Guitar PreAmp Pedal with Headphone Out

Gear
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My son’s birthday is coming up and I am looking for a guitar preamp pedal with a headphone out so he can practice without bothering anyone else in the house. All he has ever used is an older Vox AC15.

So far, this is what I’ve been able to find…

Palmer POCKET AMP MK 2 (3 amp options, one is Fender)
Orange Amps Getaway Driver (based on a 70’s Orange amp)
DSM Humboldt Simplifier (options for Marshall, Fender, Vox)

Or one of the Two Notes pedals…

Le Crunch (based on a Marshall)
Le Clean (based on a Fender)
Le Lead (based on ???)

Does anybody have experience with any of these?

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I looked at Two Notes pretty hard for their Le Bass. It looks awesome, has an actual tube, but man, it’s expensive. Still, extremely good pedals from what I could tell.

Something like the EBS ValveDrive, but for guitar, would be killer. Not cheap but really solid, and, tube :slight_smile:

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I’ve been giving this one a hard look myself; I think it sounds pretty damned good. Aux In should let him jam with other music if he wants to as well.

What sorts of music is he into?

Amptweaker stuff is in this price range with headphone outs, but I don’t have direct experience with the current generation of their products. Really good based on their previous stuff.

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Why do wires?

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/WazaAir--boss-waza-air-wireless-guitar-headphone-amp

If it sounds half as good as the bass version, it’s all he needs, all Bluetooth, every effect and amp/cab sim under the sun. And groovy cool special effects.

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I found this ashdown tone pocket at an awesome price. I own one and it’s a really good unit. Check it out

https://reverb.com/item/48387344-ashdown-tone-pocket?utm_source=rev-ios-app&utm_medium=ios-share&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=48387344

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Of course there’s also the ever-present…

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Or the G11. Which would actually be an interesting choice as it has an audio interface and DI out, plus MIDI support.

Of course for the price you could just get a Helix instead, so maybe not.

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Interesting thread. I was looking for a amp/cabsim solution too. Take note that the Palmer and the G1 Four can be powered by a battery. The Palmer is build like a tank and good value for money ($85) if it’s comparable to the bass version.

I went with the Fender Mustang Micro Headphone Amp. It’s an amplug solution but with more quality. It sounds good for what it is.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MustMicro--fender-mustang-micro-headphone-amp

Strymon Iridium Amp & IR Cab Pedal is possible the best sim pedal out there. Also one of the more expensive ones. This is almost in the HX Stomp range.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Iridium--strymon-iridium-amp-and-ir-cab-pedal

Alternative is the Walrus Audio Mako Series ACS1 Amp & Cab Simulator Pedal. Same range as the Strymon.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ACS1Amp--walrus-audio-mako-series-acs1-amp-and-cab-simulator-pedal

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I have a Boss Pocket GT headphone amp that I use as a pre amp also. It has 99 different pedal settings you can use or set. The first 60 are guitar type settings, the next 20 are bass settings and the last 10 are custom settings. You can pare the unit with a phone or tablet and it opens up all types of customization. There are various Youtube videos on the box. I like the box because I can use it on a guitar one minute then switch it over to the bass the next. I only had the unit for a month and I like it a lot. It follows their Katana series amps that allow you to custom the amp to simulate other amps or pedals.

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I’m not an expert on guitar pedals, but I did a little research, and it looks like the Boss Katana 50 1x12 50-Watt Combo Amp might be a good option for you.

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Thanks for reminding me about this thread. I forgot I even started this.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Unfortunately, playing guitar for my son has had to take a back seat to job, life, etc., and he asked for something else.

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If he ever decides to play again you should try the Palmer. I have one and it was much better than what I expected. I actually like it more than the bass version and the battery and headphones are great too.

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