I have read many times about fuses blowing in Monoprice 12 (Stage Right) amps and you can't change them you have to send them to factory because they are hard to get to, I want a Harley Benton 12 but do they have same problem of fuses blowing?
Thanks for the kind words. I do take time to showcase the amp's clean tones, that's where I play most of the time. I do intend to make more amp reviews in the near future. Have you tried the Tube15? If so, what did you think of it?
@@TheToneLounge I also live in the clean tone area most of the time. You don't have to be playing smooth jazz just because your tone is clean. Besides my dad's Marshall Valvestate that I recently traded him for in exchange for a Boss Katana, I haven't tried a real amp ever, because I travel constantl (I'm a classical singer). I might change that post-plague, because I didn't have much else to do for over a year than take recording, composing and playing seriously, and I've realized that I don't want to go back to the constant performing again.
Nice review sir. I play single coils pretty much clean so your review made a nice change from reviewers going straight to distortion and staying there.
Thank you for the feedback. I try and cover as much territory as possible with reviews. It's not always easy, but if it can help answer people's questions then it's worth it. Have you tried this amp yet?
I am mainly an acoustic player and had cheap solid state electric amps for fun and when i wanted to play electric on home recordings. Tube amp for my purpose was out of range, pricewise. But recently got the HB tube 15 , A stock, it is flawless and it knocks my Vox modeling amp out of the park. Sounds sooo much better. It is my first tube amp and I love it. Looking forward to your tests with pedals.
The Stageright/Harley Benton Tube 15 is an amazing amp. It is a no-brainer to buy one. It sounds great stock, and with a good drive or distortion pedal in front of the entry and/or a delay or chorus pedal in the effects loop it sounds even better. The stock speaker is much better than its reputation. The stock reverb sounds quite good, IMHO. And if you don't like, use your favorite reverb pedal in the effects loop. Mine is also sounding quite warm with humbuckers and P90s, with tone and treble almost full up, it sounds great. As long as you can set the sound you want in the range of controls, all is good. Some think that EQ will destroy you if not set near the middle, but of course this is nonsense. As said, it is a great amp for a very small price. Great for home practice, great for band rehearsals (unless you need very clean sounds in a deafening volume). I totally agree: the Tube15 kicks ass. By the way, so far I no issue with drive or distortion pedals. All I have work fine in front of the Tube15. In case it sounds too warm with your pedals: most drive/distortion pedals have a tone control, just crank it until you have the sound you like.
People just don't understand guitar EQ. It's a passive tonestack that, in the middle position, is anything but neutral. Like you said, as long as the EQ helps out, everything is just fine.
I haven't gigged with it yet , but based on my home evaluation for about 3 days , this amp is a smoker ! Don't know about longevity yet. Unbelievable value in terms of sound for the money 👍
Great video! Thanks for taking the time to bring it to us. Not sure it fills any void with my amp collection, but if I didn't currently own a pathfinder15, mini super beetle, fender champion 600 and excelsior, bugera v5, and a couple of point to point p.a. units ( jw davis) converted into guitar amps, I'd probably get one. I wish I'd had one of these thirty years ago starting out. Your production, audio , and editing really looks great here. Thanks again for another great video!
Thank you, I really appreciate your feedback. I'm really trying to 1up the quality of my videos. Glad you noticed. Yeah, if I had something like this when I started out I would have been very happy. I'm spoiled now, I have a vintage amp and my AC15, so I have a pretty good foundation to judge these new amps. If you see one pop up at a great price, then I recommend it. I'm going to be taking the Greenback out of my AC15 and will try it in the TUBE 15 to see if a speaker upgrade makes a difference. Coming soon.
@@TheToneLounge I'd be interested to hear about the greenback, I had one years ago and it was a great speaker. The tubes in your amp are a nice touch. I put jj tubes in my excelsior with the 1518 speaker and it woke up the amp. Keep up the great work ! It's getting better all the time.
@@carlhenriksvedberg9148 I like my ac10 very well but I've never had the opportunity to try the Harley benton. Maybe the tone lounge will comment. My only issue with the ac10 is that it can't accept different speakers from what I've heard because of limited space inside the cabinet. But it sounds pretty good with the stock speaker.
8:37 Owning this amp for a couple of years already, using it for small gigs, practice, jams etc, I don't think this a problem. And that's of course why this and most amps have eq...
I see your point. I just feel that if I have to crank the highs to 10 just to get back what should be there at 12, it makes the EQ section a lot less versatile.
I already own this amp and Love It .... I bought it for the 1W and the Lopper Deal ( I have a Boss ME 80 Pedal Board ) ... I reluctantly had to say good bye to my Fender Super Champ X2 .... Your video was very well done !!! The Olympics are on ... I give you a perfect score ... great job !!!
Hi..i sold my superchamp X2..It was pretty, but It did not Shine!! Lots of effects and amp simulation some very usable, some not..and not totally tube amp The HB 15 Is far Better then the X2..Total tube, super versatile and when you play It, It feels "Alive"...😊
Thank you so much for the honest advice. I was tempted to buy the Monoprice version on sale this week but the majority of my guitars are humbuckers and the last thing I want is a muddy tone. I think I will pass on this one.
Great review, great amp (for the money) I use it for all my guitars, just for pratice. The amp works good with humbuckers (Gibson Nighthawlk) and single coils (PRS Silver Sky SE). Love it!
I bought this amp about a year and half ago and wish I had seen this video before now! (Especially the other comments about changes folks have made to theirs). Mine was sounding great for about 6 months and then started breaking up, sometimes crakling and popping at very random moments. Finaly found that the power tubes were running very hot and a isht storm of noise would erupt when gently tapped. The amp had alway run very hot around the power tube area of the chasis. Got some new JJ EL84 tubes (old ones from early 2023 were unbranded). Changed tubes and cooled down the bias and it runs cooler and sounds much better. Considering the Jensen P12Q but concerned about the low sensitivity of the Jensens.
@@TheToneLounge Yes (I've two guitars, an sg with mini humbucker and the Tele).The clean ones are excellent. I personally find these hunbuckers to be less muddy and much brighter than gibsons. They have a personal sound. Even on saturated sounds they behave like this. Many have said that the bridge pickup is too howling (like a cat) ... nothing that can't be recorded with the tone knob ;). But I think, in this case, it's a matter of personal taste
I've seen a few of these reviews now and don't remember ever seeing sovtek or JJ valves. I wonder if the tonal issues with humbuckers is down to the non-standard valve compliment? Anyway, another great review Jonathan! 👍
I gotta say, I’ve seen a few reviews of this amp, and your tones were in the top 2 I’ve heard from this combo. Really really good. I have a Blues Junior and a early 60s Amoeg rocket as my small combos though so while these are cheap I don’t really needs one. Plus I have a Bogner Alchemist, and being a “British Amp” type guy a few years ago when I had a financial windfall, I was able to treat myself to my dream amp and bought a Friedman Smallbox. I am very happy with my amps but…. I have never heard a T-Rex pedal in my life , and the T-Tex Tonebug you were playing through sounded so devastatingly great ( wow, that flange might be better than the Deluxe Electric Mistress I owned about 30 years ago),I am raring to run out and get one. I am afraid to check the price in case they are.hyper expensive, but it sounds just killer as a flanger and as a chorus too. Thanks for the inspiring tones in your video, I subscribed immediately. I am looking forward to watching more of your stuff that is for sure! Cheers!
That's awesome! Welcome to the TTL community. The Tonebug pedals were pedals that were meant to be a "budget" series. I bought mine for $60 used. I see them pop up once in a while on the used market. I'm trying to buy more from this series. They look weird and sound great, which is one of my favorite combinations.
Great review, thanks for going deep into the details on this one. I share your thoughts on this amp and have concluded it is not for me. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the great demo and review! I am currently playing through a BOSS Katana MKII 100 at home. This amp would probably be a great first tube amp for me. Thanks for the heads-up on the pedals as well, as I usually play through distortion and fuzz.
Glad it was helpful! What makes you feel like moving away from the Katana? Is it the digital aspect of the amp, or are you curious about what tubes/valves can do for your tone?
@@TheToneLounge A little of both. I’ve never owned a tube amp, and love the idea of just playing straight in to tubes and getting that raw sound. I’ll keep the Katana, because I like a lot of the effects it has, but I do feel like it might be affecting the sound of my pedals (not sure).
@@GiselleDK I did buy one, and still have it. It sounds great, and I mostly use it as my “blues” amp, with just a simple OD or boost pedal pushing the amp, and maybe a fuzz sometimes.
Thank you very much for your complete review ! I'm new to the valve world, and the comments are full of many ideas for those who want to customize their amps the way they like it better. I was immediately sold by the "buzzing bees" metallic-like sound aspect of the Tube 15 when I first heard it (in the D and S segments of the ADSR enveloppe when striking a note or a chord). I have the feeling that this amp could give very good results with Revrends' guitars (Crosscut, Buckshot or Airsonic) on cleans !
Very welcome! I'm very fortunate to have an audience that is more informed than myself. I get to learn as much as I get to teach. It's quite a fun gig. In terms of decay and sustain, this amp is not as prominent when it comes to transients. So, yes there is a very smooth sustain and decay. I think the strong point of this amp is it's gain structure. It's like a tiny, mean sounding Marshall.
Best video on this amp by far! Few questions, have you still got the amp and also quality wise does it seem solid and reliable in comparison to things like the origin, blues jr, vox etc... Thanks!
Nice and comprehensive review. My personal experience is I took delivery of mine in January so of course I can't have gigged it. But solo I play standards with a guitar loaded with humbuckers and it sounds excellent. I play for a rock and roll Trio, for which I use a TE-52; I think it will be fine, but we shall see....
Explains why I heard these other demos and thought "that sounds like my Cub12r" The RAT is my fave pedal with that amp. I use singles and humbuckers. A Celestion Vintage 30 is a major improvement, but it sounded fine before I swapped out. It also takes Fuzz pretty damn well.
My (B-stock) Harley Benton came with nameless DAD tubes as far as I can see. Didn't remove the backplate. It's a great litte amp sounds great. My last amp was a VOX AV-30, before that a VOX-AV60, bevore that a VOX-AC15 and before that I don't remember but the list goes on. I like the sound of this thing better than the VOXes. But I always play single coil without effects.
Oh yeah before that a VOX Pathfinder, before that a Peavey 5150, before that some nice Yamaha modelling amp and before that Fender, and before that Marshall. That's 30 years ago. So when I say this is a REALLY good amp you better believe me.
