Monoprice amp club

[Keefsdad]

I got the 15watt a couple of months ago. i haven't gigged with it yet and I live in an apartment so I haven't been able to crank it up, but I'm very happy with the sounds i'm getting at low volume. I can't wait to take it out on a gig.

 

[notme]

I bought a refurbished (V1 top controls) one last year, $124 delivered I think it was. Honestly I havent played it a whole lot, It does sound really good though! The indicator light was intermittent and I ended up taking it apart to fix it, theres a post in the big thread here about it.
Settings I use are mostly these, with some tweaks. verb 3, Tone 7.5, Volume 2.75, Bass 3, Middle 7, Treble 8 , and Gain 8.5 through the 1W input. A lot of tone to be had with no pedals. Be sure to put it on a stand off the floor, it opens the sound up, takes away the closed box feel. (for lack of better description)
cheers

 

[Albidextrous]

I have the 5 watt stage right version. It’s nice. Takes pedals well and has a very nice break up/overdrive sound. Perfect amp for a earplugless jam session in my neighbors basement. Only issue I’ve had (so far) is the tolex is coming off in a small area - it’s been that way since I received it about a month ago.

 

[cpk313]

Got A 15w, I had various 'mystery' noises that seemed like bad tube noises which ended up being a few bad solder joints on the main board. This has been an issue for a few Laney cub12's. Since reflowing the joints for the through-hole components haven't had an issue.

The 1w position is nicely loud and the 15w is not that much more. I typically run gain @ 3 and volume @ 5. I tried a bunch of different tubes and came back to all 12ax7's (pre,PI), v1 is a short gray plate GE and V2 & 3 long gray plate sylvania 6681/12ax7. Love Tung-sols and tungsrams but I am saving them for a Matchless clone I am building. Power tubes are EI that some guy on Ebay sold me and he didn't realize what they were, also very nice. Amp is, after the solder job esp, is really quite and takes pedals well.

Other then the soldering switching the reverb tank to a Mod 8EB2C1B, for me, took the reverb for umm ok, to on all the time and very usable. Tubes were a big improvement too. I have had a eminence GB128 and a red fang (the latter a bit f'd up so no report on it, going to Orban for some help) and I thought when I made the change to the eminence it was a huge improvement BUT I recently (yesterday) put the Celestion 70/80 back in and I really like it. It will stay, going to put the Emi's in a 2x12 I am building.

It it a great bedroom amp, great! But IMO its not the best choice for a band/any situation you need to play loudly for any extended length of time because the transformers are grossly undersized, hence the cost.

 

[Keefsdad]

Have you tried gigging with it?

 

[richey88]

My buddy gigs with this regularly. Wish I had a need for another amp (it would cause a rift at home, we’re moving soon and under orders to downsize) his sounds amazing!

 

[Keefsdad]

Bump.

 

[Ebling]

In. Mine arrived yesterday.

 

[bsman]

Interesting the mention about the volume at <1 watt and 15 watts. I swear that my five-watt Kustom Defender head is louder than the Stage Right, but the ability to shape the tone with the Monoprice (as compared to just a volume knob on the Kustom) is really nice - I can get some good cleans and some really tasty crunch tones. I also agree it sounds much better on my amp stand.

 

[AndrewG]

These generic Chinese Blues Junior clones are marketed in the UK as Sub Zero (previously Belcat), and here's a word of warning from someone who knows what they are doing...
https://www.ratvalveamps.com/subzero-tube-20r
Their cheapness may be costly-if you value your health. Personally I won't go near one; they're cheap for a reason.

 

[VintageSG]

Personally I won't go near one; they're cheap for a reason.

I mistakenly bought the 5 Watt head. Don't make that mistake. The Hotone Nano heads blitz it sound wise. The Kustom Defender uses it as personal hygiene paper. It is an electrical accident waiting to happen with added Op-Amp shenanigans. It's a hybrid with the worst aspects of each field. Op-Amp front ends can sound very good. This one doesn't...

I asked a member of staff there about the Blues Jr. clone, as many people seemed satisfied with it.

'Buy something else. Anything else. They're ****' . When staff tell you to avoid it, it must be poor. They detailed many returns issues with them from redplating valves, through transformer failures, blowing mains fuses and circuit breakers to electric shocks from the chassis. Not good.

Eventually I'll use the headshell and chassis in a build I've got my eye on, but for now, it's something for dust to settle on.

If Monoprice are using the same OEM as Laney did, and are taking advantage of the initial input from Laney, the Monoprice will wipe the floor with the ghastly Belcat/SubZero.

 

[K1121]

These generic Chinese Blues Junior clones are marketed in the UK as Sub Zero (previously Belcat), and here's a word of warning from someone who knows what they are doing...
https://www.ratvalveamps.com/subzero-tube-20r
Their cheapness may be costly-if you value your health. Personally I won't go near one; they're cheap for a reason.

You're referring to the Subzero and not the Monoprice, right?

 

[AndrewG]

You're referring to the Subzero and not the Monoprice, right?

Same factory, same issues; lousy build, using the cheapest components possible and real safety concerns.

 

[Keefsdad]

Same factory, same issues; lousy build, using the cheapest components possible and real safety concerns.

Not true. I have one, and the reviews are 95% positive, lots of people are happily gigging with them I've opened it up and there are certainly no safety concerns.

 

[Telecentric]

In with a 5/1W. Haven't opened the box yet....

 

[bsman]

In with a 5/1W. Haven't opened the box yet....

Well, have you opened it yet???

 

[bender66]

Same factory, same issues; lousy build, using the cheapest components possible and real safety concerns.

Plenty of review vids of the Monoprice version out with complete chassis/cab dissection of every aspect. I've not seen any mention of those issues like the one you linked.

I only recently noticed the appearance change in the 5w. The V1 TV front looked very cool. I finally caved & purchased 1 on sale for $89 yesterday.

 

[BB]

I've had my monoprice 15 watter for nearly a year now. Still bone stock.... no mods, no new tubes and no new speaker change. Great little amp, or my needs. I run it stereo with an 80's Peavey Studio Pro and a few choice pedals. It sounds great, feels great, look great. So far, so good. It's nice to have the option of buying a decent tube amp for less money than many pedals.

 

[BuckNekkid]

I gigged with mine. There was a lot of hum, both from the amp and the single coil Strat pickups, but fortunately the boardop turned it down when we weren't playing.

 

[Telecentric]

Well, have you opened it yet???

Yep! Last week. So far it hasn't disappointed. I haven't gotten to open it up all they way yet, but with the tele volume rolled back and the amp volume on 9 it sounds pretty sweet. I am already wanting to change the 1W circuit though. I was hoping for more breakup at very low volume, not cleaner and quieter. So I may make a thread one of these days and see what the experts around here suggest. Hopefully this weekend I can crank it up and see what it can do.

Otherwise, some nit picking. The covering was peeling up on the edges inside the enclosure, and the outer corner seams have gaps. Maybe the material shrunk after application, causing both problems? I taped the edges inside the cab with flat black gaffers tape, which is working fine. I am new to tube amps, but pulled 12AX7 tube to see what brand it was, and saw no markings on it at all. Any ideas?

And a noob question; to remove the 6V6 you push down on the crescent retainer clips while pulling up on the tube?

Seems like the way it should work but I don't want to learn the hard way.

Mine is the newer style with front controls, but it doesn't have the Celestion badge on the lower right corner. Makes me question their QC.