Vht Special 6 6W 1X10 Hand-Wired Tube Guitar Combo Amp For Sale (2024 Update)

(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

Was on the fence for over a year on the Marshall DSL 1 Watt. Ended up getting a steal on a Blackstar HT1 head and went with that, which is a great amp but pretty quickly regretted not going with the DSL due to more range of EQ. Made the move for the DSL but decided to go up to a 5 watt due to Volume/Gain on the Classic gain setting. I have worked it for over a month now and extremely pleased with the purchase. The classic gain will not get a usable crunch for me but is an awesome clean channel for pedals, which it takes extremely well. The ultra gain, at low settings is great for classic rock. I am not much of a metal guy so really don't go for anything over noon on the ultra gain. I am not a big fan of the speaker, although it does sound much better after break in. I run it basically as a head into a 1 x 12 cab which has a 12 inch celestion 90th anniversary speaker, which sounds excellent. Will eventually swap out the internal speaker for a greenback. Lastly, I would highly recommend this amp to those on the fence between the 1watt and 5 watt. Actually, those dead set on the 1watt, take a pause and re-evaluate. I noticed minimal DB difference between my 1watt blackstar and 5 watt DSL that if concerned with volume issues, don't be. Even with 5 watt setting, the max DB is not much more than what I got out of the blackstar. With the .5 watt setting on the DSL, it was even lower for bedroom volume. The 5 watt is much better choice over the 1 watt simply due to the classic channel volume setting.Axel

Overall: This is a great practice amp with the onboard 10” speaker, and also sounds incredible when ran through my buddy’s 4×12 Marshall cabinet. If you don’t like the factory speaker, Celestion makes some very fine replacements you can pop in. If you want to play through a bigger stack, unplug the onboard speaker and run a cable from this combo to the stack. If you want that Marshall DSL tone, an amp from this line is definitely what you’re looking for. Some of the features that made this the right amp for me include:- low power mode: when engaged, I can dial the gain as high as I want without notifying the rest of my apartment complex that I’m rocking out. Conversely, don’t let the five watt power rating deter you if you’re after volume – you’ll definitely be able to cause a noise complaint if you so choose. The selling point for me, however, was being able to dial in that Marshall tone at a volume one can speak over. Whether playing with the hot EMGs in my Les Paul, the even hotter humbuckers in my Blacktop Jaguar, the 490s in my SG, or the comparatively quiet Texas Specials and Atomic humbucker setup in my Strat, the cleans are articulate and the distortion is wonderful. This amp also takes my pedals, including my variety of dirt pedals (EHX Big Muff Pi for fuzz, a modified Boss DS1 for distortion, and an EHX East River Drive for OD) like a champ.- included foot switch: This was a fantastic bonus. The cabling on it is sufficient in length to play practically anywhere and still be able to switch channels without running across the room.- onboard reverb: While I don’t use it often, it’s much more articulate than I was expecting. Not in the same class as my EHX pedal, but definitely a nice added feature.- emulated line out: This is fantastic. No need for a direct box, no mucking about with a USB/FireWire/Thunderbolt interface when I want to jack in and record, no latency issues, and no mucking about with software effects to get my sound just right. A mini jack cable to the line-in on my laptop or DAW allows me to record my sound, off of my signal chain, with no issues whatsoever. I love it.- effects loop: this was something that my Orange Micro Terror lacked. While I don’t use it frequently, it is nice to have the option. Bottom line, if you want a worthy successor to the original Dual Super Lead in a package that won’t blow the roof off your house and would be sufficient for gigging small venues (which I have with this amp,) this is probably the amplifier for you. 5/5, would definitely recommend this or others from their DSL line.Mike

My second review . First one 7 years ago. Home use and gigs. Still love this amp!!! Harmonica mostly but love my guitars through it too. I put a 12AT7 in it to lower the gain slightly for harmonica . Using a new Hohner HB52 mic into it lately. fantastic rig!!! Get one!!!Lowell

I needed a portable amp and had looked at a few others in the low-watt combo game. Since I only ever have to hear myself over a self-controlled drummer (an important thing kids) I didn't need anything over about 12 watts. After trying a few decent choices in store and at various live situations I stumbled on this by accident. The guy trying it in the store before me opted for something else and I am so glad he did. This has the perfect mix of smooth clean tone and pleasant tube saturation. Add to it remarkable portability, solid reliability and straight-forward controls and you have my vote. In fact I opt for this over my other amps on hand every time. Would I change anything? Maybe an effects loop to add some reverb but that's it. Affordable. Portable. Reliable. Fantastic tone. What's not to like?Greensound

