphone amp, so while the overall shape and weight of the TONEX Plug might not look too different from what else is on the market – aside from the fact it doesn't have a screen – IK Multimedia is relying on its audio expertise to make it stand out.

The TONEX Plug is powered by the company’s AI Machine Modeling, meaning it packs the same tonal punch as the acclaimed TONEX One and TONEX Pedal.

In practice, it offers over 40,000 Tone Model rigs (read: amps and pedal rigs) that can be accessed through the ToneNET. Here, artists, songs and well-known amps can be searched and selected.

That is, simply put, an eye-watering amount of digital rigs to play with. Based purely on a numbers game, IK Multimedia has made a serious statement. The fact these are the same model found on the TONEX pedals makes it even more impressive.

There’s also a Tonex Control partner app for fine-tuning the selected signal chain. Here, amps, cabs, IRs, EQs and effects can all be tweaked.

These curated Tone Models can be organised into 30 user presets across 10 color-coded banks. That’s the same number as the Katana:GO, but less than the Mustang Micro Plus, which has space for 100 user presets.

There are a handful of other general headphone amp specs that IK Multimedia has diligently included, such as Bluetooth compatibility for streaming backing tracks, a built-in tuner, and USB-C for using the TONEX Plug as an audio interface.

Comparisons with the competition aside, the TONEX Plug looks like a genuinely powerful addition to a market that has, in recent years, been given more and more attention.

In terms of price, the TONEX Plug sits very nicely at $149. For reference, the Mustang Micro Plus is $134, while the Katana:GO is $139.

Visit IK Multimedia for more.

Positive Grid has unveiled the Spark NEO Core, the latest addition to its headphone amp family, which brings some of the futuristic features of its wireless sibling to a more affordable price point.

Packing a de facto Spark guitar amp into a lightweight and ergonomic pair of overhead headphones, the NEO Core lets players can plug and play with a wealth of onboard guitar tone presets. And, yes, PG’s AI-powered tone-building spec is in the mix, too.

The original Spark NEO was announced in February, with an abundance of tones, cable-free playing, and low-latency performance the standout specs.

For the NEO Core, the firm's AI tone generation – which also features in its BIAS X plugin and can produce tones from ChatGPT-like prompts – is included.

Beyond that, it comes armed with 33 amplifiers, 43 effects, and thousands of community-shared presets through Positive Grid’s online ToneCloud.

Operation is handled by pairing a smartphone to the headphones via the Spark app. It also unlocks additional creative tools, including backing tracks and an Auto Chords feature for learning and experimenting with different voicings and progressions.

But users needn't be glued to the app, with onboard controls making it easy to adjust the volume, change presets, and power them on/off.

Soft ear cups empower extended playing sessions, while noise isolation enhances focus. The headphones also double up as regular Bluetooth headphones.

“Whether chasing classic warmth, modern drive, or shimmering acoustic textures, Spark AI intelligently delivers amp and effect combinations tailored to the player’s style and needs,” says Positive Grid. “The newest member of the Spark NEO family makes it possible to experience premium tone anywhere – from late-night guitar jamming to quiet home practice and audio streaming.

In Guitar World's early review, Matt McCracken praised the NEO Core for its realistic and immersive guitar tone experiences and "excellent array of amps and effects models".

Priced at $159, the Positive Grid Spark NEO Core headphone amp is available to order now.

See Positive Grid for more info.

In related news, the firm's ultra-portable Spark Edge has been getting rave reviews, and Steve Vai has explained why one of its affordable modelling amps has stolen his heart.

What is it?

It wasn’t that long ago that Positive Grid released its first headphone amp for guitar and now, it's seen fit to follow up with a second product already. The Positive Grid Spark Neo Core is a more budget-friendly alternative to the original Neo which was launched earlier in the year, offering you the same great sounds but sans any wireless connectivity.

It used to be that the only real combined headphone/amplifier combo was available with the Boss Waza-Air, an expensive option for the majority of guitarists, but these last two releases from PG certainly challenge that. The Neo Core is available at $159 from launch, against the $249 you’ll have to outlay for the wireless version, so it’s not a saving to be sniffed at.

Connectivity comes in the form of plugging any standard 1/4-inch guitar cable into the headphones themselves, a feature that is present on the Spark Neo and the Boss Waza Air in case you’re waiting for your wireless transmitter to charge. There’s no ability to use a 3rd party transmitter with the Core though, nor can you pick up a Positive Grid transmitter and use it that way. So these are cabled headphones, and always will be.

Although you can’t connect to your guitar wirelessly, the Neo Core does still double as a Bluetooth headphone, so you can jam along to your favorite tunes or use it as a regular listening device away from your guitar with the same great sound. Custom 40mm drivers aim to offer a good balance of tone across the frequency spectrum, with ear cups designed to enhance noise isolation, keeping you focused on your playing while minimizing bleed to those around you.

It also has all the same tone options as its pricier, bigger brother, with access to the full 33 amp and 43 effects models, backing tracks, Auto Chord mode, and the Spark AI tone generation feature. Boasting 6-8 hours of battery life, it should hold plenty of charge for users to jam regularly without recharging and interrupting those impromptu jam sessions.

Specs

• Launch price: $159
• Type: Modeling amp headphones with Bluetooth
• Made: China
• Speaker drivers: 40mm ABF Diaphragm
• Headphone Sensitivity: 100dB SPL (@ 1kHz)
• Impedance: 32ohms
• Frequency range: 20kHz-20kHz
• Bluetooth: 5.0
• Hardware controls: Preset Selector, Guitar Volume, Power button / Bluetooth Pairing (streamed audio volume controlled at source device e.g smartphone)
• Latency: 3.8ms
• Features: Bluetooth streaming, four onboard presets, 33 amp models, 43 effects accessible via Spark app, app also includes Spark AI for tone matching, Auto Chords, 100,000+ tones via ToneCloud and Tuner
• Battery life/charging time: Headphones up to six hours with guitar and up to eight for music playback. Charging time 3.5 hours via USB-C.
• Connectivity: 1/4" guitar input
• Footswitch: Not included but compatible with Spark Control and Spark Control X
• Dimensions: Headphones: w180×d195.22×h80.81mm.
• Weight: 372 grams (headphones only)
• Contact: Positive Grid

Build quality

Build quality rating: ★★★★½

The Spark Neo Core is nearly identical to the Spark Neo in terms of the way they look, and how ruggedly they are built. There are some slight differences though. The Neo Core doesn’t have the gold accents of the Neo, opting for a more understated all-black ensemble which some might find preferable. There’s also a slight difference in the head cushion, with the Neo having a segmented look to it while the Neo Core is just one smooth piece.

On the left ear cup of the Neo Core there’s the slight indentation of what would be the transmitter connect button on the Neo, while the right ear cup features the exact same design, housing the 1/4-inch input, preset button, volume buttons, Bluetooth connect button, and the USB-C charging port.

I really like that Positive Grid has set about making these headphones feel extra robust, more like a piece of guitar gear than your average pair of studio headphones. The rubbery coating on the ear cups gives the look of amp Tolex but makes them feel incredibly rugged, and I have no qualms about chucking them in a backpack sans-hard case to take them somewhere.

They feel a lot more able to deal with roughhousing than the Boss Waza-Air, and as far as I can tell, there’s no difference in build quality between the Neo and Neo Core which is a nice touch. All the hinges feel nice and solid and are able to swivel in one direction, so you can make them slightly smaller, although I wouldn’t go so far as to call them compact.

Usability

Usability rating: ★★★½

With no wireless connectivity to deal with in terms of plugging into my guitar, I can eschew the smartphone app and plug a cable straight into the headphones and get playing right away with the default presets. There’s a problem though. The angled cable I choose with the thick Neutrik connectors doesn’t fit properly into the jack input, because its recessed slightly into the rubber of the ear cup.

I thought I was being clever using an angled cable to push the cable over my shoulder but the weight of it and the slightly less-than-snug fit means that it doesn’t work in this format. I switch to a Mogami straight-to-straight cable with a thinner gauge instead, which kind of solves the problem. It fits perfectly, but now there’s a straight bit of cable that needs to go either in front of or behind my shoulder.

Opting for the behind position to start with, I quickly realize that it just won’t work like that. There’s not enough clearance between my shoulder and the jack of the cable in order for it to bend that way. Instead, having the cable go past my armpit and in between the armrest of my guitar is the most natural way for it to fall. The problem here is that if I want to turn my head right to look at my picking hand or the controls on my guitar the cable against my shoulder results in the headphone coming away from my ear.

As I’m playing, I can feel the weight of the cable pulling the right side of the headphones down slightly, and although it doesn’t massively inhibit what I’m doing, I am aware that it’s there all the time. It certainly makes headbanging along to my favorite chunky riff feel a lot less fluid than I’d like.

Going for my third cable, I opt for a cheaper, lighter Fender angled jack which lets me run the cable back behind my shoulder, but has a thinner connector housing that makes a better connection, and a lighter gauge to prevent the weight of it pulling down. This feels much better ergonomically, and I can finally start enjoying myself without feeling like something is going against my natural playing position.

It’s easy to say in hindsight, but having a slight angle on the cable input would make for a much better experience in my opinion. Anything just to offset the angle of the cable slightly and get it out of the way of your shoulder would result in a much more comfortable experience when using a straight cable.

Pulling out my (Android) smartphone next, I set about connecting the Spark app to the headphones in order to access more sounds. After tapping the power button to enable Bluetooth connect mode, I go about using the app to try and find the Neo Core as a device, which the app does successfully but I’m unable to get it to connect this way. Going into my phone settings and connecting to the audio portion there does the trick though, and as I get back to Spark app it finds and connects to the headphones immediately.

The app itself is no different visually from any other Positive Grid product, giving you the classic visual layout of your amps and effects in a signal chain along the top, and a larger, touch-adjustable picture of each individual piece of gear below.

I can save four presets to the hardware, swapping in different pieces of gear to suit my particular sound, and tweaking them as I like.It works really well, although I wish the tuner was a bit more accessible as I frequently use it and imagine other guitarists do too. Also, there are some limitations in the app versus using it with some of the traditional Spark practice amps, like the Positive Grid Spark Mini, for example.

Neither the video portion of the app nor the Smart Jam function is available with Spark Neo Core or Spark Neo, which may be disappointing if you're coming from another Spark amp. Officially, it's due to hardware limitations, as Smart Jam in particular requires sound to operate. These features are available and do work when you use regular Spark amps with headphones though, so I feel like they should still be available for guitarists using Spark Neo and Core.

Sounds

Sounds rating: ★★★★½

Plugging in a Cort beginner electric guitar I’m also reviewing at the moment, I scroll through the hardware presets which offer clean, crunch, solo, and high-gain tones. It shows you immediately the gamut of sounds the Spark modeling software is capable of. No matter what sort of style you love to play, there’s no way you won’t be able to pull a tone you love out of the Spark Neo Core.

There’s no active noise canceling, but the sense of isolation once I put the ear cups over my ears and turn the volume up on my guitar is sensational. Whilst I’m chugging away with my baritone guitar I don’t even notice my partner walk into the room, and I have to pull an ear off to hear what she’s saying. I wasn’t listening particularly loudly either. If you are prone to turning things up and are worried about affecting your hearing, the app does warn you once you get beyond a certain threshold of volume.

The stereo reverbs and delays sound fantastic, giving a real sense of space whether I’m going for cavernous reverb settings or just getting that amp in a room feel. Ping pong delays bounce from ear to ear delightfully, and with the separation between myself and what’s going on in the room, there’s nothing to interrupt me from focusing on my playing. The other effects are superb too, and with such a massive suite to choose from you can dial in pretty much any tone you like.

As there’s no wireless to contend with it feels very immediate too, with no noticeable latency. Every note played from the guitar feels connected to what comes out of the ear cups, to the point that it’s easy to forget I’m playing with headphones and on and just get absorbed in the sounds.

Trying out the Spark AI tone generation feature, I’m met with a similar experience as I got when reviewing other Positive Grid products. Sometimes it’s right on the money, other times I need a lot of tweaking of the preset to get what I want. I do believe its great if you need a quick starting point though. Once I’d made some adjustments to my ‘Mars Volta freakout tone’ prompt, I found it was actually pretty close to what I wanted.

Verdict

In terms of tones, it’s impossible to fault the Positive Grid Spark Neo Core. It delivers pretty much any tone you can think of in an incredibly realistic way, making it a playground for guitarists of all abilities, and a potentially massive boon to your practice regimen. The AI tone generator might seem gimmicky, but it’s genuinely fun to mess around with and more often than not results in some very usable sounds once you tweak them a bit.

Where the Core falls short against its pricier, wireless cousin however, is in the comfort of use. Having had to try three different cables before finally settling on something that worked for me, the straight design of the input jack is a big misstep that makes the Neo Core a lot harder to use than it should be. It means that for the guitarists who can afford it, they’ll be much better off with the Spark Neo.

Guitar World verdict: If you’re on a tight budget then the Positive Grid Spark Neo Core can absolutely replace going the traditional route of a practice amp, but you will need to find the right cable to make it work. The sounds are simply superb, offering an immersive and inspiring playing experience and with such a vast choice of tones on offer, most guitarists will find something they love here.

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Blackstar has made a play to take over the headphone amp market with the Beam Solo – a new device that looks to take on Fender’s Mustang Micro Plus and the Boss Katana:Go.

Over the past three years or so, gear firms have been piling resources into the headphone amp market, leading to a handy range of silent-practice solutions for guitarists and bassists.

The key players in this corner of the market are the aforementioned Mustang Micro Plus and Katana:Go (back after its strange discontinuation and relaunch earlier this year), both of which promise tube amp-style tones in a package geared towards noise-conscious playing companions.

Now, Blackstar has entered the headphone amp arms race with a new gadget it claims to be “the most immersive, intuitive headphone amp on the market today”.

