Monoprice StageRight vs Blackstar HT5R - you won't believe it!

I dare say the Stage Right out performs the mighty Blackstar.

[@shadzofgrey]

I don’t normally do this, but I purchased this amp today based off your reviews. The Blackstar comparison really puts everything into perspective and enjoyed your other vids on this amp. Thanks for taking the time and even adding some personalized flavor into your various thoughts. Couldn’t agree more with what you said at the end of this clip. Cheers.

[@brianewert6667]

Right on man, I was jammin' my StageRight just yesterday with my Tele and thought "Damn! This sounds really great!" Thanks for the positive feedback \m/

[@SidFi20]

Appreciate these videos. Had just ordered one and wanting to watch it while I wait for it :).

[@lloydwoodward5985]

me too

[@shawnbailey7827]

Me three

[@rockpaperstone8722]

I bought this amp on Amazon for $199.99 + tax over the Labor Day weekend. I'd been looking at other 30 watt tube amps from Laney (apparently it's twin), Fender and Blackstar for several weeks. The StageRight price has returned to $249. Only drawback so far is having to wait 30 days for the delivery. So, I've been amusing myself by tracking the delivery and watching StageRight KZbin videos. Your videos are well done and easy to watch. Thanks!

[@JamesAllenJr]

My Blackstar comes in a week... doing the same at YT in anticipation.

[@rockpaperstone8722]

@@JamesAllenJr It's here finally and yes, it's all it's cracked up to be. Enjoying the hades out of it. Hope your Blackstar is working good!

[@waynewilcox444]

Wow! You just wrenched my plan for a small tube amp purchase

[@tomvice]

great demo, thanks

[@shanemichaelneal648]

Sounds fantastic. Love mine

[@sams.4388]

Thank you for this comparison. These are the two amps I'm struggling to decide between. I want an all tube practice amp. For the price the Monoprice seems like the way to go, but I play mainly high-gain music and am not sure the Monoprice would suite that style. Can the right pedal make up for the lack of high-gain in the Monoprice, or would the Blackstar be better for that?

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Sam S. - I’d hate to suggest something and have it not work out for you. I’d probably still look for the “right pedal” and go with the SR just because it’s hard to push the dirty channel on the BS without it over saturating.

[@jrsoper6524]

Get a blackstar , I have one , they are amazing.

[@scottperry8162]

Great video !!

[@JamesAllenJr]

So, how much did the upgraded speaker cost? 12", what was it again? I should be able to upgrade my Blackstar by that much too I guess.

[@oldguyjammin9732]

James Allen jr. - the Cannabis Rex. You can check pricing on the net. Not sure it made enough difference that I’d recommend it but it did get rid of a tone that was bugging me. Check KZbin for speaker swaps in that HT. From what I’ve heard the Blackstar speaker sounds pretty good stock \m/

[@voxpathfinder15r]

Got one in the mail for $202 + free shipping! Can’t wait!!! Definitely going to put it up against my Vox Pathfinder 15/15R amplifiers, my Orange Crush 12, & my Vox AC10C1

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Get back to us after your ‘head to head’ showdown \m/

[@richardhermans4457]

Thanks for a great video, and I enjoy your riff playing as well. I've been looking at the Monoprice 5W, but I think I'm going to upgrade to the 15W. There have been quite a few comments about both the 5 and 15W saying they have a strong odor when opened out of the box. Can anyone comment as to whether this is true or not? and if so, how long the odor takes to dissipate. I have bad sinus issues and chemical smells can really mess me up. Thanks again.

[@oldguyjammin9732]

You'll love the extra wattage and bigger box - good choice!!

[@richardhermans4457]

@@oldguyjammin9732 I fell in love with the Fishman Loudbox mini 60w Acoustic amp for my Takamine. Mainly to mic the cabinet into my DAW for more airy acoustic tracks. I'm going to use my Boss GT-1 directly into my DAW for the electric stuff. Thanks again, keep rockin brother. :)

[@hubbydad1322]

It smells like rock n' roll.

[@dDoOyYoOuUtTuUbBeE]

Would love to hear it with a 2 X 12 cabinet...

