Epiphone Electar Tube 30

Purchased for $159.00 from MusicYo. A single channel class A amp with EL-84 power tubes and 12AX7 preamp tubes. This is a stripped down amp with only a single input, three band EQ,and volume. Has a boost function to take it into overdrive. Features are more than adequate for an amp in this price range. The amp is housed in a plywood cabinet covered with black tolex and chrome corner guards. A nifty looking stamped chrome Epiphone logo adornes the grille, harkening back to the Epiphone amps of the '40s and '50s.

My main guitar is a strat with Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro pickups running through an MXR Dynacomp, MXR Phase 90, MXR Distortion + and a Boss DD-5 delay pedal. For an all tube amp that costs less than $200 you can hardly be critical. The Tube 30 gives up a good amount of class A chime, especially with the boost on. I've read some people think it sounds like a Vox, but I think it has more of a Fender Princeton thing going. This amp has good bark, and it doesn't get too noisy maxed out. The best tones were in boost mode with the volume pegged. I use it in tandem with my Blues Deluxe with the Tube 30 taking care of the crunch sounds and I get great Stones tones with that combo. The clean channel sounds nice, but the disparity between the clean channel's lower volume and the much greater volume of the boost mode causes me to detract a point from the score. There should be less difference in volume between the two modes.

Looks ruggged. Like any amp it will need to be taken care of, but I don't forsee any problems with it.

The Tube 30 is a great value for an all tube amp. It has a good sound, and I would definitely buy another. I play in church, so the lack of overall volume is no big deal since I'm not allowed to play loud anyway. For small gigs and practicing you could hardly find a better deal. I ordered mine through MusicYo online and have had no problems with it. I also play harp through it and it sounds quite rich and warm in that capacity. It would be fun to try out different tubes and I may switch out the speaker with a more British voiced one to see if that will up the chime factor. But otherwise, I have little negative to say about this product. I would recommend the Tube 30.

Puchased new in Jan. 2000 from MusicYo for $159. Very sraight-forward bare bones small combo. All tube. Includes line-out jack and jack for footswitch to punch distortion in and out. Gain, volume, bass, mid, treble, and switch for overdrive.

Optimistically rated at 25 watts (MAX) Not real loud, especially for totally clean setting. However, if you play dirty blues and classic rock, it's loud enough for a small band if you're running it through the mains. (especially with a 2-12" or similar cabinet hooked up. Similar in volume to most 2-EL84 amps. Sound is really surprising, especially considering the price. Sounds good with humbuckers, P-90's as well as lipstick pickups. I put a 12at7 in the first stage to back the gain off a little, and a 12ax7WXT Sovtek in the second socket because I wanted a little brighter tone. It sounds fine with the stock tubes though. Although obviously not a Vox, you can definitely hear some of that same chimey overdrive. Sounds great for that Tom Petty type overdrive. The one thing I was disappointed in was the footswitchable overdrive. For me its not really like a 2 channel amp since you can't dial them in together .Engaging the overdrive makes the volume way too loud compared to the clean setting and there is no way to adjust it. However I always have the OD on and adjust for leads with guitar. It's also a little noisier than I would like but nothing major .A lot of tone for the $.

Still pretty new but it seems fine. I've played it numerous times at higher volumes for 3-4 hrs. at a time and no probs yet.

Haven't ever dealt with them on this item, however Gibson has always been helpful when needed. Also, I've e-mailed MusicYo several times with different question and have always gotten very quick replies. (unlike some companies)

I have been playing for about 25 yrs. I also own a Pignose G40V, Carvin VT50 head, Mesa Boogie Nomad 45 head. I'm sure I would get one again if it were lost. It's small enough to carry easily, loud enough for small gigs, simple - just plug in and play. It's easy to get a good guitar sound. I would love reverb if it were available for an extra $30-$40.

Made In Korea, purchased new 2/2000.
I use this amp primerily at home. I am a guitar hobbyist, and don't need a monster amp for gigs.
30 Watt Tube Amp. Quite a power hog.... it takes 65 watts to produce 30... he he.
Pretty basic features, a 3 band EQ, and overdrive gain.
I like the tube sounds, and this will suit me for practicing at home and with the band. It's a looker too... It has the vintage look that matches my '58 flying V perfectly.... the look wasn't a concern when buying it.

I use a 2 humbucker Epiphone flying V, I play mostly rock and pop. THe amp is really quiet, no annoying hum. In overdrive mode, there's a bit of hum, but nothing major. The clean channel could be louder, the overdriven channel carries significant volume.
The sound is very tube, very easy to listen to, without the sharp digital sounds that I've heard in other solid state amps in this price range. I like it.

I havn't had it long enough to be a good judge of that. On the surface, the build quality looks to give a long life of quality operation. Quite a lot of amp for the price.

5 year warranty is good, but beyond that, who knows.

I like it very much. It fit my budget and fits the bill for an inexpensive amp. If you are looking for a practice amp, or something for small gigs, It will take you through.
It's a simple amp, but I'm a simple player.
Tubes rule!

Brand new from www.musicyo.com Awesome deal! 30 watts, gain, volume, boost switch (that is actually effective), 3 EQ. No reverb (dang!). Weighs about 35 lbs, single channel, has a line-out, no headphone jack. I play rock, classic rock and alternative. I like this amp for what I play.

