If you can’t find the best amp for cigar box guitar, you’ve come to the right place. We will help you choose a good amp for your cigar box guitar from the top five models available on the market at the moment.
When it comes to choosing a suitable amp for your cigar box guitar, your tonal taste or predisposition will influence your decision maximally. Selecting an appropriate amp for CBG is very much like picking an amplifier for a standard electric guitar or bass.
You’ll find several amp brands, including Roland, Danelectro, and Fender, that come equipped with versatile features, letting you dial in your preferred tones.
Please also note that we concentrated our attention specifically on “the best amps for cigar box guitar” but not “the best cigar box amplifiers.”
Cigar boxes are an interesting choice for making a guitar, but they might not be the best idea when it comes to amplifiers. However, we included an excellent cigar box amplifier model from famous C. B. Gitty in our list for those who want to stay on the true cigar box side 🙂 or, maybe, are on a budget at the moment.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at our list of top five amplifiers you can use with your cigar box guitar.
The 5 Best Amps for Cigar Box Guitar (Comparison Table)
| Image | Model | Dimensions | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roland Micro Cube GX (Top Pick) | 9.72 x 8.94 x 6.77 | Check Price |
 | Danelectro Honeytone N-10 (Best on a Budget) | 6 x 3 x 6 | Check Price |
 | Fender Champion 20 (Best Range of Effects) | 16 x 12 x 16 | Check Price |
 | Orange Crush Mini (Most Compact) | 3.27 x 5.91 x 5.71 | Check Price |
 | C. B. Gitty Cigar Box Amplifier Kit (Best Cigar Box Amp) | 7.8 x 4.25 x 3.9 | Check Price |
1. Roland Micro Cube GX (Editor’s Choice)
The Micro Cube GX has been and continues to be the bestselling battery-powered compact amp for more than ten years. The redesigned Micro Cube GX features a suite of versatile upgrades while retaining its iconic predecessor’s legendary sonic and small footprint. Some of the most noticeable improvements include a memory function backing up your preferred settings, a chromatic tuner, enhanced output, and an i-CUBE link.
While adding hefty OCTAVE to the onboard effects ensures dense ultra-low tones, the vast high-gain EXTREME knob offers players up to 8 COSM effects. Roland pioneered the COSM technology in 1995, enabling guitarists to recreate a wide variety of modern and vintage guitars, microphones, cabinets, and amps.
i-CUBE LINK serves as an integrated audio interface for taking advantage of music apps on iPod touch, or iPhone thereby opening up a world of possibilities for recording and practicing.
The i-CUBE LINK, in sharp contrast to awkward and huge iOS guitar interfaces, hooks up with your instrument’s audio jack effortlessly thanks to the included cable. This functionality allows you to practice your favorite tracks and transmit studio-grade COSM tunes with effects straightaway into your choice recording app.
You can also use the resourceful i-CUBE LINK jack as a standard stereo input that lets you connect almost any audio device or music player.
The Roland Micro Cube GX features a built-in 5” 3W low magnetic speaker that lets you perform for up to 25 hours. All you’ll need is six NiMH AA-size batteries for nonstop excitement while jazzing with other players at home or gigs.
Pros
- Super-compact 3-watt amp with integrated 5” speaker
- i-Cube LINK for interfacing with iOS gadgets
- eight COSM effects
- eight DSP (digital signal processing) effects
Cons
- Pricey
- The tuner can be a tad complicated to use
- You cannot plug in a guitar and mic at the same time
- Not quite convenient to playing with a band that employs all instruments
2. Danelectro Honeytone N-10 Guitar Mini Amp (Best on Budget)
The Danelectro Honeytone N-10 Guitar Mini Amp delivers huge clean overdriven sound when cranked up. The Honeytone N-10 from Danelectro is an incredibly user-friendly small, compact and portable amplifier that helps deliver a vintage bass tone. First, you have to power up the N-10 turns the off/volume control knob, following which you’ll be able to ring in everything from sizzling blues to flowing gritty tones.
The overdrive and tone control knobs go a long way in letting you dial in the tones you have in your mind. The controls embedded right on the top of the amp enables players to access them with remarkable ease. And when you tag the amp to your belt using the built-in belt clip, the knobs are at your fingertips.
You can enjoy listening to your favorite numbers or creations with your headphones or via the N-10’s incorporated speaker. Whether you listen in through your headset or the amp’s inbuilt speaker, what you hear is exciting and inspirational. The overdrive, volume, and tone control, together with the headphone jack, belt clip, and genuine leather handle, make the Honeytone N-10 indispensable for your CBG.
