Finally, something like "Consumer Reports" for amps. Nice to see someone delve into the engineering and construction, bypassing the layers of marketing, five star Sweetwater reviews, and fanboy RUclips videos. Well done. I'm really looking forward to seeing where this goes.
And it's crazy the way the fan boys get triggered by these types of videos. Calling actual experienced highly skilled techs haters and calling them liars because i have x amp and it's amazing sounding and have no quality issues .
Last year, I picked up a used good condition DSL40CR for $360, then got the 6 button footswitch for $80. $440 cash all in. It's a amazingly versatile amp that could handle just about any gig I might want to play. The newer CR version plus the 6 button fsw really takes it to the next, you can switch between all 4 "channels" (clean, od, crunch, distortion) with 2 master volumes to level out the volume difference between them. Plus switch on off the fx loop. Definitely the winner of the under $500 camp for me!
@@gingercat777 I don't find the DSL40 that heavy, but then again my other amps are a 67 Super Reverb, 74 Deluxe Reverb, and 4x10 bass cab and head. So I guess I am a body builder. For $360, I wasn't expecting a faultless amp, but I don't know of anything better at that price.
I'm commenting as an owner of an older HRD II, the VOX AC15 and the DSL40C. The HRD is the oldest amp. It did fail in the exact same way mentioned in this video, and as a tech myself I replaced the caps that leaked, and noticed burn marks on the PCB so I replaced the high power resistors with other ones and moved them away from the board. The repair cost me less than €5, and I do not know the hourly rates there but it took me total of 1 hour to repair including dismantling, diagnosis, assembly and testing. The other amps never failed. One important point (but this is subjective) is that the AC15 has a great speaker. The speakers found in the DSL and the HRD (excluding some limited editions which have some nice speakers) sound mediocre at best. Once these speakers are replaced with something better, the amps really match the AC15 in terms of tone (of course they do not sound the same, but equally as good). Another point of view that might not be significant to a lot of people is the circuit of these amps. All these amps have some solid state stuff inside. The rectifier is of course solid state for all these 3 amps, but this is normal in tube amps. Also, there are some auxiliary stuff that use SS switching, SS buffering of the effects loop (DSL and HRD) and SS buffering of the spring reverb (HRD and AC15, while the DSL has a digital unit). But the thing that bothers me most is that the AC15 has some SS in the clean path of the sound, in the preamp section. There are enough tubes to avoid these if using relays (like the DSL) but it is a pity they chose not to. It might have removed the 2 inputs and have 1 input that is channel switching between normal and top boost. I am not a tube snob, I discovered this because the amp did not 'feel' right and I looked for the schematic to try to identify any issues. With a very similar arrangement (having tubes but there is also a SS stage in the preamp) I have a Fender Vaporizer. It has limited uses due to it having only 3 knobs, but I like the amps it's a cool little thing and at €175 new it has also a spring reverb (unlike the DSL). Finally, my personal opinion, if I were to keep only one I'd keep the HRD. I like it's sound the best. For 10 years plus it had only 1 failure. But I'd agree the Vox has it's own sound. If you want that sound you have to go that way. The DSL is really versatile amp with good cleans fantastic crunch and some good metal tones (particularly with an overdrive and maybe a Vintage 30). The HRD overdrive channel is practically useless. But the cleans of this amp are really nice, and while all 3 amps take pedals really well, this would be my choice for a pedal platform amp.
The HRD takes 2-3 hours to repair typically. It often also has issues in the PI and the screen grid resistors are prone to failure. And pot/jack solder joints. New filter caps and needed parts can be $60-90 depending on the model of Blues or Hot Rod when you factor in shipping. I agree on the speakers. The Vox AC15/30 Custom circuit uses very high quality opamps with a high bipolar supply. It provides channel mixing, loop buffering (on the 30), and reverb send/return/mixing. The issue is they didn't make it truly unity gain. When I get one on the bench for my mods I change four resistors to put the SS portion of the circuit to true unity gain. At which point it is transparent. The stock amp still sounds quite good, but it has an unintentional (?) gain stage between the channel outs and the phase inverter, so the amp overall has a bit more gain than a "real" Vox. But the opamp circuitry doesn't clip. It causes a bit not clipping in the PI tube. I could easily bypass all the opamp/SS circuitry in one and give the owner an all tube signal path, if they are ok with giving up reverb and the loop. But I have done that and compared it to the corrected unity gain opamp path (lots of wires and switches up in the air) and there was no audible difference (or difference in feel). The corrected unity gain opamp circuit is my preference on these. But stock still sounds quite good.
@@PsionicAudio I'm not claiming that the 'feel' issue comes from the SS stuff, but I was having that issue and noticed the SS stuff. also, like most budget tube amps, there are going to be SS stuff in order to be able to ship it cheaper. These include SS spring reverbs and SS effects loop. All the amps here use these SS bits. And I agree that they do sound good stock. Particularly with the Greenback, against the speakers found in the HRD and DSL. but I hate the way they market the amp. They should be more up-front with stuff like this. particularly when the amp is in the 'All-tube series' or what it's called.
Every time I think I've got my decision finally made I get new information that throws me back to square one. At this point it's just as likely I go back to not playing guitar for 7 years than buy any of the amps I set out to buy and yet, to what I've been playing through (an acoustic amp that's essentially just a PA and a pedal meant to approximate playing through an amp meant for electric guitar) ANY of these would be an improvement - hell, the lowliest Fender 25 watt modeling amp would be an improvement yet I am so paralyzed with hidden cons, that I am hesitant to do anything. The pros mean something does what it's advertised to do, the cons are seemingly endless and often hidden behind layers of obfuscation - both intentional and unintentional. "500 dollars is not as much money as many of us think it is" - I understand what your point was in saying this, and I agree with it - but for me specifically, it is a lot of money. I wasn't playing through a PA speaker for years because I liked it.
For me its the AC15 or the Fender amps. I own a AC15 and love it. Also a Princeton. I've owned Line 6 amps ( DT25, Vetta II, POD HD 500) and the planned obsolescence is obvious. The Catalyst is just Line 6 recycling the Helix stuff into a box and saying it is "new". They did this way back with the Flextone. If you want to buy a modeler worth your time save your money go Kemper or Fractal. Great video, love your down to earth opinions.
Totally agree. Traynor makes good, robust, realiable stuff, that is made in Canada (Go Winnipeg!) Traynor is totally under rated, and goes for really, really cheap (almost criminally so) on the used market. The YGL1 is an excellent example. Love that amp.
Traynors can be great. I admit this video is a bit US-centric. Traynors aren't as common here, and while many models are great, some are real turds. If someone hired me to find the best amp under $500 I could find something maybe better than what made the list here - and it might be a Traynor - but I know what to look for. That would have been outside of the scope of this video.
I'd argue that in the US, Traynor amps _used_ to be underrated. I've watched prices creep up at least 50% on most models over the last 3 years or so. Also, gotta remember anything vintage very likely needs a cap job and possibly tubes.
I’ve owned a handful of these and quite impressed by your analysis. I’m currently playing a SuperSonic 22. My lower priced preference is the AC15. It has a very balanced and predictable sound. I have a beat up HTClub 40 that I got as a throw in on an SG deal. Solid sounding amp and versatile. The newer model is certainly an upgrade, and beats my former Blues Jr in all categories.
Thank you , Lyle, this was fascinating and I look forward to the follow-ups. I also live in hope that I will one day have enough a) money and b) talent to be able to explore these options and those yet to come 😊
I have an older crate V32 palomino, thought about putting in a fan bc it runs so hot that even the top mounted controls heat up in longer sessions. Read some reviews on my amp and ppl suggested to put in a pc fan. Got it to sound very Santana-ish and it’s too good to pass on it considering equal products at astonishing prices…
Wow, just had the all the air taken out of my balloon! I recently bought a Blues Junior lV off Craigslist. I thought it was a bulletproof 15 watt amp. To hear it made the worst amp on the list is heartbreaking! Glad to know I can expect issues in the near future - I’ll be prepared and won’t be that disappointed. Thanks for your professional experiences with these amps. Chris
Found that because of not so stiff power supply tube can often hit 10db picks above rated value and sound good . SS can not do that . Enjoyed the video very informative for the rank and fill .
Surprised the (early run) VHT Special 6 and Special 6 Ultra didn't make it. Ultra head and 1 x12 cabinet can occasionally be had for $500 and just under. Perhaps thinking it's good is just wishful thinking on my part but it certainly is easy to work on.
Still think a Teal Bandit is a good option in the disposable category over a modeler (if you can find one with original speaker, footpedal and input jacks that function). Decent clean pedal platform and raunchy metal tones. No filling rattling digital artifacts. I do agree that the AC15 is the best sounding on the list. Also the heaviest if memory serves. Thanks for the video!
Love this! You seem to have reviewed very positively also an Orange Rocker 32 and a Jet City 20 that were on your bench. I know it's a lot of amps to keep track of. Thanks!
That Orange model is ok but I wouldn't seek it out. The Jet City 20 can be good but some of them have had dead power transformers due to loose switches and lamp connections touching things they shouldn't. So I can't recommend them in general.
Really enjoy these type of videos. I’d be interested in seeing a dive in the supro amps. I have a supro Coronado which sounds great but I tend not to use it as often as my other amp
Got myself the Marshall DSL 40 CR after seeing this, thank you very much for making this. I can however say the input/output cabling on the DSL seems to be a weak point (he sockets or cables tend to break). I had mine loose on the mainboard (it seems they are not glued) and found some posts about it on forums as well. But it’s an easy fix at least.
@@PsionicAudio You are right. Still, great bang for the buck. Thank you again for the in depth and objective review, would have never considered the Marshall before.
I thought "No way Lyle is glossing over classic 50's" for quite a few years considered one of the best sleeper amps out there. His explanation as to why is viable. I have had my 4x10 open a 1/2 dozen times this year and the head is awaiting caps now.
SMD is easy tho, but I guess if your not used to hot guns and microscopes it can be “unrepairable” but as a former computer repairman I can fix anything. Nothing is worth wasting my time on now or even then is the heck of it.
For professional musicians, just about any amp is almost a bad choice at this point with the ultra rugged, super easy to use, better than tube tone and most importantly flexible and repeatable digital modelers available…. For recording in the studio maybe I’d go with a vintage tube amp that has some special mojo, but for live gigs I think the only realistic option is digital at this point… Will they go obsolete in a few years yep, will replacement tubes be available in a few years, who knows, and when a 12ax7 hits 350 bucks each not sure I’ll be in that market… With the current state of the world I think a modeling amp is becoming a wiser and wiser choice, and like stated they have no resale valve which means you don’t have to fix it when you can find another one dirt cheap, so repairable becomes totally meaningless… Perhaps some enterprising folks will invest some millions in a new tube factory to help with demand, but I’m doubtful that once they become super rare here in the next couple months that a reliable stock will ever return…
If we lived in a true, market-driven capitalist economy, there would be American or European factories making tubes long before they hit that price point. 30+ years ago, I read about "nanotubes" - I think IBM developed the technology. There are some companies using nanotubes now, mostly in pedals. I suspect manufacturers are feverishly working to make them practical in tube amps. That would be fantastic, IMO. Imagine your favorite tube amp in a pedal-sized enclosure with the ability to select how many of the nanotubes you want to be active or with Morgan Amps' power scaling feature. Less energy, less waste heat, same glorious tube tone...
