Top 4 practice amps - First one might shock you 

Wow... this was way more popular than I thought it would be. Would you like me to do some similar videos? Just let me know any suggestions in the comments section below :-)

small tip: name the stuff you test in de description, like brand and type. Just easier to look up stuff.

I found the problem with practicing without an amp is that you don't get to learn the art of muting properly or learn how to deal with feedback.

I warm up my fingers unplugged and then plug in once I'm warmed up so my parents (and neibours!) Don't hear my terrible scales

Hey Rob , Im happy your still plugging away. I have learned so much from you and Reba about tone, gear, and just hearing another guitarist's thoughts and philosophy has been enlightening, You were never "just another gear channel". thank you for all you've done mate. Cheers. 🍺🍺🍺

Thank you so much for this video and all your content, Rob. You’re a top bloke.

Hi Chappers, totally agree with the play without an amp point, have been doing it for years out of habit but only realized it was ok once you said it! Loved all the options and the way you put it, awesome! Thanks a lot.

Good advice Rob! Thank you.

Hey Rob, I appreciate you adding these videos in these tough times. I just recieved a Chapman guitar last week, loving it so far! These videos go a long was for helping people keep their heads up !

A wise old man once told me, "If it feels good, play it. If it sounds good, plug it in. If it makes you happy, don't stop." To me, if an electric guitar has good, lively, natural harmonics, it will sound great when amplified.

I'm so happy i came across your channel! ty

Been watching you since I was a kid. I wouldn’t be the guitar player I am today without you and dorje! Chapman guitar is on my list of guitars to own!

Sir Chappers! So glad to hear you recommend playing unplugged! I have a vox adio I am just beginning to explore having learned & practiced unplugged for 3 yrs. What a gold mine 😁 of cool things to learn now about electric guitars & tone.

Always Enjoy you Rob, SO glad you did this. I got t he 2x12 Katana and it is endless as you have said.

Good stuff on the unplugged approach of playing. I agree with that 100 percent.

I was enjoying listening to you play so much that i forgot what this video was even about 😊🎸💖

What an absolute stunner of a guitar!

The playing un-plugged and in so doing, naturally improving your technique is the single, best bit of advice you have ever given young Chapman !

You recommended the one I've already got, the Katana. Well the first version which I bought from Andertons which you recommended back in the day and it's still going strong. Now that was a good combo, the Captain and Chappers. Thanks for all your advice 👍

Rob, way long time ago when I was still a teenager and starting out with the guitar, I played with no amp for over a year. I think it was more like two! This was back in the 70s, when inexpensive ANYTHING guitar-related was either non-existent or pure trash. I loved the guitar very well to have put up with having no amp, trying to play strings that were heavy enough to use on an acoustic(!), and of course the pain that all beginning guitarists feel until they grow calluses thick enough to serve. Whereas I have no plans to go amp-less during practice, I recognize that your suggestion has merit in another arena: Setup! Playing without an amp will help to expose weaknesses ... not only the player's, but the guitar's as well. This could be critical when planning or assessing the effects of an adjustment. You won't have the amp's output obscuring fret buzz and other noises that might need adjusting out. Thanks for this vid and for the suggestion!😎❤️️🎸‼️

I bought a Boss Katana a couple years back when you reviewed them originally, I was just so impressed with what they could do for $200 at the time. Been using it a lot more since my IRig had an unfortunate encounter with an exploded 9v.

Love the Chapman Guitars plug. On your (impartial) advice I will head to my local guitar store and check them out.

hey Rob just so you know you can use a VPN to watch shows not available in your country

You keep doing what you're doing...great stuff mate !

Good advice. Thanks, Chappers. I'm seriously enjoying my new Chapman ML3 Pro Traditional, by the way.

Straight to the point no bullshit. I like this style of video.

I'm glad you mentioned the no amp option. I have practiced that way for years, and I think it has really helped my playing. Especially when it comes to fretting notes cleanly and also picking. Great video.

I love my Yamaha THR. It gets all my home use, sits neatly on my desk, records direct great, great for guitar lessons.

Getting a katana was one of the best decisions I’ve made in the last few years. It always sounds good and inspires me to keep playing. It instantly replaced my fender tube amp.

Advice for people that are in the early phases of playing & gear choices is REALLY helpful. A 'Small Room Guitar' series would be awesome. It could allow the focus to be on great sounds up to 85dB and help make smart choices for small spaces. Love your work Rob.