It really comes down to what you are looking for. My opinion is irrelevant if you are satisfied with the amp. I like it. I think it is good. I'm am not wowed by it by any stretch of the imagination. That is not a reflection of the product, but rather my own personal tastes. You are vocal of your appreciation for this amp, and that is worth something, as some folks will want to hear your opinions and thoughts on this product. The more info we share, the more people can have in terms of information in order to make a purchasing decision.
Salut Martin, Moi j'aime bien le Celestion Greenback. J'ai fait un demo ou je compare le GB versus le Seventy-80. Selon moi, le GB est excellent avec le Tube15. Mais il y a beaucoup de monde qui préfère le speaker d'origine. LIEN: th-cam.com/video/0SwO67vbMuU/w-d-xo.html
@@TheToneLounge I think I'd find it difficult to justify spending more on a Blues Jnr. I'm tempted to get one for my studio. At present I have a Roland amp but a valve amp would make sense. I could live with the cons. My experience of HB has been great. I don't own any of their amps but I have a fretless bass, a Fusion T and a DC Kit.
8:50 what if you used an EQ pedal before the signal reaches the pre-amp? would that let you reduce the bass enough to balance the tone going into the overdrive?
Hey Jonathan , yes it could be a possibility, but something else what you said triggered me : don't buy a Marshall origin 20c , it doesn't sound better than the HB Tube 15. Very nice to know. I am actually keyboard player but the last few years I have only been playing guitar and I have 7 electric guitars and 3 acoustic. I have a Rivera Clubster 25 10" and actually it is a very good amp with fx loop and line out. It has 2 6V6GT power tubes and 2 12ax7 preamp tubes. Paul Rivera worked for Fender and then he started for his own. I am looking for a different sound from this amp which you could call a Fender style amp. But I also look for a amp that has an attenuator and it would be nice if it has a record out or if can turn the speaker off like the peavy mini head classic 20. What I learned from your review is that the HB Tube 15 is not very suitable for humbucker guitars and the Marshall Origin is not worth buying 😃👍
I have a bugera g5 into a HB 1x12 and was thinking of one of these, but maybe not now. 1W sounds great from the Bugera, but it's still loud at full volume / ACDC setting
I have the Monoprice version and it is not at all dark sounding with humbuckers. (I do notice that he prefers a more biting treble that one associates with single-coils...so that would seem to be the basis of that comment?) I put a 12AY7 tube in V1 for more clean headroom.
It got me with the chord at 15 seconds, beautiful overtones. Mine's going in a custom head into a 2x12 with a pair of Heppner alnico speakers. An excellent demo, really suits the P90's and the single coils better.
Hey another great vid! Is this the same amp as the monoprice stage right? Also, I have a Vox ac15 that I got a year ago, I wanted one of the monoprice 15 watt amps before I got my ac15,. Is it worth me getting one of these amps To play around with if I already have the vox ac15? These seem to be the exact same amp as the monoprice stage right.
I did a lot of research before filming this one and yes, it's the same amp as the Monoprice Stare right. As far as is it worth getting one, I would say that for that price point you can't go wrong. If you keep in mind the things I've mentioned in the video, and you are ok with that, then I would say go for it.
Good rundown - especially pertaining to buckers, but my opinion is that single coils don't give me the girth that humbuckers (that aren't too hot) do...and most humbuckers are too hot. Got my Stage Right when they were $179 shipped to my door. I've got hundreds of tubes both slightly used, n.o.s., and new...and of course they can certainly effect the tone and output. I happened to have a 103+ decibal efficient Wizard speaker that I swapped out the 98 decibel efficient 70/80 speaker for, which increases the headroom and volume and the bigger magnet fit fine. That speaker can be ice picky, which helps buckers from being as muddy due to being able to keep the volume setting lower. Knowing how these kind of power tube sockets offer little heat protection from building up inside the chassis and over time degrading the circuit board components, I glued a small computer fan onto the inside of the grill blowing onto the power tubes to keep any heat from doing just that. That fan can be quietly supplied power with almost any kind/voltage from a battery using alligator clips attached to wires running down by the reverb tank....I've used a 9v battery...all the way up to a small 12v motorcycle battery. That should help in the reliability department. I also reinforced the particle board cabinet screw holes as well as all tolex seams and other unseen areas prone to disintegrating with beads of wood glue, so the amp cabinet overall will hold up over time. It's worth a mention that running certain pedals through the effects loop also helps keep humbuckers from flubbing out. As to whether I could keep up with a live gig, I haven't played live for 15 years when I blasted a Blues Deville or DRRI....but it would be nice not getting the look of death from some fat soundman should I ever gig again.
This amp is not the loudest 15 watter I've ever tried. As you've stated, a more efficient speaker can change that. I've tried the Tube15 with a Greenback and have yet to try it with a V30. All I know is that this is a good amp and can be upgraded with something better than the speaker it ships with. Mind you, some people don't mind that Seventy-80. I just don't like it.
Wattage can be a bit confusing when it comes to how loud things get. A 1 watt amp can be a bit loud, or be very loud. I have a 10 watt amp here that I can crank and can sing over the amp quite comfortably. I also have a 4 watt Vox AC4 that is just about as loud as my AC15. A 1 watt amp tends to be a bit more manageable for home use.
I have both the 15 (Monoprice version), and a Katana 100 MK2 1x12. Two completely different animals. Katana is great when I need a lot of effects, such as when I'm doing some recording. But for just playing some blues along with some backing tracks, the 15 kills it. Simple. Just turn it on and go, no fiddling around for 1/2 an hour looking for the right setting. To me it sounds great with all my guitars (Strats, Teles, PRS, etc.) If I do need effects, I just stick my Ampero 100 in the effects loop and turn off the amp sim. Mine came with unbranded Chinese tubes which I switched out with some JJ's that I had lying around and that did make a big difference in the tone. Took out some rattling and fizziness. My guess, as you had a B-Stock item, is that someone switched the tubes before you received it (LUCKY YOU). I find the reverb is a bit underwhelming and have a replacement MOD 3 spring unit on order, just $24.00 USD. Nice review. I just hit SUBSCRIBE.
As you say, I probably just lucked out with the tubes. It's a good amp for sure. My son is using it now, he really likes it. Glad you subbed, I'm looking forward to chatting more with you. Cheers
@@TheToneLounge I'm in Canada, but Amazon is advertising this under the Monoprice brand and they advertise JJ tubes. Wonder if they listened to critics and updated their tubes ?
@@TheToneLounge some amps from the famous 3, don't give you a spring tank AND FX loop . However it's been suggested you try before you buy as the sound quality can vary from one to another due to component changes
How good do you think it is for just studio purposes ..we also use a lot of pedals was wondering how good would it be in a studio dialing different pedals onto it one by one via effects loop for recording purposes only .. not to gig around or anything.. please let us know thanx
For studio work, this should work without any issues. Personally, I find this amp rather dark sounding, so you will have to experiment with what pedals work best for you. In terms of making this amp more versatile, you can use the speaker out with a different cab/speaker or use it with something like a Two Notes Captor and use Impulse Responses. If you are using the amp stock, I suggest matching it with the right microphone and playing around with the mic placement for optimal results. The 15/1 watt power selector can also be useful if you are recording at home and need to keep the volume at lower levels. I hope that helps.
Thanx a lot man .. we just wanna experiment. . We gig around with blackstar .. we are a blackstar endorsed band in our country .. was thinking the same prolly use a blackstar 4×4 celestian cabinets .. speaker out on this one at the studio.. use its effects loop and the spring reverb sounds good too . I have watched almost all review videos on this amp .. it's better than good for what its worth ..thanx for the reply .. cheaper than the price of a pedal sounds amazing !!
Sounds great with the blues driver. My Positive Grid Sparc is fine, but it's not nearly as clean. 25 lbs though? I wonder if they skimped on the output transformer - or maybe it's a solid state power supply?
Nice review - It's good to hear the negatives of this amp as well. I will be buying one of these, but as my secondary practice amp. I don't think you can go wrong for that price. Just subbed 👍🏻
Glad to have you onboard Simon! Yeah, it's important to point out our observations when doing a review. Some people are not happy with me calling out the negatives, but how else are we supposed to have an honest discussion about gear? Cheers
Great detailed review. Really helpful. Thanks. I need an amp for only low volume use, so would be interested in how it compares with the Marshall DSC1R, Blackstar HT1R and Katana 50 or 100.
I've compared the Tube15 to a few amps that I own. I don't have the ones you mentioned, but if I can get my hands on one of them I'll do a video for sure.
Really great, informative and honest review. Superior to others on TH-cam. I have this amp and you absolutely nailed my thoughts and added some. I haven’t tried Vox AC10 (have AC15). Do you think the AC10 is better sounding than Tube15? I suspect that.
As for your question: the Tube15 is surely different compared to the AC10. Which is better? Hard for me to say. Have you seen my TH-cam series on the AC10?
@@TheToneLounge Sure have. I think the AC10 sounds much clearer than Tube15 (which I plan to sell). As you say: Tube15 is a bit muddy. Very small transformers in it. The speaker is not the best. Tried Greenback and Vintage 30 which was my favourite.
Update: I was relly happy with the Tube15 in the beginning. But I had problem with one of the chinese EL84 so I switched to two Sovtek tubes. I adjusted bias to 12,5 Volt according to schematics from Laney Cub 12R which has similar layout. (originally the bias was set much colder from factory, around 7,5 V) But I thought the amp sounded dull after the tube change and rebias. Today I lowered the bias and the amp sounds better. My theory is that your amp got new tubes from previous owner and a rebias. Maybe you should try to just knock off a bit on your bias pot to run the tubes a bit colder? Maybe the previous owner biased the amp to hot like I did.
Top review, very professional,..I was quite close to buying one of these but the issue with humbuckers has put me off as I play a Charvel Sol Cal...it might only be £200 but I plan to save another £200 and look at Marshal, EVH, Orange etc.
It's too bad that nobody can try these first hand, it would be better to assess your needs. Sadly, the only alternative is videos. I hope it answered all your questions. Cheers
It’s great that you demo this amp with both single coils and humbuckers! Not many reviewers do that. I have an old Line 6 Pod 2.0 that I use with this amp when playing Les Paul or SG with humbuckers. Sounds really good. btw according to the manual the input impedance is 1 MΩ
........ If you can find the tone that you are looking for then it's a great little amp, it is easily giggable, but I couldn't find the sound and the reverb wasn't too good so I sent it back, all of the playing with the tone controls just didn't happen, I plugged back into my old Laney theatre top with my decent Yamaha mixer into a pair of cheap subzero 1x12 cabs added delay and reverb and my sound was there where it always was, have been gigging with this setup for years.
These have been out of stock in the US for months. I have a more expensive amp, but this one seems to have a certain sound. People have reported that It is amazing after a speaker, and reverb tanks swap.