@@mikeaustin4138 it’s hard to know for sure where it’s going to end up, there’s a reasonable quantity of new old stock tubes, but what’s likely to happen is the market will shrink low enough where a new factory won’t be economically viable, I’m fairly sure Fender and Marshall are working to phase out mass production units already… JJ is still making them and the Chinese so they won’t go away completely, but without doubt it’s going to be costly, it might not matter is a set of tubes goes up an extra $600 for the boutique builders, but I think this is definitely going to push any amps the are still being giged into storage… Hard to say though, how the market will react in the mid to long term…
@@mikeaustin4138 It took me a couple years to really learn how to use them, but the Kemper, Helix and Quad Cortex and AxeFx are easily able to reproduce bang on tube tone without the hassle, I’ve A/B’ed my tubes amps to dialed in settings and there’s no difference other than you don’t have to have the amp dimed out so volume is controllable… I would bet on those type of units getting cheaper and cheaper and easier to use… Most of the professional musicians in my area have already switched and aren’t using an amp at all, due to stage volume limits mostly… Large bands have also switched over completely, not only live but in the studio as well… Once fans fully understand that then the market will push towards what they use, especially if you can download your guitar heroes exact settings for a few bucks, ya know…
@@robertw1871 That would be awesome if the Kemper or Helix or any of those types of amps would go down in cost and ease of use. Quite frankly besides the cost I'm completely intimidated by them. I'm not very techie and I'm just used to plugging into pedals and an amp.
This is the most objective analysis I've seen on the pros and cons of buying an amp. While many reviewers focus only on tonal qualities or reputation, you've touched two of the most important considerations for those of us who gig in various conditions....reliability and "fixability". When you amp fails in the middle of a gig, all of the marketing propaganda quickly fades into the night. Looking forward to the next instalment in the series.
As I mentioned above, TWO Katanas are priced below what many other amps cost for a single unit. They're light, consistent, and feature packed and can be cloned for redundancy. In case of failure? 30 second replacement on the road. Why guitarists overlook this utility is mystifying, other than they judge on cost alone, which is silly. A Katana in a live environment with tasteful patches is about as useful of a frontline amp as has ever been made.
@@swingset1969 Let’s see if you still think this in 5 years time, when the current generation of the Katana is likely to reach its EOL and the firmware updates then stop coming, and all the patches and the software for installing/writing/downloading them no longer work with the latest computer/smartphone/tablet operating systems! That’s my problem with it: Even if it doesn’t die from component failure, it’s likely to die from planned obsolescence, like so much other high tech stuff nowadays. As someone with a computer science degree, I’d much rather have an amp that is simple and highly serviceable in the long term than one that needs to be thrown out and replaced every 5-7 years or else see it gradually lose its original functionality. This is EXACTLY what has already happened to some modeling amps like the older generations of the Fender Mustang, for example, who can no longer download patches to their amps, and I happen to know some people who are NOT happy about it.
And you already know that capacitors can have lethal voltages in them? (I'm not the tech guy who made the video and I don't actually know anything about fixing guitar amps!)
It's easy, put a clip on a wire, and a wooden dowel on the other side, with a resistor in between. Attach the clip to a ground, and yes the dowel to touch the wire to the leads on everything in the unit. Only use one hand while reaching into a cab, so you don't lose track of your other hand
I own the Boss Katana Artist Series Mk2 and I love it, but this is an excellent video and I agree with near all the points. The Boss was excellent for my needs as a gigging musician/home recording artist, but hard to beat a good tube amp, but that being said for this price point, highly suggest giving the katana series a go. It's perfect for me.
Looking forward to part 2 too. This is awesome even though i got one of the Blackstar Ht40 amps . :D I still got a 50 watts Katana, Bassbreaker 007 head and a Engl Rockmaster 20 combo. So there will be always some amp to function ok i hope ;)
Bought my AC15C1 a year ago after watching this video and have done a good bit of gigging with it since. After putting in some new tubes I couldn’t be happier with an amp under $500.
The worst part of amps that aren’t repairable is that they become landfill. And trust me, at some point our great grandchildren are going to be shaking their fists at us because we didn’t bother to make good purchasing decisions. I know most people don’t care about this. But absolutely they should. We ought to be adults not children pretending they don’t know, and not buy electronics that are manufactured to become landfill.
We won't be around that much longer, so no worries. The Biblical end times are unfolding before our eyes, but no one is paying attention. People are busy about worshipping the Creation rather than the Creator, in my opinion.
As a guy who almost exclusively buys used and is interested in trying a lot of different amps and sounds in the studio, this video and hopefully the rest of this series is a real eye-opener. Detailed, clear, realistic, and helps temper expectations. Great video. I'm glad I watched so I can go into future purchases more prepared.
I've switched to playing quilters only. I used to use a Blues Jr, then a blues deluxe reverb, then a vox AC15, then a carvin - all tube. The quilter is like half the weight. And truly has a way better crystal clear scooped country-rock sound than almost any fender i've played.
Have you ever swapped the speaker in a fender? Besides the reissue stuff (excluding champs) they all kinda suck with speaker selection. A blues deluxe with a Swamp Thang, Cannabis Rex, or Creamback is a whole new world.
This is the most objective an informative episode I've seen. Lyle the quality of your videos and content has improved greatly over the last year. Keep doing what your doing. 👍
Picked one up used for $150. Play my Mexican strat through it. Makes my single coil pickups rock!! Totally analog, simple to figure out the tones, hangs with a drum kit in terms of output. Killer!!
@@dimitris470, I'm kinda in the same boat, I have a 10" amp and am kinda looking to pick up something with a 12" speaker... Orange should have an affordable Crush amp like the 35RT with a 12" .... but the effects loop really has me looking at the 35rt model... or possibly the Katana, or larger version of my Marshall MG30CFX... I want to use a Headrush MX5 in 4-cable method with a combo amp, and don't think a DSL40CR fits my current budget or needs. Listened to the Orange 35RT recently in a store and almost snagged it that day.
Awesome engineering review. By that I mean a dispassionate assessment of pros and cons of features likely to be important (not frills) within an electronics product lifecycle framing. Delivered with balanced and precise reasoning. Thank you!!
I see so many geeks on their RUclips channels pedaling the latest Fender style with a lead-in line like "Do XX branded guitars are remind you of your middle school leased guitar? Well, maybe the new Super XXY model will change for mind about XX for ever!" Then the formula starts with show and tell, followed by a demo of clean sounds playing funk riffs, and High Gain sounds playing hard rock riffs. They'll play the neck pickup,bridge pickup then the two pickups together, and finally the bridge pickup and play random lead lines, Power chords, or a heavy metal tune or two for variety. If it's a Strat, they'll demo the 5-way variants. What they rarely show or tell is the most important factor of every guitar sound -- what amp is driving what speaker? Thank you for doing so here. I can interpolate what a double-wound Humbucker is going to do when driven into overdrive, or how a Fender 60s standard will sound in the neck position using a good Solid State amp. I played jazz-blues with a great Ampex Solid State in the early 70s with a Les Paul Standard and a 1971 Strat that I bought brand new from Sam Ash with case for $300. What a beautiful guitar that was. It looked, sounded, and played like a dream. I sold it three years later, with the Les Paul and two Ampex 2 x 12, for $1500 to fund my new life in LA. That changed my life and gave me wings, but I still with I had those those instruments! I've never been able to replace them, especially the Strat which was not "pre-CBS", but just a high quality Corona, California product. Thanks Leo. And thank you for this channel, Man. As a former player, and a trained EE, you speak my languages. As a tech, you've been filling the gaps of my experience and education. -kwgm
Thanks for the great breakdown, Lyle! I can personally recommend the Vox MV Clean. It has the size of a pedal, 50watts at 4 ohm and is the perfect pedal platform with massive headroom yet tubelike dynamics for less than 200 bucks. If that sound really is due to the so called "nutube" is another question. Maybe you can share your opinion on those nutubes one day, as I myself am interested in the potential durability. Oh and via a single small jumper wire on the board you have a brighter voicing which is closer to fender cleans. Also it has an attenuator and a "deep" switch to accommodate for a smaller cabinet. The switches a flimsy, though. Greetings from Germany
Good point, would love to hear his views on these as well. I’d imagine the assembly is pretty cheap but they’re also cheap enough to buy a whole new one if it fails.
I bought an Orange CR60 used for I think $350 a few years ago. It had a couple nicks and stains but it's an excellent solid state workhorse that sounds pretty darn close to tubes. I highly recommend that amp to players who want a low-maintenance gigging amp
I was told by a gigging musician that a pro for the modelling amps is consistency under fluctuating power supplies. He said that he was playing a gig in a pub (tube amp), any time someone played one of the slot machines the sound would change. The sound of the tube amps would change from gig to gig, his katana would sound the same wherever he played (and he didn't break his back carrying a tube amp and cab up and down stairs. In an emergency it's usually easier to grab a new Katana than your tube amp of choice.
I also play mainly modeling amps in bars (where a tube amp’s potentially superior tone is drowned out by background noise anyway). In addition to the reasons you mentioned, I’ll add that I was able to buy my Katana used for $150. I can take it to any gig knowing that if it gets stolen or somebody spills a beer on it, I can just buy another one for close to what it costs just to retube some of my other amps.
Gday, great comment re: variable power supply fluctuations. I gig on Rote Island , Indonesia. PLN , the power supply mob, are experts at power voltage variance, surges and blowing up all kinds of electrical equipment. I need an amp that can handle that problem , cheers .
@@PulauSwan Do you have an anti-surge extension lead? I have one that I connect my computer to. It's supposed to protect against lightning strikes on the power grid. It may help you with PLN 'your stable power suppliers' ☹.
if you use pedals the Marshall DSL 40 is not for you. I've tried several times to make the Marshall work with pedals and it always sounds terrible. The circuit is a lone wolf.
As a bass player, I've given up on buying new amps. Everything seems expensive and fragile, so I found 2 cheap old solid state heads, a Marlboro and a Musicman. Took them to get inspected and cleaned and now I have a versatile and powerful pedal platform rig that cost me like 300 dollars, repairs included.
I would have guessed that solid state amps would have greater reliability than tube amps. Are the boards on these solid state amps really that shitty that they would fail after a couple of years? That doesn't match the reliability cycle of a comparable solid state device like a laptop computer.
I wish I wouldn't have sold my DSL40C. The CRs are almost $1100 now...more than twice what I paid for mine brand new. This is the BEST amp review I have ever seen. Viewed, liked, subscribed, and I'm yours (a little Stevie Wonder parody reference)!
Who cares if the Katana is not repairable? Buying another one is cheaper than buying good tubes into a tube amp and/or paying the technician's bill. Lol.
Excellent breakdown with a lot of factors most of us would never consider when looking at an amp, especially from the second hand market. Thanks for the time and effort you put into this presentation.
Hey man, just wanted to thank you for this content. I appreciate your rational and empirical approach to laying out the facts and your observations. Amps are also clearly a passion of yours, and I'd like to sincerely thank you for sharing some of that passion with us. Subscribed!
Lyle, long time, no see. It's good to hear your calming voice . Can I ask you to look at the Bugera v22 ad infinitum? Not review, but they seem too good to be true -- real components, but I'm not sure how they're hooked up. They also have a 50 watt version. Let me tell you this about me. I'll be 70 next year, and if I spend $400 to recap and replace, and rebias for 20 years of life.... they're gonna have to recap a few of my tone caps. By the way, I'm relearning to play longue jazz that reminds me of my late father, and rock and roll with blues. I dislike the sound of MOSFET distortion (clipping). I'm old, but I ain't dead yet. Country/Western? maybe not. I'm looking at the Mesa Boogie -- what a fuckin' rats nest! We had computer software that rerouted wiring in those days. Why didn't they use it? Anyway, any experience with the Bugera v22 ad infinitum? How about his big brother? Ciao, friend. You're a more patient man -- more than I can be and hang on to it for as long as you can. Be kind to your loved ones, and pay your taxes. There, that's all the advice I can offer. God bless you. Best withes from Longmont, Colorado. 😉🇺🇲🇺🇦🙏🏼👍🏼✌🏼
I enjoyed this video so much that I went to my local independent music store and bought the Boss Katana MKll 50...I'm beyond satisfied with the tones I get from it. I trust and respect your opinions. I would love to see a video on "Tube Amps At or Under $1000". Or $1200.
