Danelectro HoneyTone N-10 Mini Amp

I hope this post finds you well and that your holiday was a safe and happy one. Christmas was indeed a merry one at our house.

Thankfully, I didn't get any coal this year and Santa delivered the goods! lol. I was especially excited to see a Danelectro N10 HoneyTone Mini Amp under the tree. Although I purchased my Yamaha SV130 electric violin for "silent" practice, I wanted to be able to play it amplified as well. The Electric Violin Shop (where I purchased my violin) recommended the HoneyTone as a practice amp and so far I'm quite pleased.

Here is a quick summary of the HoneyTone and its features:

• It's small - only 5-1/4" high by 5-1/8" wide by 2-1/2" deep.
• Plastic construction. Features a semi-glossy plastic case with an applied plastic, silver-colored emblem on the front over the speaker area, plastic strap handle, and plastic (at least I think they are!) silver-colored twist knobs.
• Metal belt clip on back of the unit.
• Comes in four "fab" colors - Nifty Aqua, Beatnik Burgundy, Daddy-O Yellow and Black. Santa brought me a black one!
• Powered by a 9 volt battery or AC adapter (adapter is NOT included with the amp).
• Three twist knobs for operation: OFF/VOLUME, TONE, and O. DRIVE.
• Line-In, headphone and AC adapter jacks.
• Includes an instruction sheet with suggestions for sixteen different presets all of which are various combinations of adjustments to the three control knobs featuring catchy names like "Killer Blues", "Woodstock Fuzz" and "Send the Cats Under the Bed".

At first impression, this tiny amp looks like little more than a toy, but it has a surprisingly good sound. I will say that I have yet to explore all sixteen of those presets with my electric fiddle as I'm really more interested in hearing its straight up sound rather than terrorizing the family pets so I've pretty much settled on the "Clean & Spanky" setting for the time being. "Clean & Spanky" is just as described and delivers a crisp, crystal clear ringing tone from my fiddle. The drones and double stops really sound great too and if you do want volume, you'd be surprised just how loud this little amp can get. If one were so inclined, I also think this amp would be great for busking. The built-in belt clip and 9 volt battery power make mobility a non-issue.

My only criticisms of the unit are truly minor in nature. I would say that a few of the presets that I did try seemed to deliver a somewhat similar tone. For me, this isn't an issue as I'm not really interested in having my fiddle sound like anything but a fiddle.

Additionally, as it is plastic construction durability could definitely be an issue. However, I think the low replacement cost pretty much trumps the durability issue when you stop to think about it. You can find the HoneyTone for anywhere between $20 and $30, so if something unfortunate does happen to it, it's not the end of the world.

Bottom line: If you're thinking of going electric and want a great little, inexpensive practice/busking amp that accurately reproduces the true sound of your instrument, I think the Danelectro HoneyTone N-10 would be a great choice and sound investment. How can you go wrong for $20? Yeah, I know, it's kind of cutesy-looking, but that retro, nostalgic look kind of grows on you after awhile and it does sound sweet!