Check out the video on 8 Great Budget Guitars: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dM9zKKiZoxc.html Or check out some of my music: ru-vid.com/group/PLNaLwTdlpQNHKlg8ALZfM3AINC20WMp8s
Your music rocks man. Really. It inspires me to play when I'm able due to health problems. Much appreciated kind sir. I really mean that. Great channel and keep up the great work man!
I had a Micro Dark for a bit. Great amp, but I never once thought of possibly running the FX send into my interface with an IR loader. I wonder if that would even potentially work out well? I may just have to get one again and try that out. You know, for science! LMAO!
Apples, oranges, and hand grenades. When demonstrating an amp, just demonstrate the pure naked amp alone. When you throw in a Strymon Sunset, Riverside, or anything other than the plain naked amp itself, you destroy any usable comparison. And play exactly the same riffs on each and everyone. Nobody understands "the exception proves the rule"; the amp should be the only exception, everything else should be absolutely identical so one can extract the rule (amp performance). Only one exception, or your demo is useless. I am by the way a retired speaker driver and enclosure designer/engineer.
8 great cheap amps & 4 to avoid 01:09 Op.1 Orange Micro Dark (€169, Hybrid amp, 20W) 03:25 Op. 2 Marshall DSL1 CR (€279, Tube/valve amp, 1W) 06:13 Avoid 1 Peavey Bandit 112 (€375, Transistor, 80W) 07:44 Op. 3 Fender Mustang Lt 25 (€159, Modeling amp, 25W, one 8 inch speaker) 10:05 Op. 4 Marshall Origin 20 Head (€379, Tube, 20W) 11:48 Avoid 2 Marshall 5W combo (€222, Valve amp) 13:41 Op. 5 Joyo Jackman II (€149, Hybrid amp, 2 channels) 16:38 Honorable mention Roland Micro Cube (€?) 17:04 Op.6 Boss Katana Mini (€91, Digital amp) 19:32 Avoid 3 Fender Champion 50 XL (€?, clean it's ok) 22:20 Op.6 Spark Amp (€299, Digital amp) 25:59 Avoid 4 Marshal Code (€?, Digital amp) 28:58 Op.7 Harley Benton Tube 15 (€250, clean/crunch channels, Tube amp, 15W) I have a Peavey Bandit 112 and I am absolutly agree about this review, but for me this amp it's Ok, cause I use the clean channel for platform pedals, I bought it new in €200 & it's too loud, for the price was a better option.
@@samright4661 I personally know plenty of players who prefer the pure setup of clean amp and a footswitch for drive channel... Since there are thousands of pedals on the market your point is daft, he's not going to have all the same pedals as you
I have 3 used but applicable amps: 1, the 112 VHT Special six a Chinese hand wired all tube amp; 2, the VHT ULTRA special 6 HD only; then the Marshal valvestate 100 combo112, I by pass spkr to a line 6 slanted 412 cab; I have a 1985 Fender super champ 110 but run a 112 cab through it. These amps can be used in most venues except a stadium.
I think if you can pick up a Peavey Bandit 112 used, at a very reduced price, then it's got potential as a pedal platform. But there's no way I'd pay over £330 for one!
I used a heavily molded first generation Peavey Bandit 50 for 8 years. Didn't keep proper notes of the mods . Stolen, tried nodding a Bandit 65 , not the same. I'll by the first 50 I find cheap enough.
That Joyo amp was really impressive, I thought it sounded the best then looked at the price, couldn't believe it. I think getting this and a good cab might be the best option if you're on a budget as the sound is already pretty convincing and having the cab helps your flexibility in the long term.
I second the motion! , I too really liked that Joyo, I am definitely gonna have to go check it out ! , as it maybe possible for me to squeeze it into my ever shrinking budget ! cheers :)
Avoid #5: Fender Frontman 10g. The guitars in the packages that the majority of these amps are sold with are often really good guitars for the price, but the Fender Frontman 10g has to be the worst amp ever made for overdriven tones: even the clean tones are just okay. It’s not that much more expensive to buy just the Squier Bullet Strat or Tele by itself, and something like a fender champion 20, which is miles better than the Frontman. I also got the extra padded road runner gig bag, but Fender are known for durability so this isn’t a must unless you really bang stuff around.