It's a very capable amp for sure. The Seventy-80 is not the best combination with this amp. I much prefer a Greenback or V30. I don't mind the reverb. It's a matter of preference of course, but well worth trying out first before swapping.
@@TheToneLounge I have collection Celestion's, and I would try a V-Type in it. That is all subjective, to some degree any way. V-30's are a bit strident and forward for my liking, but I love them mixed with Creamback 70's in my Marshall cabinet. I like the sound of that cab better than my 2x12 green back loaded Harley Benton. The V-Type is a nice compromise between all of them IMO. Again, a matter of preference, and playing style. My taste in guitar music is similar to what you provided in this video. Unfortunately, I havn't had the opportunity to try it with this amp yet. I think the V-type would be an excellent choice. Thanks for your reply regarding this amp. I will Keep looking for a buying opportunity.
If you keep your eyes open for the used market, you might see one pop up somewhere and be able to buy it for even less money. The resale value is not very good on these, so if you can find one on something like Facebook market place, perhaps you'll get a great deal. Cheers
Since the amp has sound issues with p90 and humbuckers it's a deal breaker, after all who has only single coil guitars. Thanks for the info it has been very helpful. 🤟
Regarding the tube brands, no, they're not all shipped with these tubes. I've bought this amp in early February, it came with an unbranded V1, V2 and V3 are marked "1609", dunno what that means. Power tubes are both Russian 6P14P's made in Saratov. All tubes work fine tho, no noise, no hum, no microphonics.
Thanks for letting me know. I wasn't sure if they sent all the amps out with those tubes or not. Now I know for sure. Have you Googled that 1609 to see what it is? I never heard of it either.
@@TheToneLounge also I've swapped the speaker for a G12M, and that improved the clean and crunch sound significantly. The drive sound became more old-school, so to speak, the Seventy 80 was a bit more aggressive in this amp.
I’m currently trying mine with a V30 and will also try a Greenback next. Speaker swaps have the biggest impact on the tone of an amp, so I’ll see which I prefer.
I own the Monoprice version of this amp. First off the stock speaker stinks. Change that and you will find this amp to be much much better sounding. Also put a 3 spring MOD reverb tank in it and the reverb is actually nice. I got mine used for $135 shipped and its like new. It had JJ's in it but one of them was bad. So i retubed mine with 6n2p preamp tubes in V1 and V2. 12at7 RCA in V3 and 6p14p-k power tubes. I adjusted the bias to about 10.5 (a little cooler than the 12 that most people set it at because i need lower voltage for the 6p14p tubes). I have been using mine thru a Jensen C12K speaker and WOW what a difference. Reverb, Speaker and Tubes changed this from an ok tube amp and "deal" to a smoking amp. I own very expensive equipment and this is one of the first lower priced tube amps ive purchased (Along with the Bugera T5 and Monoprices 5watt amp). For under $375 I purchased 3 tube amps that are actually useful and great sounding and i didnt need to do too much work.
What made you choose those specific tubes? Were you looking for a different gain structure? How about the speaker upgrade? Were you going for more of a Fender tone?
@@TheToneLounge The stock speaker doesnt have a full overall tone to it. I found myself having to keep messing with the knobs on the amp to find a sound i liked and it was driving me nuts. The EHX evened everything out and sounds so full its not even funny. I use 6p14p and 6n2p tubes because they are military spec and last much longer than current production tubes. THe 6p14p-eb lasts 10,000 hours. Current production tubes last 2500. Also they cost much less, i sell these tubes and parts for amps and ive spent the past few years turning people onto both the 6n2p and 6p14p tubes and everyone likes them. The 6n2p tubes (You need a $5 adaptor 6n2 to 12ax7) to me sound like vintage RCA tubes. JJ's sound flat compared to these and once again these are very reasonably priced and they are also military spec. Military spec tubes are designed to handle stress, like being in a fighter jet. Vibrations dont get to these tubes and current production and actually any NON military spec tube is very very susceptible to noise/microphonics. Ive been building and working on amps for two decades and these two types of tubes are starting to finally be seen in production amps. Trainwreck use these. Why spend the $ on JJ's that are over priced and sound flat when for. 1/4 of the price you can get these NOS Military Spec tubes ? Once you try these tubes you will ask yourself why you ever used EL84s or 12ax7. Only place i dont use 6n2p in my amps for is the Phase Inverter. I stick to my RCA NOS 12at7's. I have a collection of these 🙂 Hope that helps. If you want to hear a real significant change in your tone for the better and hear yourself like never before, try these tubes. I have a TON of info on my website. www.geekarooit.com
I have the Monoprice 15w version, same amp, I've gigged with it. I love it it works for me I've gotten tons of compliments on its sound. Some of the pedals I use are the VolWah, Keeley compressor, Caline Pure Sky, TC Dark Mater, Caline Snake Bite, and TC 3rd Dimension. I do run a buffer before and after chain maybe that makes a difference? All Pedals I run through the front of the amp. My Guitars are a PRS Custom 24 SE 35th Aniversary, PRS S2 Standard and a PRS Custom 24 S2 all humbucker guitars.
I have not tested the Tube15 with too many pedals yet. It's my next series of test. I want to see if there is a way to get it to play nice with humbuckers. I still have some content to develop for the Tube15, more to come in 2022.
Jonathan it might be based off the Laney Cub 12R but I'd have to really listen closely. About 5 years ago I had a Laney Cub 12R, a Fender Blues Junior III, a Laney Cub 10 and a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe FSR lacquered tweed. The Cub12R had a Celestion Rocket 50 12 inch speaker not a 70-80 and it had no name brand tubes and though it had two EL84 and three 12AX7 just like the Blues Junior the Cub12R sounded very thin compared to the Blues Junior.
I'd be curious to try the Laney and Blues Jr for comparison. It's definitely an interesting test to do and could probably help folks make a better purchasing decision.
My main issue with the Tube 15 is the utter lack of a headphone out. I'm afraid to use the speaker out, so I'm leaving my headphones plugged into my old solid state Hiwatt for some night-time playing; otherwise I'm absolutely enthusiast about this little beast. :)
I'll be going over the following point in more details in the shootout video, but in a nutshell: The Tube 15 has better cleans, more power, better scalable wattage due to having a master volume, the speaker is far better, it has spring reverb, takes pedals much better than the Origin 5. My Origin 5 review: th-cam.com/video/8uVSSmZ0r3s/w-d-xo.html
@@reylegacy619 Great question. If you are after the Marshall tone, then do not compromise. The Tube 15 is not that. I think that in terms of features and general options, the Tube 15 is a good option. The Origin 20 is a very specific tone that only that amp (in this price range) will give you. It is, however, twice the cost of the Tube 15.
Hi thanks so much for your video. I'm thinking to buy this amp to recording something solo jazz guitar. In other channel I heard backgroung noise. Can you tell me if this amp is good for recording clean guitar , please? I like the sound guitar in this video.
This is more like a Marshall, so the amp gets dirty pretty quickly. You would have to play at rather low levels to get a clean tone, and it might not sound so good in the recording since the level would be too low.
Different guitars with different pickup types and outputs will require different settings on the amp. That's why tone circuits were invented. There is a bright switch. They are there for a reason. The 1st stage triode will generally have a 1 meg ohm grid leak and a 68K grid stopper, there should not be a 250K resistor in the input/grid side of the circuit. There is a 220k feeding the gain pot, and that will keep the brightness down, maybe that's what you're talking about. When I listened to the A-B comparison between SC pup and HB pup, I didn't hear the drastic darkness and loss of highs. Tele with SC pup will generally be brighter and that's just the way it is, Gibson HB guitars are naturally darker than chimey, ringey Teles.
Well, that depends. Are you satisfied with your Katana? Does it do everything you need it to do? Is it lacking something you need? Look at the features of your amp versus that of the Tube15. Ask yourself this question: what will the HB give me that my Katana can not? If you are looking to ditch the features of your current amp in exchange for the specific tone and simplicity of the Tube15, then yes! Go for it. I’m thinking you can do far more with your current amp though. Personally, I’m thinking of selling my HB and getting a Katana.
@@TheToneLounge I have both the 15 (Monoprice version), and a Katana 100 MK2 1x12. Two completely different animals. Katana is great when I need a lot of effects, such as when I'm doing some recording. But for just playing some blues along with some backing tracks, the 15 kills it. Simple. Just turn it on and go, no fiddling around for 1/2 an hour looking for the right setting. To me it sounds great with all my guitars (Strats, Teles, PRS, etc.) If I do need effects, I just stick my Ampero 100 in the effects loop and turn off the amp sim. Mine came with unbranded Chinese tubes which I switched out with some JJ's that I had lying around and that did make a big difference in the tone. Took out some rattling and fizziness. My guess, as you had a B-Stock item, is that someone switched the tubes before you received it (LUCKY YOU). I find the reverb is a bit underwhelming and have a replacement MOD 3 spring unit on order, just $24.00 USD. Nice review. I just hit SUBSCRIBE.
You could get a “metal” type tone, but it would not be Djent or Deathcore heavy. You could probably get 80’s metal or Doom/Sludge with the right pedals.
Recently I went solid state with a katana 50 for home practice (headphones, low volume etc) . I would rather get a tube amp tbh and headphones was the main problem. Will the two tone captor solve this problem? By the way ,do you have a video on two note captor? How to use it , what it does. Will it work with vox ac15 , what model etc. Noob friendly pls :)
I do not have a dedicated video, but here is the skinny: 1. It will work with any amp that has an external output jack. So, yes the AC15 works with it. That's how I use it. 2. The 4, 8 and 16 of the Captor nomenclature refers to the impedance. If you will be using it with an amp that has a 16 ohm out, then get the Captor 16, etc. 3. Use is simple. Plug the amp external output to the Two Notes Captor speaker input. Plug the Captor via an XLR cable to your audio interface. Inside your recording software, use any impulse response that you have. Two Notes Actually gives a copy of Wall of Sound with the Captor, in case you have no IRs.
The rattling is an issue in my amp, and not something that occurs in all TUBE15's. Mine was a B-stock, so there were a few minor flaws with the amp. Cheers
others have said they wouldn't use it to record but to gig its 100%. bottom end hum is noticable cannot get rid of it apparently no idea i dont have one
Do you have an audible hum when volume is full open, no gain, no guitar plugged in, proper earthed kitchen wall socket (it's new, we just had a complete kitchen makeover), no fluorescent lights of any kind, all other settings to neutral? I do on mine, the loudness of the hum changes with the 1-15W attenuator switch. When I open the gain to full with the volume fully open there is a loud hiss plus the hum. It also does that on other power sources, not connected to kitchen equipment. At first I thought that was the issue, then I cut out my pedals, then I disconnected the guitar, tried a different wall socket, still ended up with a noisy amp at full gain/volume... I know tube amps tend to make some noise at high volume but the hum doesn't sound right, I feel like returning it.
