Looking for the best valve guitar combo under £1000?   

Maybe one that is perfectly thought out for players who play predominantly at home & studio (although you could rehearse and even do gigs with this but its not who I am personally focusing my thoughts to here)?

This has to be hands down my number one guitar combo recommendation for what I would consider my core customer base - and that could well be you!  

If you are looking for the following features - you are going to instantly fall in love with this incredible amplifier that I have also found out was awarded GUITARIST Magazine "Top Choice" award - Whilst I dont use guitar mags as a benchmark, its nice to see they agreed on this one :)

Here are my tick boxes:

Tone

GORGEOUS!   From sweet blues and jazz through to high gain rock (would recommend a single pedal alongside and you will be through the roof if you need that level of overdrive / distortion) - This amp if WONDERFUL

Reverb

So many valve comos disregard mere mortals like me and you who want a great sound ayt home levels and for that a reverb is essential - one less pedal to have to worry about and I love having it in the amp

"Stealth" Mode (AKA keep the neighous / other family members happy button)

This button enables the amplifier to run like its at full capacity whilst keep the volume right down - and all your favorite tones and overdrives can be achieved at incredibly low / useable levels and if thats not good enough.....

Headphone Socket

Brilliant addition and so important if you live in a family environment or just want to keep the neighbours happy - ensuring you only damage your own ears!

Speaker Cut off Switch

Brilliant!   Gives you complete silence but enables the amplifier to keep running thus protecting the vales from too much on/off switching - all very intuitive and user friendly.

Stunning Visuals

OK so I admit it - I do LOVE the way it looks too.   The little volume meter has become synonymous with Ashdown amps - all lit up at night its drop dead gorgeous, combined with the warm glow of the vales you have a visual delight waiting for every evening session !

There is something about a valve amp that you just cant "copy" - however good digital techology has become and I think in this day more than ever - people want something that is REAL - tangible - crafted.   Not everyone - but I certainly do - and I know my customers will appreciate that quality too.  

If you have been following my recommendations over the years, I do hope you will trust me on this as you just cant find a better amp on the market if you are looking for a super useable, thoughtfully produced, hand made player centric guitar combo - all valve of course!   AND Made in the UK!!!  

Couldn't be any better, right?  I hope you will agree!

They say:

Built to order from our factory in the UK. 

Designed by renowned British valve guru Dave Green the AGM(Ashdown Guitar Magnifier) range has been carefully considered, designed and constructed for the modern world where portability, low power options and real valve tones are paramount.

Each and every AGM is designed, engineered and lovingly constructed using only the finest hand selected components at the Ashdown HQ in Essex, England.

The AGM-5C is designed for genuine tonal purists wanting luscious British valve driven guitar tones but at home/studio friendly volume levels combined with a host of modern player friendly features yet dripping in vintage tonality.

The AGM-5C offers crisp and clear clean tones with real warmth, depth and sparkle but dial up the gain and you will soon be in hard rock heaven with heavily overdriven touch sensitive sounds available.

The AGM-5C produces 5 watts of all valve power which is delivered via a carefully chosen Celestion 12" Creamback G12-65 M premium speaker. However, the Stealth switch allows you to reduce the output to around 1 watt and also activates the ASC (Active Speaker Compensation) which helps to retain the tonal depth and bass response even at very low volume levels.

For silent late night sessions the AGM-5C features a speaker mute switch which cuts power to the speaker whilst activating the internal dummy load leaving the player safe to enjoy the amplifier silently via headphones as well as the cabinet emulated Record Out feature for direct recording.

Accutronics studio grade reverb provides real depth to clean tones when required and an FX Loop allows the players favourite modulation/time based pedals to be hooked up straight to the power amp for optimal sonic clarity.