@@AnthonyChhan I am still very impressed by this Amp! It holds on to the practising day and live concerts, while being good for studio work. It's clean channel is bright, it's gain channel kicks ass, and I am really sure no Amp in this price Range would have done a better job. As a Metal guitarist I recommend it still to this day! Thank you for asking, and your interest! If you have questions feel free to ask
@@mauricewintersehl391 guys, can you Help me with my MT15? I just don't get it tight enough for modern metal, I tried the Tubescreamer in front of it, but it doesn't do that much to the tightness.. yeah, the clean channel is freakin awesome ^^ maybe you guys have any idea or tips, thank you 🤟
@@newthrash1221 its hell'a small dude, literally. My friends laughed at me when they saw it sitting on top a big ass cabinet, didn't have shit to say once I put that son bitch on full volume, not exactly aesthetically pleasing in terms of looks but its deceiving.
Mate 😂😂😂 couldn't agree more, my old blackstar tvp 15w on full volume shakes shit at my neighbour's house, 50w with that size would probably bulldoze their house
I've got the kraken 50 watt. It replaced my 5150 ii head . I got tired of lugging half a tonne of tone about, so got the kraken which has got more to offer sonically (opinion) and its just as loud, easy to carry (8kg!!!) and has more than enough gain for some dirt shitting riffs. Cleans are super crisp and jangly. Its and absolute workhorse
I have the Orange OR15 and it is fantastic. And my Egnater Tweaker 15 head is unbelievably good especially for the price. Both for studio use through a Bogner oversized 2x12. 👍🏼
Although I'm a Mesa Mini Rectoverb guy, that OR15 is a sweet amp and really be on anyone's shortlist when shopping for a small head amp. The Dark Terror is a hell of an amp for the money as well.
The MT15 is a beast. I use it in conjunction with the Two Notes Captor’s -20db attenuation and bedroom tones have never been better. Absolutely killer amp.
It’s meant to be a direct injection (D.I.) box for use with tube amps so one can plug a tube amp into an interface going into a computer to record silently without the need to have a cabinet plugged into that tube amp. It does 4 things: D.I. (Plug into an interface going into computer), load box (puts a load on the speaker so you can record silently, no cab needed), -20db attenuator (for bedroom tones), and a cab-sim. It handles amps up to 100 watts. It can also be used to send a signal to the front of house if one is playing live for the same reasons mentioned above. No cab needed, just go from the captor into the P.A., set levels and eq and you’re good to go. It also comes with Torpedo’s “Wall of Sound” plugin which is pretty nice for dialing in tones. It’s just a cab-sim program but a good one. It’s a pretty sweet piece of kit. I think fluff has a video on it actually. If not, there’s a bunch of other videos about it. Check it out man.
I had the Mesa Boogie Mark V 25. It was a great amp. I also like the Super Kraken from Victory. But I replaced all of my heads for a Kemper and a Helix Rack.
I've been looking at the micro dark for several weeks now because when I first got into metalcore Orange was all I ever saw. I've seen good reviews on youtube and this was just one more good reaction to it. Had no clue Beartooth actually uses this thing. Ready to pull the trigger, thanks man.
Hard agree. Love the Meteor as well. Solid Orange tones for dirt cheap. I went with the the Meteor over the Micro Dark, just because the channels were switchable. And I was not a bit disappointed
I have it since 2012. You can find them for dirt cheap on the second hand market in europe now. Some people complain about its fizzy tone, but once you play it a high volume that thing really start breathing. That is unarguably the most versatile lunch box amp. 3 chan, 3 mods per chan, 1 switch to modify the eq range per chan, volume boost, reverb. It's also one of the only lunchbox with 2 cab outputs. Only downside is the proprietary footswitch and the weird way of switching channels
H&K Tubemeister 40, I own it, I love it. Our other guitarist plays the Blackstar HT-20 and it’s sick too. We both play through 212 cabs for stage volume but use the direct outs for FOH. They sound great together.
