If you buy this amp, PLEASE don't decide until you've broken in the speaker. It really changes after playing for a while. The bottom end blossoms. I was going to send it back and now I simply love it and can't believe I have such a sweet-sounding amp for this price. It looks better in person too. The photos look gray, but it's very creamy.
You can just plug in an aux cable and run white noise to break it in 6 hours, of if you have a looper play a clip in all tones and run it for 6 hours. I found 6 to be the sweet spot for guitar speakers, some like up to 20 though.
Will have to break mine in for sure, a bit pokey. Still prefer my yamaha thr30ii for bedroom practice. Hoping to hook it up to some Marshall 12" cabs, should sound better then. Bought it for the 6v6gt tubes, wanted the fender sound. Still looking at a Fender vibrochamp but 6x the price. At 180 usd was too cheap not to try. Replacing a 1950's Gibson Skylark which though great will cost a fortune to repair. Also needs to be used with huge transformer as in Europe.
Don't forget those dirt cheap mini pedals. When I was a teen I had 1 pedal. That's all I could afford. If it could have bought them for $20-30 each instead of $200-300 I'd have had a dozen.
These were on sale last week (@Monoprice) for $100 taxed & shipped (I have two now to run in stereo). Their standard price now is $159....they also updated to JJ tubes about a year(?) ago. The speaker is ok but you can also use the amp as a head to a separate cab. Rock on!
I modded mine with a ECC81 preamp tube and it cleaned it up nicely. Still breaks up when you crank it but takes pedals great now. The stock speaker isnt bad, but I went ahead and ordered a Warehouse Guitar G8C for it, which waiting to arrive. Great amp!!! I like it better than the 15watt. I keep it next to my chair in the living room. I will even get a little Chuggy with a Joyo Uzi pedal into it and a tele.
I never though a Tele to be a metal guitar but it sound so good with it. Alnico 5 pickups and crank up the gain is pure bliss....I haven't even picked up my Flying V since getting it, and that has some ridiculously hot 15K ceramics....I still grab the tele. I just cant get the neck pickup to sound good, I don't know how Tom Morello does it. Maybe I'll swap in an Active like he has....
@@SteveSterlacci I bought this I swapped the speaker out for a Jensen vintage style 8-in and I put some 1950s tubes in cause I prefer clean tones my amp now sounds like a Sears Silvertone 1300 my amp now sounds like the amp Luther Perkins used on the early Johnny Cash Sun records stuff my style is more like Luther Perkins I also use Thomastik 11 Guage flatwound strings I've played a 1940s Silvertone 1300 amp so I know what it sounds like in ever since I did these mods to my amp it sounds exactly the same as 1940s silvertone 1300 another modification I did is I made it to where the amplifier is hand-wired I took out everything and redid the components with my grandpa To make it truly a vintage style amplifier from back then Howdy from North Carolina
I bought one a few years ago at $99 it is my most used home amp. I love the tweed champ sound with some tone control. Try playing it through a 1X12 or 2X12 cab WOW.
Received this amp yesterday. It really is as good as it sounds in this video. I have multiple modelling amps and wanted something to plug pedals into. It really does sound great and it should only get better. I wanted the 15 watt but the price has gone up to $275. I have a Vox 15 watt that I got used for $200 from a pandemic player that lost interest. Couldn't justify the $275 for a similar amp. But $127 for this amp makes sense. Great review.
I bought a Stage Right to mod for Harp. I've been doing small gigs with a Donner fall and Joyo American for an outstanding $200 setup that sounds great and leaves little to worry about as far as loss. I'm impressed.
GREAT to see someone trying out a "budget" amp with a REAL guitar! I see others demoing this amp with junk like a Grote guitar, expecting the amp to sound decent. Thanks for doing it the right way!
i am seeing these for less than $130 right now... it is SO tempting to get one, just to get ahold of an all tube/valve amp. i love finding deals on amps that sound amazing.
Great idea for a video! One of the best amps I ever got was a used Vox AC10 for not much more than you paid for this one. The AC10 sounds great, with the real Vox chime on its Top Boost channel, and even with the 10” speaker and 10 watts, you can still rehearse with it, if the drummer takes it easy. (Now I’ve just got to get it back from my daughter, who uses it for her Instagram reels). Anyway - super idea to show how good a low-cost tube amp can sound. Thanks for another great video!
