8 GREAT Cheap Amps (And 4 to AVOID!)
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- čas přidán 2. 06. 2024
- 8 GREAT Cheap Guitar Amps (And 4 to AVOID!)
Today I check run through some great guitar amps, and some not so great. This is something I've been asked to do, since I did the same thing in terms of cheap guitars. This is not a review of the amps, I've done in depth reviews of all of these amps (links below). All of the amps in this video are still in production, apart from one honorable mention. I hope you enjoy this video, and that it helps you, and maybe saves you a bit of money. I'm not paid by anyone to say any of the things I say in the video, and I'm not selling any of the amps mentioned, just to be completely transparent.
0:00 Intro
1:22 Amp 1
3:40 Amp 2
6:30 Avoid 1
7:58 Amp 3
10:20 Amp 4
12:02 Avoid 2
13:55 Amp 5
16:54 Honorable mention
17:18 Amp 6
19:46 Avoid 3
22:35 Amp 7
26:18 Avoid 4
29:14 Amp 8
Links to the reviews:
Amp 1: • Orange Micro Dark Revi...
Amp 2: • Marshall DSL1CR (A Bri...
Avoid 1: • Peavey Bandit 112 (Big...
Amp 3: • Fender Mustang LT25 - ...
Amp 4: • Marshall Origin - A Ch...
Avoid 2: • Marshall Origin 5C (Af...
Amp 5: • Joyo BantAmp Jackman I...
Amp 6: • Boss Katana Mini Revie...
Avoid 3: • Fender Champion 50 XL ...
Amp 7: • Positive Grid Spark Am...
Avoid 4, review 1: • Marshall Code 50 - Oh ...
review 2: • Marshall Code 50 - Giv...
review 3: • Marshall Code 50 (The ...
Amp 8: • BEST Cheap Tube Amp? -...
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Check out the video on 8 Great Budget Guitars: czcams.com/video/dM9zKKiZoxc/video.html
Or check out some of my music: czcams.com/play/PLNaLwTdlpQNHKlg8ALZfM3AINC20WMp8s.html
Your music rocks man. Really. It inspires me to play when I'm able due to health problems. Much appreciated kind sir. I really mean that. Great channel and keep up the great work man!
@@hoosierdaddy2308 Thanks! Hoping for good health for you.
@@MrPolevaulter Thank you kind sir.
Regards from the heartland. Indiana. USA.
I had a Micro Dark for a bit. Great amp, but I never once thought of possibly running the FX send into my interface with an IR loader. I wonder if that would even potentially work out well? I may just have to get one again and try that out. You know, for science! LMAO!
BlackStar HT1
it really should have gotten a mention. Tube amp with a brilliant sound and a ton of options for recording.
Great
1. Orange Micro Dark
2. Marshall DSL1CR
3. Fender Mustang LT25
4. Marshall Origin 20w Head
5. Joyo Jackman
6. Boss Katana Mini
7. Spark
8. Harley Benton Tube 15
Honorable Mention: Roland Micro Cube
Avoid
1. Peavey Bandit 112
2. Marshall Origin 5w Combo
3. Fender Champion 50XL
4. Marshall Code
thanks!!
Avoid
1. Peavey Bandit 112
Well, that eliminates a bunch of players!
Thank you for sparing me 33 minutes of mindless talking and random noodling.
The Peavy Bandit is pretty good, though the gain channel doesn't sound great. Just use the clean channel with pedals, and it's great.
8 great cheap amps & 4 to avoid
01:09 Op.1 Orange Micro Dark (€169, Hybrid amp, 20W)
03:25 Op. 2 Marshall DSL1 CR (€279, Tube/valve amp, 1W)
06:13 Avoid 1 Peavey Bandit 112 (€375, Transistor, 80W)
07:44 Op. 3 Fender Mustang Lt 25 (€159, Modeling amp, 25W, one 8 inch speaker)
10:05 Op. 4 Marshall Origin 20 Head (€379, Tube, 20W)
11:48 Avoid 2 Marshall 5W combo (€222, Valve amp)
13:41 Op. 5 Joyo Jackman II (€149, Hybrid amp, 2 channels)
16:38 Honorable mention Roland Micro Cube (€?)
17:04 Op.6 Boss Katana Mini (€91, Digital amp)
19:32 Avoid 3 Fender Champion 50 XL (€?, clean it's ok)
22:20 Op.6 Spark Amp (€299, Digital amp)
25:59 Avoid 4 Marshal Code (€?, Digital amp)
28:58 Op.7 Harley Benton Tube 15 (€250, clean/crunch channels, Tube amp, 15W)
I have a Peavey Bandit 112 and I am absolutly agree about this review, but for me this amp it's Ok, cause I use the clean channel for platform pedals, I bought it new in €200 & it's too loud, for the price was a better option.
I am the happy owner of a Rolland Cube 40 MK I, and it's one of the best buys I have ever done. The modeling section is OK, but what's awesome is the integrated looper. My guitar playing really got going from the moment I started jamming over phrases. I still use it today for full band practices - and I am been told once in a while to tone it down so loud it can get. Never got to push it past 7, and nowadays I'm more like 3ish. With drums and bass and vocal and stuff. Great little friend, but the hero word is: looper.
I'm a mostly happy owner of a Cube 60, I too mostly like the modelling & the EFX , but sadly no Looper for Paul :((((( sigh ! oh well, the biggest problem I have with mine is the volume control !!! I can't turn it down low enough for practice sessions lOL! , so can identify on that score! , 3 to 4 is about the limit ! , anything much above that, the neighbors will be calling the cops LOL!
