maybe do an episode on why a tube amp goes so much harder at the given wattage rating than solid state (both are analog, this is not an analog vs digital argument, I love my Roland JC200 and you can't have it) especially at smaller wattages (I have a 40W Acoustic brand bass amp that can't push as well as my tiny 5W tube head). Yes, a JC200 and it hardly ever gets used because JC200 lol
@@TaylorDanley I know I may seem like a beggar, a guy who just keeps asking, but I'm a 15-year-old young man, my name is Francisco, I live in Brazil and I'm simply a beginner guitarist. I came here to ask you, can you help me with just one thing, can you give me a good and current pedalboard, I can't afford one, and when I do, it came broken, I can be honest, I want to play guitar in my church but Due to lack of money, I can't do it. you're a humble guy I know, so please can you donate me a Flamma fx200, I really like it but even though here it's at least one thousand and eight hundred reais, it's still very complicated for me and I know that your country, besides being a First world country, that is, a very good country, it is much cheaper than here, so I ask with all my heart, can you help me play for Christ, that's all I ask. The peace of Christ, I hope this message reaches the person who will help me. Amen.
I have an mxr 10 band in the loop of mine and it crushes...gotta say though...the emgs made the clean tone sound way off...it is way better in person with passive pickups
I agree. You can make it so good. Also a resonance/presence control in the loop to give it resonance. My opinion not having that is its biggest downfall.
I saw a video of the engineer that came up with this and he said the amp has a simple mod that can turn it into a 50w amp in 30 minutes. Love the tone on this!!
These things in stock form put out 27w or so. There’s a video of a guy who put it on a scope and measured the output. They’re louder than hell. As loud as my 50w amps. And you could put a 50w output transformer in the mt15, but in order for it to put out 50w you’d likely need to change the power transformer and change dropping resistors in the B+ circuit + a few other things with biasing to actually get the tubes to dissipate that much output for the 50w output transformer. Theoretically two 6L6s can put out 60w at max dissipation but the amp isn’t actually allowing for that and even then, you’re going to be running them fairly hot to get that 50w.
I own one of these and have a few notes for you based on my years of ownership & learning about my first tube amp. 1. Someone tested the MT15's true power output and measured it around the 25 watt mark. That's part of why it hits the way it does along with all of the other engineering goodness. 2. The lead channel volume pot has a weird taper to it. That's why the gain channel is so immediately loud then it just gets "squishy" past noon. They designed the head that way and I'll never forgive that decision. I'd prefer a more standard volume sweep. 3. I know the head was designed around use with a V30 speaker, but I feel a little more Death Metal-y when i play it through my G12K-100 speaker. If you own a K100, could we get a YT Short comparison between a V30 & K100 with the amp dialed best for both sounds? 4. A Guptech PDEQ pedal in the loop is the simplest way to get the Depth & Presence where you want them. However, I usually use my ten band MXR to add subtle depth and to dip 500hz a bit to prevent "woody" low mids. Thanks for being a fun person and all you do.
I love this amp, although I do agree with you on the volume tapers. I have a PRS SE Tremonti with US Tremonti pickups and play it through a Vintage 30, and the gain and master volume go from zero to practically full blast way too quickly for me. I think it would benefit from a more standard volume sweep and give it a bit more range, because while the tones you get from it are gorgeous, it seems to struggle in the middle ground a bit, especially if you use high output pickups.
I just got mine last week. I was having trouble with my Blackstar ht 40. I like its sound, but it gives me trouble sometimes. The MT-15 is an absolute animal, Im loving it. I have an old Peavey cab from the 80's, 4×12. Celestion g12-k 75's. I run it at the half power, 7 watts and it still roars. I was curious before buying it if it could push a 4×12, that was quickly answered.
Guitarist in my cover band runs one of these thru an Orange 4x12 w/ V30s, and it is OBSCENELY loud. Half power is good enough for an entire band at practice volume, not just a drummer. I'm using a 500W Terror Bass head with a Barefaced Six10 cab, and I'm not sure who would win a full-on decibel war.
Yea, it's a surprisingly great Amp! I would never normally do this, nor would I normally recommend cuz we're metal players. But pushing the EQ on this Amp really fucking hard and the channel volume to get that power Amp distortion. Actually sounds pretty good. (Depending on your pickups) Had to do this in guitar center a few weeks ago because they were out of guitars with high output pickups. 😅
With silent and low volume stages and most bands running everything through a PA either mic’d amps or line out direct a 15 to 20 watt tube amp with a good 2x12 or 4x12 is plenty loud enough unless you’re in a situation where for some reason or another you need a “spunky” clean sound or prefer more headroom than a 20 Watt amp can deliver. I started playing in the 90s when we all thought we needed 100 watt heads and at least a 4x12 to get by but preferably a full stack. I played with a drummer that played so loud and that was the only way he could play he hit so hard and little Dynamics but it was cool because we were playing thrash and some nu metal so it worked. I had a 50 watt jcm800 2x12 combo and a Crate 4x10 cab (and yes that 4x10 sounded awesome even in metal application don’t sleep on 10 in speakers metal heads) anyway the other guitarist had a SS 100 watt Dean Markley and a Carvin 4x12 he preferred darker and more bass heavy tones, and I always leaned towards brighter Marshall tones. I don’t think I ever got the 50 watt 800 past 5 on the master and at that point his the other guitar vanished and you heard cymbals, snare, kick and my guitar. It was the 90s so of course we scooped out the miss and took up all the frequencies our bass player should’ve been handling he had a 300 watt fender but most of the time you couldn’t hear him, we played in a garden shed at our drummers house and were way too loud but we had a blast
"With silent and low volume stages and most bands running everything through a PA either mic’d amps or line out direct a 15 to 20 watt tube amp with a good 2x12 or 4x12 is plenty loud enough" - tell me you've never played a hardcore show at a VFW hall without telling me you've never played a hardcore show at a VFW hall 😂 The ELI5 version of those shows is "what's a PA?"