Definately avoid the Fender Frontman 212R my wife bought me on as a birthday gift years ago and it has many problems on top of just sounding awfull even for it's price range. hate to part with it since it was a gift so it just sits in my shop next to my drumkit collecting dust.
@@777bigbird Yeah the larger ones are fine inexpensive amps, but the number stands for wattage. The 10 is less than half the power than the 25, and has a tiny speaker in it.
Damn dude your playing is unbelievable - you make it look effortless. Im especially impressed with how relaxed your right hand seems during those lightening fast flourishes. You could make any amp sound good!
The Peavey Bandit and the Orange Crush 120 are the ONLY S.S. Amps I would even CONSIDER playing live!!!!! Of COURSE I’m thinking of ‘84-87 Bandits. Great little solid states
Is a peavy bandit 75 a good choice because i was thinking about picking one up? Also was looking at a line 6 spider IV, but im pretty new to guitar and dont know much about amps, so idk which one i should get
Origin 20 with a decent speaker and closed back cab sounds great to my ears. Marshall’s launch and demo of these amps did them no favours at all. Lots on line regarding dialling it in, since the controls don’t really behave as you might expect. Great secondhand bargains to be had.
Great video! I have a Spark and just really wish it wasn't so dark. I prefer my Yamaha THR30ii overall. My problem with some of these new (and often amazing) amps is that I'm finding I'm less and less interested in digging into menus and tweaking settings and dealing with too many options. I've gone from an analog man to a digital explorer and now I'm quickly moving back to simple analog buttons and knobs. :)
The older THR10 sounds better than the 2, but you need in most of times to open it and put two lil cable far from eatch other on the motherboard, this will cut so much the noise of the amp and even make I don't know, a better sounding amp and even a better HI FI speakers.
I have to agree. It was nice in a studio setting for some things, but took a lot of time setting up all the tones you wanted instead of just playing. I've just been moving back towards my pedals and tubes amps instead of modelers just to sound great and play. I ended up with a nice Marshall DSL100HR head and 2X12 Marshall cabinet that really sounds great.
I agree. My Katana 50 is a great little amp. But to make small sound adjustments on the fly is (for me anyway) a nightmare, especially when its on one of the presets rather than via the panel button. Next amp will be a 2 channel analog methinks.
The HB Tube 15 amp was a wonderful surprise to me and paired with the HB G112 Vintage speaker cab with the Celestion Vintage 30 speaker it has become my favorite sound. I have tube Marshalls, Blackstar Mk II, Bugera V5 and a few others, but The HB Tube 15 has become my recording and gigging amp now for the last 5 months. Thanks for your expertise and valued opinions, most of the time I agree with you.
@@_josemillos The amp is very good quality chassis, Celestion 70/80 speaker is fine, and mine came with JJ tubes. I play it about 10-12 hours during the week and it has been very reliable with no complaints. The sound and tone is not "thin" in any way, it sounds wonderful and can be made to sound clean and sparkly or very crunchy according to the gain applied. It is my favorite amp by far and I have a couple of Marshalls, a Bugera v5, a Blackstar HT5 mark ll and several different solid state and modeling amps. It is my favorite and go to amp. BUY IT, it's the best bang for the buck amp on the market.
how do you like your bugera v5? I'm planning to get one instead of the tube 15, much too loud for home use. I'd also need to use a voltage transformer for the tube 15 which would be a pain. It'll be my first tube amp.
@@dammitcarl1082 I like my Bugera V5 amp. I also like my HB Tube15 and it does get much louder than the v5. For home the Bugera is nice on .1-1w or 5w settings plus you can use headphones where the HB15 does not have an earphone jack. The Bugera is sweet.
I am the happy owner of a Rolland Cube 40 MK I, and it's one of the best buys I have ever done. The modeling section is OK, but what's awesome is the integrated looper. My guitar playing really got going from the moment I started jamming over phrases. I still use it today for full band practices - and I am been told once in a while to tone it down so loud it can get. Never got to push it past 7, and nowadays I'm more like 3ish. With drums and bass and vocal and stuff. Great little friend, but the hero word is: looper.
I'm a mostly happy owner of a Cube 60, I too mostly like the modelling & the EFX , but sadly no Looper for Paul :((((( sigh ! oh well, the biggest problem I have with mine is the volume control !!! I can't turn it down low enough for practice sessions lOL! , so can identify on that score! , 3 to 4 is about the limit ! , anything much above that, the neighbors will be calling the cops LOL!
