Evh 5150 Iconic 40W 1x12 Combo IV

probably the best budget valve highgain combo

The 5150 is always the first high-gain amp that comes to my mind.

This combo is a really nice way to get the experience without paying 2000 bucks. This amp does not only look good but it also sound really nice.

It comes as no surprise that this amp is best when playing with high gain rhythm tones. I'm not to convinced when it comes to lead tones at least without pedals. It might just be personal taste but I don't really like the built in reverb, it sounds really springy and I'd prefer a somewhat cleaner sound, but that is nothing that can't be fixed with a 50 bucks pedal.

On the topic of pedals it might be a good idea to also get a noise gate. The amp does have a noise gate that works but it isn't the best.

Other then maybe a compressor there aren't any other pedals I really need, since I'm not a very big fan of pedals anyways.

Putting a distortion- or overdrive-pedal in front of it to me feels like watering the ocean. This amp has more then enough gain for me especially with the build in boost option.

The speaker isn't bad but the low end could use a little work, thankfully it is really easy to replace it with for example a Celestion v30 or greenback. You only need a screwdriver. no sauntering required.

The build quality is very good and I could only find such small problems that I can't justify not giving 5 stars. For the price you get a really nice looking amp that feels quality.

Feature wise it isn't to crazy but you get 2 channels one with an overdrive and one with a burn option, built in boost as well as reverb for both channels and a noise gate for channel 2. You can also adjust presence and resonance.

This should be enough for any bedroom player and also probably good enough for small gigs (maybe not outdoors).

(not sure though, don't leave my house.)

It also fits really nicely into my setup cause it looks so clean.