Okay that section in the beginning where you show the amp specs (slides up and takes up bottom half of the screen)... That was some next level shit. Good work guys!
@@pharmerdavid1432 , these are all modern amplifiers. The control labels are upside down if the amplifier is placed at your feet facing the audience. They are only right side up if you are in front of the amplifier, bent over the top, trying to keep your guitar from hitting the amp.
I owned a VOX AC-4 and I thought it was an excellent at-home amp. I mostly play clean or clean with an edge and it did both of those very well. When you crank it, I think it has a decent dirty sound, but probably not up to the standards of people who primarily like dirt. I ended up giving the amp to a drummer friend of mine who is a big Neil Young fan and had just bought his first electric guitar, a Korean-made Gretsch hollowbody. They make a great pair and will get you into the Neil realm quite nicely. For the money, it's a great little amp.
I love the way Danish Pete plays. I feel like he really knows how to let the guitar be the guitar and the amp be the amp without gaining the stuffing out of it and cramming *ALL THE NOTES* in. When he plays, his timing is spot on, letting the notes land and settle just the right amount.
The new Supro Delta King 10 is my new favorite “small combo”. It’s got all the early Zeppelin, Billy G, and blues/rock tones one could desire. But that Blackstar sounds great
I just came to say the same thing. I've played a 007 into a 2x12 with Greenbacks and though it's still not going to trouble a Rift for tone it was surprising how good it did sound given the stock combo sounds pretty awful.
Done that with a Laney Cub10 into a 2*12" with Celestion Vintage 30's. It sounded absolutely crazy. I love Laney, and i'm a bit sad they didn't put one in that video.
And the great thing is most of the small amps come in a head version. The ones that don't could be used as well I suppose as long as it was a normal speaker out.
I find this interesting as well. I’ve run my micro dark terror through a 4x12 several times just messing around. It’s quite impressive honestly. Hard to wrap your head around it seeing such a small box on top of a huge cab.
From what I can gather after watching this is that small always seem to have a drawback, which is the compromise made to exchanging mass, volume, as it relates to tone. great video dudes.
You guys should do the TPS / Ola thing and have a dB meter with a visible display as you're playing -- this would help in all of your videos, but especially the low-volume shootout variety.
I just traded in my AC4 for the bassbreaker. I loved the AC4, great tones but the 007 just gave me more of everything and the treble boost is a wow factor
Got the HT5 and it’s superb. Versatile as all hell and sounds great. Even 5w will rattle the neighbors windows too. I like cranking the clean channel with a tube screamer.
Does it really need the bright cap removed? You could easily turn down your tone knob or turn down your guitar volume (provided you don’t have a treble bleed) and turn up the gain on the amp.
Pulse2AM sadly I’ve never owned one. I used to have a blues jr III but sold that for a 68 Custom Twin. The MK1 version of that Blackstar is pretty damn good for 5 watts. That’s my current little practice amp.
I have a Laney Cub 12R. It has a proper FX loop and is either 15 or >1W. I absolutely ❤ it. Should have been included in this video. Or at least a link. Blues On.... 💙
This video saved me from getting a new amp, and got me really digging into the one I have. Seeing the Blues Jr. for the first time, and up against a bunch of other little tube amps, I saw that,,, basic controls don't mean the unit is lacking. My amp is a Kustom Defender V5 (5W). It is a little beauty. But I always thought I was missing out because of no Gain control.. not so!! I have two overdrives and a volume control (and a delay btw). The overdrives are my Gain! The volume control (after overdrives) lets me create a MONSTER signal...and play it at whatever quieter or louder level I like... TOTALLY awesome!!
@@RAID5_Aesthetic I've tried that speaker out with an orange 1x12 cab.. it gave it more headroom and loudness.. was too much for home use so i gave it up..
