Best Small Guitar Tube Amp (2024 Update)

I have played through the almost decade old THR10c, which is a fantastic little amp. Through a SM57 in front of it and out to the PA and you can sound great. But I thought that by now, with Yamaha buying Line 6 about 5 years ago, the newest version of this little amp would have some state of the art effects. Wrong! The effects, and the apps that control it are seriously out of date. I mean, the reverb, tremolo and chorus are fine. But they remain exactly as they did ten years ago. No upgrades and nothing fancy. The app is poorly designed and not that easy to use. and there is no way that I have found access the THR10C classic blues models all in one place. So its actually hard to get the classic blues and country sounds that I need all in one place. I went back to my THR10c and sold the new one.Bruce

dial in your sound in seconds not minutes, I look at it and then I want to play my best, those amp lights man, wow, dim the lights you will see. No instructions needed. if you need to move some Air for clubs shows or band practice this is not the one for you. What it does is creates a killer vibe for personal guitar growth, very organic and the tones? Man, you have got to play through it to believe it. It will cover any genre and crash most all the competition in the personal practice amp catagory. its about quality tones at lower DBI, it's not a marshal and it doesn't want to be. You can boot this sting up 3 at night and sound like your at an arena in your bedroom without waking up the neighbors and your flat-mates. No getting up or leaning over the amp to adjust setting like a marshal. No LCD's to mess with with or crummy menu diving. Traditional Bluetooth audio is pretty decent for using the amp speaker for guitar youtube vids and playing along instrumental tracks. Someone else said terrible sound, what??? you have got to be kidding me, id call that person an amateur guitarist. the biggest stars have these in the studio, tour buss and green room, hotel room. amazing for writing sounds, its the sound you have always wanted without going deaf sounds good anywhere. saves your hearing from the ringing. if you want to expand this sound on stage get the 30 which has proper outs for studio and stage, and re-amp it. leave it on a partially cleanish tone for your genre, then output to normal amp setup, the smiles will come. Of course many are still going to need their volume pedals but in a lot of situations, if you know how to gain control and then crank it for a lead/ chorus, (id drive it out to the mains / monitors for ramp) but it sounds amazing as you turn it up, the character truly changes, for the better. it's pretty wild. its pretty good about feedback. iv heard people hook these up on tour or use them in the greenroom preshow, it's that good. stick with the new models that are lighter and sound better. these are industry standard personal practice amps. again, if you are gigging you will need some sound reinforcement, but I would find a way myself, it's just not that hard to figure out. it's never fed back at me once and I'm jamming right infant of the cab on me desk. no surprise loud feedback sounds like other amps. small, light goes anywhere. probably need that case if you travel a lot. metal, country, hard rock, pop, blues jazz, hip hop, it nails it. the 30 could drive your current big amp. whatever magic is going on with the sound, full gain w guitar at full gain, is something that has to be heard not seen.J

Upgraded from the original cream colored THR10 after finding out that all three of the original THR10 amps (boutique, classic, and high gain) were consolidated in one amp and that the speakers underwent an upgrade (10W->20W). Sonically, the tones in this amp are superior to those of the original THR10, which makes practicing and playing very satisfying and inspiring. Note: Boutique and high gain amps can only be accessed through the desktop or mobile THR remote app. This isn't the case with the larger THR30 amp. All amp models can be access through the unit. The remote app also allows the user to change cabinets to further tweak tone. Here is why I rated this product 4 stars. * Mobile THR remote app crashes all the time. I've been using the remote app on my laptop exclusively. Yamaha rep informed me that this tends to be the case with iPhone users. Doesn't seem like they plan on fixing this anytime soon. * Setting the unit up as an audio interface was not clear at all. The original THR amps required downloading the yamaha steinberg usb driver and selecting this as your driver in your DAW. After configuring your MIDI and audio source in the DAW, you would then get sound. Well, that's not how it works on this amp. I reached out to yamaha after repeatedly getting errors from my DAW about the yamaha steinberg usb driver. Long story short, tech service couldn't figure out the issue and told me to request an exchange for a new unit at GC. After hooking up the new replacement, I got the same error. Turns out you have to download the ASIO THR10ii/30 driver on yamaha's site, not the most current yamaha steinberg usb driver. Select this driver in your DAW. Then you have to go into the app's settings and check the box for "record dry." Now you can configure your MIDI and audio source. I'm baffled about how yamaha's own techs did not know that the steinberg usb driver is not compatible with the THR10ii/30 amp.Ben G.

Unbelievable. This is NOT my Vox AC30, and nor is it my 100W Katana. However, for a package that is powered by batteries and can, quite literally, fit into the palm of your hand, the Katana Mini is simply fantastic. The amp models are brilliant and the delay (reverb) function is an excellent feature. On "clean" settings the volume of the amp is perfectly adequate and will fill a room with no issues, and on the "crunch" and "brown" settings, the amp was more than loud enough to fill a large room at 2/3 volume. Whilst I personally think that this is not quite enough for an advanced/intermediate players sole amplifier, I would completely agree that for a beginner, they would need no more than this. Having tried options from Yamaha and other brands, this is firmly my favourite battery powered micro amplifier for any level of guitarist and equipment, the tone is simply that good! The best way I can describe it is this – when I first plugged my PRS McCarty 594 into it, I was vaguely aware that I wasn't playing through my Vox. However, after five minutes or so, I had completely forgotten this wasn't a "real" amp, and had to keep looking down at the tiny box on the floor to believe it! Well done, Boss!Mr I. F.

I use it primarily as a practice amp at lower levels, but I'd feel confident doing coffee house gigs with it, and maybe smaller clubs too. It sounds warm and rich at low volumes, and the EQ is effective. All three voices are useful and I'm not left wanting. I have to make special mention of the delay. I adore reverb (including and especially spring reverb and gritty, trashy reverb of all kinds) but a simple delay circuit is way more useful in this amp. Doubling, slapback, echoes. The treble roll-off and fixed feedback are well-tuned. If you're using this for busking or other guerilla performance, you will suddenly realize that a single delay is worth more than a thousand reflections, because those reflections sound godawful* against naturally-occurring surfaces. *maybe awesome in a sound design way thoughChesterfleet

Have the Spark 40 and am very happy with it. The Mini, not so much. Biggest issue is that it is much to easy to overdrive the speakers, especially the bass. It is not very loud. It's OK for a small quiet room, but I really can't use it outdoors on the patio. It works best sitting on a reflective surface like a table. You don't want the bottom mount bass speaker facing, say, a rug. I love the iPhone / iPad app. It has a good variety of amps and pedals, but you really can't get the same sound as a tube amp like my Blues Jr IV. While it has a variety of reverb pedals, it does not have spring reverb. A big disappointment. I really like that it is battery powered, usb chargeable and really like the Bluetooth speaker function.Dave

I fell in love with the capability of the PG Spark 40 and I had to have this mini for it's portability! I pre-ordered mine direct from Positive Grid when they were running their pre-production discounts. I've been playing on and off for about 30 years. I wish this was available then instead of that clunky, weak Squire 15 amp I started with. The app for Android and iPhone opens up all kinds of possibilities! A starting musician and use the features to play along to their favorite songs or you can look up backing tracks to tinker along with. The standard hardware sounds are very warm, and the tone cloud gives you access to an unfathomable amount of tones modeled after near all of your favorite artists! It is more than enough to appeal to the budding guitarist to keep you interested! And for more experienced players, the options that are part of this thing are incredible, and will have you noodling with your Sunday morning coffee before you know it! Got the PG Spark 40, ABSOLUTELY had to get the Mini! If you're on the fence, you won't be disappointed!Dave

