I’m an Orange guy, so I’m probably a bit biased, but I really enjoy the Orange Minis. They’re significantly cheaper than most of the others and the little 1x8 cabs they use aren’t bad.
The Orange Micro Dark through a 412 is AMAZING!! I got one in a package deal, and my jaw hit the floor when i first played it through my Marshall cab...
I can see why, they sound really well. Compared to all the other lunch boxes with el84’s they sound the best. But once the amps roll in with el34 or 6l6’s. If orange decided to finally make an affordable amp with either the 34’s or the 6l6’s it would be massively popular.
Idk man my Joyo Zombie 2 has a great low end and lots of tone for $180. 2 true individual channels with their own EQ and volume and gain. Lots of gain.
will absolutely put the Marshall Studio Classic in S tier. All it needs is a few pedals and mods and it becomes a versatile beast, and is actually quite affordable in the middle part of the world (Europe, Middle East). The JCM800 tone is my thing for literally everything and I definitely want one as my first tube amp. I actually kinda like the fact that the DI out doesn't have a speaker emulation. Marshall doesn't really make them good if you ask me and I'd rather use my own IRs
excellent list my dude. Although you did include the DSL20, I think it's worth mentioning that there's also the DSL 1, which is a lot cheaper and actually chugs pretty hard. Ola Englund and a few other good players demo it and were blown away. And the clean channel is very musical and marshall sounding. For the price sound and functionality, I think it would be in the S position.
Thanks for the vid and thoughts. Been looking at the Friedman JJ. Can’t try it out. Curious as to why a B in your opinion and not higher. Gets a lot of love online. The Engl Fireball sounds great also.
Gigging-wise, my Jet City JCA22h retired my OG 5150 10 years ago and I never looked back. The low end is something the sound guy is going to chop off anyway, so I've no issues regarding that. Recently got the DSL, but it didn't really live up to my expectations.
Got a 6505mh & I love it. Great tones & features at an affordable price plus late night practice or silent recording I can do it with that amp. My Mesa MK3 is my favorite amp but it’s loud & likes to be played loud, when I can’t use it I’ve got the 6505mh. I do want to try the PRS MT15 though heard lots of good things about that amp.
Hi Ray, thanks for the content and awesome video man! I think the Orange Micro Dark is more than a novetly amp head (I am an Orange fan so my opinion is biased). Caleb Shomo used the Micro Dark through an Orange 4x12 to record Beartooth's album Agressive. I will say the Orange 1x8 cab is a novelty item though lol.
It's a fantastic spare tyre of an amp. It's plenty loud enough and sounds great, almost to the point of wondering why I bring a 10kg "main" head to bar gigs in the first place.
I have a 5153 50w which is far too loud for home writing so I bought the dsl1hr through a greenback and used a Victory V4 Kraken pre amp pedal. Sounds amazing and as its only 1W you can get the Marshall to cook a little without blowing the windows out! 👍
The Marshall Origin 20H is actually great as a pedal platform, especially if you pair it with another amp in the same wattage range for a stereo Dry/Wet rig. I want one, or even the Studio Vintage, NGL. Mainly because I want to put a "Swedish chainsaw" style pedal in front of it, and put all my time and modulation effects on it, crank the blend, and leave my main tone dry like Arizona. Something about Plexi/JTM type amps makes them primed perfectly for that sound. Pair with any high gain amp from Peavey, EVH, Orange, Friedman, or even another Marshall, through an ABY, and you've got some seriously nasty distortion tones.
Hey man, not a mini head (unless you turn it into one like I did) and not available new, but have you ever tried a Peavey Bravo? It has an insane amount of low end and punch for a small, EL84 amp.
you know friend? There is a mini amp that you should try as soon as possible. The AMT Stonehead 50w. 4 channels and many options. Preamp output, mixer output... it's amazing
All the mini amps are not really cheap and I always missing the sound and the power of the real tube amps... So I decided to use the Amp1 Iridium from Bluguitar and it deliver everything I want and it has 150w output max. It fits on a pedalboard and has 4 channels and cost about 900 Euro or Dollar...🤘🔊🔥
Fun vid, Ray!!! I gotta say, I would have put the Fortin in god tier, but hey - theres no wrong answer, right? The Kraken is up there, sooo you put my two favorite amps close to where I think they should be.
@@xanderraymondcharles they seem to be worth it. Other than that, the v2, v3, v4 (R2,R3,R4?) pedals from Revv are really good. Do you have a small pedal platform amp to use?
