Allen Old Flame Head

Head made 10-2007 by the master himself (Mr Allen). I list the features here because mine differ somewhat from others:
25 watt (6v6s) or 45 watt (6l6s) with reverb
The front-- Power/Standby, hi/lo input, volume/master volume, treble/mid/bass/raw, dwell, mix, reverb controls, bright switch. The back-- this is where it gets interesting:
-Bias jacks (independent for each power tube)every amp should have this, allows the user to bias each power tube and test how closely they match (useful for testing tubes before installing in other primitive amps that don't have this feature)
-Separate external speaker jack pair with an 4/8 ohm impedance switch allowing the use of any speaker cab (or pair of cabs).
-Reverb on/off jack using a vintage style footpedal (sold separately)
-Uses 5u4, GZ34 rectifiers; either 6v6 or 6l6 power tubes; and 4 12ax7 preamp tubes.

I promised Mr. Allen that I would wait a few weeks before I wrote a review. I received the amp 11-2007 (two weeks before scheduled arrival) so it has been about 4 months now since I first turned the amp on. I still haven't found all the possibilities in this amp. The first thing I did was put a JJ803 in V1, a pair of mullard CV4024's in v2-3 and a pair of Brimar 6v6s. I've enjoyed this setup so much I haven't had a chance to try the 6l6's yet. Blackface amps tend to be bassheavy and thats true with the Old Flame. Set the Bass on 2, treble and mids at 12oclock, dime the volume and master vol and let her rip. I use an American Deluxe Strat (S1 switching and Lawrence pups) and a Les Paul with '57 PAF (plus in bridge). Playing thru an Avatar 8ohm 410 cab, classic 60's and 70's rock (some country) with some alternative stuff thrown in, I can get anything I want from this amp. The reverb is pretty tame and subtle, the advantage is it doen't sound like an effect, just a richer sound. I don't use the Raw control much, leaving it between 1-2 most of the time. It is clearly a useful option for some. Plenty loud, the master control allows much lower volumes without sacrificing any tone that I can tell. The amp is dead quiet at any but the loudest settings, and any noise at that point is minimal. Add a tubescreamer and delay/chorus/wah on the front, use guitar tone and volume pots, and I get anything I want (metal crap isn't what I want). Very pleasing and harmonic distortion, with plenty of headroom for my needs (6l6s will give even more). Bottom line -- I have been looking for this amp for many years. Much more versatile than a Fender Super reissue for not much more money and with the options that you can choose. Only amp I will ever need.

I've only had it for a few months, but its been solid as a rock so far. Not even the "oops, what was that" kind of thing. I have gigged with it without a backup -- just a few spare tubes in the bag. I don't expect any problems. The inside of this amp is a work of art.

Haven't needed the company (David) but he was very helpful during the build process. Always promptly responded to emails and answered the phone. I'm sure if I have a problem, I can pack the chasis up to Dave and he will resolve whatever issues arise.

Been playing off and on since the 60's. Wish I'd bought an original Super in the day, but it would probably be as old and stiff and almost as useless as I am by now. I've got several amps -- an Atomic for my Tonelab, a VJ thats modded. The Old Flame and my Deville 212 actually sound good together in stereo, but my deville is heavily modded (both tone stack and speakers). This Old Flame is clearly the best of the bunch and I couldn't be more pleased. The most important opinion -- the wife even likes it and says the tone is pleasing. You have no idea what a compliment that is. I chose this amp because of the ability to use different tube sets, the head lets me use different cabs that I already have (including an Avatar 212 with a Red Fang and Wizard), basically the versatility of the amp versus other amps -- and the tone that this baby delivers. I would clearly buy another Old Flame (or another model) from Mr. Allen (although it is a bit pricey). You get what you pay for though.

I built this amp from a kit in late 2007. It's a Fender ab763 based circuit without channel 1 or vibrato, plus the addition of master volume, "raw" function (which adds gain+ body), and bias test points.
It's 40 watts with 6L6's. I play in a few club bands and this amp puts out a nice blackface tone. Pedals sound good through it.
I wouldn't want any more features.

The amp sounds like a very quiet blackface fender. Not much variety but who cares? It is not noisy. The overdrive sounds nice and with the Raw function+ master volume controls you get good control over the overdrive. It likes both single coils and humbuckers. There's a little more noise as you dial in more overdrive, but that's to be expected and it's not really noticeable when playing. Sounds nice!

I built it and I'm confident in the construction. Like any tube amp, I would always bring spare tubes and fuses to a gig. I just finished the build so can't speak as to long-term reliability. But I would certainly have more confidence in this amp's durability than I would a 40 year old vintage Fender. Why? The Allen is made of all new parts.