The headline here is that, though the Beam Solo looks like your humble headphone amp, it behaves slightly differently, with an intuitive ‘Beam’ light display on the edge, which lets you quickly refine tones on the unit itself.

It’s a nice visual aid to the Beam Solo, which clearly has sought to double down on a screenless-yet-intuitive UI in a bid to wrestle interest from the arguably more simplistic Fender and Boss designs.

At the core of the amp itself is the SpeedDial – an ever-scrolling, multi-function parameter wheel that is responsible for gain, EQ and volume tweaks. It also works with ‘XpressFX’, which Blackstar says can be leveraged for instantaneous, multi-layer effects adjustments.

Speaking of the app, Blackstar’s Beam partner software offers more than 35 amps, cabs, mic sims, effects and “pro-level tone tools”, as well as a built-in tuner and metronome.

Those tonal assets come from Blackstar’s “Ampton” collection – which fuses “authentic valve character with advanced digital algorithms” – and are bolstered by the immersive “In The Room” tech, which hopes to make the headphone experience “feel alive – like a real amp, in a real space”.

From that Beam app, players can also upload, download, explore and share presets, with some of the firm’s biggest players – Jared James Nichols and Doug Aldrich included – present on the platform.

For singer-guitarists, there’s a headset mic input with built-in preamps and reverbs for solo set rehearsals, for example, with Bluetooth compatibility allowing for streaming music to jam along to.

The question that guitarists will be concerned with is just how well the Beam Solo stacks up against the competition. Well, variety, community, versatility and tone-tweaking options certainly look to be on its side. That Beam Light display looks very neat, too.

It’s also competitively priced. The Blackstar Beam Solo weighs in at $129. For perspective, the Fender Mustang Micro Plus is $135, while the Boss Katana:Go is $139.

You can pre-order right now from Sweetwater (US) and Gear4Music (UK/Europe).

Head over to Blackstar for more.

Positive Grid has kicked off 2025 with the introduction of the Spark Neo: a dedicated, headphone amp practice setup priced at $199 that comprises headphones, a 2.4GHz wireless transmitter and, of course, its Spark app for iOS and Android, which is home to amp and effects modeling and a host of other features that – applied to Positive Grid’s existing range of amps – have seen it take the ‘smart amp’ market by storm over the last few years.

Boasting 100 percent wireless connectivity, the Spark Neo offers up to six hours of playing time from a single charge. Via the Spark app, there’s access to 33 amp models and 43 effects, thousands of tone presets (with the ability to store four in the hardware for use away from the app), smart jamming features and more, giving this setup the potential to be an uncluttered, take-anywhere rig.

If you aren’t familiar with Positive Grid’s Spark products, it’s a fairly straightforward, yet clever concept. So far, PG has released four core Spark hardware practice amps: Spark 40, Spark 2, Spark Mini and Spark Go. Each of these is built around the same platform of the free Spark app, which is loaded onto your mobile device (iOS, iPad iOS and Android) and connects wirelessly to the PG hardware.

From here, you can access a number of features you’d probably expect such as amp and effects modeling and preset management. But the Spark app also contains a host of practice tools to make everything easier and more convenient.

There’s built-in streaming of copyright music and non-copyright backing tracks, it can harness the power of your device to film clips (including the processed guitar signal) for social media, and there’s access to over 100,000 tone presets via the ToneCloud section of the amp.

But, the icing on the Spark’s cake for many are its intelligent features, including Auto Chords, which automatically generates a chord chart from the music you’re streaming to make it easy to learn.

Smart Jam is a backing track generator, which analyses the incoming guitar signal and creates a backing track to fit both harmonically and stylistically, and finally there’s Spark AI. Here, you can prompt the Spark to create a tonal preset for you by feeding it phrases such as band and song names, or more descriptive, abstract demands if you don’t have a specific reference.

Confession time: when it comes to playing the guitar, I’m far from a traditionally schooled and practiced student. In fact, my abilities are a melting pot of bad habits and technique-gaps not-so-carefully honed over a couple of decades as a self-taught guitarist.

Mainly because when I’m playing the guitar for fun, I don’t really like getting too deep into the ‘homework’ side of things; I’d rather play along to songs or attempt to write a riff that I can then jam to than studiously practice techniques to a metronome.

I grew up in the era that many consider to be the last golden age of guitar music: the ’90s. This means I had a choice between attempting to learn seemingly unachievable guitar wizardry by ‘proper’ players, or take the fork in the rock road carved out by the likes of Messers Cobain, Gallagher, Armstrong and Frusciante. It’s safe to say I’m from the world of rhythm playing, where – when a solo does occur – histrionics are substituted for melody. The riff, to me, is mightier than the sweep.

So, when Positive Grid contacted me to tell me it was launching the Spark Neo Amp Headphones, I was, ahem, all ears. Could this be the Spark product that encourages me to become a more disciplined player?

Positive Grid Spark Neo: What is it?

The Spark Neo headphones are the centerpiece, equipped with Bluetooth and a receiver for the transmitter, culminating in a 100 percent wireless practice solution. Naturally, they can also function as regular Bluetooth headphones, so you can use them for everyday listening - but there’s no mic, so don’t expect to use them for phone calls.

They’re loaded with 40mm drivers, and Positive Grid has tuned, vented and dampened the Neo headphones to respond specifically to guitar-playing.

On the outside, there are five buttons offering power, Bluetooth and wireless pairing, volume up/down and preset select. The latter gives access to the four customizable presets stored within the headphones, so, if you don’t want to connect to the app, you can populate the headphones with your four favorite sounds and recall them at any time.

Similarly, there’s a quarter-inch jack socket on the right ear cup. This allows you to connect your guitar old-school style if you don’t have the transmitter charged or with you.

The wireless transmitter closely resembles Positive Grid’s Spark LINK wireless system, however, as well as the color change, it’s important to point out that this is not ‘one half of a Spark LINK system’. The transmitter supplied with the Neo operates on a reduced range of 3-5m, and is not compatible within a LINK setup.

Finally, there’s the Spark app. Positive Grid only makes one version of the app per-platform, designed to work across all of its Spark products. So, end users will find it in their device’s app store, and if you already have it downloaded to your device, a simple update will expand its compatibility to work with the Neo. There are, however, a few concessions when it comes to app functionality with the Neo, which I’ll get into later.

I was sent the Neo a few weeks ahead of launch, giving me plenty of time to get used to them. Here are some of the things I like best, and a couple that I don’t.

For: Spark Neo is perfect for portable practice

I’ve been reviewing guitar gear for almost 20 years, and previous to that I worked in musical instrument retail. One of the biggest changes I’ve seen over that time is manufacturers' seeming desire to make every product do everything. Good value? Probably. But at the risk of having many products that are a jack-of-all-trades without specializing in any.

The Neo definitely feels like the ideal dedicated, portable practice rig, at least for me. That’s because, unlike my amp, modeling multi-FX unit or even the computer-based plugins I use regularly, that’s exactly what it’s designed for.

Too often, I can find myself getting distracted with tweaking sounds or recording the idea I’ve just stumbled upon. The Spark Neo does a lot, but it’s all geared around keeping you doing what you sat down to do: play the guitar.

Yes, there are a lot of sounds at your fingertips, but the signal chain within each preset is fixed and organized, and while it certainly isn’t limited – there’s a lot of variation to hand when it comes to amp and effects modeling – I found myself not getting distracted in gear selection and instead, spending more time playing.

As well as this, due to the time of day that I most often grab the guitar, I regularly find myself playing with headphones anyway. With the Neo, it’s quick to plug the transmitter into the guitar, pair it to the headphones and then pair everything to the phone, all without the restrictions of cables.

Once you’re paired, there’s no indication that you’re playing without cables: no drop-outs, no distortion, and most importantly, no discernable latency. Of course, it comes with the added bonus that if I want (or need) to play in a different room, I don’t have to disconnect anything.

I can put my phone in my pocket – or abandon it entirely by storing presets, keep the headphones on my head or around my neck, pick up the guitar and continue playing, and as long as everything is pre-charged, you can use it anywhere.

Similarly, if your job requires you to stay away from home often, or you like to take regular weekend breaks but don’t want to be without your guitar, the Neo is likely to be one of the most convenient ways to make sure you can keep your hands in. The headphones and transmitter take up very little space, and charging them requires a simple USB-C cable.

It’s a dedicated practice tool, and during the time I reviewed the Neo, it succeeded in making me play more regularly, and for longer periods of time, too.

For: It sounds great, and not ‘just for the money’

If you’ve used any of the Spark amps before then you’ll already know: the amp modeling and effects are, for the most part, brilliant. There are 33 amps and 43 effects for you to play with, and overall, it’s quite hard to believe that the sounds you’re playing through are coming from a comparatively affordable bit of hardware.

But they are, and as with so many app-based products, one of the big reasons the sounds are able to punch above the weight of the price tag is because the control and graphic side of the Spark is farmed out to your mobile device. This means there’s no need for expensive displays and hardware buttons are kept to a minimum, meaning more of the money you’re spending can go into R&D of the sound generation.

With that said, though, Positive Grid clearly seems to have thought about the design of the hardware, too. It says that the drivers within the Neo have been tuned specifically for the use they’re intended for (guitar and bass), and they do seem to complement the tones selected from the app.

Talking of which, the first preset I opened on loading the app was the pre-made Crunch sound. This uses PG’s approximation of a Dumble ODS 50 as its cornerstone, and I was instantly surprised by how good it sounded. The amp felt as well as sounded like it was coming from a much more expensive unit.

But the same can be said for the entire menu – the delays sound analog where they’re supposed to, the modulations are rich and deep without the plastic jitter found in some affordable modellers, and the reverbs are lush and hi-fi.

There’s everything from vintage Marshall and Fender amps to high-gain modern classics from the likes of Mesa/Boogie and Soldano on offer. To me, the Spark’s amp models excel in the clean-crunchy territory, with a few (but not all) of the higher-gain sounds veering into fizzier territory.

Overall, you’re not going to struggle when it comes to tonal options. But even then you don’t have to worry about getting your hands dirty, as we’ll discover next.

For: It’s incredibly easy to find inspiring sounds

As I mentioned earlier, I like experimenting with different sounds. But not everyone does. If you fall into the latter category and all this talk of scrolling through different amp models makes you sigh, take another breath.

Positive Grid has loaded the Spark app with presets laid out by style – there are categories for Pop, Blues, Rock, Metal, Alternative, Bass, Acoustic and (while not applicable here), vocals. If you can’t find the sound you’re looking for amongst these, you can delve into the Positive Grid ToneCloud.

This is an ever-growing collection of user-generated Spark presets that’s quick to search with a song or band name, or generic terms such as ‘blues lead’, etc. You can audition them, then once you find a rig you like, download the preset to your phone.

“I can think of 100 products that do that already, though.” Correct, but I love the way Positive Grid’s app architecture makes this so fast. There’s no additional sign-up/sign-in, and each search result tells you how popular it is, so you don’t waste time on someone’s ‘best guess’ attempt at making a sound that matches your search. It all makes sense and doesn’t interrupt your playing experience for any longer than necessary.

But that’s not all. Positive Grid’s Spark AI functionality will make you a preset from scratch. You prompt it with a song, band, style or any kind of descriptive phrase you can think of, and in a few seconds it’ll present you with four options that it thinks fit the bill.

I was sceptical, so I tried a few different approaches – songs with tones I like, generic terms like ‘overdriven ‘80s rock rhythm’, and something a bit more vague (‘glassy soundtrack clean reverb and delay’).

Each time, it created example tones that really worked – I found that there were usually one or two standouts of the four options, but it’s great for those moments where an idea strikes and you want to hear what it would sound like through a specific type of sound.

Once again, you can select the sound(s) you like best and download them to your phone for recall whenever you like. It might be poised to steal our jobs, but here’s the proof that when AI is on your side it can be incredibly useful.

For: It’s immersive, and will keep you playing for hours

Throughout my time with the Spark Neo, there was one thing that stood out to me the most, and that’s how ‘immersive’ it is. A large part of this obviously comes down to the headphone-based nature of the product, but this isn’t the same as plugging in a pair of Beats or Airpods to your practice amp.

For a start, they’re just the right balance of weighty reassurance and comfort. At 360 grams, you know you’re wearing them, but only in the same way as a really nice pair of studio monitoring cans. The headbands are padded and the cups also sit comfortably without irritation.

More importantly, though, is the performance. Like the aforementioned monitor headphones, the Neos are fully closed, designed to keep your sound in and block external sound out. This is done purely passively (there’s no snazzy noise-cancelling tech at play here, just good ol’ fashioned physics), and it really does work.

With the headphones on, I feel like I’m in ‘guitar zone’, which again helps to keep the distractions down, and, if you’re at all self-conscious about your playing, will allow those 10,000 hours to pass a lot more comfortably.

It’s not just immersive in the physical sense, though, because as well as the sound reproduction quality and preset creation keeping you inspired, there’s more interactivity built-in via the Auto Chords and Quick Jam features.

These hinge widely around streaming content from YouTube, and is the best implementation I’ve tried. In the Music section of the app, you’re presented with a curated list of tracks to jam with containing jam tracks in all kinds of styles: Jazzy lo-fi hip-hop to Thrash playalongs. In the search bar you can type in the name of a copyright song, and it’ll stream the original from YouTube, complete with a chord chart that it’s figured out for you.

But that’s just the start. At the time of writing, there’s no restriction on what the in-app YouTube player will access. So, you can type in the name of your favourite song followed by ‘backing track’, ‘no solo’ or ‘guitarless’ and if it exists on YouTube, you can play along with it.

There’s no fiddly re-routing of audio, no additional connections to be made; you just select a suitable sound from the tone presets, find your track and jam. It’s quite literally infinite hours of fun that couldn’t be easier to enjoy.

