Yamaha THR30ii

Chewie5150

Chewie5150

Fractal Fanatic
I'm looking at this model to use as a practice amp. Though it'd be relatively close to my Fractal setup I'd like something quick to plug into to encourage more playing. That's the point afterall right? Whatever tools that inspire us to play more. Does anyone have experience with this model in particular? I used to have the THR10X army green and regretfully sold. I love the form factor of these amps and in no way expect them to be loud or sound like my Fractal. For the money on the THR30ii I'm already near the territory of the 5150 iconic combo or even the new Catalyst that looks interesting but...but....form factor of these yamahas are what grab me along with the feature set of wireless/BT. Plus doubling as a mini hifi system ; could use as a soundbar for my home theatre and built in rechargable batteries to bring to the park and play with my acoustic etc. It is a pretty penny though and I'm really on the fence due to that.
 
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I own a THR30ii and it's great. I still have my THR10C and having access to all the other amp models physically without relying on the software is one of the reasons I went with the 30ii over the 10ii.

I use it in many of the same use cases you mentioned. I sit on my porch and play my guitar while steaming music from my phone over BT. I use it for music whenever I'm working out. My wife likes to sit it on the bed and use it when she wants to watch movies/vids from her laptop/tablet. The BT alone is such a nice convenience. Battery life is great too.

It works really well with the wireless transmitter and it was also one of the main reasons I got it (I already owned a G10T). Super convenient to have both the guitar and practice amp both wireless.

Having said that, at one point, Line6 began releasing fw updates that essentially crippled the battery life of the G10T (to prevent fire hazard). For me, battery life went from the advertised ~8hrs to ~3hrs immediately after updating the fw. Instead of recalling and replacing the faulty G10Ts, they released a G10Tii.

The G10Tii works perfectly with the THRii, but I refuse to spend money on it. My G10T worked perfectly and I never even planned on updating the fw, but they forced the fw update anyway through the THR30ii. There were people on other forums, including their own, who were not happy about the fw updates.

That aside (and it's something you wouldn't have to worry about that anyway) the THR30ii is imo the best in the desktop/mini amp category.
 
I have the THR10ii. I love it. It’s a great little practice amp. I use it almost every day. It certainly has some good tones in it.
 
I'm still using a THR10X. If I was buying now, I'd look hard at the 30, but they aren't cheap, and definitely puts you into other amp territory. I guess it mostly depends if the ability to run off batteries is actually desired.

I've gotten some decent tones out of the 10X, but the modeling software sucks, for me anyway. Easy to be spoiled by Fractal. I just can't ever get what I really want out of it. In the past, I've thrown some pedals on it, which really just defeats the purpose of the whole thing. Maybe the 30 is a lot better in that regard.

Also, to get use of the wireless part, it's another $100 for the Line 6 transmitter, so you're really at $650, which starts putting other options out there.
 
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Holy Hannah! that is damn cool striping mod. Way better than the yellow! I used to have the army green 10x version and loved the aesthetic of that better than the new yellow but this is a whole other level. Yeah, it's no fractal but I was pleasantly surprised with their high gain sounds. I'm currently waiting for one to be in stock. Sold out everywhere.
 
@CodePoet If you have any pics documenting that mod I'd love love to see how you did that! I have to say, the more I read up on this amp and see youtube demos I'm quite impressed with the feature set and sounds. There's a flat mode on there which had me curious how an FM3 or FM9 would sound running through.
 
Chewie5150 said:
Holy Hannah! that is damn cool striping mod. Way better than the yellow! I used to have the army green 10x version and loved the aesthetic of that better than the new yellow but this is a whole other level. Yeah, it's no fractal but I was pleasantly surprised with their high gain sounds. I'm currently waiting for one to be in stock. Sold out everywhere.
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You know what I hate about the green though? I can't ready the lettering on anything. Black lettering on dark green. What moron came up with that combination. I have to get a flashlight out every time I want to change anything. I hate it. As much as I hate the idea of pastel gear, I'd take it over the dark green just so I could read it. They could have just lettered it in white.
 
I have the THR30II as well as a Bias Spark amp. The THR runs on battery, the Spark needs to be plugged in. Apart from that, they are both great practice at home amps.
 
