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What is the best guitar for a beginner. (3)
With the original THR line of guitar amps, Yamaha basically invented a new product category: the connected desktop amplifier. It filled a need that honestly many guitar players didn't even realize they had. These amplifiers are small enough to sit on a table or desk, they sound great even at low volumes and they're stylish enough that you won't feel compelled to hide them when company comes over. You don't have to search long or hard to find people singing their praises. I bought one a couple years ago. But the THR amps weren't without flaws. And in the nine years since they were introduced, the competition has caught up. The highly revered Roland Katana line made a play for the space with the Air. And the iconic Vox brand introduced Adio. So Yamaha announced the THR II in September with new features, new amp models and a rich new app in the hopes of not only keeping pace but also showing the competition it's still the benchmark for tiny amps.

The THR remains the undisputed king of looks. Part of its allure is the retro styling that's more reminiscent of a piece of stereo equipment than a guitar amp. The outside is a matte, cream-colored metal with a Y pattern punched out. The knobs and chrome handle on top also lean into the old-school vibe. And the kicker: The amp gives off a gentle, orange glow when powered on, similar to a tube amp's. Of beginner easy guitar tabs , there are no actual tubes here. The whole thing is digital, but the THR series does its best to capture the sound and feel of popular tube amplifiers. Yamaha won't name names, but it seems safe to say that the Clean, Crunch and Lead channels on both the original and the new models are inspired by a Fender Twin Reverb, a Vox AC30 and a Marshall Plexi, respectively. However, the last two models available on the front panel are pretty different.

The original THR has Brit Hi (Marshall JCM800, maybe?) and Modern (almost certainly Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier). The THR II has HiGain and Special, and honestly I'm not 100 percent sure what they're supposed to be. HiGain might be another attempt at a Mesa tone, but Special -- well, I'm kinda lost. It's another high-gain sound, but it doesn't feel quite as high as HiGain. All the amp emulations have been tweaked for the new version, mostly for the better. The Clean and Lead options are pretty close in terms of overall quality. But because the new model is actually a 20-watt amp instead of 10 (despite the name), there's additional headroom, which means it takes effect pedals better, especially loop pedals. Those always introduced some unwanted distortion in the THR, but it now stays much cleaner at higher volumes. I do find the new Clean model a little more nasal than the original, but some people might prefer its pronounced mid honk.

The high-gain options on the II blow the original out of the water. Switching to Brit Hi or Modern on the THR10 always results in a compressed mess with half the volume of the other amp models. On the II it's a much different story: HiGain and Special have some body and roar to them. Unlike on the original, you might even be able to hear it over an actual drummer in a rehearsal space. But I can't personally vouch for that. The place where the II can't match the original THR, though, is on the Crunch setting. It's hard to explain, but the original feels crisper and warmer. What's more, it's actually my favorite of all the amp sounds, which makes it all the sadder that frankly, Crunch on the new amp sounds pretty rough. The effects algorithms have also been tweaked. Most of the differences are subtle, except for the chorus, which now has a much more modern voicing, compared with the '80s-ish wash on the original.

That's neither good nor bad; it's just a matter of personal taste. For this video I'm playing a guitar loop with all the controls set to 12 o'clock as I cycle through each amp model. The amps were recorded using two SM57s connected to a Scarlett 2i4. No additional processing was done to the raw recordings. All right, so it's a digital-modeling amp with some built-in effects. Well, beyond still offering some of the best tones you can get without waking a light-sleeping baby, the THR has a number of features that help elevate it above your standard practice amp. But there's a bit of give and take between the old model and the new. Let's start with the battery. Yes, that's right, the THR10 II Wireless has a built-in rechargeable battery. This might not sound like a huge deal, but let me tell you: It's an absolute game changer. Yes, most of the time my amp just sits on my desk in my "studio" (read: a corner of the living room behind a baby gate).
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