I fell in love with the Mesa Mini Rectifier 25. I'm also thinking about getting the Randall Satan 50 or Peavey 6505MH just for the different Sound and Feel.
I think this a very good representation of high gain low wattage heads. The Orange TH30 and Egnater Rebel-30 MKII are two of my personal low wattage favorites. The Egnater has a lot more tonal control via the two attenuator controls for both the clean and gain channels and the two reverb controls for each channel. The TH30 is straight forward simple stupid harmonic bliss and the foundation of my tone. If I were to buy any of the amps shown here I would go with the OR-15, it's got that old school orange sound while the TH-30 is more of a modern tone.
I bought the Katana head last summer. It's such a great value for what it does. It's even got a serviceable little speaker built in for when you don't want to play super loud.
PRS MT15 all the way. My favorite amp EVER! Aggressive, put a Maxon 808 and ISP Decimator in the chain with a BBE Sonic Maximizer and noise gate in the loop and this rig kills any 100 watt head. I keep up with 100 watt Mesa Dual Recs and 100 watt Peavey 6505s no problem. I can push 1, 2, 4 or 6 speakers with this little monster. Thank you PRS and Mark Tremonti for creating this amp.
I tried my friends one, it sounds amazing but for that price you could easily get yourself a used randall t2 (rare but does show up now and again) maybe with a little bit on top get a 5150, vh100r or a 6505 peavy. All killer amps with more kick and bang for your buck.
My Friedman JJ JR is the first amp I've owned that completely floored me. Plugging in my 2010 Les Paul Custom and playing it through the matching 2x12 mini stack cab, it is an absolute beast. Hope to keep this forever!
Fluff I would like to clarify a common myth, people often say ""tube watts" as in my 100 watt guitar amp is as loud as my 1000 watt pa speaker, and they are often correct that it is as loud, but a watt is a watt, doesnt matter where it comes from its the same amount of power, what changes is the speakers, where most pa speakers are full range and produce about around 80-90db at 1 meter 1 watt guitar cabs are focused on a smaller spectrum often produce in excess of 100db at 1m 1w for a single vintage 30 meaning it takes many times more watts to make the pa speaker produce the same db output, the orange micro dark has a solid state power section and will be roughly the same volume dimed on your 4x12 as any other amp of the same wattage
Fluff, If you ever get a chance, find yourself in front of a Carvin V3M. I never heard the V3, and I'm not a humongous Vai fan, but a friend of mine bought the V3M, 50 watts switch able down to something ridiculous like 5 watts. 3 channel EL84s. They discontinued them, but when I have a spare $700 I am going to scour ebay and reverb for one. Killer through a 2x12.
Fluff. For MONTHS I have been back & forth with what to get for a guitar amp. I had been toying around with getting a Marshall as most of my favorite artists use Marshalls. Or actually a blackstar since they released the new St James line. BUT after stumbling upon this video and doing some digging I am sold on the Orange OR15! Thanks for the help!
I have been playing a Egnator Tweaker 15 watt head at my work and I have been loving that thing. It is really making me consider getting mini heads instead of combo amps.
I played a Dark Terror for a while a couple years ago, and it suprised me with how awesome it sounded. Been itching to try out a #4 or Brent Hinds model now that they're out
I think you should take a look Joyo, if you already haven't. I think the VIVO and the Zombie are pretty badass, and they definitely earn a spot on this list. Good choices though, the Micro Dark is one of my personal favorites
My thoughts exactly. I demoed the MT15 (very impressive) and the EVH LBXiii with their OEM respective cabs. Then I went and tried the mini Rec, MKV25, and the Rectoverb 25 with mini Rec 1x12. To my ears, the Mesas were better in detailed clarity with high gain but also we're far more versatile with lower volume cleaner tones than the other two. I had gone into the process with a slight bias toward the PRS and assumed that I would come to the conclusion that it was just as good as the Mesa offerings at half the price. In the end, I went with a Rectoverb 25 head and cab. No regrets. I may be wrong, but I don't see any direct comparisons between the mt15 and one of the mini rectifier variants out here. I'd love to see it with miked cabs and not IR's. Since my purchase , I have to admit that I wish I had tried an engl Fireball 25 just for giggles. I'm very impressed by what I've seen in terms of reviews out here.
