# Octaves, Zouks, Citterns, Tenors and Electrics > Four, Five and Eight-String Electrics >  Yamaha THR10 practice amp

## lukmanohnz

I had been looking at this amp for a while, and finally took the plunge, in large part because I was dissatisfied with the tone of my Fender Mandostrat through an old Fender Champ 12 that has been my practice (guitar) amp of choice for years.  There are a few different models in this Yamaha line, each with a different set of amp models that are aimed at a certain playing style.  There's also a pair of lower-priced versions, the THR5 and 5A that are even smaller than the diminutive THR10 and have a few features left out (chiefly a bank of convenient user preset buttons; a single tone knob on the 5s replaces a more generous 3-knob EQ section on the 10s). There are reviews galore of these amps  on the interwebs.  Two that I found most helpful (and objective) are here and here (the latter a review of the THR10C). I will supplant those with a few additional comments.

First off, let me admit to being a tube amp snob.  I have tried several of my friends' modeling amps and auditioned several more in stores, and have been uniformly unimpressed. To my ears they have sounded at best like caricatures of a tube amp. I own a Marshall and a Gibson/Trace Elliot in addition to my little Fender, and these are my reference points.  That said, I also realize that in the context of a full band setting or a multi tracked recording, many of the better digitally modeled tube amp simulators can be quite convincing. 

Yamaha has closed the gap substantially with the THR series. This thing is ridiculously close to the sound, feel, and dynamics of an all-tube amp circuit. Now with only a pair of 8cm speakers, it simply can't move the same volume of air as a typical tube amp with a pair of Celestion 10s or 12s. But when I'm practicing and my wife is in the next room, I really don't want to move that much air.  But getting the tone and dynamics of a tube amp dialed to near-max gain - except at low volume or in headphones - is just a heluva lot of fun.  And inspiring.

I should also admit that I own one other 'modeling' piece of gear - a Yamaha Magicstomp pedal, which I'm guessing has algorithms that are ancestors of those embedded in the THR series.  I used the Magicstomp routinely for practice and jamming to backing tracks until I got bit by the mandolin bug.  Now it sits mostly unused in a closet. It was better than most of the modeling pedals of its generation, but still not quite good enough to satisfy my ears for recording.  The THR amps, I expect, are going to sound amazing on recordings.  With a USB digital audio out, and Cubase bundled in the box, they are quite a bit more than just a practice amp. I feel like this review must sound like a paid advertisement from Yamaha.  Truly, I have no financial interest nor benefit from offering this write-up.  If you are looking for a practice amp, this one should be high on your list to audition.

Oh - and my Mandostrat sounds incredible through it.

----------


## Pete Martin

Thanks for the review.  I've been interested in a good sounding portable amp for low volume jazz playing at festivals.  I need to go try one.

----------


## Ted Eschliman

Pete, I have the smaller THR-5, but even with the 10, I wouldn't consider using this in a live setting. These were designed as a third category product, for the computer musician or as mentioned, a small practice room or studio. I think they're great, but they weren't intended for anything more than 3-5 feet away.

----------


## lukmanohnz

I agree, Ted, with the only caveat that I could imagine using the THR amp in a very small group jam setting. But it's probably not the right choice for live performance.  Again, two 8cm speakers are never going to move a lot of air.  I should point out that all the THR5 and THR10 models share the same speaker and power amp section according to Yamaha.  They are all 2x5W systems.  The '5' and '10' designations certainly suggest otherwise.  I opted for one of the 10 models for the extra feature set and added flexibility of an included bass amp simulation.

----------


## Barry Canada

Has anyone had the opportunity to compare the Yamaha THR10 to the  Roland AC33?
 I have the AC33 and find the tonal quality superb. I also have a trace Elliot and find the ac33 sounds more a natural.

----------


## Pete Martin

I don't mean festival performances, just informal jams.

----------


## lukmanohnz

I'm bringing mine to a jam today with a friend. I think it will hold up fine in small gatherings depending on how loud the other instruments are.  Not sure about keeping up with drums.... The portability of this amp is highly appealing - a form fit custom gig bag with shoulder strap is offered by Yamaha for about $30.  It has a few small pockets to hold the power supply and a cable or two.  The online retailers offer the amp and gig bag as a bundled pair.  The amp also runs on eight AA batteries.  That could be a plus for some folks depending on where you might want to take it.  If you are curious your best bet is to audition one if you have a local dealer that stocks this model.  BTW - I have been messing around with the effects this evening - it has chorus, flanger, phaser, and tremolo effects along with a separate reverb/delay control.  Yamaha clearly put as much thought and effort into the effects as they did to the amp simulations.  Though I'm not much of an effects aficionado, all sound warm and extremely musical.  The PC-based editor allows deeper editing of the effects, and any results can then be saved to one of the preset buttons (on the 10 series).

