Mighty-5TH : Simple but awesome

I ordered this amp as a project to see how good a sound I could get of a very inexpensive amp. I ran my tele through it and into a custom built Celestion Ten-30 cabinet. Then, I turned it on and started to play. The sound was OK, but lacked in clarity and sounded hollow and weak. It also made considerable crackling noises when turning the knobs. But it was above my low expectations.

But Alas! I decided that my project did not finish here. I had ordered an Engl ECC83 FQ and a Sovtek EL84. Unscrewing the bottom screws I then replaced what was a Sovtek ECC83 and a Ruby EL84 and now we are talking.

The crackling noises diappeared and the sound is better than I deared dream of: Full, deep, rich, crisp and well defined in the cleans. A creature on it's own when overdriven. It will go loud.

Pros:

-Cheap, still sturdy

-Potential for golden sound

-Portable

-Loud

-Simple and easy to use and mod

Cons:

-Crackling noises before changing tubes

-No mid EQ, no separate gain and volume, no reverb

Neutral:

-Stock sound

I think replacing the tubes are mandatory; afterwards, it's a steal.