The sound and tone quality from such a small amp is amazing! It sounds huge. You will quickly forget you are playing through a 6 inch cube. There are a bunch of amps and effects to create your own sound, and the Smart Jam and play along features are both fun and inspiring. Plus, the various tones in the ToneCloud are great for matching a tone to a song you are learning to play. Believe the hype from the reviews online. I will say that this is amp may not be for everyone. At 10 watts, it is not loud enough to gig with. Plus, I would not recommend this for a first amp. There are a lot of options that can be overwhelming for beginners, and the limited on-board options do not allow for simple plug and play. Beginners may want to start with something like a Black Star ID Code. There are also a few things I am not crazy about. Because of the limited on-board controls, 6 to 8 presets would have been better, plus the default presets are not that good. The amp models in the app are OK, but some sound too similar, plus each amp has the same knobs (Gain, Bass, Middle, High and Volume). Nothing to distinguish one amp model from another (Channels, Presence knob, Intensity knob, etc.). The same goes for the reverb pedals (each has 6 knobs whether or not the pedal being replicated has 6 options). The Vox Tone room has better amp and effect modeling but does not have all of the other jamming and recording options. So all of that being said, this amp is still fantastic for someone with some knowledge of amps (for example, the difference between gain and volume) and is looking for something small and discrete to play around the house (or apartment) that does not want to sacrifice tone quality. The battery power is nice for playing anywhere without having to plug it in. I've played mine for a couple hours without having to recharge. It is also a great option if you want to record your work. All in all, this is an innovative amp that is just fun to play, has a ton of options and sounds way too good for its size. Get one, you'll love it!Dan

What an awesome little amp! And plug the line outs into something bigger and you can well and truly deafen yourself with sonic pleasure. Pretty straight forward to use but you do need to watch your levels when changing amp models – they can vary a lot. Longer battery life would be a bonus and I'll def need a little bag for it. Fast service and good price from Better Music. Thumbs up from me.John H.

When I buy something that does so much but I don't need to read any manuals to operate it I know I've made the right choice. Sounds are fantastic, my favourite amp so far is the boutique, it feels very natural, not boomy like my previous desktop type amp. The effects are great, particularly the reverbs. I find myself taking it out of our little 'work from home office' while my wife or the kids are in there and noodling in the living room or the kitchen with it because I haven't had to faff around with power cables 🙂 It has a flat setting so I use that when I'm playing around with modeller settings for gigs rather than dragging out my powercab at home. The app is really easy to use and opens up a nice compressor plus cab options etc. The clincher for me over the smaller units is the 1/4 inch line outs, I can chuck it in the car and it's there as a back up incase my gigging amp packs up. I'm no bass player but I play a bit at home and this sounds way better than going into a guitar amp or using a bass amp on amplitube on my pc. This is easily the best music purchase I've made in recent years and I'm playing more music because of it 🙂Archie W.

I have a Marshall 1974x that I have not touched since I bought this THR30II. There is no real comparison but this Yamaha is so addictive. Clean tones are superb the crunch channel in classic mode is a my fave. The onboard effects are really good. I just shelled out e few Bob on a thorny flanger and this has a perfectly good flanger built in. The hall reverb is beyond good. In summary rock tones are good but cleans/crunch are fantastic. I trusted other reviews of this amp against things like positive grid/katana etc but this just hits the spot. I love playing the slow Peter Green blues stuff it’s perfect. It’s not a one trick pony it has loads of nice tones perfect for home use at friendly volumes than the Marshall 18 watt. Highly recommend.HappyYammyTHR p.

If you're expecting an amazing Marshall sound, you might want to invest in some of the bigger amps Marshall has to offer. If you think you can get a concert level sound out of this little guy, you will not be the happiest person. However, that level of "high" expectation would not be very reasonable or even realistic for such a little amp. This is a very cute, small amp that will help you plug your guitar so you can practice quietly in any room in your house without annoying your wife. It will distort if you crank the volume all the way out, and if you're used to the full sound of a bigger Marshall (like I do) it might make you feel like you're hearing your guitar over an old telephone (just my opinion). However, if you calibrate your instrument volume & tone you can find a happy medium. With that said, for the price it is a very nice solution to practice and if the sound seems too weak for you, you have the choice of putting headphones. I personally use it just for practice on the fly, it serves it purpose, but then again I was not expecting the best sound output. So I am happy with the purchase.BeeZee

It's basically a toy amp. I can see it being used as a portable amp for non-serious performance. Personally, I like it for a quick jam and for (relatively) quiet practice in my apartment setting. Won't disturb my neighbors but it does get noticeable at the highest volume. That and the overdrive knob are the two main controls. By default it just does a clean sound but overdrive lets you toggle in some gain for that distortion. It has a good look that definitely models after its bigger brothers.Rick

I don't know what some of you guys expect from this thing, but be realistic: it's an inexpensive 5 inch tall, 1 watt amp. It's not designed for anything but sitting in a chair and entertaining yourself or a couple of people. Within that context, I enjoy this thing and sometimes get it off the shelf and play around with it for awhile. Also, when I owed somebody a 1 minute long riff for his podcast and my main amp was getting some regular tech service, I plugged my American Standard Strat into this thing, mic'd the amp, used the OD channel with the volume and tone both on 10, played the part, then added tons of bass, reverb, and chorus to it in post, and it sounded great and nobody ever knew that I recorded the part using a 5 inch tall amp. It is what it is as long as you don't expect the world.Steve

I picked this up for my son so he could practice around the house. Killer stocking stuffer! When the son is away the dad will now play. I started playing my Mustang Bass through this and it did the job. It's a small amp, not a practice amp. This is perfect for camping trips, rocking at the office or kicking it in the backyard. Oh yeah and you can plug in 1/4 headphones and keep the concert to yourself. It runs on a 9-volt battery or you can plug in a 9-volt adapter.SERGIO

Took a chance on this and purchased it without every playing it. Watched video reviews on it and gave it a shot. Yes, I know that it's small in size, smaller than a kids lunchbox but I hoped it'd produce quality sound and what I got was muddy sounds at increased volumes. It's not clear sounding and my goal to play through an amp is to sound good and I felt if I actually played this in front of people, the muddyness would make me sound amateurish. So, for what you pay for this, yes, you get amplified but it's not real great quality, unless you're a metal player because you don't get a clean sound from this. I rate this 3 stars because it's convenient to have a portable battery operated tiny amp that you can plug into and get sound from, however, the quality almost makes you not even want to play it.Jesse

This ain't no micro cube or vox. This less than 20$ & runs on 1 9v battery or 9v plug in the wall.(transformer not included)& Holy Friggin' Smokes does this baby perform.Monster overdrive tone & super bright, clean tone.Headphone input.Probably exceeds 60 decibels,which is beyond city ords. could get U a fine it's so damn loud. My Strat Squire sounds soooo Fender good out of this lil sucka & my electric/acoustic, sooo crisp.Ultra light to carry around.I've been using the JOYO mini,I love it,plug in,no chord,fun but this Fender mini is a bit more.More tone options and louder.I've yet to find out how quick it eats batteries. The JOYO burns them up fast.Get the rechargeables.Also the JOYO has an MP3 input.This doesn't. I run guitar strap thru the handle so the chord is like non-existent or U can old school it and have a 10 or 20 ft chord.So light it can be pulled over by the chord.These mini amps also pick up radio signals. When I turn them on I can hear radio stations at certain angles. So get 1 for the road.It's all about the fun.annoyingted1

