I preferred un-boosted. I found the low end more complementing the mix and to my ears it seated better in the mix, sounded more glued. But as you mentioned, depends on the mix, taste, genre and playing. Thank you for the video.
Every time I'm thinking of a certain purchase, your videos come straight to the top. This is exactly the review I was looking for as I just bought the Maxon OD-808 and I play through a MT-15 as well with a Jackson V tuned to Drop B, this will also serve me well with my 7-string and my new Alpha & Omega pups. Great content!
The boost seems to add a little more push and makes it sound a tad more present, but I feel it also smears the notes a little in the high mids/treble (adds a bit more ''krrrghhhhh'''to it) and strangely makes it sound less defined and less bold than unboosted. Unboosted sounds crankier, in the best way! At least to me.
I agree. I'd love to hear how it sounds with a more modern-sounding (if that makes sense) boost. Something like the Horizon Devices Precision Drive or the Fortin 33.
PRS MT 15 + Horizon Precision Drive + Mesa cab V30 - this is my Rig and i can confirm a Little Boost to Tame the LOW end. Other than that it's the BEST small amp ever created.
I often run a Wampler Tumnus Deluxe in front of mine while pushing lows and mids to fill out some of the frequencies on the clean and lead channels. I haven't done much with my TS808 in front of the MT15, but in E standard tuning it hasn't needed much to feel tight. Keep doing what you do.
Either way, I seriously think this is one of the best amps I've heard on your channel. The chords sound like a damn explosion. I liked both but think the 808 boost would give more room for the bass and kick in a mix. Though, if it was just me in a room, I think no boost might sound better
Tone is always subjective of course and I’m really not trying to take the easy way out but honestly the amp sounded pretty damn good both ways. I had to rewind and listen several times and maybe by the tiniest margin I like the boosted a tad better. At the same time un-boosted it had a great wide, full sound. Just can’t go wrong either way.
I've had the MT15 for a year and love it dry. Never sounded better with a boost and I tried every tube screamer in the JHS Bonsai in front of it. Think I'll go revisit with your settings to see what it sounds like in the room. Sidenote: I have a Randall R13 preamp pedal in front if it right now and it sounds incredible!
Man this is making the amp look like a top contender for my next purchase, have always like it when I try it out at GC but was kinda turned off by the low wattage, these comments taught me not only is it under stating its power but that it can be doubled to 50 watts which is more than enough for that monstrous tone.
Goes without saying that each demonstration sounds great, yet different. When it comes to boosting such amps, I tend to favour blending both a boosted and direct sound. It’s what I do with the V2, Diavlo and the 6505+, but with a rectifier, I consider it a necessity for tightening up the sound.
For the little bit that I was able to play an MT15 (mine was good for about 4 days before I had all sorts of technical problems that ultimately led me to returning it) I thought it sounded quite fine without any extra boost. When it works correctly, it's a very powerful little amp. Regardless, I would argue that either way could work, depending on the song and what your needs are. Great demo as always, I always enjoy your videos, thank you Sir.
i liked both ways and agree with your closing remarks. great vid as always but what got my attention was that engl pedal behind you. is it good and what are its best use case scenarios.
I like the amp both boosted and not boosted, but the tone cut thru a little more boosted. In this demo, I liked the boosted sound more. Another killer demo 🤘🏽😈🤘🏽 Cheers!!!
i think its sound worst with the boost, i really prefer the tone straight from your amp :D, and i always watch your videos keep it good like this man :D
Sick demo.. Now I want the amp. Haha. It’s cool having a small lunchbox size amp.. my jvm410 is awesome, but not very practical in home or jamming applications.
I preferred the boosted version, but I think there's something about the pickups that I'm not digging. Or maybe it's just a bit too scooped for me. 🤔 Great video as always!
I just tried the OCD pedal on this amp and it sounded incredible. The OCD is amazing sounding. I need one. I have never tried a tube screamer or a Maxon 808. Would love to! I also tried the Electeoharmonix LPB-1 and it sounded like flubby tubby bloated low mid mud heavy garbage.
great vid...i liked the boost, but believe using an eq pedal instead of the boost might keep noise down and articulate the arpeggio riffs better...hmmm...great riffs man, thx for the vid!!!!