I absolutely love my PRS MT-15... One of my favorite amps of ANY size... But i gotta say, i have a Micro Dark, and novelty or not, that thing is very cool... I only paid $100 for it, and if you can find one for that price, you wont be bummed out about it,its pretty badass for what it is...
@vdxxxy484 PRS MT-15 is $500-700 and the Micro Dark is $100-200... Micro Dark is tube hybrid and the PRS all tube... You wont be disappointed in either of them... Incredible sounding amps
The DSL20 along with the Studio series has big bottles and in my experience don’t suffer the drawbacks of the el84 mini heads, I had a Rectoverb 25 I loved until I got my DSL20 and I found myself never using the Recto for the reasons mentioned especially back before the latest price increases the DSL20 was and still is a beast for the money but back when you could get them for around 500 they were damn near a steal for modern Marshall tone at least.
@@xanderraymondcharles sure thing. I also retubed my 5150-3 to use vintage 1940’s 5157’s in the preamp section instead of 12ax7’s. Different PI tube as well. Totally different amp now. I use it for pop punk / metalcore and with a horizon precision drive (level dimed, gain on 1) in front and a gate in the fx loop, the blue channel screams. It’s perfect for my riff lörd playing style.
@@xanderraymondcharles you're welcome. I understand why you didn't put it in your list. You really should try this little monster. It doesn't have clean but you seem to like the victory product a lot. For the function and the size, it really good.
These mini heads with USB/d.i.outs are awesome for players with space and children....you get the sound of big daddy with the cost and smaller footprint and versatility of today's modern needs.....thanks to the amp companies for remembering that their wives /husbands have the whole damn walk in closet ...
Those 2 EVHs don't belong in the A/S tier...they're fizzy af and lack headroom...... IMO the only two amps that deserve to be in the S tier are the Kraken 50 and the MT15.
Missed the engl fireball 25w but other than that great content! Cheers!
I’m an Orange guy, so I’m probably a bit biased, but I really enjoy the Orange Minis. They’re significantly cheaper than most of the others and the little 1x8 cabs they use aren’t bad.
The Orange Micro Dark through a 412 is AMAZING!! I got one in a package deal, and my jaw hit the floor when i first played it through my Marshall cab...
I can see why, they sound really well. Compared to all the other lunch boxes with el84’s they sound the best. But once the amps roll in with el34 or 6l6’s.
If orange decided to finally make an affordable amp with either the 34’s or the 6l6’s it would be massively popular.
Invective MH has a ton of features and sounds great for the price. Also the Engl Fireball 25 and Ironball 20 are A tier.
The fireball 25 has to be the best lower wattage head there is
My only complaint about the invective is that it’s pretty fizzy but an eq makes a lot of difference. Still a super sick amp though.
@@JayBruceWorld It can get fizzy if you crank the gain, fair enough. I use an MXR 10 band in the loop and a Precision Drive in front and it rips.
the h&k tubemeister 20 kicks ass as well
The Marshall DSL is fantastic. Put a boost in front of it and you're set for metal tone. Also the clean channel sounds great.
i was waiting for a video like this and you DELIVERED! thanks Ray!
Hey no worries I appreciate you for tuning in!
Surprised the Revv G20 isn't on your list. Love mine and the two notes torpedo built in is pretty sweet.
I was looking for a mini amp head for my Pops. This will definitely help out in my decision. Appreciate the insight brother 💯
I picked up a 6505 MH used for 300 a few months ago. its been a killer amp
Nice graphics & unique presentation; delivers tons of useful info! Thx.
Idk man my Joyo Zombie 2 has a great low end and lots of tone for $180. 2 true individual channels with their own EQ and volume and gain. Lots of gain.
will absolutely put the Marshall Studio Classic in S tier.
All it needs is a few pedals and mods and it becomes a versatile beast, and is actually quite affordable in the middle part of the world (Europe, Middle East). The JCM800 tone is my thing for literally everything and I definitely want one as my first tube amp.
I actually kinda like the fact that the DI out doesn't have a speaker emulation. Marshall doesn't really make them good if you ask me and I'd rather use my own IRs
Hey I appreciate your comment! It means a lot, and I appreciate you sharing your experiences!
Got a corresponding video coming up for desktop amps? Katana, Yamaha or Spark? Etc etc … great video btw 🤙
6505mh How good clean does it have for pedalboard?
excellent list my dude. Although you did include the DSL20, I think it's worth mentioning that there's also the DSL 1, which is a lot cheaper and actually chugs pretty hard. Ola Englund and a few other good players demo it and were blown away. And the clean channel is very musical and marshall sounding. For the price sound and functionality, I think it would be in the S position.
