5W Amps Cranked - Glorious Tone! | Fender, VOX, Supro, And More | Thomann

[@phishfan]

The Tone King was absolutely incredible, easily the best to my ears. Next would be the Supro.

[@jasujokelainen5073]

Vox is superb sounding.

[@benedekgabor.]

All of them have their unique voice for sure, but for me there’s no better than that Fender Tweed. That throaty mid range is just pure love. 😍

[@ToddTheJoker]

I totally agree!

[@peterkilkenny5956]

I'm blown away by how different the room mic sounds from the close mic.For my (admittedly damaged) hearing, the room mic sounds better.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

That's exactly the reason why we use Giacomo 😅 (the stereo mic "head"). A lot of amps are tricky to mic and it's especially hard to show how they REALLY sound like in the room. Not even with such an amazing studio mic as the Neumann U67 in this video. Room mic for the win! Haha //Kris

[@shaft9000]

Al Schmitt was right all along, and George Martin shoving the mics up close _was_ novel and exciting... _60 years ago._ Close micing is over-used and we tend to default to it from a follower-mentality (more than a practical one that we've ever tested, anyhow). Drums often sound better with a couple well-placed overheads w/ a kick&snare mic and maybe a room mic. Only a few genres or situations actually benefit from isolating toms, or even isolation in general.

[@LeeGee]

​@@shaft9000Most rooms do not sound good

[@TheChadPad]

That’s why instead of close mic’ing my dual rec, I stand it 3 feet away and turn it up

[@homeworldmusic]

Revisiting this video and yeah, the difference is astounding, pretty much 2 completely different amps when you mic each one differently. There's a lesson there, eh?

[@fraenkiboii]

That Supro tho!!!!! How can such a small box create such a huge sound?!?! Even the db-meter was like “god damn bro” 🤘

[@valendis]

Love the fact you guys offer the possibility to listen to the sound through that binaural head!

[@BaronVonSchnarffler]

This was Awesome!!

[@jonahladd818]

I've been gigging small to medium clubs with my Cream Vox Ac10 for a few years now. Absolutely never encountered a situation it wasn't loud enough for, and most of the time that's not even mic'd. Fantastic Amp for around $500 ish on the used market.

[@pharmerdavid1432]

Especially if you plug it into a cab with larger speaker(s) than the 10" inside the AC10, which itself is better upgraded to a greeback or creamback?

[@billcarson4749]

Huge love for Vox here... Supro sounds so good too...

[@EzyoMusic]

Those were my favorites too!

[@tubeworkshop]

Wow, adding the Neumann Binaural Head to your videos is really an upgrade. With the U67 you get the sound in a recording situation, while with the KU100 you get a really good impression on how the amps sound in the room (especially when listening with headphones). Love it!

[@shaft9000]

I'm confused. You can do seemingly the same for $1000s less using a pair of mics, and have total freedom with your placement. The NBH doesn't allow for ORTF or mid/side, for example. Why embrace such restrictions?

[@tiagopaiva5050]

The Fender 57 Custom Champ is my favorite.

[@GuessMyNameOnceMore]

I know this wasnt your intention but this is also the most informative video when in comes down to hearing an Amp through a mic and hearing it with your ears in the room. People often underestimate the difference. The In the room Sound is always more pleasant.

[@Sean_Plays_Guitar]

The Supro's always stand out to me. I also really like the Gremlin. One of your better shootout ideas. Well done, fellas!

[@chrisjohnstone6164]

Loved that! .. loved them all , the supro was special for that thing .. the Fender Neil Young was my favourite tone .. but you have to play it none stop ..... the gremlin 💙

[@jeffreyeagen4896]

They all had really good sound, the Tube Workshop was really impressive and the Vox had a great sound. To me the Gremlin was the only one that sounded better on the close Mic while the others sounded better on the room Mic.

[@Johnny_Dregs]

Vox AC4TV Head is a cool little low watt amp. Loud af, too.

[@Olegstuff21986]

For sure, very vintage sounding. It's a very nice amp.

[@Joseph-n4c5l]

Great idea. Great video. The Tele through the Champ. That room mic is amazing... I would love to hear a (pre-Gibson) Mesa in this context.