Can you do a video on composing and mixing your drums? What are you doing. I absolutely need to make this drum space. I'm using EZ Drummer 2. Thanks and great upload.
I could turn the dials to get what the 808 does. The 808 doesnt hurt the sound just pulls off some bottom and brings the mids and highs up front more. I do mine with a boss 7 band in loop, and it takes it to a new level. Just lightly push the frequencies you want and drop the ones you dont. A great amp.
Always boost. Different pedals interacts with different components of the amps, each control changes the signal going into the amp, which changes how the controls on the amp interact with that signal, etc. The possibilities are endless and I always toss a pedal in front. Even if it's not a standard tubescreamer type pedal like the Mesa Flux or Grid Slammer that doesn't necessarily "tighten up" the amp.
Hi Mr Sonic. I don't own one of these amps, to me sounds great either way. I personally would start using it without an overdrive pedal to learn what tones it is capable of. Would a 50w cabinet work well with this little amp? I would like your advise on that please. Cheers for the rundown.
cool vid as always. i´d love to see a direct comparison between the MT15 and the Laney IRT Studio. i have the IRT and love it, but i´m also really interested in the MT15. but in my head their tones seem sort of in the same ballpark, so i´m not sure if it makes sense for me to get one.
I loved both, but if I had to choose.. I'd go unboosted. The amp sounds pretty good as is. It truly would be up to the player's genre and what they're aiming for as to whether or not to go boosted.
This amp is killer, I don't have it but I've played the STL tones amphub version. It seems to be pretty close. I ended up throwing the Seymour Duncan 805 in front with the highs and mids boosted and I really dig the tone.
It sounded great when boosted however, I enjoyed it more without the boost. It sounded full and balanced by itself and top heavy in terms of mids and highs when boosted .
You want that sound in a band mix. Everyone thinks a big gigantic bassy sound is great in their bedroom but it's not good for a full band in nearly every case. There's a reason all of the greatest songs have middy/high guitar tones with almost no low end.
I have this amp and i boost it with sd1 and use the same eq as you except i roll back the gain a bit to 11. This amp is a bit dark so the sd1 really make it perfect.
Sounds great with boost IMO. I’ve tried the mt15 a few times with regular guitars and was underwhelmed but that od808 tightens it up nicely and gives it more crisp attack to my ears.
Great review! Question: I am in need of an increase in volume for the solo parts. Is it possible for a pedal like this to increase the volume when it is engaged? It was mentioned by someone that I might need a boost pedal to be louder in specific parts. Thanks
Just a question about your amp setting. I notice you have the Master volume relatively low is that for a specific reason sound or dynamics wise? Thanks for the great content, really appreciate it👍
Dude I own the Dirty Tree, the maxon up top, the ibanez tubescreamer and nothing compares to....get this....the earthquakers Plumes overdrive....wow guys check it out its so good.
I feel like with more chord type stuff that doesn't need to be a punchy, no-boosted is the way. It breathes and doesn't have the unnecessary high end bump. Then with the chugs or anything palm muted, boosting it sounds great so you get the ballsy punch. That's how I approach it for recording with my Friedman JJ Junior and Friedman Buxom Boost pedal. No hard, fast rules or anything. But, that's usually the method!
just an idea - what if you do a third take where you adjust the EQ and gain to taste with the boost on? the issue is the unboosted setting was obviously idealized to being, well, unboosted. so stacking the boost on top of that causes the sound to suffer.
can i start with saying the amp sounds great. i do feel the pedal squishes the dynamics a bit, yes tighter, but over compresses. a little looseness i personally prefer for the feel of the amp when playing. the chugs do sound better with the pedal slightly, but the chords have string separation with out the pedal. so for me personally, i'd be happy unboosted.
Personally, I do use a Tube Screamer in front of my MT-15 because I have a fairly low output on my pickups and also I think it pretty much doesn't matter how good the amp itself sounds, it can only sound better with a boost so why the hell not.
