Monoprice 80 watt guitar amp review

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Who makes Monoprice amps?
What is a good amount of watts for a guitar amp?
What is considered to be the best guitar amp?
How many watts does a guitar amp need to gig?

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The 611705 appeared on our recommended list for from our first edition in May 2017 until September 2020.

It currently appears on our list for .

Overview

The Monoprice 611705 gives us genuine tube tones in an affordable and practice friendly package.

It packs an all-tube 5 watt amplifier with 12AX7 preamp tube and a 6V6GT power tube for authentic old school tones reminiscent of the earliest tube amp designs.

In addition to being all-tube, The 611705 comes with an 8" Celestion Super 8 GBA-15 speaker which is known to be a big sounding stock speaker on more expensive amplifiers.

All of this add up to a very impressive value for money, especially given its price tag.

Controls are a bit limited with just two knobs that lets you adjust volume and tone, a power switch, and a 50% input attenuation button that behaves like the high / low inputs found on bigger tube amps, it doesn't need anything else to provide a good vintage experience.

It also comes with a standard input (High) and an attenuated input (Low) which can be used for handling active pickup equipped instruments, or for taming guitars with hot pickups. The manufacturer specified that it handles frequencies between 80Hz and 10kHz, with low hum and noise.

All in all, the Monoprice 611705 is not only a top notch practice amp, it is also a great plug-and-play entry into the world of tube amplifiers. If you're looking to play some smokin' blues on a tiny but meaty cranked tube amp, Monoprice 611705 delivers enough clean and crunch to satisfy even the pickiest of guitar players. It has all you need to plug in and play some afternoon blues.

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I got the amp because it has more features than my current amp which is a peavey classic 20. I haven't used the FX loop yet but that was a big reason to get it. But also the fact it has spring reverb. I'm not much of a reverb guy but sometimes when I want to play some Gilmour or something, I find myself sorely missing that reverb and FX loop option.

Anyway I've only used the amp a little bit and never got the master past 2, it's quite loud for me, and I've not got to experience it much, but to me it sounds great! And the reverb sounds really, really good to my ears. The EQ is also very nice with a presence control labeled tone. I really like british style cleans and it's definitely a nice option with all those features.

I did a little more reading and found out that it actually has chassis mounted tube sockets and pots. Compare to a similarly built amp with board mounted sockets and pots, with a few less features, for 3-4 times the price!

The only downside I can see so far from the amp would be that it's quite ugly and is a clone of a clone, from what I can see it is an exact clone (at least on the surface) of the Harley Benton version, which is a modified clone of the Laney Cub 12 (not familiar with those amps). But aside from being ugly I really like it. And maybe the speaker and tubes are cheap but I like the speaker so far. And I'm planning on using it very little so that the tubes will last forever, and don't see any reason to retube it even if they're 'cheap'.

So am I missing anything here or is it really just a good amp designed to be reliable and long lived? Most people who got them, and didn't have them arrive broken or have immediate faults, seem to say great things, and I haven't really heard anyone say they sound bad.

I've actually been looking for a reason to not like the amp or justify the prices on the name-brand china made stuff which seems to make up about 90% of production of tube amps

Yeah, its fairly well known and regarded by now. I love mine as a portable modeler rig. Its super light, the tube power section makes your modeler sound great, and the speaker sounds awesome once its broken in. Its probably the best budget setup for a modeler IMO.

Not to mention the amp itself sounds very good indeed. Definitely gig-worthy.

The loop works great and when pushed with a pedal this amp is a monster. It is the best $215 amp value out there today because it rocks as is and there is need to change the speaker or roll tubes.

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Yeah, its fairly well known and regarded by now. I love mine as a portable modeler rig. Its super light, the tube power section makes your modeler sound great, and the speaker sounds awesome once its broken in. Its probably the best budget setup for a modeler IMO.

Not to mention the amp itself sounds very good indeed. Definitely gig-worthy.