The EQ that the Captain dialed in was unfortunate for the overdriven tone. Treble booster activated plus 90% on the treble knob plus a lot of bass on an amp that is already very bassy... That was a recipe for muddiness. All knobs dimed is probably pointless for small amps. The whole point of going 7W (instead of the bigger ones in the range) is to get nice breakup at low volumes. It wasn't very representative of what the amp can sound within its context. But then again there are other videos for that.
I agree 100%. I couldn't be happier with mine. I posted the setting I keep mine on and it will do the classic rock/blues sound all day long. Use these amps in the environment they were made for ie bedroom/home use and they are great. The one in the video just sounded broken to me.
I respect Lee and Pete's opinion but I think they are used to playing bigger/more expensive amps. I bought a Marshall Origin 5 yesterday because I loved the sound w/ my Gibson SG or my 78 Ibanez Artist. A nice clean tone and it's perfect for what I need at home. I don't crank my amps and the amp isn't designed for a lot of overdriving pedels in my opinion. The foot switch turns on/off the boost or on/off your FX loop if you run pedals. I watched the video before I went looking at amps and when I played it in the store I was wondering why the guys didn't like the amp. To each there own I guess.
I am a working musician with a very loud, metal band. With respect to these guys at Andertones, I disagree with 15 watts not being loud enough to gig with. I am currently using the fender pro jr iv at my gigs. I am miked during gigs. I am plenty loud to cut through a heavy handed drummer and a bass player as well as a second guitarist with 50 watt tube. He can only run his amp on two in 99 percent of our gigs. My bass player asked me if I could turn down a little yesterday because I was a little too loud and he had earplugs in. Another point is Jeff Beck uses the pro jrs in most of his live performances to include Madison Square Gardens. In my opinion, Higher watts is more trouble in today's world with pa's. Plus to carry monster amps especially someone like me who is now 45 and not getting any younger is not worth the expense or the labor. I do recognize if your playing stadiums and such, A high powered amp is idea but not for the average bar and club. The way I see it, if your at arena's playing, you can afford roadies to mule your gear off and on stage. Just my two cents. Thank you everyone from Andertons music for the great videos. I am a fan. Your insights on gear is very valuable and honest. Cheers, from the U.S.A.
Great shootout, guys. I have an HT 40 MKII (the 5 watt's big brother), and you guys just confirmed my feelings, it sounds really good, very versatile, and it takes my pedals well.
I had decided to buy Blackstar HT5R MK-II after this video by considering 2 voices ( Fender and Marshall) of the amp and now I am more than satisfied with my choice. It also has the 0.5W version if you would like to crank it up for more headroom. Now, I am looking for 2nd amp for stereo chorus& delay setup at home.
One of the very best Anderton's reviews/shoot outs I've seen. The candidness in the reviews was a much more realistic perspective from the potential buyer's viewpoint. Well done, mates.
HT5R sounds better with ISF around 11 tbh. The more clockwise and you get what Pete was not liking about. Also these are plenty loud for home, to get an idea: the loudness will surpass uplugged/speech around 8 o'clock, so barely any volume. Neighbours will wake up before 12 o'clock.
Either they don't read the comments or they keep forgetting. I have said so many times on these videos the ISF sweet spots are 9-11 and 1-3. I've had the neighbour ring the police when playing the HT5 loud so they are more than loud enough for the home but sound great at any volume.
They are all great players, and the captain included, i have watched him improve over the years and while he plays sort of tentatively, he plays very well....tasty chops
Yeah wtf! How is that amp not here. I bought an ht5 after hearing my ht1, but it's not the same. Sold the ht5. Clean channel on ht1 with the gain dimed is just magic!!
Clip the bright cap (on the volume pot) on the AC4 and swap the stock speaker for a Celestion Creamback - turns it into a completely different amp. You can also get a Celestion blue in there but with the creamback and the bright cap gone, it’s a fab amp and takes all sorts of pedals wonderfully!! And yeah, I know, you’re chucking more money at it, but totally worth it - pair it up with a Princeton and it’s a beautiful combo for small-medium gigs!! Give it a go!!