It's normal to have some hum, especially cranked all the way. If you deem it to be unacceptable, them there are two things you can do: - test out different tubes/valves as it might be the issue - Send it back to Thomann. Hum and noises are always hard to diagnose. If you are not equipped to check it out on your own, getting in contact with Thomann would be the best course of action. Cheers
Two Notes make the Captor 16, which is a load box that take the load from your amp head and matches it like a cab would. I then send the signal going to the Captor to my computer, and from there I use virtual speakers, known as Impulse Response (IRs). The ones I am using are by the speaker company Celestion. They make their own virtual speakers based on their very own physical equivalent.
I'm just starting out and I want to try different sounds, pedals or pedalboards to see where to go ... but I like distortion, rock and grunge. Do you recommend a marshall dsl5 or hb tube 15? or some like that
I could gig with a pair of those in lager rooms and 1 in a small room. When I started playing I had a JCM 800. lol I got yelled at every time I turned it up. I switched to a deluxe reverb and a couple of great pedals and I was good. A fender deluxe reverb is only 30 watts max with a 1x12. It is a 2 channel amp. Incase you did not know. I like this Harley Benton amp.
I thought that the FDR was 22 watts, but I might be wrong. Regardless, wattage is not always a clear indicator of how many decibels an amp can put out. I've played loud 4 watt amps and rather quiet 30 watt amps too. I know for certain that the FDR is one loud combo. My father had one for years and I could easily keep up with a drum without needing to mic up the amp.
Wish it gave you a lil more headroom great for some bluesy crunch I heard it starts to break up level 2. Was thinking of getting this but I love to play jazzy funk but also love some doom and death metal. Probably stick to something like a used fender bassman or RV 50 where I got excessive headroom and I can push the amp with pedals instead.
Just bought one used. It has the same muddy behavior with humbuckers, where it is bright and very nice with singlecoils. Very similar as in your comparison. Tried 3 different tubes in V1 and it does not make a difference to that. Anyone else facing this with his tube 15? How can the impedance of the input jack be changed? Can that effect it?
I'm not sure why it behaves this way. It's the biggest issue I have with this amp. If it could play well with both humbuckers and single coils, it would make this amp that much more appealing.
@@TheToneLounge would be interesting to know if the Blues JR and the Laney Cup has the same behavior. I have seen some other reviews where humbuckers do not sound that muddy... Maybe a bad soldering somewhere in it Using a Klon type pedal or blues overdrive helps a little to get more clarity with my Les Paul.
I've noticed that when using the humbucker and the reverb sound changes to a very unpleasant (for me) gritty-sandy color. The more the reverb, the more the grittiness. Have you noticeed anythink like that?
@@TheToneLounge Thank you. I figured out that it is not just the reverb but there must be something additionall in the circuit. I unplugged the reverb box and still the reverb knob changes the sound. Of course it does not add reverb but it certainly does add some kind of saturation.
@@TheToneLounge I've recorded a few seconds of my guitar from the line out directly to the interface. The first part is with full reverb, second without. You'll surely hear the effect soundcloud.com/das-fleisch/hb-tube-15/s-FxbC28ZLSEp
@@TheToneLounge I've just bought it, actually. I used to own a great Marshall 50W combo which I gigged and recorded with back in the 80s and 90s and then sold (silly me) about 20 years ago. I realize this won't be anything like that amp, but it should be good enough for some home recording. Fingers crossed!
In another video review they say that this amplifier does not have a 100% clean sound and therefore is not good with fuzz pedals, distortions and overdrives, is this true?
I wonder if the muddy sounds with humbuckers isn’t because of that Celestion 70/80 speaker? I am lazy, I would put my MXR 10 band eq in front of that amp and click on it when using humbuckers to remove some low end.
@@TheToneLounge trying to figure it out, some components between 1st and 2nd stage may be a tad different. Trying to redraw the tonestack out to make sure it’s the same.
@@TheToneLounge fuck!!!! Granted, I am going off the Laney Cub12R schematic- so I have to assume the Chinese duplicated the schematic exactly. All the components are identical with a Marshall tonestack, but it some of the routing between the mids and bass pots have been changed around. And it looks like a major error!!!!
Damn... Didn't realize it was just a rebranded monoprice tube amp. I've heard that one before. I looked it up on amazon and sure enough. The 5 and 15 watts are on there.
They are worth their price tag, and more. They are far from bad amps. Many love them just the way they are. I think that the Tube15 is a bit dark, but lends itself well with single coils.
@@TheToneLounge you can get more gain with that amp, more crunchy sound, and clean tone it's very good and reverb, also it looks cool and it's so much cheaper 😎👍
@@TheToneLounge I have Diablo Okko, Nux Cerberus, some tubescreamars, I like too use clone of the fulltone, joyo maximus. One of my favorite to use with fender Amps it's old DOD Mystic Blues, it's really cool overdrive :)
Hi, this is a great review, you don't drown it in pedals and reverb and the amp sounds great. I love the sound. My only question is -what the effing heck are those red bits of plastic on the ends of the tubes?
Electric tape! I lost the little bits of rubber that held the retainers in place. They were loose and rubbing against the back of the grill. Sure, it looks goofy but it's only temporary lol
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 89 | คู่เอก "ยอดไอคิว vs คิริลล์"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z3vYkHJ_5Ig/mqdefault.jpg)
⚡ 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀:
🔴 Harley Benton series:
th-cam.com/play/PLeAo3au6SN1logyh2Z0Izu8cVnaTymLeN.html
I have read many times about fuses blowing in Monoprice 12 (Stage Right) amps and you can't change them you have to send them to factory because they are hard to get to, I want a Harley Benton 12 but do they have same problem of fuses blowing?
@@scootergreen3 I had not heard of this issue, so I can't really help you there. Have you contacted Thomann?
It's so nice to see guitar amp reviews with proper time given to clean tones. I hope you have more videos like this
Thanks for the kind words. I do take time to showcase the amp's clean tones, that's where I play most of the time. I do intend to make more amp reviews in the near future. Have you tried the Tube15? If so, what did you think of it?
@@TheToneLounge I also live in the clean tone area most of the time. You don't have to be playing smooth jazz just because your tone is clean. Besides my dad's Marshall Valvestate that I recently traded him for in exchange for a Boss Katana, I haven't tried a real amp ever, because I travel constantl (I'm a classical singer). I might change that post-plague, because I didn't have much else to do for over a year than take recording, composing and playing seriously, and I've realized that I don't want to go back to the constant performing again.
Bloody hell yes, drives me mad how people lunge straight for the metal shredding!
Nice review sir. I play single coils pretty much clean so your review made a nice change from reviewers going straight to distortion and staying there.
Thank you for the feedback. I try and cover as much territory as possible with reviews. It's not always easy, but if it can help answer people's questions then it's worth it. Have you tried this amp yet?
I am mainly an acoustic player and had cheap solid state electric amps for fun and when i wanted to play electric on home recordings. Tube amp for my purpose was out of range, pricewise.
But recently got the HB tube 15 , A stock, it is flawless and it knocks my Vox modeling amp out of the park. Sounds sooo much better.
It is my first tube amp and I love it.
Looking forward to your tests with pedals.
I’m working on some cool videos, plenty of pedal demos coming up. Cheers
The Stageright/Harley Benton Tube 15 is an amazing amp. It is a no-brainer to buy one. It sounds great stock, and with a good drive or distortion pedal in front of the entry and/or a delay or chorus pedal in the effects loop it sounds even better. The stock speaker is much better than its reputation. The stock reverb sounds quite good, IMHO. And if you don't like, use your favorite reverb pedal in the effects loop. Mine is also sounding quite warm with humbuckers and P90s, with tone and treble almost full up, it sounds great. As long as you can set the sound you want in the range of controls, all is good. Some think that EQ will destroy you if not set near the middle, but of course this is nonsense. As said, it is a great amp for a very small price. Great for home practice, great for band rehearsals (unless you need very clean sounds in a deafening volume). I totally agree: the Tube15 kicks ass. By the way, so far I no issue with drive or distortion pedals. All I have work fine in front of the Tube15. In case it sounds too warm with your pedals: most drive/distortion pedals have a tone control, just crank it until you have the sound you like.
People just don't understand guitar EQ. It's a passive tonestack that, in the middle position, is anything but neutral. Like you said, as long as the EQ helps out, everything is just fine.
I haven't gigged with it yet , but based on my home evaluation for about 3 days , this amp is a smoker !
Don't know about longevity yet. Unbelievable value in terms of sound for the money 👍
Hope you enjoy it! It's a great bang for the buck.
Wow, what an excellent review! Appreciate the detail you put into this. Subbed
Much appreciated!
Great video! Thanks for taking the time to bring it to us. Not sure it fills any void with my amp collection, but if I didn't currently own a pathfinder15, mini super beetle, fender champion 600 and excelsior, bugera v5, and a couple of point to point p.a. units ( jw davis) converted into guitar amps, I'd probably get one. I wish I'd had one of these thirty years ago starting out. Your production, audio , and editing really looks great here. Thanks again for another great video!
Thank you, I really appreciate your feedback. I'm really trying to 1up the quality of my videos. Glad you noticed. Yeah, if I had something like this when I started out I would have been very happy. I'm spoiled now, I have a vintage amp and my AC15, so I have a pretty good foundation to judge these new amps.
If you see one pop up at a great price, then I recommend it. I'm going to be taking the Greenback out of my AC15 and will try it in the TUBE 15 to see if a speaker upgrade makes a difference. Coming soon.
@@TheToneLounge I'd be interested to hear about the greenback, I had one years ago and it was a great speaker. The tubes in your amp are a nice touch. I put jj tubes in my excelsior with the 1518 speaker and it woke up the amp. Keep up the great work ! It's getting better all the time.
@@jonathanjohnson8656 Thank you so much, I appreciate it. Cheers
Great demo! - I use a Vox AC 10- what is your opinion about that amp compared to the Harley Benton 15
@@carlhenriksvedberg9148 I like my ac10 very well but I've never had the opportunity to try the Harley benton. Maybe the tone lounge will comment. My only issue with the ac10 is that it can't accept different speakers from what I've heard because of limited space inside the cabinet. But it sounds pretty good with the stock speaker.
8:37 Owning this amp for a couple of years already, using it for small gigs, practice, jams etc, I don't think this a problem. And that's of course why this and most amps have eq...
I see your point. I just feel that if I have to crank the highs to 10 just to get back what should be there at 12, it makes the EQ section a lot less versatile.
