Sitting here with my feets propped up on my '56 Champ. Been aware of the GA5 for years, it's that I coulda bought amp forever. But now I think that little Magnatone is before it on my list. I can't thank you enough for those great demos, you make want a red Tele. Tone is in the paint.
This was cool! I love little amps and I combine them together. I have a little 5 watt Champ clone and it is great for recording! Thanks Jonathan! Great demos of each! Love that Tele.
My 5 watts can’t keep up with my son playing the drums. He plays loud though. The amp is really loud playing alone in the basement, a fairly large room. I have a 15 watt amp that sounds good at low volume but also can keep up with my son. I think speaker choice makes a big difference if you’re going to be playing at low volume a lot
I have a little '63 Magnatone 431 that is about 8 watts and has reverb and the magnatone vibrato/tremolo. It is a really excellent amp to play through. And was a whole whopping $300.
I’ve had a 57’ Gibson skylark for years now and it’s my favorite tube amp.. the only mod I’ve done to it is swapped the two prong cord over to a grounded 3 prong cord. I even have the foot switch for it.
I reported that telegram guy.. I guess they pulled his replies to my post… now it just looks weird that I said that. But I’m not pulling it cuz this is America!
The Magnatone must be a serial filament amp with that 50 series power tube. If you have one, consider adding an isolation transformer to keep line voltage away from the chassis ground (and you).
Looking forward to this coming fall and dropping into Casino while I'm in Georgia visiting. I use a fender40 w bassman re-issue with a freyette power station.. perfect for my office growls when the channels are be jumped... bought it from you guys a couple years ago and Baxter shipped it to Colorado for me.
I have a wierd menagerie of 5 watters. The Magnatone version with two 8" speakers. Pretty nice. Also a National 1210 that screams and is very nice looking to boot. A Valco Comet that is slightly more midrangy. An Airline branded Valco made amp. And an English Electronics branded Valco made version. All the Valcos are unique. You can even piggy back these little guys and really make some noise.
I used an old Airline/Valco amp for over 30 years before I got anything else (from 1975 on). I still have it and would till use it but I need to get it fixed. After this any years it is starting to give me a little jolt when I touch the strings to play. It is an easy fix (the capacitors I believe) for someone who knows what they are doing, but that ain't me. Once I get it fixed I will start playing it again, it is an old stalwart, its the sound of RocknRoll. No other amp gets the sound these types of amps get when used within their limits (or just outside their limits). I had a Gibson amp similar to the GA5 that someone gave me that I then gave to my brother back in the mid 90's and he still uses it today. I've also got an early 70's Champ, it is pretty cool, still sounds good!
Other amazing affordable smallish amps AMPRO single 12 accordian amp kicks ass for guitar 2 6L6's so it bigger at about 25 watts but blues saturation to die for, any pre 60's Danelectro or Supro and small Rickenbacker (Richenbacher on the real old ones).
I picked up one of these on a whim from GC about 6 or 7 years ago for like $250. Honestly mine sounds kind of bad by itself, but if I throw an EQ pedal in front I can get some alright sounds out of it. But it's also just so cool. And it's like 10lbs no lie, which is just crazy. One thing to note -- these originally came with 2-prong power cords with no grounding, and so they were kind of dangerous. Someone before me altered mine to put a proper grounded power in it.
If you guys ever get a 5F1 in that has a 3 prong and no death cap can you put me on a list of customers? Bonus points for a transitional tolex one. I’ve played some reissues and copies, and it could be psychosomatic but they just don’t sound the same as one that has seen Smokey bars and lots of miles.
Cant tell whether it's because I have on old Gibson (GA-8) or if it's just that those amps are just my taste. But maaaaan do I love the Gibson. Curious what the modern relaunch amps are going to do to the old ones value.
I’m sure they won’t make them with the right parts and tubes and speakers. It will give more exposure to the old ones and I think they will continue to go up!
Gotta love little 5 waters. My collection includes a 57 Custom Champ, 76 SF Champ, Marshall Ori-5 and a VHT Special 6. The Vox AC-10 is really nice with a Greenback in it or into a bigger cab.
