Danelectro HoneyTone Mini Amp

I bought this amp new and have had it for about two months. The amp is not versatile enough for all styles, but is good for blues, quiet practice, and beginning guitarists (like me). The HoneyTone is very simple and staightfoward - One channel, gain, tone, and master volume knobs. Built in speaker and headphone out. The unit will run on a 9 volt battery or has an input for an AC adapter. This is a real slick looking amp. It looks like, and has been mistaken for, a 50's portable transistor radio. Note to anyone who might mail order this amp: The yellow color advertised is actually a dark cream color and definitely looks cool. I use this amp in my living room and it is loud enough to be pleasing yet doesn't get abusive. I own a bigger amp, but still play the HoneyTone alot because it is so convenient and gets a good tone. Yes, I wish it had reverb, but I imagine that would be too complicated and too expensive.

I am currently running a Yamaha AEX502(semi-hollow body with P-90's) though the amp. Look for my review of that guitar comming soon (It's one hell of a guitar). I am learning blues, but also have an affection for heavy metal and punk, ie. L7, Ramones, Black Sabbath. Actually, I like all styles of music except for country. O.K., here's the deal. I've pretty much given up on getting a good "clean" sound with this amp. Everthing seems very flat sounding, and not enough presence for jazz. This should be expected with an amp and speaker of this size. However, if your into distorted blues and heavier sounds then I think this amp is a pleasant surprise. Use the gain knob and your guitar's contols to dial in anything from soft clipping distortion to all out raunch. Use the amp's tone knob to vary the tone of the distortion. You can get anything from early Pete Townsend spank, to Eric Clapton creamy lead, to L7 rhythm. I was able to nail the L7 "Andre" sound. This amp can also get a good George Thoroughgood "squawk". Bottom line is you need to experiment alot with this amp's controls and your guitar's input. This amp will respond well to varied picking attack. The headphone out is very nice, and here's the good part: You can get a good "clean" sound with headphones, and the distortion is alot smoother(that can be good or bad depending on your tastes). I'm rating this amp high because of it's low price and surprising sound.

I've never run this amp more than a couple of hours in one sitting. It doesn't seem to go through batteries too fast. Here's something important: Throw away the supplied Danelectro battery, it looks cool but is half-dead and isn't worth a crap. This amp needs a good quality alkaline battery or the AC adaptor. I've only had one problem with the amp and it was the loose fitting battery cover, which rattled when the amp was turned up. A piece of duct tape over the cover took care of that problem, and nobody's any the wiser. This amp gets even grungier when the battery starts too give out, but the sound will start to cut out with high volumes in this situation. When this happens it's time for a new battery. Also, I forgot to mention turning the amps volume up results in even more distortion.

I haven't had a problem with the amp, so I haven't dealt with the company. I imagine customer service is dreadful, although Danelectro does have a pretty cool web site.

As I said, I'm a beginning guitarist, and this is a cheap amp. It is easily replaceable. All headphone sounds are good and speaker sounds are good WHEN THE AMP IS DISTORTED AND DRIVEN. Don't be afraid to crank this baby up, that's what is was meant for. I didn't like this amp too much when I first got it. That's because I was trying to get a "clean blues" sound when the amp is for "dirty blues". This amp also has a belt clip for street playing. I did not compare this amp to other mini amps, but would like to try a Pignose. Note: The Pignose costs twice as much. Overall this is an excellent beginner's amp, and one that might put a smile on the face of a more experienced player. I have no intention of getting rid of my HoneyTone.