Thanks for the vid and thoughts. Been looking at the Friedman JJ. Can’t try it out. Curious as to why a B in your opinion and not higher. Gets a lot of love online. The Engl Fireball sounds great also.
Gigging-wise, my Jet City JCA22h retired my OG 5150 10 years ago and I never looked back. The low end is something the sound guy is going to chop off anyway, so I've no issues regarding that. Recently got the DSL, but it didn't really live up to my expectations.
Got a 6505mh & I love it. Great tones & features at an affordable price plus late night practice or silent recording I can do it with that amp. My Mesa MK3 is my favorite amp but it’s loud & likes to be played loud, when I can’t use it I’ve got the 6505mh. I do want to try the PRS MT15 though heard lots of good things about that amp.
He Ray!! Combo amps doesn't have much love. How about a Combo amps Tier Ranking list?
Hi Ray, thanks for the content and awesome video man! I think the Orange Micro Dark is more than a novetly amp head (I am an Orange fan so my opinion is biased). Caleb Shomo used the Micro Dark through an Orange 4x12 to record Beartooth's album Agressive. I will say the Orange 1x8 cab is a novelty item though lol.
I enjoy the novelty of running a PRS MT15 into the Orange 1x8 which is half the size of the amp :)
It's a fantastic spare tyre of an amp. It's plenty loud enough and sounds great, almost to the point of wondering why I bring a 10kg "main" head to bar gigs in the first place.
Where would you put PEAVEY INVECTIVE MH ? i got the MT-15 and invective. Great video bud 👍.
I have a 5153 50w which is far too loud for home writing so I bought the dsl1hr through a greenback and used a Victory V4 Kraken pre amp pedal. Sounds amazing and as its only 1W you can get the Marshall to cook a little without blowing the windows out! 👍
Dont laugh, but i run a revv g3 pedal in the front of a Harley Benton 15 with a little delay. Big sound for a house. For $220 it rips
I really enjoy the PRS MT-15. The Hughes and Kettner Black Spirit 200 is also a great asshole amp IMO. Luv ya Xander!! Keep it up buddy.
Awesome Video, i just realised that i don't have anything in common with you when it comes to Mini amps 😂✌🏼
I love my Evh Lbx2 and Marshall DSL 20!!!
The Marshall Origin 20H is actually great as a pedal platform, especially if you pair it with another amp in the same wattage range for a stereo Dry/Wet rig. I want one, or even the Studio Vintage, NGL. Mainly because I want to put a "Swedish chainsaw" style pedal in front of it, and put all my time and modulation effects on it, crank the blend, and leave my main tone dry like Arizona. Something about Plexi/JTM type amps makes them primed perfectly for that sound. Pair with any high gain amp from Peavey, EVH, Orange, Friedman, or even another Marshall, through an ABY, and you've got some seriously nasty distortion tones.
What pedals go with mini Soldano etc?
No ENGL Iron Ball SE? For a pedal/power amp combo, it's hard to best using a CHUG + a Fryette PS 100 + a 412 with 2 DV77s and 2 V30s.
Hey man, not a mini head (unless you turn it into one like I did) and not available new, but have you ever tried a Peavey Bravo? It has an insane amount of low end and punch for a small, EL84 amp.
What do you think of the Harley Benton Mighty 15 TH
How would you rank the Engl Ironball Regular/SE?
you know friend? There is a mini amp that you should try as soon as possible. The AMT Stonehead 50w. 4 channels and many options. Preamp output, mixer output... it's amazing
All the mini amps are not really cheap and I always missing the sound and the power of the real tube amps... So I decided to use the Amp1 Iridium from Bluguitar and it deliver everything I want and it has 150w output max. It fits on a pedalboard and has 4 channels and cost about 900 Euro or Dollar...🤘🔊🔥
Fun vid, Ray!!! I gotta say, I would have put the Fortin in god tier, but hey - theres no wrong answer, right? The Kraken is up there, sooo you put my two favorite amps close to where I think they should be.
Always a good hang! Did REVV G20 get in? Was there a price cutoff? If you include a Mesa, gotta include it! ❤❤
Hey I appreciate you! I’ve honestly never tried one so I didn’t feel confident in including it in this video
@@xanderraymondcharles they seem to be worth it. Other than that, the v2, v3, v4 (R2,R3,R4?) pedals from Revv are really good. Do you have a small pedal platform amp to use?
Is the Blackstar St. James eligible? 6L6 model ofc
I wonder where you would put the REV amps?