I wanted the purest, truest, simplest yet full-fledged tube tone I could find for recording, guitar evaluation, and playing in general – without breaking the bank. This li'l guy, IMHO, delivers on all counts. You can do just about anything with it. High/Low power, boost On/Off, and HI/LOW inputs give you 8 combinations over which to vary the Volume and Tone controls. Speaker outs let you make it sound big. Mic-ing to a PA even bigger. Takes pedals well for pretty much any style of music. So far, so good, and I wanted 'hand-wired' not so much for mods, but for easy repair if ever needed. The easiest 'mod', of course, would be to change out the 6V6 tube with an EL84 using the available adapter for a variation in the amp's character. The 10" speaker gives it a solid, focused sound that I would be hard-pressed to improve upon. The movement of air I think is important, as direct-in and modeling just don't cut it for me. And you'd be surprised the tonal variations that mic placement can make. This li'l guy is a winner. And a steal. And probably offered as such by the company as an introduction to its products, which I would give serious consideration to if I ever needed to look at something bigger.MattPK

My second review . First one 7 years ago. Home use and gigs. Still love this amp!!! Harmonica mostly but love my guitars through it too. I put a 12AT7 in it to lower the gain slightly for harmonica . Using a new Hohner HB52 mic into it lately. fantastic rig!!! Get one!!!Lowell

I needed a portable amp and had looked at a few others in the low-watt combo game. Since I only ever have to hear myself over a self-controlled drummer (an important thing kids) I didn't need anything over about 12 watts. After trying a few decent choices in store and at various live situations I stumbled on this by accident. The guy trying it in the store before me opted for something else and I am so glad he did. This has the perfect mix of smooth clean tone and pleasant tube saturation. Add to it remarkable portability, solid reliability and straight-forward controls and you have my vote. In fact I opt for this over my other amps on hand every time. Would I change anything? Maybe an effects loop to add some reverb but that's it. Affordable. Portable. Reliable. Fantastic tone. What's not to like?Greensound

I wanted the purest, truest, simplest yet full-fledged tube tone I could find for recording, guitar evaluation, and playing in general – without breaking the bank. This li'l guy, IMHO, delivers on all counts. You can do just about anything with it. High/Low power, boost On/Off, and HI/LOW inputs give you 8 combinations over which to vary the Volume and Tone controls. Speaker outs let you make it sound big. Mic-ing to a PA even bigger. Takes pedals well for pretty much any style of music. So far, so good, and I wanted 'hand-wired' not so much for mods, but for easy repair if ever needed. The easiest 'mod', of course, would be to change out the 6V6 tube with an EL84 using the available adapter for a variation in the amp's character. The 10" speaker gives it a solid, focused sound that I would be hard-pressed to improve upon. The movement of air I think is important, as direct-in and modeling just don't cut it for me. And you'd be surprised the tonal variations that mic placement can make. This li'l guy is a winner. And a steal. And probably offered as such by the company as an introduction to its products, which I would give serious consideration to if I ever needed to look at something bigger.MattPK

(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

(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

I was really surprised at how good this amp sounds. Years ago I tried Line 6 and was not at all happy with the tone; but this is another story. It does take me awhile to dial in a specific classic rock tone, but when I do, it sounds better than any other amp that I've tried. I have tried the Marshall Code, Blackstar id Core, Vox Valvetronix, Boss Katana; as well as some all tube amps. The only other amp that is a close 2nd is the Fender Mustang GTX; also a great amp. The Spider V is fairly easy to operate. It offers lots of choices for amp models and cabinets. I like that it has variations of a mic'd cabinet. The parametric eq is a plus. I haven't played around too much with the effects yet, so I can't comment on that. The only negative thing I could say is that when you're editing a preset and want to hear how it sounds before you save it, you only have a short time before it goes back to the Home Screen. This really is a small price to pay for the quality of the amp and all the versatility it has. I like the App too. Musicians Friend got me a great on this as well; and their agent is following up making sure that I'm satisfied. The funny thing is that I came across this by accident. I placed an order for a Peavey amp that was on back order. I called Peavey multiple times, but they never returned my call. I also emailed them, but they didn't respond to that either. As far as I'm concerned, Peavey doesn't have any customer support.crrkr