@@pwrrpw319 Indeed heh. Just looked it up, and it doesn't seem to have an attenuation feature either, which would be helpful to you. When I used mine in house, I always had that feature on, otherwise I would have had to adjust it between 0.25 and 0.75, which isn't a big range to triffle with. 99% of the time it's either too loud or too quiet, and the other 1% you get it perfectly right, you develop an anxiety disorder that something will mess with the knob and you'll lose forever the perfect setting. XD
@@EddieOtool , Yeah nothing that cleva back in the early Naughties when I bought the beast ! Ive threatened to Mod the thing & add a trim level for finer control, also the power supply seems to run out of steam & compress the sound when I used to jam with my now X mate, so had planned at one stage to fix/mod the power supply too, but never got around to it, the obvious other solution is an add on dummy load /speaker attenuator, sorry I cant remember the proper name for it, I'm on the autism spectrum & I got zero sleep last night so am running on empty at the moment, so apologies in advance for making no sense what so ever !!! , but then again what else is new ??? LOL ! situation normal :)
@@pwrrpw319 lol not autistic here but I barely didn't sleep for 15 years at one (long, endless) point in my life so I sympathize. ;) Yeah if your power supply behaved, a volume pedal at the end of your signal chain wouldn't have helped either - plus it would hurt the tone if you're using the amp's built in efx. Putting it on the fx loop is another trick this amp seems to disallow.
Yeah we've been really, really spoiled in the 2000s with modern digital modeler amps.
@@EddieOtool Bugga :((( yeah I used to have big troubles with insomnia when I was a kid, so I can identify with that ! :(, yeah its either mod time, replace it or keep putting up with its flaws , sigh ! , we'll see , I really do like the idea of a volume pedal, I had thought of that previously, & adding that to a foot switch assembly , it might happen one day, maybe ??? LOL. our modern era that we are living in is yeah not so great of coarse in many ways, so there has to be some compensations hey ! cheers .
Damn dude your playing is unbelievable - you make it look effortless. Im especially impressed with how relaxed your right hand seems during those lightening fast flourishes. You could make any amp sound good!
Thank you :)
It' ok lol
That Joyo amp was really impressive, I thought it sounded the best then looked at the price, couldn't believe it. I think getting this and a good cab might be the best option if you're on a budget as the sound is already pretty convincing and having the cab helps your flexibility in the long term.
Hey what does a cab do?
@@f1n3ss3r4 A cab is basically a speaker
I second the motion! , I too really liked that Joyo, I am definitely gonna have to go check it out ! , as it maybe possible for me to squeeze it into my ever shrinking budget ! cheers :)
@@pwrrpw319I’ve had the joyo zombie 2 got for like 100 dollars and I don’t regret it at all
All I can say is thank you, Elmo! This was probably the most useful video I've ever seen on CZcams. I had never heard of the Harley Benton, which is not common in the U.S., but after watching countless videos, I stumbled upon yours and immediately bought the Harley Benton and could not be more happy. It's a fantastic amp and suits my needs perfectly. Thank you!!
And thank you :)
Great show. I needed an amp for small clubs and having own two different 50 watt Plexi's over the years I was pleased to find the 50 watt Marshall Origin head. If you avoid using the gain and the switch which cuts the wattage it does indeed match my 2 old Plexi's. At a club I have to sometimes use an antenuator with it. A few classic OD's and Fuzz pedals take care of the dirt just fine.
I am 75 and this rig nails sounds I started with back in '71 If you need a small light rig use a single 12 inch closed back cab with the new Celestion NEO Creamback. In spite of it's name it sounds very much like the old vintage Brit made Greenback.It is half the weight and at 60 RMS it can handle the Marshall.
I have 3 used but applicable amps: 1, the 112 VHT Special six a Chinese hand wired all tube amp; 2, the VHT ULTRA special 6 HD only; then the Marshal valvestate 100 combo112, I by pass spkr to a line 6 slanted 412 cab; I have a 1985 Fender super champ 110 but run a 112 cab through it. These amps can be used in most venues except a stadium.
i LOVE your videos!
I think that the blackstar ht5 is a really good amp too, it has a really good clean, a versatile overdrive(you can play from a little cruch to a badass overdrive), and it has reverb too
The 3 band equalizer is a real kicker
Dude, this is valuable data, thank you so much. Great playing, I'm a big Yngwie fan, you're knocking it out the park, three thumbs up.
Thanks 😊
The HB Tube 15 amp was a wonderful surprise to me and paired with the HB G112 Vintage speaker cab with the Celestion Vintage 30 speaker it has become my favorite sound. I have tube Marshalls, Blackstar Mk II, Bugera V5 and a few others, but The HB Tube 15 has become my recording and gigging amp now for the last 5 months. Thanks for your expertise and valued opinions, most of the time I agree with you.
Thanks Greg! Yeah, it's a great amp.
Hows the cab holding up, i really want to get it but a bunch of bad reviews of the build quality and thin sound are turning me off
@@_josemillos The amp is very good quality chassis, Celestion 70/80 speaker is fine, and mine came with JJ tubes. I play it about 10-12 hours during the week and it has been very reliable with no complaints. The sound and tone is not "thin" in any way, it sounds wonderful and can be made to sound clean and sparkly or very crunchy according to the gain applied. It is my favorite amp by far and I have a couple of Marshalls, a Bugera v5, a Blackstar HT5 mark ll and several different solid state and modeling amps. It is my favorite and go to amp. BUY IT, it's the best bang for the buck amp on the market.
how do you like your bugera v5? I'm planning to get one instead of the tube 15, much too loud for home use. I'd also need to use a voltage transformer for the tube 15 which would be a pain. It'll be my first tube amp.
@@dammitcarl1082 I like my Bugera V5 amp. I also like my HB Tube15 and it does get much louder than the v5. For home the Bugera is nice on .1-1w or 5w settings plus you can use headphones where the HB15 does not have an earphone jack. The Bugera is sweet.
I have the Joyo Jackman ii and its just amazing. I play mine through a mini cabinent I made with a Jensen C8r, and I run a multi effects pedal and an EQ pedal through it to really open it up. It's more than you can ask for at that price. It sounds just as big as any other affordable 20 watt tube head through a full size 4x12 cab, and the bluetooth works great.