I got this thing because it was cheap & I'd always heard about those pignose things. Plus it looks kind of funky; but I've got to tell you, it really is a piece of shit. once you dial in a bit of distortion or turn the master volume up, the speaker gets really harsh & brittle and loses it, but what's more the SUPERCHINCY plastic battery cover on the back (that isn't screwed on: it just clips in loosely which allows it to....) vibrates so much you may as well be playing through a snare drum. it drives me nuts.
I just flipped through all these other reviews and I am mystified. maybe playing through the headphone jack redeems the thing, I've only had it a couple hours. But I definitely wouldn't buy it again. The only thing I can see it being good for is maybe recording it close miked and balls out for a REALLY fucked up original sound. it would probably sound huge then. Or maybe for some ugly harmonica stuff. Maybe if I sing through it my voice will sound good.
so lets see; if I stuff some kleenex (or better still, crumple up the stupid manual that came with the thing-what a load of crap: "warm jazz" "woodstock fuzz" "sparkle clean" & about 10 other totally inappropriate bullshit marketing 'vintage' hype slogans- except maybe "send the cats under the bed", that sounds about right) under the battery cover (preferably used) and wrap some duct tape around it to hold the thing together while I play through it, maybe it would sound ok. Is THAT vintage enough for you? maybe if they put in a speaker that cost 5 cents more in the thing it could handle the dinky 1/2 watt or so this baby puts out.
Allright, allright, maybe I'm being a little too harsh for a $20 mutated transistor radio, but their whole vintage marketing propaganda makes me sick. It's still a piece of crap and don't try to pretend it has " all the sounds of a full marshall stack combined with the tone of an old black face la ta da ta da.. etc." come on.

???????????????

oh, YEAH, baby!!

No idea; maybe I'll call them just for a joke.

see above.

Volume, tone, overdrive controls and a headphone jack. Hard to believe it's only 1 watt- this is a surprisingly loud amp. I don't really use the overdrive control- I think it sounds better with a stompbox.

I use several different guitars with this amp- all with humbuckers. It does seem to cut out a bit at higher volumes if you're playing powerchords. The tone isn't exactly stellar, but what do you expect from a such a tiny speaker? The tone is fine for what this is. The one tone problem I've encountered with this amp, and with the Dan-Echo pedal, is that when the battery starts to get a little weak, the tone completely falls apart. Be sure and carry a supply of 9-volts if you don't buy the adapter.
I'm currently playing in a duo-guitar project. This amp is plenty loud enough to practice with another guitarist if you're both using practice amps. Plus it fits in your backpack! That's my favorite part.

I had to make an alteration to the battery connector after about a week. One of the terminals wouldn't connect to the battery properly, so I had to make a small metal shim to restore the connection. This just seems to be a design flaw more than anything. Also, throw the Danelectro battery away as soon as you buy the amp and put in a Duracell. The Dano batteries don't last very long and they leak. My battery leaked inside the amp after 2 days.

No idea. The warranty is for 1 year.

Despite the problem with the battery and connector (which were easily fixed), I still give this thing a 10. It's loud, small, light. Until technology gives us Marshall-stack sound and volume in a box this size, this is the next best thing. I hate lugging gear around so this amp is perfect.

This is the best mini amp ever. It is powered by a 9-Volt battery, so you can go anywhere with it, and it also has an AC Adapter port, but the adapter didn't come with mine.
It has dials for volume, tone, and overdrive. It has a port for headphones, which makes it sound even better.

Very nice sound on average, but feedback kicks in every once in awhile. It sounds the best with headphones on, a whole different distortion sound.

When I put this on my glass table and start playing, I don't realize it, but it slowly starts moving towards the edge. It has fallen off tables galore. I've dropped it, kicked it, everything.. Altough I've only played it for a few months, it still keeps playing.

This came with my first electric guitar, and I am definately a beginner, so I'd recommend it for a starter.

I think the overdrive and tones you can get out of such a small amp is great.The amp comes with a small book giving you ideas on how to set the overdrive and tone to match certain sounds.The only feature I don't care for is the input being on the top, but I can live with it.

You can get many different types of sounds for all styles of playing. Anything from Rock, Jazz, blues, country and even a few metal sounds.

It is a reliable little jam amp. I've had only one problem with it. When you crank it up loud, it will start to cut out when you play power chords. For most of the time, it is great.

I haven't had any problems to talk to them

I think for the money and the size, it's a really cool little amp. No matter what your style is !!!

This thing is pretty handy for its size and price... i use it lot because my other amp is either too loud or you can't hear it... Im not into that whole retro crap but the styling is still kind'of cool and i got a kick out of the little "vintage powersource" 9-volt battery it came with.

This amp is pretty great for its size and pricing. with the speaker its allright but with the headphones its just great. you can usualy find the sound you want pretty easily and its got some good distortion and still maintains tonality at the same time, i usualy keep it clean because i have it hooked up to a Boss ME-30. Its great for just messing around with though because it won't piss off the neighbors like those giant marshal stacks, well, with one watt, this thing doesn't have a chance to piss them off...

