The Monoprice 5W Guitar Amp Slaps

Yes, the Monoprice 5W Guitar Amp Slaps

If you haven't checked out this 5W tube amp from Monoprice, hurry and do it before the price goes up again.

30 years ago in November of 2019, I bought this amp for around $120, an increase from its $105 price tag when I first saw it. Now it's almost $170, and it remains a steal at that.

Seriously, this amp is so awesome.

Is Monoprice Any Good?

Let me start by clarifying that I own just three items made by Monoprice—this amp (actually branded Stage Right), a tuner pedal, and a mono-to-stereo 1/8" adapter. All of them work as well as or—in the case of this amp—better than expected.

Because Monoprice's gear is so cheap, people are rightly suspicious. After all, name a guitarist who wasn't burned by Behringer gear time and time again. We know too well that you get what you pay for.

...except with this Monoprice 5W tube amp, because it's way better than its price suggests.

What Can It Do?

Feature-wise, it's meager. There's nothing special except its 5W/1W switch, which makes it a little easier to rock at sustained low volumes. Otherwise, there's a volume knob, a tone knob, and a speaker out jack.

The Celestion Super 8 speaker is decent. I mean, it's 8" so don't expect to hear the deep range of a larger speaker, but who cares? I have a Fender Bluesman with a 12" speaker and, frankly, it's more than what I need most of the time. Sometimes too much.

Instead, the Monoprice calls to mind classic amps like the Brian May recording amp or the Fender Pro Junior—amps that cost 4-5x as much. They are easy to mic up because the low wattage gets the tubes screaming at lower volumes.

Yes, looking at these amps is an exercise in patience and frugality, but I don't think they offer 4-5x as much quality.

Why? Because this Monoprice amp sounds awesome. Here's a song I recorded using it, and while I am certainly biased here, I think the guitar sounds as rich and buttery as the tones heard on far more expensive tube guitar amps.

Classic Tube Sound

Let me be clear about something: I steer clear of solid state these days.

I keep a spare Carvin 112 solid state amp at my drummer's house to cut down on gear lugging. Bougie, I know, but here's what I learned: I'd rather send signal from a cheap tube preamp into a solid state amp than try to figure out why my playing sounds flat without tubes.

Tube amps are the way to go, and sadly, too many players haven't harnessed their analog warmth and complexity because of the price tag.

The Monoprice 5W tube amp is the answer. At the time of this writing, it's pleasantly priced under $200—a steal for anyone looking to find out why tubes are the answer.

Weighs Next to Nothing

Unless you're playing punk rock in a giant warehouse, 5W is surprisingly loud enough to get the job done. Plus, it's easy to lug around.

While I think Amazon might underestimate its weight (juuust a little bit), this amp is awesome for hauling to the studio, plugging in, and dialing in the right tone.

There are even some DIYers who swapped out tubes and made the tone closer to their liking. I salute you guys. I don't have the guts to try, but maybe a tech in my future will.

There's a 12" Version Too

Not looking for a practice/recording amp? Check out the 5W's big brother. I haven't played it, but some people on Reddit really like it.

Grab One Before It's a Relic

Here's a story for you. Once upon a time, my dad bought a pair of Ukrainian shotguns for $50 each. Today, they're worth a lot more because, at the time, they were manufactured for pennies and sold aggressively to get on the market. They work well, and they remind collectors of a different time in history.

It's kind of like those Japanese Stratocasters that collectors rave about—unique and discontinued. Sure, the Monoprice may not be the greatest amp ever made, but it's definitely worth the money right now, and the price is sure to keep going up given its yearly trend.

Don't wait until the price goes up again to check it out.