My current practice amp is a Blackstar HT-5R and I use headphones when I want to be 100% quiet. This thing sounds great and it allows me to play around with tones via some pedals. If I want to simplify things down I just straight out use my Fender LT25 modeling amp which is an affordable and effective solution.

Rob, I would love some videos for ‘upper intermediate’ guitarists. It feels like I’m a little neglected with most videos. They’re either aimed at beginners or they’re about things too high end for me to get. Some good stuff to make the most of my intermediate skills would be fantastic.

Hi Rob, thanks for the great tip about the settings for the Katana to get a more “valve like” response. Cheers!

Cheers mate great as usual!!!

Just gotta love the Chapman Air 1000 amp, sounds soo good when the thing is cranked!

Haha, that’s funny at the end, I stuck my hand out to catch the pick! (I was listening to this through some soundproof Beats headphones and it felt like I was in the room...) I think practicing unplugged is a very good and practical tip. Thanks!

Great video's as always Rob...I suffer with anxiety and depression and you always manage to chill me out and cheer me up! Your the best mate!!!🙏

Very nice! I love Katana! Cool video! Cheers from Portugal 🍺🤘🇵🇹

Brilliant video Rob....excellent playing as well

Love this. I practice using John Petrucci’s Rock Discipline dvd and stay on clean as long as I can, or just don’t bother plugging in until things get fast and I’m humbled and start to sound crap 🤣

Very good re the first recommendation-agree whole heartedly.

it's amazing how much better this look is than the dreadlock looks you had a while ago

hey rob .... grrrrrreeeetings from gerrrrmany😅 i absolutely aggree due the first " amp " ..... the tone cums from your fingers ... you learn to play " cleaner " with accuracy... articulation and "FEELING"... HEART AND SOUL ... the amp could possible " cover " mistakes or make you simply overhear them ... stay healthy and greetings to the boys at "andertons" and of course also to the boys and girls of "chapman guitars" !!! by the way ... i still practice at home with my good ol' "pod hd 500" via headphones🤣🤣 the poorman's "axe fx"

Currently waiting for an order from Anderton's and I've been watching guitar videos nigh on every day in anticipation. I've been a follower of their channel for a while now and I always found you quite humorous :) Watched a "shop tour" video earlier this evening from a few years back and when Lee picked up a Chapman guitar from the rack you said you'd never heard of them. "Bit disrespectful!" I thought 🙄 Then I came across your channel and I feel like such a tool. Loving your playing, loving your content and loving your guitars. Good luck for 2021 👍🏼

I'm new to your channel but man! I love your picking techniques and your hand just flies over the neck❤️

Re: your first suggestion, I had two additional channels for my ‘Chapman Air 100’ growing up. One was the bathroom (tiled room + Epiphone semi-acoustic, sounded great). The other was sitting on my bed with the strap button/bottom bout of the guitar touching the wall and reverberating through it.

Just about any recent amp-sim through a pair of affordable studio-monitors is fine for home/practise use. Another option for those who already have one or more great tube amps is to use that into a loadbox with cab-sim into monitors, for example a UA OX. Granted, the OX ain't cheap, but not so bad considering what you've already spent if you're playing boutique-amps. With it you can use whatever pedals and gear you otherwise use with your band or on stage.

Mk2 100w here, you sound great. Great Hendrix sound/ideas. Inspirational

Rob, great video. I've had a Katana 50 for 2 years now and love it for bedroom playing. Now that our is band is set to play out I think I will be buying the Katana 100 with the line out so I don't have to mic it. Always played tube amps and this really has a tube amp feel. Can't beat the price. Ditch the mic and buy the foot pedal that the Katana 100 uses. My wah sounds great through it also.

Thanks Rob, I have been practicing without an amp for a while and now that I've seen your video I'm even more conflicted about buying one.

not playing with a amp is so under rated, it helped me so much

That blue color is FIRE!

Brilliant. Great info, love your brand of internetainment

I had an old bass amp where I would turn all the nobs to max to get a little taste of what distortion could be and it was 1000x better than practicing without an amp. My list would be: - Roland cube (more affordable) - Orange Crush (small) and a good quality pedal (metal muff is sick)

Good to see you !

Great video couldnt help but chuckle at the infomercial.

Loving this video BTW. You seem about as relaxed as I've ever seen. Nice. Hope you're doing well.