@@TaylorDanley no never done a hardcore show at the VFW but now I want to go to one, problem is I live in the south so it’s country bands and karaoke at the VFW round here
100% agree. I use my MT-15 at Vintersea practices pretty frequently and you pretty much came to the same conclusion as I did. I didnt even think about how useful a depth control would be... Maybe in their next iteration if they do one.....
Something I would love to see you cover or try is using the Boss Tube Amp Expander with lunchbox amps like these and seeing how it changes them with adding wattage and headroom. Especially for the studio people who may not have room for the big 100 watt heads but still want that analog option without sacrificing the tone of smaller heads
Synergy makes a preamp only version chassis - literally was just looking at it when this comment popped up lol so add that to the list of stuff to try with these little beasts.
I had one for a while, it did almost seem like it was an active eq, I felt when I turned the mids up on it the volume went up as well (much like you found with the treble)
Great and honest vid. You really went an extra mile to show this amp. I have it like for 3,5 years or sth. And it is great. I had no problem to be heard on the concerts in different spaces (without mic-ing it into PA). Boss EQ in the loop is the way to go. You can add some lows (120 Hz) and cut 60 Hz for tightness, -3 db at 800 Hz to get rid of the honk in mids (and to compensate set mids and treble at 2-3 o'clock). And You can add 3,2 kHz of even 6,4 kHz for that sizzle. I like Your vids and personality. Keep it that way \m/
@@balazsguraly3812 I’d love to. We don’t practice much these days, but when I have a specific purpose for doing it then YES. Also new office might help with that!
The MT15 is a stupid little amp. I love my 5881 loaded example. It always impresses anyone who plays through it. And it definitely has zero issue getting to gigging volume. I think the effects loop is still too touchy, though. It seems like the 12ax7 used for the loop is too hot. A lower gain pre-amp tube would probably calm it down a little.
I absolutely love my MT15...Its super loud for 15w. Back off the bass a little, trust me it has bass for day. Crank the presence and the treble, she will scream!
Only partway through, but I'm glad you like the MT15 man! It's one of the few tube amps I've gotten to try on several occasions and you're on point, that thing is LOUD for its size. The mom and pop shop I visit has it on half wattage running through the matching 1x12, anything past 9 o'clock and the other stores would hear it 😂
It sucks because I had a segment where I ran it at half wattage, but my lav mic died and I didn’t have time to reshoot! I thought it was kinda squishy but very cool feature.
I would love to put this against the equivalent Wang's amp. I have a little 5W Wang's and it pushes way harder than it should. They are super fun and surprisingly well made.
I have the amp, 2 things. I think the clean channel sounds more dynamic with passive pick ups and 2. I have a Heavy Empress distortion pedal I run through it sounds absolutely amazing, you can probably get that depth and bass right with using a good distortion pedal or EQ. Enjoyed the video bro!
Owned two MT15 (6L6 and 5881) and two Archons (both models). The Archon USA is the better amp and you can play it next to a Dual Rec or 5150 without a problem. Sounds fantastic. The MkII wasn’t as good but it’s still a good amp. It’s drier and more Rectifier like IMO and the difference in price vs the MT15 is like $100USD (the MT15 is just a tweaked Archon at the end of the day). The MT15 is seriously loud, but the loops are often terrible and the amps often just hum annoyingly the moment you turn them on. The Archons are dead silent and the loops are A1. Any ‘15w’ amp produces like 25 watts. Get a Vox AC15 or Tiny Terror and scope them. They’ll hit 25w driven just like the MT15. The difference is that the MT15 has girth at those volumes because of the bigger OT and big bottle tubes. If you install a bigger PT, you reportedly get around 30 odd watts ‘clean’. Doug Sewell states that the MT puts out 16w ‘clean’. A 50w amp puts out around 50w clean also and like 70-80w driven so you do get more clean headroom. The reality of a 50w vs 15w amp is that you’re only talking 4 or 5dB difference. It’s not much and the vast majority of the time you’re not going to be playing at 115dB. It’s just nice having the extra girth if the weight isn’t a factor.
Put a MRX 6 band EQ in the loop and this amp will scream!! I added one to my Mesa Triple Crown TC-100 Head and I'm telling you, it's a beast! Please try
I have one of these and love it. Drove down to Roseburg to pick it up from a gentleman on Reverb. I run the JHS little black amp box in the loop and i use a horizon device's precision drive in front. Sometimes a boss ge7 in front as well.
Hey Taylor, i got a challenge for you: mark tremonti is one of my heroes, can you recreate his alter Bridge or Tremonti guitar tones (clean, lead, rythm) using the fender Tonemaster Pro? Great video mate 🤘🏼🤘🏼
Thanks dude! Creed tones on the FTMP, got it! 😂 JK. I might do more tone questing series someday, who knows! So many video ideas, so little time to make them!
crazy how much an EQ in the loop can change an amp, I have a Randall RD20 that sound kinda meh, put an EQ in the loop and it blows the doors off so tight and modern!
I walked into my local guitar sphincter and could hear some chugging from behind the used area wall and i knew what amps had been there. I thought it was the EVH 100 creme but turn the corner and it was this MT15.
I bought this amp when it was first released. First one fried after about 20 hours of use. Sent it back to Sweetwater and got another one that lasted less time. Never figured out what was wrong with either one, but wasn't gonna try it a 3rd time. Great sounding amp, but cant say much about reliability. Also, honestly I felt the clean channel was useless in 3 piece band.
