Harley Benton TUBE15 Celestion

This is my first tube amp. I also have a Boss Katana, which I was a bit unimpressed by. Great features on paper but the sound and usability didn’t do it for me. Why am I talking about the Katana? Because this HB tops it hands down in both aspects. I love the simplicity of use and the sound is awesome. That warm tube sound is really great.

As a beginner (6 months into guitar lessons) I think this is just the right amp for me. In fact I find that the lack of built-in effects besides reverb is a benefit. It makes me focus on playing instead of tweaking settings. Playing with the gain allows me to dial in just the right amount of growl. I play humbuckers and single coils and both sound good though this thing.

The only gripe I had was the fact that at 1W power the amp is still plenty loud. You can get it down to suitable volumes but adjusting accurately is a bit difficult. Practically the usable volume range in my apartment is between 1-2 on the volume knob. This is easy to solve though. I added a simple volume box in the effects loop. There are videos on YouTube about how to make one. Cost me around 15€ and now I can use the entire range from 0 to 10.

Highly Recommended!

I got the amp yesterday afternoon and played it straight up until past midnight. I ordered it together with a Maxon OD-808 and use the pedal to push the amp for more distortion. And what distortion that is... pure creamy-crunchy heaven with a touch of fuzzy overtones!

My main amp used to be a Boss Katana. I get a great sound from it, but as good as the Katana is it just doesn't compare to a real tube amp. The sound of the TUBE15 is more 3D with more details, warmth and mass, it's more organic and jumps out at you better from the speaker. If you've got a good guitar (I play a Gibson SG and Les Paul) but don't own a tube amp yet, seriously, don't think any longer, get this one before they run out again! Best money ever spent on an amp.

I initially worried about not getting a good enough gain sound on lower volumes, but thanks to the Maxon pedal that's not the case. I'm playing at amp volume at 8 or 9 o'clock, and the pedal level at full to boost the sound entering the amp. Both the 15 watt and 1 watt setting on the amp sound great, the 1 watt being slightly brighter and thinner, the 15w is fatter and, of course, louder. The distortion cleans up beautifully with the amp gain or guitar volume pot rolled down, and the included real spring reverb sounds good as well.

If you're after a fantastic basic guitar tone (distorted and clean), get this amp and a booster pedal for thicker gain tones at lower volumes. You won't regret it at these prices. I'm selling the Katana.