@@FuriousMessRight on, got a '74 champ, '62 silvertone 1471, '62 gretsch 6150t and '66 6151, '66 kalamazoo model 2, and a crate v58...love 5 watters, especially through an ext cab
@@jasondorsey7110 I bought an Excelsior new and really liked it (still have it) and at Christmas time they closed the Greta out for under $125. It was an easy choice. It works as a cool speaker for playing low level mp3's on too. Reminds me of the tube radios and TV's I had as a kid..✌
The Silvertone Model 1451 is a sweet little 3 watt tone monster... but I suppose I'm not the only one who knows this considering the prices for one now.
Great video, Jonathon! When I got my first electric guitar, 72 Fender American standard Strat I used all the money I had on the guitar. The place gave me a 1w tube amp about the size of a big transistor radio and it has been lost to time. I’ve tried googling to find out what that amp was, but I can never find anything. I’m such an idiot I just think the tube needed to be changed. 🤦 If anyone knows about these amps please let me know.
@@Davidthestratman7 Fender, it looked like a little silver face Fender, but it had one tube. I barely knew how to play a bar cord, so I knew next to nothing about amps.
@@davegallagher7428 you sure it's got a tube because the closest I can find is the gretta series and it's 2 watts. It also doesn't look like a silver face
@@Davidthestratman7 it was over 40 years ago so I could be misremembering some details but I looked that series up and it was definitely not that. Appreciate the effort!
Now how do these compare with the little Marshall, Bugera, etc. tube amps that are $500-1000? Monoprice makes a little 5-watt that's priced a few dollars above it being theft.
Break up wise it's Gibson, Magnatone and Fender... Easy to see how Fender was and still is overrated in certain fields. Tone wise it's definitely Magnatone.
my '61 magnatone 410 custom is FANTASTIC. it sounds and looks great! it doesn't handle a big pedal board and dirt that well, but that's not really what it was designed for. mine is in really good shape as most of those tend to look pretty bad these days
I think people are in love with the idea of small amps, and romanticize the concept because they are able to “crank it up” in their apartment but let’s all be honest. They sound like absolute shit. This is not a good sound by any measure. Maybe for a specific part where a crappy sound is required to create tension before the release (to a big amp) in a song. Maybe. They were designed as practice amps. Most professionals use big amps.
![Eric Clapton [Live] || Part 1 || Hollywood Bowl || October 12, 2024 #ericclapton #finaltour #legend](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Vfp325AJ6dg/mqdefault.jpg)
Sitting here with my feets propped up on my '56 Champ. Been aware of the GA5 for years, it's that I coulda bought amp forever. But now I think that little Magnatone is before it on my list. I can't thank you enough for those great demos, you make want a red Tele. Tone is in the paint.
Gooood lawdy lawd…that boy can play 🤙🏽😉
Great Playing, Jonathan! The new content you guys have been putting out has been great!
hell yes to this video!
"Layla" was recorded with a Fender Champ? I had no idea. And I agree with several others here-the Magnatone was easily the best sound in this video.
Small tube amps is my favorite subject! Thanks
Love this video, please do more videos like this, thanks Jonathan!!!
Vintage Supro amps are cool, too. I have a 5 watt lap steel amp from 1956. Inexpensive to boot. Also love silverface Champs.
This was cool! I love little amps and I combine them together. I have a little 5 watt Champ clone and it is great for recording! Thanks Jonathan! Great demos of each! Love that Tele.
Fender 5F1 all the way!
dang.. the Mangnatone was pretty impressive for sure..
5 watts is all most people need
My 5 watts can’t keep up with my son playing the drums. He plays loud though. The amp is really loud playing alone in the basement, a fairly large room.
I have a 15 watt amp that sounds good at low volume but also can keep up with my son. I think speaker choice makes a big difference if you’re going to be playing at low volume a lot
Eh. Yes and no. If you're not using reverb or looking for pristine delays. It doesn't take much for them to mush out. They're heaps of fun though.
I have a little '63 Magnatone 431 that is about 8 watts and has reverb and the magnatone vibrato/tremolo. It is a really excellent amp to play through. And was a whole whopping $300.
The small tube amps can be a lot of fun to play with. I've got the new Fender '57 Champ and a 4-Watt VOX.