I have not yet had a problem with this kit amp so can't really speak as to Mr. Allen's customer service when there's something wrong. What I will say is that he's gone out of his way to make it as easy as possible to do the build, and he has obviously used very high quality components for the kit. He was nice enough to send a big color picture of a completed chassis to help me put in components.

I've been playing for about 35+ years and have played the gamut of amplifiers. If this got lost or stolen I'd be upset but I could just build another one. The amp's design is very well suited to my needs and is quite versatile within its own personality.

Allen Old Flame Head built from a kit in January 2005 that is loosely based on a Fender Pro Reverb amp. Hi/Lo inputs, bright switch, single channel, nonintrusive master volume with 3 knob reverb. Standard 3 knob tonestack with additional Raw control pot that incrementally bypasses the tonestack. Choice of two 6L6 or 6V6 power tubes plus tube rectifier and four AX7 preamp tubes. Black tolex covering over a small box cabinet that is a couple inches shorter than a Marshall 50 watt reissue that I also own. Has no effects loop, but not a problem since this is a low gain amp that handles pedals on the front end with ease. Bias jacks on the rear panel makes it easy to tune this amp. David Allen's circuit borrows from early amplifier technology and design but uses modern top grade components. The Old Flame can't out-feature a 3 channel amp and especially a digitally modeled amp, but it wins the tone war for any type of music except nu-metal. Would like to see a choice of tolex colors besides the all-to-common black to make this amp further stand out from the pack. Dark green is what I would like.

I grew up and still listen to 70s and 80s guitar rock and hair metal music. Southern rock bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blackfoot and the Outlaws are a personal favorite all the way up to Judas Priest type metal. Since Marshall amps were predominantly used during those decades, then only a Marshall will work to play that kind of music right? Not so fast there! Throw a decent overdrive or distortion pedal into this amp and let her rip with a singing toneful rock sound. About 90% of what I play is rock so I was a little apprehensive that this amp would be too polite to play the harder stuff. No doubt based on a Fender design it can easily do clean, but don't discount it because it doesn't have a gain control-it will do rock with a good pedal.

Regarding the Raw control, it has it's place if you play mostly clean; it adds body to the notes as you bypass the tonestack, but I don't use it if I use a drive pedal because I want total control of the tone circuit. This amp has ample bass so i turn it mostly down. The mid and treble controls both set to 12:00 are great for dialing in the tone I want. The master volume is excellent. You can make it sound tight or loose depending on your preamp volume. Also great sounding at low volumes. I have always been an EL34 tube guy because it gave the Marshall tone. I always thought the 6L6 tubes were too scooped sounding, but with the excellent mid control on the Old Flame you can easily get the Marshall sound when used with Brittish sounding speakers. This amp can also crunch with some added treble. It is also one the only amps that I can go from a rythmn to a lead sound with no tone alterations in between. I now like rectifier tubes better than solid state. The sag rounds the sound out a little better.

The reverb is nice although my expectations were too high thinking that with three knobs it would be out of this world compared to the reverb on any other amp. It still sounds typical spring-like spacey if the dwell is too high and the reverb tone pot has a minimal affect on the reverb. I thought I had not wired the tone pot correctly until David informed me that it has a subtle affect (it seems to control the ringing of the treble frequencies.) Reverb would be a more prized feature for those who play the amp clean but I like a delay effect better than reverb.

This amp is used with either a 4x12 Marshall TV cabinet with Greenbacks or a 4x12 Marshall with v30s. Works for me because it's a typical Brittish rock sound, but I would love to experiment with the new line of speakers from Eminence. Optimum speakers with a quality amp like the Old Flame could lead to a whole lot of happiness.

It's point to point wired so reliability is as good as your soldering skills. My soldered joints aren't bright like they should be. I used a cheap soldering iron, but nevertheless the connections seem to be strong and conductive. I would recommend a varriable heat soldering iron like David has on his website for those considering a kit. And I would definately recommend doing this amp as a kit. It was enjoyable and I felt an attachment by building it myself. David Allen's written directions are very detailed and the colored layout should keep you out of trouble. I can fix this amp myself should the need arise. This circuit is reliable and well engineered. The amp is also quiet. I would recommend inserting a toothpick in the pin holes of the tube sockets when soldering wires to the pin terminals to prevent accidental solder from flowing into the pin hole. I managed to flow excess solder into 3 of the many pin holes and it is hell to get that solder back out (especially the tiny preamp sockets.) I plan on building another one of David's amps in the near future.

This section is easy. I had trouble wiring the two jack inputs for some reason; no sound out of the normal jack. After giving in and emailing my situation to David, he shipped me a prewired jack assembly at his expense. Could have easily charged me for the service and I would have gladly paid for his time and parts. David Allen strikes me as someone that wants the name of his amp to be associated with quality, integrity and customer support. Imagine calling any of the big name amp corporations and getting the CEO to send me parts free of charge.