Stage Right makes a 5 watt x 8" Celestion speaker with a 8/16 ohm speaker output jack on the back. It has a volume and a tone knob and a push button for the full 5 watts and then 1 watt and has white Tolex and a leather handle. It uses a 6V6GT power tube and a 12AX7 preamp tube. I bought my first one in December 2021 for $119 and then purchased a second one in February 2022 also for $119. They go on sale from $109 to about $175 (today's price May 5, 2022). They are good sounding amps and because it has the 8/16 speaker output jack I connect to two Marshall Origin 412 cabs at 16 ohms each for a total impedance load of 8 ohms and when I do that I only need to set the volume at 1/2 and that covers all my normal living room studio playing. Of course I can push the volume higher and achieve much more volume and a more distorted tone any time I want. But for my day to day playing I prefer loud enough clean tones and this amp delivers. Go ahead and find another 6V6 combo amp for anything near this price, you wont. The 6V6 power tube is now my preferred tone, replacing 6L6 (5881) which has always been my preferred tone since the mid 1990's. I use these Stage Right 5 watt 6V6 tube amps every day and now all my other 18 tube amps just collect dust. True the 5 watt Stage Right is not a stage amp unless connected to a full Marshall Stack or a P.A. System. But realistically I don't perform on stage nor do I perform in clubs, so I am very happy with these "loud enough" great sounding 5 watt Stage Right 6V6 tube amps. - Peter age 72.
FANTASTIC... THIS is what i've been waiting for. Brilliant topic. This is the conversation i have with myself before i buy ANYTHING. This is the best video i've seen it a LONG TIME.... Well played sir.
Great information. Thanks! …..I’m wondering about how the new cheaper Stage Right tube amps would stack up on your list. I bought one for my airplane hangar as a knock around practice amp and so far I’m pretty impressed with its performance. I’m more curious to know if a brand new Fender amp like a Twin Reverb still has the built quality that they’ve had in the past.
I have a Bugera V22, V55, and a 6262. I absolutely love them. Mine are the later Infinium versions. I think the issues were more with the runs prior to the Infinium stuff. I love mine.
Surface mount are just as easy to repair as thru holes or turret mount ! It's just it require different skills/equipments. Kinda tired to ear old guys lacking proper skills claiming it's impractical if not impossible. And tired then to ear all the yougsee's repeating those nonsenses ad'noseam. Stop complaining, move your ass up and learn the new skills.
I was in the market for a small home use tube amp so i bought a 1978 silverface fender champ, paid 575 for it. I figured it was the best choice , i know it can be maintained easily when something goes wrong.
Looking forward to the next round, just got a good deal on a vht d-50. Quite versatile for the price and looks more amp tech friendly than that last vht I saw you work on.
Buy another after 5 years burn out? I am over 70. Trying to live off social security. The Jews at Celsius stole my life savings. Inflation has made me have to stop buying medicine. Food is expensive and going up. I cook at home. I will play music until I die.
I love my Vox AC-15. Extremely pleased, I've had it for years. The tone I can dial in is so lux, the break-up is just terrific. I am so grateful that the shop guy back in the day basically pointed at it and said, "You'd be hard pressed to do better for what you want to do." He was right.
they did a blind fold contest on Andertons and it was a Vox that won and the comments agreed. But the dashboard is from 2016 so not as hot selling as Boss.
Wonderful idea for a series! My I suggest something as well on PCB vs. Handwired and the mythology in each and the tradeoffs as far as serviceability vs. consistency and perhaps good examples of more PCB oriented amplifiers?
I've relied on Peavey Classic amps as my go-to gigging amp for 20 years now, had both of mine serviced over the past couple of years, no issues came up with parts availability as of yet...but it's interesting to see a tech's perspective on what the future might look like for my dear old Classic amps. Been GASing for a DSL40C after I got a DSL5 and it suddenly became my favorite amp ever. There are currently a couple used available in my area...
I got my Peavey Classic 50 212 in Black Tweed a couple years ago from Market Place for $300. Early 90's Model, and its my favorite amp that I've owned. Up to the point of finding the listing and then looking up RUclips videos on the Classic 50, I thought no way I would ever own a Peavey as the other models as they often looked cheap. It was always Marshall or Fender.
Very enjoyable video. It's always good to hear the opinions of someone who really knows what he's talking about. I like your repair videos but I would like to see more like this one.
I’ve used a Marshall DSL40C for nearly 5 years now, and the only pitfall I can say is that the stock speaker does not do this amp justice. Chuck in a Vintage 30 or Greenback and it becomes a budget goddess!
Speaker preference, is like with tubes. Everyone has a favorite. I tried that Celestion V-type, but didn't care much for it either. I tried V-30's, and switched to Greenback heritage's. I'm a greenback fan.
I’m happy videos like these are popping! The younger generation that are looking to start a band will really appreciate this!! 10-5yrs ago, videos like this did not exist! I had to jam with MANY people and try many amps (invested WAY too much time) just to see what I preferred best! Excited to see more videos from you!
This was a good listen I'm not a tech just a player so it was interesting to hear your considerations. Looking forward to the next few parts in the series 😀 I've got a few Mesa amps so I'm interested to see if one makes it on your list and what a tech thinks of something like a Tc-50 or a mark V 25 etc.
I've had many ,many amps. Unfortunately, I'm an older man. I'm living in a condo, which is a problem because I wish to only play thru a tube amp. The warmth and overall sound of a tube amp is unbeatable, in my humble 45 years of playing. When I saw that the Marshall DSL line came out with a 1 watt tube amp, with a selector to bring it down to a quarter amp, my jaw dropped. I drop what I was doing and went to my local Sam Ash, great store by the way. They had only one and it was a floor model. I did want one out of the box, so I paid full price for the demo, with the understanding that I would return it when they get more in. Well this was during the shipping problems. It took 7 months for my new Marshall to come in. They called, I dropped off the used one and now have a brand new head. So I bought the 2×12 slanted cab. I have to tell you I couldn't be happier. And the funny thing is the amps price went up 100 bucks while I was waiting for the new one. Ofcourse I didn't have to pay the difference, because I bought it before the price increase. 1 watt doesn't sound like it would be loud, believe me, it is. I put it on a quarter setting and it still is loud. But I can dail in the best distortion, and not bother anyone in my condo. I would recommend it for the guitars that need a quality sounding tube amp that won't bother your neighbors. I run a PRSse custom. The hunt is over. Couldn't be any happier.
Can confirm it's a killer amp. I live in an apartment so playing with a large tube amp is out of the question and also out my student budget. I also have to move to my dorms later this year to start my masters. This amp is a godsend. I knew pretty early that I need the Marshall sound. There's nothing like that low end, Beautiful mid range and the high end roar when you hit the strings with your pick. I'm so glad they made the 1 watt version. I've used this amp at 4 am without waking up anyone in my family, it can be super quiet. Don't be fooled by the low wattage, this thing can roar. My 20 watt solid state has nothing on my little marshall. Couldn't be happier.
@@cheenu711 Mr. Kshitij Tiwari, Good Sir. Isn't it unbelievable that you can get that holesome Marshall goodness from 1watt. I love it. Where I'm at it's 5 in the morning, and I'm going to fire it up now. PEACE stay safe
@@robertwillett4122 true. You can't help but smile every morning when you can plug into a marshall without your parents kicking you out of your house and get that iconic sound, tubes and all.
Since the need to put money into a used Fender Hot Rod Deluxe or Blues Jr raises the price over $500, in your opinion, are the new version IV models worth it? Has Fender fixed and of the cap and power supply issues in the newer models? Thanks for such a great gear review. I have liked and subbed.
Picked up a Bugera V55 HD with a 1x15 cab for $300 and it’s been ABSOLUTELY KILLER! I’ve had an Ac 15, HR Deluxe and many more and this takes pedals better as well as having one of the nicest master volumes I’ve heard. Killer deals on the Bugera stuff for sure
This is a great series, thank you for producing it!! I'm looking forward to your next video! I have a used Hot Rod Deluxe (Its on the bench now for caps, someone reworked the low voltage section as it was overheated) Wish I had of done more research before I purchased that one!!! I got it locally for $200 so I am not too upset. Cosmetically it looks almost new. I have a Marshall DSL40cr that I got new, its awesome! It has become my favorite amp. Ive got a Katana 100 ii, I don't play it much. I find it not exciting. I also have an Orange CR120 2x12, I really like it. Not sure why you didn't include it in your list. Perhaps because it has a different sound, one you like or else don't like. I also have a Sweetwater exclusive Princeton Reverb. I like it a lot too! I wish it was a handwired one but I didn't want to speed that kind of money when I got it.
@@PsionicAudio That sounds like a good thing. I have a 60 watt Roland Blues Cube and at half the weight of my 30 watt Genz Benz, it was my main amp until I went to a floor processor and powered speaker. Never a hiccup from it.
I really appreciate that you added the Katana and the Catalyst to the mix. I would argue though that they are nowhere near as prone to failures as traditional amps. I think the biggest issue is with issues from production. You may get one that doesn't work out of the box. No problem, return it. But those that do work last quite a long time. I have a Behringer VAmp Pro that is about 15 years old. That thing still works and it was very cheap compared to a real amp. As with valve amps, take care of your gear and it will last. But there's another thing that is sort of in the favour of modelling amps. If it does break, replacing it is an upgrade. You can get a newer unit, with better modelling, better effects, better everything. So it's not quite as devastating as with a total loss of a valve amp. You don't have to go and find the exact same model otherwise it's a deal breaker. But yeah. Ultimately, everyone has to decide what works better for them.
I bought a new Ac15c1 about 3 years ago, played it hard and loud. Still on the original tubes at this point and it does take careful eq using pedals but you can get a monster high gain sound if you want to. No repairs or reliability issues so far playing regularly.
I’ve always had good luck with blackstars, my ht 60 soloist I’ve had for 8 years played dozens of shows and only needed service once(tubes and fuse). I’ve owned a dsl40c and got rid of it, sounded alright but didn’t have the same range of tones. For someone looking for an amp to do it all on a budget I’d recommend albeit a lot of people could get one of these cleaner amps and a couple good overdrive pedals to match a similar sonic range
I have a Blackstar HT40 Kentucky Special and it’s great with great tone and I’ve had no issues. I had a Marshall DSL40CR and my Blackstar was much better in tone, so I sold the Marshall.
Excellent video! Refreshing to hear an alternate perspective on gear. Might be something for a future episode in a more expensive category, but the rig I've used for the last 3 years is a Helix into an Orange Pedal Baby and Hughes and Kettner 2x12 cab on it's side. It's very compact, insanely loud and covers any style I want. Though, like you mentioned about power, the Line 6 suffered from an internal power unit that went bad that I had to get fixed out of warranty. Always worth carrying something like a cheap Boss DS1 to get you out of a pinch!
This is an excellent summary! In particular the pro's and con's of tube amps were very good. I am an electrical engineer and have build a couple of amps myself, trying to get the ultimate jazz sound out of my archtop. The more I learned what sound I want and how to get there, the less I was interested in tubes. The first reason was, that there are a zillion different transistors out there and if you know what you are after, you can design circuits that give you exactly the transfer function, that you are after. With tubes you will spend a lot of time to deal with their limitations and physical properties, which you will have to fight, compensate - or use to your benefit. Meanwhile I also learned more and more about how to use effects to push the tone towards my preferences. Earlier on I did not want to use pedals, because it was not "pure guitar playing" and because Joe Pass did not use them, I did not want to use them either. But when I learned what you can do with a good delay-pedal I completely changed my mind. After all, amps are just a means to realize a musical idea. Having said that - driving an oldtimer from the seventies can be so much more fun than driving a modern car. It is not all a totally rational affair ...
I've never owned a tube amp but my only problem is I play blues and I can't get much sustain out of a solid state amp. I need to get something better but I'm not sure what yet.