Every guitar player on God's green earth should have one. The different tones offered with the app inspire you to play differently. It allows you to play along with the songs you love, and download the tone. It also tells you the chord progression to the song. It's an amazing Amp, and if nothing else the GREATEST speaker in the world. I could absolutely ruin my neighborhoods night with the most absurdly clear version of my favorite songs. But I could Also practice at midnight with out waking up my roommates using my headphones.
Amazing tones made by professionals. If you care about being a musician… you need this Amp. This Amp was recommended to me by John Moyer… of disturbed.Teryn Surratt

As a practice amp, you will soon lose interest if the tone is thin, boxy and generally sounds like crap. The Spark is none of this. An incredibly wide range of tones are available via the app with sounds that you just don't expect to come from such a small package. The sound is loud, rich without the boxiness that you seem to get with amps loaded with small speakers. If you've used PG's Bias software, you'll be in very familiar territory – great emulations that have a depth that rivals some of the serious modelers available now. The effects, while not giving you a massive selection, supplies pretty well every type of effect you would ever need. The reverbs and delays are particularly good and while more than good enough for noodling at home, are more than up to the task of recording. The unit is quite sturdy with a timber cabinet and looks great – very traditional with an "English" type of styling. Using the Spark as a Bluetooth player for music is more than up to the task – good bass, clean mids and treble and loads of volume. The app overall is very good with some truly inspiring practice opportunities, though the function where the app analyses your playing and constructs a suitable backing track is hit and miss and is probably the weakest part of the app. Bluetooth connection for both control functions and audio playback is stable and very quick to pair with your device. Overall, I don't think you will find and amp sounding this good with the flexibility and functions available, from anywhere else and that is before taking into consideration, the extra functions the app gives you.Mick G.

I bought this amp on the back of all the rave reviews on YouTube etc. For me, it's just not a finished product yet. It feels very "beta". The hardware seems robust and of good quality. The modelled sounds are very good, albeit very bass heavy. But most of that can be EQ'd out. There are several problems I couldn't live with, and had to sell it on. The hum problem which is due to the supplied, un-earthed PSU was very apparent in my example. I contacted Positive Grid support about the issue in December 20, and as of selling the amp at the start of March 21, I had not yet received the replacement PSU. There are temporary workarounds, but I wanted the problem sorted permanently. As said above, the sound is very bass heavy. The amp models' EQ can be used to deal with the guitar tone, but music playback through the unit via Bluetooth has no EQ control, so the sound quality is very poor. In addition to this, the playback level is far too high. When using as a Bluetooth speaker it is very difficult to get the volume low enough using the tiny trim pot volume control for comfortable listening when sat in close proximity to the unit. The Auto Chords feature is a gimmick and needs serious work. It only works for E standard guitar tuning. For example, when listening to a song in dropped standard tuning such as "Yesterday" (guitar tuned down one whole step) Auto Chords will show fingerings for F, Em, A7 etc instead of the G,. F#m, B7 shapes that are required. At the very least, a "transpose" button is required to allow for dropped standard tunings that are very common. When using the tuner, you have to look at the lights on top of the amp. The app should have a screen that displays the tuner on your connected device when in use. The app metronome tempo can only be set by tap. It should have the ability for the user to enter the exact required BPM by inputting the figure required, or selecting the tempo with up and down or + and – controls. All of these niggles were too much for me to live with. Hopefully Positive Grid implement the changes in future releases, but I won't be buying Spark again until they do.Paul

Not only does this 5 watt lil' monster have enough power to rattle the windows, it also has class! At only 9 lbs. the Bugera T5 Infinium has enough "UMFF" to push your favorite 4X12" cabinet into the stratosphere! It's better having this reverb built into this lil' madman than not having any at all. Just like 9/10 of the other amp heads in its class. The 1 channel, "all tube" head has warm cleans. Push in the PHAT switch and crank the volume and gain and you get saturated distortion that will blow you away! All of that in a 9 lb metal cage like package for only $200! You won't find another 5 W head with all of that for this price. I love my T5 Infinium from Bugera!brmul-8207

What it's not: Not a $1k boutique tube amp. Not a mid-size club amp (unless you have great monitors and a good sound guy). What it is: A well designed, very affordable little monster that will give enough stage volume at 5W for rehearsals in a full rock band or small club, and will also allow you to drive the output stage at that 1W or 1/2W setting for recording at home. The amp sounds best at 5W and driven into either a 4ohm cabinet or two 8ohm cabs. If you use it to drive an 8ohm cab, you are getting only 70% of its potential. I only use el84 based amps. i love their dark, throaty sound, and while this amp doesn't have the punch or snap I get from my 15W custom built el 84 amps, it sounds great for rehearsal or recording. I am a little bit worried about long-term build quality. The input jack is plastic. I have a hard time seeing that surviving a year of rehearsals without breaking. This is a great supplemental amp for rehearsals and recording. Very smartly designed. Good feature set. And if you like the el84 style sound, it delivers it above expectations at this price range. I'm thinking of getting a second one.klktrk

In these days of small solid state, practice amps, this little amp gives you tube tone and more at a very affordable price. A 12ax7 preamp tube and an EL84 power tube provide the tone along with built in reverb, 2 band EQ, gain and a "phat" overdrive switch for added crunch. The three stage attenuator is a nice touch. The stock Bugera tubes are OK but I switched them out with Tung-Sols which provided a rich creamy overdrive more to my liking. Great sound when plugged into my Orange 8" or 12" cab plus headphone jack for late night playing. Great amp for the price!Isom

Sell all of your dirt pedals, because the DSM has a VERY wide range of dirt available from "hairy" cleans to metal (if that's your thing). I've been playing guitar for 30 years, been through A LOT of amps, & I'll tell you this amp inspires. There is no dirt pedal that can match the clarity and glorious overdrive of the DSM's EL-34 tubes. From mild to wild, there are NO bad tones in this amp, and the three-way mini toggle is just icing on the cake. There is an effects loop that I put a delay & vibrato through, and I only run an Archer Ikon through the front as a boost, which sounds killer through the DSM btw. This is a well thought out design, portable & lightweight, built like a tank. Yes, you want to know if it will keep up with a loud drummer at a gig right? At a bar gig yes. The only instance you will need to absolutely Mike it is if you are playing a large room & want it's cleanest available tone (with the gain at 2 or 3 & the master at full). If you don't want to mike it while gigging larger rooms, get the 40 watt Dirty Shirley. Bottom line..My Telecaster sounds more "alive" than ever as this amp dishes out Brad Paisley tones in spades. My Les Paul sounds thick with an intense clarity at all volume & gain levels. Roll off the guitar's volume & it cleans up beautifully. Even with the mini toggle at it's highest gain setting, roll off your volume pot & the darn thing still cleans up without any noticeable tone loss.Johnny R.