Honestly I would say the newest rendition of the Peavey Classic 20 MH is probably the best most versatile of the mini amps
JCM800 guys want the JCM800 sound. They wouldn’t buy one that had a bunch of things that made it not a JCM800
I absolutely love my PRS MT-15... One of my favorite amps of ANY size... But i gotta say, i have a Micro Dark, and novelty or not, that thing is very cool... I only paid $100 for it, and if you can find one for that price, you wont be bummed out about it,its pretty badass for what it is...
@vdxxxy484 PRS MT-15 is $500-700 and the Micro Dark is $100-200... Micro Dark is tube hybrid and the PRS all tube... You wont be disappointed in either of them... Incredible sounding amps
Smart thinking not including the REVV D20 & G20, wouldn't be fair to the other amps on the list :)
The DSL20 along with the Studio series has big bottles and in my experience don’t suffer the drawbacks of the el84 mini heads, I had a Rectoverb 25 I loved until I got my DSL20 and I found myself never using the Recto for the reasons mentioned especially back before the latest price increases the DSL20 was and still is a beast for the money but back when you could get them for around 500 they were damn near a steal for modern Marshall tone at least.
If you get the chance to check out the H&K Tubemeister Deluxe amps i think you would like them. Pretty cool features and they can do any genre.
I’m one of the weirdos that lives on my blue channel of my 5150-iii 6L6, so I actually would really like the green/blue version.
Haha nah dude you’re not weird! You’ve just got a unique use for the EVH line. I appreciate you sharing!
@@xanderraymondcharles sure thing. I also retubed my 5150-3 to use vintage 1940’s 5157’s in the preamp section instead of 12ax7’s. Different PI tube as well. Totally different amp now. I use it for pop punk / metalcore and with a horizon precision drive (level dimed, gain on 1) in front and a gate in the fx loop, the blue channel screams. It’s perfect for my riff lörd playing style.
I agree I love the evh and peavey but the ENGL ironball 25 s I think is wicked check them out
Do a single-cut Tier list, esp Ltd, Jackson, epiphone Gibson etc. 👌👍
Thank you!
Xander what no Peavey Invective MH?!? Bro!
I own a dsl40c combo, probably going to sell it and buy a dsl20h instead, really solid budget amp. The combo just doesn't make sense for me right now.
I have jim roots signature amp head from orange woth a cab and a revv g4 distortion that combined with a nois gate is huge sounding
I feel like the only one on S tier should be Engl Fireball 25. On the A tier PRS, Invective, DSL.
No victory VX kraken 50. Would be more accurate to put this one on this list than the Victory V4. It is only my humble opinion. Thanks for the opinion
Hey it’s all good I appreciate your comment! Honestly I’ve never played one, so I put the V4 to fill the void. Thanks again for watching
@@xanderraymondcharles you're welcome. I understand why you didn't put it in your list. You really should try this little monster. It doesn't have clean but you seem to like the victory product a lot. For the function and the size, it really good.
I have a v4 kraken. It's 180 watts and it has plenty of low end if not too much.
does make me wonder how a Quilter 202 would compare
Deizel VH4 Mini and the Randal Diavlo series 😮
ENGL Fireball 25! Gotta get one!
Oh i thought that was the tube slo30 lol i was like noway its on D, but its the crapshoot solidstate $250 ones.
Beartooth would disagree with your ranking of the Orange Micro Dark.
No engl?
When you said the mini rec was 1699 i was like no way i bought one like 3/4 years ago and paid 1299 from sweet water!! Why did they price jump😳
Where's the spark mini? It's got mini right in the name!
That's not an amp, it's a Bluetooth speaker
These mini heads with USB/d.i.outs are awesome for players with space and children....you get the sound of big daddy with the cost and smaller footprint and versatility of today's modern needs.....thanks to the amp companies for remembering that their wives /husbands have the whole damn walk in closet ...
Those 2 EVHs don't belong in the A/S tier...they're fizzy af and lack headroom...... IMO the only two amps that deserve to be in the S tier are the Kraken 50 and the MT15.
No ENGL Ironball? 🤔
Where is the Joyo Mjolnir? Its a beast you must trie.
A beast ?
It sounds like complete crap on every TH-cam review lol
Yamaha thr 10x should be on here!
Diezel VH Micro 30-watt Head
Joyo bantamp ftw
No hotone nano 🎶
Where is ENGL???
You missed the Engl's!
Nah... Amp1. Nothing else.
The fact the no engl is here made of this video worthless.
You can always make your own video. But you won’t.
@@xanderraymondcharles I won't because I don't have time.
Thank god i bought the PRS even i had no clue back then 😂
5150 aka EVH...bruh. Hahahhaa. Great video bud.