On a side note, playing it through headphones is how I use it the most, does that great too.
Older Bandit amps sound amazing. The newer one you tried works well as a pedal platform, especially if you use the clean channel or the modern channel with the gain really low and use an OD or distortion pedal for the remainder. A lot of people have had success getting some nasty metal tones by running an HM-2 or similar, and then running it as a layer/stereo rig with something like a 6505 MH or Invective MH paired with a 1x12 cab for the ultimate portable death metal or hardcore rig. Not really your style, but... Tbh I would use the Origin 20 for that, as well. Run an HM-2 or MT-2 into it on relatively low gain on the amp and pair it with a Tubescreamer or Precision Drive boosted bigger amp.
The older Peavey Bandits are phenomenal, and you can find them cheap. They have great clean and drive channels, and are loud as hell.
I have a Rage. I have had it forever and I was amazed at what it can do., have a 50’s Tele Made in Mexico reissue. Theyre made for each other.
The Peavey Bandit and the Orange Crush 120 are the ONLY S.S. Amps I would even CONSIDER playing live!!!!! Of COURSE I’m thinking of ‘84-87 Bandits. Great little solid states
@@STETTRACE I can agree with that. The clean channel on both are excellent. Plenty of headroom.
Is a peavy bandit 75 a good choice because i was thinking about picking one up? Also was looking at a line 6 spider IV, but im pretty new to guitar and dont know much about amps, so idk which one i should get
@@oxidizedoregano you can't go wrong with the Bandit, but if you are looking for built-in effects, the Bandit doesn't have any.
Love that the HB Tube 15 is your top budget amp. I have a version branded Hartwood which comes with a Vintage 30 speaker instead of the HB’s 70/80 and I love it.
Yeah, it's a really nice amp.
I have a marshall origin 20, I agree it takes pedals super well. I used an attenuator in the effects loop to vary the volume so I can crank the tubes but keep it a reasonable volume.
What attenuator do you use mate? I've found that even at the lowest wattage setting the volume is too loud for bedroom use when cranking the master volume to get that sweet tube break-up. Any tips/help would be appreciated, thanks!
Since it's only 20 watts, a good L pad will work just fine. Of course that goes between the amp and speaker, not in the fx loop.
Interesting stuff. I've been touring and recording a Bandit 112 for about 30 years, and this Trans Tube iteration for the last six without complaints (except that Peavey stopped shipping it with a footswitch, which is a weird choice). I don't know that it needed three options for cleans, but that clean channel breaks up incredibly well if you dime it out, and makes an amazing pedal platform too. Hold its hand a little and you can dial in some amazing stuff.
I picked up a mint 1982 Bandit 65 recently that is an absolute goldmine for country and blues.
The Vox AC-10 is one of my favorite overall low powered amplifiers with great rivers and a really nice break up. That and the Fender Champ car pretty much unbeatable in my opinion.
I had a heavily modded first generation Bandit 50 that was stolen, I didnt keep sufficient notes of what I did to it over 3 year period. I could pull and push the pots and twiddle knobs and have a totally different amp for the next song. It did everything I asked it to do. I've had later iterations and none worked as well.
I totally get the angle at which you go here.
yet! .... These are great advices for players "stepping" in and based on "classic modern" preamp + MV tones only.
The Bandit 112 (or at least the older ones) is a fantastic amp once you use it the way it should be used... which is .... as a tube amp.
the clean channel is fantastic: Volume high, gain low, t dynamics adds compression and pedals do the rest.
The best tone is from the end stage, not the preamp drives. Yes, the drive channel is not that good but hey... we are comparing with single channel amps! So use one channel... the clean one.
Great video! I have a Spark and just really wish it wasn't so dark. I prefer my Yamaha THR30ii overall. My problem with some of these new (and often amazing) amps is that I'm finding I'm less and less interested in digging into menus and tweaking settings and dealing with too many options. I've gone from an analog man to a digital explorer and now I'm quickly moving back to simple analog buttons and knobs. :)
I did the same
Totally understand. Apps and menus and stuff are boring.
The older THR10 sounds better than the 2, but you need in most of times to open it and put two lil cable far from eatch other on the motherboard, this will cut so much the noise of the amp and even make I don't know, a better sounding amp and even a better HI FI speakers.
I have to agree. It was nice in a studio setting for some things, but took a lot of time setting up all the tones you wanted instead of just playing. I've just been moving back towards my pedals and tubes amps instead of modelers just to sound great and play. I ended up with a nice Marshall DSL100HR head and 2X12 Marshall cabinet that really sounds great.
I agree. My Katana 50 is a great little amp. But to make small sound adjustments on the fly is (for me anyway) a nightmare, especially when its on one of the presets rather than via the panel button. Next amp will be a 2 channel analog methinks.
As I stated on another video. Peavey used to make good amplifiers, especially for country and western, in Mississippi. Now they market poor to okay amplifiers built in China. I still have an early to mid-1980s Peavey Backstage Plus.
Thanks again for these amazing videos. I'm building my studio back up and these really are very helpful.
Glad to be of help 😊
Nice video, there are so many options too choose from nowadays, it can get confusing. Considering the fender mustang to replace my old and very loud fender eighty-five, seems the versatility of this little thing is quite impressive. Same goes with the line6 spider line, very affordable as well.
Great playing, as usual, I like how you switch from pure shredding to blues/jazz, it's quite impressing.
Thanks! Glad you like it.
I had an eighty five deluxe, far too loud for home use
I agree. I also like when Elmo goes from shred to jazz/blues or even ambient type playing. He is a very capable all around guitarist. I learn from him and enjoy his playing. I find him also great at getting various tones from great and not so great gear. I love when he says "let's see how it feels about some overdrive". Love the hi gain assault with skill. Just sayin. Check out his originals too. You'll like it I think. And last He is a very funny Dude.