Sounded pretty good to me. It could be a good candidate for a blind test against some big name brands, provided that volumes, tones, etc. are carefully matched. That could be a fun video. Thanks
Can be had for $125 with a coupon code. Pretty much a Laney Cub copy. Wakes up with vintage tubes! I most often play it through a vintage Heppner 12" alnico (out of a Hammond) in an open back 1x12 with an attenuator at radio volumes at home. Just won the bid on an 8" 60s Heppner alnico with a whizzer so it can go back to a combo, I'll replace the baffle w/plywood or pine too and we shall see! Having it apart it looks like it should easily take a Champ eyelet board once it breaks or the pcb fails, if it gets to that I'd build a solid pine cabinet. Might build a cab before a gut rehab if I get sufficiently antsy.
Hey, I do a solo rock show and I carry a 12” 90w amp... most of the time I travel solo and have to move all the gear myself. maybe this would be much lighter and with a mic on it, who cares as long as it sounds good
Just ordered one for $159 on Amazon. I decided to keep with the cheap, so I also threw in an “Azor” spring reverb pedal and a behringer tube screamer clone, $50 for the pair.
This, and the Laney Cub, etc., are '57 tweed Champ clones. Great class A circuitry. The Stage 5 harp amps are these amps, with a 12AY7 in the pre-amp and a Jenson Signature speaker, plus some (undisclosed) alleged tone mods. Aside from adding a tube rectifier emulation, I can't see what they would modify. They go for a lot more money. Just bought one for harmonica. The Celestion sounds better as it's broken in, but I'm replacing it anyway with a Mojo. I put in a 12AT7 instead of the 12AY7. I'm building a 12 inch smooth cone old Eminence extension cabinet. Out of the box, compared to my '64 Champ? Not bad. I'm giving my 60 year old Champ a rest. This will be my regular gig amp, except for some bigger shows, where I use a modified tweed Bassman reissue.
Just ordered it for $99 amd change when it dropped down in price (for just 1 day btw) on amazon. Looks like it's about a month for delivery though. There is definitely reason why this is sold out and can't wait to get it!
It’s a 5w class a amp. This thing can power a half stack. Does it have an eternal out? Turn the amp up and control the volume and tones with your guitar knobs. This is where your more expensive guitars gonna make a difference. I would only use a wah or maybe volume pedal if any at all.
Ok, Based on this vid I just bought this amp on Amazon... $138 + tax . I currently have a DSL 40 and a Bugera 5 Watt (which is a Dark amp even after speaker swap and trying about 5 diff 12ax7's nice amp just dark) and a Fender Mustang ss amp. Supposed to arrive tomorrow! Will check back in. Great playin Steve! and what a Gorgeous LP
@@SteveSterlacci ..i AM diggin' ! Amazon already raised price back to $154 lol ( i corrected my purchase price above) For the $$ it's a fine lil amp. Already done one swap - a 5751 in place of stock 12ax7 ( which didn't sound bad relatively speaking ). Playing thru les paul with 'ReWind' Low Output Humbuckers ( a very sweet HB ). Lots of headroom with this current setup but get nice responsive crunch when bumping up volume. Have several nos and current production 12ax7's I'm gonna a try. Speaker not too bad - will put 30 hrs on it before judging. The QC was good on this one..haven't found anything to pick on yet lol. I am glad I came across your review. Nice lil amp to goof around with. Look forward to future vids.
Amazon has a cheap tube amp kit that actually surprised me. Ya only nd a solder gun and basic knowledge of electronic components. Its been a couple years since I got mine but I'm sure they still sell em. Good video. Thanks
I bought one today because of you and you hit 10k subs today so when I get the amp next week it will be named The Harley Benton "Steve", it seems only fitting as Fender "Champ" knockoff.
Anyone that plays guitar can tell you play a good guitar...Thank you for NOT displaying a bunch of "hot" licks. Also, the amp sounded ok but it is a small amp and plays that way..Your demo and showing was SOOOOO refreshing. Most pull out an amp and have to show their talent ...I did enjoy your video and will hunt you up for more..(By the way, my go-to amp is the Fender Champion 40)...Jimmy
It would be a nice idea to open it up and show what tubes it has. Probably it's a champ based circuit with Chinese tubes, so it would benefit a lot from NOS tubes. Also, it'd probably sound even better plugged to a bigger speaker
I ordered the bigger 15 watt and it came stock with JJs. I assume the little one is also JJ just unbranded. Seems like they all come from the same place
Like most China stuff the same amp for 140 also on Amazon goes under the name stage right monoprice, looks to be same amp. someone said they sell somewhere for 99 bucks but have not found that price yet. Glad ya posted this.
Good review keep them coming. Still unsure about this one. Sounds a bit pokey to me. Still hanging for a Fender Vibrochamp. But 6x the price and mostly unavailable in Europe. Think it would sound better hooked up to a bigger cab.
I just got this amp delivered today 4/6/2021 for $250 from Amazon and I clicked the link on Amazon to write a review and the price is up to $329 a day later.