Although I own a 90w mesa mark v, and a 100w dual rectifier Tremoverb, I really love the Mark Five 25. Expensive as hell but I love it. I don't own it. I wish I did.
Mine so far is the H&K Grandmeister Deluxe 40, the ultra channel with the gain a bit less than noon boosted with a maxon 808 is sick! It's a bit flubby quiet non boosted, but when you crank her up she tightens right up. Love it
I love my 1 watt Fryette,, I re-amp it with a Mesa simul class 90 watt 6L6 power section and it sounds savage AF..! Had a Marshall jvm 1 watt 50th mini head,, that was bad ass also.
Fluff, I know it’s a little bigger, but where is the Mesa Boogie Mark 5 Twenty-Five? Not just as a quality U.S. amp, but you can do so much with it. Thanks!
I do not consider the EVH 5150 III 50W as a "mini" amp, as the mesa boogie dual rectifier 2 ch version is 50W, and it's quite a big & loud amp. But yeah EVH 5150 III sounds awesome. Sad that my Mesa Mark V:25 wasn't in the list; such a versatile and great sounding tones for that tiny amp, and pretty loud for that wattage.
Since Fender really does make mini heads, I absolutely love my Peavey Classic 20 MH for cleans. Having the choice of 16 & 8 ohm switch plus you can disable the speaker out and just use headphones with no speaker load needed, priceless.
I've got the PRS MT 15. It will definitely cook your breakfast. Love the tone, both clean and crunch and it will chug for days. It was over engineered for a 15 watt amp. You can cut through mix with this stacked on 4x12 of your favorite flavor.
Sponsorship aside, I'm really curious as to why you choose Orange, over Marshall for the classic British sound. I love hearing people's opinion on the Orange vs Marshall..
Not necessarily mini, but, my Mesa Mark V35 is the best amp I've ever played in my entire life. My bandmate has got the 5150 EL34 and is BR00TAL. Great list, Fluff! :)
LOVE your channel great review as usual. I'm sure someone has already said this but I'm curious that the SLO mini did not make your list? I have the EVH EL34 too and love everything except the HISSSSSSSS LOLOL!! Keep up the great work
I'm not even a metal player, but I bring the Orange Micro Dark to every gig I play as a backup. It fits in the duffle bag I carry my cables/batteries/picks/etc., in, and sounds killer. The other guitarist in my band has a finnicky Mesa Boogie and has had to use it at a few gigs, just plugged the Micro Dark into the speaker in his combo, I doubt anyone in the crowd noticed the difference.
Driftwood mini nightmare 😮... and very soon REVV G20. I use a 6505MH boosted with Maxon 808 and lately with a Boss eq and man...this thing is loud and the tone is awesome (now with the eq getting some missing low end)
Blackstar Ht metal 5 head. With a 1x12 Hughes and kettner cab. At very Subtle settings. ISF at 1 for slightly darker British sound, Bass at 8 or 9 o’clock, treble, volume and gain around 9 o’clock, Mids at 9:30 or 10. Then boosted with an OD808, with the drive at 0, tone at 11 and level at 1 and further boosted with eq after. Sounds tight, chunky and huge. I play a 6 string in drop C. With bare knuckle juggernauts and a 7 string with emgs. Also has really nice warm or bright cleans. Paired with a analog delay and the build in reverb. You can get really sweet ambient cleans as well
I had a band op hit me up so I grabbed an Orange CR120 on an impulse buy. Naturally, they flaked and I'm not exactly gelling with it now. Luckily, I'm still in the return window, and the OR15 looks like my new girl. Although, the MT15 has got me for a looky loo. Might even go for a dark terror w/ a micro dark as a backup, but I'm kinda stuck on the options FX loops provide. Even looked at the Marshall DSL20's, but after seeing a gut shot vid? That's too many cheap PCB mounted jacks & sockets that could potentially fail for me to worry about. A clean channel option would be good, but not a deal breaker. Keeping in under $700? I think the OR15 is going to do the trick. Keep a Micro Dark as a safety net, and I think I'm good to go. Keep being awesome Fluff & thanks for the periodical personal advice man. I will try to be less annoying, but I can't make any promises ; ) Cheers bro!