Against: It's not the complete Spark experience

You might have noticed that so far, I haven’t mentioned Spark staples such as the Smart Jam, looper or in-app video capture. That’s because these functions, available on other Spark hardware, are not compatible with the Neo.

In my view, that’s a shame, because with such a practice-oriented product, it feels like these three ‘smart’ features could have made an already great product even better. In Positive Grid’s defence, there is access to a whole world of playalong content direct from the app, and I can live just fine without a looper.

At first, I wondered if the latter was left off the spec sheet due to having no viable way of starting and stopping a loop, but Positive Grid’s Spark Control and Spark Control X wireless footswitches are compatible with the Neo, so there’s no justification from that angle.

The Neo’s cable-free design should lend it to the video capture feature too, and given that the video capture is carried out entirely by the mobile device’s camera, it seems like a strange omission.

Whether or not the exclusion of these three features will stop you from buying them rests solely with you. Personally, it’s far from a deal-breaker, but it is something to be aware of if this is your first Spark purchase and you like the sound of those features, or alternatively, if you already own Spark products and are expecting them to be present on the Neo.

Against: No case at time of launch, and you’ll probably have to buy one

Given the convenience of the Spark Neo’s ‘play anywhere’ design, I think it would have been a great addition to have included some sort of provision for the times you might want to take the Neo on a trip away from the house.

Yes, the same could be said for other Spark products, but the Neo sees PG entering a slightly different market to amps, and it’s fair to say that it’s not uncommon for expensive headphones to come with a case.

Now, experience (along with a strong suggestion from the brand) tells me that Positive Grid will likely bring this out as an optional accessory, and I’d advise investing.

The Neo headphones are foldable, which makes fitting them in a bag easier, but doesn’t necessarily offer protection against damage. Then there’s the transmitter to consider.

It’ll rotate and fold, but leaving it in the jack socket of your guitar while you carry it around is asking for trouble. Not only could you damage the unit or your guitar’s socket and possibly the finish, you could easily press the power button by mistake.

On that note, there’s one more feature that I’d like to see added to the Neo system as a whole...

Verdict

There’s so much to love about the Spark Neo. No, it’s not the first product of its kind – the Boss Waza Air follows a very similar concept, but with a price tag that’s over one-third higher than Positive Grid’s take.

Similarly, the Fender Mustang Micro and the newly-reinstated Boss Katana:GO both offer stellar amp sounds from the convenience of a jack socket-mounted ‘mini-amp’. These two don’t cut out the cables completely, but they do offer app integration and control.

It’s the immediacy and cohesive nature of the Spark Neo that really captured my attention. I have access to multiple Spark products, as well as many of the others mentioned above, and I found myself coming back to the Neo over all of them.

There are gripes and niggles – but at no point did I find myself wishing for computer-generated backing tracks, looping, or the facility to film myself playing. You, however, might. Or, like me, you might find yourself focussing on using what is included in this iteration of the Spark rather than pondering the stuff that isn’t.

There’s a risk of the wireless convenience coming across like it’s solving a First World problem, and in a way, it is. But once you’ve experienced it, it makes complete sense. If the ability to grab your guitar and quickly start playing without cables sounds good (and trust me, it is), then you’re going to love the Spark Neo.

Couple that with the fact that the Neo is a similar price to a decent pair of ‘lifestyle’ headphones, and I think the value proposition is undeniable. The Positive Grid Spark Neo is arguably the most convenient, immersive Spark product to date.

Boss has announced the return of its Katana:GO, after the well-received headphone amp was discontinued mere months after it was first introduced last year.

The Katana:GO hit the market in March 2024 as the firm’s answer to the Fender Mustang Micro. The launch spiced up the home practice solution market, and the Katana:GO received rave reviews across the board as it positioned itself as a potential successor to the Mustang Micro’s headphone amp crown.

However, it was short-lived: two months later, Boss announced it would be discontinuing the Katana:GO as a result of “the procurement situation of the materials” required to build the physical units.

Now, eight months after Boss pulled production of the Katana:Go, the hugely popular headphone amp is finally back – but it’s been given a few tweaks.

Whether it’s because of a workaround owing to issues in procuring the same parts, or Boss just fancied taking the opportunity to give the Katana:GO a refresh (we suspect it’s probably the former), the second-gen headphone amp has been given a new external look.

That means the large central master volume wheel that was previously positioned on the top of the unit – and that was directly inspired by the Mustang Micro – has been removed. Instead, there’s now a much smaller side-mounted wheel for controlling overall output.

Not only that, the headphone amp itself has been given a much sleeker, seemingly more contoured design that at first glance looks to be even more compact than the original. A masterful move if that’s the case, considering the convenience of the original model was what helped make it such a popular product.

Functions and performance, though, remain the same. On one side, you have a Bluetooth button, an On/Off switch, and the innovative Stage Feel control that offers a more immersive playing experience thanks to advanced Boss spatial tech.

Indeed, it was that Stage Feel function that made the first generation model such a hit. When Guitar World’s Matt Parker took the original for a spin, he wrote of the Stage Feel, “It’s super-simple to use (engaged with a switch on the side of the unit) and, when you don the headphones, it feels like it puts you in the room with the amp sound.”

On the other side of the Katana:GO, there’s a tuner, and three preset buttons that can be used to recall curated sounds. The small display screen, which makes clear what preset you’re playing through, also returns.

Those familiar with the original Katana:GO won’t be surprised to find this new iteration can be paired with the Boss Tone Studio and Boss Tone Exchange to explore and edit other amp tones, all of which have been lifted from the Boss Katana amp family.

It also offers a USB port for functioning as an audio interface, guitar and bass modes with 30 memories loaded with ready-to-play sounds, and 10 unique guitar amp types that range from clean and crunch to Brown and beyond.

“The highly anticipated Katana:GO returns with a sleek, revamped form factor showcasing a bold new look for 2025,” Boss writes. “It’s still the same powerhouse of inspiration, retaining the iconic BOSS tones that made it a game-changer from the start.”

The Katana:GO will be available for $130 – a slight increase from the $119 price tag of the original and identical to the latest Mustang Micro Plus.

Visit Boss for more.

Positive Grid has added to its range of amp modeling tech with the launch of the Spark Neo headphone amp.

The firm is building on the momentum generated from the Spark 2’s star-spangled launch, which saw Steve Vai, Nuno Bettencourt, and Periphery’s Jake Bowen get behind its latest amp modelers.

The Neo offers “true wireless freedom,” via a 2.4GHz, low-latency system to stop players from getting tangled in guitar cables while shredding.

It also boasts a “precision-engineered sound,” for “rich, detailed audio,” and noise isolation so guitarists can play distraction-free, even if the apocalypse is happening right outside their door.

By connecting to the partner mobile app, the headphones can benefit from one of the Spark 2's most impressive calling cards: AI-generated tone sculpting. The feature can turn prompts like “give me a Van Halen-style lead tone” into shred-ready presets as the firm looks to change how players will interact with their amps in the future.

It also gives players access to a bank of 100,000 presets via the Tone Cloud, offering huge tonal versatility in a portable and wireless package.

Elsewhere, individual acoustic chambers allow for precise frequency control, having been “built for guitars, with end-to-end optimization.” It is also designed to be lightweight and durable.

The next-gen headphone amp is set to cost $199. Head to Positive Grid for more.

It joins Spark 2’s growing roster of forward-thinking gear, with recent additions including a multi-instrument amp that aims to replace your band’s backline, and a portable PA for buskers, while adding in the much-requested looper feature across the range.

Headphone amps for guitar are an awesome way to practice, providing a low-maintenance, small, and lightweight way to produce your guitar tones. Over the last few years I've been using my Mustang Micro for late-night writing sessions, as well as taking it with me when I travel for work, giving me the opportunity to keep my skills sharp whenever I get some downtime on the road.

I'm a huge fan of modeling amp tech, and following the recent release of the Mustang Micro Plus, I was given the latest version of Fender's tiny tone machine to review for Guitar World. Having had my hands on both, it made sense that my next job would be to determine which was superior, and whether it’s worth upgrading for existing Mustang Micro users.

In this article I'll put both units side by side, comparing them against one another across a variety of categories to work out where each is superior. This isn't just a case of comparing specs either, I've physically had them both in the same space, testing them to their fullest extent to help you make the right decision. Let's see how they stack up...

Fender Mustang Micro vs Mustang Micro Plus: At a glance

Let’s start by putting the two head to head in terms of specifications, so you can see how each compares:

Fender Mustang Micro vs Mustang Micro Plus: Build & features

Both units look incredibly similar at first glance but when you put them next to one another, there’s a glaring difference. The Mustang Micro Plus has done a full 180 in terms of design, so that the writing isn’t upside down when you look at it plugged into the guitar. This, along with the new LCD screen marks two major changes from the original, but aside from that the styling is very similar.

Both units feature a large rotary knob on the front for adjusting the master volume, and both have a foldable 1/4-inch jack that allows for fitment into a variety of different guitars. The color and text designs are exactly the same, although the Plus does have a slightly more robust rubber grip on the back side.

Moving to the buttons things are slightly different again. The Mustang Micro features a single slider button for power and connecting via Bluetooth on its right hand side. The Mustang Micro Plus has the same button, but adds in a save button for its new saveable presets feature - more on which later.

On the opposite side the same four, dual button layout is kept, but the functions they perform have changed. On the Mustang Micro the controls are for selecting your amp preset, selecting an EQ preset, changing the effect on the preset, and the modify button which changes the amount of effect you hear.

On the Mustang Micro Plus this has changed to a preset button, an EQ preset button, a modify button which again changes the mix of a chosen effect, and a tap tempo button which can be held to access the onboard tuner. These changes are part of a wider format change for the Micro Plus, which includes a dedicated app.

Winner - The Mustang Micro Plus just about takes this one for me. On the face of it, these are incredibly similar-looking and functioning bits of kit, but the addition of a screen on the Micro Plus makes it ever so slightly more refined than its predecessor.

Fender Mustang Micro vs Mustang Micro Plus: Usability

The original Mustang Micro had a very obtuse way of operating. Rather than specific presets you were able to switch between amp models, which ranged from classic Fender Twin to ultra-high gain models based on the EVH 5150. Each amp model had its own color light assigned to the amp button, so you either had to remember 12 different colors or, as I did, use the handy guide card that came in the pack and prop it up somewhere for reference.

Once you selected your amplifier you could then select 5 different EQ settings from dark to flat, and then up to bright, which was useful for using different types of guitar pickups. The effects selector operated in similar fashion to the amp selector, giving you a range of reverbs, delays, and choruses to choose from, and allowing you to change a particular parameter using the modify button.

Everything operated independently of one another, so if you changed the amp model the effect would stay the same, and vice versa. It makes the Mustang Micro quite static in its approach to sounds, and to be totally honest having all the different shades of color for different settings, it was pretty much impossible to commit them all to memory. I’d rely on cycling through til I found a particular sound, adjusting it to the guitar I was using that day, and then having to do the same thing all over again when I next picked it up.

The Mustang Micro Plus on the other hand has gotten all smart on us, and now includes a dedicated app as part of its workflow. It’s a complete game changer, doing away with the at times indecipherable color code system of the original, and completely changing the way you use it. The app allows you to finely tune your whole rig whether that’s specific amp EQ and effects settings, all the way through to chains of multiple effects.

Conversely, this means you don’t get the full functionality through the controls alone. But as most people have a smartphone these days, unless you’re rocking an old Nokia for extra luddite points, you’re going to be able to use it the way it was intended. The modify button can be assigned to whichever effect parameter you like, and I found the app overall to be really smooth and fast when I was testing it, with a brilliantly designed UI.

The addition of an onboard tuner alongside the built-in screen is another feather in the cap of the Mustang Micro Plus, giving you the option to quickly tune up without using a clip-on tuner or an app on your phone. Being able to save and switch between presets completely changes the way you use the Mustang Micro too, offering a marked improvement over the original in terms of functionality.

Winner - this is an easy win for the Mustang Micro Plus. The addition of an app and presets make it a far more usable practice tool, and allow you to really get the most out of your tones without having to endlessly cycle through hardware buttons.

Fender Mustang Micro vs Mustang Micro Plus: Sounds

The Mustang Micro sounded good, but there were definitely a few duff tones on there. I quickly found my favorites like the ‘65 Deluxe for my cleans or Marshall Super Lead tone for rhythm playing. To be honest I could take or leave some of the other sounds on it. The effects were a much better proposition, especially the stereo delay and reverbs which sounded wonderful through a pair of headphones.

By contrast, the Mustang Micro Plus is a far more refined product in terms of tones, offering huge flexibility and a much more realistic sound. Taking a leaf out of the larger Mustang amp collection it’s got more amps, and they sound miles better. There’s much more nuance to the different amp models compared to the original and the effects are much higher quality too. You now get a full selection of drive pedals to choose from, alongside a fairly comprehensive selection of effects.

I was happy with the sound of my Mustang Micro even if I didn’t use some of the models, but I'm also conscious that sound is an incredibly subjective thing. Other users may have felt the sound quality was perfectly usable for what is essentially a compact practice amp. That said, to my ear the Mustang Micro Plus really does deliver much more articulation and detail in its tones, feeling, and sounding much more realistic than its predecessor.

Winner - Another win for the Mustang Micro Plus, although it’s a little bit closer here. Although the quality of sound is really in the ear of the user, ultimately the Micro Plus has more sounds and more ways to tweak them, making it a far more versatile proposition than the original.

Fender Mustang Micro vs Mustang Micro Plus: Final verdict

I’ve written a lot of versus pieces and most are pretty close calls, but this was an utterly one-sided battle. The Fender Mustang Micro Plus steamrolls the original Mustang Micro in pretty much every department, building perfectly on the platform it set when it launched in 2021. It sounds better, it's easier to use thanks to the app, and the design has been improved, making it easier to use when it's plugged into your guitar's input.