Been looking at a Pro Jr as a easy to carry practice amp. Maybe this is a good candidate? Over here in Norway we have Thomann and Gear4Music who sell no name affordable tube amps.
Cool amp. It did sound really good for that speaker size. Would love to hear your comments after the speaker break-in period if there is really any difference in sound. Thanks as always for a great vide Steve..
What's up buddy? Yeah I bought the same amp a couple of months ago and I'm still waiting for the speaker to break in but I'm not using anything else. It sure sounded great with the Les and overdrive but I feel the same way, I don't want to blow it up. I also have a Les Paul and a strat but maybe I'm expecting to much and I was going to buy the 15 watt.
I BOUGHT MINE ABOUT 3 OR 4 YEARS AGO FOR I BELIVE IT WAS 99.00 HAVEN'T USED IT MUCH ITS VERY LOUD FOR WHAT IT IS . I ALSO HAVE THE 15 WATT VERSION WITH MORE CONTROLS .I GET MORE USE OUT OF THAT BACK THEN TH ASS AMP WAS 199. NOT A BAD DEAL ST ALL..
Hey did you ever try plugging it in to a Torpedo Captor (or another loadbox) and using it with some virtual cabs/IRs? I'm tempted to buy one just for the line-out use
Interesting. I wonder if all of these budget (cheap) guitars, pedals and amps will put pressure on the rest of the market? I'm in the you get what you pay for camp, mostly though. Cool little amp for practice etc. Thank you Stece!
Thanks Craig! I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I know companies like Badcat offer PCB versions of their handwired circuits for less money. So i think the pressure is on!
I wouldn't doubt it if the major brands' engineers keep a steady eye on these companies that sell their products on another client's name. If you peeked inside the Monoprice branded amp, you'll notice a major difference between it and a Fender in terms of quality and durability. Then again, I know very few people who buy the cheapest amp they can find and expect it to be an heirloom to pass on to future generations. Instead of point to point soldered components intended to be replaced or modded, you'll find easy to swap out circuit boards with surface mount components and plastic plugs tacked with a glue gun.
@@SteveSterlacci You can output the Helix to the amp without an effects loop. Just use the 1/4" out from the Helix and set your output block( Circle with the right pointing arrow)at the end of your signal chain to multi. Then just hook up a guitar cable from the helix 1/4"out to the guitar input on the amp. That is the default setting for the output block anyway. So you probably don't have to change anything. I have my Helix outputting to front of house( Powered studio monitors) 1/4"Guitar amp and another guitar amp's effects loop( Using a send and return block before the final output circle) all at the same time.
I believe these amps are largely a sort of old Princeton style design, or effectively a Champ with an added tone control. I like the distortion character, but I found the overall tone a bit dark and muddy. The darkness might have been because you ket the tone control so low, but the muddiness seems to be due to the power transformer collapsing and not being able to deliver at higher settings on the amp. Champs are no different - lots of fartiness and mud when cranked. At a middle setting, with a little more "tone control" it would probably sound pretty good though. $200 seems like an OK price for this amp, but I think $125 would probably have been more appropriate for the sound quality. But they probably couldn't do that with a Celestion speaker.
Agreed on all counts! I will take responsibility with mic'ing too. When cranked, i didn't listen to play back like i should have. At first, it all seemed real harsh to me so i wound up erring on the side of caution (helix mentality with the high end 🤣😅) I wound up moving a little more off the center than i normally would. Guess it was a mistake with the LP!
Another trick with getting better tone out a small tube amp is to crank the amp's volume and then back down the guitar's volume 20-30%. Helps with dynamics and for more subtle/nuanced playing styles.
SMASH THAT THUMB!
What do you think of this ?! Good? Bad? Ugly?
Get it HERE amzn.to/390EFRY
Great review. Love mine for harmonica -- it's essentially a '57 tweed Champ. Really good.
If you buy this amp, PLEASE don't decide until you've broken in the speaker. It really changes after playing for a while. The bottom end blossoms. I was going to send it back and now I simply love it and can't believe I have such a sweet-sounding amp for this price. It looks better in person too. The photos look gray, but it's very creamy.
Its a sweet amp for sure!
You can just plug in an aux cable and run white noise to break it in 6 hours, of if you have a looper play a clip in all tones and run it for 6 hours. I found 6 to be the sweet spot for guitar speakers, some like up to 20 though.
Will have to break mine in for sure, a bit pokey. Still prefer my yamaha thr30ii for bedroom practice. Hoping to hook it up to some Marshall 12" cabs, should sound better then. Bought it for the 6v6gt tubes, wanted the fender sound. Still looking at a Fender vibrochamp but 6x the price. At 180 usd was too cheap not to try. Replacing a 1950's Gibson Skylark which though great will cost a fortune to repair. Also needs to be used with huge transformer as in Europe.
