Alessandro/Hound Dog Beagle Head

I am the 3rd owner and have no history on the amp. I bought it from a guy who beat me out on the eBay auction who then needed money more than he needed the amp.
The single channel amp has Bass/Treble/Mid/Vol controls, no reverb, no line out, no effects loop. I don't care about that stuff, really, though I do miss having a little reverb on demand.
I have always heard great things about the Beagle and I have been wanting to get an EL84 based amp. The Beagle has a unique octal-based preamp section running 6SL7 (5691) tubes instead of the 12ax7s. It is a very low powered amp, maybe 10 or 12 watts, but I run it through a closed cab with 2 12" Celestion Blues which are very efficient and yield a gorgeous fat sound.

I play a Tele and a variety of Strats and it just sings!. It's very easy to get into sustain by turning up the guitar vol pot. The harmonics are very sweet and have great integrity. I can't get a bad sound out of it! It sounds especially great with an Eric Johnson or a 54 Masterbuilt Strat.
It's a tad noisy when it's wide open but I have been a tube amp guy all my life and I don't mind.

It all seems to be original and I don't plan to gig with it so I am not too worried. George Alessandro has a sterling rep for customer support and this thing is meticulously built from the highest quality components.

Have not needed support, but I am confident I can get good service.

I have been playing for 38 years and I have a load of gear: Kendrick Black Gold 15 and Fender 73 Twin I had Kendrick 'blackface' for me. I also have a P bass and a vintage Ampeg Portaflex restored to pristine condition by Jess Oliver himself.7 guitars. Tons of pedals, tons of high quality cables, etc. I used to play pro for many years but I am retired now. I play at home, every day.
The Beagle was not cheap but then quality rarely is. Don't know if I could afford to replace it if it got swiped.

2000 or so Alessandro Beagle head.

Run through a 2/12 cabinet with Blue Bells.

Guitars played through it include a 1959 Les Paul Standard, a 1964 Gibson Firebird VII, a Gibson Custom Shop nonreverse Firebird with three minihumbuckers, a Rickenbacker 360, and a handbuilt Telecaster and Stratocaster with DeTemple pickups.

On, standby, volume, and tone switches. Nothing else.

Class A 10 watt amp.

This is the best amplifier on the market, and George Alessandro is among the most honorable people in this market. From a Marshall Plexi sound to a good Dumble sound, this amp does it all.

Unbreakable.

George Alessandro is an honorable craftsman putting out a superb amp. George stands firmly behind what he sells.

Best amplifier on the market. Better than a Dumble.

The only features are top quality components and fantastic tone. This head has all the sonic upgrades and a beautiful maple cabinet. Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass, and on/off and standby/on switches, plus a output selector (8 or 16 ohm). Two el84s give around 10-watts. Very simple but I wouldn't add a thing.

I use this amp primarily as a lead amp (a/b with a working dog 1x12 for clean) but at a smaller venue will use only the Beagle. The tone is rich and vibrant all all volumes but the output is not enough to get a really clean tone if you are competing with a drummer. I use a spruce Klein with SDuncan humbuckers and can get everything from clean to scream by just using the volume knob. The only pedals in the chain are an analog man a/b/t, a Fulltone Clyde, and sometimes a Maxon PT-999. The speaker is a Celestion Blue 1x12 cab also from George. Cables are George L's or Alessandro. Sometimes I use the Muzzle to bring the amp down one notch for reduced stage volume. My typical setting is all knobs at noon with bass at 1100 o'clock. The amp sounds great no matter where you set the knobs but straight up works for me, the amp just kills. I play funk, R&B, hip-hop, and a small amount of rock. The Beagle lead sound cuts right through the mix of samples, keyboards and subharmonic bass generated by the guys in my band. The amp sounds so clear and refined that it doesn't need volume to carry it's tone. I am raving about the lead tone but the rhythm tone is untouchable as well...just perfection.

I have had the amp for about 10 months and have used it on over 180 gigs without a single problem...this is WITHOUT a tube change.

George is simply the best. He not only let me spend most of a day monopolizing his time at his shop (his house) but brought my amps to me when they were ready (I live in VA and his shop is in PA). I have no doubt that he will address and correct any problem that might come up concerning my amps.

I have been playing for 18 years and have never come across another amps that has changed my playing more that this one. If it were stolen I would replace it immediately. This amp's sensitivity and tone combined with the Klein's playability and amazing sound have taken my playing to a new level, which is something I can't say about any other gear I have ever owned.