@@pwrrpw319 Indeed heh. Just looked it up, and it doesn't seem to have an attenuation feature either, which would be helpful to you. When I used mine in house, I always had that feature on, otherwise I would have had to adjust it between 0.25 and 0.75, which isn't a big range to triffle with. 99% of the time it's either too loud or too quiet, and the other 1% you get it perfectly right, you develop an anxiety disorder that something will mess with the knob and you'll lose forever the perfect setting. XD
@@EddieOtool , Yeah nothing that cleva back in the early Naughties when I bought the beast ! Ive threatened to Mod the thing & add a trim level for finer control, also the power supply seems to run out of steam & compress the sound when I used to jam with my now X mate, so had planned at one stage to fix/mod the power supply too, but never got around to it, the obvious other solution is an add on dummy load /speaker attenuator, sorry I cant remember the proper name for it, I'm on the autism spectrum & I got zero sleep last night so am running on empty at the moment, so apologies in advance for making no sense what so ever !!! , but then again what else is new ??? LOL ! situation normal :)
@@pwrrpw319 lol not autistic here but I barely didn't sleep for 15 years at one (long, endless) point in my life so I sympathize. ;) Yeah if your power supply behaved, a volume pedal at the end of your signal chain wouldn't have helped either - plus it would hurt the tone if you're using the amp's built in efx. Putting it on the fx loop is another trick this amp seems to disallow. Yeah we've been really, really spoiled in the 2000s with modern digital modeler amps.
@@EddieOtool Bugga :((( yeah I used to have big troubles with insomnia when I was a kid, so I can identify with that ! :(, yeah its either mod time, replace it or keep putting up with its flaws , sigh ! , we'll see , I really do like the idea of a volume pedal, I had thought of that previously, & adding that to a foot switch assembly , it might happen one day, maybe ??? LOL. our modern era that we are living in is yeah not so great of coarse in many ways, so there has to be some compensations hey ! cheers .
I own the Boss Katana mini. The joyo marshall to my ears better than the two actual Marshall's. I own the Joyo version of the Orange (meteOR) and paired it with a Orange cabinet. Both the Joyo meteOR and Micro Dark have great flexability. And they are so cute and tiny. Brands like Marshall and Fender can sometimes occasionally make a mistake or make a dud. Band Trio pedal does a better job at jamming along with the player than the Spark amplifier. The Harley Benton and the Joyo both show that Big Name brands are not always all that they are made out to be. And that small brands can on occasion are just as good and sometimes better.
Peavey Bandit - the older versions - are incredibly well regarded and I think the new one suffers from it's speaker choice. That said, it does massively depend on your style and tone foibles plus it is at the higher end of the scale to be considering a speaker swap.... I had loads of success with the Blackstar HT5 Metal mini head.....wonderful cleans and versatile dirty channel......shame they're hard to find. Out of interest, what speaker did you swap into the HB? Good list :)
I recently saw a club gig with a MusicMan guitar through a DigiTech modeler into this Peavy Bandit, no mic for PA. I was blown away how good it sounded.
I have a monoprice 5watt class A not so good a VHT modded 6v6 and 6l6 pushing 8 w with switch Peavey deuce 120 w and CARVIN X100 15 JBL the best HANDS DOWN 30w 60w50w100w 2 tube or 4 tube very loud clean or crunch.tried many amps nothing as good IMHO
Es evidente tu odio a ese amplficador ( code 50), has puesto a propósito esa ecualización para que suene tan mal.... Sabes que puede sonar mucho mejor de lo que has enseñado en el video.... Eso no ayuda al propósito del video, que es ayudar a elegir un amplificador barato....., eso no está bién por tu parte.... 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻
Love that the HB Tube 15 is your top budget amp. I have a version branded Hartwood which comes with a Vintage 30 speaker instead of the HB’s 70/80 and I love it.