I got a Harmony reissue 8418 5 watt amp a while ago and it’s the stuff. $399 new with tube rectifier!
I’ve had a 57’ Gibson skylark for years now and it’s my favorite tube amp..
the only mod I’ve done to it is swapped the two prong cord over to a grounded 3 prong cord. I even have the foot switch for it.
No Baxter I will not reach out to you on telegram again.. the last time you asked me to send you a pair of my dirty boxers
I reported that telegram guy.. I guess they pulled his replies to my post… now it just looks weird that I said that. But I’m not pulling it cuz this is America!
The Magnatone must be a serial filament amp with that 50 series power tube. If you have one, consider adding an isolation transformer to keep line voltage away from the chassis ground (and you).
Looking forward to this coming fall and dropping into Casino while I'm in Georgia visiting.
I use a fender40 w bassman re-issue with a freyette power station.. perfect for my office
growls when the channels are be jumped... bought it from you guys a couple years ago and Baxter shipped it to Colorado for me.
Casino is in North Carolina
A 50L6 power tube suggests series wiring on the tubes, which could be a widowmaker if it doesn't have an input transformer
I have a wierd menagerie of 5 watters. The Magnatone version with two 8" speakers. Pretty nice. Also a National 1210 that screams and is very nice looking to boot. A Valco Comet that is slightly more midrangy. An Airline branded Valco made amp. And an English Electronics branded Valco made version. All the Valcos are unique. You can even piggy back these little guys and really make some noise.
Of these three small amps, the magnatone by far sounded the best.
Agreed.
I used an old Airline/Valco amp for over 30 years before I got anything else (from 1975 on). I still have it and would till use it but I need to get it fixed. After this any years it is starting to give me a little jolt when I touch the strings to play. It is an easy fix (the capacitors I believe) for someone who knows what they are doing, but that ain't me. Once I get it fixed I will start playing it again, it is an old stalwart, its the sound of RocknRoll. No other amp gets the sound these types of amps get when used within their limits (or just outside their limits). I had a Gibson amp similar to the GA5 that someone gave me that I then gave to my brother back in the mid 90's and he still uses it today. I've also got an early 70's Champ, it is pretty cool, still sounds good!
Other amazing affordable smallish amps AMPRO single 12 accordian amp kicks ass for guitar 2 6L6's so it bigger at about 25 watts but blues saturation to die for, any pre 60's Danelectro or Supro and small Rickenbacker (Richenbacher on the real old ones).
That Magnatone sounded the best
I'll never get over selling a silverface champ that I got for $20 in 1992 for $40 in 95 just to have some cash when I joined the army.
Ouch
I was surprised that I liked the sound of the Magnatone the best.
I have '61 and I LOVE it for cleans!
I picked up one of these on a whim from GC about 6 or 7 years ago for like $250. Honestly mine sounds kind of bad by itself, but if I throw an EQ pedal in front I can get some alright sounds out of it. But it's also just so cool. And it's like 10lbs no lie, which is just crazy.
One thing to note -- these originally came with 2-prong power cords with no grounding, and so they were kind of dangerous. Someone before me altered mine to put a proper grounded power in it.
I actually prefer the Magna even though I’m a die hard Fender guy.
I’ll be on the lookout for one. Thanks
Way cool comparison! Now do one on current 5w tube amps we can buy😃
Definitely the Magnatone from these three. Be good to hear some more small valve amps!
If you guys ever get a 5F1 in that has a 3 prong and no death cap can you put me on a list of customers? Bonus points for a transitional tolex one.
I’ve played some reissues and copies, and it could be psychosomatic but they just don’t sound the same as one that has seen Smokey bars and lots of miles.
The champ by a nose. No wait maybe the Gibson. The magnatone could be number one
😂 exactly!
Cant tell whether it's because I have on old Gibson (GA-8) or if it's just that those amps are just my taste. But maaaaan do I love the Gibson. Curious what the modern relaunch amps are going to do to the old ones value.
I’m sure they won’t make them with the right parts and tubes and speakers.
It will give more exposure to the old ones and I think they will continue to go up!
I have the Les Paul Jr amp. I dont play it frequently but its a great little amp and would recommend it.