I still love my original Mustang Micro, but it's unfortunately now been superseded by the Micro Plus whenever I need something compact to practice with. Pretty much the only reason you’d need to go for the original is if it's a cost-based decision. At around $/£30 more, the Plus might only be marginally more expensive, but that can still make a difference if budget is your ultimate concern.

If you're saving money or want to put your budget somewhere else, get the original Mustang Micro. If you can spend the extra cash, then the Mustang Micro Plus is one of the best headphone amps for electric guitar I’ve ever used, and well worth the asking price.

It was only a few months ago that we were singing the praises of Boss and their latest practice companion, the insanely good Katana:GO. In our glowing review, we said, “The technology that’s on offer in the Katana:GO is so much fun and so inspiring; it’s a steal at the asking price – and it will inspire you to play more guitar, too.” High praise indeed for a super affordable little headphone amp. So, you can imagine our surprise when we heard the news that the Japanese guitar titan had announced that the pint-sized Katana had gone to the great gear pile in the sky, discontinuing the product after only a handful of months in production. 

In a statement posted to their website, Boss alluded to difficulties in “the procurement situation of the materials”. So, it seems that shortages in the parts used to create the headphone amp are what has led to it being terminated so quickly. 

Now, it’s obvious that there was clearly a healthy appetite for this style of headphone amp, with the greater guitar community embracing the Katana:GO with open arms. So, with that in mind, we thought we’d take a look at alternative options – that we've tested – if you’ve suddenly found you had a Katana:GO on your wishlist, or your order has been cancelled out of the blue.  

Okay, the first and most obvious option is the newly released Fender Mustang Micro Plus. Taking some design cues from the now defunct offering from Boss, Fender has to be commended for building on the already excellent features of the original Mustang Micro and adding new ones fans were calling out for. 

The most obvious addition is the inclusion of a screen, which makes selecting tones a lot more streamlined while also making tuning easier and more convenient. 

But wait, there’s more. The new Mustang Micro Plus also includes 25 amp and effect simulations, 100 preset slots and a handy companion app for tweaking pedal parameters, adjusting amp settings and downloading tones via the cloud. 

In our review, we said, “The Fender Mustang Micro Plus is very much the upgrade that was needed for one of the most popular headphone amps for guitar. The addition of a small screen, app compatibility, and the ability to save presets makes it a worthwhile practice companion that costs relatively little.” 

So, if you feel let down that the Boss Katana:GO is no longer available, the Fender Mustang Plus is most definitely the headphone amp for you. 

Read our full Fender Mustang Micro Plus review

Looking for something a little cheaper and not so full-on with high-tech features? Well, the Vox amPlug 3 AC30 is the unit for you. 

Designed to invoke the spirit of Vox’s legendary twin speaker combo in a much more accessible format, this affordable headphone amp features both channels of the AC30 amp. Normal delivers crystal clear cleans with a more open and rounded sound, whereas the iconic Top Boost circuit produces a hard-rocking punch with plenty of grit and bite, ideal for classic rock. 

Now, as you expect, this isn't an exact replica of the AC30. There are also a few modern twists, with a plethora of integrated effects, such as tremolo, chorus, delay and reverb, as well as handy built-in rhythm patterns to aid in your timekeeping. 

We gave the unit four out of five stars when we reviewed it back in March, saying, “There's a reason the Vox amPlug has been the go-to headphone amp for many players since they launched in 2007 – they offer a fun practice solution for bedroom players, and they actually sound great. Now, while Vox has refreshed the range for the new generation, they haven't lost the stellar sound and simple design that many loved about the previous iteration.”

So, if you’re on the hunt for a simple solution that delivers big on tone, this miniature AC30 is the amp for you. 

Read our full Vox amPlug 3 AC30 review

Lastly, we have to give a shout-out to the Boss Waza Air Headphones. Taking the concept of a headphone amp to a whole new level, this all-in-one solution is ideal for those who don’t want to have to carry around a separate pair of cans as well as an amp. 

Released as a follow-up to the successful Boss Katana Air amp – an amp Boss called “the world’s first totally wireless guitar amplifier” – Boss decided to push the envelope even further with the creation of a personal wireless guitar headphone amp that integrates a gyro sensor that tracks your head movement and spatial technology to offer a truly three-dimensional tone.

Now, this is definitely not the most affordable option out there, but we’ll go out on a limb to say that these innovative headphones certainly offer the best sonic experience out of the bunch. 

In our review, we loved the freedom of having a completely wireless option, and thankfully, the Katana Air had the tone to back up this gimmick. Guitar World’s Paul Riario said “It’s quite liberating. You have the freedom to move about, with no cables to get tangled up in, as you play. All the while you are hearing your guitar in three novel environment settings. The panoramic effect triggered by your head turning in Static and Stage modes is really wild while the Surround mode is like virtual-reality candy for your ears. The sensation is best described as surreal,” he continues. “Cooler still is when you use the Tone Studio app to and use a 360-degree rotation control over where you place your guitar and audio positions.”

Read our full Boss Waza Air Headphones review

While it may not be a traditional headphone amp, the compact GO is versatile enough to fit the bill. While it may be the smallest member of the Spark family, it doesn't compromise on features or tones, offering a world of possibilities in a pint-sized package.

Granting you access to the same application as the other Spark models, the Spark GO delivers a wealth of tones that simply aren't found on other amps of this size. With literally thousands of tones and effects to play with, as well as a range of clever practice aids, the Spark GO is designed to transform your guitar practice, whether you're at home or, well, on the go.  

Now, it's worth noting that while the Spark GO does have a handy headphone out, it also features a 2" custom-designed speaker and rear bass radiator for increased depth, meaning you can play it loud when the situation calls for it.

Read our full Positive Grid Spark GO review

As much as I love cranking my tube amp and letting it rip, more often than not it’s an impractical thing to have at home. Obnoxiously loud even on its lower power setting and ridiculously heavy, aside from rehearsals and gigs I seldom get to use it to its full potential. 

These days you’re far more likely to find me using my Spark Mini or HX Stomp at home, because they’re the pragmatic choice for modern living - read: not annoying for your partner, neighbors, or anyone within a half-mile radius. 

As a relatively recent convert to devices like headphone amps for guitar, it's undeniable that they are an excellent choice for the practicing guitar player and, whisper it, nowadays you really can’t tell that much difference in tone from the real deal. Today’s subject, the Fender Mustang Micro Plus, looks to build on the success of the original, and make a great case for becoming your practice amp of choice.

Paired with your favorite guitar amp headphones, the Mustang Micro Plus offers up a huge selection of amps and effects, with plenty of features in a teeny-tiny package you can take anywhere. There’s a lot of competition that has emerged since the original Mustang Micro was released, especially with the likes of the Boss Katana Go, so let’s see if it retains its crown.

Fender Mustang Micro Plus review: Features

The Fender Mustang Micro Plus ups the ante on its predecessor with a huge selection of tones, packing 25 amp and effect simulations into its tiny black housing. 100 preset slots mean you can now save custom tones, significantly expanding the flexibility versus the original. 

There’s now a small screen on the front of the fascia, doing away with the inscrutable color coding system from the previous model. It also allows for a simple chromatic tuner to be displayed, making the Mustang Micro Plus an even more complete practice solution. Below the display, the large volume knob has retained its place for controlling the level of the unit.

The controls are roughly similar, with plus and minus buttons for preset, EQ, and modify options that let you change tones, adjust the EQ, and alter particular effect parameters. The tap tempo button doubles as a way to engage the tuner if you hold it down, and on the opposite side you’ve got a power switch and a button to save your presets. Above the power button, a flashing light lets you know how much battery the unit has left via a traffic light system.

Fender Mustang Micro Plus review: The app

Along with a nifty screen and preset function, the Mustang Micro Plus now has companion app capabilities that make tone tweaking much easier. Using a beta version of the Fender Tone app I was able to tweak tones in depth, adjusting all the parameters of the pedals and amps with ease. The performance of the app was impressively smooth and responsive too, even though it was a test version. It looks fantastic, with the amps and effects rendered in super high resolution.

The app operates with your phone in horizontal mode, which definitely helps with the visibility of the whole signal chain. The preset view lets you see everything on one screen, with a simple tap allowing you to dive into more detail on the particular pedal or amp while swiping up or down changes your preset. You can also switch presets by using the buttons on the physical unit and it will respond in kind.

The app allows you to set the USB volume level, which can be handy if you’re recording with your phone or laptop, and also lets you change what the modify button does. You can assign this to any effect parameter from the pedals in your signal chain, although interestingly it doesn’t let you assign it to the amp parameters.

Although I wasn’t able to try it due to the Mustang Micro Plus being unreleased while
I tested it, there are also downloadable tones available when you tap the cloud icon in the list view. They’re sorted by factory, featured, popular, genres, and recent, so will no doubt be populated with user and perhaps artist-generated tones once it comes to release day.

Fender Mustang Micro Plus review: Usability

Using the headphone amp with just the buttons is certainly doable if you’re not the sort to want your smartphone interrupting your practice too. It’s simple to switch presets while you’re playing thanks to the hinged input that lets you maneuver the unit to wherever you like. That said, it does take a bit of practice remembering where the buttons are and when I first got it more often than not I’d tweak the EQ instead of hitting the intended preset button.

The EQ gives you access to a selection of presets that cut or boost the lows, mids, or highs. It’s nice to have but to be honest I found myself keeping the presets original setting most of the time, as I found the cuts to be a little too harsh for my taste. The modify button allows you to adjust a particular effect parameter, which could be delay time, delay feedback, reverb level, amongst many others. Once you’re done tweaking just hold the save button then press again to confirm.

The ability to dial in a tone via the buttons is a nice option in a pinch, but to be honest you’ll be much better served using the app, especially as not all the presets will sound great with your guitar of choice - more on which in the sounds section of this review.

One of my favorite ways to use the original Mustang Micro was plugged into my phone to record off-the-cuff ideas and the occasional video of my own playing for social media when I’m feeling brave. It works just as well on my Pixel phone as the last model, replacing your phone microphone when you plug it in via USB-C. I’ve had mixed results trying this with other devices, but the Mustang Micro delivers excellent sound quality, making it super easy to record guitar videos if that’s your bag.

Fender Mustang Micro Plus review: Sounds

Getting started with the preset tones I was instantly impressed with the offering. It’s noticeably improved from its predecessor, with a lot more depth to the distorted tones which were a little weak on the original. As I've found with a lot of modeling amps, its the cleaner tones where it really shines, and the Twin tones in particular are fantastic.

As you’re playing with headphones the effects really shine too. The reverbs are luscious, adding a real sense of space to your guitar tone, whilst there are some superb stereo delay effects available. Everything is really nice and crisp, and there’s a myriad of inspiring presets for you to build upon that cover everything from post-rock to metal to country and blues.

I did notice that it was getting overwhelmed whenever I used something too bass-heavy with the volume cranked to the max. The neck pickup of my Tele was enough to push it into some nasty noise-making on certain presets, likewise when I tried my baritone guitar which is tuned to drop G#. It’s only noticeable on certain presets, but it is a little annoying once you discover it. The bass cut EQ can remedy this somewhat, but then it ends up taking away quite a bit of the heaviness which for me kills the overall sound.

Turning the volume down remedies this, and it's only a small niggle amongst a huge selection of fantastic-sounding amp and effects models. For such a small unit it delivers fantastically well, and that app compatibility does away with one of the major shortcomings of the original Mustang Micro, giving you more flexibility of tone and if you prefer, engaging with it via your phone instead of the physical buttons.

Fender Mustang Micro Plus review: Final verdict

A few niggles aside, the Fender Mustang Micro Plus is very much the upgrade that was needed for one of the most popular headphone amps for guitar. The addition of a small screen, app compatibility, and the ability to save presets makes it a worthwhile practice companion that costs relatively little.

Some will bemoan the lack of a quick way to switch presets, which can hinder you when trying to play along with certain songs. Despite this, I think it’s a fantastic option for playing at home or on the go, with ease of use and fantastic guitar tone at the core of the offering.

Fender Mustang Micro Plus review: Specs

• Price: $149.99/£149/€169
• Amp models: 25
• Effects models: 25
• Controls: Preset, EQ, modify, tap/tuner, on/off switch, save, volume knob
• Connectivity: 1/8-inch headphones, USB-C
• Contact: Fender

Fender has launched the Mustang Micro Plus – the latest evolution of its hugely popular headphone amp for guitar, which introduces some key functional and operational upgrades.

The flagship Mustang Micro unit has become one of the market’s standout headphone amps. In Guitar World’s own view, it is the best overall headphone amp you can currently buy, and was awarded a flawless five-star review by Total Guitar upon its release.

As such, the Mustang Micro Plus has big boots to fill, and in order to offer a worthy follow-up to the market-conquering practice amp, Fender has drafted in some hardware and software tweaks.

Chief among these is a new screen, which has been fitted to the top of the unit, and a newly updated Fender Tone app compatibility. While the screen hopes to make preset identification a lot more intuitive, the app looks to offer in-depth parameter control and the ability to download off-platform tones, making it far more powerful than its predecessor.

The Mustang Micro Plus includes 25 amp models and 25 effects, with room for 100 editable presets and a built-in tuner, which can be displayed via the new screen. Given the fact the previous Mustang Micro was lauded for its tonal superiority, we imagine the Mustang Micro Plus will be no different.

Operation-wise, the Mustang Micro Plus still has a similar control set to its predecessor, meaning there are ‘+’ and ‘-’ buttons for Preset, EQ and Modify, as well as a Tap Tempo button that activates the tuner when held. There’s also a large central rotary control, which is in charge of output.

