New Amp Day! 5w Monoprice

[misterhatter6]

I should probably have waited till I received the amp to call it "New Amp Day" but whatever. I have horrendously bad luck when it comes to tube amps, and I'm hoping that my luck will change with this amp. That said, I do want to perform a simple mod. Removing the negative feedback loop, and I'm told it's just removing one component. I'll probably retube and put a bass speaker in it eventually, but removing the NFB is first on my list

 

[cherrysunburst00]

(anticipated) Happy New Amp Day. I hope you really dig it.

LUV me dem tube amps

 

[misterhatter6]

Thanks much! I got a really good deal on it. $76 shipped new from Monoprice, so if it's bad I can return it, and if not, im not out a lot of money

 

[tzd]

The original Monoprice 5W appeared to be the same or similar to Laney Cub 8. But this new "Stage Right" branded one looks totally different. Let us know how it sounds! Can't go wrong anyway, for less than the cost of most pedals!

 

[misterhatter6]

I've read some that say it's the same amp, only with the controls on the front and a hi/lo switch instead of hi/lo inputs. I'll be honest, I prefer the controls to be on the top of any combo amp and on the front of heads, but I can't really afford to be too picky about it. I've also read that's it's a Champ style circuit, which is fine too. As long as it works, I can find a way to get the sounds I want out of it, within reason of course. Also, if it's good I may buy the 15 watt amp they have. I hear they fixed the reverb on it.

 

[Guitar Rod]

Congrats. I always wondered about the Monoprice amps. Look forward to your experience with it.

 

[misterhatter6]

I will put a review in here once I've had a few days with it. Honestly I'm trying my best not to get my hopes up (see my bad luck with tube amps) but honestly that's getting kinda hard to do. I placed the order on Friday and due to the holidays, Monoprice hasn't even processed the order yet, should be shipped out sometime today though.

 

[drpietrzak]

Every bad experience increases your odds of a good. It is infinitesimally small, but an increase!

 

[scozz]

Man that 5 watt monotone looks like a cool little amp! Congrats @misterhatter6 !!

I'm curious how loud it would have to be to get some nice smooth breakup, I notice there's no gain control. I'm also curious how the 8" speaker sounds, I haven't had an 8" spk since my 1966 Vibro Champ. That was when I was 13 years old...sooo... let's see ...that was...um...wow...48 years ago!!!!

OH MAN!!

Looking forward to your review mh6.

Please don't take too long to post it....I'm getting older by the minute!!

 

[ehb]

I have the 15W version. (Laney 12R)

Badass amp..... I play through it every day.
I have several badass amps but play through it more than any other....

I've even played my five string basses through mine. (Helped break that speaker in big time.)

 

[misterhatter6]

See, I was going to be playing my bass thru it as well, but I wanted to put a bass speaker in it so I wouldn't damage the stock speaker. And I also wanted to maybe replace the 6V6 stock tube with an EL84 (using an adapter) but who knows? I may like the 6V6. No harm in trying, I imagine

 

[bad565ss]

Hmmm....Monoprice 15 watt for $159 or Fender 22 watt '65 Princeton Reissue for $999, or so many points between LOL!

 

[wildhawk1]

The original Monoprice 5W appeared to be the same or similar to Laney Cub 8. But this new "Stage Right" branded one looks totally different. Let us know how it sounds! Can't go wrong anyway, for less than the cost of most pedals!

Not sure if there's anything new other than cosmetics on the 5w but the 15w now has a real reverb tank.

C'mon monoprice...Behringer/Bugera rocked the world a bit under $500.

Curious what you could do on the $500 pricepoint.

Leave the cosmetics and name up to MLP though.

 

[ehb]

They changed the plastic tank with a real one? Mine has the blue plastic... Not that it matters much... I have the RP500 for wet....

 

[misterhatter6]

I'm guessing the EL84 can work, since nobody has said that's a horrible idea lol. And ehb, if u have the original Monoprice 15 watt, there is a MOD reverb tank that Amazon suggests buying with the amp that people love and is like $20 (last time I looked) idk if it requires soldering tho.

 

[ehb]

I did some research on the MOD tanks after I got it... Just never got around to getting one...

I have a DigiTech RP500 that has individual kick buttons for Comp, Dist, Chorus, DDL, Rev, along with an expression pedal...

I use the 500 for wetting it down. Better than any tank.

For folks younger at the game read on.... Veterans can read or ignore, your call. Not intending to preach to the choir...