Seriously I couldn't be without my waza airs, I agree with you Rob I have young childern and these are simply amazing👏

Loving that tele! 🤘🐴

Your playing sure makes those guitars look good. I have the Yamaha (1st Gen) and also practice quite a bit unplugged, so yes, agreed.

Man I just found you again, last time I subscribed 12years ago, everyday watch your videos and Capt lee anderton. Now seeing you again, time flies hope all is well Bravo Mr. Rob!

As an owner of amps #1 and #4, I wholeheartedly agree. Great content as always.

I saw Mary Spender's NAMM video from a year or two ago where she took the Waza Airs around with her so she could just pick up any guitar, plug in, and play without being loud/needing cables/not being able to hear yourself/finding an amp/etc. Plus you get the benefit of playing with tones you're familiar with. It blew my mind. I was planning on doing the same thing for NAMM this year, but ya know... lol

Amazing guitar , brillant video as always

Damn man, your bends are freakin right on. I mean, I know you're a pro guitarist but I've seen plenty of pros f up bends here and there. You have a gift with them. It's always nice to see someone's strength. Like Scott Ian with his palm muting, for instance.

Great video Rob ✨

These are hot guitars, thanks for the amps info Chapper, awesome lead dudes \,,/

No way that the Positive Grid Spark amp is not in the top four “Practice Amps”, it is definitely worth a look 🤘

Great video, Rob! Thank you! I wish you add included - or will add - information about those Boss headphones in your links. (or did I miss it?)

Getting myself the Chapman Air 1000. You just can't beat that tone for the price!

Thank you for the great review Rob. I'm going to say that I currently own a Spark 40, Katana Artist, JCM 900 full stack with lead 1960 cabs, a Carvin SX-200 (with British series speakers, which I love), a Line 6 spyder III and a Peavey Chorus 212. I love and hate each one of them for various reasons but if I had to go with one of them it would probably be a Boss Katana product. I kinda get tired of messing with apps on my phone and really just prefer using knobs for making amp adjustments. I'm frustrated with the Spark 40 tone...or maybe it's the speakers...not 100% sure, but I still use it often. A buddy of mine has a THR10ii and I have a love/hate relation ship with it as well - but I do like the brighter sound from it for sure. Which, now as I type...I wonder why I never tried out the Katana headphones...thank you for the reminder on those. Anyways, a lot of everything I play through just falls short in some way shape or form. The one thing I have noticed is that having an amp with two (in stereo L/R) speakers seems to make the playing experience "a little" better. If I could have gotten the Katana Artist with two speakers, that would have been great but then that really isn't a practice amp anymore, lol. I wish I could swap out the Spark 40 speakers with something that doesn't sound as muffled but then I have a feeling the amp might suffer some other sound issue. Thank you for the review of these amps!!

Timing is excellent I am currently looking for a new practice amp and now my choice has narrowed to 1, nice work Mr Chapman.

Hey Rob! You're a pretty nice scat man! OMG! Nice guitars, nice amps - especially the first recommended ;-). I like your vids. Greetings from Germany.

Hey Rob .... good and informative clip as always 👍🏼.... Also on a lighter note 😉 the “Chapman Air 1000 amp” nicely fills the niche gap in the “Air Guitar” market for all the die hard Air guitar guys when they are down the back room of the pub for the Friday night rock disco with much mighty shape throwing to their fave Rock & metal hits of the day... 😉🕺🤘🏼🎸😂😂

i will definately check out your recommendations..

Hi Rob, nice video my friend. I currently restore vintage amplifiers of all brands and really enjoy doing it. It helps to keep my mind focused in these troubled times. I heard you mention that you live in Malta, I used to live and work there in the town of Bugibba for a chap who lived in the capital of Valetta. Great place and lovely people. Keep up the great work. Regards. Paul.

great little video. I got a second-hand Katana 50 mk1 last year for $100 USD and couldn't be happier. I also have a Fly3 with extension and Bluetooth input that I can grab and go with.

Great vid Chappers. I'm always super surprised at how great that little Yamaha sounds.

Love your content, dude. Wot about multi FX like Line 6 Pod Go? - please look at that :)

I have young kids too so doing a combo of unplugged and the Yamaha THR (which I won from them last year- it's terrific). Paul Gilbert has one too so that's never a bad endorsement!

I kinda got lost in your playing and forgot I was watching a video about practice amps...lol...love your style man. Great video!!