I was back and forth between this amp and the Kraken lunchbox amp and it made me lose sleep trying to think of the final decision haha. the MT15 friggin blew me AWAY it sounded so good - a good rival to the kraken when i was shooting them out. Ultimately i went Kraken V4 amp-pedal thing for pedal board mobility. But the MT15 is always on my list of amps to suggest to people looking, its fkn killer
Might be the silliest question of the year, but I play in E, and always wonder. you're in drop C right? If you have something tuned in E, I'd be interested if the "brutality" stays or not.
I think he's often two whole steps down in C standard. I'm an E standard guy, like you, but I recommend tuning down to C standard once in a while to play your usual E stuff. Bassy E clean sections sound especially cool in C.
@@TaylorDanley Thanks! That'd be great. Just another idea: if it turns out no, one's gotta tune down, would a pitch shifter work and how well? Much appreciated, 666 stars!
@@tobins6800 that might be true but these riffs Taylor improvises casually are brrroootal, remind me of Watain. Just ripping. I'd love to sound like that.
Duded I play hardcore and punk, but I really enjoy your channel. I used to have a Krank 1980Jr 20watt, that was pretty awesome for that old HR marshall sound , Cool amps if you have not ever tried one
I don't know that you'd demo amps like this, but I put an EQ pedal as the last in every chain. I'd never build a rig without one. That would certainly solve the low end issue.
@@nashmanzl I have a couple that I use if I need them, but I always prefer minimal pedals and to try and hear the amp on it’s own before I start modifying jt
I’m just curious to see you put together a pedalboard into a clean (true clean) amp/channel. Russian Circles/god is an astronaut/pelican/Caspian style.
I tried one of these with my own cab and guitar and it sounded incredibly similar to my hughes and kettner black spirit, just less full?.. I guess I'm just not getting the tube amp rave
Dude! What pick ups are in that Deviant guitar? Just started checking out your channel and that tone is seriously sick. I love my SD Black outs in my Ibanez 7620 and lately the Lundgren M7 in my Mayones Regius Pro. But damn dude those tones out of that Deviant are nice. 🤘
Not related to this video, but Harley Benton released a new budget modeler the Harley Benton DNAfx GiT Advanced. Would be awesome if you could review it somehow.
Could you test the Stagg 250GARH? I’m very curious about that amp. A friend of mine had the 30 watt combo years ago, and as far as I remember it was pretty cool, so 250 watts of coolness would be.. well.. pretty damn cool.
I think it sounds darker since they changed the power amp tubes since Covid. Tried one before and it was a lot better sounding. Not saying that it doesn’t sound bad but just different
Taylor, I think you are the first to say the MT15 is a big deal. People overlook this amp, but straight through, that thing is a monster. You do need a noise gate, but the tone can be crushing. Also, you have the volume at 1 and you are over 114 decibels. It's something to point out.
Depends on what you mean by keep up. That's why I demo'd it next to an ENGL Powerball (which is on par with both those amps), the MT15 like you can hear holds it's own, but a full blown 120 watt amp will always be louder with much more headroom (obv)
If you're bored and want to help somebody out, would you please share a Top 10 favorite Metal songs list so I can add some stuff to a playlist and enjoy some heavy stuff I might not know?
Archon is for making records but not sure live hope your archon doesnt have a problem you may have a dead tube? how was the effects loop on mt15 at handaling a 4 cable gate? If u tried?
Hi, I left this comment on a previous video but could you please make a video reviewing the Ibanez RG470DX-TMN? I really enjoy your videos and would love to see your honest review on a guitar that I am thinking of purchasing.
I do have something Ibanez related in the pipeline, but not that exact guitar. If it's possible, yes of course I'll do it. Just depends on if I can get my hands on one.
Thank you, I would love to see it happen however I understand that it may not be possible. Either way, I appreciate your efforts and would still enjoy an Ibanez related video so I am looking forward to seeing what you have in mind for that. :)
This amp is so good! People kinda describe it as a mini Archon but I disagree. It's got a little bit of extra sauce and grind to it that the Archon doesn't have.
IME it's WAY different. The archon is dry and gets real squishy at higher volumes (50w mk2). I haven't tried the 100w, so maybe that's the one, but comparing a essentially lunchbox amp to a 100w head feels weird... even though I did it in this video lol.
Hey brother, I'd love to see you and Ola get together and just jam. Talk if you want but JAM!! You both have the same taste in music. You two togeather would definitely be a win.
Mt15 is borderline too loud for home . The mt100 is complete overkill past 3 on the volume in most home settings. The over built transformer makes that amp extremely underrated and could easily be modified for 50watts.
I was about 30 yeears oold when I fucked my ears up for life man. At that volume, for prolonged periods, one day you will wake up and your ears will be ringing and it will never go away. Protect that shit dude, im serious
Eh. It do what it do but there's not much flexibility. It's loud, yes, but it's very noisy and it feedbacks very easily. The gain is chunky but there's not much articulation and the EQ is pretty weak. The treble boost on the clean channel is basically useless unless you're at gig volume and, frankly, I'd use other amps for gigs because of the previously mentioned issues. Cool amp, for not much money but not useful for my purposes. It doesn't achieve anything a second hand 5150 III 50 watt does better for the same money. This is coming from a huge Tremonti and PRS fan, too.
I’ve heard rumors that the boost is a collab with a German pedalbuilder. I don’t want you to Spoiler but I’d appreciate a cough or bark if I’m correct 😂
Dude if you don't turn the AC down I'm leaving.....it's freaking 77° up in this Bee -ah-cha....😂🎉 I have one of these, paired up with a Seismic 2x 12 cab that I loaded with a set of MOJOTONE 30 V's lol I forgot the name... I heard about them from that knob Glen freaking Fricker.... ehh🇨🇦 it freaking rocks out with its OK cya la8er😅 ok I reckon ill subscribe while I'm here.......
I really dont like these almost nylon acoustic sounding clean tones of most heavy amps. The attack is so weird and clangy. Any breakup is also weird. Not sure why its so difficult to do that well with these amp topologies.