The eq is marshal style so 5 isnt flat per se. That's why the amp was dark with th eq on 5. You are essentially turning the highs DOWN halfway.
Thorough review thanks. I bought one, simply put, you can’t beat the bang for your buck.
At this price point you can have different, but not necessarily better.
I already own this amp and Love It .... I bought it for the 1W and the Lopper Deal ( I have a Boss ME 80 Pedal Board ) ... I reluctantly had to say good bye to my Fender Super Champ X2 .... Your video was very well done !!! The Olympics are on ... I give you a perfect score ... great job !!!
Rock on! Thanks Brian. What did you prefer about the Tube15 over your Champ X2?
Hi..i sold my superchamp X2..It was pretty, but It did not Shine!! Lots of effects and amp simulation some very usable, some not..and not totally tube amp The HB 15 Is far Better then the X2..Total tube, super versatile and when you play It, It feels "Alive"...😊
All Harley Benton tube 15 amps are currently shipping with JJ tubes now 😁
Thanks for to the review.
Thanks for letting me know. Cheers
Thank you so much for the honest advice. I was tempted to buy the Monoprice version on sale this week but the majority of my guitars are humbuckers and the last thing I want is a muddy tone. I think I will pass on this one.
Great review, great amp (for the money) I use it for all my guitars, just for pratice. The amp works good with humbuckers (Gibson Nighthawlk) and single coils (PRS Silver Sky SE). Love it!
Thanks for sharing!
I bought this amp about a year and half ago and wish I had seen this video before now! (Especially the other comments about changes folks have made to theirs). Mine was sounding great for about 6 months and then started breaking up, sometimes crakling and popping at very random moments. Finaly found that the power tubes were running very hot and a isht storm of noise would erupt when gently tapped. The amp had alway run very hot around the power tube area of the chasis. Got some new JJ EL84 tubes (old ones from early 2023 were unbranded). Changed tubes and cooled down the bias and it runs cooler and sounds much better. Considering the Jensen P12Q but concerned about the low sensitivity of the Jensens.
Have installed the Jensen and to me it sound much „bigger“ and open in this cabinet. A V30 was in there alse but the Jensen I like best (yet).
I bought this amp as first tube amp (B-stock). I'm really satisfied (my gear is a Tele deluxe with shawbucker). Great demo! Totally agree with you!
This amp makes for a great first tube amp for sure. How are you finding the Shawbuckers through the Tube15?
@@TheToneLounge Yes (I've two guitars, an sg with mini humbucker and the Tele).The clean ones are excellent. I personally find these hunbuckers to be less muddy and much brighter than gibsons. They have a personal sound. Even on saturated sounds they behave like this. Many have said that the bridge pickup is too howling (like a cat) ... nothing that can't be recorded with the tone knob ;). But I think, in this case, it's a matter of personal taste
I've seen a few of these reviews now and don't remember ever seeing sovtek or JJ valves. I wonder if the tonal issues with humbuckers is down to the non-standard valve compliment? Anyway, another great review Jonathan! 👍
Good question! Could be, I'm not so savvy when it comes to amp circuit designs. I'll test it out at some point. Cheers
I gotta say, I’ve seen a few reviews of this amp, and your tones were in the top 2 I’ve heard from this combo. Really really good. I have a Blues Junior and a early 60s Amoeg rocket as my small combos though so while these are cheap I don’t really needs one. Plus I have a Bogner Alchemist, and being a “British Amp” type guy a few years ago when I had a financial windfall, I was able to treat myself to my dream amp and bought a Friedman Smallbox. I am very happy with my amps but…. I have never heard a T-Rex pedal in my life , and the T-Tex Tonebug you were playing through sounded so devastatingly great ( wow, that flange might be better than the Deluxe Electric Mistress I owned about 30 years ago),I am raring to run out and get one. I am afraid to check the price in case they are.hyper expensive, but it sounds just killer as a flanger and as a chorus too. Thanks for the inspiring tones in your video, I subscribed immediately. I am looking forward to watching more of your stuff that is for sure! Cheers!
That's awesome! Welcome to the TTL community. The Tonebug pedals were pedals that were meant to be a "budget" series. I bought mine for $60 used. I see them pop up once in a while on the used market. I'm trying to buy more from this series. They look weird and sound great, which is one of my favorite combinations.
Great review, thanks for going deep into the details on this one. I share your thoughts on this amp and have concluded it is not for me. Keep up the great work!
Glad it was helpful! Cheers
Thanks for the great demo and review! I am currently playing through a BOSS Katana MKII 100 at home. This amp would probably be a great first tube amp for me. Thanks for the heads-up on the pedals as well, as I usually play through distortion and fuzz.
Glad it was helpful! What makes you feel like moving away from the Katana? Is it the digital aspect of the amp, or are you curious about what tubes/valves can do for your tone?
@@TheToneLounge A little of both. I’ve never owned a tube amp, and love the idea of just playing straight in to tubes and getting that raw sound. I’ll keep the Katana, because I like a lot of the effects it has, but I do feel like it might be affecting the sound of my pedals (not sure).
Did you get it? I also own a katana 100 but wanted to check out that tube sound
@@GiselleDK I did buy one, and still have it. It sounds great, and I mostly use it as my “blues” amp, with just a simple OD or boost pedal pushing the amp, and maybe a fuzz sometimes.
Good review. One of my guitars has a very raspy H coil. This amp makes it sound great
That’s awesome! Are you using it with pedals at all?
Thank you very much for your complete review ! I'm new to the valve world, and the comments are full of many ideas for those who want to customize their amps the way they like it better. I was immediately sold by the "buzzing bees" metallic-like sound aspect of the Tube 15 when I first heard it (in the D and S segments of the ADSR enveloppe when striking a note or a chord). I have the feeling that this amp could give very good results with Revrends' guitars (Crosscut, Buckshot or Airsonic) on cleans !
Very welcome! I'm very fortunate to have an audience that is more informed than myself. I get to learn as much as I get to teach. It's quite a fun gig. In terms of decay and sustain, this amp is not as prominent when it comes to transients. So, yes there is a very smooth sustain and decay. I think the strong point of this amp is it's gain structure. It's like a tiny, mean sounding Marshall.
Nice review bro! Great Tones!
Thanks Gar! It's a pretty cool amp!
Great review man, nice work!
Thanks! Have you tried this amp yet?
@@TheToneLounge I actually wanted one for a while but might pull the trigger now ..love the single coil clean tones off it... really really nice
Let me know if you get it!
Best video on this amp by far! Few questions, have you still got the amp and also quality wise does it seem solid and reliable in comparison to things like the origin, blues jr, vox etc... Thanks!
I sold the amp last year. Reliability wise, the amp is solid. I did a video comparing it to my AC15.
Nice and comprehensive review. My personal experience is I took delivery of mine in January so of course I can't have gigged it. But solo I play standards with a guitar loaded with humbuckers and it sounds excellent. I play for a rock and roll Trio, for which I use a TE-52; I think it will be fine, but we shall see....
I think this amp will do great in a Live setting. It’s plenty loud!
@@TheToneLounge Buy two or four and A+B them with a massive pedal board but then you are getting into hiring a sound tech territory LOL!!
Explains why I heard these other demos and thought "that sounds like my Cub12r"
The RAT is my fave pedal with that amp. I use singles and humbuckers.
A Celestion Vintage 30 is a major improvement, but it sounded fine before I swapped out. It also takes Fuzz pretty damn well.
I’m debating whether or not to make a series on this amp. Give tips and tricks as well as do pedal demos. What do you think?
My (B-stock) Harley Benton came with nameless DAD tubes as far as I can see. Didn't remove the backplate. It's a great litte amp sounds great. My last amp was a VOX AV-30, before that a VOX-AV60, bevore that a VOX-AC15 and before that I don't remember but the list goes on. I like the sound of this thing better than the VOXes. But I always play single coil without effects.
Oh yeah before that a VOX Pathfinder, before that a Peavey 5150, before that some nice Yamaha modelling amp and before that Fender, and before that Marshall. That's 30 years ago. So when I say this is a REALLY good amp you better believe me.
It really comes down to what you are looking for. My opinion is irrelevant if you are satisfied with the amp. I like it. I think it is good. I'm am not wowed by it by any stretch of the imagination. That is not a reflection of the product, but rather my own personal tastes.
You are vocal of your appreciation for this amp, and that is worth something, as some folks will want to hear your opinions and thoughts on this product. The more info we share, the more people can have in terms of information in order to make a purchasing decision.
@@TheToneLounge You are right. I am the guy without pedals that likes slightly overdriven amp with a lot of volume. Needs to be said.
Very good honest review 👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks. What do you think of the amp?
@@TheToneLounge
I’ll let you know as i have just ordered one from Thomann in Germany 🇩🇪
I should receive it next week
Good demo! What speaker Will be a good upgrad and better with humbucker ?
Salut Martin,
Moi j'aime bien le Celestion Greenback. J'ai fait un demo ou je compare le GB versus le Seventy-80. Selon moi, le GB est excellent avec le Tube15. Mais il y a beaucoup de monde qui préfère le speaker d'origine.
LIEN: th-cam.com/video/0SwO67vbMuU/w-d-xo.html
Perfectly executed demo/review. Nice job.
Thanks for the feedback. What did you think of the amp?
Thanks for the really thorough review.🙂
My pleasure. What did you think of the amp?
@@TheToneLounge I think I'd find it difficult to justify spending more on a Blues Jnr. I'm tempted to get one for my studio. At present I have a Roland amp but a valve amp would make sense. I could live with the cons. My experience of HB has been great. I don't own any of their amps but I have a fretless bass, a Fusion T and a DC Kit.
8:50 what if you used an EQ pedal before the signal reaches the pre-amp? would that let you reduce the bass enough to balance the tone going into the overdrive?
That would certainly help. Although it might be more useful through the FX loop.
A very honest and good review with relevant and useful information and good musical samples 👍 excellent 😃
Thank you René. Is this something you would see yourself buying, or not?
Hey Jonathan , yes it could be a possibility, but something else what you said triggered me : don't buy a Marshall origin 20c , it doesn't sound better than the HB Tube 15. Very nice to know. I am actually keyboard player but the last few years I have only been playing guitar and I have 7 electric guitars and 3 acoustic. I have a Rivera Clubster 25 10" and actually it is a very good amp with fx loop and line out. It has 2 6V6GT power tubes and 2 12ax7 preamp tubes. Paul Rivera worked for Fender and then he started for his own. I am looking for a different sound from this amp which you could call a Fender style amp. But I also look for a amp that has an attenuator and it would be nice if it has a record out or if can turn the speaker off like the peavy mini head classic 20.