I don't know. It sounds raspier and more dynamic when it's unboosted, for me at least. But in the mix, the boosted, compressed sound fits more evenly. Still, I would go unboosted in a nu metal or in a sludge scenario, but for anything else, boost it.
Hey everyone! I’m planning on buying my first amp head, and thinking about the MT15 or the Blackstar HT Club 50mkii. Which would you rather pick? Thanks for the comments :)
For me, maintaining the mt15 has been a breeze. 2 bias test jacks on the back made it easy for me to swap out the 5881s with 6L6s and rebias the amp safely and completely by myself (I do NOT feel safe enough to rebias an amp without these) can't go wrong with that! Another great "self-contained" tube amp in the hi-gain range would be the revv g20, has a built in loadbox as well so u can record raw into an interface and re-cab as you like. I think you can also write 6 different custom IR's to the presets (don't quote me on that tho lol). Can't forget about the Ironball from ENGL either tho. Honestly, whichever u get the best deal on, go for it. They're all pretty great 🤘
Personally I don’t feel like I need to put a boost in front of my MT-15, I feel like it takes away some of the amp’s girth. Of course unless I’m playing something that needs to be super tight but generally I don’t use one
This amp does not need a boost. I own one. I understand why people boost amps and use noise gates for metal. My style is more of a southern rock/metal. It’s kind of Down/COC/Tool/Tesla/Pantera/Pride And Glory/Alice In Chains ish. Boosting takes away from my dynamics.
So, what do you guys think? To BOOST Or Not To BOOST? Which amp should I do next? I'm thinking the Randall Diavlo or 5150III Blue channel.... :)
I preferred un-boosted. I found the low end more complementing the mix and to my ears it seated better in the mix, sounded more glued. But as you mentioned, depends on the mix, taste, genre and playing. Thank you for the video.
Definitely boost, in my opinion, the mt15 sounds more aggressive boosted
Another great video greetings from Mexico
not boosted :D
Boost!
MT15 is so crazy good! Also without boosting.
Every time I'm thinking of a certain purchase, your videos come straight to the top. This is exactly the review I was looking for as I just bought the Maxon OD-808 and I play through a MT-15 as well with a Jackson V tuned to Drop B, this will also serve me well with my 7-string and my new Alpha & Omega pups. Great content!
The boost seems to add a little more push and makes it sound a tad more present, but I feel it also smears the notes a little in the high mids/treble (adds a bit more ''krrrghhhhh'''to it) and strangely makes it sound less defined and less bold than unboosted. Unboosted sounds crankier, in the best way! At least to me.
Muddysthe water a bit
I agree. I'd love to hear how it sounds with a more modern-sounding (if that makes sense) boost. Something like the Horizon Devices Precision Drive or the Fortin 33.
PRS MT 15 + Horizon Precision Drive + Mesa cab V30 - this is my Rig and i can confirm a Little Boost to Tame the LOW end.
Other than that it's the BEST small amp ever created.
I often run a Wampler Tumnus Deluxe in front of mine while pushing lows and mids to fill out some of the frequencies on the clean and lead channels. I haven't done much with my TS808 in front of the MT15, but in E standard tuning it hasn't needed much to feel tight.
Keep doing what you do.
Either way, I seriously think this is one of the best amps I've heard on your channel. The chords sound like a damn explosion. I liked both but think the 808 boost would give more room for the bass and kick in a mix. Though, if it was just me in a room, I think no boost might sound better
That sweet note definition without the boost for me! Sounds great, man!
Great video! Love the OD808! I would love to hear this amp with the Pepers DirtyTree.
love it mate!!! very nice and tight boosted sound. I boost this amp with the 805 and it sounds wicked!!!
Man, so much more clarity in the palm mutes with the boost. I know my next riff to practice on now. So sick.
you have the best demos in terms of actual songwriting.
This has been my favorite amp and I run an ISO Decimator and OD808 in the front, a BBE Sonic Stomp and Noise Gate in the loop. LOVE THIS AMP!