Been playing about a year, so my review is from the perspective of a complete newbie. The things I like- Lots of presets, mobile app functions, computer interface, and loads of user created effects available. Nice and loud, but no real basis of comparison to say if clarity is better or worse than other comparable amps. Don't likes- The micro-usb interface. I had to get an adapter and it's just not as good a connection as nearly anything else would be. IMHO, micro-usb is far too flimsy. Connecting to PC is far more problematic than just using the spider mobile app. It's probably a little more complicated than it should be for a beginner, but it's feature rich for the money.Nic T

I had a Line 6 120w amp for years that I regrettably sold a while ago and was looking for another amp. I looked at all the amp reviews I could find and decided that the new Katana was the way to go. I got the Katana home and absolutely loved it but the second day I had it it started a really loud buzzing that I couldn't stop. It probably was an easy fix but the fact is the amp was way too powerful for my purposes and their software wasn't compatible with the new Catalina OS. I returned and started looking again. I saw the 60w Spider V and the price was excellent so I made an on the spot decision to buy another Line 6 and I'm really glad I did. The tones this amp can get are incredible. There are so many amp models and cabs that you can dial in pretty much any tone you want from a crispy snapback country clean to the most vicious heavy metal and everything in between. You can use the presets as they are or you can use them as a baseline and tweak to your own liking or you can start from scratch and build your own rig from the ground up. The controls are intuitive and easy to use but there are some features where you'd have to be a professional to really know how to use or even care to use. The software and the mobile app are so easy to use and give you all the options at your fingertips. The amp comes with a lot of presets that I find are completely useless but there are a lot that are excellent as I already talked about. There are only four empty slots for your own custom presets and I wish there were more but if you use the mobile app you can have your own tone library on there. I bought the FBV3 foot controller so that gives me a lot of flexibility to have various effects. One of the limitations is the lack of good effects though. There's enough that if you work at it you can get a decent sound but there could be some better ones. Overall I would recommend the amp. Don't listen to the naysayers or the amp snobs, it's a quality amp and extremely versatile.Just Plain Joe

The Ac-10not only looks the business but it has since real depth and warmth to its tone. Clean – it’s bright and has the chime you’d expect. Turn up the gain and your tone breaks up but still retains clarity. Having the gain wide open and master volume down means you can still have the saturated crunch but not disturb others . Perfect for home use but would not be out of place in a small pub gig. Takes pedals will and with a multi-fix like a GT 100, if you disable the amp sim and use like a conventional pedal board, you don’t lose any quality of the AC10’s natural tone. A masterful amp and it even smells nice with those tubes cooking.Mark R.

Ive been playing 35 years and this is probably the best all around practice amp ive ever heard. Pros- looks great, sounds very good, cleans thump and chime, distortion can wail. Its loud for its size. Seems built well. Have had no bad issues. Cons- clean isnt near as loud as w the gain cranked up. No reverb. In short if this amp was 50-100W and had reverb and an external speaker jack id never play another amp. Good job VOX.jjsrvfan

I bought this amp based on the good print reviews and the way it sounded in you Tube reviews. I did a lot of homework and finally placed my order. I was excited when it showed up at my house and plugged my Jay Turser Les Paul copy right in. Boy, is this thing dark! I turned all the tone controls to 10. I changed the strings. I removed the covers from my pickups- that just made it dark and tinny. After three days I decided that I had to either send it back or make some changes. I took the speaker from a Squier 15 amp and installed it in the Bugera. Right away there was more life and clarity to the sound, though it still sounded tinny (because it's a speaker from a Squier 15), but it was some progress. Next I pulled tubes from a circa 1959 Curtis-Mathes console stereo and swapped them into the Bugera. Now we were getting somewhere- the overtones, the reason we use tubes, were now present and accounted for. The same console is full of Oxford speakers, which are a Jensen knockoff and well respected. I took an 8" from that and installed it in the V5. OH YEAH! Now this is a great little amp. The clean tones are super sweet, clear, full and bell-like with tons of sustain. The overdrive has a huge range of grit, and the reverb is better than any other amp I've had. So after installing a set of +/- 60 year old tubes and speaker, it sounds great. But out-of-the-box stock, I would have sent it back, no question. If you have a too-bright guitar or are willing to make upgrades, this amp is a super value. My one complaint about build quality is that the wattage selector switch is extremely touchy- it goes from .1 to 5 watts and has to be fiddled with to get it to stay on the 1 watt setting.Farmhand

