Hartwood Interceptor 15 guitar valve amp - a look inside.

There are no tones in this video. Just a look inside.
Gear4Music have released a new amp, which is very similar to the Monoprice Stage Right 15w combo (US) and the Harley Benton Tube 15. (Is it even made in the same factory?)
It’s 50% more expensive than the HB Tube 15, so what are we paying extra for? The specifications suggest a number of upgrades over the HB/SR: plywood case rather than MDF; Vintage 30 speaker rather than Seventy80; and JJ tubes (though I think some if not all HB/SR amps may now also come with JJs).
As we shall see though, not all the valves in this are JJ branded. *EDIT* I asked gear4music about this. They seemed genuinely surprised to hear it and promised to get in touch with their supplier. Later they came back saying "We have heard back and according to the suppliers, these amps do not always come with JJ's consistently, therefore we have removed this info from the website, I am very sorry for this error on the website."
And it seems they have. They have even deleted references to the JJ power tubes which my amp did have. I expect they will also change the documentation that comes with the amp (which also specifies JJ tubes) in due course.

[@simonpedersen4853]

I bought the head version for fun. I've since taken the preamp circuit out of a Bogner mini amp and modified it into this amp. Sounds great.

[@TheLeperwolf]

Could you explain how? Sounds like a cool mod to try!

[@hydorah]

Ah! You didn't look inside the chassis which is what I was really expecting! Never heard of these amps before so thanks for clearing up which retailer the brand is from 🙂

[@DavidThompson-fy2kk]

Very helpful information on these amplifiers, thank you.

[@johnmac8084]

Thanks for the look inside. I've had a HB Tube15 on back-order for weeks now, but now ordered one of these and cancelled the HB, as these are in stock and I like the upgraded speaker & case.

[@matthewtyler-jones8317]

I think you’ll like it. It’s gin up in price recently, but the more I play mine (and the better I get at guitar) the more I like the sounds it makes.

[@johnmac8084]

@@matthewtyler-jones8317 Delivered today, looks great, not tried yet. Some people upgrade the HB Tube 15 with a V30 speaker, which together would actually cost as much as buying the Hartwood, and you still wouldn't have the other extras. Mine's got JJ power valves, like yours, and unbranded Chinese pre-amp valves, which are just marked China 7025

[@kerpoise]

I've been running this speaker since they arrived in the UK. Very impressed, the fact you can get a 12" combo with a V30, spring reverb and FX loop for £250 is insane. That it sounds amazing too is just excellent. The only thing I have is what sounds like grounding, it's not noticeable when playing, but I feel the noise floor is a little high - I'd be interested to see if you can record yours with the volume and gain maxxed with nothing plugged in.

[@matthewtyler-jones8317]

I’ll check it out.

[@ThorRavnsborg]

Nice to have an alternative to the Harley Benton/Stage Right models with a different speaker and colour. The green colour is not my cup of tea though which is why I went with the Harley Benton. Btw. a Vintage 30 speaker is usually more expensive than a Seventy 80 which could explain some of the price difference.

[@matthewtyler-jones8317]

Gotta say the green and straw look is exactly my cup of tea. 🙂 And yeah the speaker does justify at least some of the increased price.

[@jemahl123]

Nice, ive been looking at one of these, looking forward to the tones vid.

[@matthewtyler-jones8317]

Tried one yesterday, but it’s not good enough. Will try again.

[@MrUnit731]

Killer video. I saw the one with the 15w top, and the 30w celestion as a cabinet. What do you think about those? It looks really good, I think.

[@matthewtyler-jones8317]

Yeah. A bit more expensive. But they look good.

[@donkeevney]

Thanks for this....I've been considering this amp, would be interested to hear more of your thoughts about the performance of it.

[@matthewtyler-jones8317]

Yeah I have been waiting for somebody else to do a video, but in the end (as I am no longer unemployed) I took the risk on buying it. There will be a tones video too. My boy is starting to study music technology so I thought leaning how to mic an amp might be a weekend project for him.

[@yomommaahotoo264]

A little closer to a closed back on that vs the Stage Right.
Would like to hear it....

[@matthewtyler-jones8317]

Check out my other video. (I am not great)

[@gertvanrooy428]

Any headphones out?

[@matthewtyler-jones8317]

No, there is an out for another cab

[@fuchsia5899]

Is it a 1x12 speaker?

[@matthewtyler-jones8317]

Yes!