Alessandro/Working Dog Rottweiler Combo

After some research and a phone conversation with George Alessandro I went down to Action Music in Arlington, VA and purchased an Alessandro Working Dog ?Rottweiler? 2x10 amp. This is a 40 watt, hand wired, class AB, single channel, tube guitar amp manufactured in 2001. The tube lineup is one (1) 12AX7 pre-amp, one (1) 12AX7 phase inverter, one (1) 12AT7 reverb, and two (2) 5881 power section. The rectifier is solid state. Controls are, On/Off, Standby, Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass, Final Output, and a Creamy/Jangly switch. The Final Output control varies output power from 50% to 100%, it?s not a master volume, but dropping to 50% lowers the overall volume some. This does not seem to affect the tone, it just helps a little if the volume police are working the same room as you are for the evening. The Creamy/Jangly switch was best described in another review as a ?reverse bright switch?, I can?t improve on that description. In the creamy position some highs are rolled off but it doesn?t get muddy, just smoother, good for ?woman tone? if you?re into that. In the jangly position the amp is very blackface Fender like, very nice. The tone controls on the amp are effective and somewhat interactive, there is no shortage of bottom and I found myself bumping the Middle control to compensate for the thick bottom end, not unpleasant, just more than I?d expect from a 40 watt combo amp. The 10? Jensen C Series speakers hold up great, I think they are C10Q?s. There are no effects loops, headphone jacks or footswitch, I think that?s great. There is no tremolo. I bet Alessandro would have made a good one. (9.8)

I use mostly Fender guitars, I have two Stratocasters one stock and one with Barden pickups, I also have two Telecasters one stock and one with Barden pickups, and a recently purchased Gibson Blueshawk. They all like this amp. Oddly enough, the first time I played the amp out was for a variety gig. I did disco and oldies all night with a couple of blues tunes thrown in, and the amp worked well for me. The first set I kept the volume at about 11 o?clock, the sound was pretty clean, but sustained well enough to play solos comfortably. After the first set the gloves came off and I turned up to about 1 o?clock with final output at 100%. At this setting the amp sings and gets that kind of ?spongy? feel, I can do the rest. I?ve played it wide open a couple of times and it doesn?t sound appreciably different than it does at 1 o?clock, maybe a little less definition, and a little more distortion. The bottom end stays together very well. There?s plenty of power for most rooms. I don?t recall anyone saying I wasn?t loud enough. If you are looking for heavy overdrive or distortion you?ll need a pedal, or possibly a different amp, this one probably isn?t for everyone. I don?t use any overdrive devices. When I use anything, it?s a $40.00 Danelectro Tremolo pedal (very cool by the way) and, or a 20 year old Arion analog delay. I generally run the amp up and control everything from the guitar controls. The Working Dog is quiet at idle, although I find this sort of room/pickup/lighting dependent with most amps, if you know what I mean. The reverb is a short tank, not my favorite type. It?s well voiced though and gets the job done. I?d like to see a long tank
(9.8)

I haven?t had this amp long enough to talk about reliability from experience, but I?ve looked inside, the workmanship is beautiful, the components are top notch. I?ll bring a spare for a while, but if I couldn?t for some reason I wouldn?t be too concerned.

I hope I won?t need any customer support anytime soon. I?ve spoken with George Alessandro and I trust that he will back anything with his name on it. I mentioned above that I purchased this amp from Action Music, Arlington VA. I don?t think Matt would sell me something he did not have confidence in. I?m not worried at all.

I?ve been playing for 40+ years. In recent years I?ve mostly been a blues player, I also do classic rock and some country music, I have a day job and play part time. I?ve owned lots of amps over the years, mostly Fender. I went through a brief Marshall period and I?ve played or owned most of the others. I don?t care for amps with extra gain stages, channel switching, drive/distortion controls, elaborate EQ?s and generally too many knobs. I haven?t paid a great deal of attention to ?boutique amps? because most come with a full complement of the aforementioned, knobs, dials buttons, switches, and the always ?optional floor controller?. The others, which probably include some fine sounding gear are too pricey for a ?working dog? guitar player. The Working Dog is a reasonably priced ?players? amp. It is hand wired, nicely constructed, lightweight, ?boutique? quality amp that sounds and looks great (although the logo could use improvement). I?d recommend it for most types of music. I suppose you could even include heavier rock if you put some pedals in front of it. (9.8)

Note: before I say anything, I usually don't give anything a 10 rating and I try to make full use of the 1 to 10 rating scale. It is a dis-service to all the people who come to this site to learn about a piece of gear before purchasing, to give great glowing reveiws (or purely negative). This is however an OUSTANDING amp (which is why I am taking the time to do a review) and ratings of 8 to 9 I consider to be excellent. IMHO

Amp is a 4x10 40 watt built 2001. Single channel with built in power attenuator (down to 20 watts) with treble, mid, bass, and reverb controls. Also a toggle switch for creamy to jangly (this is like two entirely different amp voicings that are not about gain). No effects loop or extra speaker jack. Uses 2 6L6s. It is a boutique amp built for the gigging musician $1400 retail.