@@mr.d.572 Now, this is an area where the tubes do have a slight advantage, for the reasons that are explained in the video. The problem is that the strings of a guitar have to dissipate energy. They ring out over time, which means that the signal from the pickups gets weaker as the amplitude of the oscillating string diminishes. Guitar amps help with that if you overdrive them and push the volume up: Once you have plucked the string the signal is initially relatively strong and overdrives the amp, which means that the clipping of the signal cuts off the high peaks and keeps the volume to a maximum level. In this phase the guitar sounds rather colorful because clipping the signal introduces a lot of harmonics. As the signal gets weaker the amplitude remains roughly the same, but the signal looks more and more like a sine wave. You hear that as a constantly changing tone from rough to warm. Tube amps have a rather smooth transition curve from overdrive to clean, which is why many people like them. However, today you can work with pedals to get a better sustain, you could for example try to work with a compressor pedal. Here is a list: rockguitaruniverse.com/guitar-sustain-pedals/
Overall, your 4 finalists do seem like very solid recommendations. However, I disagree with you slightly about Peavey. While they do indeed seem to be falling apart as a company, and Peavey tube amps do have some serious circuit flaws and repairability issues (starting with those folded PCBs), I think their analog solid state amps like the Bandit on the whole are a completely different story. Peavey solid state amps tend to be extremely well made for the price, and while they may not be quite as good as when they were made in the USA, they’re still better than most others, and contrary to what you stated, they do NOT use a lot of proprietary components. If you look at their circuits, you’ll find that almost ALL of the components are off-the-shelf components that have been time proven, like the TI 4558, 4560, or 4580 op-amps, and discrete NPN-type power transistors that are VERY readily available. They’re also socketed and typically easily replaceable without even soldering, so even if Peavey goes out of business, you should have no problem finding most of the parts from other sources. Bottom line: Peavey analog solid state amps are likely to be FAR more serviceable than things like the Fender Champion 40, with its proprietary DSP package, let alone the Boss Katana or the Line 6 Catalyst, where you’re basically out of luck if ANYTHING breaks, and even if component failure doesn’t kill it, planned obsolescence will in 5 years time, when the product reaches its EOL and the firmware updates cease, or you find that the software patches won’t work with the latest operating systems. For these reasons, I’d STILL take a Peavey Bandit for longevity and serviceability over a Boss Katana or Line 6 Catalyst any day.
Good thoughts. I'm not a techie so I don't understand that part, but I have a Peavey Bandit 112, a USA one, and it's quite a good amp even though it's starting to fail. Easily the best solid state amp I've ever had. My main issue with it though is that I don't get a lot of sustain from it so that's why I'm looking for a tube amp of some sort to replace it. Can't play loud though because I'm in an apartment. Not sure what to get. I tried a Boss Katana in the store and was less than impressed with the sound. Plus the idea of having to hook up an amp to a computer and then realize that all of that software is going to be outdated in a few years, does not thrill me.
As far as proprietary parts go I was thinking of the Classic series. Chock full of them. I've not had any of the modern SS Peaveys on my bench, so I can neither warn nor recommend. I'll try to be more clear in the next video that aside from addressing the room elephants like Katanas and Tone Masters, all my recommendations and all my warnings come from amps I have real experience of. So the list won't be exhaustive or wholly comprehensive. Can't be - one man cannot know every amp ever on the market. Note that I don't say "best amps" or similar. I just say "amps under X price - a tech's perspective." The focus of my business, and hence the channel, is tube amps. Both because they are my preference and because a lot of SS amps have a used value lower than the cost of repair (or my bench fee). If a modern Peavey Bandit comes in it will be treated just the same as a vintage tube amp. If it is worth repairing, I'll do it well. My preferences don't affect my work. At which point I'll have a real opinion about the Bandit. When I get through the next few big videos taking them up to $2K and over, I may do a Pawnshop Finds video and/or a low volume/home use video. Get some that fell through the cracks of the main video. For instance, the '52 Champion 600 I just restored wouldn't make any of the planned lists as it's too low in output to use for guitar with a drummer. But for home use/recording it could be great. Same for a lot of good sounding low volume amps that didn't make this list.
Mr D I do have experience with '80s Bandits. When working correctly there would be no lack of sustain. But like any amp 40 years old, the old electrolytics are probably shot, which throws off everything else. It's fixable. It's just that if it takes 2-3 hours and $60 worth of parts that can exceed the value of the amp. Some clients have me do it anyway as they love the amp and even spending $250-300 on a "$100 amp" gives them a better amp than they could otherwise buy for that $300. That's all up to the owner. I try to let people know their options so they can make informed decisions.
@@PsionicAudio Thanks. Yes, it's a tough decision. I probably should have mentioned that the gain features don't work at all, I can only get clean sounds from it so I use pedals. I think at this point rather than getting it repaired I would just buy another one, as there are enough used ones out there that apparently are still working perfectly. Right now though I'd rather find something different, better for the blues tones I'm after.
@@mr.d.572 Check out Shane’s videos on the Peavey Bandit on his RUclips channel “intheblues.” He seems to think the Bandit is PERFECT for the blues! He has vlogged extensively on them by now, and reviewed several different generations and speakers in them. If I remember right, he liked the “red stripe” one best, but found that virtually all of them are excellent, with only minor differences in tone that can be changed through things like EQ or changing out the speaker.
Thanks for the tech insights. I'm not an amp tech, just a player with enough tech knowledge to repair/build my own amps and effects. I own an older red stripe Peavey Bandit, and while it does not sound as good as my hand built tube amp, it's still pretty damn good. Especially for the price: used they go around 150-200USD where I live, the new Bandit is 500USD new on Sweetwater. I've of course opened up mine to take a look, but honestly I don't really see any specialized parts in it. Maybe the transformer, the switches in the preamp and the IC that does the channel/fx loop switching. Otherwise pretty generic stuff all over the boards. Since the schematic is available online, even those specialized parts can be replaced with some creativity if needed, even though I have to admit not as easily, as in a Blues Junior (an amp that I had the luck to repair too). So I would be curious why you wouldn't recommend them? As I said: I don't know the newest version, but the red stripe version seems to be a good middle ground between the modellers and the tube amps you mentioned. Not as limited and prone as tube amps and not as plasticy and artificial in sound as the modellers. Thanks!
I’ve had all the fenders here and the Vox. Just tone wise, the blues jr was actually my favorite, and it’s the only one I’ve kept and has thus far given me no problems, I’m probably lucky, but it’s all subjective. Got a couple of Mesas in the stable, but really looking for a Vibrolux and 90s UK AC30 with Alnico Blues to round things out. Then I’ll probably sell the Blues Jr, but that little guy is really fun.
I've got SS amps that I bought 35 years ago that other than some recapping are still going strong. I have the first gen line 6 flex amp that nothing have been done to it and was heavily gigged and still sounds great. I think it all depends on how it's treated. BTW I have a marshall tube amplifier that sometimes plays an am Christian channel lol
You just won the prize... 'I think it depends on how it's treated'. That is the magic right there. I just bought a mid 80's Peavey Bandit a couple of weeks ago. Plays perfect, sounds perfect, no issues. Built like a brick outhouse, but not treated like one! This thing is a beauty. It was used, but not abused. Other than cleaning the pots, it needs nothing but love. I also have a Tech 21 Trademark 60 that I've owned and gigged with for a decade, but I'm not a hard player. Works perfect, sounds perfect, every time. The my real workhouse is a Behringer V-Amp Bass Pro rack. I've had that for a decade as well. I use it with a Behringer power amp and guess what? Never missed a beat. I use it for bass and guitar gigs, always works. But, I really look after my gear and don't push it to its limits....always leave headroom! Oh, another thing with modellers, use a power conditioner! They really like those.... Oh, and my old Marshall Bluesbreaker I used to have did the same kind of thing. hahahahaha
Like number 1000. Great job. Going through this right now with my 18 year old son, who is ready to upgrade from his little Mustang. Repairability; durability; sale-ability; and a good clean sound are what is important to "us". We have priced ourselves out of the local $500 market, but for a stroke of good luck.
No evidence, no sources, no backup intel... I'm awfully disappointed, because there's no way to check if what you say is true. "Trust me bro", I guess ?
true story. when i bought my dsl40 i was there to buy the blackstar. looked over in the corner, and there was a MARSHALL!!! Got it for the same price, but had to retube it 2days later. Did it myself and never looked back. great amp. my buddy got the blackstar and he doesnt listen so we will see....
@@carrielittlecplaster1620 you had retube it two days later , ouch that sucks. At least you knew she was good to go for a while from that day on. Honestly, I haven’t even played mine yet , I bought it used but I told my local store to plug er in and try it before they brought it to me and the young lad made a comment about how loud it was. Looking forward to plugging into it. I’ve been busy.
@@carrielittlecplaster1620 I saw this amp but in a five watt version and it was used as well and I was thinking I probably should of just got the five watt one , but these things pop up and you just never know.
I rcently purchases an AC30c1 because I think the 15 has a thinner less beefy sound. I found that the 30 needs to be turned up pretty loud to really get the benefit of the classic tone (which is very close). It also is still a heavy amp. I think I may opt to get an AC10C1, which from the reviews I have watched seems to have tonal qualities closer to the 30. I also don't need to be able to play over a drummer, so if the 10 watts isn't real loud, I'm ok with that. Are you familiar with the AC10, and if so, do you have an opinion about them?
W/ a personality to mach his astounding expertise at very detailed information that we all want more of. This is golden and he's just raised the bar for these web tech. Yep. Whole next level, thank you sir, please continue.
Finally, something like "Consumer Reports" for amps. Nice to see someone delve into the engineering and construction, bypassing the layers of marketing, five star Sweetwater reviews, and fanboy RUclips videos. Well done. I'm really looking forward to seeing where this goes.
And it's crazy the way the fan boys get triggered by these types of videos.
Calling actual experienced highly skilled techs haters and calling them liars because i have x amp and it's amazing sounding and have no quality issues .
Bro, it's a VIDEO not a podcast nor a Power Point.
Last year, I picked up a used good condition DSL40CR for $360, then got the 6 button footswitch for $80. $440 cash all in. It's a amazingly versatile amp that could handle just about any gig I might want to play. The newer CR version plus the 6 button fsw really takes it to the next, you can switch between all 4 "channels" (clean, od, crunch, distortion) with 2 master volumes to level out the volume difference between them. Plus switch on off the fx loop. Definitely the winner of the under $500 camp for me!
Wait until the cheap board starts leaking voltage......oh, and are you a body builder?
@@gingercat777 I don't find the DSL40 that heavy, but then again my other amps are a 67 Super Reverb, 74 Deluxe Reverb, and 4x10 bass cab and head. So I guess I am a body builder. For $360, I wasn't expecting a faultless amp, but I don't know of anything better at that price.
50+ lbs
I'm commenting as an owner of an older HRD II, the VOX AC15 and the DSL40C. The HRD is the oldest amp. It did fail in the exact same way mentioned in this video, and as a tech myself I replaced the caps that leaked, and noticed burn marks on the PCB so I replaced the high power resistors with other ones and moved them away from the board. The repair cost me less than €5, and I do not know the hourly rates there but it took me total of 1 hour to repair including dismantling, diagnosis, assembly and testing. The other amps never failed.
One important point (but this is subjective) is that the AC15 has a great speaker. The speakers found in the DSL and the HRD (excluding some limited editions which have some nice speakers) sound mediocre at best. Once these speakers are replaced with something better, the amps really match the AC15 in terms of tone (of course they do not sound the same, but equally as good).
Another point of view that might not be significant to a lot of people is the circuit of these amps. All these amps have some solid state stuff inside. The rectifier is of course solid state for all these 3 amps, but this is normal in tube amps. Also, there are some auxiliary stuff that use SS switching, SS buffering of the effects loop (DSL and HRD) and SS buffering of the spring reverb (HRD and AC15, while the DSL has a digital unit). But the thing that bothers me most is that the AC15 has some SS in the clean path of the sound, in the preamp section. There are enough tubes to avoid these if using relays (like the DSL) but it is a pity they chose not to. It might have removed the 2 inputs and have 1 input that is channel switching between normal and top boost. I am not a tube snob, I discovered this because the amp did not 'feel' right and I looked for the schematic to try to identify any issues. With a very similar arrangement (having tubes but there is also a SS stage in the preamp) I have a Fender Vaporizer. It has limited uses due to it having only 3 knobs, but I like the amps it's a cool little thing and at €175 new it has also a spring reverb (unlike the DSL).