Perfect at home tube amp. I generally use 1 watt mode. Great tone whether clean or breakup. Loves my telecaster and Boss BD-2 into it, and takes pedals great in general. Couldn’t get over how nice it looked when I unboxed mine, either. Beautiful looking amp on top of sounding great. Really an incredible value. Can’t recommend this one enough if you’re looking for a home use valve amp.Grandaddy Jeff

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

I gotta tell you…this little amp has very much impressed me in ONE way; it is very clean. This is my first experience with the Acoustic brand, and I am pleased, and have become a fan. I got mine as a display model at Guitar Center to play solely with my acoustic/electric Fender T-Bucket 300CE—and it sounds absolutely phenomenal (but only through the clean channel). This is an electric guitar practice amp; but I didn't realize that when I bought it, because of the brand name (yah…35 years of playing and I'm still that stupid, LOL)—I thought it would be a good 20 watt "acoustic/electric" amp, and my misunderstanding turned out to be a blessing. Obviously the 'drive' channel is gonna sound horrible with an acoustic/electric…I hated it, and never tried it a second time. The clean channel is fantastic though. Just out of curiosity (since it IS an electric guitar amp), I plugged in one of my Fender Stratocaster's, and THAT blew me away on the clean channel, yet still disappointed me on the drive side…so it's my conclusion that the drive channel sucks on this amp regardless of guitar type. With either acoustic/electric or just electric guitar on the clean channel, there is no hum, no pop, no squeal, no noise what-so-ever whether the guitar is being played or sitting with full volume. It is dead quiet until you hit them strings, and then it sings like an Angel. If you want distortion (at any volume), there are better amps in this price range. If clean is your thing, and 20 watts is plenty for you (it can be mic'd if needed)….then I don't think you can do better than this amp. It's amazing. On a side note, I am so impressed with this Acoustic brand amp using an acoustic/electric, that I just ordered an Acoustic A1000 today as a Christmas gift to myself…and I plan to buy another one of these G20's to have TWO as powered monitors (because the A1000 is capable of running two output's). I was solely a Fender guy (guitars and amps), but Acoustic made me re-think.White Dog

I use this amp as a practice amp. Ended up miking it up for recording. Sounds fat. Sits well in a dense mix. I've even used it for gigs. For when guests want to sit in. Just throw a mike on it. And have the f.o.h. take it from there. Simple to dial in usable tones.Kev

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

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

This amp is versatile and easy to use stand-alone. It has a great selection of amp models built-in, along with enough effect and delays so that you can find something that you like fairly quickly. I like the clean and boutique models with some reverb. Then I played around with the other models, adjusting settings and effects. You can adjust everything on the amp, not necessary to connect a computer. I did find it confusing initially due to all the different methods required, i.e. "press a button", "press and hold", "press for 2 seconds", etc. That's why I read the manual a few times! Line6 puts a nice 2-sided "cheat sheet" on top of the amp around the carrying handle which is a lot easier than flipping through small pieces of paper staring at small font printing. So don't remove the amp-topper sheet and toss it in the box with the rest of the packing material :-). The best feature of the Catalyst amp is the manual channel. This is WYSIWYG. Adjust the knobs and controls just like a "regular"amp. You can then save the settings once you get something you like. In the future I will connect the amp to the computer and see what else you can do. Right now I am quite happy with the Catalyst amp and I highly recommend it. Go get one!Gene

After suffering a disabling back injury I needed an amp that was easier and lighter to move and set up than the tube amp combos I was used to playing through. I never cared much for the solid state amps as they could never duplicate the warmth a tube amp provided and was considering retiring from live performance altogether. Then I heard about the Catalyst series of amps and decided to try them out and was amazed! My bandmates were as well, telling me how much more clean and clear my sound was. Programming channels was a snap ( just follow the "cheat sheet on top of the amp and read the manual) and the manual button provides the familiarity of a regular amp, and at a third of the weight of my Blackstar 40 watt tube combo I can continue to perform without dealing with debilitating back pain from moving a 70 pound amp. I was so impressed I went back to GC and got the 60 watt Catalyst as well for home and playing at open mic and jams. I couldn't be happier with these amps and am grateful for the help and guidance the folks at Guitar Center in Concord Ca. always provide.Stephen