Love the gain channel, but don't like the clean, without life and overcompressed, so not be a great pedal platform. On a higher price the revv D20 (perfect pedal platform) and G20 (killer clean and gain channels) are really better.
This is the difference between EL84 and regular sized tubes. All this launchbox amps - for me - are not even close to the big brothers and PRS actually is. Same about Marshall DSL20
@@ChristopherOrz 6L6’s are full size tubes, in the same category as EL34’s, KT66’s, etc. You may be thinking of lower wattage tubes like EL84’s & 6V6’s; those are what a lot of lunchbox heads use. I have an MT15 & it sounds like I would expect a 15-25 watt amp to. I think you’re also conflating tube type with overall output. A 100 watt amp will sound bigger than a 15 watt amp because there’s significantly more headroom. I’m really looking forward to trying an MT100 as it should definitely have that big 100 watt head feel with the same basic tone.
@@ChristopherOrz no worries brother. And I agree, for the most part I find EL84 amps don’t sound as big as other amps. I think it’s low end content issue. That’s not to say there aren’t great EL84 amps, they’re just not great for metal tones. Especially low-tuned stuff.
I’ve heard this amp actually puts out closer to 25 watts than the rated 15. I have no science to back up this claim but if someone reading this is able to confirm or deny that would be pretty cool.
@@TaylorDanleyoh?!?! I hope it goes well. People really need to know about these guitars. They are unbelievable. I wish guitars like these existed when I first started playing back in 1995.
@@smeemusic we’ll see what they say. I offered to do a dedicated video for free so I could have as unbiased of a review as possible. They do look nice though!!
@@TaylorDanley well I hope they bite. It would likely play out quite nicely for them in the long run. This might be silly to you but I find this a little exciting lol
2 minutes in the video my first impression I think of lunchbox amps I generally think 🤔 around the $150 - $250 this comes across to me as more of a full-fledged amp. This thing better do oral. Or at least a reach around 😂 J/K I'm feeling a little bit comical today. Well time to for me to continue the video and see what she's got.❤
BTW how come Americans can't drive a stick shift? Best part of driving is picking a gear for traction and then accelerating out of corners. Auto's are for lazy people. Or people who just don't care. If you were shifting up in a manual Shelby Cobra you would be in Heaven.
I’m not sure how you managed to make it sound so bad, compared to other clips I’ve heard. Maybe it’s the cab or the way you set up the mic? Maybe I just don’t understand your style. Sounds muddy through the video.
Get yourself something special, you deserve it! sweetwater.sjv.io/rQ7N45
maybe do an episode on why a tube amp goes so much harder at the given wattage rating than solid state (both are analog, this is not an analog vs digital argument, I love my Roland JC200 and you can't have it) especially at smaller wattages (I have a 40W Acoustic brand bass amp that can't push as well as my tiny 5W tube head).
Yes, a JC200 and it hardly ever gets used because JC200 lol
@@TaylorDanley I know I may seem like a beggar, a guy who just keeps asking, but I'm a 15-year-old young man, my name is Francisco, I live in Brazil and I'm simply a beginner guitarist. I came here to ask you, can you help me with just one thing, can you give me a good and current pedalboard, I can't afford one, and when I do, it came broken, I can be honest, I want to play guitar in my church but Due to lack of money, I can't do it. you're a humble guy I know, so please can you donate me a Flamma fx200, I really like it but even though here it's at least one thousand and eight hundred reais, it's still very complicated for me and I know that your country, besides being a First world country, that is, a very good country, it is much cheaper than here, so I ask with all my heart, can you help me play for Christ, that's all I ask. The peace of Christ, I hope this message reaches the person who will help me. Amen.
The MT15 benefits massively from having an EQ in the loop. That gain is just so fucking THIIIIIIICC!
This right here breathed new life into this amp. This amp pounds for its size, waaay above weight.
BRB gonna go throw an EQ in that bish.
I have an mxr 10 band in the loop of mine and it crushes...gotta say though...the emgs made the clean tone sound way off...it is way better in person with passive pickups
I agree. You can make it so good. Also a resonance/presence control in the loop to give it resonance. My opinion not having that is its biggest downfall.
@@TaylorDanley I got +5db @ 100Hz, -7db @ 400Hz, & +5db @ 6.4kHz, everything else flat. It does the trick.
I saw a video of the engineer that came up with this and he said the amp has a simple mod that can turn it into a 50w amp in 30 minutes. Love the tone on this!!
Really? Thanks for sharing I’ll have to look that up!
You have to swap the output transformer but yes it can be done. But really it's stupid loud even at its stock rating
These things in stock form put out 27w or so. There’s a video of a guy who put it on a scope and measured the output. They’re louder than hell. As loud as my 50w amps. And you could put a 50w output transformer in the mt15, but in order for it to put out 50w you’d likely need to change the power transformer and change dropping resistors in the B+ circuit + a few other things with biasing to actually get the tubes to dissipate that much output for the 50w output transformer. Theoretically two 6L6s can put out 60w at max dissipation but the amp isn’t actually allowing for that and even then, you’re going to be running them fairly hot to get that 50w.
@@TaylorDanleyIf you end up doing that mod keep us updated It might be a direct competitor to the victory kraken at a lower price
@@K707OR30 Sounds like the hassle is far outweighed by getting a decent 100w tube high gain amp and probably around the same cost :)
I own one of these and have a few notes for you based on my years of ownership & learning about my first tube amp.
1. Someone tested the MT15's true power output and measured it around the 25 watt mark. That's part of why it hits the way it does along with all of the other engineering goodness.
2. The lead channel volume pot has a weird taper to it. That's why the gain channel is so immediately loud then it just gets "squishy" past noon. They designed the head that way and I'll never forgive that decision. I'd prefer a more standard volume sweep.
