Harley Benton TUBE15 and TUBE5 Celestion: New budget Celestion-loaded valve amps

31 Jan 2020 by Jef |

5,0 / 5,0 | Approximate reading time: 3 Minutes

Harley Benton TUBE5 & TUBE15 Celestion · Source: Harley Benton/Thomann

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Harley Benton has just launched a new series of all-tube combos that won’t break the bank. The TUBE5 and TUBE15 amps come equipped with Celestion speakers and are available in two wattages, making them suitable for a number of scenarios including home, studio and smaller gigs.

Harley Benton TUBE5 Celestion

First up is the smaller of the two variants, the TUBE5 Celestion. This is a 5-Watt, single channel, all-valve combo that comes with an 8″ Celestion Super Speaker and is powered by a single ECC83 preamp tube and one 6V6GT output tube. It has a super-simple control layout of just single Volume and Tone knobs.

Harley Benton TUBE5 Celestion · Source: Harley Benton/Thomann

Simplicity = Tone?

Sometimes, simplicity is the best way to go with guitar tone. You spend less time fiddling with the knobs, and more time playing. And the smaller the wattage of the amp, the more it’s possible to drive the tubes without going deaf, which is why I’m a big fan of small valve amps. Just dime it in and off you go!

The amp has a 5-Watt mode, but can be switched down to an even more bedroom friendly 1-Watt mode. I also think the price leaves plenty in the bank to experiment with different tubes and other modifications.

Anybody looking for an inexpensive, all-tube amp for their home or office, or an amp as a platform to mod, should give this little guy a try.

Features

Single Channel
Power: 5 W / 1 W, switchable
Preamp tubes: 1x ECC83 / 12AX7
Power tubes: 1x 6V6GT
Equipped with 8″ Celestion Super Speaker
Controls: Volume – Tone
Switch: Power – Attenuator 5 W / 1 W
Instrument input: 6.3 mm Jack
6.3 mm Jack speaker output: 8 – 16 ohms

RRP – EUR 129

TUBE15 Celestion

Next up is the bigger of the two new amps, the Harley Benton TUBE15 Celestion. As the name suggests, this one has more power and is rated at 15 Watts. That’s loud enough for most smaller venues and rehearsal situations. Once again, the amp can be switched down to 1 Watt, making it useful for a variety of jobs, including home use as well as recording.

Harley Benton TUBE15 Celestion · Source: Harley Benton/Thomann

Reverb

The amp comes with a 12″ Celestion Seventy speaker and is powered by a trio of ECC83 tubes in the preamp section and a pair of EL84 tubes in the output to deliver its 15 Watts of power.

The TUBE15 Celestion has a lot more controls than its smaller sibling. It has a standard 3-band EQ (Bass, Middle and Treble) and a Gain and Volume knob. There’s also an onboard reverb, that can be controlled by the Reverb control and toggled on and off with an optional footswitch. In the back, you’ll find an effects loop and a speaker out.