@@alexcoronaplease explain it
,, white noise to break it in 6hs
What means break the speaker?
Agreed!
Between this cool little amp and those Grote guitars that are very affordable, there's no reason everyone can't have a nice set up.
We are in a spoiled generation of guitar gear! So many amazing and affordable options
Unless you live in a third world country where shipping is 10x more expensive than the product itself
Don't forget those dirt cheap mini pedals. When I was a teen I had 1 pedal. That's all I could afford. If it could have bought them for $20-30 each instead of $200-300 I'd have had a dozen.
These were on sale last week (@Monoprice) for $100 taxed & shipped (I have two now to run in stereo). Their standard price now is $159....they also updated to JJ tubes about a year(?) ago.
The speaker is ok but you can also use the amp as a head to a separate cab.
Rock on!
Thats a great deal for sure. Upgraded speaker def helps
Great review and because of your great demo, I ordered one from Amazon. As of Dec 20, 2021, Amazon is selling this great amp for $119.
Thanks for checking it out! It's a killer amp for the price
Excellent presentation and demo. I've watched a bunch and in my opinion your's is the best 👌
Thank you! Means a lot
@@SteveSterlacci Your welcome and I know it does we have a growing Rockhounding channel and just hit 8k subscribers 😀
I love the sound of this demo (a lot of it could be your expert playing)! With my 70 year old back, I need a light weight amp. Thanks for this Steve!
Thanks so much William! I hope to have earned your sub
Love that Les Paul, brass nut, great inlay and burst, beautiful.
Best small tube amp i have had so far and i had a few from big names costing 10 times more!
Its a great option!!!
I bought one a year ago. $139.00. Best money I ever spent. Kick ass practice amp.
Nice!! Enjoy it!
I modded mine with a ECC81 preamp tube and it cleaned it up nicely. Still breaks up when you crank it but takes pedals great now. The stock speaker isnt bad, but I went ahead and ordered a Warehouse Guitar G8C for it, which waiting to arrive. Great amp!!! I like it better than the 15watt. I keep it next to my chair in the living room. I will even get a little Chuggy with a Joyo Uzi pedal into it and a tele.
Nice!!
I never though a Tele to be a metal guitar but it sound so good with it. Alnico 5 pickups and crank up the gain is pure bliss....I haven't even picked up my Flying V since getting it, and that has some ridiculously hot 15K ceramics....I still grab the tele. I just cant get the neck pickup to sound good, I don't know how Tom Morello does it. Maybe I'll swap in an Active like he has....
This is still one of the best UA-cam channels. You should have more subscribers!!!
Thanks Erick! Means alot. Subs are picking up a bit the last few months!
@@SteveSterlacci
I bought this I swapped the speaker out for a Jensen vintage style 8-in and I put some 1950s tubes in cause I prefer clean tones my amp now sounds like a Sears
Silvertone 1300 my amp now sounds like the amp Luther Perkins used on the early Johnny Cash Sun records stuff my style is more like Luther Perkins
I also use Thomastik 11 Guage flatwound strings I've played a 1940s Silvertone 1300 amp so I know what it sounds like in ever since I did these mods to my amp it sounds exactly the same as 1940s silvertone 1300 another modification I did is I made it to where the amplifier is hand-wired I took out everything and redid the components with my grandpa
To make it truly a vintage style amplifier from back then
Howdy from North Carolina
I totally agree with the good guitar/bad amp thing. TOTALLY agree. Well done Buffalo Bro.
Thanks brotato chip!
@@SteveSterlacci btw those are some tasty licks.
@@JackFossett thank you beb
You really showed the full capabilities of this little amp, and provided us with some great playing, too. Thanks!
Thanks Tony! Means a lot
Reminds me of the old epiphone valve junior amps. Usable out the box. Cheap. Easy to upgrade bits and tweak sounds as the circuit is simple.
For sure!!
I bought one a few years ago at $99 it is my most used home amp. I love the tweed champ sound with some tone control. Try playing it through a 1X12 or 2X12 cab WOW.
Its such a great buy even at $200! Have the 12 inch one with spring verb too! Demo should be my next vid
@@SteveSterlacci I bet it would sound great with a 1x12 cabinet and an EVH 20 watt speaker. or an EVH 5150 2x12 cabinet
Received this amp yesterday. It really is as good as it sounds in this video. I have multiple modelling amps and wanted something to plug pedals into. It really does sound great and it should only get better. I wanted the 15 watt but the price has gone up to $275. I have a Vox 15 watt that I got used for $200 from a pandemic player that lost interest. Couldn't justify the $275 for a similar amp. But $127 for this amp makes sense. Great review.