Finally, my personal opinion, if I were to keep only one I'd keep the HRD. I like it's sound the best. For 10 years plus it had only 1 failure. But I'd agree the Vox has it's own sound. If you want that sound you have to go that way. The DSL is really versatile amp with good cleans fantastic crunch and some good metal tones (particularly with an overdrive and maybe a Vintage 30). The HRD overdrive channel is practically useless. But the cleans of this amp are really nice, and while all 3 amps take pedals really well, this would be my choice for a pedal platform amp.
The HRD takes 2-3 hours to repair typically. It often also has issues in the PI and the screen grid resistors are prone to failure. And pot/jack solder joints.
New filter caps and needed parts can be $60-90 depending on the model of Blues or Hot Rod when you factor in shipping.
I agree on the speakers.
The Vox AC15/30 Custom circuit uses very high quality opamps with a high bipolar supply. It provides channel mixing, loop buffering (on the 30), and reverb send/return/mixing.
The issue is they didn't make it truly unity gain. When I get one on the bench for my mods I change four resistors to put the SS portion of the circuit to true unity gain. At which point it is transparent.
The stock amp still sounds quite good, but it has an unintentional (?) gain stage between the channel outs and the phase inverter, so the amp overall has a bit more gain than a "real" Vox.
But the opamp circuitry doesn't clip. It causes a bit not clipping in the PI tube.
I could easily bypass all the opamp/SS circuitry in one and give the owner an all tube signal path, if they are ok with giving up reverb and the loop.
But I have done that and compared it to the corrected unity gain opamp path (lots of wires and switches up in the air) and there was no audible difference (or difference in feel).
The corrected unity gain opamp circuit is my preference on these.
But stock still sounds quite good.
@@PsionicAudio I'm not claiming that the 'feel' issue comes from the SS stuff, but I was having that issue and noticed the SS stuff.
also, like most budget tube amps, there are going to be SS stuff in order to be able to ship it cheaper. These include SS spring reverbs and SS effects loop. All the amps here use these SS bits.
And I agree that they do sound good stock. Particularly with the Greenback, against the speakers found in the HRD and DSL. but I hate the way they market the amp. They should be more up-front with stuff like this. particularly when the amp is in the 'All-tube series' or what it's called.
Thank you! 🎸🎸 One of the best videos that I have watch in a long time. 👍👍
Every time I think I've got my decision finally made I get new information that throws me back to square one. At this point it's just as likely I go back to not playing guitar for 7 years than buy any of the amps I set out to buy and yet, to what I've been playing through (an acoustic amp that's essentially just a PA and a pedal meant to approximate playing through an amp meant for electric guitar) ANY of these would be an improvement - hell, the lowliest Fender 25 watt modeling amp would be an improvement yet I am so paralyzed with hidden cons, that I am hesitant to do anything.
The pros mean something does what it's advertised to do, the cons are seemingly endless and often hidden behind layers of obfuscation - both intentional and unintentional.
"500 dollars is not as much money as many of us think it is" - I understand what your point was in saying this, and I agree with it - but for me specifically, it is a lot of money. I wasn't playing through a PA speaker for years because I liked it.
For me its the AC15 or the Fender amps. I own a AC15 and love it. Also a Princeton. I've owned Line 6 amps ( DT25, Vetta II, POD HD 500) and the planned obsolescence is obvious. The Catalyst is just Line 6 recycling the Helix stuff into a box and saying it is "new". They did this way back with the Flextone. If you want to buy a modeler worth your time save your money go Kemper or Fractal.
Great video, love your down to earth opinions.
Up here in Canada, Traynor amps. ( such as YGL1 ). Tube, made in Canada, super reliable. ( used under $500US ). Love your videos, well done.
Totally agree. Traynor makes good, robust, realiable stuff, that is made in Canada (Go Winnipeg!)
Traynor is totally under rated, and goes for really, really cheap (almost criminally so) on the used market.
The YGL1 is an excellent example. Love that amp.
Traynors can be great. I admit this video is a bit US-centric. Traynors aren't as common here, and while many models are great, some are real turds.
If someone hired me to find the best amp under $500 I could find something maybe better than what made the list here - and it might be a Traynor - but I know what to look for.
That would have been outside of the scope of this video.
I'd argue that in the US, Traynor amps _used_ to be underrated. I've watched prices creep up at least 50% on most models over the last 3 years or so. Also, gotta remember anything vintage very likely needs a cap job and possibly tubes.
I’ve owned a handful of these and quite impressed by your analysis. I’m currently playing a SuperSonic 22.
My lower priced preference is the AC15. It has a very balanced and predictable sound.
I have a beat up HTClub 40 that I got as a throw in on an SG deal. Solid sounding amp and versatile. The newer model is certainly an upgrade, and beats my former Blues Jr in all categories.
Thank you , Lyle, this was fascinating and I look forward to the follow-ups. I also live in hope that I will one day have enough a) money and b) talent to be able to explore these options and those yet to come 😊
I have an older crate V32 palomino, thought about putting in a fan bc it runs so hot that even the top mounted controls heat up in longer sessions.
Read some reviews on my amp and ppl suggested to put in a pc fan. Got it to sound very Santana-ish and it’s too good to pass on it considering equal products at astonishing prices…
Wow, just had the all the air taken out of my balloon! I recently bought a Blues Junior lV off Craigslist. I thought it was a bulletproof 15 watt amp. To hear it made the worst amp on the list is heartbreaking! Glad to know I can expect issues in the near future - I’ll be prepared and won’t be that disappointed. Thanks for your professional experiences with these amps.
Chris
Found that because of not so stiff power supply tube can often hit 10db picks above rated value and sound good . SS can not do that . Enjoyed the video very informative for the rank and fill .
Excellent analysis. Limited repair vs repairable 🤯
Surprised the (early run) VHT Special 6 and Special 6 Ultra didn't make it. Ultra head and 1 x12 cabinet can occasionally be had for $500 and just under. Perhaps thinking it's good is just wishful thinking on my part but it certainly is easy to work on.
Still think a Teal Bandit is a good option in the disposable category over a modeler (if you can find one with original speaker, footpedal and input jacks that function). Decent clean pedal platform and raunchy metal tones. No filling rattling digital artifacts. I do agree that the AC15 is the best sounding on the list. Also the heaviest if memory serves. Thanks for the video!
Oh and I look forward to the future episodes.
Love this! You seem to have reviewed very positively also an Orange Rocker 32 and a Jet City 20 that were on your bench. I know it's a lot of amps to keep track of. Thanks!
That Orange model is ok but I wouldn't seek it out. The Jet City 20 can be good but some of them have had dead power transformers due to loose switches and lamp connections touching things they shouldn't. So I can't recommend them in general.
@@PsionicAudio I see. Thanks!
Really enjoy these type of videos. I’d be interested in seeing a dive in the supro amps. I have a supro Coronado which sounds great but I tend not to use it as often as my other amp
Got myself the Marshall DSL 40 CR after seeing this, thank you very much for making this. I can however say the input/output cabling on the DSL seems to be a weak point (he sockets or cables tend to break). I had mine loose on the mainboard (it seems they are not glued) and found some posts about it on forums as well. But it’s an easy fix at least.
Yeah, remember that even the “winners” here are made to a price point.
@@PsionicAudio You are right. Still, great bang for the buck. Thank you again for the in depth and objective review, would have never considered the Marshall before.
I thought "No way Lyle is glossing over classic 50's" for quite a few years considered one of the best sleeper amps out there. His explanation as to why is viable. I have had my 4x10 open a 1/2 dozen times this year and the head is awaiting caps now.
Mike hermantraut talking about amps
might be a bit hard to find in America but the old Laney LC30 is a great affordable amp, that can also be upgraded quite easily.
I've had those on my bench. Not a fan of the quality or circuit.
SMD is easy tho, but I guess if your not used to hot guns and microscopes it can be “unrepairable” but as a former computer repairman I can fix anything. Nothing is worth wasting my time on now or even then is the heck of it.
For professional musicians, just about any amp is almost a bad choice at this point with the ultra rugged, super easy to use, better than tube tone and most importantly flexible and repeatable digital modelers available…. For recording in the studio maybe I’d go with a vintage tube amp that has some special mojo, but for live gigs I think the only realistic option is digital at this point… Will they go obsolete in a few years yep, will replacement tubes be available in a few years, who knows, and when a 12ax7 hits 350 bucks each not sure I’ll be in that market… With the current state of the world I think a modeling amp is becoming a wiser and wiser choice, and like stated they have no resale valve which means you don’t have to fix it when you can find another one dirt cheap, so repairable becomes totally meaningless… Perhaps some enterprising folks will invest some millions in a new tube factory to help with demand, but I’m doubtful that once they become super rare here in the next couple months that a reliable stock will ever return…
If we lived in a true, market-driven capitalist economy, there would be American or European factories making tubes long before they hit that price point.
30+ years ago, I read about "nanotubes" - I think IBM developed the technology. There are some companies using nanotubes now, mostly in pedals. I suspect manufacturers are feverishly working to make them practical in tube amps. That would be fantastic, IMO. Imagine your favorite tube amp in a pedal-sized enclosure with the ability to select how many of the nanotubes you want to be active or with Morgan Amps' power scaling feature. Less energy, less waste heat, same glorious tube tone...
@@mikeaustin4138 it’s hard to know for sure where it’s going to end up, there’s a reasonable quantity of new old stock tubes, but what’s likely to happen is the market will shrink low enough where a new factory won’t be economically viable, I’m fairly sure Fender and Marshall are working to phase out mass production units already… JJ is still making them and the Chinese so they won’t go away completely, but without doubt it’s going to be costly, it might not matter is a set of tubes goes up an extra $600 for the boutique builders, but I think this is definitely going to push any amps the are still being giged into storage… Hard to say though, how the market will react in the mid to long term…
@@mikeaustin4138 It took me a couple years to really learn how to use them, but the Kemper, Helix and Quad Cortex and AxeFx are easily able to reproduce bang on tube tone without the hassle, I’ve A/B’ed my tubes amps to dialed in settings and there’s no difference other than you don’t have to have the amp dimed out so volume is controllable… I would bet on those type of units getting cheaper and cheaper and easier to use… Most of the professional musicians in my area have already switched and aren’t using an amp at all, due to stage volume limits mostly… Large bands have also switched over completely, not only live but in the studio as well… Once fans fully understand that then the market will push towards what they use, especially if you can download your guitar heroes exact settings for a few bucks, ya know…
@@robertw1871
That would be awesome if the Kemper or Helix or any of those types of amps would go down in cost and ease of use. Quite frankly besides the cost I'm completely intimidated by them. I'm not very techie and I'm just used to plugging into pedals and an amp.
This is the most objective analysis I've seen on the pros and cons of buying an amp. While many reviewers focus only on tonal qualities or reputation, you've touched two of the most important considerations for those of us who gig in various conditions....reliability and "fixability". When you amp fails in the middle of a gig, all of the marketing propaganda quickly fades into the night. Looking forward to the next instalment in the series.
Excellent points. There seems to be a bit too much focus on reputation, both good and bad.
Enjoyed this very much. I am currently researching an amp in this catagory and found your points and insights very pursuasive.
As I mentioned above, TWO Katanas are priced below what many other amps cost for a single unit. They're light, consistent, and feature packed and can be cloned for redundancy. In case of failure? 30 second replacement on the road. Why guitarists overlook this utility is mystifying, other than they judge on cost alone, which is silly. A Katana in a live environment with tasteful patches is about as useful of a frontline amp as has ever been made.