Elsewhere, it supports Bluetooth connectivity for streaming songs to play along with, and a USB-C jack for recording, and has a battery that offers over four hours of continuous play time.

Given its tonal performance should be on a par with its forebear, the key headlines with the Mustang Micro Plus really are its updated user interface and the new companion app – both of which seem to have made a significant improvement in the way players can use it.

With that said, it looks as though such updates have been worth it. In his Mustang Micro Plus review, Guitar World’s Matt McCracken said it is “very much the upgrade that was needed for one of the most popular headphone amps for guitar”.

“A brilliant option for the practicing guitar player, the combination of ultra-portability, great tone, and reasonable price make the Fender Mustang Micro Plus a worthy successor,” he writes.

“This new addition represents a significant leap forward in both technology and user experience, offering unparalleled versatility and tone in an incredibly portable package,” comments Fender’s Justin Norvell. “The Mustang Micro Plus is designed to inspire musicians at every level, providing a powerful, intuitive, and accessible way to create and explore new sounds.”

Not only does the Mustang Micro Plus look to elevate Fender's own headphone amp range, it also seems to be a response of sorts to Boss, which recently entered the market with its own screen-equipped, app-compatible, highly rated Katana:GO amp.

However, as per a statement from Boss, the Katana:GO has already been discontinued after only two months of production due to difficulties in “the procurement situation of the materials”. Such parts shortages don't seem to be an issue for Fender, though, which will no doubt look to capitalize on the current lack of competition as it rolls out its own updated offering.

The Mustang Micro Plus is available now for $149. To put that into perspective, the existing Mustang Micro weighs in at $99.

Head over to Fender to find out more.

Typically, headphone amps look to be all-in-one solutions for compact and silent practice, but Porter instead wants to partner up with your favorite guitar and bass pedals. 

Designed by Neighborhood Circuits, the Porter is tuned to deliver an amp-like response, so pedals will sound and respond as they would with an amp proper. That allows for a familiar playing experience with a much smaller footprint, without having to leave your pedalboard favorites behind.

What you see is what you get with the Porter. It’s designed to be distraction-free and an analog tool, with no apps for a streamlined, in-house experience. It's incredibly minimalist design echoes this: simplicity is key. 

The amp is tiny, too. It comes with a clip to mount it to guitar straps, while a micro-USB port doubles as both a charging port, and a way of connecting an external device for jamming along to music. Notably, that isn't the modern standard USB-connection, but it's a minor drawback.    

A viable option for guitarists and bass players alike, switching to guitar mode gives a tighter response, while the low-end is boosted in bass mode. 

Headphone amps, by their very minuscule nature, can prove to be flimsy devices that can’t take a beating. Porter vies to be different. 

“We want you to buy Porter once and use it for life,” say its creators, with the device reinforced with a tough aluminum casing, riveted steel belt clip, and bolstered by a replaceable and rechargeable battery. 

“You’ll have a hard time wearing Porter out,” Neighborhood Circuits continues. If total destruction is somehow managed, the full design documentation is also provided (via GitHub) so the Porter can be repaired or customized. 

The Porter features a 1/4” input jack and a 1/8” headphone jack, with the only controls a Volume dial, and the guitar/bass switch. 

It offers 500 kohms of input impedance in guitar mode, and one Mohm in bass mode, and promises 15 hours of playtime on a two-hour charge. 

Neighborhood Circuits is a one-man startup based in Cambridge, MA. Having focused on local electronic design consulting services, it is now branching out into audio product design.

Founder Gavin Lund says the Porter is “a solution to a problem that I've faced myself – as a bass player with a number of custom and home-made pedals, I'd really like to practice quietly with them, but existing products don't make that easy or even possible.”  

The mini gizmo will launch via a Crowd Supply crowdfunding campaign. Interested players can subscribe for email updates ahead of the launch.

There is no mention of how much the Porter will cost at this stage. Naturally, a device like this will rely heavily on its (hopefully) low price to appeal to a wide range of players, especially in the face of plenty of competition. 

As such we'd expect it to nestle closer to a price point occupied by Harley Benton's DNAfx GiT ($62) and Vox's AmPlug 3 ($49.99), rather than the $399.99 Boss wants for its rather boutique amp-in-headphones Waza Air solution. 

Head to Crowd Supply to learn more. 

As guitarists, we are guilty of not practicing as much as we should – sometimes we’d much rather doom scroll our way through social media and marvel at the talented players on display. Well, practicing doesn’t need to be a chore, there are many gadgets out there that will make the process of learning a lot more enjoyable. One such gadget I've found particularly useful is the headphone amp. This clever device allows you to play day or night without disturbing the rest of your household. 

In the world of headphone amps, the Fender Mustang Micro reigns supreme. It offers players a wide range of amp models and excellent connectivity, all at an affordable price. But there's a new player on the scene, the Boss Katana:Go, ready to challenge Fender's dominance. This compact device packs everything we love about the Katana series of amplifiers into the palm of your hand, promising a powerful practice experience. 

Today, I'm setting the stage for an exciting showdown between these two practice solutions. I'll be putting the Fender Mustang Micro, the reigning king of the headphone amp category, against the Boss Katana:Go, a new contender looking to claim the top spot. If you're struggling to decide which headphone amp is right for you, I'm here to hopefully settle the debate once and for all. 

It's worth noting that Boss quickly discontinued the Katana:Go back in late 2024 but has recently relaunched the unit in February 2025 - albeit with a slightly new look. According to Boss, the functionality stays the same, but we'll know for sure once we get hands-on with the new generation soon.

At a glance

Build quality & design

Let's take a closer look at these two popular headphone amps. Placing them side by side, I can't help but notice how similar they are aesthetically. Both units come in around the same size and feature a large, sleek control knob in the center that just begs to be fiddled with. 

Again, when it comes to build quality, both amps are on par. They feel robust and well put together, with hinges that are reassuringly strong. You can clearly tell that these devices were built to last a very long time.

But what sets these amps apart is their method of displaying information to the player. The Fender Mustang Micro uses colored LEDs to display presets, while the Boss unit features an OLED display. The latter makes choosing presets and adjusting effects a breeze, creating a streamlined and user-friendly experience that is sure to make any musician's life easier. 

Winner: Overall, these are two fantastically designed and rugged headphone amps that are sure to stand up to even the toughest practice sessions. However, I have to say that the OLED screen on the Katana:Go is a game-changer when it comes to choosing presets and adjusting effects. It gives the device a superior user experience that just can't be beat. In my opinion, the Boss Katana:Go is the clear winner here.

Sounds

Moving onto tones and each device delivers a cornucopia of sounds that cover just about any genre. The Fender Mustang Mico offers users 12 amp types and 12 effect combinations, while the Boss Katana:Go has 10 amp types and over 60 effects locked away inside. 

Undoubtedly, as the world’s leader of guitar effects, the Boss Katana:Go offers an extensive range of effects. However, it’s crucial not to overlook the Fender Mustang Micro. Its amp models are meticulously crafted, delivering warm and expressive tones. The effects, particularly the reverb and tremolo, are spot-on, enhancing the overall performance. 

If you're familiar with the renowned Katana series of amps, you’ll have a glimpse of the sonic possibilities the Katana:Go can offer. From pristine cleans to distortion-drenched octaves, bluesy overdrive to monstrous metal tones, this amp is a treasure trove of sounds, catering to every type of player.

Winner: This one is pretty close. Both units sound fantastic, but there are some subtle differences. The Fender Mustang Micro offers a very solid foundation of tones that are reliable and dependable, while the Boss Katana:Go offers a larger selection of effects. However, both offer a very similar range of tones, so I'd say it’s a draw. 

Functionality

Lastly, let's examine some of the extra functionality of these two headphone amps. As you’d expect, both units include Bluetooth audio streaming, USB charging, and recording capabilities – and they both have a similar expected battery life of around four to five hours. 

So far they have been pretty evenly matched, but here's where the Katana:Go truly shines with its unique features. 

With its innovative Stage Feel mode, the Katana:Go offers a unique experience. Imagine placing your amp and backing music in different locations within your sound field. It's like you're performing on stage with a band even when you're just wearing headphones in your bedroom! 

And if that's not enough, the Katana:Go offers even more versatility. You can connect the EV-1-WL Wireless MIDI Expression Pedal and FS-1-WL Wireless Footswitch to expand its functionality. This allows you to control the unit just like a standard practice amp, giving you full control over your sound. 

Winner: And the winner is... the Katana:Go! The Boss amp may offer everything the Mustang Micro does, but the Katana:Go goes above and beyond, making it the clear winner in this comparison.  

Verdict

When it comes to choosing between two fantastic headphone amps, you really can't go wrong with either the Boss Katana:Go or the Fender Mustang Micro. However, if you're looking for a true champion, I have to give the crown to the sleek and stylish Boss Katana:Go. This brand-new amp is incredibly well-built and offers a treasure trove of tonal options and exciting features that will take your practice to a whole new level. 

Now, I don't want to throw any shade at the Fender Mustang Micro, but it's been around for three years now, while the Katana:Go is fresh on the scene. I'm sure Fender is cooking up a new version of their beloved headphone amp, but until version 2.0 hits the market, the Boss Katana Go is my new favorite practice solution. 

As a guitarist, you're in for a treat with the Vox amPlug3 High Gain headphone amp. This device, among a sea of other gadgets, offers a unique blend of convenience and tonal power. It allows you to practice anytime, anywhere, without disturbing others while also giving you the freedom to experiment and take control of your practice routine. 

Easily one of the best headphone amps on the market, Vox's amPlug has just gone through a makeover for the brand-new third generation. Available in seven different flavors, from classic recreations of Vox icons to heavy-metal monsters, these all-analog practice devices pride themselves on being easy to use, affordable, and, dare we say, collectible.  

Today, we're going to explore the High Gain option, a versatile tool with a wide range of sound possibilities. With both a clean and overdrive channel, built-in chorus, delay, and reverb effects, and an integrated drum machine loaded with a variety of rhythm patterns, this amp is a treasure trove for your musical creativity and practice sessions. 

Design and build quality

In terms of design, the new iteration of amPlug definitely stands out. The main device feels sleeker and more modern – a noticeable improvement from the previously named Metal version. Where the Metal variation chose to use a diamond plate design – much like one of James Hetfield's ESP EX guitars – the new option has gone for a more subtle look with a simple silver Vox logo and faux black grill cloth. We must admit, we really appreciate this aesthetic change – it's certainly classier and more in keeping with the iconic branding found on other legendary Vox amps.  

We are also happy to see the unit comes with the necessary AAA batteries needed to power the device – meaning you only need to provide the electric guitar and headphones to get jamming. 

Overall, the device feels sturdy and well-made. The jack is reassuringly stiff, meaning you can angle the amp in any orientation to suit the style of your guitar. We tested the amPlug with a myriad of instruments to see how it coped with the various different output jacks and we're happy to report that there wasn't a model that the Vox didn't work with. 

From our Explorer to our ES-335, Strat to our Tele, we were able to maneuver the device to get to all the controls, and it never got in the way of our playing. If we were to have one complaint, it's that the controls are a little small and can be tricky to read at times, but this is a minor issue compared to the overall quality of the product. 

Sound and functionality

When it comes to sound quality, the amPlug 3 is a winner. It delivers a smooth, thick, high-octane overdrive that perfectly captures modern rock and metal, with a full and bright clean tone to match. 

Channel one is your designated clean tone and we must say, we were rather impressed with how good this channel sounded. As this is a high-gain amp, we weren't expecting to receive crystal-clear cleans that would excite the most diehard Fender amp fanatic, but that's what we got. Perfect for recreating the iconic fingerpicking pattern of Nothing Else Matters, there's a lot to like about this well-rounded clean channel. 

Moving on to channel two, and this is where things really start cooking. With the gain about a quarter of the way up, the tone is reminiscent of a pushed Marshall, with a spikey attack and a decent amount of sustain. Increasing the gain to just over halfway, and you get into more modern territory with fewer mids, a brighter top end, and, of course, more distortion. This setting is ideal for chunky rhythms and is probably our favorite. When we crank the gain to maximum, we get a searing lead sound that could cut your head off if you're not careful. 

With the gain cranked up to 11, it's a little too much. The distortion becomes a little fizzy and is a little too bright. Naturally, you can adjust the tone control to take the edge of the high frequencies, but we found that when we did this, we lost too much definition. We much preferred to roll back the gain a touch, and this stopped the amPlug from becoming too harsh. 

Turning our attention to the in-built drum machine, and we have to acknowledge that it works as intended. Accessed using the same control as the effects – simply hold down the control – you have a choice of an array of rhythm patterns to play along with. Now, while the drum machine will certainly be useful to a few players, the sound isn't the greatest, and we can't imagine that players will choose to jam with this over a highly polished backing track on YouTube. 

Speaking of which, the amPlug 3 does have an aux input, which can be used to practice along with your favorite songs. Now, this is a must-have feature for us when it comes to headphone amps, but we do think Vox has dropped the ball by making it a wired input and not Bluetooth. Many of Vox's rivals have already integrated Bluetooth audio streaming into their own headphone amps, such as the NUX Mighty Plug 3 and the hugely popular Fender Mustang Micro, leaving a standard aux-in to feel a little outdated on a brand-new product that was launched in 2024. 

Final verdict

Tonally, there's a lot to like about the new generation of Vox amPlug. From gut-punching riffs to searing leads, this high-gain headphone amp is ideal for recreating the tones found on modern metal records. 

If we were to nit-pick, we would prefer to see a few more modern features added to the device, such as USB charging and Bluetooth audio, but at an incredibly affordable $49.99, it can't be denied that Vox is offering outstanding value for money.

