Guitarist Christmas – Best Tube amp combo value

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Under the brand name Stage Right by Monoprice, their website has everything from pedals to pedalboards and, you guessed you guessed it: amps.

Monoprice is an online marketplace for those who are tech-savvy So it’s not a stretch asking me if the Stage Right by Monoprice 30W Tube Guitar amp Head and 1×12 Carabiner would meet the standards that they have produced in their previous well-received items. And at less than $600 for this complete bundle and the astonishingly high-quality sound and above-average construction.

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 low and high inputs as well as a single Bright and Volume switch on the clean channel, Gain as well as Overdrive Volume on the overdrive channel, Channel Select switch, Bass Treble and Middle EQ controls as well as Tone and Reverb controls and Power and Standby switches.

The speaker is said to have 30 watts and features a quartet of EL-84 power tubes and three preamp tubes 12AX7, with a built-in tube-driven reverb powered through one preamp tube and an effects loop in the rear. The cabinet comes with one 12-inch Celestion Vintage 30 speaker. The package includes a two-button footswitch to select channel and the reverb feature, as well as a 1/4 inch TRS speaker wire.

Before any brand snobs totally dismiss this as some generic foreign amp, I’d like to let you know that the Stage Right head is an amazing amp. It’s a highly tuned amp that really cuts, and I have found excellent tone and touch-sensitivity at any volume (and the amp can be quite loud! ).

Channel one is full of cleans, with lots of chime and can work fittingly as a pedal platform. Switching to channel two presents an abundance of warmth and little high-end zing which can be subdued and controlled via Tone control.

Even 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 extra overdrive pedal to enhance the overall sound when you push the pedal. The majority of parameter in the amp (like the EQ or reverb) can be calibrated with a moderating effect for ease in sculpting the sound.

As an example that the built-in reverb can be little weak, but it does not interfere with the tone. Therefore, surfers will need to build their own reverb and again, but it’s the incredibly clear, simple tone the amp possesses.

The 1×12 cab that comes with the Celestion V30 sounds great, however, I have plugged the SR head to other cabs for greater awe-inspiring and more satisfying results. But as a compact rig that just slays? I’m heading over for Stage Right.

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