I wanna take it on the run, baby, cause that's the way I want it, baby.

May 16, 2007 8:06 PM

I watched a documentary tonight about a music festival, and one of the guitar players had a totally awesome-o guitar amp, a little bitty one that he wore around his waist on a leather strap. It basically allowed him to do the wandering-guy-with-guitar routine, but with an electric. What's the best one of these to get, and where's the best place to get it?
posted by jbickers to media & arts (12 comments total)

The ones that were ppoular when I was running a marching band with a few electric guitars [Hampshire College represent!] was the Pignose Amp. They have quite a cult following and run on a mess of D cell batteries. This may be bigger than you are looking for, but it's the one I'm most familiar with.
posted by jessamyn at 8:14 PM on May 16, 2007

My favorite is the Smokey Amp by Zinky. It has awesome tone, runs forever on a smoke detector battery, and it doubles as a fuzz box, if you're brave (or it can run a 4x12 cabinet all by itself).
posted by The World Famous at 8:27 PM on May 16, 2007

If it was small, I wonder if it was a wireless connection to a big amp (and big speaker) that wasn't portable?
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 8:33 PM on May 16, 2007

both the smokey and the pignose are tried and true porta-amps, the pignose is a little bigger than would comfortably dangle from a waist however.

i'm partial to the fender mini-twin, mainly because the built in distortion is sooo grungy with everything turned up.
posted by tremspeed at 8:41 PM on May 16, 2007

I've used the Danelectro Honeytone for a while. It has pretty sweet sound for being freaking tiny.
posted by jourman2 at 9:29 PM on May 16, 2007

There was a guy who used to play one of those in the UCLA Sculpture Gardens all alone after midnite. It was kind of nice and spooky at the same time.
posted by DudeAsInCool at 9:36 PM on May 16, 2007 [1 favorite]

I've not seen anyone on this side of the pond use a Marshall microstack, but it's pretty sweet, even if it does tend towards 'wasp in a beer can' when turned up.
posted by holgate at 9:48 PM on May 16, 2007

I think you actually saw what Steven was talking about.
posted by sourwookie at 10:10 PM on May 16, 2007

Usually wireless transmitters are worn on the guitar strap to avoid tearing out the 1/4" jack. First things I thought of were the Pignose and the Honeytone (as mentioned upthread).
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 10:19 PM on May 16, 2007

It could have been the Roland Micro-Cube. It wouldn't fit on a belt, but it does have a strap, multiple effects settings, puts out a fair bit of volume, and runs on double A's.

It might take up a bit more human real estate than the one discussed, but it is a totally awesome little amp. You would need to be a little creative on how you carried it. But it could be done. And after looking at mine, it could be easily modified to be carried as a belt accessory.

linky
posted by fox_terrier_guy at 5:54 AM on May 17, 2007

The pignose comes with strap buttons, so you can put a guitar strap on it and wear it over your shoulder quite comfortably.
posted by wsg at 10:02 AM on May 17, 2007

What film was it?

I'd say with some degree of confidence that if the sound was still rock & roll loud and huge, it was a wireless hooked up to a "big" stage amp; if it was a tinny, funky honk (and if you're sure it was a portable amp on his strap) it was probably the Pignose.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 10:22 AM on May 17, 2007