[@ragnarlodbrok7420]

For me TWS sound is superior in every way!!!! Love that sound!

[@mikeyjhn]

Great fun 👍🏻 Vox was the best single sound but the tone king the best over different sounds. How about a VHT 6, Marshall dsl5cr, Magnatone starlite, Benson vinny, Laney cub super 6, Laney lionheart L5T, etc …..

[@eldorado5319]

The Tone King is awesome, would love to have one in my studio My overall impression is that 5 watt amps are fine if you use them with a 12" speaker. If the speaker is smaller the sound gets smaller /thinner /boxie.

[@flamulated]

100% agree though that character is one some people definitely dig and want in a small amp. I just had a recording/guitar testing amp built and went w a single 6L6 w a pot to blend from triode to pentode and an alnico 12" driver. Very fat and juicy and doesn't get spitty or grindy until/unless I want.

[@hgostos]

Some 8s are better than others, but yeah, I agree they are somehow limited. 10s can sound good too. For instance, I tried my 5F2A clone with no negative feedback through an old Celestion G10L-35 (bass cone) and it sounded amazing.

[@RG-yz8ov]

Yep! When I hook my vox ac4c1-bl upto 12" cab it sounds just as pleasing to my ear as my marshall sv20h hooked upto the same cab. Ac4 without the cab is boxy

[@a.andrewhussey6403]

I can’t comment on 4 but I have the Fender 57 Champ and love it. I’m especially pleased I bought it 4 years ago because the price has gone way up and it wasn’t cheap then.

[@Kaisermb1]

Since I’ve rarely been able to turn an amp past five I approve of this message.

[@EzyoMusic]

Great video. Love the Supro and the Vox. Small amps like these are more fun than I would've thought.

[@paulwintermute1495]

That AC10 though!! Just wow....

[@lynguist]

oooh, the tele + the 57 champ for me all day

[@MojoUX]

The Vox and the Fender Tweed sound best for my tastes

[@FarmerSlideJoeBob]

Love the difference of the tonalyties of each of the small amps😃But I love more smaller ones, than the big ones nowadays🙂

[@russellzauner]

Love my Wang's 5W little monster - I plug it into an 8" monitor and it rips pretty good. The neighbors hate it and that means it's loud enough to get over there lol

[@HaraldEngels]

Great comparison. For me the Tone King is the favorite.

[@darwinsaye]

I’d like to see amp manufacturers make a return to offering some low watt amps in bigger cabs. This mentality that, oh it’s only five watts, so it just needs a little 6” or 8” speaker in a tiny boxy sounding cab. My first tube amp was a 1960s department store amp that had two tens in a decent sized cab, even though the amp probably only put out about 2 watts. Nice full 3D sound without any need for an attenuator.

[@thorstenfaust153]

My favorite is the Single Six (seems to be the most versatile amp). Loved the Fender Champ (but I use it with a 12 inch speaker).

[@chrismetzler8883]

Why the Vox AC10 and not the Vox AC4, which would seem to be more appropriate for this comparison?

[@gergoblasko9579]

Les Paul -》VOX is winner for me All mic setups sounded strong

[@DanTheDiggler]

What an ear opener!! Thank you guys for this. To me the room mic sounds way better than the close mic. Im no expert - can someone explain why it seems 95% use the close mic in recording situations?

[@andresrestrepo6039]

That telecaster... 😮wow it's just a great sounding example of a tele.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Thanks a lot! It is indeed an amazing guitar an I can't get enough of it. //Kris

[@timchalmers1700]

They are all my favorite. I have a Blackstar HT-5R, but it's too loud to crank at home. I'd love to hear what it sounds like.

[@steved2870]

Loved the cremlin and the anthrax

[@lachlanmacquarrie3129]

They sounded good in their own way... I would have preferred an SM57 as the close mic though, just because that's what we're used to!

[@IbanezChild-pn8yz]

That supro is was made for humbuckers!! Wow And that 5watt was made for teles. Wowwww

[@ramblerdave1339]

I just saw something that Jimmy Page used a Tele with a Supro, for Led Zepplin I and II.

