New York State In-depth

Guitarist Christmas – Best Tube amp combo value

Get it now: https://nov.link/30wattheadcabtube

Under the brand name Stage Right by Monoprice, the website offers the entire range of products from pedals and amplifiers all the way to pedal boards and, you’ve guessed that, amps.

Monoprice is a popular online destination for tech-savvy customers It goes without asking me if the Stage Right by Monoprice 30-Watt Tube Guitar Amp Head and 1×12 Cab could live up to the quality of some of their other highly-rated products. And at less than $600 for this complete bundle, the surprisingly outstanding quality of sound and construction are above average.

The Stage Right by Monoprice 30-Watt Tube Guitar Amp Head looks overtly nondescript with all-black tolex, save for the triangular-perforated metal faceplate bearing the “SR/Stage Right” branding. 

It’s very much a straightforward, selectable two-channel amp design featuring Hi and Low inputs as well as a single Bright and Volume switch for the channel that is clean, and Gain as well as Overdrive Volume on the overdrive channel with a channel select switch. Bass Middle and Treble EQ controls as well as Tone and Reverb controls as well as Standby and Power switches.

The head is rated at 30 watts of power and comes with a set of EL-84 power tubes as well as three 12AX7 preamp tubes, featuring a tube-driven reverb powered from one of the preamp tubes as well as an effects loop on the back of the. The cabinet is equipped with one 12-inch Celestion Vintage 30 speaker. The package includes a two-button switch to choose channel as well as the reverb feature, as well as a 1/4 inch TRS audio speaker.

If any brand-snobs completely dismiss this as some generic amplifier from overseas, let me inform you that this Stage Right head is an amazing amp. It’s a finely tuned amplifier that truly cuts. I found great tones and touch-sensitivity across all levels of volume (and the amp can be quite loud! ).

Channel 1 has full-sounding cleans with plenty of chime and can work effectively as a pedal-platform. Moving to channel two gives lots of warmth as well as a bit of high-end zing that can be tamed and smoothed through Tone control.

With the overdrive knob adjusted, this isn’t a overly distorted or sloppy crunch instead it’s a full and musical drive that calls for an external overdrive pedal that can fully complement the tone overall as you press the pedal. It seems almost every amp value (like the EQ or reverb) can be adjusted in a moderate manner to allow for sculpting the tone.

In particular that the built-in reverb can be somewhat weak, but it does not interfere with the tone. Therefore, surf guitar players will have to build an additional reverb to their mix, but again, what is noticeable is the stunning, unpretentious sound that the amp has.

1×12 cabs with Celestion V30 sounds great, but I plugged the SR head into other cabs with even more impressive and superior performance. But as a compact rig that just slays? I’m going for Stage Right.

  • STREET PRICE: $607
  • TYPE: Tube amp head and cabinet
  • CHANNELS: 2
  • POWER: 30-watts
  • TUBES:3x 12AX7 in preamp, 4x EL84 power tubes.

 

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