Monoprice SB20 50-Watt All Tube 2-channel Guitar Amp Head with Spring Reverb, Clean and Overdrive Channels, Powerful & Adaptable - Stage Right Series

Got this amp and didnt expect much... wow I was pleasently surprised at the tone of this monster!!!! It has a great clean channel for my pedals and I think the drive side sounds amazing as well. Seems like the negative reviews on here expect perfection which you wont find with any one amp. It fits my style and I think will work for many genres, but to each his own.

This is a very nice amp for the price. The clean channel is fantastic, and the drive channel is solid. It reminds me a lot of silverface amps. Takes pedals really well, so if you get your dirt from pedals you will be extremely pleased. Is it capable of modern high gain....not really, but everything from country to hard rock and old school metal are in there.

Did not come with the tubes as described. Would not change channels.

Very clean amp with good enough reverb, and decent distortion..

I received the sb20 two days ago and today got around rosetting hit up. later turning the amp on there was a loud seal from the amp commonly caused by the preamp section. At that time I checked the pre amp tubes (Ruby 12ax7 high gains)one of the three was bad. The amp was now working without the sqeal, after 5 minutes I heard some crackling and the a ship volume loss. Being well trained with tube amps I did a tap test on the power tubes both power tubes (PSVANE) were very noisy. also the 4 preamp tube was an OLD Phillips tube with corrosion on the pins. Luck was on my side as I could get a new set of all the tubes (tung_sol) locally after installing the new tubes the amp is as good as it gets . I am not real happy about replacing the tubes on a new amp but what is done is done.

clean holds up well but dirty channel is weak and quiet in comparison. should not expect "high gain metal tones" like advertised. for the money you save pedals can turn it into any sound you need. fits my needs for a powerful tube amp. overall happy with my unit. 3 stars for poor channel design and complete lack of information you can find when something goes wrong or when you need new tubes.

It did not work and was sent back. I?m still waiting on my replacement.

I had a 50 watt 6L6 guitar head and sold it only to regret it later. I saw this one on sale and I took a chance. Glad I did. Disclaimer: I only use it for a pedal platform, although I have tried the gain channel. It's "ok" (not great) but to use the amp that way you'll really have to work with the both channels to achieve unity volume. As a clean channel pedal platform it's great. Like others have said the reverb is lacking but I usually just leave it on 10:00 for ambience. This amp is LOUD and can easily hang with a large band if needed. As far as reliability, time will tell, but it seems well made IMO.

I have spent some time with the amp now. I have other amps with which to compare. I will summarize my impressions. 1). Sound Quality: Generally very good. My dislike in this area is a lack of highs or treble. It seems to be missing some essential sparkle that the clean side of the Fender Pro Reverb, Marshall DSL40C, or Crate V3112 exhibits, despite using single coil guitars and employing the "bright " switch on the unit. I had to purchase an EQ pedal and run it through the effects loop to boost the highs and gain the clarity that it seemed to be lacking. The addition of a "presence" rotary potentiometer control would help immensely. To add fullness, Marshall has a "resonance " control on their DSL series amps that provides girth and a solid bottom end. It would be a worthy addition to consider in later models. The reverb included is good, but can be better. There are digital reverb circuits that are superior to the one in this model, and could be refined and improved to add reverb versatility. The clean channel is excellent. The gain side, although solid, is a bit limited on the high gain side of things. This is not a deal breaker for me though, since I play old classic rock, blues and contemporary gospel. However, you would need some pedal assist for the metal shredmeisters out there I believe. YMMV. 2). Cabinet design: Built well. However, I would rather see a metal grill in the front that might reduce the weight, and make the unit more pleasing to the eyes. Furthermore, the front panel or plate in the front, over the control knobs, seems to almost completely overshadow the view of your control settings. One has to be almost at eye level to properly see where your controls are set, since you will almost always be taller than the amp head when performing. 3). Amp features: I would like to see a couple of features added. The first would be a power reduction switch or attenuation capability. Next, it would be great to have cabinet emulation or a "RedBox-style" function. Finally, the footswitch and the amp should have a "boost" switching capability for leads and solos. Usually 10db boost is enough. I am using a boost pedal in the effects loop to accomplish this task. 4). Other, misc: You guys should provide a basic cover for the amp for transport/protection. Also, any long-term owner will have to replace tubes. If the amp is a fixed bias, we need to know that, so if the bias resistor goes bad, we know what to have replaced. On the other hand, if it is supposed to have a bias done on the power tubes, some procedure or instructions should be published for the servicing of the unit. There are service manuals for a lot of other well-made amps out there. I think this would be quite reassuring to any potential buyer to know that the amp can be maintained and serviced for the long term user. This concludes my review. Solid amp, with some strong features. I hope that these comments were useful. Thank you.

Excellent choice.one of the best amps I?ve heard.been playing for over 30 years classic rock and jazz.underpriced by hundreds.

Wasn't sure if this would be as good as the reviews and it is. Very load and has a lot of bass with the Cab that is sold separate. If I needed another amp like this I would buy again. Not a big fan of the reverb in this amp, but that was fixed with a pedal.

First one arrived and the overdrive channel sounded awful. Made arrangements to return it and the process went quick, I had a new one a week after sending the bad one back. The second one turned out as advertised. You can dial in a wide range of tones and has that beautiful tube sound. The reverb is just a tad weak but still ok. Also, effects pedals sound great. It?s an awesome buy.

There is nothing like the high fidelity that comes with 6L6 power tubes. This amp is well constructed and is equipped with name brand (JJ) tubes. Sounds good even at low volume and works great with pedals. If you?re not a brand snob this is an amazing value.

I took a chance based on YouTube reviews and I am not sorry. This is really a nice amp. I'm seriously considering a second one.

this tube amp works so well with my vintage fender cabinets!! i even customized it to match!! call me crazy but oh yeah,great amp!!

Love the amp especially for the price! However, I am concerned that the reverb (once the tube warms up) will not switch off. The light switches of bit reverb stays on. Running it through a 2x12 cab with Celestian vintage 30's.

Competitive with amps much more expensive. Very loud with very good adjustments to refine sound. Love the back panel options like effects returns, etc. I should mention that cab is very large and heavy.

For the price, I was blown away by the quality and sound that comes out of this amp. Truly rivals amps that cost many times more!

Love the amp head and would give it 5 stars if I could get the two button FOOT SWITCH that goes with it.

I was actually quite impressed with the SB20 head considering the $399 price. Reverb could be louder though. I would love to see Monoprice introduce an EL34 powered version of the SB20 (SB34/SB50?) and an EL34 powered 100w version (SB100?).