----------


## mandroid

I note there's   4   ..  count'em 4   ..  THR 10  and in addition an X, a C and an A version..

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/ampli...effects/yamaha...

so does the online editor  neutralize the differences after you buy it, or you have to decide ahead of time?

----------


## mandroid

Ah  Google-fu at  least got more that the online chat  drone at the seller 

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/music..._&mode=compare..

still curious about the buy one and download the rest  option  ..

----------


## lukmanohnz

I downloaded the Windows editor yesterday (there's one for OSX too).  It includes about 50 presets from Yamaha, and you can create and store a bunch more on the PC (along with the five that can be stored on the amp).  I haven't played with this tool yet, but it looks like there is plenty of flexibility if you are a tweaker. It's not immediately obvious that the extra presets included in the editor software are exact replicas of the models on the X, C, or A versions.  I opted for the 'generic' version because it seemed like it covered the most bases (including basses  :Laughing:  ). I guess you'll need to decide which model most closely fits the style(s) of music you play and then edit from there.

----------


## lenf12

A friend has one of these which I used at a jam at his house. We ran the headphone out to a pre-amp and ran that to his mixing board and into a Fishman SA220 PA. It sounded pretty darn good and I wouldn't hesitate trying it at a small gig. Very versatile little amp.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

----------


## mando.player

With Yamaha now owning Line 6, it will be interesting to see if they produce a smaller version of the Amplifi. 
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Amplifi75

----------


## lukmanohnz

Took it to a jam this evening that included a 100W Marshall half stack, a Mesa Boogie, two Line 6 combos, and a Fender hybrid modeling combo.  It held its own - I am still loving this thing.  It impresses me more every time I use it:



Truth be told, the Marshall was incredible.  But no way it could fit in a gig bag as the Yamaha does!

----------


## Pete Martin

> Took it to a jam this evening that included a 100W Marshall half stack, a Mesa Boogie, two Line 6 combos, and a Fender hybrid modeling combo.  It held its own - I am still loving this thing.  It impresses me more every time I use it:


So it did alright volume wise with these?  The only negative I've heard is it cuts out after reaching a certain level.  Have you found that?

----------


## lukmanohnz

> So it did alright volume wise with these?  The only negative I've heard is it cuts out after reaching a certain level.  Have you found that?


We were mostly playing classic rock tunes and I had it cranked on the more heavily distorted channels. It was louder than I would ever typically want to play, and held up reasonably well against a Mesa Boogie and a huge bass amp.  Of course if those guys had wanted to play any louder the Yamaha would have been drowned out (and I would have headed home).  It definitely would have struggled to keep up on the cleaner settings.

----------


## clobflute

Wonder if you have any recordings on it? 

I'm finding several problems with mine, but it might be the set up I have with an electric lute currently. 

The Brit Hi setting is next to useless - all I get is recordings of feedback, like strange agony sounds.  The Modern setting also doesn't work well for my electric lute.   Clean, Crunch, Lead sound very similar to this: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6z_EyYKwt4

My favourite settings are the Bass:  playing a high pitched instrument on it seems to make it more fun.  

I find the effect and delay and reverb knobs aren't very useful.  They sound rather fake to my ears.   Volume is good for standard British rooms.  I guess American ones are larger.  Japanese ones must be even smaller, so these are ideal for intimate 3am practice settings.

----------


## dang

> I'm finding several problems with mine, but it might be the set up I have with an electric lute currently.


Have you tried plugging it into your computer and using the software editor as is mentioned by lukmanohnz in post #10?

----------


## clobflute

Thanks for the link - I've never linked any amp to a computer.  If it fixes it, it's worth a try..

----------


## lukmanohnz

No - I still haven't recorded with it yet, but it's something I want to try.  I have used it now quite a lot for practice and jamming.  I have found useful, musical tones in every setting from clean to modern hi gain, and really love the reverbs.  I tend to use reverb very sparingly, so I'm not sure what they sound like when dialed up.  You may want to try returning to the factory presets and then tweak in small steps from there.  I am using it primarily with my electric guitars.

----------


## lukmanohnz

> still curious about the buy one and download the rest  option  ..


Only info from Yamaha I've found on this question is here.

----------