@@swingset1969 Let’s see if you still think this in 5 years time, when the current generation of the Katana is likely to reach its EOL and the firmware updates then stop coming, and all the patches and the software for installing/writing/downloading them no longer work with the latest computer/smartphone/tablet operating systems! That’s my problem with it: Even if it doesn’t die from component failure, it’s likely to die from planned obsolescence, like so much other high tech stuff nowadays. As someone with a computer science degree, I’d much rather have an amp that is simple and highly serviceable in the long term than one that needs to be thrown out and replaced every 5-7 years or else see it gradually lose its original functionality. This is EXACTLY what has already happened to some modeling amps like the older generations of the Fender Mustang, for example, who can no longer download patches to their amps, and I happen to know some people who are NOT happy about it.
Looks like the perennial gadgeteer has @Craig Gibson by the short ones! Game Set Match...
I own a Hot Rod Deluxe with a damaged power cap. I'll be able to fix it only because you've shown me how. Thanks for your killer content.
Right on!
And you already know that capacitors can have lethal voltages in them?
(I'm not the tech guy who made the video and I don't actually know anything about fixing guitar amps!)
RIP
There's a reason they're called death caps. Be careful and make sure you know what you're doing.
It's easy, put a clip on a wire, and a wooden dowel on the other side, with a resistor in between. Attach the clip to a ground, and yes the dowel to touch the wire to the leads on everything in the unit. Only use one hand while reaching into a cab, so you don't lose track of your other hand
I own the Boss Katana Artist Series Mk2 and I love it, but this is an excellent video and I agree with near all the points. The Boss was excellent for my needs as a gigging musician/home recording artist, but hard to beat a good tube amp, but that being said for this price point, highly suggest giving the katana series a go. It's perfect for me.
This is a brilliant idea for a series. Really looking forward to where this goes.
Thank you!
Yes really a good idea !
Looking forward to part 2 too. This is awesome even though i got one of the Blackstar Ht40 amps . :D I still got a 50 watts Katana, Bassbreaker 007 head and a Engl Rockmaster 20 combo. So there will be always some amp to function ok i hope ;)
Agreed. yeah
Bought my AC15C1 a year ago after watching this video and have done a good bit of gigging with it since. After putting in some new tubes I couldn’t be happier with an amp under $500.
The worst part of amps that aren’t repairable is that they become landfill. And trust me, at some point our great grandchildren are going to be shaking their fists at us because we didn’t bother to make good purchasing decisions. I know most people don’t care about this. But absolutely they should. We ought to be adults not children pretending they don’t know, and not buy electronics that are manufactured to become landfill.
"This planet isn't going anywhere, we are." George Carlin
Blah blah blah
We won't be around that much longer, so no worries. The Biblical end times are unfolding before our eyes, but no one is paying attention. People are busy about worshipping the Creation rather than the Creator, in my opinion.
@@lukehelpmetakethisdangmaskoffamen. Soon every knee will bow and tongue confess Jesus is Lord.
@@phunkyjunkee ok whatever, crazy cultist.
As a guy who almost exclusively buys used and is interested in trying a lot of different amps and sounds in the studio, this video and hopefully the rest of this series is a real eye-opener. Detailed, clear, realistic, and helps temper expectations. Great video. I'm glad I watched so I can go into future purchases more prepared.
I've switched to playing quilters only. I used to use a Blues Jr, then a blues deluxe reverb, then a vox AC15, then a carvin - all tube. The quilter is like half the weight. And truly has a way better crystal clear scooped country-rock sound than almost any fender i've played.
Have you ever swapped the speaker in a fender? Besides the reissue stuff (excluding champs) they all kinda suck with speaker selection. A blues deluxe with a Swamp Thang, Cannabis Rex, or Creamback is a whole new world.
This is the most objective an informative episode I've seen. Lyle the quality of your videos and content has improved greatly over the last year. Keep doing what your doing. 👍
The Orange Crush 35RT is severely underrated. As a solid state I power it on more than my valve amps
The only thing bothering me and keeping me from getting one is the 10" speaker
Picked one up used for $150. Play my Mexican strat through it. Makes my single coil pickups rock!! Totally analog, simple to figure out the tones, hangs with a drum kit in terms of output. Killer!!
@@dimitris470that's why I bought the cr-60 and put in a greenback
@@dimitris470, I'm kinda in the same boat, I have a 10" amp and am kinda looking to pick up something with a 12" speaker... Orange should have an affordable Crush amp like the 35RT with a 12" .... but the effects loop really has me looking at the 35rt model... or possibly the Katana, or larger version of my Marshall MG30CFX... I want to use a Headrush MX5 in 4-cable method with a combo amp, and don't think a DSL40CR fits my current budget or needs.
Listened to the Orange 35RT recently in a store and almost snagged it that day.
Awesome engineering review. By that I mean a dispassionate assessment of pros and cons of features likely to be important (not frills) within an electronics product lifecycle framing. Delivered with balanced and precise reasoning. Thank you!!
Awesome. Was really wondering what amps pass your 'sniff test' in different genres.
EDIT: Hoping you can get to heads eventually as well.
I see so many geeks on their RUclips channels pedaling the latest Fender style with a lead-in line like "Do XX branded guitars are remind you of your middle school leased guitar? Well, maybe the new Super XXY model will change for mind about XX for ever!" Then the formula starts with show and tell, followed by a demo of clean sounds playing funk riffs, and High Gain sounds playing hard rock riffs. They'll play the neck pickup,bridge pickup then the two pickups together, and finally the bridge pickup and play random lead lines, Power chords, or a heavy metal tune or two for variety. If it's a Strat, they'll demo the 5-way variants.
What they rarely show or tell is the most important factor of every guitar sound -- what amp is driving what speaker?
Thank you for doing so here. I can interpolate what a double-wound Humbucker is going to do when driven into overdrive, or how a Fender 60s standard will sound in the neck position using a good Solid State amp. I played jazz-blues with a great Ampex Solid State in the early 70s with a Les Paul Standard and a 1971 Strat that I bought brand new from Sam Ash with case for $300. What a beautiful guitar that was. It looked, sounded, and played like a dream. I sold it three years later, with the Les Paul and two Ampex 2 x 12, for $1500 to fund my new life in LA. That changed my life and gave me wings, but I still with I had those those instruments! I've never been able to replace them, especially the Strat which was not "pre-CBS", but just a high quality Corona, California product. Thanks Leo.
And thank you for this channel, Man. As a former player, and a trained EE, you speak my languages. As a tech, you've been filling the gaps of my experience and education. -kwgm
Brilliant! Remove all the “mojo” talk and what you have is this; straight pros and cons. Can’t wait for the next >$1000 instalment.
Thanks for the great breakdown, Lyle!
I can personally recommend the Vox MV Clean. It has the size of a pedal, 50watts at 4 ohm and is the perfect pedal platform with massive headroom yet tubelike dynamics for less than 200 bucks. If that sound really is due to the so called "nutube" is another question. Maybe you can share your opinion on those nutubes one day, as I myself am interested in the potential durability. Oh and via a single small jumper wire on the board you have a brighter voicing which is closer to fender cleans. Also it has an attenuator and a "deep" switch to accommodate for a smaller cabinet. The switches a flimsy, though.
Greetings from Germany
Good point, would love to hear his views on these as well. I’d imagine the assembly is pretty cheap but they’re also cheap enough to buy a whole new one if it fails.
I bought an Orange CR60 used for I think $350 a few years ago. It had a couple nicks and stains but it's an excellent solid state workhorse that sounds pretty darn close to tubes. I highly recommend that amp to players who want a low-maintenance gigging amp
i see people reselling the mkII50 for 100 bucks on marketplace. Honestly its an amazing deal. I see mk100 for 150.
I was told by a gigging musician that a pro for the modelling amps is consistency under fluctuating power supplies. He said that he was playing a gig in a pub (tube amp), any time someone played one of the slot machines the sound would change. The sound of the tube amps would change from gig to gig, his katana would sound the same wherever he played (and he didn't break his back carrying a tube amp and cab up and down stairs. In an emergency it's usually easier to grab a new Katana than your tube amp of choice.
They make something called a voltage attenuators like brownbox which addresses the changes in voltages. Its crazy out there!
Power conditioners . . . no one should gig without power conditioners running all their gear.
I also play mainly modeling amps in bars (where a tube amp’s potentially superior tone is drowned out by background noise anyway). In addition to the reasons you mentioned, I’ll add that I was able to buy my Katana used for $150. I can take it to any gig knowing that if it gets stolen or somebody spills a beer on it, I can just buy another one for close to what it costs just to retube some of my other amps.
Gday, great comment re: variable power supply fluctuations. I gig on Rote Island , Indonesia. PLN , the power supply mob, are experts at power voltage variance, surges and blowing up all kinds of electrical equipment. I need an amp that can handle that problem , cheers .
@@PulauSwan Do you have an anti-surge extension lead? I have one that I connect my computer to. It's supposed to protect against lightning strikes on the power grid.
It may help you with PLN 'your stable power suppliers' ☹.
if you use pedals the Marshall DSL 40 is not for you. I've tried several times to make the Marshall work with pedals and it always sounds terrible. The circuit is a lone wolf.
As a bass player, I've given up on buying new amps. Everything seems expensive and fragile, so I found 2 cheap old solid state heads, a Marlboro and a Musicman. Took them to get inspected and cleaned and now I have a versatile and powerful pedal platform rig that cost me like 300 dollars, repairs included.
The 70s Carvin bass amps were brilliant
I would have guessed that solid state amps would have greater reliability than tube amps. Are the boards on these solid state amps really that shitty that they would fail after a couple of years? That doesn't match the reliability cycle of a comparable solid state device like a laptop computer.
I wish I wouldn't have sold my DSL40C. The CRs are almost $1100 now...more than twice what I paid for mine brand new. This is the BEST amp review I have ever seen. Viewed, liked, subscribed, and I'm yours (a little Stevie Wonder parody reference)!
Who cares if the Katana is not repairable? Buying another one is cheaper than buying good tubes into a tube amp and/or paying the technician's bill. Lol.
Excellent breakdown with a lot of factors most of us would never consider when looking at an amp, especially from the second hand market. Thanks for the time and effort you put into this presentation.
Hey man, just wanted to thank you for this content. I appreciate your rational and empirical approach to laying out the facts and your observations. Amps are also clearly a passion of yours, and I'd like to sincerely thank you for sharing some of that passion with us.
Subscribed!
Lyle, long time, no see. It's good to hear your calming voice .
Can I ask you to look at the Bugera v22 ad infinitum? Not review, but they seem too good to be true -- real components, but I'm not sure how they're hooked up. They also have a 50 watt version. Let me tell you this about me.
I'll be 70 next year, and if I spend $400 to recap and replace, and rebias for 20 years of life.... they're gonna have to recap a few of my tone caps. By the way, I'm relearning to play longue jazz that reminds me of my late father, and rock and roll with blues. I dislike the sound of MOSFET distortion (clipping). I'm old, but I ain't dead yet. Country/Western? maybe not.
I'm looking at the Mesa Boogie -- what a fuckin' rats nest! We had computer software that rerouted wiring in those days. Why didn't they use it?
Anyway, any experience with the Bugera v22 ad infinitum? How about his big brother?
Ciao, friend. You're a more patient man -- more than I can be and hang on to it for as long as you can. Be kind to your loved ones, and pay your taxes. There, that's all the advice I can offer. God bless you. Best withes from Longmont, Colorado. 😉🇺🇲🇺🇦🙏🏼👍🏼✌🏼
I enjoyed this video so much that I went to my local independent music store and bought the Boss Katana MKll 50...I'm beyond satisfied with the tones I get from it.
I trust and respect your opinions. I would love to see a video on "Tube Amps At or Under $1000". Or $1200.
Stage Right makes a 5 watt x 8" Celestion speaker with a 8/16 ohm speaker output jack on the back. It has a volume and a tone knob and a push button for the full 5 watts and then 1 watt and has white Tolex and a leather handle. It uses a 6V6GT power tube and a 12AX7 preamp tube. I bought my first one in December 2021 for $119 and then purchased a second one in February 2022 also for $119. They go on sale from $109 to about $175 (today's price May 5, 2022).