I have a few amps that I'm selling and a couple that need work – I picked up this Catalyst 60 on a whim so I'd have something reliable and portable while I'm moving amps around my local used market – but I'm super impressed with this amp and am probably going to upgrade to the 100w model! (In fact, I'll get two because I play in stereo!) I found it impossible to get a bad sound out of this, I plugged in direct with my Vox Virage DC and tried all the possible pickup combinations and did not want to stop playing. Great cleans, great crunch. The higher gain amp settings had me revisiting the metal riffs of my youth, haha. I haven't dived into the software editor because: I haven't needed to. This thing sounds great out of the box.FitzG

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.

This amp is versatile and easy to use stand-alone. It has a great selection of amp models built-in, along with enough effect and delays so that you can find something that you like fairly quickly. I like the clean and boutique models with some reverb. Then I played around with the other models, adjusting settings and effects. You can adjust everything on the amp, not necessary to connect a computer. I did find it confusing initially due to all the different methods required, i.e. "press a button", "press and hold", "press for 2 seconds", etc. That's why I read the manual a few times! Line6 puts a nice 2-sided "cheat sheet" on top of the amp around the carrying handle which is a lot easier than flipping through small pieces of paper staring at small font printing. So don't remove the amp-topper sheet and toss it in the box with the rest of the packing material :-). The best feature of the Catalyst amp is the manual channel. This is WYSIWYG. Adjust the knobs and controls just like a "regular"amp. You can then save the settings once you get something you like. In the future I will connect the amp to the computer and see what else you can do. Right now I am quite happy with the Catalyst amp and I highly recommend it. Go get one!Gene

After suffering a disabling back injury I needed an amp that was easier and lighter to move and set up than the tube amp combos I was used to playing through. I never cared much for the solid state amps as they could never duplicate the warmth a tube amp provided and was considering retiring from live performance altogether. Then I heard about the Catalyst series of amps and decided to try them out and was amazed! My bandmates were as well, telling me how much more clean and clear my sound was. Programming channels was a snap ( just follow the "cheat sheet on top of the amp and read the manual) and the manual button provides the familiarity of a regular amp, and at a third of the weight of my Blackstar 40 watt tube combo I can continue to perform without dealing with debilitating back pain from moving a 70 pound amp. I was so impressed I went back to GC and got the 60 watt Catalyst as well for home and playing at open mic and jams. I couldn't be happier with these amps and am grateful for the help and guidance the folks at Guitar Center in Concord Ca. always provide.Stephen

I have a few amps that I'm selling and a couple that need work – I picked up this Catalyst 60 on a whim so I'd have something reliable and portable while I'm moving amps around my local used market – but I'm super impressed with this amp and am probably going to upgrade to the 100w model! (In fact, I'll get two because I play in stereo!) I found it impossible to get a bad sound out of this, I plugged in direct with my Vox Virage DC and tried all the possible pickup combinations and did not want to stop playing. Great cleans, great crunch. The higher gain amp settings had me revisiting the metal riffs of my youth, haha. I haven't dived into the software editor because: I haven't needed to. This thing sounds great out of the box.FitzG

This is a good 2 channel 40W solid state practice amp. This hidden gem is for those on a budget and seeking portability. The dirt channel has 4 options – OD, Distortion, Metal, and Redline. The knobs are metal not plastic. I'm surprised at how solid the casing is built. Orange? No, I went Red!Snot Donkey

It's a nice little amp head. It sounds great, looks great, and built with quality. Ive played around with it for about an hour now and tried out all the effects. The Metal and Redline effect are super heavy and sound excellent. I am running it to a 2×10 60w cab for right now. However, my complaint is that it would easy to believe there is a 1×8 speaker in the amp… since it literally says that in the specifications. So I plug in the power, plug in the bcrich and nothing. Which is fine cuz I got it for a 1×12 cab I'm building. But it would be easy to be mislead so look out for that. Other than that I really like it so far and I'm impressed with sound and quality!Spaz

Great little amp that has a really nice clean sound with built in spring reverb control. Aso has tone controls knobs for low, mid and highs and 4 built-in effects; I like 3 of them, the overdrive, distortion and Reline effects, the metal sound is meh and will probably never use it. I got a Livewire 2-way foot switch and works well with this. I recommend this amp.Mike