Great sounding clean tones for playing at home, which is why i bought it – my beloved Mustang 1.1 started having issues and I MUST have a great clean tone to relax. Wanted a tube amp and did my research. Decided on the Blackstar. I must say I'm extremely happy with it. The reverb is KILLER to my ear and does a great job at adding shimmer without destroying the tone. No external effects are needed to get a gorgeous clean tone – I use my Zoom G3Xn into the front end to get univibe and compression. The effects loop is very functional. The amp can be very bass heavy, depending on your instrument, but if you run a 10 band EQ (go with MXR) in the loop you amp can achieve any tonal result you want. My best sound comes with everything at 12, with some of the bass rolled off with the MXR EQ – but its just a matter of taste i guess. This amp moves a lot of air when you use the drive channel, and if your not pleased with the amps distortion it does respond really well to distortion pedals. I'm mostly in the clean blues zone but must brag on the amps darker side: it can get very loud and stay rich. I haven't tried any of the direct recording features. The 2 selectable characters of clean that the amp offers thrill me and ,again, the reverb is classy and a bit different from other amps ( I read that is a room reverb). Highly recommended.Tim H.

This amp out of the box sounds fantastic. Crystal clear clean tones and a snarly gain channel that lets you choose between a more American gain tone and a British gain tone. I would say ‘cater for everyone’. But, I received my first amp and within an hour of playing I’d noticed a loud ‘POP’ when changing channels. This pop occurred if a note was being played at the same time as the channel change. (Footswitch and Amp buttons) So, of course I returned the Amp to PMT. they arranged DPD next working day collection for me, completely hassle free. I awaited my next amp, as a direct replacement. A few days later the next Blackstar HT-5R mkii arrived, box fresh like the last. I plugged the amp in, let the tubes warm and away I went. Within minutes of found a great tone again, but the loud ‘POP’ I heard from the first unit was there again on this amp. I tried 4 sockets in the house in case there was any kind of interference/static, but to no avail. Absolutely gutted, I called PMT again. The amp was returned for the second time. Apparently this hasn’t happened to anyone else, I may just be unlucky or the amp may not get along with the electrics in my home. Just check this out as soon as you buy one. I’ve tried two other valve amps on my house since, including a Blackstar Artist 10 AE and an Orange terror with cab, and there’s absolutely zero noise with these. Very important to note here, this is not a slam of PMT, they’ve been absolutely brilliant throughout this whole thing. Customer service is second to none and they are very easy to contact. Used these for a very long time and I will be returning once stores open to try out a new amp.Jack H.

Overall: Recieved this amp on saturday. Took it out of the box, looked great. plug in to 4*12 marshall cabinet and turned on to standby. Plugged in my Westbury custom to test. From the very beginning to was cracking, snapping then full blown static. I played all of two minutes before it started picking up radio signals and static was loud. No guitar signal was heard. Im not sure if its inherent in these amps but I am returning and not wanting another egnater productsVito

My Tweaker 15 half stack is my primary gigging amp. I don't like a ton of stage volume, and in any case this little rig is a lot louder than you'd expect from 15 watts. Using an angled-back stand for the cab, I can point it at my ear level and hear myself just fine w/o having to have guitar in the monitors. Hang an e906 in front of the speaker, and good to go. This rig's best feature is the broad range of useful tones. The various toggles and knobs actually DO something. Since I switch up between twp very different guitars (ES-335 to G&L SC2) in our current live sets, making a couple-three quick changes gets each guitar into its sweet spot and at the right volume easily. Foot-switchability would be even better, but it's quick enough. The gain control is particularly well done. There's some real range, not the "all or nothing" thing that a lot of amps' gain controls give. The Vintage/Modern voicing toggle offers distinct differences, as well. This rig takes pedals nicely. I use both individual stompboxes (recording) and an M13 (live…don't hate!), and both sound good. The one thing I dinged it a little on was that the lower ranges on the Master Volume aren't as useful as I hoped they would be when using the Gain. There's a big, non-linear jump in volume in the first quarter of the dial's movement. Not only does this jump bypass the volume I really wanted (for apartment playing), but the tone on the low side of that volume jump isn't nearly as good as the tone AFTER the jump. Not a problem on stage or even recording, but for those who have to be concerned about volume at times, it's not an ideal practice amp. Bottom line: a lot of great tones at a price that makes touring with it less nerve-wracking.David K

This amp provides a much better value than similarly designed amps by the top manufacturers. I was looking for small wattage amp to get natural tube break-up (previously playing 100 watt fender twin) at small room club-approved volume. I was down to this amp vs. Mesa Express 25 watt. Although the small Mesa's like the Express and TA models have more channels, I just really felt that the 2 channels of the Egnater were more versatile and responsive. I truly feel this amp does the best job of getting a Fender-ish clean and a Marshall-y overdrive in 1 amp. The overdrive channel is what really sold me. The dynamics make it really fun to play. It can get very saturated without sounding metal, and it compresses naturally. I've used on a couple recordings and can't believe the sound is coming from one 12" speaker and a 30 watt head. Sounds way bigger. This channel can also be used as more of a dirty clean channel. That is my one major qualm with this amp though… I like that the new 2 channel tweaker has a gain knob on both channels. I wish I could get a Stones-ish breakup sound using the clean channel on this amp without turning up to 10. So i'm forced to use a pedal and that's just not the same. Oh well, can't have everthing. I still wouldn't get the 2 channel tweaker because this overdrive channel is better to my ears – way more dynamic and responsive. The clean channel is stll great and I can turn it up to like 6 on gigs and get warm sounds. It can still get me the Fender cleans that I need – or close to them while still having a solid overdrive sound at the same time. That's the big win here. I agree with most that the wattage knobs are pratically useless – but to me, having both set of tubes is so cool. Clean channel can truly sound either Fender or Vox on 6V6 vs. EL84. I love being able to get Stratty Fender sounds with 6V6 and then flip to EL84 and get my Tom Petty sounds going. The distortion is slightly creamier with 6V6 but I like the feel changes depending on what guitar I'm playing. In general, it's nice to have 6V6 for strats and EL84's for Les Pauls all in 1 amp. I've had no issues with this amp (knock on wood) and have played steadily for over a year. Overall, this amp has 2 great channels instead of 4 decent channels. That's how I feel about it. Again, I wish they would have thrown a gain knob on the cleans for a slight break-up at low volume, but that is my only qualm. However, I'll gladly find a pedal solution for that instead of paying a lot on a bigger name brand. Thanks Egnater!WarrenHaynes4Prez

One of the best combo amps I have ever played or heard. Playing for 55 yrs and have owned or played almost every American and Brit amp in that time from Marshall Matchless and Orange, to Hiwatt to Fender and Two Rock. This amp is right up there in the top 10. The cleans are beautiful and full of nuance the distortion goes from tweed- like to almost full on metal. I have read the reviews from detractors of this amp claiming the cleans are dull or the distortion is fizzy. I don't get it. Perhaps they need their hearing checked? These are the same people that claim a pure hand wired amp has the best tone ever and then slam the front end with pedals containing op amps and digital components and claim the distortion is fantastic! Go figure… I have replaced the speaker with a WGS ET90 (cream back clone) and the tubes with nos: V1:RCA, V2: RFT, Power: Siemens EL34. It is simply STUNNING.Keith Morrison