[@charlesharper7292]

I have an old Gorilla 12@ I think, and my very first amp. A little Peavy Rage. Still having fun!🤙

[@horschy4856]

THAT VOX 🤯 And the other hard to spell G is a real game changer micing wise!

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Haha! Giacomo and Guillaume, what a duo of names. I kinda feel like I should change my name to something long with a G. Like Giancarlo. Or Giuseppe. Those would fit much better. //Kris

[@horschy4856]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses Absolutely! And the you could call you the three G of the big T 😂😂

[@NorthBayRepublic]

Love the Class 5 and the Hi-5 as well

[@GitShiddy]

All of these were fab. I do wish though given how great small amps record we'd have heard a mix of close & room. Because the room sounds great, the amps sound greater, both should sound greatest

[@7171jay]

@Git Exactly.

[@2Hunky]

I own a 3 Watt Peavey JSX Collosal Tube Amp with Power-Soak. Nothing more to say ;-))

[@shaft9000]

"Rockin in the Free World" almost there, guys...I really DID set a blue-font Deluxe Reverb on fire in 1993 by cranking it and playing "Out of the Blue into the Black" 🎸 🔥 AC10 sounded the best here, btw

[@andyrharris]

I have the Vox AC10 and I've only used it at home so far and it's soooo loud!

[@giuseppefabbricatore4314]

Tone king… absolutely

[@scottwalters624]

Always tasty playing guys. Nice one

[@neurocosm]

That VOX is SICK!

[@rottalmusik6563]

Thats for the great comparison ❤

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

And that's for the lovely comment. 💛 Cheers //Kris

[@christopherstorrier5560]

The baby Vox is a great Brit sounding amp... that sweet but pierceing recorded tone with breaking up only a Vox can do...goes so loud for so few watts....brilliant

[@Reeses0810]

I spoke prematurely and didn’t listen to all of them now that I have the vox 10 watt is clearly the best 5 watt amp in this test.

[@tgnz]

Would like to hear the Blackstar HT-5R Mk II added for comparison. The 10W EL34 Studio 10 can get super loud with the boost switch.

[@stranger360th]

I like the idea to use a Neumann Binaural Head mic as it gives you a more realistic impression of the sound you will hear instead of the sound a mic just in front of the amp will hear. Probably you will not stand that close to a tube amp ..l even if it has just 5 Watt ;-)

[@mike42356]

17:50 - "... not bad..." the filtered version of "MAN DIS FKIN' KILLER!"

[@stephanschmitt816]

The Supro and the Tone King meet my taste on gainy sounds best, but the coolest sound on the entire video is the Telecaster coupled with the breaking up TWS amp. Heard on my car speakers... the binaural microphone variant is great, I'll have to listen to it on headphones later.

[@Botscarblues]

The Supro cranked up and I thought, yeh that’ll be the one! Then the TWS cranked up and I thought, damn that might be the one! Then the Gremlin cranked up and I thought wait a minute, it might be this one!!! 😂 Great vid, thoroughly enjoyed that.

[@alainkempa2139]

Bon travail les aiguilleurs du 5W!

[@therewasascene]

Tone king! Kilt it. They were all great - doin the thing.

[@StuartwasDrinkell]

Gremlin no doubt Vox was nice too but Gremlin! I have the Turquoise and White head and 12 cab on order.... can't wait for it to arrive.

[@Lowtech14]

All had their thing. Vox is a total bargain. Supro is a bargain. I also really liked the Gremlin. Everything sounded good through that Gibson Les Paul. I wonder how the Supro Super would have stood up in this test.

[@DavidAndrewsPEC]

Tell you what ... For me, that Vox AC10C1 just does it for me. Would love to see one of these on all solid state amps. I have a Vox Pathfinder 10 ... when you're getting tuned feedback on a 'power-A' fed into a really small amplifier that's sat on your table ... you've a great amplifier in front of you. Ah, yes ... and that English term: 'aiguilleur' en français 'pointsman' in English

[@what1864]

i felt like the amps were in order of greatness, the tweed sounded best followed by the supro then the vox and so on, i listened to them out of order and still felt that way , i own three 5 watt amps and my advice if you want it to be more usable get one with a master volume or gain control , advice go's for any amp ..