Absolutely! I remember looking for a modeling amp, trying to find one with as many features as possible. Then once the novelty wore off, I realized I should have just gotten a quality small tube amp. Modeling amps usually do no one thing well.
I think "option paralysis" nails it. I've had a few and it's the same every time, sit to practice, fiddle with knobs, hook up laptop, fiddle with parameters, save settings and fiddle with knobs again then repeat the whole process after switching guitars. It's not the amps fault, it's me for sure but as if having 8 pedals in front of me with enticing switches and dials wasn't bad enough let throw an amp with endless hours of fiddling at your fingertips in the mix and my practice time is consumed by indecisive fiddelry! 😂 I have come to terms with my obsession and now chose amps for what tones I can get without a laptop and as little switches and settings as possible without compromising the tonal landscape.
The Lionheart is truly an awesome amplifier. 5 Watts of gorgeous tone in such a good looking combo. When you go Cub shopping, try the Cub 10. Tonally, it's everything the Pro Jr aspires to being, but with the useful addition of a pre-amp control. For such a small box, it escapes boxiness by some kind of magic, or just being damn near wholly open at the back. It sounds good on its own, especially when used on a beer crate or amp stand, but plug it into a large cab and it goes from good to 'bloody hell!' It doesn't have a loop, it doesn't have reverb and it only has a treble cut for a tone control, but by 'eck it sings.
@@VintageSG yeah I was looking at the 10. I think given the price it wouldn't be completely unreasonable to get the 10 and the 12(or the head). From what I've heard on RU-vid they seem different enough to justify owning both. (And I am the kind of person who likes to collect things 😃)
When I went amp shopping a few years ago, I tried all the then Cub range. The Cub 8 stole my heart, but it really needed to be wound up loud to give its sweet tones. It's basically a Champ at heart, so that's understandable. I have since built a Champ-a-like :-) The Cub 12 sort of sounded like a mini-Marshall to me. The reverb is OK, and the
I have the cub12r and it sounds better than all the amps shown in this video, it has an incredible vintage tone for the price, and if you upgrade the speaker you got yourself a top quality amp
I have a 57' Custom Champ that sounds better IMHO and costs half of what that Rift costs. I would argue the 57' Custom Champ is the best amp there is , period. Any wattage.
Thanks for this. I largely agree with your assessment, that cranked Pro Junior, awesome. Would be interesting to see how the dsl on the Marshall side and the Super Champ X2 on the Fender side would compare. Maybe with a Tone King Gremlin as the odd one out and an AC10 fighting for Vox. Blackstar off course also has the Artist 10 - man so much choice. Maybe a Part II ;)
Fender Pro Junior sounded great on G&L and Les Paul. I just bought my first valve amp - Fender Blues Junior 4, with Celestion A-Type speaker and i am very setisfied, playing all the time and it is great with pedals and boss gt-100 :)
Simple review best to worst #1 Rift: Buttery round goodness. 12:18 with tremolo and a touch of reverb probably best tones in the shootout. Check out a Princeton reverb for similar tones at less than half the price. #2 Pro Junior: Nice Fender cleans. Video showed clean and cranked but didn’t demonstrate how many people will use it - volume somewhere in the middle about half way up where you are getting edge of breakup naturally overdriven tones and then using volume knob to clean up. #3 Blackstar: capable of better distortion sounds than were had in this video. Decent cleans and 1/10 power mode retains same tone. #4 Bassbreaker 007: Decent clean tones on low volume. Zero headroom and very noisy with more gain channels. Many better options available and certainly Bassbreaker 15 is much better than this. #5 Origin 5: Not a 10 inch speaker as mentioned in the video. Small, boxy, tinny sounding 8 inch speaker kills what might have been an okay option for home friendly cranked Marshall vintage-ish tones. #6 Vox AC4: Yikes. No good adjectives here. Check out the Vox AC10
I wonder why andertons rarely feature Laney. They do stock them. The L5 combo and L5 head are just brilliant. The Laney Cub amps are also great. What’s the deal Andertons ?
