Joe Haley from Death Metal band Psycroptic plays that head into a 4×12 live when they tour. It sounds huge when it's micced up through a PA. Just goes to show you don't need 100+watt heads to play live now.
I swapped out the tubes in mine for tungsol tubes and it made it less dark sounding also used a JHS block box to crank it up too !!! Im picking up a Marshall DSL20 today lol great video as always!!!
Is the block box the volume knob pedal with no switch? If so I have one of those. Its brilliant! I can crank the hell out of my preamps with amazing tone and keep the whole amp at talking volume. And I have the 100 watt el34. It doesn't like low volume so that jhs pedal is perfect.I just can't remember what that little pedal is called.
@@eric_casper5150 yep that's pretty much exactly what I do as well. Top left of my pedal board is where this little guy sits and will live for the foreseeable future. Simple af but necessary for my needs. Tbh nearly all my pedals are for tone and not effects. Lol
This reminds me of why I sold my LBX and don't miss it. Its quite a fun amp but its really throaty and lacking in bass/depth. EL84's just compress too much which I find too much on an already compressed sounding circuit. Adding more low end just makes them flub out even earlier. They're cool for what they are and probably quite convenient to carry around and take on the go. I sold mine after trying it into the FX return (and side by side) with a 6505 and bought the 100W version. IMO another thing that works against them (much like the iconic) is that the 50W EVH heads make better sacrifices, are affordable/readily available on the used market. They're a much better entry into EVH amps. Also, please consider trying some other load boxes - the two notes stuff puts a weird impedance load on amps and they'll miss that resonant thump in the lows that a 4x12 cab gives. There's plenty on the market with a nice resonant peak
Really wish the Lbx heads had some of the same features as the 6505. The tube checker, ability to change wattage to 1/2 power and 1 watt, and especially the CabSim XLR DI out. In order to play this ampless for those types of gigs, you’d need a Loadbox with a DI and that’s an added expense most don’t really want to partake in.
I’ve been gigging this amp for a little over two years now in a 90’s cover band. Drummer uses electronic drums so it’s fine. He has used acoustic drums before too but we mic everything and go through PA anyway. It works great for clubs for me. Love the tone and it has really been worked hard and hasn’t let me down.
Can definitely tell you come from Marshall’s always dialing back the treble and pushing the mid and bass. I always dialed my Marshall the same way. With my Friedman be 100 deluxe though it’s the 1st amp I’ve had everything really just sounds best at 12 with the bass and thump dialed just a little bit past 12 to around 1 or 2 o’clock. Unless you just have an excessively bassy guitar. As much as you like Marshall based designs you should get your hands on a BE 100 deluxe. It’s the best I’ve tried in that category. Maybe you’ve had 1 on here before I can’t remember.
RUclips demos don’t do this amp justice for me. I played it in person with a PRS and it kicked so much ass. I haven’t found a video on YT that has matched my experience yet.
I've never tried one, but it basically does and sounded like what I expected from it. That doesn't mean it's bad at all, but so long as you go into it knowing what it's capabilities are then you shouldn't be too disappointed. I have a Mesa Mini Rectifier and personally think it sounds way better than this one, but that's just my opinion. Great demo regardless, I appreciate your brutal honesty on all these videos.
Had one of these for a year. Needs a boost, always needs to be played at high volume. It's basically just a clean and crunch mini 5150III. Sold mine yesterday. I might grab a Peavey Invective MH.
I love my invective mh. Solid little amp. Easy to go overboard with the presence knob and there's a slight learning curve with the tone controls but once you get into it you can get some gnarly tones. Per usual though I always have a 10 band eq in the loop.
I own this amp. A dirty tree and NS2 in front and u are totally good to go. On full power at around 3 o’clock it totally craps out. I put it through my torpedo captor x attenuated -38 DB and cranked it…..it broke up hard. I totally agree on drop tune….I have one guitar with active/passive JR EMG Daemonons tuned to drop B and it sounds terrible on this head.