What I learned from your review is that the HB Tube 15 is not very suitable for humbucker guitars and the Marshall Origin is not worth buying 😃👍
Great analysis!
Thanks Miguel! Are you considering buying this amp?
I have a bugera g5 into a HB 1x12 and was thinking of one of these, but maybe not now. 1W sounds great from the Bugera, but it's still loud at full volume / ACDC setting
Great video. These amps sound awesome
Agreed! You can buy two for less than a Blues Jr.
I have the Monoprice version and it is not at all dark sounding with humbuckers. (I do notice that he prefers a more biting treble that one associates with single-coils...so that would seem to be the basis of that comment?) I put a 12AY7 tube in V1 for more clean headroom.
I just bought one today. Looks like humbuckers and P90s work just fine, did not notice any muddiness.
Interesting. Mine is also muddy with humbuckers and p90s
It got me with the chord at 15 seconds, beautiful overtones. Mine's going in a custom head into a 2x12 with a pair of Heppner alnico speakers. An excellent demo, really suits the P90's and the single coils better.
I'm not sure why the single coils sound better, but I do like them with this amp.
Hey another great vid!
Is this the same amp as the monoprice stage right?
Also, I have a Vox ac15 that I got a year ago, I wanted one of the monoprice 15 watt amps before I got my ac15,. Is it worth me getting one of these amps
To play around with if I already have the vox ac15? These seem to be the exact same amp as the monoprice stage right.
I did a lot of research before filming this one and yes, it's the same amp as the Monoprice Stare right. As far as is it worth getting one, I would say that for that price point you can't go wrong. If you keep in mind the things I've mentioned in the video, and you are ok with that, then I would say go for it.
Okay thanks man!
I think that amp would really improve with a uk made celestion v30, or maybe an alnico blue or greenback if you are more into the vox sound
I’ll be trying it with the Greenback very soon.
Good rundown - especially pertaining to buckers, but my opinion is that single coils don't give me the girth that humbuckers (that aren't too hot) do...and most humbuckers are too hot.
Got my Stage Right when they were $179 shipped to my door.
I've got hundreds of tubes both slightly used, n.o.s., and new...and of course they can certainly effect the tone and output.
I happened to have a 103+ decibal efficient Wizard speaker that I swapped out the 98 decibel efficient 70/80 speaker for, which increases the headroom and volume and the bigger magnet fit fine. That speaker can be ice picky, which helps buckers from being as muddy due to being able to keep the volume setting lower.
Knowing how these kind of power tube sockets offer little heat protection from building up inside the chassis and over time degrading the circuit board components, I glued a small computer fan onto the inside of the grill blowing onto the power tubes to keep any heat from doing just that. That fan can be quietly supplied power with almost any kind/voltage from a battery using alligator clips attached to wires running down by the reverb tank....I've used a 9v battery...all the way up to a small 12v motorcycle battery.
That should help in the reliability department.
I also reinforced the particle board cabinet screw holes as well as all tolex seams and other unseen areas prone to disintegrating with beads of wood glue, so the amp cabinet overall will hold up over time.
It's worth a mention that running certain pedals through the effects loop also helps keep humbuckers from flubbing out.
As to whether I could keep up with a live gig, I haven't played live for 15 years when I blasted a Blues Deville or DRRI....but it would be nice not getting the look of death from some fat soundman should I ever gig again.
This amp is not the loudest 15 watter I've ever tried. As you've stated, a more efficient speaker can change that. I've tried the Tube15 with a Greenback and have yet to try it with a V30. All I know is that this is a good amp and can be upgraded with something better than the speaker it ships with. Mind you, some people don't mind that Seventy-80. I just don't like it.
@@TheToneLounge You're dead on that the input cuts much of the volume...which can be mitigated with some clean boost.
Great video! Considering this and the bugera v5 as a home only amp. Is 1 watt overpowering in an apartment / house environment? Liked and subbed
Wattage can be a bit confusing when it comes to how loud things get. A 1 watt amp can be a bit loud, or be very loud. I have a 10 watt amp here that I can crank and can sing over the amp quite comfortably. I also have a 4 watt Vox AC4 that is just about as loud as my AC15.
A 1 watt amp tends to be a bit more manageable for home use.
I have both the 15 (Monoprice version), and a Katana 100 MK2 1x12. Two completely different animals. Katana is great when I need a lot of effects, such as when I'm doing some recording. But for just playing some blues along with some backing tracks, the 15 kills it. Simple. Just turn it on and go, no fiddling around for 1/2 an hour looking for the right setting. To me it sounds great with all my guitars (Strats, Teles, PRS, etc.) If I do need effects, I just stick my Ampero 100 in the effects loop and turn off the amp sim. Mine came with unbranded Chinese tubes which I switched out with some JJ's that I had lying around and that did make a big difference in the tone. Took out some rattling and fizziness. My guess, as you had a B-Stock item, is that someone switched the tubes before you received it (LUCKY YOU). I find the reverb is a bit underwhelming and have a replacement MOD 3 spring unit on order, just $24.00 USD. Nice review. I just hit SUBSCRIBE.
As you say, I probably just lucked out with the tubes. It's a good amp for sure. My son is using it now, he really likes it. Glad you subbed, I'm looking forward to chatting more with you. Cheers
@@TheToneLounge I'm in Canada, but Amazon is advertising this under the Monoprice brand and they advertise JJ tubes. Wonder if they listened to critics and updated their tubes ?
How can you compare a tube amp to a solid state modeling amp?
and I thought Katana was a sword 🤔
@@TheToneLounge some amps from the famous 3, don't give you a spring tank AND FX loop . However it's been suggested you try before you buy as the sound quality can vary from one to another due to component changes
How good do you think it is for just studio purposes ..we also use a lot of pedals was wondering how good would it be in a studio dialing different pedals onto it one by one via effects loop for recording purposes only .. not to gig around or anything.. please let us know thanx
Please shed some light
For studio work, this should work without any issues. Personally, I find this amp rather dark sounding, so you will have to experiment with what pedals work best for you.
In terms of making this amp more versatile, you can use the speaker out with a different cab/speaker or use it with something like a Two Notes Captor and use Impulse Responses.
If you are using the amp stock, I suggest matching it with the right microphone and playing around with the mic placement for optimal results.
The 15/1 watt power selector can also be useful if you are recording at home and need to keep the volume at lower levels.
I hope that helps.
Thanx a lot man .. we just wanna experiment. . We gig around with blackstar .. we are a blackstar endorsed band in our country .. was thinking the same prolly use a blackstar 4×4 celestian cabinets .. speaker out on this one at the studio.. use its effects loop and the spring reverb sounds good too
. I have watched almost all review videos on this amp .. it's better than good for what its worth ..thanx for the reply .. cheaper than the price of a pedal sounds amazing !!
Sounds great with the blues driver. My Positive Grid Sparc is fine, but it's not nearly as clean. 25 lbs though? I wonder if they skimped on the output transformer - or maybe it's a solid state power supply?
01:45 Sooo can we change the tubes without biasing the amp or how does it work? Is it a fixed bias or a cathode bias?
Great question. As far as I was able to determine, it's cold biased but don't take my word for it. I'm not 100% sure.
I putt all JJ s in it without bias and it sounds good
I slapen the Chinees noord brand out and put the JJ in. The el34 tubes must be a matchen pair.
Good review! Been looking at this one for a while, but maybe will be a fender vibro-champ for me for the clean tones. It seems to break up at 1.5.
There is also the Tub5 that might be worth a look. It's more of a Fender Champ type of amplifier. Have you looked that one up?
Nice review - It's good to hear the negatives of this amp as well. I will be buying one of these, but as my secondary practice amp. I don't think you can go wrong for that price. Just subbed 👍🏻
Glad to have you onboard Simon! Yeah, it's important to point out our observations when doing a review. Some people are not happy with me calling out the negatives, but how else are we supposed to have an honest discussion about gear? Cheers
Great detailed review. Really helpful. Thanks. I need an amp for only low volume use, so would be interested in how it compares with the Marshall DSC1R, Blackstar HT1R and Katana 50 or 100.
I've compared the Tube15 to a few amps that I own. I don't have the ones you mentioned, but if I can get my hands on one of them I'll do a video for sure.
Exceptionally well done review,..-the amp..was what I was expecting..not a miracle amp..but a great bargain.
Yeah, at this price point, it's hard to imagine a better amp.
Excellent review, thank you sir. Single coils sound great.
My pleasure. What did you think of the amp?
@@TheToneLounge Very impressed, a bargain.
Really great, informative and honest review. Superior to others on TH-cam. I have this amp and you absolutely nailed my thoughts and added some.
I haven’t tried Vox AC10 (have AC15). Do you think the AC10 is better sounding than Tube15? I suspect that.
Thanks Bosse! I tried to make this as informative as I could.
As for your question: the Tube15 is surely different compared to the AC10. Which is better? Hard for me to say. Have you seen my TH-cam series on the AC10?
@@TheToneLounge Sure have. I think the AC10 sounds much clearer than Tube15 (which I plan to sell). As you say: Tube15 is a bit muddy. Very small transformers in it. The speaker is not the best. Tried Greenback and Vintage 30 which was my favourite.
Update: I was relly happy with the Tube15 in the beginning. But I had problem with one of the chinese EL84 so I switched to two Sovtek tubes. I adjusted bias to 12,5 Volt according to schematics from Laney Cub 12R which has similar layout. (originally the bias was set much colder from factory, around 7,5 V) But I thought the amp sounded dull after the tube change and rebias. Today I lowered the bias and the amp sounds better. My theory is that your amp got new tubes from previous owner and a rebias. Maybe you should try to just knock off a bit on your bias pot to run the tubes a bit colder? Maybe the previous owner biased the amp to hot like I did.
Top review, very professional,..I was quite close to buying one of these but the issue with humbuckers has put me off as I play a Charvel Sol Cal...it might only be £200 but I plan to save another £200 and look at Marshal, EVH, Orange etc.
It's too bad that nobody can try these first hand, it would be better to assess your needs. Sadly, the only alternative is videos. I hope it answered all your questions. Cheers
It’s great that you demo this amp with both single coils and humbuckers! Not many reviewers do that.
I have an old Line 6 Pod 2.0 that I use with this amp when playing Les Paul or SG with humbuckers. Sounds really good.
btw according to the manual the input impedance is 1 MΩ
........ If you can find the tone that you are looking for then it's a great little amp, it is easily giggable, but I couldn't find the sound and the reverb wasn't too good so I sent it back, all of the playing with the tone controls just didn't happen, I plugged back into my old Laney theatre top with my decent Yamaha mixer into a pair of cheap subzero 1x12 cabs added delay and reverb and my sound was there where it always was, have been gigging with this setup for years.