I’ve been meaning to try my modelers in the fx loop! I used to always use my joyo modelers and put time effects behind it to get a nice effects loop simulation. Will have to try this soon with the new amp

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The loop works great and when pushed with a pedal this amp is a monster. It is the best $215 amp value out there today because it rocks as is and there is need to change the speaker or roll tubes.

Yeah it sounds really really good to me. The master is too touchy for me to use it at night because I can’t really dial in juuuuust the right volume. But it’s cool in the day time when I want to use fuzz and distortion with some reverb, or when I take out the multi delay again for the fx loop that’ll be cool

It’s definitely a loud little beast, it’s too loud on 2 on the master! My classic 20 has a much more versatile master that doesn’t get loud til 4 or 5 but won’t get as loud or clean overall as the monoprice

It is basically a Laney Cub12, which from what I have read is based on an AC15. So, while it has a British sound, it would be more Vox if true (I do not read schematics, so I would have no way to verify).

I have one in my amp pile (currently over a dozen tube and SS amps). It is, by far, the most "budget" in my amp pile, AND YET, it is my "go to" amp (along with a 1963 Airline 2x12 by Danelectro). It is a shockingly good sounding amp, after the Celestion Seventy 80 breaks in that is. I have a Fender Blues Junior in the pile and I prefer the Monoprice.

The only issue that I had was that a small ceramic capacitor on the circuit board failed after about 100 hours of play time. I was able to relatively quickly track down the failed capacitor and solder in a replacement. While I had it apart, I was able to assess it. On the plus side, the power transformer is on the opposite side of the chassis from the output transformer (minimum EMI), the circuit board design and trace layout appears good, and the wiring is tidy and correctly twisted. On the minus side, the components are for the most part unbranded, bargain basement Chinese manufacturing, ergo, the failed ceramic capacitor. However, a lot of amps have the same.

The bottom line, in my opinion, is that the Monoprice is very good amp, when you factor in price, it is a stunning amp. I did not plan to upgrade it, since it was an "inexpensive amp" beater. However, I will confess that, since I play it so much, a matched set of Groove Tubes sneaked into EL84 sockets and vintage Mullards sneaked into the 12AX7 sockets (did not upgrade the speaker, as it is usually hooked into a Marshall 1960 cabinet). When people ask me what "starter" tube amp to get, it is my first recommendation.

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I have one in my amp pile (currently over a dozen tube and SS amps). It is, by far, the most "budget" in my amp pile, AND YET, it is my "go to" amp (along with a 1963 Airline 2x12 by Danelectro). It is a shockingly good sounding amp, after the Celestion Seventy 80 breaks in that is. I have a Fender Blues Junior in the pile and I prefer the Monoprice.

Did you have to bias the power tube section? I need to look into that as my peavey is self biasing so when I put in new tubes it was fine

The thing that actually got me looking at it again was the bias pot

I also have a monoprice 5 watter but it is too loud without a master volume

I am really happy with the low volume tones of the monoprice. However with the attenuator button in I was getting horrible rattle which went away without the attenuator button on but at same volume

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It is basically a Laney Cub12, which from what I have read is based on an AC15. So, while it has a British sound, it would be more Vox if true (I do not read schematics, so I would have no way to verify).

May be true but it sounds like a Marshall to me and most posts I’ve read say Marshall sound with some versatility. But a vintage Marshall sound to my ears..

It definitely doesn’t sound anything like an AC15 to me

I can’t find people making it chug.

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May be true but it sounds like a Marshall to me and most posts I’ve read say Marshall sound with some versatility. But a vintage Marshall sound to my ears..

It definitely doesn’t sound anything like an AC15 to me

Don't have a Vox to compare mine to, but it is definitely not voiced like my DSL40CR. As that is my only Marshall, I can't really call that the epitome of Marshall sound either. I mean, I've always heard Marshalls, but through somebody else's signal chain and usually recorded (or very briefly), but I don't personally feel it lines up with my limited experience with Marshall voicing.