I've owned a Peavey 5150 212 combo back in the day, a H&K 20 watt tube, and used everything from Marshall to Mesa, Vox and Fender, and everything in between. This amp is simply the best tone I've ever heard out of an amp, period. I originally owned the first rendition of the HT series, with the smaller 20 watt amp, which was great but lacked the "super saturated lead" voicing on the HT40. I exchanged the 20 for the 40, and enjoyed the power, incredible tones, and durability of the original HT40 for years. Fast forward to recent times, when I was trying to go smaller, and tried out many modeling amps, as I didn't think I needed the full blown power of a 40 watt valve amp anymore. Needless to say, modelling amps still sound weak, harsh, and digital to my ears, and probably always will. I ended up buying the MK2, and they actually managed to improve my favorite amp of all time. This amp has stunning clean tones, and wonderful options for a modern or more boutique voicing, and two different reverb styles. Really, the cleans I get from this Blackstar from my tele are simply incredible, maybe not Fender level, but darn close. This is the one amp I've tried that has absolutely stunning clean tones AND brutal crunch and overdrive. This amp can play ANYTHING you throw at it, from metal to country, jazz and punk, and everything you can imagine. There an emulated out for recording, a switch that outputs only 10% of the wattage and turns it into a 4watt amp, giving you incredible saturation and warmth even at low volumes. I truly cannot say enough good things about it, I am a Blackstar customer for life after my first HT40, as they truly blew me away with the tone and features. The ISF is essential to me, and can transform the tone of this amp significantly. IMO, the high gain of this amp is miles ahead of even the Peavey 6505.B. Free Productions

As many have stated, if any amp could be a "swiss army knife" of tone, this would be it. The clean channel is fantastic, and has a lot of tone shaping ability between eq settings and changing between bright and dark reverb. The drive channel has a lot of variance as well, and can cover tons of ground – anything from blues, classic rock, to flat out metal.

Where it falls flat is the PCB assembly. Flux was still all over the board, and solder joints had voids in areas and were very poorly done. I believe many of the reliability issues others have reported are due to the poor PCB assembly. It's a fairly easy fix that shouldn't cost much more than $100 by a local reputable amp guy to redo bad/cold solder joints and strip the flux off the board. Despite this handicap, it is undoubtedly worth every penny. If you play through one and love it, don't let this scare you away.David Moore

Was looking for a small light weight amp whilst away from home, not wanting to lug around my heavy tube amp, cab and good sized pedal board. This amp fit's the bill perfectly. This amp sounds great, the onboard effects sound good to my ear. And I also like the controls on this amp. Simple layout that makes it easy and fast to dial in a decent sound. If you need more flexibility the architect software, which is a free download from Blackstar, is straight forward to use giving you even more flexibility. Another thing I like about this amp is as I'm away I often need to us headphones, no to disturb the neighbours, through the architect software, you can change the cab simulation from 112, 212, 412, even choose what mic simulation is used, which I think it's an excellent addition to this already impressive small amp. This amp also sounds great through its built-in speakers, giving it a great stereo sound. For this price I honestly cannot fault it, I did look at other amps but settled for this. And I'm so glad I did. This amp is a bargain!!Lesley C.

I hate amp hunting. I wanted something small and specific for a home studio. Shiny cleans with some grit too? Quality build? Under $600? I searched the used listings for weeks trying to find a deal. Nothing really GETS me. Finally, utterly sick of shopping, I walked into Sam Ash, saw this thing on the shelf and just bought it. Didnt try it. Just read the specs online, read a few reviews and snagged it. I figure, worst case scenario I'll return it tomorrow. Let me say, the sound from this amp is just so incredibly nice. Even without pedals, the built in reverb sounds very good. Not splashy, more like a plate reverb. Adding a transparent overdrive makes my G&L ASAT sound like a tone monster. I have no specific affinity for Blackstar. Never owned a single one of their products and I am totally blown away by this thing. I don't know a thing about the tonal waveforms and harmonic frequencies of the most expensive boutique amps but, on a stage or studio I'd put this amp up to pretty much anything. It FEELS good. It sounds good. Between my guitar and an overdrive pedal and the tone knob on the amp itself, I'm able to pull at least 6 very distinct tones before I even engage the dirty channel. It's even got an effects loop. Get one! You'll like it!DANIEL

I bought this amp a few months ago after LOTS of research, having finally decided to replace my previous amp of about 20 years! (A Marshall AVT half stack) Firstly, it looks amazing IMO and build quality looks and feels great too. I play in two bands, one playing southern rock, the other heavy rock/classic metal so needed something that was going to cover a pretty wide range of sounds. The Blackstar handles it amazingly! Wonderful warm crunches all the way to chugalicious highly saturated metal gains. The high gains are so smooth and creamy too and not 'scratchy'. (Something I always struggled with with the AVT) The clarity is also pretty amazing at high gain too. Individual notes can be picked out clearly and not just lost in a fuzzy mush. The 2 OD channels work perfectly for the two separate sounds I'm looking for to suit each band, with Voicing on each channel giving even more versatility. This amp produces beautiful cleans too, which can also break up nicely if you push the clean channel volume up. I'd also really recommend the optional 5-way footswitch, shame this doesn't come as standard, but hey..! All in all, I'm absolutely over the moon with this amp. It can do everything from sparkling cleans to tasty crunch and up to all the gain you could wish for. I've even been able to get THAT Stevie Ray Vaughan tone! 😍 But not only that, it's not some 'Jack of all trades, master of none'…it absolutley nails all of these brilliantly! This amp delivers the sound I've been looking for elusively for years now, funny that Blackstar's slogan is "The Sound In Your Head"… Big thanks to the team at PMT Newcastle when testing the 40 Watt version, and the distribution team for the speedy next day delivery!Davey S.

Purchased the Orange Crush RT35 through Musicians Friend. The amp on its own is a joy. However, the send and return used with a pedal board loaded w/o overdrive properly transports this amp on the Clean channel to an extreme I've experienced on a tube amp level. I used a Walrus EB 10 parametric pedal then a reverb, delay and slight echo at the end of the chain. The amp incredibly warmed, thickened and boosted the tone to one that competes with any of the high end tube amps I have ever used. Totally shocked! I will experiment with the overdrive on the dirty channel and an OD on the front end very soon. I expect good results. For the money and it's being a solid state, it is super impressive and a great value. I did do a lot of research and comparison, took the plunge, and the payoff was more than I could expect. I just A/B'd it with a 40 watt Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (with this set-up) in a studio and it definitely held its own and, I feel, it sounded better. That's what I know.My customer service rep, Conner at ext 3119, chewed over Bugera V5, Boss Katana MK2, and the Orange RT 35. I leaned toward the RT35 because the German engineering was advanced, the build build quality superior, its weight at 25 lbs and its great reviews.TonyC

It's a budget amp so you can't expect it to do the same as an expensive one. With that said it just doesn't punch above it's weight, it's punching well above it's weight. I have a pre tube amp that has some tubes in it's pre amp, that isn't quite a full tube amp and this isn't quite a full tube amp either or on the face of i an any tube amp, being it's solid state, but it does sound as warm as the pre tube I have, so that's a bonus for me, I prefer warmer tones. So that means not only heavy rock/metal but some very nice bluesy soft rock tones as well. Bult in reverb sounds really nice. The tuner is perfect, no faffing around trying to dial in the tuning. Best tuner on a lower end amp yet and better than my clip on one I have. It has 4 stages of gain, if you will. So pretty versitile. The amp is loud. I never run it in the house over 3 on the volume. It has one volume for clean but the dirty dial is for the gain volume. And it's adjusting this and the gain knob that gets you all your tones for the not clean sounds Two seperate channels with a simple EQ to use for both. Amp is sturdy as you like, well built. And the clincher is the return and send loop on the back., which works very well, a lovely clean loop. The most surprising thing was you associate orange with rockier sounds but this is a nice clean amp too. I might even prefer the clean channel actually. My advice is see reviews for it. There is one thats 20 or so mins long and shows you all the settings and the tones you can find. No brainer for the price and probably worth 100 quid more if you ask me but don't say I told you so or they will put up the price.R O.