[@dons8992]

Two features that I really love about mine are the one Watt button and the speaker out because I have a bunch of fantastic bottoms I can plug it into anything from 4 o h m all the way to 16 ohm and automatic bias I have to say though out of the box straight comparison my Blues Junior will give this amp a black eye but the stage right has the features I truly love them both

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Ya I hear ya, you’d think by now though (4th Gen) that Fender would start including some of the niceties that other companies are for a fraction of the Fender price. I mean Princeton and the 65 are both close to a grand and still don’t have FX loops - that to me is just crazy, lol. Thanks for sharing ;-)

[@Aint1S]

I don't know... Never liked the Fender BJ. They're okay, but they're just as cheap of an amp; however, this amp actually has some quality parts in the BOM list. Fender has... 🤔 A Fender Logo and dog bone strap mounts with lacquered tweed. BJ is almost 3 times the price and you get nothing extra from it. Maybe if they put in a tube powered tremolo circuit, a 12" cabinet, a better speaker, and premium tubes I would agree yeah... $600 for that amp is a rip off, $400 on that and you'll be in some actual good amps with a metric ton of options.

[@jasondorsey7110]

@@Aint1S I've found the blues junior is much like their mexican guitars, kinda lackluster as-is, but very receptive to upgrades, just like new pickups in a strat, a new speaker can make a phenomenal difference, and as for an effects loop, I've never felt like it was necessary, it takes pedals better than some amps I've used that had effects loops

[@ctcards2636]

A few things i did to my Stage Right 15. V1 Reflektor 6n2p-ev (using 6n2 to 12ax7 adaptor) V2 Reflektor 6n2p-ev (using 6n2 to 12ax7 adaptor) V3 NOS RCA 12at7 P1 Reflektor 6p14p-ev P2 Reflektor 6p14p-ev Adjust the bias (It was biased very very cold, a reason for lack of headroom) 3 spring MOD reverb tank New shielded RCA reverb cable Shielding Tape added to inside of cab where chassis goes. EHX 12ts8 30watt 12in Speaker 8ohm. I think thats about it and the amp went from ok to really really nice sounding amp. All of the mods above can be done for around $100 or so. But this could make a fun project for some of yall and really get to hear what this amp can do. And remember folks that Tone knob is like a Vox Tone Cut, so read up on how that works so you understand how to set it. Once you discover how that works getting sounds out of this amp is much easier. :-) With the 5watt model they sell i did the following Replaced 100uf/450v cap on main board with a 22uf/450v Replaced stock Super 8 Celestion with a Celestion 8 15 V1 Reflector 6n2p (using 6n2 to 12ax7 adaptor) V2 NOS GE 6v6 Made this amp a monster lil 5 watt. Added some reverb and this amp can do a lot more than it could stock.

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Thanks for posting the killer info \m/

[@ctcards2636]

@@oldguyjammin9732 No prob ;-) sorry if i posted this already. Ive just been watching a lot of videos on this amp and i couldnt remember if id watched this one before. But hey, just making sure some kind folks find this info and try it out. Once you try the 6n2p and 6p14p tubes, you wont go back to 12ax7 and EL84 for very much. You can buy 6n2 to 12ax7 adaptors that look like tube socket savers. I sell them, but they are on ebay and they allow you to use 6n2p inplace of 12ax7. The 6p14p requires cooling the bias on some amps and others do not. This Monoprice 15 is biased very cold, and it makes the amp break up early. I set mine for 11.0v for 6p14p, but i think they would run fine at 12.0v. There is a bias pot and a hum pot. The bias pot has a test point to the left of the pot. If you need more info on the tubes im talking about i discuss them well on my website. www.geekarooit.com. Talk all about NOS an Military Spec and different tube types etc. 6n2p's remind me of vintage RCA 12ax7's. Only spot i do not like them in is the phase inverter or reverb driver. Thanks again for the video :-)

[@martyndormer]

I play 50’s rock and roll and early 60’s British instro; the Harley Benton Tube 15 (as it is marketed over here) is like a poor man’s Vox AC 15. Ideal!

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Yes, they’re spanning the globe haha. Nice grab and go amps, there have been some reliability issues though, Hope you got a good one!

[@martyndormer]

@@oldguyjammin9732 Had a couple of days in the recording studio this week, and it has made me sound like I hope to sound. Or maybe that was the engineer?😉

[@oldguyjammin9732]

@@martyndormer - Bahahaha :) either way, nailing the sound in your head is priceless \m/

[@valueofnothing2487]

The blackstar is not all tube. It has a solid state transistor in the signal path - but it might just be a buffer.

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Such an interesting debate, lol. You’re right of course, I’ve been inside many of the BStars and there is the same ‘push pull’ transistor pair in all of them. However, technically transistors are still ‘analog’ and operate with sine waves rather than binary, on/off square waves which would be digital. But that darn pair of xsistors does seem to get in the way of pedals pushed into the front of the amp, where as having a tube in that spot enhances pedal action. It’s also been said, and I like this a bit, using a pedal in front of the amp introduces the same Xsistor ‘stuff’ to the signal chain, and changes someone’s ‘all tube’ to something now “digital” - I didn’t say that real well but you know what I mean :) hey, if it sounds good, it is good!