...And what exactly did we learn from this video ? 1) He doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. 2) He can't play guitar for shit. Thank you for the very informative and instructional video.
i would have preferred to hear more of the amps body with basic rock chords and barre/open string type harmonic chord content . the frantic speed picking demos where not as revealing and after time , hard to sit thru that said, i appreciate the reviews and the work you put into your channel
Whats luaghable is when guys think that playing 100 notes a second is what makes you a good player.....if thats your thing, so be it, but the Great players play with feeling, not speed. I went to see YJM live, and after choking on the 4 bottles of cologne he must have poured on himself, I realized that after you hear 1 Yngwie song, you have heard them.all, they all sound yhe same, I left after the 3rd song, that sounded exactly like the first 2. Give me Derek Trucks, or Warren Haynes anyday over ANY SHREDDER....OH yea, the pastel colored Ibanez is hilarious by the way, hope you did not pay over 20 bucks for it..LMAO
Hi. That's an excellent list. You had given the Laney Super Cub a good review, do you think it was not worthy of a mention here as well? It's sounds a little like a old lower gain Marshall. Regards.
Someone help me out, I have a Starcaster Stratocaster by fender, what is the best amp I can get for it with a budget of like £60. Willing to get preowned.
Great show. I needed an amp for small clubs and having own two different 50 watt Plexi's over the years I was pleased to find the 50 watt Marshall Origin head. If you avoid using the gain and the switch which cuts the wattage it does indeed match my 2 old Plexi's. At a club I have to sometimes use an antenuator with it. A few classic OD's and Fuzz pedals take care of the dirt just fine. I am 75 and this rig nails sounds I started with back in '71 If you need a small light rig use a single 12 inch closed back cab with the new Celestion NEO Creamback. In spite of it's name it sounds very much like the old vintage Brit made Greenback.It is half the weight and at 60 RMS it can handle the Marshall.
i LOVE your videos! I think that the blackstar ht5 is a really good amp too, it has a really good clean, a versatile overdrive(you can play from a little cruch to a badass overdrive), and it has reverb too
Peavey Bandit a bad amp, yet an Orange Crush a good amp...what galaxy does this man live. Those Orange Crush guitar and bass amps are woeful things, had both, sent both back.
I have the Fender LT-25, €127 when it just came out and nobody had yet picked up on the fact that it's good; basically, the speaker in it is actually clear and punchy. Staying on the topic of budget, i'm very surprised Elmo hasn't reviewed the cheap Cort and Behringer amps yet. I'm incredibly disappointed. Very upset indeed. A bit of a letdown. Clearly a malicious individual who loves to disappoint people. Elmo ruined my winter.
Quite personally many of this amps are subjective to what people like I heard a guitar player on a marshall code 8 sounded killer all this guy do is make faces play the Malmsteen wanna be and sound awful
I'd have preferred it if you didn't run any pedals and played the same thing for each one, and specified what speaker cab you used with the head amps. that being said, you did a great job of explaining your reasoning behind your choices. I personally don't have time to run all over the place to try out every amp so this is very helpful to me. Thanks.
Wouldn't folks want to know how the amps take overdrive pedals? For me it's the second most important question right after does the map sound good or like arse. I must be old school.
The Roland Cube 10GX just PALES in comparison to the original Micro-Cube - and Micro-Cube GX. They took away the amp modeling and replaced it with 3 sound modes. They also removed a lot of the effects and other features. Why Roland did that, I'll never know. I'm glad I have a Micro-Cube GX! It's excellent!
I used to own an artist and the bandit at the same time the artist had a 15 inch speaker and the Bandit had a 12 and I used to jam with guys with Marshalls and it kept up with it and it sounded great I guess you just got to twist your soul a little bit on these two but they're good they were really good so I don't agree with your assessment on the Bandit respectfully I'm not complaining but I might even get a bandet again
I’m glad you mentioned the Code 50. As a code owner myself, it is the worst purchase I’ve ever made (not only gear related). I always thought that something was wrong with me since everyone online claimed how amazing it was. I can’t wait to sell it and get rid of it. It’s one of the worst amps I’ve played, never buying a digital modeling amp ever again.
@@MrPolevaulter I am selling it and I’ll probably buy a VOX Superbeetle mini. I bought the Pathfinder 10, and it’s hilarious how much better it sounds than the code 50. It’s actually a really good amp for its price, definitely one of the best cheap purchases I’ve made.
@Joliet Jake that is one of the main reasons I hate the code amps. I sure you can get a decent tone but its like finding a needle in a haystack. Plus the app and bluetooth are a joke.