[@Olegstuff21986]

The Vox AC10 is 10W though dudes, plus it's got a 10" speaker, so not the same "weight category".

[@christophervincent8420]

I actually have the Supro 1wt amp. It is definitely a room filler in a small bedroom. So I'm more drawn to that tone. But that Gremlin. Wow

[@paulschlachter4313]

Tone King.

[@rob9340]

Great review.

[@homeworldmusic]

That Vox, oh my heck!

[@hofmannhermann]

well i love the TWS ... this is the real thing ;-) the real deal :-) ... this amp pulls your guitar to the next level ... so easy ... so tasty

[@thorstenfaust153]

As a proud owner of a Single Six I can absolutely agree with you. It's loud, it's extremely versatile and it's a perfect pedal platform, period.

[@gigsandguitars6921]

Love that Fender! 👌

[@infn8loopmusic]

If you can ever find a Vox AC4TV pick it up. I used to have one of these probably should have kept it. Very simple little amp with a tiny speaker but it could drive a 1x12 or 2x12 and has class A tube circuit at 4 watts and could do a great loose breakup at low volumes because it has attenuation to drop to 1 watt. 😂

[@Burnt_Gerbil]

Next test: Crank an Orange OR15 into the matching 4x12. It’s fun. Small but mighty. 🤘

[@antonjohnsson679]

That Vox! What a bang for the buck!

[@dDoOyYoOuUtTuUbBeE]

A comparison of each amp in the 12" of that Harley Benton cabinet would have been great.

[@7171jay]

@Ddo Agreed!!! Low wattage amps with a 12" speaker rather than the small speakers that tthey tend to be paired with is a real treat that is definately worth checking out. Small speakers can sound quite good recorded but a 12" just sounds bigger and better especially to your ears in the room. On another topic 100-105db is quite loud although way better than the 110+ one would get with a 50 or 100 watt tube amp. With pedals you can get very nice sounds in the 80-90db range with low wattage amps and that can be a cool place to live.

[@tubeworkshop]

Actually, that would have been very interesting!

[@7171jay]

@Tubeworkshop I've owned many amps over the years from Fenders like Bassman heads and a Showman Reverb to a '71 Marshall Super Lead 100 watt but the two I have kept since the 1990s are both 5-7 watt tube amps that are paired with a 12" speaker. Practically nobody has heard of them probably but one is a 1960s Galanti and the other is maybe the first low wattage boutique amp ever made called a HiMu.

[@tubeworkshop]

@@7171jay A 5-7 Watt amp combined with a 12'' Speaker is a great combination. At least in my opinion. Also the cabinet is very important in terms of size, bracing and wall thickness. Playing around with those parameters can give you a 5W amp that sounds really full and "adult" and not like a small practice amp. I hope we nailed that in the Single Six. Thanks for pointing out the Gelanti and the HiMu. Didn't know these, but I will definitely have a look now...

[@7171jay]

​@@tubeworkshop Yeah, I didn't mention cabs but the size and construction is also part of the sound equation. The Galanti and the HiMu are both very obscure so good luck finding them. The Galanti is pretty much a Tweed Champ but with vibrato and a tone control in a fairly decent sized but kind of light weight cab with a 12" speaker. The HiMu is a 7 watt beast with a lot of stuff you just didn't find in low wattage amps back in the 1990s like multiple cascading gain stages, tube driven effects loop with volume control of both the send and return and the ability to either switch it out completely or use it as an additional gainstage and a bunch of other stuff. Too bad the guy who made it only made about a hundred amps over a few years and then just gave it up as it's a veritable work horse that can do scooped mid blackface to a very mid forward crunch and can sound good at very low volumes or even hold up to fairly loud drums.

[@VeloVagabond]

Unfortunately, they don't make them anymore, but i would have loved to hear a Marshall Class 5 in this comparison, too. Then you would have covered all my amps! I have a Class 5, an AC10C1 and a Tone King Falcon Grande ( little bit bigger brother to the Gremlin.

[@SuperEdge67]

Fender for the win in my opinion.