I have the 5 watt version of the Harley Benton amp (mine is from Monoprice) and use it through a cheapo 1x12 Kustom cabinet. Together they both cost me less than $200, and sound fantastic. A very inexpensive home solution. Also makes it easy to put the extension cab into an isolation box for home recording.
The 5 watter distorts quickly as you raise the volume, so I replaced the 12ax7 with a 5751. I love the more gentle increase in gain, as I can get subtle gain boots from pedals that are much easier to dial in now. Very versatile.
If you disconnect the negative feedback loop on that amp (it's a 220 cap next to the external output jack it'll sound mote like tweed champ. It's too bright for me in the stock form, I barely turn the tobe knob up it sits almost at zero. But now it's much warmer and punchier like a small.tweed. with a decent 12" external speaker it sounds so much better than the 15 watt blues's Jr wanna be monoprice amp.
I have the same 5 watt amp and I absolutely love it! I just play at home and it's perfect for that.👍😎🎸🎶
In my opinion, the 5 watt tube amp is much better than the 15 watt. The 15 that I ordered never sounded good and the input went bad after a few days. The 5 watt is pretty decent and still works so for half the money it's the better option.
@@araconteur3737 I haven't played through the 15 watt version. I bought the 5 watter because I learned it was a clone of the Fender Champ 5F1 circuit, and I always had wanted one of those old Champ amps.
As someone who likes to use his vol/tone controls to dial in tones, the 5 watter is very responsive to those input changes, and I've never felt that it lacked tonal versatility. The only thing I wish it had was an effects loop so I had the option to keep reverb and delay out of the preamp section, but whatever.
Thanks for the info on the negative feedback loop. When I get bored this winter, I will probably dive into that.
I have one too. Can't say enough good things about it. Mine is LOUD. Great overdriver. Rock on!
Thanks for an honest review, look forward to more of these videos!
looking for a good home/apartment amp that doesn't blow the neighbours away!
Maybe a headphone out put jack as well for those sleepless nights of just trying to get the Led out, lol!
DO you have a vid of the Harley Benton amp with the swapped out speaker?
That would be interesting as well.
Hi professor! Great video! I really enjoy your reviews a lot. Maybe you can do one sometime for recording equipment like this one, for studio monitors, for example, or DAWs. I'd really like to hear your take on those.
Thanks! That would be nice, but I haven't tried enough of those.
It's amazing how good the Fender Mustang sounds for so few euros
Yep.
I have one its awesome
One low buck Marshall I did like was the HAZE I ran it in my rack for a few years.
It took the Rocktron intellifex and other EQ very well. It loved my Jackson JX3 overdrive too
Rocktron Intellifex brought a smile to my face. Wonderful piece of equipment... great Reverb presets for its day
Very to the point and useful. However, your joy of playing is the most inspiring part. I never got on with the Peavey Bandit, but one of my former students played one, and it sounded great. He used a guitar with humbuckers.
Thanks! 😊
Awesome video! Man, what a great comparison. The Harley Benton, to my ears, sounds better with the speaker that's in there as opposed to the external cab. Great stuff, though. And it's always mind blowing to watch you shred. Thanks, Elmo!
Glad you liked it!
I have the head version of that little 1-watt Marshall. I've used it in the pit for two different musicals this year already. One of which I used it's emulated out direct to the house with no speaker cabinet (we had a completely direct/silent pit). It sounded fantastic both times, the first with my 112 cab and the second with no cab. Amazing little amps for the money. I used to work at a store that was a Peavey dealer. It seems to me that they have tried to make all their stuff, even their solid state stuff, sound like the now famous 5150 amp. They sound very ok, but no matter what you do, they don't sound like a tube amp in any way. I feel like they'd be better off to reduce the gain on tap a little bit. Clean sounds are fairly amazing just from having all that power on tap.
I would add the little Blackstar Fly 3 battery powered amp along side the small Boss battery powered Katana. It's a great little amp and has a built-in delay. I think it was around before the Katana, actually. Might be where Boss got the idea to put a delay in the portable Katana. Both are great little amps, for sure.
I've owned a couple of Peavey amps over the years. My first was a Deuce that I bought back in 1978 or so. 100w, 2-12's. It had a tube power section, but a solid state preamp, which wasn't very good. Honestly, I wonder who at Peavey thought such a concept was a good idea. Me, I wasn't as conversant with tube amps as I should have been. All I saw when I looked at it before buying was that it had tubes, so it must be hot! It was only after I started gigging with it that I realized my mistake.
So after I got rid of the Deuce, what did I do? Well, I bought another Peavey, of course . But I had learned my lesson regarding Peavey's lousy preamp "overdrive" at least. So, I fell into a really good deal on a Peavey Session head. 200 watts RMS. No master volume. This amp stayed clean even when maxed out. It was designed for keyboardists and pedal steel players. I paired it with a 250w PAS 12" enclosure, and had a kickass amp that was crystal clean at all volumes. So, to satisfy my need for that overdriven sound, I bought a Boss overdrive pedal and all was right with the world again.
That Session head was a damn good amp, easily filling every venue I played in. But not a first choice for mos guitarists, unless your guitar sez Shobud on its label, and you play with pedals and levers you move with your knees.
I got a second-hand Roland Cube 60, initially for home use, especially for having a headphone option. But realising how loud it is, I started using it on band practices, and on smaller gigs, it does the job more than satisfactory :)
does it work for home too?
@@pedka sure does, being a solid state, works well at all volumes. Plus, it has a headphone input, so you really can't go wrong with it.
A Vlvery informative review, not only very accomplished playing but also very appropriate to suit the strengths of each amp, hence rhis is one of the better and intelligent gear reviews on YTube.
I must add, Amp 3, the Fender Mustang, is real quality and amazing value for money - hard to believe it's not a valve / tube combo.
Great video and for my money it's the Spark hands down man! I mean, not only it it budget friendly, sounds pretty good and best feature: All the money you can save by not having to hire a rhythm section anymore!