I admit I've cycled through several practice amps – a couple of Fender Champions, Marshall MG, Orange Crush Mini, Strymon Iridium, a bunch of headphone amps, etc. This one is a winner. I've always heard good things about Orange quality and longevity. I like the Orange clean sound but I admit it's not for everyone. I play ambient guitar, mostly clean, with some overdrive from pedals. You'd think Fender would be my thing, right? Nope, the Champions just don't sound good compared to the Orange Crush amps. Plus, this combo amp is built like a tank. At the moment I'm running a stereo rig with the Orange Crush 35 and a Marshall MG15 (modded with speaker out pushing a Marshall 1×12), both on clean channels only, and it sounds really good. I have a Super Crush 100 head on order and can't wait for that!Rob

Because the Stage Right 5-watt tube amp (#611705) has control knobs only for Volume and Tone, I found that I get the best-to-my-ears guitar sound when I put an equalizer pedal between the guitar and amp and then adjust the equalizer to the tone that I'm looking for. On the guitar the Volume and Tone knobs are set fully open and on the 5-watt tube amp the Tone knob is fully closed and the Volume knob is set to the volume level acceptable to the environment (for home practice the Volume knob is set to level 3 at full 5-watts). The Stage Right 5-watt tube amp is my first tube amp after having used modeling amps for at least five years. I had heard that tube amps more often than not sound better than modeling amps. After now having experienced using a tube amp I agree that tube amps (at least the Stage Right 5-watt amp) sounds better than the modeling amps I've used (which to me sound great too). If you're looking for your first tube amp (like I was) or you are looking for a low-watt tube amp for home use then I highly recommend the Monoprice Stage Right 5-watt tube amp #611705. Review about Monoprice customer support: The 5-watt tube amp that I initially received had a cosmetic defect (a hole) on the textured surface on the front side of the amp. The Volume knob when set to fully opened level 10 produced normal speaking level sound instead of the noise-complaint loud volume that I expected. Monoprice customer service was great and easy to work with in submitting an amp replacement request. I described the problems, sent pictures of the cosmetic defect and a video demonstrating the Volume problem. After Monoprice customer service reviewed the pics and video they sent me a free shipping return label, a RMA label, and they ordered me a replacement amp which arrived within 7 days after I submitted the replacement request. The replacement amp that I received had no cosmetic defects and the Volume knob set to max level 10 is loud enough to generate noise-complaints from neighbors, though I normally use the amp at Volume level 3 for home use.New User

For the price (I got it when priced $119) it is fantastic. It's simple, straightforward and sounds good. Nice warm tones. If you're a fantastic guitar player, this amp will sound fantastic. If you're an okay guitarist, you might want to invest in some pedals (or just keep practicing). I only say that because it is very clean and bright and it really shows off what you're playing. (I've been known to hide my sloppiness with reverb, distortion, etc.) BUT It does take pedals well – thankfully! Adding a good reverb pedal, delay and an overdrive to go along with this little guy is a good idea. The Pros: Value to Price ratio. Looks well built. Warm tube sound. The handle (yes I am talking about the amp's handle) is nice! Better than I expected. In fact, everything looks pretty good (except the cheap control knobs). 5 watts is plenty loud for home/recording use. The Cons: Good sounding, but there are better sounding. Please don't buy this thinking that this is a $500 amp. It is not. But sub $200 it is a good one. The chickenhead knobs are cheap looking. I took them off and painted them. But that's a dollar or two easy fix (if it bothers you at all). Overall: I totally recommend for $150 or less. Probably for $200. If the prices climb too much beyond that, I think there are other options. If you want to jam at home and record with it, I think you'll be happy.Brad

The Monoprice 5 watt guitar amp arrived just a few days after ordering, and arrived in good shape, due in part to the excellent shipping carton. Upon taking it out and inspecting it, I could find no flaws in the cabinet, and due to the cream color of the covering, it seemed a little bigger than I was expecting. I plugged it in, let it warm up for almost an hour, and then plugged in an ES339, using no pedals. At first, I wasn't all that pleased with the sound I was getting, but it was my fault. I had it adjusted as I do with my Albion Hybrid, but that wasn't the way. I found the best sound came from turning the Monoprice all the way up, and then use the guitar controls for volume instead. That did it, and the little amp came a alive in a big way! Sounding very similar to a Fender champ, it could go from nice clear tones to crunchy heaven with the ES339's humbuckers. I plugged in a Strat with an HSH configuration, and the single coil really made it sound Fenderish. Sweet. The only thing I found one might improve on the amp, is the speaker. As such, I plugged into the built-in external speaker jack on the back, a little Randall 8" cabinet. That really did it for me. The sound was fantastic through the entire spectrum, and was loud enough to be heard down the block. I then bi-amped it with the Albion, and the sound had all the creamy goodness I've been seeking, and that is how I now have it setup for daily use. That said, there's nothing wrong with the stock speaker on the Monoprice, and I suspect it will satisfy most users. Am very happy with this purchase, and glad I bought it for such a great price. Almost every electric guitar player could find a use for this amp. Buy before the price goes up, or they quit making them!T

I play noisy hard rock/punk/hardcore through a '81 LP Custom, '59 Reissue LP STD and '76 Fender Tele Deluxe. I have a cherry '85 JCM800 100w that I've cared for since the early 90's and was looking for a 2 channel in a smaller form factor that was still plenty loud. I originally bought the Soldano Hot Rod 25, and while it sounded great at lower volumes, I found it too compressed with not enough grunt when pushed to very loud volumes. It didn't fill the room the way my JCM800 could. I sent the HR back and picked up this Friedman. It's similar in nature to my JCM800, weighs about 20 pounds less which saves my back dragging it through the city to practice, and it sounds incredible cranked or quiet. Very responsive. Both channels sounds great. CH2 doesn't need it, but I was surprised at how great Ch2 sounds with some of the distortion pedals I have. I've gigged about 6 times with this amp and it really cuts the room. The lifetime warranty is an added bonus. At this price, it should have came with a slip cover.PTH