The striking vintage look and feel of this Honeytone mini amp add to the overall aesthetics of your guitar rig. The included Danelectro DA-1 adapter and a 9-volt battery add to this amp’s versatility.
Pros
- Battery-powered for portability
- Leather handle for transporting comfortably
- Headphone jack output for practicing in private
Cons
- Build quality is somewhat inferior
- Produces buzz
3. Fender Champion 20 Amplifier (Close Runner-Up)
If you’re looking to extract the most out of your cigar box guitar, then hook it up with the Fender’s Champion 20 amp. The 20W Champion 20 is an accessible, compact, and handy electric guitar amp perfect for use as a practice amplifier. If you want your CBG (cigar box guitar) to give off vintage tones almost like a Strat, then the Fender Champion 20 is your best bet.
Iconic Blackface styling completes the uber-cool Fender Champion 20.
The customizable amp voicing of this single-channel Fender amp lets you strum the lot from contemporary high-gain to clean Fender tones and everything in between. On the other hand, the integral ‘FX select’ knob allows you to choose from tremolo, chorus, delay/echo, reverb, and more for fine-tuning your signature sound.
This 20W combo amp comes with stunning effects and simple, handy controls for picking the appropriate tunes for jazz, country, metal, blues, rock, and much more.
The equalizer section featuring treble and bass functionalities comes in handy for enabling you to tweak and mold your sound. The gain-control goes a long way in allowing you to preset the precise amount or level of gain.
The output wattage of 20W is adequate for performing small-time gigs and practicing, and the Champion pumps out high-decibel sound, its compactness notwithstanding.
The standard Blackface layout typified by the miniature control knobs resembles halter top hats complete the classic Fender look.
Pros
- Dial-in a range of tones with a simple turn of a knob
- Open-back cabinetry for safekeeping small accessories or jack cables
- Includes guitar effects like chorus, tremolo, delay/echo, and much more
Cons
- Accessing the power switch of Champion 20 embedded on the unit’s backside could be challenging at times
- Guitarists and bassists used to performing in high-octane events and shows should look elsewhere
4. Orange Crush Mini Amp (Most Compact)
Orange has revamped and upgraded the original Crush Mini making it lighter and compacter but retaining the classic Orange tone. As a result, the Orange Crush Mini is your steadfast companion regardless of whether you’re practicing at home or warming up offstage before gigging. In addition, the control panel has been redesigned for offering you better tonal control about volume, gain, and shape.
While cranking up the gain provides you blazing high gain, lowering the gain and boosting the volume delivers British bite. And for pushing up the midrange or toning it down for achieving hollowed-out tones to plump mids, use shape control. The 8ῼ speaker, a novelty in the Crush Mini, lets you connect straightaway to an ext speaker for taking advantage of a variety of tonal capabilities.
The headphone output and the integrated tuner allow you to focus on practicing in the comfort of your home. A 9-volt battery or a typical 9V pedal power supply powers up this 3W workhorse with the AUX-IN facilitating effortless playing along to your chosen tracks. Dial-in the entire gamut of those legendary Orange tones reasonably easily and quickly with the intuitive volume, gain, and EQ controls.
Just insert a 9-volt battery, take your guitar and phone along to the beach, and jam for hours on end. The finely interlaced grille together with the symbolic Orange vinyl cabinet accentuates the Crush Mini’s aesthetic appeal on the whole.
Pros
- Hardy construction
- User-friendly and extremely portable
- Vintage tube-amp like sound
- Upgraded control panel for total tonal control
- Last but not least – it’s still Orange quality with an exciting price tag!
Cons
- Some players have reported a hum/buzz in the background.
5. C.B. Gitty Cigar Box Amplifier Kit (Best Cigar Box Amplifier)
The complete Cigar Box Amp Kit by C.B. Gitty offers CBG fans an excellent opportunity to test their DIY skills. The supplies include everything you need, from a wooden cabinet to screws for creating your very own 2.5W amp from scratch. The amp housing comprises an all-wood handcrafted cigar box available in a wide variety of brands and styles.
At the heart of this amp is a 2.5-watt board capable of putting out well-rounded sounds provided you correctly assemble the components. The amplifier panel features built-in 1-foot wire leads pre-soldered to the primary connection points for making the assemblage less challenging. Also included with the kit is a DIY guide complete with detailed wiring diagrams running into four pages.