Specifications

• Connections: Phones jack (3.5mm), AUX jack (3.5mm)
• Power: AAA batteries x 2
• Battery Life: Up to 16 hours
• Channels: Clean/Overdrive
• Effects: Chorus, Delay and Reverb 
• Dimensions (W x D x H): 87 x 33 x 39 mm
• Weight: 40g 
• Contact: Vox 

The Blackstar amPlug 2 FLY is a portable, battery-powered headphone amp for guitar. Designed primarily for use with headphones, it provides a range of different tones, alongside three types of effects. 

The Vox amPlugs have been around for years, and now Blackstar is sharing this technology to bring their trademark versatility and scope for crafting huge guitar tones to a massive range of players. From bright sparkly cleans, through on-the-edge-of-breakup tones, all the way to tight, chunky high gain sounds, this pocket-sized amp really can do a lot.

It has three roller knobs for dialling in gain, volume and Blackstar’s patented ISF (it’s essentially an EQ). There is then a button to scroll between effects – reverb, chorus and delay, and then the power button also acts as a channel switch allowing you to go from clean, to overdrive, to distortion. The unit plugs directly into your guitar with its built-in jack plug, then you run a pair of wired headphones out to hear it. 

Exploring the sounds

So, what does it sound like? First off, let’s recognize what it is – it’s a headphone amp, so it hasn’t really been designed to compete with all-tube amp stacks. That said, it does sound good.

You can dial in different clean tones – warm and rich, with a thick low end, or bright and sparkly. The ISF is great for this – it’s been designed to give you the option of British and American-style voicings, but you can just treat it like an EQ knob to find your sweet spot. 

Pushing the volume, it does go really loud – probably more than you’d ever need with headphones, and it stays clean. Bring in the gain and you start to get those edge-of-breakup tones. You might not be fooled into thinking it’s a tube amp, but it’s certainly close enough for silent practice or if you’re travelling and want to keep your electric guitar chops up.

With the three channels, there is some crossover with gain – this is good as it means you really are covered for whatever style of music you want to play. The overdrive channel goes from really low crunch tones that clean up with a light touch up to some pretty gnarly distortion. Then, on the third ‘lead’ channel, you’re in Brown Sound territory, up to metal-worthy high gain saturation.

It doesn’t have the feel or response of a tube amp but again, let’s remember what we’re playing through here. It is however, dynamic and responds nicely to your touch, so it’s close enough.

We did notice however, that when you start to turn the volume up (not up to above-average levels), you do start to get a bit of background hiss, even on the clean channel. Not enough to put us off, but we felt it was worth mentioning. We also noticed that, on certain settings, the signal peaks when digging in with a guitar pick.

As mentioned, the ISF is useful to have. A lot of people will probably set and forget it – you dial it in to your liking, then you might leave it there. If you’re swapping guitars whilst using it though, the ISF allows you to dial in the tone to suit the pickups you’re using.

The effects are also very good. The dedicated button lets you go from reverb to delay to chorus, and then bypass. If you then hold that button down and press the power button, you can cycle through three different reverbs, three different delays and three different choruses.

This is a really nice touch as we found that all nine effects were totally usable and would really suit different playing styles and types of music. You can get a really big, long reverb for clean ambient stuff, or a shorter one for a basic roomy rock sound, for example. This completely aligns with Blackstar’s aim of producing a headphone amp that’s super player-centric.

Our thoughts on the design

In terms of the physicality of the amp, it’s fine. It functions well and the 180 jack plug works in every guitar I tried plugging into (including a Tele with a recessed input). The fact you can move the angle of the jack plug means that you can have the amp – and therefore the controls, facing wherever will be easiest for you, making it very easy to use with a variety of different guitars.

If we’re being really picky, it doesn’t feel particularly premium, what with it being made of plastic, but let’s be real and remind ourselves of the price point here (around $57.99/£49). The fact that they include batteries with the amp is a nice touch though – you can get going straight from the box. 

It really is a very good little amp, and is perfect for either beginner who want an inexpensive practice amp, for players who travel a lot and don’t want to forgo their practice routine, or for guitarists that need a silent amp for playing at night.

One of our final thoughts however, is that more and more people are now using Bluetooth headphones; some of which don’t have jack inputs. This poses a problem for the entire headphone amp space. You could pair the amPlug 2 FLY with Blackstar’s Tone:Link Bluetooth receiver but then you’re adding onto the expense. We’d love to see a Bluetooth version in the future.

Conclusion

A fantastic little headphone amp that covers an impressively wide range of tones. The effects are very good, and having three different settings for each effect type is a nice touch. It’s easy to use, and it’s possible to dial in your perfect tone to suit whatever guitar you’re using it with. The sound isn’t incredible, but considering the price point and feature set, you’d be hard-pushed to beat it.

Specifications

• Type: Headphone amp
• Channels: Clean, crunch, lead
• Effects: Chorus, reverb, delay (three types of each)
• Controls: Gain, volume, ISF, effect button, power button 
• Power: 2 x AAA batteries
• Contact: Blackstar

The near-universal popularity of Boss’s Katana range shows no sign of slowing down, with a full range of affordable digital amplification covering every need – from big stages and arenas, to pubs, clubs and the home. The latest product to bear the Katana name, the Katana:Go headphone amplifier, is the smallest yet and likely to become another success story for Boss.

The Katana:Go is small enough to fit in your pocket and exquisitely designed, with the same attention to detail lavished on all Boss products. As you might expect, it’s not exactly bristling with knobs and switches, and yet the various small buttons and volume-control wheel handle everything you might need, and they’re intuitive to use so after a while you don’t really need to look at them any more.

On the lower side, from a plugged-in perspective, you’ll find an on/off switch with a charge indicator LED that glows red when the battery is low, amber when charging, and green when fully charged. Two more button switches manage the Katana:Go’s Bluetooth connection and a Stage Feel 3D ambience effect.

On the opposite side, nearest the player when plugged in, there’s a Bank Up/Down switch that also operates the tuner, together with three patch selection buttons labelled A, B and C. On the top face is a small monochrome display and the volume control, with a 3mm stereo jack socket for your headphones and a USB-C socket on the back face. 

The integral jack plug is hinged and folds to accommodate angled and straight jack sockets, covering practically all guitars. Thoughtful soft pads on the underside protect your guitar’s finish.

The key to the Katana:Go’s power is software, rather than hardware. A specially designed version of Boss’s Tone Studio app connects via Bluetooth and lets you access the five famous Katana guitar amp voices, each with a second variation. EQ controls include Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence and Cabinet Resonance, this last one with a choice of Deep, Vintage and Modern modes.

There are dozens of effects to choose from, covering all the bases you might need in the overdrive, distortion, modulation, delay and reverb departments, plus seven different signal chains to arrange them in. 

There’s also not one but two parametric EQs and a noise gate, with yet another global EQ lurking in the system settings. The Katana:Go also unleashes 3D audio in its clever Stage Feel mode, which gives you the impression of playing in a room, either in a hall or a studio, with your virtual amp in front or behind, plus a custom setting you can tweak.

You can use the Tone Studio’s Session List feature to load and play music from your mobile device or YouTube, and arrange songs in your favourite order, as well as assigning your favourite patches to play along with them. 

Roland account holders can make full use of the Boss Tone Exchange to browse and download from thousands of Liveset patches uploaded by users from all over the world; the Katana:Go is compatible with Livesets created on the Mk1 and Mk2 Katana amps.

Are we finished? Nowhere near. This feature-packed device also offers high‑quality USB streaming and recording to your mobile device or desktop, is compatible with the Boss wireless expression pedal and footswitch, and operates in either Guitar or Bass mode.

In use

The Katana:Go’s onboard memory holds 30 patches (or 60, if you count the bass mode) that are arranged in 10 banks of three. Soft-touch button switches on the side nearest the player scroll through the banks and select the individual patches, with a useful tuner function if you push in the Bank Up/Down switch.

In guitar mode, you can pick or choose from Acoustic, Clean, Crunch, Lead or Brown amp voices, each with a variation and a regular EQ layout. Swapping into bass mode gives you a choice of bass-optimised Vintage, Modern or Flat amp voices, each with a Shape option, while the amp EQ defaults to a semi-parametric configuration, with swept low and high mid controls and shelving treble and bass.

We used our regular Strat and Les Paul guitars, together with standard mobile phone wired earbuds and a decent mid-priced closed ear studio-type headphone for comparison. 

The ‘out of the box’ EQ sounded somewhat fizzy with too much top-end for the small earbuds, but it was warmer and more relaxing to listen to on the studio headphones. The Katana:Go’s global EQ is the solution here, making it quick and easy to dial the amp into your favourite pair of speakers.

The effects are the same as the larger full-sized Katana amplifiers and there are dozens to choose from, including popular staples such as chorus, flange and phasing alongside wilder options such as the Slow Gear reverse effect and the Slicer, one of our personal favourites and a brilliant source for creative chord playing. Delays feature another favourite, the SDE3000 model.

Boosts and overdrives include well-known Boss hallmarks such as the HM-2 and Metal Zone, alongside other famous effects such as the Centa OD, Rat and imaginatively named Muff Fuzz.

They all sound great with a little careful editing, especially when filtered through the Stage Feel surround sound, which puts you and your virtual amp in a hall or room with streamed music from your favourite band coming from behind while you’re centre stage. The quality of the Bluetooth stream is excellent with practically zero latency; the illusion can be quite convincing.

Verdict

We’ve said on more than one occasion recently that digital amplification for the guitar has now arrived at the point where the differences between analog and digital are so small they’re not worth arguing over. 

More so than the high-end devices that tend to get the attention, the Katana range has arguably been the most disruptive, taking over the highly competitive mid ground with great tone and effects that practically everyone can afford. 

The technology that’s on offer in the Katana:Go is so much fun and so inspiring, it’s a steal at the asking price – and it will inspire you to play more guitar, too.

Specs

• PRICE: $/£119
• ORIGIN: Vietnam
• TYPE: Digital modelling headphones amplifier
• DIMENSIONS: 45 (w) x 83 (d) x 25mm (h) 
• WEIGHT (kg/lb): 067/0.15
• CASE: Plastic
• CONNECTIONS: Single instrument plug, stereo headphones jack, USB-C socket for desktop/charger connection
• CHANNELS: 30 slots organised in 10 banks of 3
• CONTROLS: Volume control, bank up/down/tuner switch, A/B/C patch select buttons, Bluetooth button, on/off button, stage mode select button
• FOOTSWITCH: Optional Bluetooth footswitch/expression pedal
• ADDITIONAL FEATURES: Bluetooth audio streaming, USB audio recording, integral tuner
• POWER: Integral rechargeable battery pack
• CONTACT: Boss

A few years ago, I was interviewing Band of Horses guitarist/frontman Ben Bridwell and chatting about guitars. As if often the case when writing for Guitar World, he in-turn asked me what I play and I told him the barebones truth: a single-pickup Strat direct to a Vox AC4.

“You had kids, didn’t you?” replied the songwriter, with annoying perception. 

Upsettingly, he was right: I did have kids. Now, my children are the light of my life, but they also are the chief recipients of my time, money and essential life force – all of which had previously proved useful in my pursuit of the guitar. 

I’m fortunate enough to write about guitars and playing every day, but actually finding the time to do the thing has gotten progressively harder. And I know I’m not alone in that: from amateurs to tour-hardened pros, the parent-players I speak to are often in the same boat. 

Finding ways to fit playing into my day has therefore become something of a challenge and – like any self-respecting guitarist – I have attempted to fix it by buying new gear.

The only real time I have to myself is post-bedtime and, as such, I’ve worked through a host of different quiet practice options over the years. 

I have long traded off my ‘big’ tube amp for a small combo, but even on its ¼-watt setting, the paper-thin walls of my house ensure my Vox AC4 is enough to disturb a sleeping toddler. 

Years back, I was an early adopter of the iRig/iOS AmpliTube iPad option, but I never enjoyed playing it for long periods, and I disliked having to hop between apps for recording.

Then I tried a laptop setup, but again, I found firing up the interface and fiddling with presets hampered my actual playing time.

Later came the Blackstar Fly 3 (in stereo). It’s a great mini amp for the money and punches well above its weight, tonally, but for some reason, it never stuck. Instead, it sat on my desk, gathering dust. 

I had more luck with Positive Grid’s Spark. It has the smart features and preset fun of the software solutions/apps, but looks and feels like an actual amp. However, the interaction can be a bit jarring – most notably, having to figure out where your physical controls are after you’ve made tweaks on the app.

What’s more, for silent practice, you’re limited to the reach of your cable and headphones – and I’ve never been very good at sitting still while playing.

All of this time, the ultimate silent rival lurked on the horizon: the headphone amp. 

The problem is that I am an egotistical guitar journalist and headphone amps do not exactly scream ‘outlaw cool’. More importantly, they just don’t feel real – and some of them are not up-to-scratch tonally – and the sense is often that they’re cash-grabs or cheap gimmicks.

Then, about a month back, along came word of Boss’ Katana:GO, which promised to pack an entire library of the brand’s much-vaunted Katana amp tones and 60 Boss effects into a device you can keep in your pocket.

Press releases from manufacturers are always making these kind of breathless claims, but two things piqued my interest: 

1) GW’s Editor-in-Chief, Mike – who operates on a three-guitar-post-rock-band level of tonal obsession – returned from an early hands-on preview looking unusually impressed.

2) Presenting it as ‘a Katana amp in a jack’, rather than a standard headphone amp somehow felt much more acceptable to my inner rock idiot. (The vanity of small small differences, eh?)

As such, I gave it a go more out of curiosity than the courage of my convictions. The format will look familiar to anyone who’s seen the Fender Mustang Micro – a small black box with a foldable jack, central dial and side-mounted controls.

Unlike the Mustang, the Katana:GO also has a small built-in screen and a larger line-up of presets (available from three banks) – meaning you can quickly access everything without your phone, or you can pair up to tweak parameters, build your patches and stream practice audio.