@@belligerentamateur Aww don't get butthurt, it's a valid criticism. And I didn't even criticize you directly. I still watched the whole video and liked. If you disagree I'd be much more interested in hearing why. I mean we do intend to play along with a band right?
If you're unhappy with the mids/highmids/highs of this amp, maybe try a different cab? Try the torpedo? I'm sure there's a cab solution to make this little guy do everything you need. I just can't convince myself that you can't get the absolute tone you want from even an evh lbx. I bet a professional album could be done with these things. But keep in mind I've never owned one. I'm going off all the reviews I've seen of this amp.
Oh, absolutely. I'm sure I could get it closer with a different setup, but I test my amps on similar cabs and pickups to be able to tell the tonal differences of the amp itself.
@@belligerentamateur for sure. Its one of the things I've come to love about this channel. Hey one request. I know you may not remember but a few days ago I commented on a riff you said something like "i don't even know how to play my own riffs"
I’ve been looking into getting one of these amps since I liked my 5150 iconic so much. Are the stealth lbx amps the same as the one you tested in this video?
This is my first time seeing your channel and any of your videos and please excuse me if it's been asked of you before but...are you related to Matt Damon in any way?
I bought a Mesa Mark 5 25. It's a combination lock to dial in a good tone. A very frustrating amp and in my opinion way overpriced. Maybe John Petrucci could come dial it in for me. Then I will super glue the knobs. Lol
EXACTLY. It's very, very bad compared to a real amp. I prefer a PRS MT15 over a MK 25 all day even if it casts less than half the price, it's much better sounding.
Your right, I haven’t seen a video comparing all three but I can tell you this: the Stealth LBX is the most versatile and works best for home use due to the great taper on the gain and volume knobs. It’s also the clearest of them. Unfortunately, it’s also the quietest, which, if you mike it up, doesn’t really matter. Hope this helps.
don't be a self-hating gear hoarder, those are the worst. Via happy gear hoarder because how else are you going to do RUclips demos, I've never seen anybody do a demo without gear before 🤷♂️
Joe Haley from Death Metal band Psycroptic plays that head into a 4×12 live when they tour. It sounds huge when it's micced up through a PA. Just goes to show you don't need 100+watt heads to play live now.
Carcass used LBXs at Metal and Beer Fest in 2019. They can do gigs. You're right though, they would be hell to try and rehearse with .
No shit? That’s badass
I swapped out the tubes in mine for tungsol tubes and it made it less dark sounding also used a JHS block box to crank it up too !!! Im picking up a Marshall DSL20 today lol great video as always!!!
Is the block box the volume knob pedal with no switch? If so I have one of those. Its brilliant! I can crank the hell out of my preamps with amazing tone and keep the whole amp at talking volume. And I have the 100 watt el34. It doesn't like low volume so that jhs pedal is perfect.I just can't remember what that little pedal is called.
@@smeemusic yup that’s the one. My Lbx2 sounded a little fizzy when not cranked so I bought one of those and I just use it as my master volume.
@@eric_casper5150 yep that's pretty much exactly what I do as well. Top left of my pedal board is where this little guy sits and will live for the foreseeable future. Simple af but necessary for my needs. Tbh nearly all my pedals are for tone and not effects. Lol
This reminds me of why I sold my LBX and don't miss it. Its quite a fun amp but its really throaty and lacking in bass/depth. EL84's just compress too much which I find too much on an already compressed sounding circuit. Adding more low end just makes them flub out even earlier. They're cool for what they are and probably quite convenient to carry around and take on the go. I sold mine after trying it into the FX return (and side by side) with a 6505 and bought the 100W version.
IMO another thing that works against them (much like the iconic) is that the 50W EVH heads make better sacrifices, are affordable/readily available on the used market. They're a much better entry into EVH amps.