I've got one of the Marshall custom shop JCM1 mini stacks they made for the 50th anniversary. It's got 2 10" cabs, and I rarely use the 1watt setting at home, but usually have it on the 0.1w setting, and it's loud enough that if I put it past 8 you can hear it outside my house. It sounds fantastic too, and I may give the DSL1 a try too.
How much did you get the 50th for??
@@vdxxxy484 a friend of mine had a shop, and wanted to close it and move, he found it in his storage room 6months ago, brand new still in the boxes. I bought him a plane ticket to Vancouver and gave him a blackstar practice amp.
@@RByrnejcm1 mini sounds good?
@@samlin3086 yeah, it sounds great. Loud enough for practice that I usually play it off the 0.1watt setting.
It’s just the most sound from 1 watt on earth. The tone is good on both channels , but I’m gonna burn in the tubes & it should be even better.
Rock on 😎
Avoid #5: Fender Frontman 10g. The guitars in the packages that the majority of these amps are sold with are often really good guitars for the price, but the Fender Frontman 10g has to be the worst amp ever made for overdriven tones: even the clean tones are just okay. It’s not that much more expensive to buy just the Squier Bullet Strat or Tele by itself, and something like a fender champion 20, which is miles better than the Frontman. I also got the extra padded road runner gig bag, but Fender are known for durability so this isn’t a must unless you really bang stuff around.
Definately avoid the Fender Frontman 212R my wife bought me on as a birthday gift years ago and it has many problems on top of just sounding awfull even for it's price range. hate to part with it since it was a gift so it just sits in my shop next to my drumkit collecting dust.
Actually the front man 25 is a good amp
@@777bigbird Yeah the larger ones are fine inexpensive amps, but the number stands for wattage. The 10 is less than half the power than the 25, and has a tiny speaker in it.
@@djijspeakerguy4628 thing about the 1O vs 25 ..the 25 was $100 comes with pedal and had reverb
And 1O inch speaker. And louder than what they appear to be. Need more , mic it . Not heavy and gets the job done.
Valeton Tar-20g is absolutely fantastic as far as solid state amp heads go. The clean sound is fantastic, the crunch is solid and it takes pedals really well. It is also extremely compact and you can use it with your headphones (the cab sim is pretty good). With harley benton cab you can get most of the tones really easy. And it is cheaper than half of the amps mentioned here.
glad to read your comment, i thought nobody shared my opinion on the TAR. lol
I have two of the "North American" version of the Harley Benton Tube 15 (sold by Monoprice). I kept one mostly stock, except for swapping V1 with a 12AT7 and replacing the power tubes when they failed after just a couple months (the bias adjustment was way off). The other one, I did a total re-tube (12AT7 in V1, upgraded the rest because they were failing) and replaced the stock speaker with an Eminence Legend.
The "stock" amp has a nice Marshall crunch, and gets really hairy (in the best way) when you push it. The "modded" amp has more of a Fender character, but sounds spectacular cranked.
Easily the best budget amp around, just be sure to check your tube bias when you first get it, and especially if you swap the power tubes. It should be at around 12.5 volts. Mine was around 8. They even made it pretty easy to check and adjust, so no excuses!
Agree about the bias being way out of adjustment from the factory. Mine was 7.5V and I upped it to about 11.5V. Made quite a difference. There are instructions on the TDPRI website on how to make the adjustment - search for "Is the Monoprice 15w self biasing." Also changed out the speaker for a Cannabis Rex. Sounds even better now. It's a fantastic little amp for the price even with the speaker change. I didn't mess with the tubes. The last thing to do would be to swap out the reverb box for an aftermarket unit.
Also, I have the DSL-1HR and Joyo BantAmp JaCkMan. They sound great running thru either a 2x12 or half-stack.
I bought the Micro Dark back in December and this is a monster in a lunchbox, love this amp.
I always appreciate your honest opinions. I got a spark, I dig it. 2 things in particular, the ability to download tones made by other people, pretty much any player or tone you can think of, and 2) the ability to play music or lessons, including CZcams & Spotify, right through the app.
Cheers!
Can you gig with it in clubs or it's just for practice?
First time on the channel. Nice video! As soon as I saw the scalloped neck, I knew we were in for some Malmsteen riffs.
Really cool and informative video, mate! Thanks!
Cheers!
I was so happy to see the Harley Benton in there. I have the Harley Benton Mighty- 15 TH and for so little money it is amazing. In fact it is amazing anyway. I tried it with a pair of 1x10 redsub cabs which come loaded with celestions. At any level it is so able to be loud and or sound huge at low levels.
I also didn't get on with a Marshall Code although it was the smaller one. Hard to get sounds out on for me. I had a Fender Mustang modelling amp. Far more intuitive to get nice tones out of again for me.
Thankyou for your time in doing this for us all God bless you.
Loved your playing so had to subscribe 🤗
Thank you!
Great video Elmo! Harley Benton has really improved in quality in the last couple of years. It’s scary how good their gear is at that price!
You should not be scared.
@@allenparsens5279 really not scared, I’m more happy that you don’t have to break the bank to get a good sound 😊
They sure have.
Be afraid. Be very afraid. 🤣
Great playing and great sounds from almost all amps Elmo! :)
So glad I subscribed to your channel, honestly, humour, really insightful, and a joy to hear your playing, thank you! I'm totally torn at between the katana 50 and the hb tube 15, I know they're at two ends of the spectrum but can it make up my mind which would be best!
Thanks! I'd get the Tube15.
@@MrPolevaulter thanks man!
You're a brilliant analyst and fantastic guitarist, love your work, now subscribed.
Thank you very much :)
On Shane from "In the blues" advice, I picked up a Peavey Bandit Redstripe. Probably 20 yrs old, and I paid £120. It's loud AF, you can dial in a sweet spot bluesy breakup. There's a beefy low end too. If I jam or play somewhere new or dodgy this is the amp I take. I use it clean and add pedals. It's pretty good you know. Quality Control may have gone in the modern version, but I remember my mates ripping it up in the 80s with the old 60 watt Bandit. It was the go to pub amp ⭐
Yeah, I've heard it said the old ones were better.