Bought this for my grandson to use. My other amps are too big for him to take to lessons and school. This isn't the cheapest practice amp but the sound is great and the overdrive DSP is as good as much more expensive amps. Excellent amp for the money.digital_photog

I was really surprised at how good this amp sounds. Years ago I tried Line 6 and was not at all happy with the tone; but this is another story. It does take me awhile to dial in a specific classic rock tone, but when I do, it sounds better than any other amp that I've tried. I have tried the Marshall Code, Blackstar id Core, Vox Valvetronix, Boss Katana; as well as some all tube amps. The only other amp that is a close 2nd is the Fender Mustang GTX; also a great amp. The Spider V is fairly easy to operate. It offers lots of choices for amp models and cabinets. I like that it has variations of a mic'd cabinet. The parametric eq is a plus. I haven't played around too much with the effects yet, so I can't comment on that. The only negative thing I could say is that when you're editing a preset and want to hear how it sounds before you save it, you only have a short time before it goes back to the Home Screen. This really is a small price to pay for the quality of the amp and all the versatility it has. I like the App too. Musicians Friend got me a great on this as well; and their agent is following up making sure that I'm satisfied. The funny thing is that I came across this by accident. I placed an order for a Peavey amp that was on back order. I called Peavey multiple times, but they never returned my call. I also emailed them, but they didn't respond to that either. As far as I'm concerned, Peavey doesn't have any customer support.crrkr

Been playing about a year, so my review is from the perspective of a complete newbie. The things I like- Lots of presets, mobile app functions, computer interface, and loads of user created effects available. Nice and loud, but no real basis of comparison to say if clarity is better or worse than other comparable amps. Don't likes- The micro-usb interface. I had to get an adapter and it's just not as good a connection as nearly anything else would be. IMHO, micro-usb is far too flimsy. Connecting to PC is far more problematic than just using the spider mobile app. It's probably a little more complicated than it should be for a beginner, but it's feature rich for the money.Nic T

I had a Line 6 120w amp for years that I regrettably sold a while ago and was looking for another amp. I looked at all the amp reviews I could find and decided that the new Katana was the way to go. I got the Katana home and absolutely loved it but the second day I had it it started a really loud buzzing that I couldn't stop. It probably was an easy fix but the fact is the amp was way too powerful for my purposes and their software wasn't compatible with the new Catalina OS. I returned and started looking again. I saw the 60w Spider V and the price was excellent so I made an on the spot decision to buy another Line 6 and I'm really glad I did. The tones this amp can get are incredible. There are so many amp models and cabs that you can dial in pretty much any tone you want from a crispy snapback country clean to the most vicious heavy metal and everything in between. You can use the presets as they are or you can use them as a baseline and tweak to your own liking or you can start from scratch and build your own rig from the ground up. The controls are intuitive and easy to use but there are some features where you'd have to be a professional to really know how to use or even care to use. The software and the mobile app are so easy to use and give you all the options at your fingertips. The amp comes with a lot of presets that I find are completely useless but there are a lot that are excellent as I already talked about. There are only four empty slots for your own custom presets and I wish there were more but if you use the mobile app you can have your own tone library on there. I bought the FBV3 foot controller so that gives me a lot of flexibility to have various effects. One of the limitations is the lack of good effects though. There's enough that if you work at it you can get a decent sound but there could be some better ones. Overall I would recommend the amp. Don't listen to the naysayers or the amp snobs, it's a quality amp and extremely versatile.Just Plain Joe