They are good sounding amps and because it has the 8/16 speaker output jack I connect to two Marshall Origin 412 cabs at 16 ohms each for a total impedance load of 8 ohms and when I do that I only need to set the volume at 1/2 and that covers all my normal living room studio playing. Of course I can push the volume higher and achieve much more volume and a more distorted tone any time I want. But for my day to day playing I prefer loud enough clean tones and this amp delivers.
Go ahead and find another 6V6 combo amp for anything near this price, you wont. The 6V6 power tube is now my preferred tone, replacing 6L6 (5881) which has always been my preferred tone since the mid 1990's.
I use these Stage Right 5 watt 6V6 tube amps every day and now all my other 18 tube amps just collect dust. True the 5 watt Stage Right is not a stage amp unless connected to a full Marshall Stack or a P.A. System. But realistically I don't perform on stage nor do I perform in clubs, so I am very happy with these "loud enough" great sounding 5 watt Stage Right 6V6 tube amps. - Peter age 72.
I just picked up a gently used Bugera Infinuim V22 for a little over $300 + shipping. Such a great little amp.
A year or two before pandemic Sweewater had Vox AC-15C1's (in blue tolex) for $350 on Black Friday and I didn't pounce. Sigh.
FANTASTIC... THIS is what i've been waiting for. Brilliant topic. This is the conversation i have with myself before i buy ANYTHING. This is the best video i've seen it a LONG TIME.... Well played sir.
Great information. Thanks! …..I’m wondering about how the new cheaper Stage Right tube amps would stack up on your list. I bought one for my airplane hangar as a knock around practice amp and so far I’m pretty impressed with its performance. I’m more curious to know if a brand new Fender amp like a Twin Reverb still has the built quality that they’ve had in the past.
I have a Bugera V22, V55, and a 6262. I absolutely love them. Mine are the later Infinium versions. I think the issues were more with the runs prior to the Infinium stuff.
I love mine.
Thanks for this info! Been looking at the v22.
Surface mount are just as easy to repair as thru holes or turret mount ! It's just it require different skills/equipments. Kinda tired to ear old guys lacking proper skills claiming it's impractical if not impossible. And tired then to ear all the yougsee's repeating those nonsenses ad'noseam. Stop complaining, move your ass up and learn the new skills.
I was in the market for a small home use tube amp so i bought a 1978 silverface fender champ, paid 575 for it. I figured it was the best choice , i know it can be maintained easily when something goes wrong.
Champs are very simple circuits too.... The internet has what any tech would need to service them as far as schematics.
Looking forward to the next round, just got a good deal on a vht d-50. Quite versatile for the price and looks more amp tech friendly than that last vht I saw you work on.
Buy another after 5 years burn out? I am over 70. Trying to live off social security. The Jews at Celsius stole my life savings. Inflation has made me have to stop buying medicine. Food is expensive and going up. I cook at home. I will play music until I die.
Such a great service for newer players looking for a dependable amplifier.
Thank You Sir
I couldn't choose, so I got an AC15C1 and a Marshall DSL 40CR
I love my Vox AC-15. Extremely pleased, I've had it for years. The tone I can dial in is so lux, the break-up is just terrific. I am so grateful that the shop guy back in the day basically pointed at it and said, "You'd be hard pressed to do better for what you want to do." He was right.
they did a blind fold contest on Andertons and it was a Vox that won and the comments agreed. But the dashboard is from 2016 so not as hot selling as Boss.
what do you think of the Blackstar Studio 10 EL34 ??
I no longer need to think of budget, but I spent decades in destitution, so I'm still addicted to videos just like this LOL Nice job. Subbed!
Wonderful idea for a series! My I suggest something as well on PCB vs. Handwired and the mythology in each and the tradeoffs as far as serviceability vs. consistency and perhaps good examples of more PCB oriented amplifiers?
Maybe he could talk about those little class D pedal board amps too.
This is amazing. Please don’t stop doing these. Thank you.
I got a Marshall mg30gfx seems to do the job. 🤷🏾♂️
I've relied on Peavey Classic amps as my go-to gigging amp for 20 years now, had both of mine serviced over the past couple of years, no issues came up with parts availability as of yet...but it's interesting to see a tech's perspective on what the future might look like for my dear old Classic amps. Been GASing for a DSL40C after I got a DSL5 and it suddenly became my favorite amp ever. There are currently a couple used available in my area...
The Peavey Classic's are great amps. Constantly overlooked.
came here to see if someone mentioned peavey classic series.
@@edd9157 classic 30, 50. these are their names.
I got my Peavey Classic 50 212 in Black Tweed a couple years ago from Market Place for $300. Early 90's Model, and its my favorite amp that I've owned. Up to the point of finding the listing and then looking up RUclips videos on the Classic 50, I thought no way I would ever own a Peavey as the other models as they often looked cheap. It was always Marshall or Fender.
Hah - If you want to sound like Danny Gatton, get a vibrolux and then pray for divine intervention. Thank you for all the videos.
The Vibrolux isn't the whole recipe. ;)
Very enjoyable video. It's always good to hear the opinions of someone who really knows what he's talking about. I like your repair videos but I would like to see more like this one.
I’ve used a Marshall DSL40C for nearly 5 years now, and the only pitfall I can say is that the stock speaker does not do this amp justice. Chuck in a Vintage 30 or Greenback and it becomes a budget goddess!
Speaker preference, is like with tubes. Everyone has a favorite. I tried that Celestion V-type, but didn't care much for it either. I tried V-30's, and switched to Greenback heritage's. I'm a greenback fan.
dsl 5 and 15 are known for their fizzy distorsion. People mod them all the time. Whats the situation with dsl 40?
@@picajoool C19 Mod.
@@theanalogkid6749 Can you this mod also on DSL15 or DSL5?
I’m happy videos like these are popping! The younger generation that are looking to start a band will really appreciate this!! 10-5yrs ago, videos like this did not exist! I had to jam with MANY people and try many amps (invested WAY too much time) just to see what I preferred best! Excited to see more videos from you!
This was a good listen I'm not a tech just a player so it was interesting to hear your considerations. Looking forward to the next few parts in the series 😀 I've got a few Mesa amps so I'm interested to see if one makes it on your list and what a tech thinks of something like a Tc-50 or a mark V 25 etc.
I've had many ,many amps. Unfortunately, I'm an older man. I'm living in a condo, which is a problem because I wish to only play thru a tube amp. The warmth and overall sound of a tube amp is unbeatable, in my humble 45 years of playing. When I saw that the Marshall DSL line came out with a 1 watt tube amp, with a selector to bring it down to a quarter amp, my jaw dropped. I drop what I was doing and went to my local Sam Ash, great store by the way. They had only one and it was a floor model. I did want one out of the box, so I paid full price for the demo, with the understanding that I would return it when they get more in. Well this was during the shipping problems. It took 7 months for my new Marshall to come in. They called, I dropped off the used one and now have a brand new head. So I bought the 2×12 slanted cab. I have to tell you I couldn't be happier. And the funny thing is the amps price went up 100 bucks while I was waiting for the new one. Ofcourse I didn't have to pay the difference, because I bought it before the price increase. 1 watt doesn't sound like it would be loud, believe me, it is. I put it on a quarter setting and it still is loud. But I can dail in the best distortion, and not bother anyone in my condo. I would recommend it for the guitars that need a quality sounding tube amp that won't bother your neighbors. I run a PRSse custom. The hunt is over. Couldn't be any happier.
Can confirm it's a killer amp. I live in an apartment so playing with a large tube amp is out of the question and also out my student budget. I also have to move to my dorms later this year to start my masters. This amp is a godsend. I knew pretty early that I need the Marshall sound. There's nothing like that low end, Beautiful mid range and the high end roar when you hit the strings with your pick. I'm so glad they made the 1 watt version. I've used this amp at 4 am without waking up anyone in my family, it can be super quiet. Don't be fooled by the low wattage, this thing can roar. My 20 watt solid state has nothing on my little marshall. Couldn't be happier.
@@cheenu711
Mr. Kshitij Tiwari, Good Sir.
Isn't it unbelievable that you can get that holesome Marshall goodness from 1watt.
I love it. Where I'm at it's 5 in the morning, and I'm going to fire it up now.
PEACE stay safe
@@robertwillett4122 true. You can't help but smile every morning when you can plug into a marshall without your parents kicking you out of your house and get that iconic sound, tubes and all.
@@cheenu711
One of my secrets of life, rock on ,bro.
Since the need to put money into a used Fender Hot Rod Deluxe or Blues Jr raises the price over $500, in your opinion, are the new version IV models worth it? Has Fender fixed and of the cap and power supply issues in the newer models? Thanks for such a great gear review. I have liked and subbed.
Thanks John. No, the version IV models just have cosmetic differences. Same circuit, same issues.
Picked up a Bugera V55 HD with a 1x15 cab for $300 and it’s been ABSOLUTELY KILLER! I’ve had an Ac 15, HR Deluxe and many more and this takes pedals better as well as having one of the nicest master volumes I’ve heard. Killer deals on the Bugera stuff for sure
This is a great series, thank you for producing it!! I'm looking forward to your next video! I have a used Hot Rod Deluxe (Its on the bench now for caps, someone reworked the low voltage section as it was overheated) Wish I had of done more research before I purchased that one!!! I got it locally for $200 so I am not too upset. Cosmetically it looks almost new. I have a Marshall DSL40cr that I got new, its awesome! It has become my favorite amp. Ive got a Katana 100 ii, I don't play it much. I find it not exciting. I also have an Orange CR120 2x12, I really like it. Not sure why you didn't include it in your list. Perhaps because it has a different sound, one you like or else don't like. I also have a Sweetwater exclusive Princeton Reverb. I like it a lot too! I wish it was a handwired one but I didn't want to speed that kind of money when I got it.
Thanks!
I didn't list that Orange model because I haven't had one on the bench, so I have no opinion on it.
Oranges will be in the
@@PsionicAudio That sounds like a good thing. I have a 60 watt Roland Blues Cube and at half the weight of my 30 watt Genz Benz, it was my main amp until I went to a floor processor and powered speaker. Never a hiccup from it.
I really appreciate that you added the Katana and the Catalyst to the mix. I would argue though that they are nowhere near as prone to failures as traditional amps. I think the biggest issue is with issues from production. You may get one that doesn't work out of the box. No problem, return it. But those that do work last quite a long time. I have a Behringer VAmp Pro that is about 15 years old. That thing still works and it was very cheap compared to a real amp. As with valve amps, take care of your gear and it will last.
But there's another thing that is sort of in the favour of modelling amps. If it does break, replacing it is an upgrade. You can get a newer unit, with better modelling, better effects, better everything. So it's not quite as devastating as with a total loss of a valve amp. You don't have to go and find the exact same model otherwise it's a deal breaker.
But yeah. Ultimately, everyone has to decide what works better for them.
what do you think of the Roland jazz choruses? any specific models you recommend over others?
Modelling amp pro you forgot, the sound is consitant which can be important when playing in a bar with dirty power.
I bought a new Ac15c1 about 3 years ago, played it hard and loud. Still on the original tubes at this point and it does take careful eq using pedals but you can get a monster high gain sound if you want to. No repairs or reliability issues so far playing regularly.
ProCo Rat into a Vox is epic.
I’ve always had good luck with blackstars, my ht 60 soloist I’ve had for 8 years played dozens of shows and only needed service once(tubes and fuse). I’ve owned a dsl40c and got rid of it, sounded alright but didn’t have the same range of tones. For someone looking for an amp to do it all on a budget I’d recommend albeit a lot of people could get one of these cleaner amps and a couple good overdrive pedals to match a similar sonic range
Connor Iv had 4 blackstar amps ( 1 second hand) over the past 6-7 years and haven’t had any issues with one of them. Great amps IMO
@@pauld1568 I’m not doubting they won’t down the road but so far it’s been pretty care free ownership
I have a Blackstar HT40 Kentucky Special and it’s great with great tone and I’ve had no issues. I had a Marshall DSL40CR and my Blackstar was much better in tone, so I sold the Marshall.