I have an American made silver stripe Peavey Bandit 112s circa 1990s and it is phenomenal! Very warm very tube like tone and response. Can't speak for the current crop of Bandits but mine is a keeper!
I wanted to thank you greatly for mentioning the Roland Cube.On EBay I bought the guitar and bass amps.The guitar has great sound and effects. Haven’t did much with the bass amp but it’s cool to have 4 little speakers and a built in metronome.Thanks again.
Very informative and entertaining, thanks Dude 😊😎
Thanks for this. I’m learning the very basics on an Alvarez 00 acoustic that just happens to be in the house, but I’ve been eying my first electric guitar & amp. It looks like I can get a good, solid first setup for around $500 USD that’ll keep me happy for as many years as I’d like.
Did you get your set up already?
@@chrismillenario5795 the Alvarez? Not much to set up as it's an acoustic... new strings, tweaked the truss rod to set intonation, action could be a touch lower but it's fine as is.
You can do better than $500. Look at the used market. Plenty of great stuff to be found as people upgrade to new stuff. The older stuff still works great, just fewer bells and whistles.
@@indiedavecomix3882 I got tired of looking and just bought a Squier Affinity which I've been very happy with and a Bugera V5 amp that I got on sale. I found some inexpensive upgraded pickups and a new speaker for the amp. All in I'm $570 with a guitar I enjoy playing through an amp that sounds really good (with the new speaker, the stock one was... meh).
At some point in the next year I'll buy another guitar to expand the range of sounds I can make along with whatever pickups I need here and there. I'm enjoying surf rock at the moment so I'll probably add a used CV Stratocaster to the the Jazzmaster I have and dump a bunch of money into a SurfyBear spring reverb.
Those Joyo Bantamps are incredible value for money. I was looking at buying one but went for a Terror Stamp instead, which (I believe) is a Micro Dark in pedal form. Great little amp which punches well above it's weight when you factor in it's price. ✌️🇦🇺
The joyo stuff is unbeatable especially at the price for sure
They fixed that “dark” sound on the Spark with the addition of an EQ pedal. You should give it another try. Love all of your input and reviews. One of the better channels on the tube
Thanks!
Hey I'm new to the channel I just subscribed! I love your playing dude and it's good to hear how these amps respond to the higher gain settings but I would love to hear these amps clean with a little bit of chorus, reverb and a little bit of delay just because that's kind of my wheelhouse. None the less great job of presenting these affordable fantastic sounding amplifiers to us!
Thanks! I prefer All these years playing a Plexi has made me partial to a bit of breakup :)
I always liked Peavey amps. Way before they got involved with EVH. Great amps for classic rock and they can clean up well. I favored a deluxe reverb for live most of my life.
Pretty good reviews. Some of these little amps sound great for what they are. Especially the Marshal DSL.. The Harley Benton. Great little amp. I'm with you on the Marshall code. A really flabby bottom end. Reminds me of the hot rod series flabby bottom end. Maybe it's another amp paired with the wrong speaker because it sounded like dog shit across the board. Impressive stuff for not alot of money. Easy small gig stuff if you Mic the amp. Great selections for the beginner.
What a nice collection of samples. Congrats for a great video. Extensive and to the point.
The HarleyBenton sounded incredible but I bet it's too loud for the living room and not enought for the reharshall room. IMO Digital wins easy for practive. A valve amp even at 0,1w may be about as beareable, but it won't ever sound clean.
This is the first of your videos I've seen. Nice production, I appreciate your honesty and wow, you can play! Keep tearing it up, man!!
Thanks, will do!
I have an older Roland Micro Cube and the Monoprice Stage Right 15 (same as the Harley Benton). Both great amps!
I have a Marshall dsl1 head that I put through a 112 cab with a vintage 30.
Sounds great. Surprisingly loud as well.
Cool :)
You’re still the guy that led me to my Marshall 1987x purchase about 2 years ago. Best amp ever!
Glad you like it :)
Elmo where you been all my days and nights. Awesome video and intel on the amps!
Cheers!
On a budget, the Mustang micro has been great for practice. for acoustic gigs, I have a roland cube street that has separate channels for mic and guitar and it sounds great. I'm interested in those cheap tube amps for taking to gigs and practices. I have an 81 Carvin EV100 1x12 that's awesome and loud AF but weighs 70 pounds! Great video!
Thanks!
mustang micro on the 60s british setting is the best edge of breakup clean tone i’ve ever had
I use a Peavey Vypyr 30 for my practice. Good sounding little amp with a ton of tone options
Hej Elmo. I just bought a Blackstar HT 1R used. My first tube amp with only 1W 🤩 I think it’s great. As always great video 👍👍
Great video. Thanks Elmo!
I have bought a champion 20 recently and I have to say that I am very happy that I did choose it, perfect for home use but also loud when you want to crank it up somewhere else, really universal nice sounding amp thanks to the settings but also easy to set up unlike some modelling amps. The one on the vid is a 50xl and it in many ways looks and sounds different than mine so maybe they are connected only by name
I believe the XL line only upgraded the speaker (came with Celestion speakers instead of Fender ones), and I think they have some USB connectivity. I own a Champion 100, it looks and sounds great. I don't care if it's solid state, it holds its own against my tube amps.
Amp #9: Peavey Vypyr X series. I have a Vypyr X2 and it's perfect, it's mostly a metal amp but it has tons of variety of tones, presets, pedals, effects, all in a simple and easy to use interface. It's a combo amp that has trans-tube tech (whatever that means) has a multi-instruemnt speaker, meant for acoustic, electric, and even bass!