I have two of them. One of them I run a 12" speaker in a separate cab.
nice!
I bought a Stage Right to mod for Harp. I've been doing small gigs with a Donner fall and Joyo American for an outstanding $200 setup that sounds great and leaves little to worry about as far as loss. I'm impressed.
Very nice!
GREAT to see someone trying out a "budget" amp with a REAL guitar!
I see others demoing this amp with junk like a Grote guitar, expecting the amp to sound decent.
Thanks for doing it the right way!
I appreciate that! Thanks for watching
scrote-caster
i am seeing these for less than $130 right now... it is SO tempting to get one, just to get ahold of an all tube/valve amp. i love finding deals on amps that sound amazing.
En octubre de 2023 , se ha presentado la versión tube 5 HEAD ..seguro que me lo comprare.
Great idea for a video! One of the best amps I ever got was a used Vox AC10 for not much more than you paid for this one. The AC10 sounds great, with the real Vox chime on its Top Boost channel, and even with the 10” speaker and 10 watts, you can still rehearse with it, if the drummer takes it easy. (Now I’ve just got to get it back from my daughter, who uses it for her Instagram reels).
Anyway - super idea to show how good a low-cost tube amp can sound. Thanks for another great video!
I would love to try an ac10! Those look very cool. If they did the ef86 id buy instantly. Thanks!
That's actually pretty good. I've heard considerably more expensive worse sounding amps. Nice find!
I agree! Thanks Paul 🤘
Sounded pretty good to me. It could be a good candidate for a blind test against some big name brands, provided that volumes, tones, etc. are carefully matched. That could be a fun video. Thanks
I'd be curious to try it against a fender champ or something similar ! Thanks for watching and writing. Hope to have earned your sub!
@@SteveSterlacci You bet! Subscribed. Sorry I didn't do it sooner. Your videos have been very helpful getting to know my 2 month old HX Stomp.
Means a lot ! Thanks!!
Can be had for $125 with a coupon code. Pretty much a Laney Cub copy.
Wakes up with vintage tubes! I most often play it through a vintage Heppner 12" alnico (out of a Hammond) in an open back 1x12 with an attenuator at radio volumes at home. Just won the bid on an 8" 60s Heppner alnico with a whizzer so it can go back to a combo, I'll replace the baffle w/plywood or pine too and we shall see!
Having it apart it looks like it should easily take a Champ eyelet board once it breaks or the pcb fails, if it gets to that I'd build a solid pine cabinet. Might build a cab before a gut rehab if I get sufficiently antsy.
Hey, I do a solo rock show and I carry a 12” 90w amp... most of the time I travel solo and have to move all the gear myself. maybe this would be much lighter and with a mic on it, who cares as long as it sounds good
For a while I was paying $65 each, with free shipping, and mounting the amps and speakers in army surplus ammo crates.
Just ordered one for $159 on Amazon. I decided to keep with the cheap, so I also threw in an “Azor” spring reverb pedal and a behringer tube screamer clone, $50 for the pair.
I think you'll be happy!
This, and the Laney Cub, etc., are '57 tweed Champ clones. Great class A circuitry. The Stage 5 harp amps are these amps, with a 12AY7 in the pre-amp and a Jenson Signature speaker, plus some (undisclosed) alleged tone mods. Aside from adding a tube rectifier emulation, I can't see what they would modify. They go for a lot more money.
Just bought one for harmonica. The Celestion sounds better as it's broken in, but I'm replacing it anyway with a Mojo. I put in a 12AT7 instead of the 12AY7. I'm building a 12 inch smooth cone old Eminence extension cabinet. Out of the box, compared to my '64 Champ? Not bad. I'm giving my 60 year old Champ a rest. This will be my regular gig amp, except for some bigger shows, where I use a modified tweed Bassman reissue.
These amps are gonna be like the old funky store brand amps of the 50s and 60s that people pay big bucks for these days
That would be so cool
Just ordered it for $99 amd change when it dropped down in price (for just 1 day btw) on amazon. Looks like it's about a month for delivery though. There is definitely reason why this is sold out and can't wait to get it!
I bought one of those about three years ago brand new for about $90 directly from Monoprice. They were unknown and that’s partly why it was so cheap.
definitely! Crazy good for the price
That is correct ...1 watt is 50% of 5 watts (It's not linear with watts) BTW...price dropped to $140 with free 2 day prime shipping.! today is 3-11-21
Good to know!!! Thanks all around for the info! Wish i paid that little lol i heard $116 the other day
Thanks for a proper review of a small amp, you know what's what.....