FYI: the way I set the 500... Might help some folks with multifunction stomp machines

- First and foremost, I turned ALL modeling OFF. I want to hear MY amps. Period.
- Second, default is no stomp section active on my 500.
- I have the output of the 500 set like using my Soul Food (transparent boost), output level high enough to shove the preamps in my tube amps so without anything kicked/active on the 500, it is still shoving the amp preamp to the edge of greasy spankystank... With the guitar V dimed, the amp is a blues machine....
- With the amp preamp shoved to the edge of the cliff with the 500, it is already fat but still clean but kick distortion and it is sweet...fatter and like tube overdrive. Your guitar V knob actually does stuff....

I don't much care for chainsaw-notching-concrete distortion from hell like in the mondo Aqua Net Tour eye gouging day-glo Wayne Charvel guitar days... I like more natural tube drive... When you can't tell the freaking difference between a Skrat, Lester, Tele, or a ZimGar, that's way past distortion into something else....

Kinda dumb as hell to buy a nice tube amp, then plug enough shit into it that you may as well use multifunction stomp, a class D power amp, and a full range cab...cause you ain't hearing none of your amp... I filled in (a VERY short notice) playing bass using my Soul Food driving the input on one of my class-D powered JBL full range (transparent) cabs... Had it sounding like an SVT. The guys freaked..... I didn't have time to go home and load up my GK bass rig. Soooooooooo, point being, just a pedal can sound good with tweaking....BUT and it's a BIG BUT, if you are happy with the pedal and want to hear IT, don't piss away money on a nice high dollar guitar amp from hell you're not gonna hear anyway. Buy a class-D powered full range cab (cheap).....

Some folks have no clue what their amp NOR their guitar sounds like with all the stuff in the chain from hell....


My buds that have heard/played all my other amps that they love, played the Mono 15W and pretty much I was lucky with finding killer amps. No, no luck.

There is a video on the redneck method of finding amp flat out there too.... Some may find this interesting....

- With tones at 12, your guitar plugged in, your amp ain't flat.
- Set all tome to 12 (below is for three band amp EQ, extrapolate for others)
- turn bass to zero
- play a chord on your guitar, can be open strings even, let ring.
- turn bass slowly up on amp until you find the point where it really effects the tone, back it to immediately before the obvious boost edge
- turn mid to zero, do the same to find the actual boost edge as above
- do same for treble

Now, with THAT particular guitar, you have more or less found the Do Nuttin points on tone controls...

Don't expect that amp "setting" to sound optimum for all guitars. Ain't gonna...

I want the tone controls on the amp doing nuttin...in other words a KNOWN STARTUP CONDITION for my Lesters and amp. Not optimum for all my Lesters, as each has it's own personality, but close enough for Gummit work...


Long-winded blathering I know, but maybe somebody got something out of it that will save them a headache sometime down the road...

edro.

 

[mdubya]

I have been very tempted to pull the trigger on one of these. I already have a Champion 600 and a Silverface Champ, so it would be more than redundant. It looks similar to the Champion 600, to me, which is a nice little clean pedal platform for low volume practice and play.

If your expectations are not too high, it should be a great amp. I have been known to play exclusively through my 600 and my Champ for up to a year at a time, even while the Marshall 2204 sits right next to them.

These days the Fractal Ax8 covers all low volume duty with great efficiency.

 

[DotStudio]

I have both the 5W and the 15W. I've spent many posts here trying to show people the light. They're truly untouchable when it comes to value.

I must say that I much prefer the 15W (on the <1w setting). You really need to crank the 5W to get "the sound". Still a great amp though.

 

[misterhatter6]

I just got it today, and I've been putting my JT-50 thru it. I must say that, stock, its bassier than I thought it would be. Definitely SUPER clean unless you crank it. I took a huge chance and removed the NFB, and its now a little brighter, a little less bassy, and (I feel) more compressed. Ive only had minimal experience with a Champ and the Gretsch version, but in my ears, this sounds better. Pre AND post mod. I know its not much of a review, but I will add more as i modify it or the speaker breaks in...or if something happens

 

[ehb]

I don't know what speaker is in the 5, but I worked my 15W with a five skrang bass for a good bit to work the Celestion 12" speaker... My Blackstar HT-20 combo came with a glorified POS hubcap not even a decent frisbee wet cardboard sounding Celestion Rocket 50. I'm talking FR like it was soaked in the tar pits for a few centuries.... After trying for a good while to break that in with no joy, jerked it out and put a Emi Private Jack. A gillion times better... Now it sounds righteous....

The Mono 15W has the Celestion Seventy 80 and I was a bit worried it wouldn't improve after breaking in...and suck just like the Rocket 50... Did I mention Rocket 50s suck?
The Seventy 80 in the Mono sounds very nice now... Happy with it...

I figured if I worked the speaker with a bright but extended range bass, it would hurry the hell out of break-in and limber up the cone....and if the amp was gonna blow up, it would blow up from a fiver bass... Sounded damn good. I didn't push it too hard with bass, just regularly for an hour or two every day in addition to time with one of my Lesters... Damn good amp....