I love my Vypyr too work with my Ibanez Bass, strat copy, tele copy and Ibanez super-strat One amp to rule them all :)
I've got the vypyr 1 and I really like it.
I bought the Vypyr VIP 2 2nd hand ($65!) And i doubt I'll need to replace it for a while (unless it it dies on me). More features than I'll ever use. But sounds great!
Always Glad to Hear Your Opinion on Gear!
Amazing review, thanks. It will be fantastic another one about the best amps to be used only with headphones. Thanks in advance
Thanks! I never use headphones when playing guitar, so probably won't be doing that.
I have the Marshall DSL1CR and love it. It's a great practice amp and the 0.1W setting keeps my neighbors rage at bay (I live in an apartment).
Cool :)
Did you see the look of amazement in ELMO's face when he heard the epic sounds!!!! 😀
I totally and completely agree with you, sir. On all counts.
I own the Boss Katana mini. The joyo marshall to my ears better than the two actual Marshall's. I own the Joyo version of the Orange (meteOR) and paired it with a Orange cabinet. Both the Joyo meteOR and Micro Dark have great flexability. And they are so cute and tiny. Brands like Marshall and Fender can sometimes occasionally make a mistake or make a dud. Band Trio pedal does a better job at jamming along with the player than the Spark amplifier. The Harley Benton and the Joyo both show that Big Name brands are not always all that they are made out to be. And that small brands can on occasion are just as good and sometimes better.
The best two advices that I ever got regarding guitar are :
From the woman I considered my mother, "go direct to your amp"
From a bass player "play clean and play loud"..
I now realise that with a nice amp you can get any tone or effect you like direct to the clean amp.
A nd in playing loud and clean, you learn not to hide behind effects and develop great feel and control
Origin 50 and Harley Benton by far are the best - for the money, my second option would be mini Plexi and of course if I were a rockstar - a big plexi 1987x but with 1936 cab 'cause 412 can't fit into the trunk of my car haha :D, plus my bass player is an idler who rarely wants to give a hand in those situations
nice video as always Elmo :) :) :)
Cheers :)
Just bought a barely used Roland microcube for 300 nok, about 30$, it's quite nice. I've almost considered using it instead of my rack amp, easier to bring around.
I’m a 100% tube guy, yet really like my Spark 40! It’s very refined. Also a really cool dynamic Wah in the Hendrix pack.
Love your videos…your the Barry Sanders of the guitar players. A super talent and very humble. Just bought my son a Katana Mini for his dorm room in college can’t wait for him to come back home so I can try it out.
Thanks :)
I bought a Marshall VS 265 from my brother who purchased it new but never played it. So, I got a practically-new Marshall VS 265 for $300.00, and I think it is a great amp, especially for a hybrid!
I have 2 valvestates and they are great, zztop used them too
nice that you mentioned the micro cube. big fan of these small little 50 bucks amps myself. best price to sound value ever
Yep.
I have one that I got ages ago at a local music store after watching a bunch of videos about it. Love that little guy.
I have the second one--the Marshall DSL1CR.
I had never even heard of it until the day I bought it. I went to the store to try out a Yamaha THR30ii, an employee suggested I try the Marshall too, and I went home with the Marshall.
I have the Origin 20 head and I honestly love it. It is really loud though even on low power. If I was running a 4x12 I'd probably get evicted rather promptly.
Probably :D
Peavey Bandit - the older versions - are incredibly well regarded and I think the new one suffers from it's speaker choice. That said, it does massively depend on your style and tone foibles plus it is at the higher end of the scale to be considering a speaker swap.... I had loads of success with the Blackstar HT5 Metal mini head.....wonderful cleans and versatile dirty channel......shame they're hard to find. Out of interest, what speaker did you swap into the HB?
Good list :)
Cheers! It wasn't me, it was my luthier friend, so I'm not entirely sure.
I recently saw a club gig with a MusicMan guitar through a DigiTech modeler into this Peavy Bandit, no mic for PA. I was blown away how good it sounded.
I'd have preferred it if you didn't run any pedals and played the same thing for each one, and specified what speaker cab you used with the head amps. that being said, you did a great job of explaining your reasoning behind your choices. I personally don't have time to run all over the place to try out every amp so this is very helpful to me. Thanks.
Thanks for the criticism. It's rare to get actual constructive criticism on CZcams 😀
Wouldn't folks want to know how the amps take overdrive pedals? For me it's the second most important question right after does the map sound good or like arse. I must be old school.
Real nice and informative video. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Elmo, I own a code and I don't hate you. I will say that my code 50 died and would not turn on anymore. I still have a code 25 that my son and I use. It does take some time to dial in a sound. The presets are crap. Your channel is brilliant. I love the way you will play a well-known song and play a part of it deliberately wrong and laugh about it. Simply Awesome!!!
Thanks!
I use a kenwood krf a4030 receiver as guitar amp..always stereo and all the connections you need for home recording. Need effects tho.. If you really have little money you can find such amps at thrift stores or pawnshops
I've had loads of Peavey Bandits during a 35 year period. I cant speak for the latest model but I bought a USA Red Stripe last year that was like new for £70.Good clean channel and with a decent OD pedal a good gigging tool...that Harley Benton sounded great BTW
Great video. Love your playing. Thank you. All the best.
No Monoprice Stage Right guitar/bass tube/solid state amps? That is, outside of the Harley Benton, which is a rebranded Monoprice. Something to consider! A lot of bang for your buck.
As an aside, while I enjoy the look and fun sounds of the Fender RTs, you're paying a premium not only for the brand, but for features you can get for less money (e.g., pedals, boxes, DAW add-ons).
What I Love about this is guys is that he's honest and NOT paid off by companies to push products. With that said, allow me to explain what took place just yesterday. I was looking at a tube amp called Monoprice Stage Right 15 watt tube amp. ( It's the exact same amp as the Harley Benton Amp mentioned in this video. Just a different name. ) As I'm wondering if I should buy the amp, I bumped into this video. So I thought, okay, let's go and check this amp out.