Gotta love little 5 waters. My collection includes a 57 Custom Champ, 76 SF Champ, Marshall Ori-5 and a VHT Special 6. The Vox AC-10 is really nice with a Greenback in it or into a bigger cab.
Oops left out the Fender Greta which is great into a bigger cab or used as a tube per-amp into any solis state amp
@@FuriousMessRight on, got a '74 champ, '62 silvertone 1471, '62 gretsch 6150t and '66 6151, '66 kalamazoo model 2, and a crate v58...love 5 watters, especially through an ext cab
@@jasondorsey7110 really nice collection🤩
@@FuriousMess Yours as well, I've considered getting a greta, almost pulled the trigger on one at one point but something else popped up
@@jasondorsey7110 I bought an Excelsior new and really liked it (still have it) and at Christmas time they closed the Greta out for under $125. It was an easy choice. It works as a cool speaker for playing low level mp3's on too. Reminds me of the tube radios and TV's I had as a kid..✌
A Gibson BR6 is still very obtainable as well!
I have one of those Magnatones. It’s not as cool looking as that though. Also it needs a ground on the plug. It kinda scares me. I never use it.
And it’s not signed by the King Of Cool either unfortunately
The Silvertone Model 1451 is a sweet little 3 watt tone monster... but I suppose I'm not the only one who knows this considering the prices for one now.
How about a modern 5W comparison? I want one with an effects loop.
Great video, Jonathon! When I got my first electric guitar, 72 Fender American standard Strat I used all the money I had on the guitar. The place gave me a 1w tube amp about the size of a big transistor radio and it has been lost to time. I’ve tried googling to find out what that amp was, but I can never find anything. I’m such an idiot I just think the tube needed to be changed. 🤦
If anyone knows about these amps please let me know.
You remember the brand of the amp?
@@Davidthestratman7 Fender, it looked like a little silver face Fender, but it had one tube. I barely knew how to play a bar cord, so I knew next to nothing about amps.
@@davegallagher7428 you sure it's got a tube because the closest I can find is the gretta series and it's 2 watts. It also doesn't look like a silver face
@@Davidthestratman7 it was over 40 years ago so I could be misremembering some details but I looked that series up and it was definitely not that. Appreciate the effort!
I think the Gibson and the Magnatone blew the Fender away.
Was wondering how do you think the Magnatone with a SM57 and my Esteban would sound?
Magnatone definitely sounds best to me.
Now how do these compare with the little Marshall, Bugera, etc. tube amps that are $500-1000? Monoprice makes a little 5-watt that's priced a few dollars above it being theft.
Pretty cool comparison. My ears preferred the Gibson overall.
Man I gots to go with the Gibson
Don’t sleep on Silvertones from that era either.
DO THE SAME KINDA VID BUT MOVE UP WATTAGE EACH TIME DO IT
Not a bad idea!
Even 1/4 watt is damn loud. Get the amp you like and buy an attenuator
Hey, where is the Bugera V5? This little guy does it all.
Traded my old Vibro Champ and worse my old Gibson RVT 😢
Another low power amp that can give good tone without being terribly loud is the Pignose 7-100.
Break up wise it's Gibson, Magnatone and Fender... Easy to see how Fender was and still is overrated in certain fields. Tone wise it's definitely Magnatone.
my '61 magnatone 410 custom is FANTASTIC. it sounds and looks great! it doesn't handle a big pedal board and dirt that well, but that's not really what it was designed for. mine is in really good shape as most of those tend to look pretty bad these days
Don't waste money on these vintage 5w amps. A Tone King Gremlin is by far a superior amp to any small vintage amp.
Magnatone by a mile. Not even close.
Why does it have to be Vintage? Tone King 5 watt Gremlin hands down.
Because old transformers and tubes and speakers have a sound that new can’t copy!
I think people are in love with the idea of small amps, and romanticize the concept because they are able to “crank it up” in their apartment but let’s all be honest. They sound like absolute shit. This is not a good sound by any measure.
Maybe for a specific part where a crappy sound is required to create tension before the release (to a big amp) in a song. Maybe.
They were designed as practice amps. Most professionals use big amps.