Outstanding Review... Worth every second of the 45:36 to listen to the amps!! Great choices for guitars in the review!! Kudo's to the Captain and Pete.
Seconded and they have one in stock !!!! It was ignored last time they did this type of vid. I've played three of the above and owned the Blackstar and the Laney is a much more mature, boutique style option. Must be a commercial decsion, stock availability, profit margin etc ?
I’m a big fan of Anderton’s and all their content, but I’m surprised Laney’s 5 watter wasn’t included here. Please offer us an explanation, Captain Lee. I’d be curious to learn why this British amp didn’t make the list.
I commented the same thing on the last video like this. Lionheart has reverb, effects loop, two channels and a custom 12inch speaker. Used they are less than some of these...
Lionheart is probably best not-boutique amp series. 50w SE with 5 EL34's head is very very good. Smaller 20w and 5w amps are good too, but a little less aggressive sounding. Why Blackstar Ht series is even mentioned I dont know, its horrible. Is MKII series better ? MKI was basically tube poweramp with horrible opamp based preamp.
Wish you had added the Supro 5 watt with reverb to your mix as it is supposed to be one of the best and at around $800 it would be nice to see what you fellows think.
For me, the Blackstar seems the most versatile. I have an original HT5 head that I like quite a lot, though. Maybe I'm biased. Other than that, I gotta go with the Pro Junior. Sounds great clean. Sounds great cranked. Good pedal platform. Now if only they made a Pro Junior head.
$399 USD Fender Super Champ X2 over any of those. Sound is subjective but on paper it wins and worth checking out. 15w, 2 x 6v6 and 1 x 12AX7, 16 amp voicings, 15 effects, two channel, line out, USB, Fuse software, built tough.
Great review. I own the Fender 007 and LOVE it. Handles pedals well and provides a great classic rock tone as well as a very respectable clean tone. Please keep in mind, if your after classic Fender cleans, that's not what this amp was designed for. It was designed to capture the Blues Breaker sound which I LOVE!
Thanks for this. It helped me make a wish list. I just grabbed the BlackStar on a clearance sale I couldn’t resist. It’s perfect for my ‘bedroom’ and beyond.
The Authentic Steve now imagine a Katana player that also uses Reaper! I don’t get the hype around the katana. The one time I tried it, it sounded dull and muffled. The Boss Nextone was so much better (different price league though). At least for clean tones, I don’t care that much for distortion.
@@Am6-9 I've never understood the hype myself. Not that they are bad, they are cheap and sound decent enough for the price I guess but the hype had me thinking they are a solid state alternative or replacement for a tube amp and so I was disappointed. The Katana reminded me of an old Boss ME pedal plugged into a PA.
Prefer the DSL5 to the Origin for sure, the last video also used the Origin instead of the larger DSL combo. I find the DSL range way more versatile and better sounding. Is there a reason why you’re using the Origin instead?
I bought the Blackstar recently and I like it a lot. I wanted a hassle free amp that I could use at home volume levels. I tought it sounded better than anything small and digital that I tried and it has all the features I need and more. I also already have a Yamaha THR so I tought I don’t need more digital stuff. I did shootout between Marshall DSL 5 cr and Blackstar. After watching RU-vid reviews of both I tought I would prefer the Marshall but hearing them side by side I preferred the Blackstar.
They totally screwed themselves with the origin series. It had so much potential and people were truly excited about it. Yet they just don’t seem to sound good and they have small speakers. Really poor decision making from Marshall imo. The new classic mini amps they put out new though, great sounding amps!
@@allstopblue5717 Yes, I was quite excited when they were announced at NAMM, then ultimately disappointment. Although the DSL series that were revised at the same time sounded great from the reviews I watched.