CODE HAD TO BE THE WORST. The tube 15 is is nice. I could gig with two of those. The second is if the first one breaks. those amps as many lower priced amps today have printed circuit boards and could fail at any time. Sounds great but not the best construction but for that price you can't expect any hand wiring in it at all.
Maybe if you wouldn't gotten a used one, and do the review on it. They might just do them again , Cube 60 watts the best cube . So good I have 4 of them.
Interesting stuff. I've been touring and recording a Bandit 112 for about 30 years, and this Trans Tube iteration for the last six without complaints (except that Peavey stopped shipping it with a footswitch, which is a weird choice). I don't know that it needed three options for cleans, but that clean channel breaks up incredibly well if you dime it out, and makes an amazing pedal platform too. Hold its hand a little and you can dial in some amazing stuff. I picked up a mint 1982 Bandit 65 recently that is an absolute goldmine for country and blues.
Don't bother, I'm left handed. And most of those starts suck❤ thanks for the heart but most of the early starts suck and in the states there was a 9 month water for a defective piece of junk.
I use a kenwood krf a4030 receiver as guitar amp..always stereo and all the connections you need for home recording. Need effects tho.. If you really have little money you can find such amps at thrift stores or pawnshops
Th1 amp *LEAST* 2avoid? *I TEACH THWORLD HOW 2BUILD A GUITAR AMP.* Thank me later. The1 I designed. In 1984 or so when I played a Boss DD2 &th horrific boss HM2Distortion, which in the end i kinda liked.. Boss is now MAKING "my amp" so i went head bought it. Warning. "i have purchased my 1st amp." Wellp, i took it d'plunge friends, i did me a spare no xpense move 2day lol. Thats right i bought it thbest I didnt b>(uy) me buy a junk Sregio guitar amp. BOSS MK II in 2x12. (2 12" speakers.) I used 2play lousy BOSS delay, HM2. So anywaymost I heard 2many scary things about other amps breaking. This1 bit more solid. Been writing manufactures and countless you tube vids teaching them how equipment should be designed = guitar amps should be in stereo. EVERY TIME. Now stereo amps leading thworld. Where I am is ALWAYS where people will be. Example, Seraphim shimmer pedal, &we need *SURROUND SOUND ALSO.* Most popular guitar amp now = a stereo Positive Grid Spark. But mine maybe 3times th amp that is. Normally $500 plus I found it $354 shipped after tax with cosmetic damage back &sides. Boss Katansa 2x12 100. Shrugz. I was not shopping 4it. Just happened stumble on2 it $333 shipped. Immediately it totally resonated as amp i really wanted. U know, after intense researching cheaper much lower grade packed with bells &whistles amps. Oh no this 1 is more old school vintage no computer apps but late model cutting edge amp. Not that those computer apps arent attractive &genuinely useful. Thinking i can circumnavigate those inadequecies with bluetooth adaptor &phone circumnaviapps. Well, u always lose SOMETHING right? I dunno i just decide hit buy button wtf now gethis overwith. My potato, (i mean my "amp") she breaking. Note BOSS no where near on design parameters I epicentered 35 years ago. Super high quality, biggest 12" speakers, BOSS caliber best sound in class&stereo. Has "variation" knob thsounds, cabinet resonance... These BOSS used as a reliable more amps by teachers &such. Monster 100watts but has antenuator. (Dial that goes all thway down to .5 watts from 100 watts4 using max volume in a little room setting.) AB class engineering circuits = super efficient of electricity compared2 A class. Cant stand stupid innefficient appliances i doing low as 52 kilowatts a month electric bill. Yes Boss it needs work. But just had 2many pluses in best I could do. Boiling all that down it should be a premium sound but also being in stereo thsound will be no comparison goes right thru u &your 10k tube amp with no stereo. You know vs havimg car speakers only 1side lol 😅 God only knows what planet u people are even from. Who in they right mind would make d*mn sure that dreadfull switch on they stereo HiFI is in mono... This what i keep preaching 2guitar players& companies alike. I will have 2dissasemble it >re assemble CORRECTLY PERSONIFIED lol. Gonna pull 1speaker put it left side of throom either side my head. Hello??? Amps should NEVER be sold with single speakers. OR stereo speakers butted against each other like batsh*t Grid Mini. I said TRUE stereo circuitry. Not psuedo. My last amp, a Blackstar, had 5 buttons stopped wrking. Turning it in2 a pricey paperweight. So i didnt want 2have that happen again.