It’s a 5w class a amp. This thing can power a half stack. Does it have an eternal out? Turn the amp up and control the volume and tones with your guitar knobs. This is where your more expensive guitars gonna make a difference. I would only use a wah or maybe volume pedal if any at all.
I do that in the demo of the 15 watt version! Going live today at 2EST. Yes they do have ext cab outs
Nice job with this Steve. Would love to hear more crunch tones w an OD in front. Maybe once the speaker gets broken in.
It took the 2 in the video pretty well! The Nordland totally rips. That blues crab is the best $60 pedal on earth
Bought one of these because of this review. Have a J Rocket Archer Ikon in front of it, sounds great.
Awesome! Glad to hear it 🤘🤘🤘
Love that amp. It used to sell for $79.00 on Monoprice!
I got beat paying $170 lol damnit!
@@SteveSterlacci It was several years ago.
$99 was the regular price. Mono ran sales all the time.
Got one of these a little while ago and really love it with a 12AT7 swapped in! Really sounds best plugged into a 1x12 cab though.
I have just got the 15w version with the celestion 70/80 sounds fantastic well impressed with it.
I made a video with that one too!
Ok, Based on this vid I just bought this amp on Amazon... $138 + tax . I currently have a DSL 40 and a Bugera 5 Watt (which is a Dark amp even after speaker swap and trying about 5 diff 12ax7's nice amp just dark) and a Fender Mustang ss amp. Supposed to arrive tomorrow! Will check back in. Great playin Steve! and what a Gorgeous LP
I think you're going to dig it! Im pissed they lowered the price on me 🤣🤣🤣
@@SteveSterlacci ..i AM diggin' ! Amazon already raised price back to $154 lol ( i corrected my purchase price above) For the $$ it's a fine lil amp. Already done one swap - a 5751 in place of stock 12ax7 ( which didn't sound bad relatively speaking ). Playing thru les paul with 'ReWind' Low Output Humbuckers ( a very sweet HB ). Lots of headroom with this current setup but get nice responsive crunch when bumping up volume. Have several nos and current production 12ax7's I'm gonna a try. Speaker not too bad - will put 30 hrs on it before judging. The QC was good on this one..haven't found anything to pick on yet lol. I am glad I came across your review. Nice lil amp to goof around with. Look forward to future vids.
Amazon has a cheap tube amp kit that actually surprised me. Ya only nd a solder gun and basic knowledge of electronic components. Its been a couple years since I got mine but I'm sure they still sell em. Good video. Thanks
That would be fun to do!
@@SteveSterlacci I sure had fun with it. Really surprised by the sound seeing how its 16w and single tube.
I bought one when they were sub $100, never looked back. Have been thinking about re-cabineting with a 12" speaker though. :)
I bought one today because of you and you hit 10k subs today so when I get the amp next week it will be named The Harley Benton "Steve", it seems only fitting as Fender "Champ" knockoff.
Babaha nice! Thanks so much Sean! Hope you dig it
12:47 I prefer using rangemaster or any other treble booster with the cranked up amp
I will try that with my hx stomp! Thanks!
Without the rangmaster we wouldn't have the sounds of bands like Sabbath, Queen and Judas Priest.
@@timmooney7528 who are they?!
@@SteveSterlacci the bands those who started using rangemaster as their main amp sound . Tony Iommi , Brian May and glenn tipton
@@liys540 I was joking 🤣😂😅 of course i know them. I def want to try this
That Les Paul is gorgeous...
Thank you!
Anyone that plays guitar can tell you play a good guitar...Thank you for NOT displaying a bunch of "hot" licks. Also, the amp sounded ok but it is a small amp and plays that way..Your demo and showing was SOOOOO refreshing. Most pull out an amp and have to show their talent ...I did enjoy your video and will hunt you up for more..(By the way, my go-to amp is the Fender Champion 40)...Jimmy
Thanks so much Jimmy! Means a lot. That is exactly what I try to do with my demos. Hope you enjoy the others too
Small tube amp is what I'm looking for for bedroom volumes, but still pure tube.
It would be a nice idea to open it up and show what tubes it has. Probably it's a champ based circuit with Chinese tubes, so it would benefit a lot from NOS tubes. Also, it'd probably sound even better plugged to a bigger speaker
I ordered the bigger 15 watt and it came stock with JJs. I assume the little one is also JJ just unbranded. Seems like they all come from the same place
@@SteveSterlacci probably the same tubes that came with my 5e3 kit I purchased about 5 years ago. I got them replaced for GEs
@@joseislanio8910 nice!!
Have one, an it's big brother...
Love em both!
Just posted a demo of the big one!
Bro, that 79 Les Paul is amazing.