3. I know the head was designed around use with a V30 speaker, but I feel a little more Death Metal-y when i play it through my G12K-100 speaker. If you own a K100, could we get a YT Short comparison between a V30 & K100 with the amp dialed best for both sounds?
4. A Guptech PDEQ pedal in the loop is the simplest way to get the Depth & Presence where you want them. However, I usually use my ten band MXR to add subtle depth and to dip 500hz a bit to prevent "woody" low mids.
Thanks for being a fun person and all you do.
I paired it with DV-77. Such a Nice amp and speaker pair.
I love this amp, although I do agree with you on the volume tapers. I have a PRS SE Tremonti with US Tremonti pickups and play it through a Vintage 30, and the gain and master volume go from zero to practically full blast way too quickly for me.
I think it would benefit from a more standard volume sweep and give it a bit more range, because while the tones you get from it are gorgeous, it seems to struggle in the middle ground a bit, especially if you use high output pickups.
@@KahnuevsKrake you're right on.
I just got mine last week.
I was having trouble with my Blackstar ht 40. I like its sound, but it gives me trouble sometimes. The MT-15 is an absolute animal, Im loving it. I have an old Peavey cab from the 80's, 4×12. Celestion g12-k 75's. I run it at the half power, 7 watts and it still roars.
I was curious before buying it if it could push a 4×12, that was quickly answered.
Guitarist in my cover band runs one of these thru an Orange 4x12 w/ V30s, and it is OBSCENELY loud. Half power is good enough for an entire band at practice volume, not just a drummer. I'm using a 500W Terror Bass head with a Barefaced Six10 cab, and I'm not sure who would win a full-on decibel war.
Had one of these for a few years and just love it. Loud good thick tone amd portable. A winner
Yea, it's a surprisingly great Amp!
I would never normally do this, nor would I normally recommend cuz we're metal players. But pushing the EQ on this Amp really fucking hard and the channel volume to get that power Amp distortion. Actually sounds pretty good. (Depending on your pickups)
Had to do this in guitar center a few weeks ago because they were out of guitars with high output pickups. 😅
With silent and low volume stages and most bands running everything through a PA either mic’d amps or line out direct a 15 to 20 watt tube amp with a good 2x12 or 4x12 is plenty loud enough unless you’re in a situation where for some reason or another you need a “spunky” clean sound or prefer more headroom than a 20
Watt amp can deliver. I started playing in the 90s when we all thought we needed 100 watt heads and at least a 4x12 to get by but preferably a full stack. I played with a drummer that played so loud and that was the only way he could play he hit so hard and little Dynamics but it was cool because we were playing thrash and some nu metal so it worked. I had a 50 watt jcm800 2x12 combo and a Crate 4x10 cab (and yes that 4x10 sounded awesome even in metal application don’t sleep on 10 in speakers metal heads) anyway the other guitarist had a SS 100 watt Dean Markley and a Carvin 4x12 he preferred darker and more bass heavy tones, and I always leaned towards brighter Marshall tones. I don’t think I ever got the 50 watt 800 past 5 on the master and at that point his the other guitar vanished and you heard cymbals, snare, kick and my guitar. It was the 90s so of course we scooped out the miss and took up all the frequencies our bass player should’ve been handling he had a 300 watt fender but most of the time you couldn’t hear him, we played in a garden shed at our drummers house and were way too loud but we had a blast
"With silent and low volume stages and most bands running everything through a PA either mic’d amps or line out direct a 15 to 20 watt tube amp with a good 2x12 or 4x12 is plenty loud enough" - tell me you've never played a hardcore show at a VFW hall without telling me you've never played a hardcore show at a VFW hall 😂 The ELI5 version of those shows is "what's a PA?"
@@TaylorDanley no never done a hardcore show at the VFW but now I want to go to one, problem is I live in the south so it’s country bands and karaoke at the VFW round here
100% agree. I use my MT-15 at Vintersea practices pretty frequently and you pretty much came to the same conclusion as I did. I didnt even think about how useful a depth control would be... Maybe in their next iteration if they do one.....
New single is 💪 champ!
@@TaylorDanley Appreciate that my man!
Something I would love to see you cover or try is using the Boss Tube Amp Expander with lunchbox amps like these and seeing how it changes them with adding wattage and headroom. Especially for the studio people who may not have room for the big 100 watt heads but still want that analog option without sacrificing the tone of smaller heads
@@kaixcoree I’d like to try that also!
Synergy makes a preamp only version chassis - literally was just looking at it when this comment popped up lol so add that to the list of stuff to try with these little beasts.
I had one for a while, it did almost seem like it was an active eq, I felt when I turned the mids up on it the volume went up as well (much like you found with the treble)
underrated YT musician. great content.
Played this in a store a couple weeks ago, that thing absolutely has the sonic goods
Great and honest vid. You really went an extra mile to show this amp. I have it like for 3,5 years or sth. And it is great. I had no problem to be heard on the concerts in different spaces (without mic-ing it into PA). Boss EQ in the loop is the way to go. You can add some lows (120 Hz) and cut 60 Hz for tightness, -3 db at 800 Hz to get rid of the honk in mids (and to compensate set mids and treble at 2-3 o'clock). And You can add 3,2 kHz of even 6,4 kHz for that sizzle.
I like Your vids and personality. Keep it that way \m/
Proud owner of a 6L6 MT-15... Nice work, TD....
Hey Taylor!
I think you should do more rehearsal vlogs :D
It was cool! 🤘
@@balazsguraly3812 I’d love to. We don’t practice much these days, but when I have a specific purpose for doing it then YES. Also new office might help with that!
Man, I never thought a PRS amp could sound metal like this! Nice demo TD.
I am getting back into guitar after having some neck surgeries and have been out of the loop on new gear so thanks for your input on it.