Tone is always subjective of course and I’m really not trying to take the easy way out but honestly the amp sounded pretty damn good both ways. I had to rewind and listen several times and maybe by the tiniest margin I like the boosted a tad better. At the same time un-boosted it had a great wide, full sound. Just can’t go wrong either way.
I've had the MT15 for a year and love it dry. Never sounded better with a boost and I tried every tube screamer in the JHS Bonsai in front of it. Think I'll go revisit with your settings to see what it sounds like in the room. Sidenote: I have a Randall R13 preamp pedal in front if it right now and it sounds incredible!
Man this is making the amp look like a top contender for my next purchase, have always like it when I try it out at GC but was kinda turned off by the low wattage, these comments taught me not only is it under stating its power but that it can be doubled to 50 watts which is more than enough for that monstrous tone.
surprisingly i preferred it without boost because i love the low end and i miss it otherwise :)
I like it without the boost never thought I would say that
I have this amp with that boost in front. Add a BBE Sonic Stomp in the FX Loop and this becomes THE BEST METAL AMP EVER! Try it, you’ll be amazed.
Goes without saying that each demonstration sounds great, yet different. When it comes to boosting such amps, I tend to favour blending both a boosted and direct sound. It’s what I do with the V2, Diavlo and the 6505+, but with a rectifier, I consider it a necessity for tightening up the sound.
Boosted , it gives the overall better sound .nice sound bro, love it.
For the little bit that I was able to play an MT15 (mine was good for about 4 days before I had all sorts of technical problems that ultimately led me to returning it) I thought it sounded quite fine without any extra boost. When it works correctly, it's a very powerful little amp. Regardless, I would argue that either way could work, depending on the song and what your needs are. Great demo as always, I always enjoy your videos, thank you Sir.
Shoot! Now I need a OD808 and some York IR’s! I Love Your Tones!
Insanely good tones man👌🏻👌🏻 God bless!
I got two new ibanez pedals today. Both are 40th anniversary TS9 and TS808. The color is really awesome
i liked both ways and agree with your closing remarks. great vid as always but what got my attention was that engl pedal behind you. is it good and what are its best use case scenarios.
I'm always happiest when boosting!
Your channel is just amazing !!! never stop doing what you do!!
I like the amp both boosted and not boosted, but the tone cut thru a little more boosted. In this demo, I liked the boosted sound more.
Another killer demo
🤘🏽😈🤘🏽
Cheers!!!
i think its sound worst with the boost, i really prefer the tone straight from your amp :D, and i always watch your videos keep it good like this man :D
Sick demo.. Now I want the amp. Haha. It’s cool having a small lunchbox size amp.. my jvm410 is awesome, but not very practical in home or jamming applications.
I preferred the boosted version, but I think there's something about the pickups that I'm not digging. Or maybe it's just a bit too scooped for me. 🤔
Great video as always!
I just tried the OCD pedal on this amp and it sounded incredible. The OCD is amazing sounding. I need one.
I have never tried a tube screamer or a Maxon 808. Would love to!
I also tried the Electeoharmonix LPB-1 and it sounded like flubby tubby bloated low mid mud heavy garbage.
great vid...i liked the boost, but believe using an eq pedal instead of the boost might keep noise down and articulate the arpeggio riffs better...hmmm...great riffs man, thx for the vid!!!!
Cool, even a tight amp like the MT-15 sounds better with a tubescreamer.
Can you do a video on composing and mixing your drums? What are you doing. I absolutely need to make this drum space. I'm using EZ Drummer 2. Thanks and great upload.
I’m interested to see this amp with different boost to see how far this can go
I could turn the dials to get what the 808 does. The 808 doesnt hurt the sound just pulls off some bottom and brings the mids and highs up front more. I do mine with a boss 7 band in loop, and it takes it to a new level. Just lightly push the frequencies you want and drop the ones you dont. A great amp.
Always boost. Different pedals interacts with different components of the amps, each control changes the signal going into the amp, which changes how the controls on the amp interact with that signal, etc. The possibilities are endless and I always toss a pedal in front. Even if it's not a standard tubescreamer type pedal like the Mesa Flux or Grid Slammer that doesn't necessarily "tighten up" the amp.