I can truly say after playing semi-professionally for almost 25 years that this is the best amp I've ever owned. I've had close to 60 amps: everything from the typical big names to the top boutique amps in every price range. Many were killer amps. But there has never been one, until now, that has let me honestly believe my search is over. Here's why: there's a huge difference between how an amp sounds at home or in the music store, and how it sounds, feels and performs on stage. I can get satisfactory, even excellent tones with cheap gear. But those same tones usually get lost in the mix or sound dull and thin in a live situation. In addition, while many high gain tones can sound big and intense and "wow" you at first, they lose a lot of dynamics because they're overly compressed. The Friedman Small Box sits in the mix like no other amp I've used. The mids are PERFECT. Both channels are voiced to cut through. Just put all the knobs at noon and go. There's not a bad sound in this amp. Channel one can get you into serious crunch, or it can have that mid-forward super clean EL34 tone that just punches through. It can get very clean, but the ability to add some gain makes your cleans come alive more. I actually prefer the Small Box clean to the cleans on the other Friedman amps (BE and Jerry Cantrell) that are much more expensive (in fact, price aside, this is hands down my favorite of the Friedmans). Channel two is absolutely amazing. At first I was surprised. It didn't have as much gain as I expected. Don't get me wrong, it's high gain. I just thought it would be more over-the-top. I'm glad it's not, because now I realize that any more gain would kill the dynamics. As stated, the mids are where it's at for this channel. It's ridiculously responsive. For a 1×12 combo, it's got a huge sound. The low end is just plain big, and puts my other combos to shame. Through a 2×12 or 4×12, the tone is just MASSIVE. It really is that in-your-face, hot-rodded Marsh*lly sound that so many of us crave. The Friedman Jerry Cantrell is equally impressive on the dirty channel but in a different way. It has more gain, and sounds meaner, more modern. But I prefer the Small Box dirty channel. It's simple, raw, uncompressed and just BIG. I've also come to the conclusion that a 2-channel amp is perfect for me. I'm using a Fulldrive 3 on the front end, which gives me essentially two additional tones per channel. And I actually LIKE having a shared EQ for both channels. While having separate EQs sounds more flexible in theory, in practice I found on those amps that I'd set the EQs so similarly, that there was really no point in having two sets of tone controls (not too mention I hate having too many knobs). And, if you set the EQs differently, I find that it's hard to get a good balance in volume. I like the idea of clean and dirty having the same base tone, just with a lot more balls and gain on the dirty side. It's a more seamless experience when switching tones, and in a live situation your levels can be more easily matched. The build quality of this amp is outstanding. Just turn a knob or flip a toggle switch, and you can feel the difference between this and cheaper amps. Of course, Friedmans aren't cheap. But if I factor in all the money I've lost buying and reselling lesser amps and pedals, I could've saved a ton of money if I had this amp years ago.Skinvoyager

Amp sounds great a lower volume's, tried with several cabs but landed on a v30 greenback mix in a 2×12. This amp doesn't need to be set with everything on 10, it can be bright or warm meaning tone controls do a lot. The loop works great and is very transparent. Plexi channel is really good for clean stuff(at least for me) and can be goosed with boost or OD. Dirty channel is classic all the way to hard rock. We have a couple of nice amps kicking around and this Smallbox is a keeper, plus got a killer deal from MF. All around I'm super happy with the purchase.Joe

Overall: I can't believe the amount of vicious, righteous, and jaw-dropping tone this little amp puts out! The JBE setting has an amazing saturated, yet clear sound I've not been able to get out of other amps. Build quality is superb; top-notch!!! This 20 watt amp pushes through 4×12 cabs excellently. Best amp for gigs that don't require 100 watt stacks. LIght and portable, this amp will blow you away. The effects loop is super clear and the xlr line out with cab emulation is the best that's out there. GET THIS AMP!!!Marc

I've tried a lot of small box amps and this is the clear winner! Never thought I would own an amp with EL84s. This amp does it all. Beautiful clean channel and the JBE mode is glorious. Very transparent FX loop, a direct out with cab simulation. It's all here in a easy to use small box. Believe the hype, this amp is a seriously legit and easy to get around. Do it!Tim T

I am still in the honeymoon period, so take this with a grain of salt. But this amp definitely delivers the type of high gain sound I am looking for. No need to use an overdrive or dirt box in front of this one. I use a TS in front just to change from a rhythm to a lead sound. I have the Marshall Studio Classic and this one blows it out of the water. I even found the sweet spot on the clean channel.Paul

I was looking for a tube amp head and a 112 cab. Like a lot of people I don't have a ton of money to spend, but I wanted something that would work for what I do. When I got the amp it worked and as advised a let the power tubes warm up before I used it. this is a list of features I really like. 1. A good built in reverb. 2. An effect loop. 3. A switch for 4,8 and 16 Ohm speakers. 4. Came with a foot switch that that controls the channels and turn the reverb on or off 5. Two channels. A clean and a dirty. 6. Responsive tone and volume knobs. 7. Four pre-amp and two power-amp tubes. 8. The Infinity self bias feature for changing tubes. 9. One of the best clean channels I've ever used on a tube amp. 10. Works very well with pedals and effects units. 11. A indicator in back to let you know if the tubes need to be replaced. 12. A great price for a 50 watt all tube amp. 13. Looks great, almost like a Vox Night Train(which I believe Bugera modeled this after). 14. Works extremely well with the Burgera 112TS cab. Great cab by the way. 15. Has a fat switch which is helpful for people using single coil pickups in their guitars. These are the thing I didn't care for. 1. A fairly bad dirty channel. It tends to get fizzy sounding when bring up the gain. 2. The Tone Cut Knob in my opinion is pretty much useless. It kill your tone and sounds like a wet blanket was put over the speaker or speakers. Maybe if you use it slightly I could see a use for it, but you're better off using your EQ and/or adding an EQ to your effects loop. 3. The stock tubes aren't that good, but then again you can't except much for an inexpensive tube amp. I love and enjoy playing different kinds of music, but I love my metal :). I put in a set of GT 6L6GEs, a EH 12AX7 in V1, a Tung Sol 12 AX7 in V2, a EH 12AX7 in V3 and a EH 12AX7 in V4. This cleaned up the fizzy sound and tightened up my tone, but you still need separate overdrive and compression to put this amp in modern metal territory.Realmofreal

I have had the G20 for a couple of weeks and it has exceeded my expectations. I have had over a dozen amps in the past few decades, mostly solid state combos. One exception is an Orange Micro Dark hybrid I still own. This is my first all tube amp, and to me, the G20 provides "better" tones than any of my others. The G20 feels well built, with metal knobs & switches, solid connectors, and nice tolex with everything straight. The Morph knob adds great variety and tone controls work well. I have played it through 3 similar 1×12 open-back pine cabinets with Celestion Rocker 50, V-Type, and WGS ET-65 speakers. It sounds different with each one providing their own character. My previous right-angle instrument cable did not fit well with the input location and upgrading with a straight Kirlin cable was a noticeable improvement. The amp sounds good with a 1994 Fender Am.Std. Strat – getting nice clean and bluesy tones. Mostly, I've played a 2014 GLP Studio with 490s. With the Gain at 12 o'clock & Volume on 10, the Overdrive channel provides a nice, well, overdrive. The cleans are nice – clear and chimey. With Clean Volume at 3 o'clock, to match the gain settings when channel switching, it gets a bit dirty when guitar volume approaches 10. The Master allows you to get the tone you like and adjust the volume. With the above settings, the Master on 1, the amp is pretty loud in a 24' x 16' room. I have found it responsive to volume and tone adjustments on the guitar and pick attack. The reverb seems good (set on 1), but the cabinets with their location provide a certain amount of reverb so I have a hard time telling how effective it is otherwise. I really like this amp! It is quiet and can produce a variety of very nice guitar tones. I'm hoping the Infinium technology eases future tube changes and lets me know when it is needed. I will be using the amp at home so can't speak to its roadworthiness or relative loudness in a band setting. Worth checking!C-ville Brent

