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10 years ago, if any electric guitarist were to say they are using digital effects for their performance, the audience would have left without batting an eye. Today, more than half the pros are using just that. Digital effects came a long way, and today, they are capable of much much more than traditional pedals and amps.

Especially recently, many of the big names are coming out with the smallest all-in-one compact rig. A few of them has really caught my attention and coming from spending years in the Helix ecosystem, a compact side rig sounds like fun to me!

I may very well consider getting one of the following in the future just for fun! As more and more brands join in this trend, this list will only get longer and I will only have more and more choices! Oh what fun it is!!!

The first contender in this list is the Hotone Ampero One. Priced at $429 brand new from Swee Lee, this beast is not to be taken lightly. Weighing in at just 1.2kg, this modeler packs a whole buttload of effects with IR capabilities, all navigated with touch screen. Knowing how many purchased IRs I already have, this is a neat feature! With all these functionalities and at this price point, it's really tough to beat it.

Next one on this list is the Headrush MX5. Noted on the fact that Swee Lee also carries Headrush products. The MX5 is the latest one on this list and the closest in terms of size to the Ampero One. At this moment, size is everything to me. And Headrush adds in quality since it's a more professional brand compared to Hotone. This thing looks really solid in my opinion.

Third one is the Mooer GE200. I don't really trust the brand but after seeing what it is putting out recently, consider me intrigued!!! Same form factor as the above 2 but at the cheapest price point. More research is needed but looks already got me looking!

Another one that has 3 footswitches and 1 expression pedal is the Nux MG-30. Seriously though, this form factor seems to be a very prominent feature in a lot of brands! At this part of the list, I seriously wonder if it's all just brand differences...

My heart is leaning heavily towards the Hotone Ampero One because of its price and it being an updated version of the original Ampero. Unless new brands are adding something world-changing, I can see myself having fun with the Ampero One some time in the future!

Edwin Ang