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Head/Combo
Combo
Price Paid
$400 Cdn
Condition
New
Country of origin
USA
Tube Type
EL84
Features

 

15 Watts, Push-Pull, Class A

Outputs: 1 x 16 ohm jack, 2 x 8 ohm jacks, 2 x 4 ohm jacks 

Solid State Rectifier with tap for future mods

Drive, Level, Treble, Mid, Bass and Presence controls

Pentode (15 Watts)/Triode (7 Watts) Switch

DC Power to filaments for super quiet operation

15 ply (18mm) thick-void free plywood construction

12" Blackheart Model 1216A Speaker by Eminence with American Voicing, optimized for open back cabinet

Pros

This amp has some really good headroom.  Clean is what I would call perfect.  Adding pedals to this amp brings out the beast, but it is not a high gain amp.  Having my Digitech GSP 2101 meant I was not looking for an amp that could accomplish all kinds of distortion (although I have ordered the bitmo mod to add to the distortion on tap and a reverb as well).  Alone and at full drive this is a great classic rock and blues amp.  The distortion on tap is very warm and there is quite a bit of note definition regardless of the distortion level.  In the first months of playing I used different effects pedals as well as my Digitech GSP and  it was incredible to hear the difference in sound between the solid state and tube driven sounds.  So much warmer and so much less clipping.  It was nice to realize that I could crank it up at a rehearsal with a loud bassist and a drummer and still be heard.  The 15 W works great in small to medium halls and the amp mikes up great when you need that extra boost in the PA.  At half power the amp is full and meaty with some really nice tonal complexity.   At full power you get more aggression.   Turned up the amp cleans up nicely when you roll back the guitar’s volume.  Definitely more of a bluesy tone, but what a tone.  I have used it in several jams and it has held its own against the Blues Junior and even Vox and smaller Marshall amps.   it has a Marshall/Vox sound.  More or less a cross between the two and I love it.  It works well with both single coils and humbuckers. 

Cons

This amp weighs in just shy of 50 lbs.  So it is a bit heavy when you are taking it to a jam session.  If you want an effects loop it is not here.  No reverb either.  Neither of these were deal breakers for me.

Sound Quality
4
Reliability

Sturdy and well made.  No issues to date.

Customer Support

No issues to date.

Summary

I love this amp and highly recommend it if you are in the market for an inexpensive hard rock bluesy amp.   No need for distortion pedals unless you want to go metal.   At 15 or 7 watts this amp delivers.   It is my main amp now even though it does sometimes seem a bit heavy to carry in and out of a jam session.  Add a good distortion pedal and you can easily get into metal.