I have one I actually liked a lot. It did quit on me though, blows fuses instantly on turning it on. I pulled the power tubes and it still does it, so it it is not those. I don't see anything fried looking with a visual inspection and am not an amp repair guy, so it is down until I go to an amp guy. I'm sure it is one small component somewhere, but it could cost a chunk of the purchase price to repair. I played it in 1 watt mode at home with a Zoom G3Xn or a few pedals in front for simple effects. Sounded great and plenty loud in 1 watt. Quite loud and good tube punch in 15 watt mode. I miss the little bugger.

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I can’t find people making it chug.

If you put a strong boost in front of it then it would definitely chug but no it won’t chug on its own

My peavey classic 20 won’t chug on its own either but I tried putting a boost on it and putting gain on 12… 35db of boost mind you… it sounded totally crazy

I think there’s a pretty low limit on the amount of gain and clipping from one 12ax7 preamp but it seems if you give it a strong enough signal it’ll go crazy

14

If you put a strong boost in front of it then it would definitely chug but no it won’t chug on its own

My peavey classic 20 won’t chug on its own either but I tried putting a boost on it and putting gain on 12… 35db of boost mind you… it sounded totally crazy

I think there’s a pretty low limit on the amount of gain and clipping from one 12ax7 preamp but it seems if you give it a strong enough signal it’ll go crazy

Godsmack drop C chug? That’s what I like playing.

15

Did you have to bias the power tube section? I need to look into that as my peavey is self biasing so when I put in new tubes it was fine

The thing that actually got me looking at it again was the bias pot

I also have a monoprice 5 watter but it is too loud without a master volume

I am really happy with the low volume tones of the monoprice. However with the attenuator button in I was getting horrible rattle which went away without the attenuator button on but at same volume

Yes, there is a bias adjustment potentiometer mounted on the circuit board.

16

I have one I actually liked a lot. It did quit on me though, blows fuses instantly on turning it on. I pulled the power tubes and it still does it, so it it is not those. I don't see anything fried looking with a visual inspection and am not an amp repair guy, so it is down until I go to an amp guy. I'm sure it is one small component somewhere, but it could cost a chunk of the purchase price to repair. I played it in 1 watt mode at home with a Zoom G3Xn or a few pedals in front for simple effects. Sounded great and plenty loud in 1 watt. Quite loud and good tube punch in 15 watt mode. I miss the little bugger.

That is exactly what was occurring on my Monoprice 15 (see previous post). I had capacitor C16 fail on me. Have your amp repair guy check capacitors C13, C15, and C16 first (he/she will know what I am directing them to when they review the circuit diagram). That might save your repair guy some time and lower your repair bill.

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So I know there's lots of threads and discussions on this amp, but I feel like there could be one more. Anyway I got one of these 15 watters brand new from monoprice for $215. I was pleasantly surprised after ordering to learn that it is a marshall-voiced amp and my ears tell me this is so after playing it a little.

I've actually been looking for a reason to not like the amp or justify the prices on the name-brand china made stuff which seems to make up about 90% of production of tube amps

Cheers fellow enthusiast!

I took a chance and love it!

Purchased mine on Amazon Canada 2 years ago with a limited date-and-number promotion; best investment ever!

It can be configured for all of my guitars and styles, and really accentuates the FX loop for pedals. The quality (genuine JJ matched tubes, etc.) and Celestion Seventy Eighty 12" speaker, with a real solid reverb tank (with front controls), utilizing the guitar input including: fuzz, octaver, tube screamer, then, blues burst, distortion; then in the FX loop: chorus, phaser, flanger, tremolo, with finally unique Donner REVECHO pedals, makes this the best in class, for my requirements.

Not a snob. I truly enjoy my Fenders and other name brands, but seriously, give this Monoprice some deserved respect.