Not sure what the Chinese 112 bandit is like but I have the Chinese valve king combo and it is superb . I also have an old teal stripe bandit that I rescued from a shed . Cleaned it up and it's my #1 amp for gigs , ok I only use the clean channel but what an amp, heavy though .
Regarding the Marshall Code 50. I own one. From new it didn't sound great. Changed the speaker and now it's probably the best amp I've played. Don't avoid the Code. Change the speaker. Simple.
- Who this guy thinks he is, talking shit about my Marshall Code, is he the tyrant of tonecracy? - Take it easy man, how much did you pay for it? - Yellow, the curtains of my kitchen are yellow, I told you already, do you have ear impediment or what?! Shiet.
After seeing this video I was a bit confused. Fender or Marshall? seems they have good and bad things going on a plenty. So I went for the marshall MG30FX combo for 200 eur so at least I will make a lot of noise and being able to input some mp3 to play along with adds an extra sweet to the mix.
A major flaw in this is comparing heads to combos and not mentioning speakers used for the heads. You even admitted the Origin 5's weak point was the speaker but immediately go to the Joyo with NO speaker and its great. 😂 The SPEAKER is the single most important link in the amp chain. Didn't Glen Fricker smash a Code amp bc it was so awful? 🤔
I always liked Peavey amps. Way before they got involved with EVH. Great amps for classic rock and they can clean up well. I favored a deluxe reverb for live most of my life.
Put a 10 band mxr EQ in the effects Loop of the Harley Benton tube 15. It sounds absolutely amazing. You'll never need a speaker change. I am basing this on my experience with the Monoprice stage right. But I believe they're the same amplifier
I got 1 of these cabinets free. No amp part in it but the Celesion speaker and the reverb tank still there. I put a Hotone Mojo Diamond(Fender Tweed) head on top and just jam away. Sounds very LOUD for only 5 watts. So much fun for only $60.
The Vox AC-10 is one of my favorite overall low powered amplifiers with great rivers and a really nice break up. That and the Fender Champ car pretty much unbeatable in my opinion.
The thing with the Marshall Code, was the cab SIM was garbage. I played the code 100 for a few years and once you get rid of the cab SIM and use it like a Marshall, it's actually ok for the money.
I have an OAH-05 coming now.... but I am planning on a 12" Celestion Blue Alnico 15 watt speaker for it now. that should be good for practice, studio work, through to small gigs...251 + 320 = $571 for amp and speaker. ( but I don't have the speaker yet ) I build my own cabinets, so I am going to bolt the amp to a top board, like a portaflex flip-top.
I used to play through two Peavey 112 Bandits, from the early 90’s models,, absolutely crushed anything that came up against them.. even with just one , the sound was incredible! So I must respectfully disagree with your “avoid this amp”, I personal feel Marshall amps sound terrible unless on 10,,zero tone and most to get what you want have to be modded,, plus. Yeah. Made in the U.S.A.
I've had all these amps except joyo which im about to buyi'm just weighing up the Jackman II or the Zombie II, I agree with you about most of them, the Marshal origin 20 was a stellar amp if your a peddle fiend but you got to weigh it up against the DSL 20 which is a great home amp which I loved I had both at the same time and I just didn't play the origin, the fender lt20 really great practice amp and killed the code but if you got the money the GTX50 I loved, I disagree with the katanas they are great amps the 50 and 100 you can get some Good sounds out of them. I'd like to see you do more of these multi reviews like best/worse mid gig Amps, and the best/worse 100 watt+ heads and cabs great video man
I just bought a Peavey 112 Bandit today for $200, but mine the RedStripe one from the early 2000s which is a Transtube model made in the USA. It's better than the version you showed in the video.
I have the Origin 20 head and I honestly love it. It is really loud though even on low power. If I was running a 4x12 I'd probably get evicted rather promptly.