Also, please consider trying some other load boxes - the two notes stuff puts a weird impedance load on amps and they'll miss that resonant thump in the lows that a 4x12 cab gives. There's plenty on the market with a nice resonant peak
What about the 50w EL34 version or would you recommend the one with 6L6 instead?
@@karlmartin849 both are great! Slightly different circuits besides the power amp valves so worth checking both out.
Really wish the Lbx heads had some of the same features as the 6505. The tube checker, ability to change wattage to 1/2 power and 1 watt, and especially the CabSim XLR DI out. In order to play this ampless for those types of gigs, you’d need a Loadbox with a DI and that’s an added expense most don’t really want to partake in.
Just picked up this amp from my local shop. Traded an orange rocker 15
In love with this amp
I’ve been gigging this amp for a little over two years now in a 90’s cover band. Drummer uses electronic drums so it’s fine. He has used acoustic drums before too but we mic everything and go through PA anyway. It works great for clubs for me.
Love the tone and it has really been worked hard and hasn’t let me down.
5:42 COHEED AND CAMBRIA! 🤟🏼
Can definitely tell you come from Marshall’s always dialing back the treble and pushing the mid and bass. I always dialed my Marshall the same way. With my Friedman be 100 deluxe though it’s the 1st amp I’ve had everything really just sounds best at 12 with the bass and thump dialed just a little bit past 12 to around 1 or 2 o’clock. Unless you just have an excessively bassy guitar. As much as you like Marshall based designs you should get your hands on a BE 100 deluxe. It’s the best I’ve tried in that category. Maybe you’ve had 1 on here before I can’t remember.
RUclips demos don’t do this amp justice for me. I played it in person with a PRS and it kicked so much ass. I haven’t found a video on YT that has matched my experience yet.
I always loved you introductions ,you always come up with something interesting to say hahaha 🤟
I've never tried one, but it basically does and sounded like what I expected from it. That doesn't mean it's bad at all, but so long as you go into it knowing what it's capabilities are then you shouldn't be too disappointed. I have a Mesa Mini Rectifier and personally think it sounds way better than this one, but that's just my opinion. Great demo regardless, I appreciate your brutal honesty on all these videos.
Had one of these for a year. Needs a boost, always needs to be played at high volume. It's basically just a clean and crunch mini 5150III. Sold mine yesterday. I might grab a Peavey Invective MH.
I love my invective mh. Solid little amp. Easy to go overboard with the presence knob and there's a slight learning curve with the tone controls but once you get into it you can get some gnarly tones. Per usual though I always have a 10 band eq in the loop.
Some single note leads would be helpful. The low register stuff is cool, but some of us use all six strings.
I think Im gonna invest in the Stealth version of this. Also, more jokes like the one at 2:44 please!! Such encouraging words are so inspirational!!!
hahaha
I own this amp. A dirty tree and NS2 in front and u are totally good to go. On full power at around 3 o’clock it totally craps out. I put it through my torpedo captor x attenuated -38 DB and cranked it…..it broke up hard. I totally agree on drop tune….I have one guitar with active/passive JR EMG Daemonons tuned to drop B and it sounds terrible on this head.
You must try the Laney IRT SLS amp
you post great and honest reviews! Thank you!
appreciate you!
LBX I destroys this. The only thing is I cannot open it beyond 1 😂. Bought the JHS Little Black Amp Box to fix that tho. What a solid little monster.
Oh that LBXII, always pulling off its brother.
Hahaha when you first turned the mids up i was like oh okay there we go it does still have a little bite haha!
I really dig that Lil amp! Maybe I’ll snag one up sometime. Great video Kyle. 🤙
Love your stuff Kyle !
Gotta hear the amp in a mix. Too many reviewers show amps and gear without showing what it sounds like in a mix.
you're welcome to do this in your own videos! good luck!
@@belligerentamateur Aww don't get butthurt, it's a valid criticism. And I didn't even criticize you directly. I still watched the whole video and liked.
If you disagree I'd be much more interested in hearing why.
