Lunchbox amps seem to be everywhere these days, with a large amount of brands adopting this design concept to meet the demands of modern players.
However, if you’ve never heard of a “lunchbox amp”, in this article we’ll break down exactly what they are, identify their characteristics and take a look at what’s available!
A lunchbox amp is basically a scaled-down version of a typical guitar amplifier head. With its circuitry and features enclosed within a small and compact chassis, a lunchbox guitar amp is a more portable and ergonomic alternative to the traditional amp head.
Growing in popularity in recent years, it has been evident that more modern players prefer lighter rigs that are easier to transport, and lunchbox amps perfectly fit that purpose. With a lot of models powered by valves to ensure that traditionalists are kept happy, the majority of lunchbox amps have lower wattages compared to their full-sized counterparts, as they have less internal space to accommodate multiple power/preamp tubes.
However, despite their smaller footprints, lunchbox amp heads can still pack a lot of essential features and controls, such as effects loops and full 3-band EQ sections. And if a lack of volume is a concern, a lunchbox amp head is more than capable of projecting plenty of volume through a large guitar cabinet!
With more interest from players, the lunchbox amp trend has exploded within the industry. A number of class-leading brands offer their own models, and companies such as Peavey, Mesa/Boogie and Marshall have used this design approach to produce more affordable and streamlined versions of their most famous amps, to make them more accessible to consumers.
However, some particular companies almost exclusively build their amplifiers to this forward-thinking specification. This includes Victory, which has built many of its amps using a small lightweight chassis, giving the company a signature identity of sorts. Noteworthy models of theirs include the high-gain Kraken, which is arguably the best lunchbox amp for metal, as well as the versatile Countess and the Plexi-style Sheriff.
It’s fair to say, however, that Orange were the founding fathers of the lunchbox amp concept. Launching the Tiny Terror back in 2006, this potent little beast was the game-changer that inspired the aforementioned companies (and many others) to follow suit.
A “lunchbox amp” can often be referred to as a “mini guitar amp”, and vice versa. However, like overdrive and distortion pedals, there’s a bit a of a blurred line between the two terms. Essentially, a lunchbox amp is strictly a portable amp head that can be plugged into an external speaker cabinet, and many use pure analogue valve power.
“Mini guitar amp” is a much broader term, and can include small combo amplifiers and even gimmicky desktop stacks! You’d find that the majority of mini amps use solid-state or digital/modelling circuitry, making them more ideal as practice amplifiers for bedroom levels.
As mentioned earlier, most lunchbox amps have fairly low wattages because of their smaller sizes, as they cannot contain as much vital circuitry as their full-sized equivalents. For many people this may be an issue, as lower wattage means less headroom, which results in a more compressed, broken up sound when cranked up to gig levels.
If you’re playing at a small club/pub venue, a lunchbox guitar amp rated at around 15W will provide enough volume against a loud drummer, and would remain fairly clean with a little bit of break-up. For medium-sized venues, you would definitely want something with slightly more grunt, and it would be recommended to use an amp with between 20-40W of headroom.
A larger venue would require an amp above 50W, and unfortunately there are only a handful of lunchbox amps that boast that amount. However, it is worth mentioning that the cabinet you are plugged into will influence your sound massively, and it is equally important to find the right cab when volume and output is a factor.
For example, plugging into a 4x12 will result in far better sonics and projection, with a more open and airy sound that can spread around a room. Plugging into a 1x12 will have a completely different outcome from a tonal perspective, giving you a tighter sound with less low-end and a more compressed quality.
From the points made in this article, it’s clear that lunchbox amps are far more practical solutions for gigging musicians in particular. With greater portability and simpler interfaces, they can serve as fantastic alternatives to the heavy and cumbersome amp heads that have been around for decades.
Although many modern lunchbox heads feature multiple channels and full 3 or 4-band EQs, even those that only have a single channel can serve as brilliant pedal platforms for you to run your favourite stompboxes through!