Fx amplification classic plex was the best tube amp I ever played at low volume (for JTM/JMP/JCM tones). The amp is designed to get the most of the sound with the preamp section with a very progressive master, a switch 20w/2w and a deep switch. + there's a "budget" version (ACE COLT) for a little less than 700 bucks. Planning to get another one maybe the Gold Digger or Dual Classic. Dynamics of theses amp is incredible .. lot better / usable than marshall 50's anniversary or origin that I owned too IMHO.
Closing line the highlight of the vid :) Rift then Pro Jr... Mentioned in a comment on the previous shootout about the Laney Cub 12r - 15w, all valve, 12" speaker, built in reverb and effect loop, love it!
francisz4 Actually that guitar has no sound, neither does an amp, they only make electrical current. The speaker is the only part that moves air and makes "sound". Buy a tone full speaker or it is all in vein. But the guitar does look killer !
My two takeaways from that video: 1. I am VERY happy that I went for the handwired AC4 on the used market. It has nothing to do with the cheap AC4 and sounds much better even if I can‘t play. 2. Thanks a lot for the GoPro perspective. I always thought that I Hand to turn the bass down but actually turning it up sounds much better. (3. Turning the Pro Junior off might have been a bit unfair. My AC4HW sounds completely crap if you don‘t give it a few minutes to heat up)
Andrew Crawley Chapperz and the Captain reviewed the Vox ac4c1-12 before and got epic tones out of it! Then they plugged it into a Marshall 4x12 cabinet and those epic tones rocketed into the atmosphere. Don’t blame the amp, blame the player
I have the AC4-112 and even though I've cut both bright caps out, it's still very bright. I like the gain structure a lot, though! But since it's 12" not 10", there are a plethora of choices to swap the Celestion Seventy-80 to a darker sounding element, like a Greenback.
Top of the heap of the vid's. Don't reserve yourselves by concern whether a video that is similar has been made already. Multiple items that are similar, such as these small tube amp's, is the meat of the channel and can have so many variations. I feel Lee has this worry most of all, so i thank Lee personally for going against his impulse not to duplicate a previous video. Andertons is the model RU-vid channel for a reason.
Suggestion when making a video about bedrooms friendly amps where volume is important, include a db meter in the room. That pedal show does it always and it's a great addition to the information.
Lee, when the boost is pulled on a Marshall it bypasses the tone circuit. Passive tone circuits work by attenuating signal at given frequencies, if the tone stack is bypassed you effectivly have a 'boost'. Hence 'the tone controls don't do anything on a boosted Marshall' of course not, they are being bypassed
Fender Pro Junior all the way, no contest. Rift and Bassbreaker are both trying to make your guitar into a bass, booming lows, not enough highs, poor mids. Origin would be even with Pro Junior with a 12 inch speaker, only amp that actually gets bright enough. Vox ac-4 is good at one particular setting which is pretty quiet and clean, fizzy and fuzzy with gain, Blackstar sounds artificial like a poor tube screamer, fixx/fuzz/uninspiring. Get a Pro Junior kids :)
One of the most enjoyable intro jams you guys have ever done: very Floyd-ish; Bravo! I've got the 007 and swapped out the 1st preamp tube for a 12AU7 which improves clean headroom "slightly". Hardly any hum at low gain in mine, either. Replacing a power supply load resistor with a filter choke eliminates the hum, I've been told. Actually, several other reviews complain about excessive hum in the Pro-Jr.IV. Played one in a showroom and was blown away for the price (I should have bought it!).
with respect, I wasn't into any of these. Not even the Marshall and I'm almost exclusively Mashall. I know it's a much bigger amp but I always loved the Peavey Classic 30 for home use or a good clean tone.
i play at home. THR10X,Blackstar Fly3, Bassbreaker15, Friedman Runt 20,Katana50. All sound great and fun to noodle around on, record through my Scarlett Focusrite and Ableton. Katana goes down to .05 watt. Great content guys!