I play 2 guits through this little guy. I have a ASAT Special and a Dano U2. I'm a single coil guy. I imagine humbuckers would rock well through it too, but can't say for sure. Amp is pretty quiet. The downside is, it's not quite as loud as I would have expected for 30 watts, but I'd rather have good tone than good volume. I play in a "neighborhood band" we get together every couple of weeks and just jam at the drummer's garage. This amp keeps up, but just barely. I keep it close to dimed on both vol and gain. When I run a Zoom 505 in front of it, I'm able to boost a little from that and can back off the guitar gain/vol. I like the distortion on it, it's fairly close to a really good quality blues overdriven sound. The boost gets it a little grittier still, but it's a good distortion. I'm wondering what it'll sound like when I replace the tubes?

No idea, comes with a 5 yr warranty big deal, they usually ain't worht the paper printed on.

Again, don't know.

I've been playing about 3 years. I'm not that good, but I'm getting better. This is a great amp for playing with your buddies and consuming mass quantities of beer. I rock well.

Made in 1999, Korea. Bought new from www.musicyo.com for excellent price ($189 SHIPPED!).

Single channel, with "boost" feature to crank up the distortion. No headphone jack, no reverb. Does have a line out jack and footswitch jack (footswitch not included). Pretty much your basic set up for a small tube amp. Volume, gain, bass, treb, mid. I think it's 30 watts (hence the model #), but the "brochure" (if you could call it that :) that came with it said 25 max. I'm certain that it's more than 25 watts max, I think the brochure was printed in Korea and I believe something was lost in the translation. I wish it had reverb, but hey at this price, can't have it all. 10" "Electar Labs" speaker. Seems very sturdy, I think it'd hold up well. Black with a cool, funky silver "E" logo on the grill. Good size, not all that heavy (about 30-35 lbs). 4 total tubes (2 "power" and 2 "pre?") Cool amp.

I play primarily rock: classic, blues, alternative, soft, hard. Some groups I'm into: Stones, Everclear, Black Crowes, So Culture on the Skids, Cake, the Cult, AC/DC. You get the picture. This amp captures the whole blues thing very well, in may (very amateur) opinion. You need a pedal to get some kinds of good rock crunch (for instance, "You Shook Me All Nite Long"--you've simply got to have a pedal in front of it to get "that" sound). The distortion without the "boost" switch on (i.e., with the "vol" and "gain" nearly dimed), is what I consider pretty dang good "blues/compression" tone. Really not bad at all for an amp of this price! When you kick on the boost switch, it goes to a more "fuzzy" distortion, but still very usable, depending on what sound you're after. It's not all that noisy, and I have single coils. Gets pretty loud, especially with gain. Clean headroom isn't bad (though not "jazz" clean; more "blues" clean).

Hard to know, but it does feel very sturdy. I'll base my rating on my OPINION of how it'll hold up, but it's hard to know since it's only a month old and the tubes aren't even broken in!

I have no idea what Epiphone's 5 year limited warranty is really like if you ever have to use it; no experience there. I have bought from a reputable dealer locally who deals Epiphones, so I imagine it shouldn't be a problem if I ever need work.

I've been playing off and on many years, but only recently took up lessons. I'm a "living room legend;" I've jammed with the Stones, Everclear and others many times in the comfort of my home! :) I have owned a lot of great axes, including several G&Ls, Fenders, and a current Hohner Goldtop Les Paul. I'm very much an amateur, but I think I have a fairly good ear for tone, and I definitely have a feel for value. This is a great "garage band" amp! I think it's probably loud enough to keep up with another guit, bass and drums--assuming the drummer isn't overly aggressive. Overall, pretty cool sounds and a really cool vibe. If it had reverb, I'd REALLY be in love, but I gotta say, I like this amp! Put a good quality pedal/board in front of it, and I think you'd be very pleased. I also highly recommend www.musicyo.com, they ship fast. They have the 10 watt version for $89 plus shipping. That's an awesome deal on a tube amp. I think the list on this 30 is $599. So to have it shipped for less than a 1/3 of the list is really a great value. Whenever I fry the current tubes, I'll shop around to get some real good ones, and I may even put in a better speaker just to see what that does. I really nice amp.

I think this amp is a year old. Korean made, 30 Watt, 10 inch speaker, 2-12ax7 and 2-EL84 tubes. Preamp,lineout,3 Band EQ and over drive. Heres what this amp needs, a standby switch, a reverb, an on off switch that doesnt light up, this one scares me. The wires going to the speaker look real cheap, and too small. Use this amp for Blues Jams, its a 30 Watt amp ,but doesnt seem as loud as a 15 watt Blues Junior. Then again this amp only costs $159.00

Not much low end. I think due to the lack of Quality parts. Not very loud for 30 Watts.

Too early to tell.

Dont bother unless you omn a Les Paul.

Piece of crap. I own the 10 Watt Electar and love it, the two amps are worlds apart. I wonder what happened? The sound on the 30 is thin, Im thinking maybe I got the Monday morning Production model. I will keep it just to see how long it last, and maybe do some tube swaps. I guess for $159.00 I cant complain.