Well, it's not because the speaker is bad that the amp is bad! Listen at how a Mesa Mk series sounds horrible with a Celestion C90 or V30! But use the previous speakers like the EVM12L, EVM12SRO, Altec 417/cardboard dome, you've just get a true dream amp! Same thing for the cheapos like the Studio22, Caliber 50, Dual Caliber series or the 5:25! Note : EVM12SRO and Altec 417 are 70's alnico speakers and are unobtainium. Since Weber stopped to produce the Michigan 12/alnico which shared the same membrane as these (EVM12SRO is an improved Altec417), there is no more exact copy around (and the only dealer I know for the full Weber line in Europe sells these at the double of the US price, while Weber doesn't ships just 1 or 2 speakers, and with a single one doing the job of a 4x12, let me tell you that a 2x20W w. two EVM12L in TL806/Thiele cabs is a true concert amp! Actually, a single 20W channel with such 1x12 is enough to be very loud in a club with 200 ppl... There is a near copy of the EVM12SRO that can be obtained at a reasonable price, that is the WGS Blackhawk 100W. Beware, the 50W ain't! It's more like a Celestion Blue Alnico that will take 50W instead of 15! The Blackhawk 100W has tighter basses, which is not forcedly bad as EVM12s will shake your windows with less than 5W and the bass pot on 5 (!). Thus, if you can use the EVM12s with a bass guitar, I know the kind of membrane on the BH100 and... AVOID using it with a bass guitar! Note that, as for any true hi-end spkr, there are replacement kits for EVM12/Altec417 membranes, so, after all, fitting it on the WGS is not a no-go... You simply CANNOT expect a 222€ combo to have both a good amp AND a good speaker, which is likely a 8"
I have a marshall origin 20, I agree it takes pedals super well. I used an attenuator in the effects loop to vary the volume so I can crank the tubes but keep it a reasonable volume.
What attenuator do you use mate? I've found that even at the lowest wattage setting the volume is too loud for bedroom use when cranking the master volume to get that sweet tube break-up. Any tips/help would be appreciated, thanks!
I totally get the angle at which you go here. yet! .... These are great advices for players "stepping" in and based on "classic modern" preamp + MV tones only. The Bandit 112 (or at least the older ones) is a fantastic amp once you use it the way it should be used... which is .... as a tube amp. the clean channel is fantastic: Volume high, gain low, t dynamics adds compression and pedals do the rest. The best tone is from the end stage, not the preamp drives. Yes, the drive channel is not that good but hey... we are comparing with single channel amps! So use one channel... the clean one.
@21:55 Oh boy! It sounds like it's coming from the floor above but it"s right there. 😂 BTW-I tried ordering a Spark & their address validator thingy on their website would not let me go through with the order. The hype wore off.
Just bought a barely used Roland microcube for 300 nok, about 30$, it's quite nice. I've almost considered using it instead of my rack amp, easier to bring around.
The Spark amp sucked ... But for the price I actually do like the Fender Mustang LT25. The thing is I've developed a distrust of tube amps since it seems the tubes are always going bust and that is expensive to fix !
Good list and great video. For me the origin isn't worth mentioning. I think it's 20 watts of meh especially when heads like a Dark Terror, DSL20 or EVH LBX are around just 100 usd more.
On Shane from "In the blues" advice, I picked up a Peavey Bandit Redstripe. Probably 20 yrs old, and I paid £120. It's loud AF, you can dial in a sweet spot bluesy breakup. There's a beefy low end too. If I jam or play somewhere new or dodgy this is the amp I take. I use it clean and add pedals. It's pretty good you know. Quality Control may have gone in the modern version, but I remember my mates ripping it up in the 80s with the old 60 watt Bandit. It was the go to pub amp ⭐
I have an American made silver stripe Peavey Bandit 112s circa 1990s and it is phenomenal! Very warm very tube like tone and response. Can't speak for the current crop of Bandits but mine is a keeper!
I like the 5 Watt tube amp from Marshall a the 1 Watt version. , but maybe it could be too loud for my neighbor. I have the positive grid software with an interface for bass. The sound in the app where not natural.
I have the 5 watt version of the Harley Benton amp (mine is from Monoprice) and use it through a cheapo 1x12 Kustom cabinet. Together they both cost me less than $200, and sound fantastic. A very inexpensive home solution. Also makes it easy to put the extension cab into an isolation box for home recording. The 5 watter distorts quickly as you raise the volume, so I replaced the 12ax7 with a 5751. I love the more gentle increase in gain, as I can get subtle gain boots from pedals that are much easier to dial in now. Very versatile.