I play blues, classic rock but this amp is about a clean sound that is indescribable. I get distortion from a Maxon OD808. I give it an 8 because though it is single channel the creay / jangly thing makes it very versatile.

Use all kinds of guitars. Main ones are HamerUSA Custom Studio w/ SD 59s and JB. G&L Legacys (great Strat type guitars). HamerUSA T-51 tele with Fishman Power bridge. 1970s Ibanez AM200 with Super 58s. I like to AB amps and use this one for my sparkling Fender cleans and most rhythms. I use a VHT Classic 100 2x12 or Matchless Cheftain 2x12 for most other sounds. This amp can do alot more but I am lazy and prefer hitting a foot switch as opposed to messing around with knobs.

George told me he designed this amp as a Bluesbreaker and stock it does that. It comes with Jenson P10Rs. I loved it for its clean and its reverb so I sent it back to Alessandro and they put in P10Ns or Qs (next step up) and it is perfect for me now. Doesn't get mushy at high volumes now.

It will still distort at high volumes but I still prefer pedals. I use a Soldano GTO pedal for over drive on the Matchless.

It is the only non-accoustic amp where I can also get a good accoustic tone with the Fishman Powerbridge. I usually keep it in Jangly but will switch to creamy when I want a warmer sound especially with Humbuckers.

I don't play out much so I can't say how well it holds up under gigging conditions. It is really light weight and feels very sturdy though. Only problem I have had was reverb tank and reverb tube. Both were fixed quickly and have no problems since.

Warranty is for a long time.

Service and Customer care is the best I have experienced. Really good people there.

I have been playing on and off for 15 years. I have already talked about my other gear.

I have spent way too much money on gear having owned many amps and stacks that are coveted by many (old and new Marshalls, Mesas, Bogner, Riveras, and others). In my opinion the fact that when I decided enough was enough and sold most of my gear and this was one of the 3 amps I chose to keep says the most about it.

This was an early prototype combo from 2000, with an unusual 2x12 plus 2x8 speaker configuration. It is a single-channel, 2x6L6 amp putting out about 40 watts, and features Volume, Treble, Middle, and Bass controls, a "Creamy/Jangly" switch, Standby and On/Off switches, and a "Full Output Control" master volume pot, which adjusts the final output stage from 50% to 100%, affording higher gain and break-up at significantly lower volume levels.

The cabinet is specially constructed for weight and resonance, so much so that it is deceptively light for a 4-speaker combo! This is a no-nonsense, affordable amp that just rips...!

I play blues and jump-style music through a variety of guitars, including an '83 LP, Historic 335, a PRS Rosewood Soapbar, a '56 Junior, a Relic Strat and a Lentz Tele, and this amp can be dialed-in for any and all of 'em.

I've played it un-miced both in small and mid-sized clubs and in outdoor settings, and it holds its own pretty much anywhere. It has a great deal of the "clean" sweetness associated with BF-era Fenders, but can rock-out like a cranked Super at volume levels that are actually *useable* in club settings. The Full Output Control "Master Volume" is, in my opinion, the best I've ever heard, as it really seems to affect *just* the output stage, keeping your overall tone intact.

It's not a super-high-gain machine, but should be more than adequate for most players in most situations. A Fulldrive in front of it can take it wherever else it needs to go, if you're looking for more gain.

The one-knob reverb is dialed-in pretty nicely -- it covers the most useable terrain, coming up just short of hell-bent Surf sounds. And, the 12/8 speaker combination is a beautiful thing -- you get warmth and bottom from the 12s, and articulation and sparkle in the high-end from the 8s -- hey, it works for me!

By the way, this rig also sounds *phenomenal* as a harmonica amp... stick a JT30 in front of it and watch out!

Haven't had a problem, but a close look at the chassis tells me that it's built to withstand the rigors of regular road gigging without a problem.

George Alessandro is very accessible and is always eager to make certain that whatever you've bought that has his name on it works in the way it's supposed to. Never had a problem with *any* of his products, but am certain that he would support them, if necessary.

I've been playing since the early 60s, and have gone through my share of equipment.

My current stable consists of assorted Tweed and Blackface Fenders, a Carlson Turbo Pup, a Bruno Underground 30, a Matchless Chieftain, a couple of old Gibsons, an 18-watt Marshall, and several Alessandros. And this Working Dog is right up there with the best of 'em!

About the only thing I might consider changing is swapping out the Jensen 12s for a slightly higher-power version for enhanced bottom-end response at higher volume levels. But all kidding aside, I believe this amp to be an *incredible* value, especially for a hand-made, boutique-quality product.