Tell me your story! All welcome.

Take care of yourselves, your significant others, and your musician gifts

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Cheers fellow enthusiast!

I took a chance and love it!

Purchased mine on Amazon Canada 2 years ago with a limited date-and-number promotion; best investment ever!

Not a snob. I truly enjoy my Fenders and other name brands, but seriously, give this Monoprice some deserved respect.

Tell me your story! All welcome.

Take care of yourselves, your significant others, and your musician gifts

I haven’t used the amp much because I like my peavey c20 90s combo better. However..

The monoprice is great. I’ve had issues however. Main reason I like the c20 better is that the master is really good with a lot of range, you can easily dial in just the right volume from whisper quiet to talking level to super loud. Clean or dirty too, but it doesn’t have good cleans.

Monoprice is solid and has a low noise to distortion ratio. However I’m getting a ton of buzz from the reverb. I’m not sure if this was always present or if this is normal. But the reverb creates a lot of noise.

Mine did not come with JJs so that would be probably a $150 upgrade. And since it’s fixed bias I really don’t wanna mess with it.

I’d love to use this amp more and use the reverb, but I just haven’t. But it’s a nice option to have a backup tube amp, or if I want to use an fx loop and reverb.

It really is quite solid. I’m looking at a monoprice gaming monitor too

The Monoprice Stage Right 15 is PHENOMENAL. I play out and I've recevied MANY compliments from fellow players on my tone (just did a gig last night - we tore it up). This amp is voiced perfectly for 70's hard rock which we play a lot of. It's JMP half stack tone in a little box that won't break the bank nor cause you and the audience to lose your hearing. Got mine 4 yrs ago and swapped out the tubes w JJ's and the Celestion 70/80 with a Warehouse Reaper which is even better than the G12H which the Reaper is modelled after. The Reaper mated to this amp is un-freakin believable. It doesn't flub out like the 70/80 at higher volumes. It really fattens and tightens up the tone. To get that JMP tone I run the OLDER version of the Wampler Pinnacle in front of it. I also have an Octonaught Hyperdrive and two other dist pedals on my board. The Octonaught gets this amp into 1982 JCM metal territory. I never use two dist pedals at once - only one at a time, the right tool for the right job. The effects loop on this amp is AMAZING. I run a clean boost in the loop. For solos, it cuts right through the mix but it's also like a second amp channel; by rolling your guitar volume back and engaging the boost you get an amazingly clean, fat tone. My Egnator Tweeker run through a Bogner ported 1X12 cab is comparable in tone but the effects loop is terrible. (I bring the Egnator to gigs as a backup). When I engage the clean boost its muddy and muffled - not even usable. I don't know why that is but I don't have that issue with the monoprice amp. If you gig, the Monoprice is plenty loud for most venues. In smaller venues you don't even need to mic it. Just put it on the floor upright behind you and put a plexiglass amp shield in front of it. This eliminates the problem with beaming and disperses the sound more evenly. The only downside with this amp I've had so far is that it does chew up power tubes. It's because the bias is set a bit hot which shortens the life of the EL84's. But it's a two edged sword because a hotter bias is also what gives it that Marshall tone. Get this amp or the Harley Benton version - you won't be disappointed.

I've only listened to clips, but I think they sound pretty good. I'm all for competition, especially of its making manufacturers think about the bang for the buck. That goes for pedals and guitars too.

Who makes Monoprice amps?

According to Monoprice, ALL Monolith amplifiers are built in the same Montebello California based facility that ATI builds their other amplifiers too. With ATI behind the scenes, it should come as no surprise that the Monolith is an absolute beast of an amplifier in size, weight, and power specs.

What is a good amount of watts for a guitar amp?

Guitar amps for home use should be anywhere between 1W to 20W (tube amp & solid-state). Amps for recording straight should also be between 1W to 20W if using a tube amp and 1W to 60W if using a solid-state.