Any player with preliminary know-how and skills, along with an understanding of simple wiring diagrams, should be able to put together this kit. This C.B. Gitty Cigar Box Amplifier Kit comes with a sturdy wooden cabinet, rivets, and other essential components for creating a DIY amp. The components are delivered to you in a disassembled state so that you can develop your money following a step-by-step process.
This C.B. Gitty amp is perfectly suitable for practicing at home and developing a good understanding of its mechanism.
We provide complete instruction for crafting this great small cigar box amplifier below.
Pros
- Full kit for making your first DIY CBG amp
- It also includes a four-four-page-to booklet with wiring diagrams for assembling without professional help
- It comes with connection points for headphone and output jacks
Cons
- Some users have reported receiving components that they could not assemble correctly.
FAQ: Best Amplifiers for Cigar Box Guitar
DIY Cigar Box Amplifier (C.B. Getty Amp Crafting)
Crafting your CBG amp is not as demanding and cumbersome as you think but instead can be real fun. In this guide on ‘how to assemble your very first cigar box guitar amp,’ we’ll walk you through a DIY tutorial. Then, we’ll give you stepwise instructions on how to assemble the C.B. Gitty Cigar Box Amp Kit reviewed above.
The C.B. Gitty guitar amp kit comes with the complete set of components you need for making your amp. Also included with the kit is a DIY guide complete with detailed wiring diagrams running into four pages. In addition, the all-wood amp board features integrated 1-foot wire leads pre-soldered to key connection points to make the DIY process somewhat more straightforward.
Additionally, all lead wires are labeled clearly to spare you the trouble of figuring out wiring diagrams. Also included is a gain/tone potentiometer or pot for modulating the tone from crispy to clean and everything in between. Significantly enough, this amp kit offers receptacles for plugging in headphones jack as well as an output jack for fine-tuning output from your DIY amp.
So even if you’ve some experience of using a soldering iron, you’ll be easily able to mount the connectivity plug-ins. Your C.B. Gitty guitar box amp kit includes the following components: – (in alphabetical order according to the image on the amazon.com site)
- 25” long-shaft mono input jack
- Potentiometer knob
- 9V metal battery holder clip with installing screws
- 3” 4-watt speaker
- 5-watt amp board with pre-soldered leads
- LED (power indicator) with plastic mount bezel
- G) Red and Black 24-gauge hookup wire (each 2-feet long)
- H) 4 x rubber self-adhesive non-stick pads
- 4 x Nickel-plated washers
- J) 4 x Flathead machined screws
- K) 4 x nuts
- L) Black metal speaker grille
- M) Wooden cigar-box (not displayed in the image)
Keep the following tools ready before you start:
- Drill
- Drill bits
- Soldering iron (with solder)
- Screwdriver
- Sandpaper
- Hole saw appropriate for the DIY speaker’s size
- Gloves
- Eye-protection goggles
The DIY Process
More than half the battle is won if you can successfully install the 3” speaker unit and the grille. Go through this step-by-step process for mounting the speaker as well as the screen/grille:
- Position the speaker on the cigar box panel steadily
- Use an HB or 2B pencil for marking out holes for screws
- Remove the speaker and draw an “X” in such a way that the vertices touch the hole marks’ middle
- The pivot or center of the X is the central point of the hole for the speaker
- Make the cut-out for the speaker and ensure that the opening’s size matches that of the speaker
- Use the sandpaper for gently leveling the periphery of the cut-out and also for evening out rough edges
- Now use the drill (with the drill bit attached) for drilling holes for mounting the speaker screws
- Finally, for installing the speaker, insert one screw into a washer, then via one of the top two holes of the cigar box, through the black grille, and lastly, through the speaker’s mounting plate
- Screw the nut on and use the screwdriver for moderately tightening the nut (repeat the procedure for the three remaining hole markings)
Now you can add pickups for cigar box guitar if you wish and enjoy playing 🙂
So, The Best Small Amp for Cigar Box Guitar Is…
Out of the five amps reviewed above, the Roland Micro Cube GX easily comes out on top, thanks to its versatility.
The Micro Cube comes with unique features like 8 COSM tones and 8 DSP effects, i-Cube LINK, which makes the amp stand out.
However, the Danelectro, Fender, and Crush Mini models are good enough, and if you prefer to go DIY, choose C.B. Gitty.