The MT15 is a stupid little amp. I love my 5881 loaded example. It always impresses anyone who plays through it. And it definitely has zero issue getting to gigging volume.
I think the effects loop is still too touchy, though. It seems like the 12ax7 used for the loop is too hot. A lower gain pre-amp tube would probably calm it down a little.
I absolutely love my MT15...Its super loud for 15w. Back off the bass a little, trust me it has bass for day. Crank the presence and the treble, she will scream!
Only partway through, but I'm glad you like the MT15 man! It's one of the few tube amps I've gotten to try on several occasions and you're on point, that thing is LOUD for its size. The mom and pop shop I visit has it on half wattage running through the matching 1x12, anything past 9 o'clock and the other stores would hear it 😂
It sucks because I had a segment where I ran it at half wattage, but my lav mic died and I didn’t have time to reshoot! I thought it was kinda squishy but very cool feature.
I would love to put this against the equivalent Wang's amp.
I have a little 5W Wang's and it pushes way harder than it should.
They are super fun and surprisingly well made.
Thank you for the live demo! Let’s hear more amps actually making music in realistic environments! Cheers man.
I have the amp, 2 things. I think the clean channel sounds more dynamic with passive pick ups and 2. I have a Heavy Empress distortion pedal I run through it sounds absolutely amazing, you can probably get that depth and bass right with using a good distortion pedal or EQ. Enjoyed the video bro!
Owned two MT15 (6L6 and 5881) and two Archons (both models). The Archon USA is the better amp and you can play it next to a Dual Rec or 5150 without a problem. Sounds fantastic. The MkII wasn’t as good but it’s still a good amp. It’s drier and more Rectifier like IMO and the difference in price vs the MT15 is like $100USD (the MT15 is just a tweaked Archon at the end of the day). The MT15 is seriously loud, but the loops are often terrible and the amps often just hum annoyingly the moment you turn them on. The Archons are dead silent and the loops are A1. Any ‘15w’ amp produces like 25 watts. Get a Vox AC15 or Tiny Terror and scope them. They’ll hit 25w driven just like the MT15. The difference is that the MT15 has girth at those volumes because of the bigger OT and big bottle tubes. If you install a bigger PT, you reportedly get around 30 odd watts ‘clean’. Doug Sewell states that the MT puts out 16w ‘clean’. A 50w amp puts out around 50w clean also and like 70-80w driven so you do get more clean headroom. The reality of a 50w vs 15w amp is that you’re only talking 4 or 5dB difference. It’s not much and the vast majority of the time you’re not going to be playing at 115dB. It’s just nice having the extra girth if the weight isn’t a factor.
Sounds brutal !
Bro I really think that you have to do an impulse pack. You sound Always good
@@GrMfull I have some on my Patreon! 🥳
@@TaylorDanley really ??? I didn't know ! I''ll check that
Put a MRX 6 band EQ in the loop and this amp will scream!! I added one to my Mesa Triple Crown TC-100 Head and I'm telling you, it's a beast! Please try
I have one of these and love it. Drove down to Roseburg to pick it up from a gentleman on Reverb. I run the JHS little black amp box in the loop and i use a horizon device's precision drive in front. Sometimes a boss ge7 in front as well.
I lied lol, the GE7 is in the loop.
I'm running it through a Mesa 2x12 with mesa V30's.
Hey Taylor, i got a challenge for you: mark tremonti is one of my heroes, can you recreate his alter Bridge or Tremonti guitar tones (clean, lead, rythm) using the fender Tonemaster Pro?
Great video mate 🤘🏼🤘🏼
Thanks dude! Creed tones on the FTMP, got it! 😂 JK. I might do more tone questing series someday, who knows! So many video ideas, so little time to make them!
You need to replace a few of those 12ax7 with some 12at7 tubes. It lowers the gain and makes it more articulate.
crazy how much an EQ in the loop can change an amp, I have a Randall RD20 that sound kinda meh, put an EQ in the loop and it blows the doors off so tight and modern!
Yes, I always have the presence and the treble around 3'clock. Then the amp opens up.
Hands down the best tone I've heard come from your channel. Were you playing drop b-flat in this video?
Yes! 💪
@@TaylorDanley maybe it's that boost lending a hand 👌😉👊
@@TaylorDanley when you were doin those open triplets or gallops sounded super tight 🤘
I walked into my local guitar sphincter and could hear some chugging from behind the used area wall and i knew what amps had been there. I thought it was the EVH 100 creme but turn the corner and it was this MT15.
I bought this amp when it was first released. First one fried after about 20 hours of use. Sent it back to Sweetwater and got another one that lasted less time. Never figured out what was wrong with either one, but wasn't gonna try it a 3rd time. Great sounding amp, but cant say much about reliability. Also, honestly I felt the clean channel was useless in 3 piece band.
Great vid!
I own 2 of these and never been let down by them.
Cheers
🤘🏽😈🤘🏽
I was back and forth between this amp and the Kraken lunchbox amp and it made me lose sleep trying to think of the final decision haha. the MT15 friggin blew me AWAY it sounded so good - a good rival to the kraken when i was shooting them out. Ultimately i went Kraken V4 amp-pedal thing for pedal board mobility. But the MT15 is always on my list of amps to suggest to people looking, its fkn killer
Fireball 25 is the best
Might be the silliest question of the year, but I play in E, and always wonder. you're in drop C right? If you have something tuned in E, I'd be interested if the "brutality" stays or not.
I think he's often two whole steps down in C standard. I'm an E standard guy, like you, but I recommend tuning down to C standard once in a while to play your usual E stuff. Bassy E clean sections sound especially cool in C.
@@hotel_yugoslavia this is actually on my list of videos to make.. also, it’s in C standard 95.76% of the time
One of the coolest things about E std tuning is the ability to run a much much heavier bass sound. Far less need to dial out the bass.