These have been out of stock in the US for months. I have a more expensive amp, but this one seems to have a certain sound. People have reported that It is amazing after a speaker, and reverb tanks swap.
It's a very capable amp for sure. The Seventy-80 is not the best combination with this amp. I much prefer a Greenback or V30. I don't mind the reverb. It's a matter of preference of course, but well worth trying out first before swapping.
@@TheToneLounge I have collection Celestion's, and I would try a V-Type in it. That is all subjective, to some degree any way. V-30's are a bit strident and forward for my liking, but I love them mixed with Creamback 70's in my Marshall cabinet. I like the sound of that cab better than my 2x12 green back loaded Harley Benton. The V-Type is a nice compromise between all of them IMO. Again, a matter of preference, and playing style. My taste in guitar music is similar to what you provided in this video. Unfortunately, I havn't had the opportunity to try it with this amp yet. I think the V-type would be an excellent choice.
Thanks for your reply regarding this amp. I will Keep looking for a buying opportunity.
If you keep your eyes open for the used market, you might see one pop up somewhere and be able to buy it for even less money. The resale value is not very good on these, so if you can find one on something like Facebook market place, perhaps you'll get a great deal. Cheers
Since the amp has sound issues with p90 and humbuckers it's a deal breaker, after all who has only single coil guitars. Thanks for the info it has been very helpful. 🤟
My pleasure. I tried swapping speakers and the same issue is still there. So I'm almost convinced that it's an input impedance thing.
Regarding the tube brands, no, they're not all shipped with these tubes. I've bought this amp in early February, it came with an unbranded V1, V2 and V3 are marked "1609", dunno what that means. Power tubes are both Russian 6P14P's made in Saratov.
All tubes work fine tho, no noise, no hum, no microphonics.
Thanks for letting me know. I wasn't sure if they sent all the amps out with those tubes or not. Now I know for sure. Have you Googled that 1609 to see what it is? I never heard of it either.
@@TheToneLounge you're welcome. And mine's a bit dark, too.
@@TheToneLounge also I've swapped the speaker for a G12M, and that improved the clean and crunch sound significantly. The drive sound became more old-school, so to speak, the Seventy 80 was a bit more aggressive in this amp.
I’m currently trying mine with a V30 and will also try a Greenback next. Speaker swaps have the biggest impact on the tone of an amp, so I’ll see which I prefer.
@@TheToneLounge have fun :)
I own the Monoprice version of this amp. First off the stock speaker stinks. Change that and you will find this amp to be much much better sounding. Also put a 3 spring MOD reverb tank in it and the reverb is actually nice. I got mine used for $135 shipped and its like new. It had JJ's in it but one of them was bad. So i retubed mine with 6n2p preamp tubes in V1 and V2. 12at7 RCA in V3 and 6p14p-k power tubes. I adjusted the bias to about 10.5 (a little cooler than the 12 that most people set it at because i need lower voltage for the 6p14p tubes). I have been using mine thru a Jensen C12K speaker and WOW what a difference. Reverb, Speaker and Tubes changed this from an ok tube amp and "deal" to a smoking amp. I own very expensive equipment and this is one of the first lower priced tube amps ive purchased (Along with the Bugera T5 and Monoprices 5watt amp). For under $375 I purchased 3 tube amps that are actually useful and great sounding and i didnt need to do too much work.
What made you choose those specific tubes? Were you looking for a different gain structure? How about the speaker upgrade? Were you going for more of a Fender tone?
@@TheToneLounge The stock speaker doesnt have a full overall tone to it. I found myself having to keep messing with the knobs on the amp to find a sound i liked and it was driving me nuts. The EHX evened everything out and sounds so full its not even funny.
I use 6p14p and 6n2p tubes because they are military spec and last much longer than current production tubes. THe 6p14p-eb lasts 10,000 hours. Current production tubes last 2500. Also they cost much less, i sell these tubes and parts for amps and ive spent the past few years turning people onto both the 6n2p and 6p14p tubes and everyone likes them.
The 6n2p tubes (You need a $5 adaptor 6n2 to 12ax7) to me sound like vintage RCA tubes. JJ's sound flat compared to these and once again these are very reasonably priced and they are also military spec.
Military spec tubes are designed to handle stress, like being in a fighter jet. Vibrations dont get to these tubes and current production and actually any NON military spec tube is very very susceptible to noise/microphonics.
Ive been building and working on amps for two decades and these two types of tubes are starting to finally be seen in production amps. Trainwreck use these.
Why spend the $ on JJ's that are over priced and sound flat when for. 1/4 of the price you can get these NOS Military Spec tubes ? Once you try these tubes you will ask yourself why you ever used EL84s or 12ax7. Only place i dont use 6n2p in my amps for is the Phase Inverter. I stick to my RCA NOS 12at7's. I have a collection of these 🙂
Hope that helps. If you want to hear a real significant change in your tone for the better and hear yourself like never before, try these tubes. I have a TON of info on my website. www.geekarooit.com
I have the Monoprice 15w version, same amp, I've gigged with it. I love it it works for me I've gotten tons of compliments on its sound. Some of the pedals I use are the VolWah, Keeley compressor, Caline Pure Sky, TC Dark Mater, Caline Snake Bite, and TC 3rd Dimension. I do run a buffer before and after chain maybe that makes a difference? All Pedals I run through the front of the amp. My Guitars are a PRS Custom 24 SE 35th Aniversary, PRS S2 Standard and a PRS Custom 24 S2 all humbucker guitars.
I have not tested the Tube15 with too many pedals yet. It's my next series of test. I want to see if there is a way to get it to play nice with humbuckers. I still have some content to develop for the Tube15, more to come in 2022.
how does it fair against a loud drummer on its own?
It was not an issue 4 me plenty loud enough
Appreciate your efforts and review. If your amps tubes are not factory spec then your example would not be what the rest of us would be purchasing.
I hear what you are saying, however tubes don't make the biggest difference in tone. There is one, but it's not a night and day difference.
Jonathan it might be based off the Laney Cub 12R but I'd have to really listen closely. About 5 years ago I had a Laney Cub 12R, a Fender Blues Junior III, a Laney Cub 10 and a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe FSR lacquered tweed. The Cub12R had a Celestion Rocket 50 12 inch speaker not a 70-80 and it had no name brand tubes and though it had two EL84 and three 12AX7 just like the Blues Junior the Cub12R sounded very thin compared to the Blues Junior.
I'd be curious to try the Laney and Blues Jr for comparison. It's definitely an interesting test to do and could probably help folks make a better purchasing decision.
My main issue with the Tube 15 is the utter lack of a headphone out. I'm afraid to use the speaker out, so I'm leaving my headphones plugged into my old solid state Hiwatt for some night-time playing; otherwise I'm absolutely enthusiast about this little beast. :)
Dude. It's a tube amp. Most don't have headphone outs. Get a Thr or something if thats your priority perhaps
Hi, can you tell me why you are using a 16 ohm torpedo captor while the amp is an 8 ohm? Great video !
The amp is switchable between 8/16. The stock internal speaker is 16 ohms.
@@TheToneLounge ah ok, on thomann's site it is simply noted in 8 ohm. thank you for the answer
Did you ever try using a buffer before the amp for the impedance?
I did not have one at the time, or else I would have tried it for sure.
Why would you prefer this amp over Origin 20?
I'll be going over the following point in more details in the shootout video, but in a nutshell:
The Tube 15 has better cleans, more power, better scalable wattage due to having a master volume, the speaker is far better, it has spring reverb, takes pedals much better than the Origin 5.
My Origin 5 review: th-cam.com/video/8uVSSmZ0r3s/w-d-xo.html
I already watched yoou origin 5 video, and I'm totally agree with your veredict, but don't you think the 20 watt version would be a better option?
@@reylegacy619 Great question. If you are after the Marshall tone, then do not compromise. The Tube 15 is not that. I think that in terms of features and general options, the Tube 15 is a good option. The Origin 20 is a very specific tone that only that amp (in this price range) will give you.
It is, however, twice the cost of the Tube 15.
Hi thanks so much for your video. I'm thinking to buy this amp to recording something solo jazz guitar. In other channel I heard backgroung noise. Can you tell me if this amp is good for recording clean guitar , please? I like the sound guitar in this video.
This is more like a Marshall, so the amp gets dirty pretty quickly. You would have to play at rather low levels to get a clean tone, and it might not sound so good in the recording since the level would be too low.
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Different guitars with different pickup types and outputs will require different settings on the amp. That's why tone circuits were invented. There is a bright switch. They are there for a reason. The 1st stage triode will generally have a 1 meg ohm grid leak and a 68K grid stopper, there should not be a 250K resistor in the input/grid side of the circuit. There is a 220k feeding the gain pot, and that will keep the brightness down, maybe that's what you're talking about. When I listened to the A-B comparison between SC pup and HB pup, I didn't hear the drastic darkness and loss of highs. Tele with SC pup will generally be brighter and that's just the way it is, Gibson HB guitars are naturally darker than chimey, ringey Teles.
Wondering if I should replace my Katana 50 mk2 with this one?
Well, that depends. Are you satisfied with your Katana? Does it do everything you need it to do? Is it lacking something you need?
Look at the features of your amp versus that of the Tube15. Ask yourself this question: what will the HB give me that my Katana can not?
If you are looking to ditch the features of your current amp in exchange for the specific tone and simplicity of the Tube15, then yes! Go for it.
I’m thinking you can do far more with your current amp though. Personally, I’m thinking of selling my HB and getting a Katana.
@@TheToneLounge I have both the 15 (Monoprice version), and a Katana 100 MK2 1x12. Two completely different animals. Katana is great when I need a lot of effects, such as when I'm doing some recording. But for just playing some blues along with some backing tracks, the 15 kills it. Simple. Just turn it on and go, no fiddling around for 1/2 an hour looking for the right setting. To me it sounds great with all my guitars (Strats, Teles, PRS, etc.) If I do need effects, I just stick my Ampero 100 in the effects loop and turn off the amp sim. Mine came with unbranded Chinese tubes which I switched out with some JJ's that I had lying around and that did make a big difference in the tone. Took out some rattling and fizziness. My guess, as you had a B-Stock item, is that someone switched the tubes before you received it (LUCKY YOU). I find the reverb is a bit underwhelming and have a replacement MOD 3 spring unit on order, just $24.00 USD. Nice review. I just hit SUBSCRIBE.
Do you think it could fit weel with an overdrive or preamp in front for metal?
You could get a “metal” type tone, but it would not be Djent or Deathcore heavy. You could probably get 80’s metal or Doom/Sludge with the right pedals.