If you disconnect the negative feedback loop on that amp (it's a 220 cap next to the external output jack it'll sound mote like tweed champ. It's too bright for me in the stock form, I barely turn the tobe knob up it sits almost at zero. But now it's much warmer and punchier like a small.tweed. with a decent 12" external speaker it sounds so much better than the 15 watt blues's Jr wanna be monoprice amp.
In my opinion, the 5 watt tube amp is much better than the 15 watt. The 15 that I ordered never sounded good and the input went bad after a few days. The 5 watt is pretty decent and still works so for half the money it's the better option.
@@araconteur3737 I haven't played through the 15 watt version. I bought the 5 watter because I learned it was a clone of the Fender Champ 5F1 circuit, and I always had wanted one of those old Champ amps. As someone who likes to use his vol/tone controls to dial in tones, the 5 watter is very responsive to those input changes, and I've never felt that it lacked tonal versatility. The only thing I wish it had was an effects loop so I had the option to keep reverb and delay out of the preamp section, but whatever. Thanks for the info on the negative feedback loop. When I get bored this winter, I will probably dive into that.
Dislike the video. I don't know how You recorded it but I really like in general Peavey transtube distortion tones. So I think I should consider this video like trash or worse.
I'll never know how you got that crappy sound from the code. It's a great amp. The code really does sound good. Maybe you just bought a dud. A good example of how it actually sounds: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-s3oGGEGOEQE.html
I have a Code 100 combo. Mine sounds great. I’ve had people come up to me after gigs asking what amp I had. They thought it sounded great. I don’t use the stock presets. I will say the speakers aren’t so great. But I get a lot of great tones out of it. Does it sound exactly like a Plexi or JCM800? Who cares. As long as I like the tones I get I’m good with that. It’s not perfect though. Besides not the greatest speakers, it really need real MIDI ports, and the built in tuner sucks. Mine sounds nothing like your video. Pull up the plexi preset.
mmmmm, its too expensive, i bought recently a fender mustang LT50 for 230 brand new from the local music shop, i thought it would be just ok but if you spend some time with it and edit your own patches im actually pretty amazed at the results, i would rather buy a boss katana mini than that new cube, for something light and portable.
Origin 50 and Harley Benton by far are the best - for the money, my second option would be mini Plexi and of course if I were a rockstar - a big plexi 1987x but with 1936 cab 'cause 412 can't fit into the trunk of my car haha :D, plus my bass player is an idler who rarely wants to give a hand in those situations nice video as always Elmo :) :) :)
Different people different opinions. Shane from intheblues channel has Peavy Bandit and loves it. There are different Bandits. Like you can even guess them by the stripe colour.
Nice reviews! Quick question - what would you recommend for a used all around guitar amp (electric and accoustic) to practice at home, to maybe do some recording on the computer, but most of the time for playing with headphones as the kids actually need to sleep? thanks!
That's a tough one. The acoustic, and headphone bit makes it really tough. I very rarely try the headphone out on amps, since it almost always sounds terrible. Also, I almost never play an acoustic through an amp. I have a separate preamp for my acoustic when playing live. That being said, the Katana comes to mind. It's not the best thing out there, but it's OK I guess.
Consider trying a Samson Meteor Mic. I’ve recorded voice and acoustic guitar through it to Garage Band app through a dongle and straight into my laptop. For a $60 mic you can’t beat it. If you want better range look at Yeti.
I got a second-hand Roland Cube 60, initially for home use, especially for having a headphone option. But realising how loud it is, I started using it on band practices, and on smaller gigs, it does the job more than satisfactory :)
Finally another guy that thinks the marshall code sucks. I have bought the code 100 and can't get a decent tone out of it. The treble hurt my ears, and have you even tried to use pedals? ... don't! My old roland mobile cube sounds way better.
Just purchased a Marshall Code 50 for approx. 280 Euros, and it is a high quality, powerful amp with amazing bass response, as it has a closed cabinet. Makes my Telecaster almost sound like an acoustic guitar.
I that I was saying I’ve had the Marshall code as my second amp and still use it I feel like it’s great for beginners as well because it helps you find what tone you wanna find in your next amp but without the app on your phone i could see it being bad