@@TaylorDanley Thanks! That'd be great. Just another idea: if it turns out no, one's gotta tune down, would a pitch shifter work and how well? Much appreciated, 666 stars!
@@tobins6800 that might be true but these riffs Taylor improvises casually are brrroootal, remind me of Watain. Just ripping. I'd love to sound like that.
The actual wattage of the mt15 is 25-30 watts
Mt15 is still my favorite guitar amp...I just love it
0:25 That side profile tho
Duded I play hardcore and punk, but I really enjoy your channel. I used to have a Krank 1980Jr 20watt, that was pretty awesome for that old HR marshall sound , Cool amps if you have not ever tried one
I don't know that you'd demo amps like this, but I put an EQ pedal as the last in every chain. I'd never build a rig without one. That would certainly solve the low end issue.
@@nashmanzl I have a couple that I use if I need them, but I always prefer minimal pedals and to try and hear the amp on it’s own before I start modifying jt
I’m just curious to see you put together a pedalboard into a clean (true clean) amp/channel. Russian Circles/god is an astronaut/pelican/Caspian style.
I tried one of these with my own cab and guitar and it sounded incredibly similar to my hughes and kettner black spirit, just less full?.. I guess I'm just not getting the tube amp rave
Dude! What pick ups are in that Deviant guitar? Just started checking out your channel and that tone is seriously sick. I love my SD Black outs in my Ibanez 7620 and lately the Lundgren M7 in my Mayones Regius Pro. But damn dude those tones out of that Deviant are nice. 🤘
@@jonheaton1899 nice to have you! It’s an EMG 81-X in the bridge and an 85-X in the neck
Ya know. I thought that’s what you said in another video of yours. First couple riffs and I was like, fuck man, that sounds awesome. 🤘🏻
@@jonheaton1899 they’re great! I’m starting to prefer them over my normal EMG sets
Not related to this video, but Harley Benton released a new budget modeler the Harley Benton DNAfx GiT Advanced. Would be awesome if you could review it somehow.
Could you test the Stagg 250GARH?
I’m very curious about that amp.
A friend of mine had the 30 watt combo years ago, and as far as I remember it was pretty cool, so 250 watts of coolness would be.. well.. pretty damn cool.
I think it sounds darker since they changed the power amp tubes since Covid. Tried one before and it was a lot better sounding. Not saying that it doesn’t sound bad but just different
How is it for live shows ??? Paul reed smith makes some of the best
I didn't use it live, but I did test it with a drummer at the end of the video. That rehearsal space is close enough to live volumes.
Taylor, I think you are the first to say the MT15 is a big deal. People overlook this amp, but straight through, that thing is a monster. You do need a noise gate, but the tone can be crushing. Also, you have the volume at 1 and you are over 114 decibels. It's something to point out.
It's badass. I don't know what else to say about it. I could have just said that, but this video would have been a 3 second short instead lol.
Can this keep up with a 100 watt Marshall or 120 watt 5150?
Depends on what you mean by keep up. That's why I demo'd it next to an ENGL Powerball (which is on par with both those amps), the MT15 like you can hear holds it's own, but a full blown 120 watt amp will always be louder with much more headroom (obv)
With a 4x12 absolutely. I used this amp for several years and had no issues keeping up with a full band mix (loud AF drummer)
If you're bored and want to help somebody out, would you please share a Top 10 favorite Metal songs list so I can add some stuff to a playlist and enjoy some heavy stuff I might not know?
I own one of these and it's way too loud for my apartment. I love it.
What sound meter do you use? I need to get one.
@@NickySayahSina idk the brand, got it on Amazon!
maybe not more depth with the presence knob but more gain, its the negative feedbackloop. ?
Could be! Could just be I have bad ears 😂
@@TaylorDanley more gain = more low end saturation as you would probably know! So maybe not that bad of an ear
Archon is for making records but not sure live hope your archon doesnt have a problem you may have a dead tube? how was the effects loop on mt15 at handaling a 4 cable gate? If u tried?
Archon is in good working order. The 50w (MK2 btw) is just squishy at high volumes 🤷♂️ I did a gate in the loop, but not 4 cable and it worked great!
Which audio monitors are you using?
Hi, I left this comment on a previous video but could you please make a video reviewing the Ibanez RG470DX-TMN? I really enjoy your videos and would love to see your honest review on a guitar that I am thinking of purchasing.
I do have something Ibanez related in the pipeline, but not that exact guitar. If it's possible, yes of course I'll do it. Just depends on if I can get my hands on one.
Thank you, I would love to see it happen however I understand that it may not be possible. Either way, I appreciate your efforts and would still enjoy an Ibanez related video so I am looking forward to seeing what you have in mind for that. :)
This amp is so good! People kinda describe it as a mini Archon but I disagree. It's got a little bit of extra sauce and grind to it that the Archon doesn't have.
IME it's WAY different. The archon is dry and gets real squishy at higher volumes (50w mk2). I haven't tried the 100w, so maybe that's the one, but comparing a essentially lunchbox amp to a 100w head feels weird... even though I did it in this video lol.
Hey Talor, do you think that it will be loud enough with 16ohm 2x12 cab?
Hey brother, I'd love to see you and Ola get together and just jam. Talk if you want but JAM!! You both have the same taste in music. You two togeather would definitely be a win.
5:37 finally someone willing to say it out loud. THANK YOU Taylor.
I bought one about a year ago. I didn't like it much so I sent it back and bought a Peavey JSX.
JSX is monstrous amp
JSX is a good, much more powerful, amp!
i changed the MT15 with an Evh 15w Stealth, that i like better.
Mt15 is borderline too loud for home . The mt100 is complete overkill past 3 on the volume in most home settings. The over built transformer makes that amp extremely underrated and could easily be modified for 50watts.