Thanks! Its my favorite (except for the weight 😅)
WOW dude, I bought it last year for about $120. They sure jacked the price.
I got hosed bad on this apparently 🤔😒
Nice demo Its now 140.00 on amazon.. I need a small practice amp for when im on road in RV. This looks like the one.
Dang!!! Wish i got it for that 🤣😅
Like most China stuff the same amp for 140 also on Amazon goes under the name stage right monoprice, looks to be same amp. someone said they sell somewhere for 99 bucks but have not found that price yet. Glad ya posted this.
@@FINELINEVAN this one is the stage right mono price, ive also seen harley benton and even heard that Laney has the same too
Good review keep them coming. Still unsure about this one. Sounds a bit pokey to me. Still hanging for a Fender Vibrochamp. But 6x the price and mostly unavailable in Europe. Think it would sound better hooked up to a bigger cab.
I just got this amp delivered today 4/6/2021 for $250 from Amazon and I clicked the link on Amazon to write a review and the price is up to $329 a day later.
Dang!!! That's nuts. Hopefully on monoprice they are less
The one for $329 is 15w w/ reverb
Been looking at a Pro Jr as a easy to carry practice amp. Maybe this is a good candidate? Over here in Norway we have Thomann and Gear4Music who sell no name affordable tube amps.
definitely a great practice amp!
Cool amp. It did sound really good for that speaker size. Would love to hear your comments after the speaker break-in period if there is really any difference in sound. Thanks as always for a great vide Steve..
Thanks Robert! I am sure it'll be back
What's up buddy? Yeah I bought the same amp a couple of months ago and I'm still waiting for the speaker to break in but I'm not using anything else. It sure sounded great with the Les and overdrive but I feel the same way, I don't want to blow it up. I also have a Les Paul and a strat but maybe I'm expecting to much and I was going to buy the 15 watt.
Wish I had of had a new Gibson when I was learning how to play. Good video
Try it with a 2 x12 with cream backs!!! Whew! Gig worthy!
Nice choice!!!
there is a Harley Benton with a Celestion 12" for 235 Euros at thomann.
Theres one at my house too! Ready to film it lol
I BOUGHT MINE ABOUT 3 OR 4 YEARS AGO FOR I BELIVE IT WAS 99.00 HAVEN'T USED IT MUCH ITS VERY LOUD FOR WHAT IT IS . I ALSO HAVE THE 15 WATT VERSION WITH MORE CONTROLS .I GET MORE USE OUT OF THAT BACK THEN TH ASS AMP WAS 199. NOT A BAD DEAL ST ALL..
I bought the 2 amps from the Minoprice websites.
Nice score! Great before the price jump
Hey did you ever try plugging it in to a Torpedo Captor (or another loadbox) and using it with some virtual cabs/IRs? I'm tempted to buy one just for the line-out use
That's a freaking awesome Les Paul.
Thanks Joel!
Interesting. I wonder if all of these budget (cheap) guitars, pedals and amps will put pressure on the rest of the market? I'm in the you get what you pay for camp, mostly though. Cool little amp for practice etc. Thank you Stece!
Thanks Craig! I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I know companies like Badcat offer PCB versions of their handwired circuits for less money. So i think the pressure is on!
I wouldn't doubt it if the major brands' engineers keep a steady eye on these companies that sell their products on another client's name. If you peeked inside the Monoprice branded amp, you'll notice a major difference between it and a Fender in terms of quality and durability. Then again, I know very few people who buy the cheapest amp they can find and expect it to be an heirloom to pass on to future generations. Instead of point to point soldered components intended to be replaced or modded, you'll find easy to swap out circuit boards with surface mount components and plastic plugs tacked with a glue gun.
@@timmooney7528 for sure! The cabinet is pressboard. Not even actual wood.
@@SteveSterlacci Ikea has made a living off the stuff. Spill a beer on your amp and it will dissolve.
Is this a good way to dip your toes into tube amps if you don't know what you want?
Oh absolutely! This is an amazing first tube amp
You should also review the big brother to that amp, the Monoprice Stage Right 15.
It just arrived today 😃😀😃
@@SteveSterlacci Can't wait to see how you like it. Try it with a G12M Greenback. It's simply amazing.
Ordered one today direct from Monoprice. $115
Dang!!!! I got burnt lol. I just posted the demo of the 15 watt one too
Yep , I’ll get one
Sound practice or studio amp!
I've been looking for a small lo-power combo for playing lap steel. This might be the one! Did yours come with JJ tubes?
My 15 watt did. I am not sure if this one did. I totally forget lol
Which les Paul is that and what pickups? Love it and the color
Its a limited edition 1979. 1 of 24 made! Pickups are Porter Anthem PAFs
Best review of this amp 👍
Thanks JJ! Hope to have earned a sub
Awesome. Sounds great!