My ambition on the first night was honestly just to get it working, but by the time I’d put the guitar down, two hours had passed. I’d played all manner of fun things and I had the bones of a new song. 

The same thing happened again a few nights later. And, well, to cut a long story short, I’m now playing more at home than I have at any point in the past few years. 

So why the hell has that happened with a headphone amp, rather than all my previous efforts? 

Some of it is simply the great guitar player ‘peak and plateau’ wheel turning once more, but some of it is down to the gear.

The Katana:GO is not without its niggles, but it does what it needs to do well – and that is to get me playing a lot more. And to do so quickly, conveniently, and in a way that still feels lively and responsive. 

The niggles are the kind you can live with. The app feels notably dated when placed next to the likes of the Spark series, but using it has made me realize that having fancy GUI amp/pedal recreations to tweak on my smartphone has been more of a hindrance than a help. 

I look at screens all day, so I think the Katana:GO is working because a simple list and some colored dials is a comparative relief. It’s the same with the OLED screen. It’s bright, functional but in no way attractive, so I can browse presets (and even tune up) without distraction – and it makes me listen to what I’m playing.

The casing feels like it might not survive being stepped on, but frankly, so does my phone. This is lightweight and small enough to tuck in my pocket – and, at $119 new, it will not bring me to tears/my home insurer when my two-year-old drops it in the toilet. 

Meanwhile, it's also powered by a rechargeable battery, so I can run about the bottom floor like Angus Young at an open house.

On the tone front, a lot of words have already been written about the strength of the Katana sounds and I won’t retread them here, but suffice to say they are really good.

As ever, there are some that I, personally, would consign to the realm of Hades, but I’m a fan of deep, verb-y cleans and crunchy, harmonic distortions and there’s plenty on that front.

What has really cinched it for me, though, compared to any other silent practice solutions I’ve tried is the Stage Feel modes.

These are essentially three room sound presets, which offer a choice of Stage, Studio and Custom settings and, if you dig in via the app, allow you to move audio sources and amps around the listening space.

This is done using “advanced BOSS spatial technology” – likely some form of IR and hardly revolutionary in isolation – but it’s hard to think of another scenario where it’s been incorporated in such a straightforwardly useful way.

It’s super-simple to use (engaged with a switch on the side of the unit) and, when you don the headphones, it feels like it puts you in the room with the amp sound. 

The most persistent wisdom I have garnered during my 15-odd years of writing about guitars is that playing is about feedback loops – between your mind and your hands, your hands and the strings, the guitar and the amp and so on. And that all exists within a broader, overarching loop of the sound and your ears. 

Anything that breaks or interrupts one of those loops hinders our flow as players – and that is where headphone amps (and a lot of other quiet practice solutions) traditionally fall flat. If our brain has to compensate for that interruption then it becomes much more wearing on the ears and mind. 

It doesn’t feel like that is happening in the same way with the Katana:GO. The Stage Feel feature is a major part of that, but it’s also the way it’s incorporated into a bigger offering that, by luck or design, has made it much easier for me to pick and play for long periods – and, at its core, that is all I really need it to do.

As a guitar journalist, it’s very easy to become prone to cork-sniffing, but ultimately the best gear is the stuff you find yourself using time and again. And so this is where I find myself – a guitar journo of 15 years – standing in front of the world declaring my love… for a headphone amp.

Boss has unveiled the Katana:GO – a tiny headphone amp that packs the same Katana tones found on its best-selling amp range into an ultra-portable jack unit.

The first Katana debuted back in 2016 and, at the time, raised a few eyebrows as the effects stalwart turned its hand to amp-making. Boss quickly silenced the doubters, though, and the Katana line has become much-admired for the quality of its tones – and one of the most popular practice amp choices in the process. 

What’s more, as evidenced by our recent chat with Sprints, we’ve also seen an increasing array of guitarists confident enough to take Katanas stage-side, too. 

As such, the diminutive Katana:GO is officially a big deal: offering the tones found on those larger Katana units in a super-compact, foldable headphone amp that will pop into your gigbag (or even your headphone case), leaving room to spare. 

In terms of tones, that means you get access to 10 amp models, including clean, crunch and the (EVH-inspired) high-gain brown type, alongside dedicated bass amp models, plus Boss’ mammoth effects library – filled with all the usual suspects, including delay, reverb, modulation and pitch effects – and the option of further customization from the Boss Tone Studio app.

In addition to the usual tonal platter, the Katana:GO employs Boss’ spatial technology – as heard in its Waza-Air headphones – with three ‘stage feel’ options (Studio, Stage and Custom), which aim to create “an immersive audio experience” and can be tweaked to move the position of the ‘amp’ and backing tracks around the stereo field.

The aforementioned Tone Studio app will also offer some handy practice features – enabling you to stream YouTube clips through the app and (via Bluetooth) for headphone playback, alongside your guitar audio from the Katana:GO. It can also be used to slow, loop and timestamp elements of the tracks.

Then you’ve got all the usual editing and patch-saving features you’d expect from a companion app, with 30 memory slots to occupy. It’s also USB-C rechargeable (offering five hours of playtime before it runs out of juice) and doubles up as a portable audio interface. 

Finally, it takes a notably different tack from the likes of the Fender Mustang Micro and Positive Grid Spark GO (no relation), by offering a fair amount of control on the unit itself, with a built-in tuner, stage feel control, three memory bank buttons and a patch browsing flick-switch, alongside the main dial – and it has a display. All of which should mean that practice time is not necessarily over if your phone dies.

We’ve had our hands on one for a few weeks now and can say that, while the tones are great, the spatial audio is a real game-changer when it comes to headphone practice – creating a much more natural sense of movement from the amp models. 

We’ll update you as to how we’re getting on with it shortly, but suffice to say, it’s dangerously playable...

The Katana: GO is set to retail for $119. Head to Boss for more information.

As much as we love the sound of a tube amp that's pushed within an inch of its life, when it comes to home practice, a fully cranked combo just isn't practical. It's no surprise, then, that many players turn to the convenience of the humble headphone amp. These affordable practice solutions often provide stadium-filling sounds directly to your ears, all while offering a much quieter environment for your housemates – meaning no one needs to know you're still struggling to nail the opening tapping gymnastics of Hot For Teacher.  

Now, there are plenty of these amps available, with almost every brand having some kind of pocket-sized amp of their own – but there is one that towers above the rest in terms of popularity, and that's the Vox amPlug. 

Now on the third generation, the new version of the amPlug offers players a familiar sound and playing experience but with a slightly updated aesthetic. This all-analog headphone amp is available in a whopping seven different styles, with almost every genre catered for. UK Drive, US Silver and Boutique offer various flavors of classic overdrive, while High-Gain delivers a gut punch of saturation perfect for metal fans. Now, it's not only guitar players that can get in on the amPlug action, as there are two models available for the keepers of the low-end, Bass and Modern Bass. 

Lastly, we have the unit we are reviewing today, the AC30. Beloved by everyone from Dave Grohl to Tom Petty, John Lennon, Brian May and The Edge, this diamond-clad combo is the company's most iconic model and unsurprisingly tops our list of the best Vox amps of all time. 

This new amPlug version looks to invoke the spirit of the legendary twin speaker amp in a much more accessible format and features both channels of the original. The Normal channel is cleaner and more open and the Top Boost circuit produces a hard-rocking punch. It also has a plethora of integrated effects, such as tremolo, chorus, delay and reverb, as well as handy built-in rhythm patterns to aid in your timekeeping. 

Design and build quality

Unboxing the new AC30 amPlug 3, we immediately noticed how much sleeker it looks compared to the previous version. The edges have been rounded over, and the white border of the original has been removed and replaced with a more minimal design. We are also happy to see the unit comes with the necessary AAA batteries needed to power the device – meaning you only need to provide the electric guitar and headphones to get jamming. 

Despite feeling very lightweight, the headphone amp itself feels reasonably robust and pretty well made. The locking mechanism of the jack works well and is reassuringly stiff, meaning the unit won't move around while you're playing. 

In terms of usability, the amPlug is somewhat intuitive, with each of the limited controls working precisely as you'd expect. Across the top of the unit, you'll find dials for adjusting the gain, tone and volume, as well as a dual control for FX/Rhythm. 

Now, we understand that space is limited on such an undersized product, but the controls are very small and it can be tricky to see what dial you are adjusting at certain angles – this becomes more of a problem with guitars that have their output jacks in awkward positions. 

While we are talking about the controls, we would also have preferred to have some kind of indicator for the effects so we know at a glance which effect we had loaded – much like the LED found on Fender's Mustang Micro. As it stands just now, you need to scroll through each effect and simply use your ears to decipher if you have chorus, reverb or tremolo selected.  

That said, this isn't a massive problem, as once you get a feel for the controls, you'll soon be able to adjust them without looking anyway. 

We tested the unit very extensively, and there appears to be plenty of juice left in the batteries. Vox states that you can expect to get around 10 to 16 hours of use on a standard set of alkaline batteries, which we must say is rather impressive. Now, it's worth mentioning that many of Vox's contemporaries have opted for a USB rechargeable battery instead of the AAAs found here – which is arguably more convenient. Perhaps Vox could add this feature to the next iteration? 

Sound and functionality

Moving on to the sound, and we're happy to report that this pint-sized device is choc-full of Vox goodness. Now, as the name suggests, Vox is trying to emulate the sound of their beloved AC30 combo and we think they've gotten pretty close with the amPlug. 

The Normal channel – indicated by the green LED – delivers that sweet, crisp clean you'd expect from a Vox while also breaking up in a very natural way when you crank the gain control. The expressive nature of this channel is perfect for blues and a pure joy to play with. Switching the Top Boost channel – red LED – and things get a little more hairy and rowdy. This channel has a perfectly warm overdrive that eats classic rock riffs for breakfast. Equally as expressive as the clean channel, the Top Boost circuit seems to deliver a lot more gain than you'd typically expect from an AC30, but that isn't a bad thing. The tone here is deceptively versatile and might just be our favorite from across the entire amPlug range. 

As we said above, there is the option to layer effects onto your preferred tone. Reverb and tremolo are, of course, found on the original AC30 and are very well represented here. Delay isn't an effect seen on the vintage examples, but it is a great addition to this modern version – and the tap tempo located on the side of the unit is a nice touch for dialing in the perfect repeats.  

The drum machine functions well and is accessed using the same control as the effects – simply hold down the control. The drum variations are limited, but for practicing your timing, there is plenty on offer. There is a collection of basic grooves from AC/DC style hard rock beats to blues shuffles and a couple more complex rhythms. As you'd expect, you can use the tap tempo to change the speed of the drums to best suit the song you are playing. 

Lastly, there's an aux input on the device, which can be used to jam along with your favorite songs. While this is undoubtedly a handy feature, the addition of another cable makes jamming a little uncomfortable. Many of Vox's rivals have already integrated Bluetooth audio streaming into their own headphone amps, such as the NUX Mighty Plug 3 and the previously mentioned Fender Mustang Micro, leaving a standard aux-in to feel a little outdated on a brand-new product that was launched in 2024. 

Final thoughts

There's a lot to like about the new generation of Vox amPlug. The sleeker design and stellar tones still make this one of the greatest headphone amps on the market and a pretty excellent gift for guitarists, too. 

Yes, we would like to see a few modern features added to the device, such as USB charging and Bluetooth audio. Still, at $49.99, Vox is offering pretty remarkable value with a practice device that is simple to use, well made, and that more than delivers on that iconic Vox tone.  

Specifications 

• In/outs: Headphone Jack (3.5mm), Aux Jack (3.5 mm)
• Power: 2 X AAA Batteries
• Battery life: Up to 10/16 hours 
• Channels: Normal/ Top Boost
• Effects: Reverb, Chorus, Delay and Tremolo
• Dimensions: 87 x 33 x 39mm (plug retracted)
• Weight: 40g
• Contact: Vox 

From the homemade electric guitar to the treble-boosted AC30s to the old sixpence-piece he uses as a pick, Brian May’s tone is quite literally the stuff books are written about. So, imagine if you could distil all of that into a tiny headphone amp and mini-cab. That’s exactly what Vox did when it set about creating the latest in its long-running line of amPlugs.

You’ve probably seen these before – the amPlug plugs directly into your guitar with a swivelling jack, loaded with controls and a headphone socket for the most portable practice possible. Now, Vox’s amPlug has been issued as a signature Brian May edition and it comes in two guises. 

First is the lone amPlug Brian May ($/£59), but perhaps of more interest to Queen fans will be the amPlug Set Brian May Limited Edition, which is what we have here. The set bags you the same amPlug plus a matching red mini-cab boasting a three-inch speaker and pumping out two watts of power.

The amPlug itself is surprisingly packed with features: it’s got two channels (one ‘standard’ AC30 channel and one ‘treble-boosted’); a trio of effects (delay, phaser and chorus) and an onboard drum machine. The latter hosts a number of – let’s be honest – fairly dated-sounding, albeit useful drum patterns, but there’s a needle in the haystack courtesy of the stomps and claps from We Will Rock You. 

If you’ve ever tried a battery-powered mini-amp before, you’ll know the results can vary. With our amPlug hooked up to the cabinet (it mounts in the top and there’s a mini-jack cable included), we’d say this sits on the clearer end of the tones this type of amp produces.

Channel one goes from a plucky clean, up to a smooth crunch sound, while holding down the power button switches to the higher-gain treble-boosted mode.

At the top end of its gain and volume spectrum things become waspy, but roll it back a bit and we’re back to classic overdrive territory. The effects are fun, with only the intensity and delay tempo tweakable, but they definitely give a moreish flavour of Brian’s tones. 

