Just for the look: Peavey Solo guitar amp

This one looks so right.

It's not so much the size nor the capability of this smaller amp but rather the look of it that really works here.

The Peavey Solo guitar combo amp is a simple smaller guitar amplifier. It's 12-watt, has an 8-inch speaker, is solid state, has clean and lead channel, 3-band EQ and weighs about 12 pounds. Dimensions are 9.75" across, 16.12" height, 14.87" depth, which is small but not "desktop sized" small.

Is it battery powered? No. AC power is required, which I prefer. If you want something battery powered, small and feature-packed, see BOSS Katana-Mini...

...but I really like what you get with the Peavey Solo.

If there's one thing Peavey does well, they really know how to do simple-and-good right. Yes, they obviously make more complicated amps, but the Solo is a great example of well designed simplicity.

And, of course, there's the look of it. Even when small, Peavey amps look nice. The fonts are great, the knobs are spaced correctly and nothing looks out of place. Even the grill cloth used has a bit of an upscale look to it.

Are there better amps this size? Probably. But few look this good and have the thoughtfulness put into this design like the Solo has.

On an end note, I'll tell you what I mean by thoughtfulness. Look at the knobs. Each has a thick line where you can tell exactly where it's set even from a few feet away. It's extremely easy to tell where the separation of volume to EQ is. All fonts are bold and there's great contrast. No chrome or shiny bits anywhere because there doesn't need to be. Ultra-functional design.

More amps need to be designed this way.

Published 2021 Jul 1