Thank you! Now you're forgiven 🙂
OMG, that guitar. NICE!
Thanks! Its my favorite probably
Steve will this take the HXFX drives well enough to practice in my basement? Looking for practice amp so imdont have to carry my 2x12 downstairs.
Absolutely!
@@SteveSterlacci Thanks. Ordered.
@@wadehickam2458 let me know how you like it!
I'm going to buy one. I had a tube amp before I knew that much about them I guess I pawned.
Have you tried it with your Helix coursing through it's veins?
Maybe i will do 4cm with the 15 watt that has fx loop!
@@SteveSterlacci You can output the Helix to the amp without an effects loop. Just use the 1/4" out from the Helix and set your output block( Circle with the right pointing arrow)at the end of your signal chain to multi. Then just hook up a guitar cable from the helix 1/4"out to the guitar input on the amp. That is the default setting for the output block anyway. So you probably don't have to change anything. I have my Helix outputting to front of house( Powered studio monitors) 1/4"Guitar amp and another guitar amp's effects loop( Using a send and return block before the final output circle) all at the same time.
@@galelongputt that's exactly what i do! I just see a lot of 4cm questions and never had an fx loop so i figured id give it a shot
Cool stuff! That's an awesome amp! Great video. :)
Thanks! It gets the job done for sure
Not that long ago you coulf get these directly from their site for $79
Crazy to think!!! Great value if you find one used
Nice guitar dude!
Thank you!
I believe these amps are largely a sort of old Princeton style design, or effectively a Champ with an added tone control. I like the distortion character, but I found the overall tone a bit dark and muddy. The darkness might have been because you ket the tone control so low, but the muddiness seems to be due to the power transformer collapsing and not being able to deliver at higher settings on the amp. Champs are no different - lots of fartiness and mud when cranked. At a middle setting, with a little more "tone control" it would probably sound pretty good though. $200 seems like an OK price for this amp, but I think $125 would probably have been more appropriate for the sound quality. But they probably couldn't do that with a Celestion speaker.
Agreed on all counts! I will take responsibility with mic'ing too. When cranked, i didn't listen to play back like i should have. At first, it all seemed real harsh to me so i wound up erring on the side of caution (helix mentality with the high end 🤣😅) I wound up moving a little more off the center than i normally would. Guess it was a mistake with the LP!
I think these amps are using the Laney Cub circuit boards , i know the 15 watt says Laney right on the board !
If you need a name use Laney !
Does this amp have any hum/hiss when you are not playing? I’ve had that problem with the little Marshall’s.
No more or less than any other amp... depends on your gain level as well. Like my amp tech says, "gain aint free!"
Great review.😎
Thanks Garet!
Have the amp volume all the way up and play lightly you’ll get a lot more tones out of the amp
best way to play!
Another trick with getting better tone out a small tube amp is to crank the amp's volume and then back down the guitar's volume 20-30%. Helps with dynamics and for more subtle/nuanced playing styles.
Sweet guitar swap out Steve ! 😉😄😁👍🏽
Thank you!!
I bought this from Monoprice about 2 years ago for 89.99. Still working but the tolex is pealing off.
I got beat on this price! Jeez! Lol its so cheap I wouldn't worry. Or just get a new cab for it made
When I bought mine 2 years ago, when it was $99.
Seems like the prices fluctuate a lot! I bought mine high
Same here, about 4 years ago. Great amp for that price. The 15W is even better.
Where did you purchase the nordland odr-c from and how much ,Thanks.
I bought it direct from their website. $238 Euro is what the site says. I think like $250 USD
I think they’re still $115 on the monoprice site if you didn’t mention that
Here in Germany you get it for 129€ at the big T...for a practice amp a no brainer. 👍
Nice!!! Great price
Sounds good 👍
I second this! Surprising!
Thanks!!
Sounds great ! 👍
Thanks Allen!
Actually under a hundred if you buy it from their website with the current coupon code.
Sounded pretty decent to me
Thanks Janice! Definitely impressive for the price
Good review. Just went on Monoprice and the price was $114.99 with free shipping. Do they change pricing often?
well, I got ripped off then! lol. I guess they do fluctuate!
13:37 fairies wears boots solo a bit
Wasn't intentional! But i will take it 🤣😅
🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
😀
Blues jr killer?
The 15 watt version is…
This is more of a champ killer.
Currently priced at $127.99 (10/09/2022)
Sounded muffled, like the amp was behind a wet blanket but a bit better after you brightened the tone.
Yeah having the amp in the room vs the mic'd sound was tough to translate. If I had monitored better i would have backed the mic off a bit more