Was the volume pot set up to be non-linear?
I love my MT15. should really be a MT25
I was about 30 yeears oold when I fucked my ears up for life man. At that volume, for prolonged periods, one day you will wake up and your ears will be ringing and it will never go away. Protect that shit dude, im serious
Eh. It do what it do but there's not much flexibility. It's loud, yes, but it's very noisy and it feedbacks very easily. The gain is chunky but there's not much articulation and the EQ is pretty weak. The treble boost on the clean channel is basically useless unless you're at gig volume and, frankly, I'd use other amps for gigs because of the previously mentioned issues. Cool amp, for not much money but not useful for my purposes. It doesn't achieve anything a second hand 5150 III 50 watt does better for the same money. This is coming from a huge Tremonti and PRS fan, too.
It’s quite muddy? Very little attack to the notes.
You can swap out the transformers on it and make it a 50 watter
16:56 are you NOT wearing earplugs during rehearsal ?
@@djabthrash of course I am. Theyre eargasm earplugs, so they’re clear.
@@TaylorDanley Gotcha ! They're very invisible then :) Do they have a cord in between them or nothing ?
That amp kicks so much ass😊
Good vid- a 15 watt amp hitting nearly 120 db. Be good for you to explain why watts don't mean louder to your young followers.
I’ve heard rumors that the boost is a collab with a German pedalbuilder. I don’t want you to Spoiler but I’d appreciate a cough or bark if I’m correct 😂
@@SOUNDFARE 👀
@@TaylorDanley I’ll take that stare
It's amazing 1 trick pony
Dude if you don't turn the AC down I'm leaving.....it's freaking 77° up in this Bee -ah-cha....😂🎉
I have one of these, paired up with a Seismic 2x 12 cab that I loaded with a set of MOJOTONE 30 V's lol I forgot the name... I heard about them from that knob Glen freaking Fricker.... ehh🇨🇦 it freaking rocks out with its OK cya la8er😅 ok I reckon ill subscribe while I'm here.......
Can we hear it without the boost just in all fairness and no gate
I really dont like these almost nylon acoustic sounding clean tones of most heavy amps. The attack is so weird and clangy. Any breakup is also weird. Not sure why its so difficult to do that well with these amp topologies.
when I hear PRS~ my brain instantly thinks "OVER PRICED" Boogie Logo Whore fader = Juss Sayinn they do NOT impress me
Same, did not like and sold my Archon
It's OK it's not bad
Love the gain channel, but don't like the clean, without life and overcompressed, so not be a great pedal platform. On a higher price the revv D20 (perfect pedal platform) and G20 (killer clean and gain channels) are really better.
yo is ur band still together?
Yeah, I mean I don't think we'll ever break up.. there's only 3 of us lol. We just aren't very active ATM.
@@TaylorDanley ah ok I feel that
Y9u sgold try a jets ge7itar
Bro was trying so hard not to play 3 libras😂
Im so sorry, didnt know you were (sic)
Lets go more Taylor🔥🔥🔥🔥
Make some impulse responses... :)
I had it but at the end i still like Bugera 6262 better
Clean channel on MT is much better though
If only these weren't so noisey
This is the difference between EL84 and regular sized tubes. All this launchbox amps - for me - are not even close to the big brothers and PRS actually is. Same about Marshall DSL20
The MT15 uses 6L6s.
@@RyanK...111 yeah, that's my point
@@ChristopherOrz 6L6’s are full size tubes, in the same category as EL34’s, KT66’s, etc. You may be thinking of lower wattage tubes like EL84’s & 6V6’s; those are what a lot of lunchbox heads use.
I have an MT15 & it sounds like I would expect a 15-25 watt amp to. I think you’re also conflating tube type with overall output. A 100 watt amp will sound bigger than a 15 watt amp because there’s significantly more headroom. I’m really looking forward to trying an MT100 as it should definitely have that big 100 watt head feel with the same basic tone.
@@donewithmodernlife Yeah, my bad, it supposed to be el84!
@@ChristopherOrz no worries brother. And I agree, for the most part I find EL84 amps don’t sound as big as other amps. I think it’s low end content issue. That’s not to say there aren’t great EL84 amps, they’re just not great for metal tones. Especially low-tuned stuff.
RIP to your ears! lol
FiReFlY bRo
I’ve heard this amp actually puts out closer to 25 watts than the rated 15. I have no science to back up this claim but if someone reading this is able to confirm or deny that would be pretty cool.
Funny enough they emailed me yesterday.
@@TaylorDanleyoh?!?! I hope it goes well. People really need to know about these guitars. They are unbelievable. I wish guitars like these existed when I first started playing back in 1995.
@@smeemusic we’ll see what they say. I offered to do a dedicated video for free so I could have as unbiased of a review as possible. They do look nice though!!
@@TaylorDanley well I hope they bite. It would likely play out quite nicely for them in the long run. This might be silly to you but I find this a little exciting lol
Your car isn't black?
Bro I wish...
2 minutes in the video my first impression I think of lunchbox amps I generally think 🤔 around the $150 - $250 this comes across to me as more of a full-fledged amp. This thing better do oral. Or at least a reach around 😂 J/K
I'm feeling a little bit comical today. Well time to for me to continue the video and see what she's got.❤
@@steveclark9934 thanks for the lols champ 💪
Empty 15. Dad joke of the day
BTW how come Americans can't drive a stick shift?
Best part of driving is picking a gear for traction and then accelerating out of corners.
Auto's are for lazy people.
Or people who just don't care.
If you were shifting up in a manual Shelby Cobra you would be in Heaven.
I’m not sure how you managed to make it sound so bad, compared to other clips I’ve heard. Maybe it’s the cab or the way you set up the mic? Maybe I just don’t understand your style. Sounds muddy through the video.