Way I look at it…if one resistor goes probably won’t be long to another goes so better changing the whole board anyway…
Awesome video man...and I know exactly how loud 15 watts can be..I have a bassbreaker 15..3;gain stages and it gets very loud esp when pushed
Excellent video! Refreshing to hear an alternate perspective on gear. Might be something for a future episode in a more expensive category, but the rig I've used for the last 3 years is a Helix into an Orange Pedal Baby and Hughes and Kettner 2x12 cab on it's side. It's very compact, insanely loud and covers any style I want. Though, like you mentioned about power, the Line 6 suffered from an internal power unit that went bad that I had to get fixed out of warranty. Always worth carrying something like a cheap Boss DS1 to get you out of a pinch!
This is an excellent summary! In particular the pro's and con's of tube amps were very good. I am an electrical engineer and have build a couple of amps myself, trying to get the ultimate jazz sound out of my archtop. The more I learned what sound I want and how to get there, the less I was interested in tubes. The first reason was, that there are a zillion different transistors out there and if you know what you are after, you can design circuits that give you exactly the transfer function, that you are after. With tubes you will spend a lot of time to deal with their limitations and physical properties, which you will have to fight, compensate - or use to your benefit. Meanwhile I also learned more and more about how to use effects to push the tone towards my preferences. Earlier on I did not want to use pedals, because it was not "pure guitar playing" and because Joe Pass did not use them, I did not want to use them either. But when I learned what you can do with a good delay-pedal I completely changed my mind. After all, amps are just a means to realize a musical idea.
Having said that - driving an oldtimer from the seventies can be so much more fun than driving a modern car. It is not all a totally rational affair ...
Play jazz 🎸 just buy a Roland jazz chorus amp already, end of.
I've never owned a tube amp but my only problem is I play blues and I can't get much sustain out of a solid state amp. I need to get something better but I'm not sure what yet.
@@mr.d.572 Now, this is an area where the tubes do have a slight advantage, for the reasons that are explained in the video. The problem is that the strings of a guitar have to dissipate energy. They ring out over time, which means that the signal from the pickups gets weaker as the amplitude of the oscillating string diminishes. Guitar amps help with that if you overdrive them and push the volume up: Once you have plucked the string the signal is initially relatively strong and overdrives the amp, which means that the clipping of the signal cuts off the high peaks and keeps the volume to a maximum level. In this phase the guitar sounds rather colorful because clipping the signal introduces a lot of harmonics. As the signal gets weaker the amplitude remains roughly the same, but the signal looks more and more like a sine wave. You hear that as a constantly changing tone from rough to warm. Tube amps have a rather smooth transition curve from overdrive to clean, which is why many people like them. However, today you can work with pedals to get a better sustain, you could for example try to work with a compressor pedal. Here is a list: rockguitaruniverse.com/guitar-sustain-pedals/
Overall, your 4 finalists do seem like very solid recommendations. However, I disagree with you slightly about Peavey. While they do indeed seem to be falling apart as a company, and Peavey tube amps do have some serious circuit flaws and repairability issues (starting with those folded PCBs), I think their analog solid state amps like the Bandit on the whole are a completely different story. Peavey solid state amps tend to be extremely well made for the price, and while they may not be quite as good as when they were made in the USA, they’re still better than most others, and contrary to what you stated, they do NOT use a lot of proprietary components. If you look at their circuits, you’ll find that almost ALL of the components are off-the-shelf components that have been time proven, like the TI 4558, 4560, or 4580 op-amps, and discrete NPN-type power transistors that are VERY readily available. They’re also socketed and typically easily replaceable without even soldering, so even if Peavey goes out of business, you should have no problem finding most of the parts from other sources. Bottom line: Peavey analog solid state amps are likely to be FAR more serviceable than things like the Fender Champion 40, with its proprietary DSP package, let alone the Boss Katana or the Line 6 Catalyst, where you’re basically out of luck if ANYTHING breaks, and even if component failure doesn’t kill it, planned obsolescence will in 5 years time, when the product reaches its EOL and the firmware updates cease, or you find that the software patches won’t work with the latest operating systems. For these reasons, I’d STILL take a Peavey Bandit for longevity and serviceability over a Boss Katana or Line 6 Catalyst any day.
Good thoughts. I'm not a techie so I don't understand that part, but I have a Peavey Bandit 112, a USA one, and it's quite a good amp even though it's starting to fail. Easily the best solid state amp I've ever had. My main issue with it though is that I don't get a lot of sustain from it so that's why I'm looking for a tube amp of some sort to replace it. Can't play loud though because I'm in an apartment. Not sure what to get. I tried a Boss Katana in the store and was less than impressed with the sound. Plus the idea of having to hook up an amp to a computer and then realize that all of that software is going to be outdated in a few years, does not thrill me.
As far as proprietary parts go I was thinking of the Classic series. Chock full of them.
I've not had any of the modern SS Peaveys on my bench, so I can neither warn nor recommend.
I'll try to be more clear in the next video that aside from addressing the room elephants like Katanas and Tone Masters, all my recommendations and all my warnings come from amps I have real experience of.
So the list won't be exhaustive or wholly comprehensive. Can't be - one man cannot know every amp ever on the market.
Note that I don't say "best amps" or similar. I just say "amps under X price - a tech's perspective."
The focus of my business, and hence the channel, is tube amps. Both because they are my preference and because a lot of SS amps have a used value lower than the cost of repair (or my bench fee).
If a modern Peavey Bandit comes in it will be treated just the same as a vintage tube amp. If it is worth repairing, I'll do it well. My preferences don't affect my work.
At which point I'll have a real opinion about the Bandit.
When I get through the next few big videos taking them up to $2K and over, I may do a Pawnshop Finds video and/or a low volume/home use video. Get some that fell through the cracks of the main video.
For instance, the '52 Champion 600 I just restored wouldn't make any of the planned lists as it's too low in output to use for guitar with a drummer.
But for home use/recording it could be great. Same for a lot of good sounding low volume amps that didn't make this list.
Mr D I do have experience with '80s Bandits. When working correctly there would be no lack of sustain.
But like any amp 40 years old, the old electrolytics are probably shot, which throws off everything else.
It's fixable. It's just that if it takes 2-3 hours and $60 worth of parts that can exceed the value of the amp. Some clients have me do it anyway as they love the amp and even spending $250-300 on a "$100 amp" gives them a better amp than they could otherwise buy for that $300.
That's all up to the owner. I try to let people know their options so they can make informed decisions.
@@PsionicAudio
Thanks. Yes, it's a tough decision. I probably should have mentioned that the gain features don't work at all, I can only get clean sounds from it so I use pedals. I think at this point rather than getting it repaired I would just buy another one, as there are enough used ones out there that apparently are still working perfectly. Right now though I'd rather find something different, better for the blues tones I'm after.
@@mr.d.572 Check out Shane’s videos on the Peavey Bandit on his RUclips channel “intheblues.” He seems to think the Bandit is PERFECT for the blues! He has vlogged extensively on them by now, and reviewed several different generations and speakers in them. If I remember right, he liked the “red stripe” one best, but found that virtually all of them are excellent, with only minor differences in tone that can be changed through things like EQ or changing out the speaker.
Thanks for the tech insights. I'm not an amp tech, just a player with enough tech knowledge to repair/build my own amps and effects. I own an older red stripe Peavey Bandit, and while it does not sound as good as my hand built tube amp, it's still pretty damn good. Especially for the price: used they go around 150-200USD where I live, the new Bandit is 500USD new on Sweetwater. I've of course opened up mine to take a look, but honestly I don't really see any specialized parts in it. Maybe the transformer, the switches in the preamp and the IC that does the channel/fx loop switching. Otherwise pretty generic stuff all over the boards. Since the schematic is available online, even those specialized parts can be replaced with some creativity if needed, even though I have to admit not as easily, as in a Blues Junior (an amp that I had the luck to repair too). So I would be curious why you wouldn't recommend them? As I said: I don't know the newest version, but the red stripe version seems to be a good middle ground between the modellers and the tube amps you mentioned. Not as limited and prone as tube amps and not as plasticy and artificial in sound as the modellers. Thanks!
I don't know about you people but I really appreciate free advice from a highly experienced expert thank you.
I’ve had all the fenders here and the Vox. Just tone wise, the blues jr was actually my favorite, and it’s the only one I’ve kept and has thus far given me no problems, I’m probably lucky, but it’s all subjective. Got a couple of Mesas in the stable, but really looking for a Vibrolux and 90s UK AC30 with Alnico Blues to round things out. Then I’ll probably sell the Blues Jr, but that little guy is really fun.
I've got SS amps that I bought 35 years ago that other than some recapping are still going strong. I have the first gen line 6 flex amp that nothing have been done to it and was heavily gigged and still sounds great. I think it all depends on how it's treated. BTW I have a marshall tube amplifier that sometimes plays an am Christian channel lol
You just won the prize... 'I think it depends on how it's treated'. That is the magic right there. I just bought a mid 80's Peavey Bandit a couple of weeks ago. Plays perfect, sounds perfect, no issues. Built like a brick outhouse, but not treated like one! This thing is a beauty. It was used, but not abused. Other than cleaning the pots, it needs nothing but love. I also have a Tech 21 Trademark 60 that I've owned and gigged with for a decade, but I'm not a hard player. Works perfect, sounds perfect, every time. The my real workhouse is a Behringer V-Amp Bass Pro rack. I've had that for a decade as well. I use it with a Behringer power amp and guess what? Never missed a beat. I use it for bass and guitar gigs, always works. But, I really look after my gear and don't push it to its limits....always leave headroom! Oh, another thing with modellers, use a power conditioner! They really like those....
Oh, and my old Marshall Bluesbreaker I used to have did the same kind of thing. hahahahaha
they all break sooner or later so buy what you want
This is one of the best videos on amps ive seen in a long time. I subbed and am eager for the rest of the series. Good job!
Like number 1000. Great job. Going through this right now with my 18 year old son, who is ready to upgrade from his little Mustang. Repairability; durability; sale-ability; and a good clean sound are what is important to "us". We have priced ourselves out of the local $500 market, but for a stroke of good luck.
I thought I would have perspective on Solid state amps, not modeling amps...
No evidence, no sources, no backup intel... I'm awfully disappointed, because there's no way to check if what you say is true. "Trust me bro", I guess ?
I love my DSL40C. It takes pedals extremely well. Plenty loud too
Yeah me too. It’s a keeper for sure
No kidding , almost too load , for me anyway. Being in an apartment and all.
true story. when i bought my dsl40 i was there to buy the blackstar. looked over in the corner, and there was a MARSHALL!!! Got it for the same price, but had to retube it 2days later. Did it myself and never looked back. great amp. my buddy got the blackstar and he doesnt listen so we will see....
@@carrielittlecplaster1620 you had retube it two days later , ouch that sucks. At least you knew she was good to go for a while from that day on. Honestly, I haven’t even played mine yet , I bought it used but I told my local store to plug er in and try it before they brought it to me and the young lad made a comment about how loud it was. Looking forward to plugging into it. I’ve been busy.
@@carrielittlecplaster1620 I saw this amp but in a five watt version and it was used as well and I was thinking I probably should of just got the five watt one , but these things pop up and you just never know.
I rcently purchases an AC30c1 because I think the 15 has a thinner less beefy sound. I found that the 30 needs to be turned up pretty loud to really get the benefit of the classic tone (which is very close). It also is still a heavy amp. I think I may opt to get an AC10C1, which from the reviews I have watched seems to have tonal qualities closer to the 30. I also don't need to be able to play over a drummer, so if the 10 watts isn't real loud, I'm ok with that. Are you familiar with the AC10, and if so, do you have an opinion about them?
W/ a personality to mach his astounding expertise at very detailed information that we all want more of. This is golden and he's just raised the bar for these web tech. Yep. Whole next level, thank you sir, please continue.
AC15c1 is an incredible amplifier. I love British Invasion tones. FYI, AC10c1 doesn’t come close as far as tone.