Well, once I wanted to test out its clairity at high volume and i had it turned all the way up and it was going alright, but then the power indicator LED would start to go out when I hit a power chord and the damn thing started to smell and smoke, but it still works fine, i think the AC adapter i used for it was giving it too much current when I did that... But it still sounds fine... so, even after that little test I give it a good rating.

Never had to deal with them, has a 1 year warranty though...

Overall I would buy this thing again if it broke or i lost it, what wouldn't be too hard to do, just because its great because it fits in my guitar bag and i can take it everywhere. I don't really see anything bad about it, besides the speaker being so weak, but you can't fit anything bigger in it without defeating the purpose.... but thats what headphones are for.

This thing just came out and I bought one after just hearing some guy playing on it. Tone, volume, and overdrive controls. The controls are a little scratchy but can make a big difference. I think it is 1 watt and like a 2 inch speaker.

I play on this with either my Lone Star Strat or an old Ovation solid-body (Buy one they kick ass!!!) It is loud for as little as it is, and puts out plenty of useful sounds for as small as it is. Even though the speaker is small it has some bass in it.

Made of plastic. Enough said. Has a 1 year warranty.

Don;t know never dealt with them

I bought this because I needed something to play in my room with and because it looked cool, the aqua green color is good looking. And the sounds are pretty good

You may well be saying "He gave this little box a TEN?? What the HELL is going on here?!" But wait! Though the Danelectro HoneyTone Mini Amp features only three knobs (off/volume, tone, and overdrive), one input jack and a headphone jack, it's incredible just how much it can do. It's like a poor man's SansAmp. It fakes a nice, sweet Fender tone, a very pleasant clean blues tone that gets a little gritty when you dig in, a big Marshall plexi sound, and all sorts of extremely usable clean and dirty tones in-between coasting on a wave of ONE watt of raw power courtesy of a solitary 9-volt battery... Read on!

Indeed, this is an impressive little amp! I like to play 70s glam (Viva T.Rex!), rockabilly, punk rock, and I also sometimes borrow some things from blues and folk genres, and the HoneyTone really holds up well for everything I need it to do.
It's not to say that it's perfect, mind you. The built-in speaker is pretty much worthless. It's very hard to get a usable sound out of it for recording, but it has a headphone jack which would probably work for that. And it wouldn't cut it for live performances - but then that would be stupid. It's a one-watt amp for chrissakes! It's just a little practice amp! And I mean little! (not quite 6"x6") But boy does it get loud! It seems louder than the other mini amps I've come across by Fender and Marshall, and it sounds quite a lot better than the them to boot.
My former main practice amp was one of those marvelous little Pignose amps, and though it sounds better than the Dano, the HoneyTone is far more versatile. And who needs a speaker on a mini amp when you've got a headphone jack? Through the speaker, the sound quality is maybe a 3. Through the headphone jack, it's pushing 8 or 9. It really sounds excellent. The thin, tinny quality disappears, and what remains is a very convincing, solid tone on almost any setting. It's very difficult to dial in a bad sound on this thing, and the booklet has some very helpful sample settings to get you going.
The only trouble is that on the one I've got, sometimes it goes a little blinky when you push it too hard (amp volume and overdrive and guitar volume turned all the way up), and you can also get some harsh feedback at those levels. But if you just turn it down a little, it's a beautiful thing.

The knobs seem solid enough, but the plastic housing and plastic grill don't exactly inspire confidence. It's very lightweight and crushable, but it can withstand a little knocking around. If it breaks, buy another! It's only $30!
I can't quote an exact number, but it seems to last quite a long time on its one 9-volt battery (by the way, they include one of those swanky Dano Vintage Power Source 9-volts, as they do with their pedals).

I've never had to contact them about anything.

The HoneyTone is a winner through and through. Not only does it have those handsome good looks that we've all come to expect from Danelectro, but it sounds fantastic, too! And it's cheap! But it really is the styling that gets me every time - lots of chrome, real leather handle, and a choice of three posh colours: aqua, burgandy, and yellow.
My little Pignose amp is getting a lot less use since the HoneyTone came into my life. The low quality of the speaker is disappointing, but the versatility of tones that the thing can achieve through a pair of headphones is so impressive that it makes everything alright.
If you need a mini-amp for playing alone in your room, there's really no debate - the Danelectro HoneyTone has the competition beat by a mile, and I don't mean maybe.