[@valueofnothing2487]

​@@oldguyjammin9732 Pedals temp you to the dark side. It is a gateway drug into solid state. You always want more and more. Never satisfied, but always consuming.

[@JamesAllenJr]

I bid a buck fitty fo da Black... wait I'm waiting for my Blackstar HT-1rh in the mail! 'I can saturate'... getting my first PRS along with that first tube amp, 4 days.

[@davidbarlow431]

Don't know about the HT1 but you will love the PRS, I'm a lifelong fender player and will never part with my tele, but I gave PRS a try during the lock down and I am a convert! All hail Saint Paul! 😂

[@Aint1S]

I'm glad you pointed out that unwanted compression in the Blackstar and it's really coloring in an wanted way for me it a lot too. No one that I've seen actually pushed it as far as you and now I'm even more excited to get my killer, tiny amp. I'm big on thick, usable fuzz and hearing this is proof she'll cut it as well as take heavy overdubbing from a looper... Some amps just don't like it and begin to get muddy. IC's are trying to consolidate that signal into one preset sound as it muddies it up, not like analog. Final though, your very first point is one I always consider and that's repairability. I've been checking around and have seen the PCB as well as a similar circuit. It is a bare bones, no frills amp and what an amp should be by all standards. My past as an electronics technician in the Navy to my electrical engineering years have taught me one thing, I don't like digital and I certainly don't like digital as a cheaper means to things that are an analog standard... Prone to failure, especially when you're working with 3.3, 5, 6, 9, 12,18, and 36 volts, Down only .3 volts from any of those voltages and it's usually inoperable. .6 volts is completely off. Cheap capacitors and ICs are nightmares if you have multiple circuits to you have to troubleshoot. That's a huge selling point and I don't think people realize the real value of simplistic. Better yet is the fact that the filter as well as power capacitors are much smaller which makes buying a high quality upgrade easy to source any time. There are some poly/mica capacitors, but not very many. Seeing as how you really turned me onto this amp, I'll tell you what... I'm getting STARLINK internet at the beginning of they new year and once I sort out what I want to richen up with capacitors/premium resistors in my unit... I'll send you a video of mine at that point and what you'll have to do. If there's unwanted noise during saturation, I'll show you what/where to swap components and modify it need arises. I really think this amp could be made to beat far more premium amps with minor tweaks. I do apologise for the novel, my early morning coffee has gotten me excited for something so cheap, yet very nice!

[@oldguyjammin9732]

I’m up enjoying my morning jolt as well, ha ha. Sounds great man, I look forward to that video and thank you for your service ~ I truly appreciate it.

[@jondolar92]

Warehouse ET-65. Which one should I buy to replace the Celestion? The 8 omh or the 16 omh?

[@oldguyjammin9732]

You can go with either, the 8 ohm will be a bit louder than a 16 ohm. Consider other amps, or cabs you may be playing with too. For example, if you ever plan to stack this little amp on top of another cab, it’d be easier to stay with 16 ohm speakers so you can connect to them in parallel for 8 ohms total ;-)

[@TheChef470]

What effects did you put through the loop ?

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Just the looper and Flashback delay pedal

[@TheChef470]

@@oldguyjammin9732 Thank you Sir.....

[@donstewart368]

Is it hand wired or printed circuit.

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Don Stewart - definitely PCB :)

[@justinpaquette224]

I swapped the reverb unit for a mod and replaced the tubes with jjs. I Put a 5751 in v1 and a 12at7 in v3

[@oldguyjammin9732]

And...? Better?Worse? How did it change things up? Interested...

[@justinpaquette224]

@@oldguyjammin9732 Reverb is much more usable now and the tone is a little clearer with a little more headroom. Also got rid of the tube rattle that one of the original power tubes had

[@jamesjudd6577]

@@justinpaquette224 mine had awful tube rattle as well

[@anuragdongre4942]

4:46 Stage Right and 6:56 blackstar

[@jeffhenson1123]

I ordered two so I have a new one in the box I'd take $200 for in connersville indiana 👍

[@jayz6008]

How has it held up?

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Jay Z - still rockin! There are literally thousands of these out there, if they were failing we’d be hearing about it.

[@Fatherflot64]

What speaker did you put in it?