Where do I start? Well, how about, this is the best tube amp I have ever played! 62 years with many guitars and many amps, some owned, some borrowed, and some tested in music shops, might give me a little credibility. I have loved a Fender Twin Reverb, made in the 50s that my uncle Keith, and my guitar mentor, loaned me for a while. It just sounded so good. Never could seem to find cash, or justification to buy a tube amp, but have owned a hal a dozen solid states. THEN THIS LITTLE BEAUTY! Having played the Twin for a couple of years, and others such as a Mesa Boogie, VOX's, and too many others to recall, THIS monster sounds like most of them with just little tweaks of the knobs and my guitar switches. I have played country, 60s and 70s rock, blues, finger-style instrumentals, gospel, etc. I believe this is the PERFECT combo, with the correct (JJ) tubes, a sweet (and dirty when desired) Seventy/80 speaker, and an amazing diversity of sounds, which works in every genre I play! I do not know how anyone can find reason to bad mouth this. I had it for 2 weeks, was asked to fill an absent, guitarist's spot at an outdoor venue, I took this little amp. We played to an area the size of a football field. I set the amp on 1 Watt, until I could hear it cleanly (behind me on stage), let the sound man mic and mix me in. Never had to turn it above about 4, with gain between 1 and 4, and many complemented me on my sound, and musicians asked me WHAT IS THAT LITTLE AMP? Those are the good points. I can only think of two piddly things I would like to see changed, and one would be a standby switch, and the second being a way to run the external speaker WITHOUT cutting off the amp speaker. Until then, I will just keep playing this sweetheart amp, and enjoy the statements about "my sound," and the question of WHAT IS THAT LITTLE AMP? Keep playing everybody…and maybe buy one of these. I do not believe you will regrety it.New User

These amps are fantastic, and at these bargain prices you simply can't go wrong. I upgraded the reverb tank in mine to a Mod and changed the speaker for a Warehouse GC12. OMG, this thing is a beast! Another WGS option I've seen people use is the ET65 for a more British tone, also with good results. The stock speaker is not too bad, but this one simple upgrade of swapping the speaker takes the amp to the next level. It just sounds awesome. The upgraded reverb tank is also an improvement, but not as much as I thought it would be. If I had to do it over again I would just take out the stock tank and use a pedal for reverb and make the amp even lighter to haul around. The more important upgrade imo is the speaker. It really makes a world of difference. Grab one reasonably while you still can, the price keeps creeping up and up and up… !Jeff

After a number of FEDEX issues, I received my amp about 5 days later than estimated. It did arrive in excellent condition and was worth the wait. The Stage Right 611815 has a really sweet tone that sounds particularly good with the single coil pickups on my Fender Sratocaster Player. It breaks up nicely! The reverb works perfectly, and is fine for most playing but you might want an external reverb unit if you are playing Dick Dale tunes. A really nice feature for home playing is the 15W/1W switch, where you can limit the amp to 1 W (be aware that with sound, you have to increase the wattage by 10 times to double the perceived volume, so the 1W setting is a lot more than 1/15th as loud as the 15W setting). It is a bit unusual to have a tone control along with the more common bass, middle and treble controls. Personally, I would have labeled the Tone control as Presence, because that is what it seems to be. I have mostly been playing in the 1W mode with all the controls (including reverb) at 12 o clock, and that is working out great. As far as construction, the amp looks fantastic and gives a vintage look that hints at its tone! The dark grill cloth provides a nice contrast with the blonde tolex, giving a true vintage appearance. The retro red, jeweled pilot light and metal toggle switch complement the vintage styling Keeping with the vintage look, the control panel is chrome with retro chicken head knobs. As others have mentioned, the control names are a little bit difficult to read on the chrome panel. After you use the controls once, you know where they are, so does it really matter (I noticed the blonde version of the Fender Blues Jr also uses a chrome control panel…probably where Monoprice got the idea)? The tolex is neatly installed and glued, at least the parts that are exposed. The leather handle is also reminiscent of old school amps. And I really like the metal corner protectors…very nice. As proudly announced by a badge on the front panel, the amp is equipped with a Celestion speaker…a Seventy 80 The only criticism of the construction, and it is minor, is that the 8 external screws are not chamfered properly to mesh with the finishing washers, which result in the screw heads protruding above the washers. The amp has a jack for an external speaker. When you plug in an external speaker, the internal speaker is shut off, as is common with guitar amps. The reason is if you plug in an external 8 ohm speaker and the internal speaker would still be on, a (combined) 4 ohm load would be presented to the amplifier, which it is not designed to handle. The back is open. The line cord is not detachable, but can be conveniently stowed in the back of the amp. The amp has an effects loop, which I have not tried yet. The amp is now equipped with JJ brand tubes and a metal, two spring, reverb tank, which are upgrades from the original issue I wish I could find a nice, economical (i.e. $20) dust cover for the amp. The only ones I can find are priced at $50 or more, a bit much for protecting an inexpensive amp. In conclusion, the Stage Right 611815 amp looks great and sounds great, and I highly recommend it.Chris