Chewie5150 said:
@CodePoet If you have any pics documenting that mod I'd love love to see how you did that! I have to say, the more I read up on this amp and see youtube demos I'm quite impressed with the feature set and sounds. There's a flat mode on there which had me curious how an FM3 or FM9 would sound running through.
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I sanded the original paint off then sprayed it with 3 different Rustoleum Chalked paint cans in the style of EVH for the striping and added some clearcoat. Also tapped into the power to add the red LED light to shine behind the grill. I was copying a similar project from Craig Stofko - you can find some other/better examples from him online.
 
I've heard some great tones come out of these little Yamaha's. A couple of weekends ago I had the house to myself and was wishing I had a little combo down stairs to use while I watch tv (yeah, I'm that guy). The whole battery/wireless thing may be just the thing. But man... I'm one lazy MF if I can't make it up the stairs to my Mancave/Studio/Office. I gotta shake off the GAS.
 
Bman said:
I've heard some great tones come out of these little Yamaha's. A couple of weekends ago I had the house to myself and was wishing I had a little combo down stairs to use while I watch tv (yeah, I'm that guy). The whole battery/wireless thing may be just the thing. But man... I'm one lazy MF if I can't make it up the stairs to my Mancave/Studio/Office. I gotta shake off the GAS.
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I admittedly spend far too much time in front of the TV and think if i had something small that sounded decent, I could at least be practicing mindless fingering/scales etc. GAS is a big part of it of course too hahah.
 
Another solution I'm considering is the L6 Catalyst 60 or 100watt. Nearly $200 cheaper than the THR30ii though its entirely a different form. Defeats the goal of small footprint but it has power amp input that could be used with my Axe fx as a powered speaker. I havent heard one in person yet so its all speculation. No idea if its decent or not. But seems to be a very different offering than their usual wares.
 
I have a THR30ii...way expensive for a practice amp.

I like it 'cause:
  • sounds surprisingly decent
  • loud enough to be fun
  • five presets....no distractions
  • battery power
  • works with G10 wireless transmitter
  • Bluetooth audio
  • aux in for BeatBuddy

I dislike:
  • can't switch sounds with a foot pedal
  • big honkin' charger
 
ElectricPhase said:
I have a THR30ii...way expensive for a practice amp.

I like it 'cause:
  • sounds surprisingly decent
  • loud enough to be fun
  • five presets....no distractions
  • battery power
  • works with G10 wireless transmitter
  • Bluetooth audio
  • aux in for BeatBuddy

I dislike:
  • can't switch sounds with a foot pedal
  • big honkin' charger
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The price is what I'm having the most trouble with. I saw a vid yesterday of someone pairing it to a XSonic Airstep YT. It's a 5 button bluetooth/midi foot pedal
https://xsonicaudio.com/pages/airstepytedition
 
Good point. I dont' know about pairing multiple BT devices either. If its not possible then yes, quite limiting as I'd like to use the BT audio at the same time as well.
 
I have to say, since I got my Waza Airs, I've really not used my THR a lot. Being totally wireless for me, zero cords, is a game changer, and makes practicing around the house, outside in the yard, camping, etc, seemless. It's honestly really spoiled me. If you are free to make as much noise as you want all the time, then the wireless THR would be awesome, but since I frequently need to practice with headphones on anyway, the Airs are really fitting the bill.
 
Chewie5150 said:
I admittedly spend far too much time in front of the TV and think if i had something small that sounded decent, I could at least be practicing mindless fingering/scales etc. GAS is a big part of it of course too hahah.
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Blackstar 5watt.

I had one and put it behind the TV set to hide it. I ran a DD3 thru the fx loop for some echo and it sounded great, especially at low levels. It also cleaned up well using the guitar knob. I tried pushing a tube screamer but didn't need it. It was perfect for the situation. Problem is/was that I sold it when I bought my first Fractal unit, the AX8. I think I just did it to justify the the price and to prove to my wife that I was selling this to pay for that. Actually, I could just buy another one and use a wireless. I tried it in a band situation and it didn't really push loud enough, which is understandable. It was an electric kit and we played at aa pretty low volume. I think I DI'd out to the PA to help. Great little practice amps though.
 
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