Hi Mr Sonic. I don't own one of these amps, to me sounds great either way. I personally would start using it without an overdrive pedal to learn what tones it is capable of. Would a 50w cabinet work well with this little amp? I would like your advise on that please. Cheers for the rundown.
Okay is that riff you played an actual song? Or just something you're jamming because that got stuck in my head instantly.
cool vid as always. i´d love to see a direct comparison between the MT15 and the Laney IRT Studio. i have the IRT and love it, but i´m also really interested in the MT15. but in my head their tones seem sort of in the same ballpark, so i´m not sure if it makes sense for me to get one.
I loved both, but if I had to choose.. I'd go unboosted. The amp sounds pretty good as is. It truly would be up to the player's genre and what they're aiming for as to whether or not to go boosted.
This amp is killer, I don't have it but I've played the STL tones amphub version. It seems to be pretty close. I ended up throwing the Seymour Duncan 805 in front with the highs and mids boosted and I really dig the tone.
It sounded great when boosted however, I enjoyed it more without the boost. It sounded full and balanced by itself and top heavy in terms of mids and highs when boosted .
You want that sound in a band mix. Everyone thinks a big gigantic bassy sound is great in their bedroom but it's not good for a full band in nearly every case. There's a reason all of the greatest songs have middy/high guitar tones with almost no low end.
I have this amp and i boost it with sd1 and use the same eq as you except i roll back the gain a bit to 11. This amp is a bit dark so the sd1 really make it perfect.
Sounds great with boost IMO. I’ve tried the mt15 a few times with regular guitars and was underwhelmed but that od808 tightens it up nicely and gives it more crisp attack to my ears.
Great review! Question:
I am in need of an increase in volume for the solo parts. Is it possible for a pedal like this to increase the volume when it is engaged? It was mentioned by someone that I might need a boost pedal to be louder in specific parts. Thanks
Easily one of the better MT15 demos I've heard so far.
What are you doing in terms of post processing to get it sounding that good?
Only a low cut at 80hz
I bet it would sound killer if you blended both together or pan one left and one right.
Definitely sounds killer both ways but the boost sends it over the top ! 🤘🤘🤘 and that guitar is so freakin awesome
It definitely tightens up the lower end but I feel like it also adds to the lower mids making the guitar tone more punching.
Just a question about your amp setting. I notice you have the Master volume relatively low is that for a specific reason sound or dynamics wise? Thanks for the great content, really appreciate it👍
Dude I own the Dirty Tree, the maxon up top, the ibanez tubescreamer and nothing compares to....get this....the earthquakers Plumes overdrive....wow guys check it out its so good.
If you want a tighter tone, no boost. But I found it sounds way better with the boost. It gives it a little bit which sounds great.
those riffs !!
I usually use a ts9 with this amp, then I tried the sd 805 which isn’t as hot, and man!!! It was made for that amp I think.
Boosted it really reminds me of the Marshall sound character.
I’d love to hear that amp with EMG81 pickups
Fireball 25 next
I like both, question is how it feels to play..
I feel like with more chord type stuff that doesn't need to be a punchy, no-boosted is the way. It breathes and doesn't have the unnecessary high end bump. Then with the chugs or anything palm muted, boosting it sounds great so you get the ballsy punch. That's how I approach it for recording with my Friedman JJ Junior and Friedman Buxom Boost pedal. No hard, fast rules or anything. But, that's usually the method!
just an idea - what if you do a third take where you adjust the EQ and gain to taste with the boost on? the issue is the unboosted setting was obviously idealized to being, well, unboosted. so stacking the boost on top of that causes the sound to suffer.
to boost of course ;)
This amp hits way above its price tag. If you want a rectifier or 6505 and cant cover the bill,,, this is the choice. And its loud.
I wish amp makers could make more built in boost options
What if we did with the tone knob all the way down? 👀
Why in Front and not in the loop? Im pretty new to Pedals 😄
Love the mt15 but i would boost for aggressive stuff, might turn it off for a more dynamic parts
Jon wich one of your videos used the York Zila?