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Jeff M - Cannabis Rex in the SR, stock Blackbird (or whatever) in the HT. Sold the HT \m/

[@Fatherflot64]

@@oldguyjammin9732 Thanks. Is there a particular model? I see a 50 watt 12" cannabis rex. It that it?

[@oldguyjammin7485]

@@Fatherflot64 - yep, that's it. The SR isn't particular when it comes to homage either, 8 or 16 works fine. I prefer the tone of 16 ohm speakers.

[@tuckerlane7995]

@@oldguyjammin9732 the speaker is the reason the blackstar sounds bad. Upgrade the speaker in the blackstar, and the stage right, and you have yourself a match.

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Windows Media Player - you’re probably right, but I did do a TON of listening to HT5 speaker swaps and it just always seemed to sound better with the stock speaker...? The main reason I dumped it for the Stageright is the difference in the way the two amps take pedals. Every once in a while I think I miss it ;-) nice and tight dirt \m/

[@jrsoper6524]

You need no pedals with a blackstar, look at the floor for that stage right, could you find anymore pedals for it.

[@eddycurrent413]

I'm having a problem with the hide

[@oldguyjammin9732]

What... the white cocaine elephant hide!?!?! HAHAHA I know, great for stickers though, or even some EVH striping :)

[@chopsddy3]

The Monoprice sounds” old school “. But what do I know? I’m 69 , half deaf in one ear and can’t see out t’other. Still like to “...kiss the sky.” on occasion. I’ll buy one if the price goes back down.( the “ cat is out of the bag”, price is up to $250!)

[@oldguyjammin9732]

chopsddy3 - ouch $250!?!? Yep, keep checking the monoprice site for coupons and specials \m/

[@douglaschristine8387]

How you doing Old guy? I bought the stage right amp 15w combo but I use my fender mustang 25 more because right now I can't afford pedals and the other gear. I guess what I mean is I'm not as happy about it then you are but for $125, I can't complain either. Peace.

[@doug941]

Too bad that jacked the price as soon as it got some good reviews.

[@oldguyjammin9732]

I checked around last week or so and prices are still around $200 and availability seems to be increasing. Not sure where you live, but I’m selling mine. Serious upgrades, tubes, speaker, and parallel speaker out that lets you stack it on another cab!!

[@summerboy1958]

@@oldguyjammin9732 where did you see it for 200?

[@oldguyjammin9732]

@@summerboy1958 - Reverb had one for $165 plus $40 shipping. Amazon price is around $250, still a good price for all the features.

[@wme714]

Y'all driving the price up :/..

[@oldguyjammin9732]

wme714 - but sharing the love! Watch for coupon codes and specials on MonoP, that’s how I got mine on the cheap.

[@wme714]

@@oldguyjammin9732 they are listed at 250$ now and not available ..lol but yeah I'm just joking but it is going up in price. Great for 200$ and below once it gets to 250-300$ you can get a used PEAVEY classic 30 or Fender blues Jr.

[@oldguyjammin9732]

wme714 - that’s interesting that their going up in $$. I ran the SR up against a Blues Jr a while ago and wiped the floor with it. I do sort of dig the older Peavey classic 30 combo :)

[@josephdimalante7023]

@@oldguyjammin9732 same here like $170 with coupon. I heard you can change one tube for the gain knob to get a cleaner tone?

[@TheDrewjay]

the monoprice has a bigger presence and bit dirtier crunch

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Exactly! Good Ear \m/

[@paramediccpo]

My amp smells bad since I used the attenuator bugera you recommended

[@oldguyjammin9732]

CADS GUITAR LESSONS - sure sorry man. Yours is the first tale of woe I’ve heard of. You should reach out to Bugera and/or the retailer immediately. Did you try your amp again? Does it still work OK? Hope so... best of luck.

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Beat you ALEX - First!

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Shut Up Already! Lol, tones at 4:50 :) Crunch Channels 8:55

[@kennyh5083]

The StageRight kills the Blackstar for vintage Marshall tone, the Blackstar has a more one dimensional modern vibe!

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Exactly \m/

[@jrsoper6524]

Your nutz, the blackstar blows that stage out of the water, that lower compression is for apartment practice. Getting all those impressive tones in a low wattage.

[@oldguyjammin9732]

And this, right here is what’s so amazing about gear and tone... it’s all subjective, lol. If it sounds good, it is good :-)

[@randyp240]

Mic yourself better dude,the volume of your dialogue was pitiful

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Guess you missed the opening self-jab of “super high tech and incredibly recorded” eh? Lol,rock on there Randy P \m/