The Harley Benton Mighty-5TH gives guitarists a compact and easy-to-use five-watt amp head at a budget-friendly price, but that is not all: It also features class-A, all-tube circuitry, which is a true rarity at this price point. Just five watts of all-tube power still produce an impressive amount of volume, which is why this single-channel head can be switched down to one or even 0.1 watts – perfect for practising at home. This is clearly not the only thing that makes the Mighty-5TH head perfect for amateur musicians, however – as demonstrated by the control layout of Treble, Bass, and Volume, which makes the amp extremely easy to use. In short: Pure plug & play.
The Mighty-5TH is a “non-master volume” amplifier, which means that it gets its distortion from the power stage alone: By cranking the volume up as far as it will go and pushing the power tube to the max. Once the Volume dial has passed the 12 o’clock position, this amp produces a mid-rich crunch sound reminiscent of the 60s and 70s – when legends like Jimi Hendrix pushed their amps to the limit in the same way. Since the Mighty-5TH has an output of just five watts, however, you can do this without losing your hearing in the process, and switching the output down to one watt or even 0.1 watts also lets you enjoy power amp saturation while practising at home. The Mighty-5TH features two speaker outputs (8-ohm and 16-ohm), each with its own dedicated power reduction switch. The amp of course responds dynamically to changes in the guitar’s volume, so a thoroughly usable clean tone can also be achieved without having to reduce the volume of the amplifier.
The Mighty-5TH is probably the perfect choice as a first all-tube amp head, or even as a very first amplifier. That being said, however, experienced guitarists too will enjoy the fact that this amp delivers all-tube tone while remaining quiet enough for home use – one of the simplest solutions around for practising but equally suited to home recording thanks to its ability to produce vintage guitar sounds at low volume. What is more, the Mighty-5TH will also be a hit with pedal afficionados, since it delivers particularly pleasing results when combined with gain pedals such as overdrives – so the amp can deliver singing lead sounds by simply adding boost and delay, for example. And it can do all of this at bedroom volume levels!
Since 1998, the Harley Benton brand has been catering for the needs of numerous guitarists and bassists. In addition to an extensive range of stringed instruments, Thomann's house brand also offers a wide choice of amplifiers, speakers, effect pedals, and other accessories. In total, the range includes over 1,500 products. Built by established names in the industry, all Harley Benton products combine quality and reliability at attractive and affordable prices. The continuous expansion of the range ensures that Harley Benton always provides new, exciting, and innovative products that keep players perfectly in tune with the musical world, day after day.
As already mentioned, the Mighty-5TH is perfect for practising at home at low volume, for making home recordings of 70s-style Classic Rock sounds, and even for playing small or spontaneous gigs, and its compact size also makes it ideal as a second or backup amp. Its all-tube circuitry with a 12AX7 preamp tube and EL84 power tube, large transformer, and robust housing make the Mighty-5TH heavier than many other amps of similar size, but its weight means it won’t fall off the speaker cabinet during band practice, even when only a short cable is connected. And last but not least, the Mighty-5TH is a great platform for pedals and delivers an excellent basic sound that can be enhanced by adding all manner of different effects.