I mean we do intend to play along with a band right?
Sounds great.👌🏻
Great video Kyle, thanks brother 🤘🏻😎🤘🏻
I've been looking for a blue channel version used for a little while. I just joined.. are you using a boost with it?
If you're unhappy with the mids/highmids/highs of this amp, maybe try a different cab? Try the torpedo? I'm sure there's a cab solution to make this little guy do everything you need. I just can't convince myself that you can't get the absolute tone you want from even an evh lbx. I bet a professional album could be done with these things. But keep in mind I've never owned one. I'm going off all the reviews I've seen of this amp.
Oh, absolutely. I'm sure I could get it closer with a different setup, but I test my amps on similar cabs and pickups to be able to tell the tonal differences of the amp itself.
@@belligerentamateur for sure. Its one of the things I've come to love about this channel. Hey one request. I know you may not remember but a few days ago I commented on a riff you said something like "i don't even know how to play my own riffs"
I’ve been looking into getting one of these amps since I liked my 5150 iconic so much. Are the stealth lbx amps the same as the one you tested in this video?
Do you put the drive on the tubescreamer on 0 or what are your settings on it?
Please make a video PRS MT15 VS Marshall DSL20HR. I can't choose which one I am going to buy.
I will when I get another mt15!
@@belligerentamateur Avesome. BTW you are best man when it's come to demo an avesome high gain amps. :)
Also which one you personally like better? PRS MT 15 or Marshall DSL20HR?
This is my first time seeing your channel and any of your videos and please excuse me if it's been asked of you before but...are you related to Matt Damon in any way?
He does have that look about him, doesn't he?
now HOW can you tell its the 2nd ????????? it says III on the front.
It's a studio head basically
Shit, dude! Just bump up the mids in that intro, and you have a serviceable Megadeth tone!
what do you think sounds better, this amp or the revv g20?
Would be interesting how it sounds with a 7 string😏
EL84’s just do not have the body and fullness of 6L6’s. Sounds soooo thin. Mesa Mark 5 25 sounds thin too.
I bought a Mesa Mark 5 25. It's a combination lock to dial in a good tone. A very frustrating amp and in my opinion way overpriced. Maybe John Petrucci could come dial it in for me. Then I will super glue the knobs. Lol
EXACTLY. It's very, very bad compared to a real amp. I prefer a PRS MT15 over a MK 25 all day even if it casts less than half the price, it's much better sounding.
Stealth blue channel.15 watt version
Good tone, but lacks the oomph that its bigger siblings have.
"weak person in life" haha so true. Thanks for the demonstration not something I'd get, better amps on the second hand market.
Glad it helped!
I just never see the purpose of EL84. It not great at anything. Good demo anyways!
The Vox AC30 disagrees.
@@wakjob961 You got me there :) But I have yet to hear a "Metal" amp that I like with the 84's.
Is that a Worn Cherry Gibson?
Yessir! 2008!
@@belligerentamateur Awesome! Always wanted to have the Explorer worn cherry but no one want to sell theirs🤣
@@LykaonMetalMusic I had one briefly. Should have kept it but money spoke
Before watching I'm going to say... sort of.
👍
Please do a comparison video of the LBX, LBX II, and LBX-S. I don't think there is a video on youtube comparing all 3.
Your right, I haven’t seen a video comparing all three but I can tell you this: the Stealth LBX is the most versatile and works best for home use due to the great taper on the gain and volume knobs. It’s also the clearest of them. Unfortunately, it’s also the quietest, which, if you mike it up, doesn’t really matter. Hope this helps.
Are you Matt Damon's little cousin?
👾
Nissssssssssssssssssce 🍻
don't be a self-hating gear hoarder, those are the worst. Via happy gear hoarder because how else are you going to do RUclips demos, I've never seen anybody do a demo without gear before 🤷♂️
You are absolutely right! However, I've taken it past the point of extreme haha
Lousy