The Waza Airs are simply incredible. The price is steep but you can get them for around 350€ now. The simplicity and freedom to just walk anywhere in your flat is incredible, especially with kids at home. No fussing around with wires. Just turn them on plug the wireless in and of you go! Sounds great and you can change presets on the fly.

Great video, as always Rob! I personally use the Bugera V22 W at home even though I have a Boss Katana 100W but the Bugera has a low power sound much nicer than the Katana! Can we hope for a demonstration of the Bugera V 22 in the future! Best regards from Croatia!

I wish the Katana was around in the late 80's, all we had were nasty little solid state amps that burped & farted a lot. My son is learning guitar using a Katana, he has no idea how lucky he is. Take care Chappers!

I play air guitar 🎸 so I believe your air Amp would work perfectly as a combo😛

The natural extension of playing air guitar is playing through an air amp. Genius!

Playing an electric guitar unplugged is gold for learning picking dynamics, and of course proper fretting.

Being able to run my Headrush pedalboard into my headphones has been awesome. Playing guitar for church, so much of my tone is the pedals in my signal chain, so being able to work with that with no noise in the house is great. Before that, I had a Vox AC4, which is a great tone that you can dial in with the master volume pretty low and then crank it when it comes to mike it up.

15:20 I have a Katana 100 and i never thought of turning the MASTER loud and then VOULME low. It actually sounds a lot more ROCK that way. Thanks man :D

That is a beautiful looking guitar, my favourite in whole champman range. I play all the time without my amp.

Have only watched the first minute and 15 seconds. Completely agree. Just plain practicality. I still do it now - I'll be doing scales and stuff whilst watching RU-vid lol. Honestly it started back in the day, as a way to practice without anyone complaining. As I got better though, I learned that no matter how good you are, nobody wants to hear you practicing 4 particularly difficult bars in a solo or a tough riff over and over again. An extension of this is amplifier + headphones, of course. But as the guy in the video states - there's something to be said for practicing with your electric guitar unplugged. You hear every little fret buzz (if you're not watching RU-vid at the same time lol). As a sidenote, I consider the natural acoustic resonance of ANY guitar (even a solid body electric) to be the biggest key indicator of how good the guitar is, along with having a straight neck and level frets. Everything else is solvable with a setup, and if things are really bad - that odd hardware upgrade. My LP sounds pretty big unplugged, to the point where some people have been like "OMG how is it that loud not plugged into anything?" Trust me. Take two Strats. One's cheap, one's a genuine Fender. In this hypothetical example, the cheap copy is louder unplugged than the Fender. If in this unlikely scenario, with a hardware + electronics upgrade to match the Fender, the cheap Strat would end up sounding bigger/better. Think about it - you can play around with electronics for higher output and greater sustain, but there's no greater source for those things than.. the source for those things ;-)

wow that yamaha amp does sound awesome - nice chops Rob as usual -

I’m a huge boss katana fan and own 2. But, damn, that THR sounds great!

I'm very agry about YAMAHA THR10 I was suprised by the sound quality Thanks

Had my Katana since they were released .Still love it .Can't see why I'd change it . Would you swap your V1 for a V2 or is it not worth it

Great video Rob. I reckon this is particularly popular because most of us don't gig and play at home, esp now, so these are the amps or non amps we need. Btw, doesn't the Boss GT-1 have the same tech as the Katana? It appealed to me as I already have amps, including the Cube 80GX, it's cheaper and could just plug it in and avoid the need for yet another amp taking up space. Also good with studio monitors.

Since my Coolidge metamorphic turned out to be vaporware, I've been bouncing between a tiny terror combo and a Yamaha THR-X great little amps.

Fantastic amps, I'm afraid I can only afford the first :-p . I'd love it if you were to give some of the cheap and cheerful options like the NUX mighty amp series (air, lite and plug) a spin.

Funny thing, Rob. I'm listening to you play the Yamaha through headphones plugged into my Yamaha. I have it on a shelf above my laptop screen. If I'm watching some content and see licks I want to learn, I mix in my guitar and pause/play to pick them up. Kinda' makes me feel like I'm in the room with my teacher

Good vid mate .,,,.. I like the Spark as well easy and useful futures loaded ..... Cheers...... in the other hand what is the neck type on the silver tele ? Looks rounder like 50’s style .... I dig that full hands necks in guitars any of your production models come with these ? Cheers