I have a carvin V3 micro tube head. I love it. It does so well. It’s like a mine Mesa triple rectifier. 50 watts with a switch tow go to 22 or 7 watt. Effects loop. Built in reverb and boost. Three channels and takes pedal like it was made to.
Your list is similar to what mine would have been. I would also consider the Randall RM22, Randall RD20H (one of my most faithful amplifiers that I do most of my demos through), Marshall JCM800SC, Panama Shaman 20, Marshall Origin 20, and many, many more. You’re right, these amps are coming out on the market in droves these days.
Some of these amps in the uk are close to the £600+ mark, got myself a randall T2 used for £300 instead, not a bedroom amp but for that price my neighbour's will appreciate it.
Nope. Both EVH and Peavey make smaller versions of that head. Ironically including the Peavey 6505 Mh in this very video. The 50 watt 5150 isn't considered a mini or small amp in anyway. It's more along the club sized version not a true mini, but Fluff said it's his list so his rules I guess?
Mini amps are an absolute godsend. My first "real" amp was a Tiny Terror and that thing kicks all sorts of ass if you're a teenager in his room looking to rock out like I was. I still have it to this day and while it can't hang as well with my 5150III and Rockerverb Mk II, it's still a fun little bastard to jam on.
Been debating on getting the dual rec, engl, and 5150 hotone mini amps. Pretty happy with my mooer brown sound 3 (5153). I just need a power amp pedal and a 2x12 to upgrade from using the fx loop of my zombie with a 1x12.
it's not that high gain or a real mini head but with all of the new Soldano amps being released, I picked up a Yamaha T-50 that Soldano designed in 88ish. 2 of the same same channels with reverb and just the right amount of gain. thick, saturation that gets really good with a boost in front of it. I first heard from Rick Beato's interview with him and Rick wanted to buy one so I took a chance and it's pretty awesome
I don't know if it qualifies as high gain but I love my HT-1R blackstar mini stack. tis a 1 watt pushing a 12" speaker and does everything I need it to. the thing proves that wattage is not how loud an amp is.
Could you do a video with various settings for Classic Metal tones and Modern Metal tones out of the EL 34 EVH 50 watt head. I for one would really appreciate it.
Hughes and kettner tubemeister 36w. I've had one for a few years now. It slays. The grandmeister is even better, albeit more expensive. I bought mine new for 1600aud and the other guitarist in my band managed to snaggle one for 900aud used. And another friend of mine has recently picked one up after spending some time with mine :)
I own both the 6505 mini and the Tremonti 15 watt head, both excellent amps... the peavey rocks for real tight modern tones or balls out aggression you come to expect with that line of amp and the Tremonti amp really is loud, such a physical punchy and true sound, not just great for rock/metal but also a really clear clean channel which serves great as a base for pedals etc.
Was about to buy a dark terror 15W but found a sweet deal on a used Orange th30 head for a hair over 600 american dollars, now looking for a decent 212 w V30s.
I'll never give up the Brent Hinds terror on my top tier lists of lunch box mini heads. It's high enough gain I think, and it's so doom and sludge it hurts.