So will you be ousting your ‘big amps’ in favour of this? It’s doubtful. But as a good-sounding practice amp with heaps of collectable appeal, this is a lot of fun. We can’t help noticing the price jump between a regular amPlug and cab and this set, but we assume that royalty comes with some royalties. Just don’t take it on the roof.

Specs

• PRICE: $/£149
• TYPE: Headphone/mini-practice amp
• CHANNELS: Two
• CONTROLS: Power, tap-tempo, gain, tone, volume, effect select/rhythm select switch
• EFFECTS: Delay, phaser chorus
• CONNECTIVITY: Input jack attached) headphone out, aux-in
• POWER: AAA batteries (x2), 9V PP3 (cab)
• CONTACT: Vox

Chinese pedal and instrument maker Nux has launched a new headphone amp for guitar, the Mighty Plug Pro.

An evolution of the company’s existing Mighty Plug, features of the Mighty Plug Pro include amp modeling – with 21 available digital guitar amp simulations – and a host of impulse response (IR)-based cab models, with 24 guitar cabs, seven bass cabs, three acoustic guitar sounds and two custom impulse responses created by digital amp specialist ChopTones.

There’s also a vast selection of pedal emulations, including a gate, three compressors, two EQs, five delays, six reverbs and an array of modulation and overdrive, distortion and fuzz pedals.

Notably, the Mighty Plug Pro is controllable via Nux’s MightyAmp app or Mighty Editor computer software, and can also be used as a USB-C audio interface, with Normal, Dry Out, Re-amp and Loopback routing. The device also features 18 empty slots for third-party IRs.

The amp also boasts seven programmable preset slots, which can be adjusted using the accompanying app. 

There’s also a drum machine – which offers patterns spanning a range of genres including rock, country, blues and metal – for on-the-fly jamming.

The Mighty Plug Pro is priced $109 street. To find out more, head to Nux.

Affordable guitar gear purveyor Harley Benton has launched a new headphone amp, the DNAfx GiT Mobile.

The device – which admittedly looks a lot like a certain headphone amp made by Fender (cough, Mustang Micro, cough) – boasts 14 guitar amp simulations taken from Harley Benton's DNAfx GiT Pro floor-based amp modeler and multi-effects unit, and offers everything from “classic American cleans to British-style crunch sounds, all the way to high-gain territory”.

It's also loaded with 14 additional digital effects, including several different types of delay and reverb, in addition to modulation effects like chorus, phaser and flanger.

Other specs include a rechargeable lithium ion battery, which takes two hours to charge and offers five hours of unplugged use, a USB-C input for audio recording, and a rotatable input jack plug. The most enticing feature for many players, however, is likely its $62 price tag, which clocks in at around half the price of Fender's offering.

See below for a full list of amp sims included with the DNAfx GiT Mobile headphone amp.

• US Double Clean
• US Deluxe Clean
• Acoustic Sim
• Sonic Drive
• US 59 Bass
• Doctor Wreck
• Brit Plexi
• Powerful DS
• Cali V
• 30 Oranges
• Soldier 100 DS
• 5153 Crunch
• Brit 800
• Combo 30 OD

For more information, head to Harley Benton.

In bass world, there has been a clear and steady move for some years now away from amplifiers, in the sense of hefty, tube-, or solid state-powered boxes that you lug to the studio or stage and plug your instrument into. 

Here at Bass Player, we’ve witnessed the rise of Class D heads, then pedal-sized bass amps, then amp-modeling units such as the Kemper, and of course amp-simulating software in a digital audio workstation or laptop. There have been a few attempts at iOS or Android-based amp apps on phones and tablets, too, with varying degrees of efficiency and take-up by the bass community.

The Waza-Air Bass system combines a lot of this backstory, as a new variant of the electric guitar version that Boss launched a couple of years ago: it’s been eagerly awaited by bassists impressed by the original product.

It comes in two parts: a chunky set of headphones, and a matchbox-sized transmitter that plugs into your bass guitar. Charge them up for three hours each via the supplied USB cable, and you’ll get five hours of use out of the headphones and 12 from the transmitter, we’re told.

The third component isn’t mandatory but it would be self-defeating not to use it: your phone or tablet, and the app that controls the system. As the Waza-Air Bass setup has multiple functions, controlling them all via the buttons on the headset would be impossible for the average sausage-fingered bassist, so you should really download the app and spend a few minutes getting to know it.

Once the phones are on your ’head, the transmitter is plugged into your jack socket and you have the app open – like you needed another reason to stare at your phone all day – you’re ready to go.

First up, the headphones feel great. This isn’t a hi-fi site, so I can’t tell you how they compare in technical terms with whatever headphones the kids are all wearing these days, but I can confirm that they feel comfortable, solid, and high-quality – as they should for their significant price tag, which we’ll come to in a moment.

The other important first impression is that it feels so, so great to walk around your practice space with no cables trailing after you, and no traditional wireless setup to worry about if you move too far away from your amp. It’s also fantastic to have nothing but your bass tones in your ears, as the headphones do a great job of blocking out extraneous noise. 

In fact, the idea of walking around and playing brings me to one of the Waza system’s key features, something that Boss call “advanced spatial technology and integrated gyro sensor delivering a deeply immersive playing experience with 3D ambience and dynamic sound localization”. 

In other words, your bass sound can appear to be coming from a fixed point, if you select that mode. No matter where you turn your head, it comes from the same spot ‘over there’, just like it would if you were using a real amp in a practice space or on stage. There’s a surround-sound option, too.

You can switch this feature off if you want, and in fact I didn’t really see the point of it, although I did like the room-sized reverb that can accompany this function if you wish: on the app it’s referred to as ‘Ambience’ and is quickly and effectively controllable. I suppose the idea is to emulate reality as closely as possible without having to actually plug into an amp.

Still, others may find this function more useful than I did, and anyway, I get that a lot of younger bassists are digital natives and are home studio-based.

The other big deal about this system, and the real reason to buy as I see it, is that you get to choose between five amp types and 30 customisable bass-specific effects. You get these from Tone Central, the section of the app that allows you to add single or multiple tones at a single tap. 

You can then edit them with a bunch of simple virtual rotary controls for Gain, Volume, a three-band EQ, and the five amps mentioned above. In fact, the most fun I had with this system was when I went deep into the Effects screen and fooled around with the parameters of a ton of effects. 

Not only that, the system allows you to play along with 10 acoustic drum grooves or a metronome that has 32 time signatures – quite an uptick on the three signatures that the average band needs you to know. You can operate these from the headphones if you wish, although the tiny selector you use to do this is a bit tricky to find and use. Finally, there’s a tuner, which operates more or less intuitively. 

You can control all this stuff at the app, the Boss Tone Studio, or go fully down the rabbit-hole with an optional wireless MIDI pedal. The app permits you to edit, collate and download your tones, giving the user a sense of having a full-featured bass effects and practice unit at your fingertips. 

As far as I can ascertain, you can’t save or export recordings, but then that’s not what this system is about – and anyway, if it sounds as if the Waza-Air will have a place in your life, you no doubt already have some form of digital recording setup. 

On a practical note, the phones and transmitter are perfectly portable, storing in a compact case that will cost you an extra $30 or so. The power in both units switches off automatically, which will be a godsend when, not if, you forget to turn them off.

Now, the cost. If your intention is to use this system professionally, taking advantage of the tone and practice options and sticking with the gear for the long term, it will be a great investment. If you’re thinking of giving it as a gift to a novice who may or may not stick with it, you’re risking them giving up and being left with a high-quality set of wireless headphones for the usual everyday applications. 

Will the user really prefer this gear over an amp and a pedalboard? Will they really want to sit around in front of a computer, or will they want to go out and jam with real humans? The Waza-Air isn’t for everyone in that sense, so consider that before you buy.

Specs

• PRICE: $449 / £299 street
• MADE IN: China
• FEATURES: 50mm speaker drivers, power/volume/channel/function controls, charge/power/Bluetooth indicators, separate transmitter unit
• POWER: Micro USB, cable supplied
• WEIGHT: Headphones 12 oz, transmitter 2 oz
• CONTACT: Boss

The say "Practice makes perfect" but a guitarist's practice routine can be a dull affair, especially when it is just you stuck in a room with your headphones and amp. It would be much more exciting if something allowed you to have those practice sessions anywhere, right?

Well, that's where the Boss Waza-Air comes in. Following on the Boss Katana-Air's success – an amp Boss called “the world’s first totally wireless guitar amplifier” – the company is pushing the envelope further here with a personal wireless guitar headphone amp that integrates a gyro sensor that tracks your head movement and spatial technology to offer a truly three-dimensional, “amp-in-room” experience.

Furthermore, you'll find a wide variety of the Katana's amp models and effects, the ability to stream audio via Bluetooth and edit your tone via the free Boss Tone Studio app. As an all-in-one practice and play-anywhere solution, the Waza-Air might well be unbeatable.

• Practice in peace with the best headphones for guitar amps
• Get high quality for a low price with the best budget guitar amps

Features

You won't find any cables in the box, or anywhere. The Waza-Air pairs its headphones with a low-latency WL-T wireless transmitter for 100 per cent wireless connectivity. Both the headphones and transmitter have built-in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and an auto standby/wake function to conserve battery life. 

The battery life is very generous. The headphones will give you about five hours of playing time, the transmitter will be charged for about 12 hours.

The headphones themselves have large, custom-designed 50mm drivers offering studio-quality sound. The soft conforming earpads are super comfortable while a wide headband keeps the fit secure. 

There are power and Bluetooth-enable switches on the set, a chrome-knurled guitar volume wheel and a pair of plastic buttons to access the six preset memories and tuner. These buttons also control playback when you are streaming audio from your mobile device.

Waza-Air uses advanced 3D algorithms to create three separate and spatially realistic environments – Surround, Static and Stage. 

Static activates the gyro sensor and places the amp and ambient room sound in front of you and pans it in relation to your head movements. Surround is like playing in a virtual recording studio, with a similarly immersive atmosphere, while Stage creates a virtual “live setting” by placing the amp sound behind you. Each has its own life-like sound and feel. 

The free Boss Tone Studio app is compatible for iOS and Android mobile devices and allows for deep editing of the five amp voices – including a full-range voice for acoustic/electric guitar and bass, access to more than 50 Boss effects, plus you can edit and organize presets, and download tones that have been curated for Waza-Air.

Performance

Once fully charged, inserting the WL-T transmitter into the Waza-Air’s 1/4-inch headphones jack to pairs both units for total wireless play. Note: You can’t simultaneously charge both by doing this.

It’s quite liberating. You have freedom to move about, with no cables to get tangled up in, as you play. All the while you are hearing your guitar in three novel environment settings. The panoramic effect triggered by your head turning in Static and Stage modes is really wild while the Surround mode is like virtual-reality candy for your ears.

The sensation is best described as surreal. Cooler still is when you use the Tone Studio app to and use a 360-degree rotation control over where you place your guitar and audio positions.

The Katana-amp voicings have a digital sheen that's combined with desirable analog overtones – each sounds completely organic, and intrinsically Boss-sounding. Each sounds incredibly dimensional through Waza-Air’s high-fidelity headphones, and these are the most pleasing hi-gain and clean tones to my ears. 

As expected, Boss goes overboard with their wide selection of reverbs, delays and modulations and produces each effect with vivid clarity.

Specs

• Price: $399.99 / £373 / €425
• Type: Wireless headphones amplifier
• Key Features: 5x Katana amp types, 3-dimensional sound via advanced Boss spatial technology and integrated gyro sensor, 50 customisable effects accessible via Boss Tone Studio app [free], custom-designed 50 mm drivers, onboard tuner and chromatic tuner via app
• Contact: Boss

Summer NAMM 2019: Blackstar has announced the amPlug 2 FLY headphone amp for guitar and bass. The fully-analog circuit, based on the company’s amPlug 2 series, has been reworked for clearer and more present sound.

The amPlug 2 FLY for guitar boasts clean, crunch and lead channels and includes Blackstar’s patented ISF tone control as well as chorus, delay and reverb effects. A bass version features classic, modern and overdrive voices, as well as tone control and six rhythm loops.

The amPlug 2 FLY series is available for $44.99 each. 

For more information, head to Blackstar Amps.

Time is precious. Don’t believe me? Jam with a bad drummer!

My point is that sometimes you get in late, and it’s just not possible to crank a guitar without catching a few dirty looks, nasty phone calls or unkind words tossed in your direction.

The Palmer Pocket Amp is worth its keep by acting as a headphone amp, DI box, overdrive/distortion effect pedal and a re-amp amplifier simulator box. All this is packed into one rugged box that's tough enough for stage use and can be tossed around in a gig bag until its next use.

The amp models are US, Brit and Tweed. The three modes that work with the amp models are Heavy, Crunch and Clean. Finally, to get a little bit of air in your sound, there are three different microphone simulations: OffX, Center and Classic. The Pocket Amp offers a Drive, Level, Treble and Bass knob for fine tuning.

While using this as a headphone amp, there's a handy ⅛” Aux input that allows you to plug in an MP3 player. If the onboard amp simulators aren't what you’re after, you can bypass them and use it as a straight DI box. Besides the ¼” input and output jacks, there's an XLR output. The unit can be powered by a 9-volt battery or an external 9-volt power supply.

For the audio sample below, I started with the neck pickup on a Strat and a Tweed/clean setting on the Palmer. Next I flipped the same Strat to the bridge position and used the US/Crunch mode. Finally, I plugged in a Les Paul with humbuckers and set the Palmer to Brit/Heavy mode.

Web: palmergermany.com
Price: $115.99

You can't believe everything you read on the Internet, but Billy Voight is a gear reviewer, bassist and guitarist from Pennsylvania. He has Hartke bass amps and Walden acoustic guitars to thank for supplying some of the finest gear on his musical journey. Need Billy's help in creating noise for your next project? Drop him a line at thisguyonbass@gmail.com.