Recently I went solid state with a katana 50 for home practice (headphones, low volume etc) . I would rather get a tube amp tbh and headphones was the main problem. Will the two tone captor solve this problem?
By the way ,do you have a video on two note captor? How to use it , what it does. Will it work with vox ac15 , what model etc. Noob friendly pls :)
I do not have a dedicated video, but here is the skinny:
1. It will work with any amp that has an external output jack. So, yes the AC15 works with it. That's how I use it.
2. The 4, 8 and 16 of the Captor nomenclature refers to the impedance. If you will be using it with an amp that has a 16 ohm out, then get the Captor 16, etc.
3. Use is simple. Plug the amp external output to the Two Notes Captor speaker input. Plug the Captor via an XLR cable to your audio interface. Inside your recording software, use any impulse response that you have. Two Notes Actually gives a copy of Wall of Sound with the Captor, in case you have no IRs.
@@TheToneLounge Thank you!!
Are you Using captor 16 in tjis video?
Mic’d with an SM57
Awesome video on my amp i cover the back now it rocks
Cool. What did the back cover do in terms of tone change?
@@TheToneLounge It sounds heavy and the sound comes out from the speaker not allround mess
fantàstic video, congratulations and thanks
Many thanks! Have you tried the Tube15?
A great amp! Would anybody know the magnetic strength of the magnets in this amp? Thanks
Trying looking that up by searching for the Celestion Seventy-80. Cheers
If some pedals sound good,but others don't, isn't that the particular pedal used isn't (compatible) rather than the amp not sounding good ???
Great video but just one question ... Is the Rattling so audible if I want to record with this amp??? I'll appreciate someone reply me .. thanks 😊
The rattling is an issue in my amp, and not something that occurs in all TUBE15's. Mine was a B-stock, so there were a few minor flaws with the amp. Cheers
others have said they wouldn't use it to record but to gig its 100%. bottom end hum is noticable cannot get rid of it apparently no idea i dont have one
@@stevemyers2092 t-you ✌
Do you have an audible hum when volume is full open, no gain, no guitar plugged in, proper earthed kitchen wall socket (it's new, we just had a complete kitchen makeover), no fluorescent lights of any kind, all other settings to neutral? I do on mine, the loudness of the hum changes with the 1-15W attenuator switch. When I open the gain to full with the volume fully open there is a loud hiss plus the hum. It also does that on other power sources, not connected to kitchen equipment. At first I thought that was the issue, then I cut out my pedals, then I disconnected the guitar, tried a different wall socket, still ended up with a noisy amp at full gain/volume...
I know tube amps tend to make some noise at high volume but the hum doesn't sound right, I feel like returning it.
It's normal to have some hum, especially cranked all the way. If you deem it to be unacceptable, them there are two things you can do:
- test out different tubes/valves as it might be the issue
- Send it back to Thomann.
Hum and noises are always hard to diagnose. If you are not equipped to check it out on your own, getting in contact with Thomann would be the best course of action. Cheers
@@TheToneLounge Thnx for te reply, it's going back to Thomann...
That's too bad. Are you picking up something else instead?
@@TheToneLounge They're sending a replacement Tube15 =)
@@IAmWatcher I'm happy to hear that. Let me know how this one goes.
Thank you
My pleasure. What did you think of the amp?
The first 15 seconds sounded best. What does "Using the two notes captor 16 with Celestial IRs" mean?
Two Notes make the Captor 16, which is a load box that take the load from your amp head and matches it like a cab would. I then send the signal going to the Captor to my computer, and from there I use virtual speakers, known as Impulse Response (IRs). The ones I am using are by the speaker company Celestion. They make their own virtual speakers based on their very own physical equivalent.
I'm just starting out and I want to try different sounds, pedals or pedalboards to see where to go ... but I like distortion, rock and grunge. Do you recommend a marshall dsl5 or hb tube 15? or some like that
I would be inclined to say that the Marshall DSL5 might be a better amp for that particular scenario.
th-cam.com/video/XSgUUerfvmA/w-d-xo.html
I could gig with a pair of those in lager rooms and 1 in a small room. When I started playing I had a JCM 800. lol I got yelled at every time I turned it up. I switched to a deluxe reverb and a couple of great pedals and I was good. A fender deluxe reverb is only 30 watts max with a 1x12. It is a 2 channel amp. Incase you did not know. I like this Harley Benton amp.
I thought that the FDR was 22 watts, but I might be wrong. Regardless, wattage is not always a clear indicator of how many decibels an amp can put out. I've played loud 4 watt amps and rather quiet 30 watt amps too. I know for certain that the FDR is one loud combo. My father had one for years and I could easily keep up with a drum without needing to mic up the amp.
@@TheToneLounge It is,22 watts. 30 watt max I believe. I even had to run that at about 3.5 in smaller clubs.
Hi man whats on your stat after the nut on the headstock and whats the purpose cheers
It's just a fret wrap, to reduce sympathetic vibrations behind the nut.
@@TheToneLounge what the downsides of the vibrations man
Craig Hughes -shug it's not so much vibrations, as much as it is excess noise that can distract from the articulation of your notes.
The muddiness issues sounds like it could be fixed with a buffer in front of the amp. I may be wrong.
I've tried that but did not hear a difference.
Wonder how it would compare with a vox AV 15 ?
That's a great question. Perhaps someone will be able to chime in?
Wish it gave you a lil more headroom great for some bluesy crunch I heard it starts to break up level 2. Was thinking of getting this but I love to play jazzy funk but also love some doom and death metal. Probably stick to something like a used fender bassman or RV 50 where I got excessive headroom and I can push the amp with pedals instead.
Yeah, it's more of a Rock amp and does not have very much headroom. I would go for a different amp for straight up clean stuff.
Just bought one used. It has the same muddy behavior with humbuckers, where it is bright and very nice with singlecoils. Very similar as in your comparison. Tried 3 different tubes in V1 and it does not make a difference to that.
Anyone else facing this with his tube 15?
How can the impedance of the input jack be changed? Can that effect it?
I'm not sure why it behaves this way. It's the biggest issue I have with this amp. If it could play well with both humbuckers and single coils, it would make this amp that much more appealing.
@@TheToneLounge would be interesting to know if the Blues JR and the Laney Cup has the same behavior.
I have seen some other reviews where humbuckers do not sound that muddy... Maybe a bad soldering somewhere in it
Using a Klon type pedal or blues overdrive helps a little to get more clarity with my Les Paul.
I've noticed that when using the humbucker and the reverb sound changes to a very unpleasant (for me) gritty-sandy color. The more the reverb, the more the grittiness. Have you noticeed anythink like that?
I haven't experienced that myself. Maybe others can chime in?
@@TheToneLounge Thank you. I figured out that it is not just the reverb but there must be something additionall in the circuit. I unplugged the reverb box and still the reverb knob changes the sound. Of course it does not add reverb but it certainly does add some kind of saturation.
@@piotrogrodowczyk1571 That's very strange. It would probably need a look from a tech.
@@TheToneLounge I've recorded a few seconds of my guitar from the line out directly to the interface. The first part is with full reverb, second without. You'll surely hear the effect soundcloud.com/das-fleisch/hb-tube-15/s-FxbC28ZLSEp
Great video. Thank you!
My pleasure. Is this something you see yourself getting?
@@TheToneLounge I've just bought it, actually. I used to own a great Marshall 50W combo which I gigged and recorded with back in the 80s and 90s and then sold (silly me) about 20 years ago. I realize this won't be anything like that amp, but it should be good enough for some home recording. Fingers crossed!
let me know your thoughts once you get it. Cheers
Monoprice sells the same amp but it’s branded as StageRight
That's right! Have you tried it?
In another video review they say that this amplifier does not have a 100% clean sound and therefore is not good with fuzz pedals, distortions and overdrives, is this true?
I didn't like it with pedals fir that very reason.
@@TheToneLounge So for me who use pedals it is not appropriate
This Harley Benton amp is the same as the monoprice stage right they are identical only the name changes
100% correct! Just a different names and I also heard the Thomann does QA checks on them before they leave their warehouse.
I wonder if the muddy sounds with humbuckers isn’t because of that Celestion 70/80 speaker? I am lazy, I would put my MXR 10 band eq in front of that amp and click on it when using humbuckers to remove some low end.
I tried it with a V30 and a Greenback and it sounded muddy with these too. I'm not sure why it sounds this way.
@@TheToneLounge just confirmed, the preamp in this sucker is 95%-97% identical to the preamp of a jcm800!!!
That's crazy. I wonder why it sounds so dark with humbuckers though.
@@TheToneLounge trying to figure it out, some components between 1st and 2nd stage may be a tad different. Trying to redraw the tonestack out to make sure it’s the same.
@@TheToneLounge fuck!!!! Granted, I am going off the Laney Cub12R schematic- so I have to assume the Chinese duplicated the schematic exactly. All the components are identical with a Marshall tonestack, but it some of the routing between the mids and bass pots have been changed around. And it looks like a major error!!!!
Gracias!
You are welcome!
Damn... Didn't realize it was just a rebranded monoprice tube amp. I've heard that one before. I looked it up on amazon and sure enough. The 5 and 15 watts are on there.
They are worth their price tag, and more. They are far from bad amps. Many love them just the way they are. I think that the Tube15 is a bit dark, but lends itself well with single coils.
I got this amp and I love it, I preafer then blues junior. Its exacly a copy of
Monoprice 15-Watt Guitar Combo Tube Amp :)
What do you prefer about this amp over the Blues Jr?
@@TheToneLounge you can get more gain with that amp, more crunchy sound, and clean tone it's very good and reverb, also it looks cool and it's so much cheaper 😎👍
All great points. Do you have any favorite pedals with this amp?
@@TheToneLounge I have Diablo Okko, Nux Cerberus, some tubescreamars, I like too use clone of the fulltone, joyo maximus. One of my favorite to use with fender Amps it's old DOD Mystic Blues, it's really cool overdrive :)
looks to be THE monoprice rebadged - same faceplate etc.
Hi, this is a great review, you don't drown it in pedals and reverb and the amp sounds great. I love the sound. My only question is -what the effing heck are those red bits of plastic on the ends of the tubes?
Electric tape! I lost the little bits of rubber that held the retainers in place. They were loose and rubbing against the back of the grill. Sure, it looks goofy but it's only temporary lol
i want first ampli for mi cort cr250,and need choose:boss katana 50 or this harley benton
I would go with the Katana.
@@TheToneLounge i think the tube amplis are better like transistors amplis
@@Omar_675_24 Then you should go with the Tube15
@@TheToneLounge IS a cuestión,sorry,im begginer on guitar