A bunch of them but I don't know from the top of my head tbh
@@SonicDriveStudio no problem. I watch them all several times im sure i will come up to it. Damn i need helix to include the mt15
Would be cool to see if you can dial the low end back in with the amp settings, but still have the extra push and edge
I bought one myself recently and I also use a maxon od808, so now I can try it myself 😂
Boost, no boost - hard to say when Jon is magic touch common denominator. Great vid.
both versions sounds good but in mix with maxon sounding better.to me
I like it slightly better when boosted.
can i start with saying the amp sounds great. i do feel the pedal squishes the dynamics a bit, yes tighter, but over compresses. a little looseness i personally prefer for the feel of the amp when playing. the chugs do sound better with the pedal slightly, but the chords have string separation with out the pedal. so for me personally, i'd be happy unboosted.
I always come for your playing first an then maybe check out some amp tones hahaahha thanks
I will say this changing the 6L6 to 5881 tubes sounds so much better and makes a big difference
I like the stock 6L6 tubes just fine for now tbh but I might try that once these run out of juice.
Can you suggest a comparison video? I would like to hear then differences.
Personally, I do use a Tube Screamer in front of my MT-15 because I have a fairly low output on my pickups and also I think it pretty much doesn't matter how good the amp itself sounds, it can only sound better with a boost so why the hell not.
So I’m confused on the balance knob is it better with the knob at 2oclock or or the way up ??
Kinda curious how this amp will work with Horsemeat
Sounded already pretty good without boost. For this case and baritone, I must say no boost
How many guitars are layered x 2?
Which Hardtail Bridge is on the Guitar? Where can i find it?
Boost for a mix when chugging, no boost in other applications 😅
I don't know. It sounds raspier and more dynamic when it's unboosted, for me at least. But in the mix, the boosted, compressed sound fits more evenly. Still, I would go unboosted in a nu metal or in a sludge scenario, but for anything else, boost it.
Preferred it without the boost. Kept the bass, and wasn't really much looser than with the pedal.
What is the song called you played?
To get a metal sound , it is necessary to boost amp :)
I preferred boost, bit more compressed and less high frequency harshness. Open chords sounded better without though.
What do you think about the new ones with 5881 tubes
Dunno...
Jon do you prefer a Baritone like this over an 8 string? Just debating on what way to go.
Love both but would prefer an 8
@@SonicDriveStudio thanks!
Should I get this amp ?
what pickups are you using??
Boosted seemed tighter to me, more modern metal tightness !
Boost all day
Is there enough volume to gig with this? How big is a venue can it work without mic on?
Yes, plenty of volume. You could almost drown out a drummer with this and a 4x12 cab.
I like both, but always boooooost 😄
Hey everyone! I’m planning on buying my first amp head, and thinking about the MT15 or the Blackstar HT Club 50mkii. Which would you rather pick? Thanks for the comments :)
For me, maintaining the mt15 has been a breeze. 2 bias test jacks on the back made it easy for me to swap out the 5881s with 6L6s and rebias the amp safely and completely by myself (I do NOT feel safe enough to rebias an amp without these) can't go wrong with that! Another great "self-contained" tube amp in the hi-gain range would be the revv g20, has a built in loadbox as well so u can record raw into an interface and re-cab as you like. I think you can also write 6 different custom IR's to the presets (don't quote me on that tho lol). Can't forget about the Ironball from ENGL either tho. Honestly, whichever u get the best deal on, go for it. They're all pretty great 🤘
No boost. More pure!!
Personally I don’t feel like I need to put a boost in front of my MT-15, I feel like it takes away some of the amp’s girth. Of course unless I’m playing something that needs to be super tight but generally I don’t use one
To boost
This amp does not need a boost. I own one. I understand why people boost amps and use noise gates for metal. My style is more of a southern rock/metal. It’s kind of Down/COC/Tool/Tesla/Pantera/Pride And Glory/Alice In Chains ish. Boosting takes away from my dynamics.