I get to the guy's house, ( Craigslist Sale ) and he has the amp, but also has an empty casing of the exact same amp. So I asked what, do you have 2 of the same amp? He replied Yes! One was damaged through shipping, and he said that it lit up and then shortly afterwards no longer worked.
He wanted $200.00 for the working amp and tried to BS me by saying he paid $300.00 for it. He said it was "Brand New" and indeed it seems brand new. So being a guy, I asked, would you take $150.00 for it? NO! $175 is as low as I'm going, he replied. So I purchased it, and then I asked about the other amp that was gutted. He asked if I would like to purchase it. I said I only have $40.00 left on me. He said he had all the parts upstairs and went and got them.
Remember, this thing was NOT supposed to work! I looked at how the amp I purchased and how it was set up and set the tubes in the chassé the exact same way as the working amp, and the damaged amp lit up!
So I thought, "Okay, There's Hope!" I thought I should purchase the damaged amp in case I ever need parts. There was also a wire that came loose in the reverb tank. I get these amps home and the first thing I do is take apart the working amp to see where to resolder the loose wire from the damaged amp. Well, that was an easy fix.
Then I went and put the reverb tank back into the working amp.
Okay, so can I get the damaged amp to work again. Just a Special Note, the damaged amp is also "Brand New." I then connect the speaker. So I set the tubes in once again correctly and the damaged amp once again lights up! Ah! BUT will it work with my guitar plugged in?
The moment of TRUTH arrives. I plug in my guitar and guess what happens? EVERYTHING WORKED THE WAY IT SHOULD! Without any problems!
When they guy said it no longer worked, he must have put the tubes in the wrong way!
So I now have 2 of these amps ( one with a damaged casing ) but both are brand new for a lousy $215.00!!! ( US Dollars! ) BEAT THAT!!!!
And then it was time to jam! Elmo Karjalainen is ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, these are awesome sounding inexpensive amps! I was looking to buy 1 and ended up with 2! While negotiating the price, I made the comment, "I was really hoping to get the amp for $150.00" but got both amps for $215.00!!! That's $107.50 per amp! ( With a little work included )
You see, I knew to check this guy out "Elmo Karjalainen" because he tells the truth, but I had absolutely no idea his number one pick of " Great Budget Amps" was going to be the amp I had my eyes on. It is AWESOME, BEST SOUNDING, AWESOME FEELING TUBE AMP which makes playing easy because it's very responsive!
So listen to this man Elmo Karjalainen he knows what he's talking about!
Thanks Dude!
Sir Zap from Buffalo, New York.
Thank you very much for that story. Very cool :)
Nice!
@@ZiddersRooFurry Yeah, I got lucky!
I bought the Orange Rocker 15 after watching your review of it. I know the amp polarised opinion but I absolutely love it. It's also my first valve amp and, there's no denying, it just feels different to digital. Much more responsive to hard/soft picking etc.
I have a Rocker 15 and I use it on the dirty channel as clean as I can with the output almost full up. It's awesome
If you ever feel the need to upgrade, get a good condition, pre-loved Orange Rocker 30 (not the 32). Very organic sounding, excellent for gigging. It’s a class A, 30 watt, 2 channel combo or head loaded with two EL34s in the power section.
Love the CODE 25 it sounds much better than the 50.
Once the 25 is dialed in, purty impressive amp.
I’m glad you mentioned the Code 50. As a code owner myself, it is the worst purchase I’ve ever made (not only gear related). I always thought that something was wrong with me since everyone online claimed how amazing it was. I can’t wait to sell it and get rid of it. It’s one of the worst amps I’ve played, never buying a digital modeling amp ever again.
Yeah, it's terrible.
THANK YOU! I absolutely hated the one i had. My first Marshall.
@@kellybates1972 hahaha same!!
@@MrPolevaulter I am selling it and I’ll probably buy a VOX Superbeetle mini. I bought the Pathfinder 10, and it’s hilarious how much better it sounds than the code 50. It’s actually a really good amp for its price, definitely one of the best cheap purchases I’ve made.
@Joliet Jake that is one of the main reasons I hate the code amps. I sure you can get a decent tone but its like finding a needle in a haystack. Plus the app and bluetooth are a joke.
Live I play a plexi 100 through a quad of redbacks. Practice rig is a code 100 combo. You gotta spend a bit of time with the code and dont push the bass. I changed speakers to t-75, disconnected wifi connector (makes noise), and do not use stock presets. I build my own preset off the plexi patch and get a damn decent tone. Tighten the screws all around cabnet. Effects loop works better with outboard chorus and delay- I dont use onboard effects so I built a little board just for the code. Use the amp as a stand alone amp and it's better than the presets and modeling. I can see why a person would not want to gig all the time with it- ( can be a bit noisey, and needing to check your settings every gig) but it could do it in spades. It's just not for adhd people.
Just purchased a Marshall Code 50 for approx. 280 Euros, and it is a high quality, powerful amp with amazing bass response, as it has a closed cabinet. Makes my Telecaster almost sound like an acoustic guitar.
I that I was saying I’ve had the Marshall code as my second amp and still use it I feel like it’s great for beginners as well because it helps you find what tone you wanna find in your next amp but without the app on your phone i could see it being bad
One thing to remember, if you're playing guitar you don't need much bass at all. The guitar is a mid range frequency instrument.
The first Marshall combo amp (1 Watt) sounded very good... tone for days... Tube/Valve is the only way to go, regardless of amp choice...
I had one of the new fender champs some years ago and i loved it. Not sure if it qualifies as a budget amp but they're under £400. They are a hybrid solid state & valve (just one valve) but only 15 watts. Very nice though. Before that i had a Peavy classic 50watt combo class A valve and it was very nice sounding and about £500. It did get a bit hot though.
Just stumbled onto your video... very entertaining and I must say your technique is outstanding
Thank you very much :)