[@yetimatzenightcat8702]

Sind die niiieeeedlich 🤩😅...Der Vox und der Tone King rocken, ...( die kleinen schlingel ) 😂

[@live2shredguy]

Could you try these amps in a wet/dry rig with a bigger amp? You guys are great

[@Servant316]

I like that nod to Keith Williams, that man is UNESCO world heritage.

[@strat0871]

Vox AC 10 and Tone King are best sounding amps to me, just my taste.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Those two and the Supro were awesome fully cranked. For cleans, the Tube Workshop was mighty good. //Kris

[@pihermoso11]

Remember a 100W amp is only twice as loud as a 10W amp (not 10 times) , when it comes to loudness, you need to multiply 10x the wattage to get it twice louder

[@frankswildyear]

I just went and tried a 57 champ. There was a great deal at guitar Center. I couldn’t stand it thought it sounded like a toy. Everyone seems to love it, what am I missing?

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

I fully understand what you mean, it's not the big and impressive guitar tone most are expecting to hear from a tube amp. It sits very well in a mix though and compliments big and sophisticated sounding amps. It's usually not played alone for that reason. //Kris

[@milesa-c3865]

They definitely need running in. I love mine, sounds lovely whether you play with single coils or humbuckers.

[@dustinglass]

I haven't tried it, but I'm guessing it sounds better in a small room (like a bedroom) than a bigger room like Guitar Center, unless you mic it.

[@Socializedbyantisocials]

That Tele is my favorite! What pickups are in there?

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Mine too, haha! Custom shop 51 Nocaster handwound pickups and they are perfect. Cheers //Kris

[@pmaudioproduction]

Tone King !!

[@DavidBrown-it9ig]

Tone King!

[@Leychen]

Where is the Bugera G5? I have one and i never cranked it, please make a video!

[@sureshrandawa]

Tone King and Vox!

[@jmtn67]

I would stack the gremlin on top of the vox with the vox always at 8 the gremlin thru an A/B box snd the fender on top running flat out as a boost like as a boost pedal Set rm up in s flight case with a handle and back wheels like a smell Ampeg fridge hook it up all wireless for an easy set up Just One plug powers em all up Wireless set up up with s minimal pedal board The auto on it it off Or just two fenders with the boss analogue delay Please more more more remo More more little combo mixes

[@ToddTheJoker]

I have a little 5 watt Chinese made Champ clone by StagebRight but I think Harley Benton sell the same amps, they just rebrand them. Anyway the amp is great but I am glad it has a builtin attenuator and can be notched down from 5 to 1 watt! I love it, it is what I use for all my Instagram videos! Very loud 5 watts!

[@TheAT5000]

Why is speaker sensitivity underappreciated? A speaker sensitivity rating is the amount of volume a speaker produces with only 1 watt of power. So yes, a 1 watt amp can get up to 99db if you use a Monotone BV-30H.

[@hussamjamil4980]

I think my neighbours, both upstairs and downstairs are about to call the police despite me wearing headphones....this tiny appartment in München......i need some serious sound proofing!

[@palevas]

Great room mic

[@neonerbse.]

What a great fun😊

[@aminahmed2220]

What a fantastic video have a wonderful day also tomorrow is my dad birthday ❤❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@aaronteague8050]

Tone king

[@ajsrhodes]

The Gremlin was awesome!!!!!!

[@Christopher-on7og]

Ahah loved the ratp riff 🤘

[@fat_freddies_cat]

Bin überrascht, wie excellent die Kunstkopf Aufnahme rüberkommt. Dagegen klingt das Neumann ziemlich breiig, undifferenziert und bei cranked alles ziemlich gleich.

[@jaunianise4172]

JIMI WAS THERE WITH HIS ZIPPO GASOLINE !

[@scottanthonyromeo7071]

You guys are awesome ❤

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

You're awesome! 🙌 Thanks for watching. //Kris

[@scottanthonyromeo7071]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses I would love to come and work for the Thomann family. Lg

[@deanmccaskill5495]

Thats one thing I don't have is a little 5W. I need one. I have the AC10. Thats cool. I had a little DSL 5 but meh.. Gotta get a Champ or a Supro maybe.

[@BOBANDVEG]

One good thing about the modern mini amps is the line out. It's usually the official "plug in ". Ie....the orange 10 line out is the official orange plug in program