Got this as B stock, and since I repair amps, I took this amp apart and tested the tubes. The tubes are Tung Sol reissue copies and they sound great—let them break in first, give it about four or five months of intermittent use. You'll be very pleased with the results, I can tell you, the sound stage and head room are outstanding, the EL-34's positively purr! I had to remove the lead free solder from all of the tube sockets, as they turned out to be cold solder joints (ergo, why I got a deal on the amp, as a B stock customer return.) I used leaded solder and since I have been soldering for over 43 years of my life, the work turned out very nicely… Surprise! The amp sounded far, far better than it had originally, if you have the skills with solder wick and a soldering iron, give it a shot, you won't regret it!! 99% of the problems with these amps are simply due to the tube sockets being hand soldered incorrectly, the main board, which is wave soldered, is 100% perfect, even with the lead free solder used. The Fender to Marshall ISF pot works, interesting tones produced by this, you'll enjoy the results… The PC boards use surface mounted components, for the most part, so don't buy this amp thinking that you can modify it that easily, you can't and it really is not necessary, the amp sings fine, just as it is!ejmendoza

(Upfront note: there is a FOOT SWITCH included in the box 😎👌.) I just mess around at home most of the time, so I needed something that could get nice and quiet, but I wanted the option to get real loud when I wanted to. I wanted something that could keep up with a drummer sometimes. This checks all the boxes. I can dial in sweet sparkly tones, or get dark and dirty. I'll say though, with the attenuator on, it's hard to get clean tones. It tends to break up very easily when you dial in below about 5 watts. When it's cranked all the way up at fill wattage it's not very loud though, and it sounds wonderful. You can get the extra volume you need with a boost switch, or go over to the Ultra input. That's when it gets very, very loud. I also have an active pickup on my Les Paul which absolutely blows this thing up. When the attenuator is turned to full wattage there is a lot of headroom. Everything works as advertised and it sounds great. I bought mine as an open box scratch and dent for nearly half off, and it's in nearly mint condition. Unbelievable deal and worth every penny. 10/10.Tony Baloney

This is one of the best sounding, most impressive amps I've ever played. There are SO many choices out there when you're looking for a combo amp, but this may be the best overall value in an amp I've ever encountered. First, all of the nice options that VHT included in this are SO well thought out. There are plenty of combo amps that offer a lot of extra features, but most of them come at the expense of quality components and tone. The features on this amp just make SENSE. They make it easier to use, and easier to dial in that TONE. Let's talk about tone. I LOVE the sound of a good 6V6 tube cooking along like it's supposed to. This amp has that tone in spades. I replaced the stock 12ax7s with Tung Sol, and replaced the stock 6V6s with some NOS GE tubes. SO NICE. I play it in triode mode with the built-in attenuator and the volume knob both set at 5, and that puts is JUST at the break-up threshold. I use a JHS modded Dynacomp to goose it a little from there, and a few dirt pedals through the effects loop if I need heavier distortion. IT IS BEAUTIFUL. It puts out this warm but crisp, three-dimensional sounding distortion that is so unique, but sounds like you WANT it to. Also, GIVE THE STOCK SPEAKER A CHANCE. It takes a while to break it in. LET IT. There are some GREAT speaker options out there that you can experiment with, that you MAY prefer over the stock speaker, but you're going to have to spend a lot of money to do better, and you owe it to yourself to check this thing out. It has a very round but crisp sound. It's well balanced and is mated very well to this amp. Overall, the tone leans towards the dark end, but you can brighten it up a little once the speaker breaks in and doesn't sound so harsh, allowing you to crank up the treble with impunity. The JHS Dynacomp I use also does a good job of helping the highs in my tone ring through. Overall, I just love this amp. I haven't even gotten into talking about how useful having pentode and triode modes is, about the ability to use ANY tube in it, to switch from 12 to 20 watts, the active effect loop with its own 12ax7 tube, the 9v power output on the back of the amp, PLUS it's handwired, so it's easy to mod or repair. Hands down my favorite amp on the market. I've owned (in no particular order) a Vox AC30cc2, a VHT Special 6 (another GEM of an amp), an Egnater Tweaker 15 combo, a Fender Super Champ XD, and a Traynor YCV40, and the only two still around are the Special 12/20 and the Super Champ XD to back it up. Just buy it. You'll love it.Shooter Janes

I purchased and returned 3 of these over the past 2 months. Each one had quality issues. The first one had a hum and a crackle/popping sound that would randomly occur while playing. The second amp had tolex issues. The tolex on the front panel under the logo was cut short and crooked. You could see the wood underneath. It was also peeling around the bottom right edge. The third amp had the same issue as the first one. I contacted VHT directly to see if they would make things right (please send me one that does not have the quality issues). They apologized and told me to return the amp. Very disappointed. After many attempts with this amp I finally gave up. I returned the last one today. VHT just lost a customer for life. I will not buy another VHT product. I can't imagine how they are going to survive as a company with these types of issues.River City Audio

Great sounding clean tones for playing at home, which is why i bought it – my beloved Mustang 1.1 started having issues and I MUST have a great clean tone to relax. Wanted a tube amp and did my research. Decided on the Blackstar. I must say I'm extremely happy with it. The reverb is KILLER to my ear and does a great job at adding shimmer without destroying the tone. No external effects are needed to get a gorgeous clean tone – I use my Zoom G3Xn into the front end to get univibe and compression. The effects loop is very functional. The amp can be very bass heavy, depending on your instrument, but if you run a 10 band EQ (go with MXR) in the loop you amp can achieve any tonal result you want. My best sound comes with everything at 12, with some of the bass rolled off with the MXR EQ – but its just a matter of taste i guess. This amp moves a lot of air when you use the drive channel, and if your not pleased with the amps distortion it does respond really well to distortion pedals. I'm mostly in the clean blues zone but must brag on the amps darker side: it can get very loud and stay rich. I haven't tried any of the direct recording features. The 2 selectable characters of clean that the amp offers thrill me and ,again, the reverb is classy and a bit different from other amps ( I read that is a room reverb). Highly recommended.Tim H.

This amp out of the box sounds fantastic. Crystal clear clean tones and a snarly gain channel that lets you choose between a more American gain tone and a British gain tone. I would say ‘cater for everyone’. But, I received my first amp and within an hour of playing I’d noticed a loud ‘POP’ when changing channels. This pop occurred if a note was being played at the same time as the channel change. (Footswitch and Amp buttons) So, of course I returned the Amp to PMT. they arranged DPD next working day collection for me, completely hassle free. I awaited my next amp, as a direct replacement. A few days later the next Blackstar HT-5R mkii arrived, box fresh like the last. I plugged the amp in, let the tubes warm and away I went. Within minutes of found a great tone again, but the loud ‘POP’ I heard from the first unit was there again on this amp. I tried 4 sockets in the house in case there was any kind of interference/static, but to no avail. Absolutely gutted, I called PMT again. The amp was returned for the second time. Apparently this hasn’t happened to anyone else, I may just be unlucky or the amp may not get along with the electrics in my home. Just check this out as soon as you buy one. I’ve tried two other valve amps on my house since, including a Blackstar Artist 10 AE and an Orange terror with cab, and there’s absolutely zero noise with these. Very important to note here, this is not a slam of PMT, they’ve been absolutely brilliant throughout this whole thing. Customer service is second to none and they are very easy to contact. Used these for a very long time and I will be returning once stores open to try out a new amp.Jack H.