I have been playing for about 30 years. I currently have a THD univalve and Marshall plexi reissue that sound good but don't get any playing time because of the Old Flame. I also have a Marshall TSL 100 that I gave to my teenage son who is an excellent player. Every time I turn around I have to kick him off of my rig. That should tell you something about this amp. Overall, a very satisfied customer.

I look to this website for opinions on gear. Thanks to those who have blazed the way to make my decisions more informed.

Assembled by me in January of '01. Not much in the way of features, as others have noticed, except for the raw dial and the biasing jacks, which are a great convenience. It is so beautiful (tweed covered) that I take it out of the house infrequently. When I did, though, I got lots of compliments on its sound and appearance. It has enough power with the matching 2X10 cabinet to keep up with moderately intelligent drumers and basists, but not the deaf ones. I plug the head into a 2X12 for the hearing impaired. I give it a ten for features not because it has many but because the ones it does have are so good.

For plain old sound quality and tone, this is a dream amp. I use humbuckers almost exclusively, but this Old Flame would probably be happier if I were feeding it single coils. With a solid or a semi-solid, this thing roars just like a Fender should. Hollow bodies (I play a lot of jazz) invite feedback, and one notices the usual tube-amp noise when playing a quieter style of music. For blues or rock, however, I love the varieties of distortion and sag that the lower wattage rectifier tube and 6V6's provide. The reverb is pretty damn good, too. I wouldn't want more gain than the raw dial offers, but I'm not a crazy gain freak.

It has never ever failed me.

I assembled the thing from a kit, and I'm not electically inclined. However, I am compulsive (perhaps obsessive) about getting things right, so I took a lot longer than most people seem to have to get it together. David Allen was extremely patient with me. I cannot imagine better customer support.

I've been playing for...almost twenty-five years (?) and I've always loved Fender amp sounds. The two Fender Custom Shop amps I also use can't do what the Old Flame can do; this amp is about carving thick, luscious blues lines. I use a Dual Professional for clean jazz sounds and a Tone-Master for raging insanity. I'm sure the Old Flame would stand up to a certain amount of abuse, but it's too beautiful to put in harm's way. If there's any question about the environment, I take a Marshall JTM 30 (2X10) or a Fender DeVille 2X12. Neither of those amps can hold a candle to the Old Flame. In fact, the Old Flame makes the DeVille sound like garbage. Not only would I replace this amp, I'm also buying more of David's work.

Simply the Best!
no cap job needed, no old tired tubes to replace.
Great 64 BF Tones, and Raw switch dials in Albert King distortion, perfectly!.
40 Watts is perfect, I sometimes use 2 1x15 cabs, Oh Yeah!

I use all my own KBR Guitars, with HBers, Tele bridge pups, P90's, Van Zandts & RIO Stelly's
I am a BluesMan
The Amp is a Super Reverb Killer, especially w/ my 4x10 Cab

Made by King Amps, no worries!

The Best

42 years of Playing, I own a 59 Bassman, original.
Yes I would replace The Allen.
I love it all, best value out there, and I have owned 50+ Amps in my day.
I would like vibrato besides the awesome 3 knob reverb.
David Allen is a God Send to a Pro Player

This amp was originaly a 1x12 combo.(Buy the way the cabinet is excellent, no rattles, easy access to everything.I ordered a head cabinet as I use a 2x10 with jensens for smaller gigs and a 1x12 with an SRO for larger ones.One input, Volume, bass,mid,treble,3 knob reverb.Has raw switch feature whihc lets you go from clean to overdriven tweed deluxe and more.No effects loop.Every amp maker should have bias pot like David puts on his amps.Would save us all alot of money to get a simple tube bias job.Plenty of power for a 2 6l6 amp ( you can use other tubes 6v6's 5581 etc, even kt66 on his newer models with upgraded transformers.I like the keep it simple features of this amp,and I've never played a channel switching amp that i liked both channels.I'm a blues player and this amp and my klon gives me all i need. The raw switch gives this amp great flexibility, although the more you turn up the raw switch the less impact the tone controls have.An effects loop would be nice,but that would drive up the cost so i like the trade off.

I'm a blues player using strat & teles. Amp only hisses a little when really cranked, but I usually set the volume on 3 and the master on 6 so it doesn't effect me.Great clean tone, lush reverb and with the 3 knob controls you can obtain any reverb feature you want.It will get gritty with the raw switch turned up, but this amp is not for metal heads or guys that want tons of gain.It's based on the Fender blackface Super circuitry. It is plenty loud enough for medium sized clubs especially with a higher wattage speaker like my SRO.

This amp uses top notch components and is built like a tank.The only thing i carry extra is tubes, which when you own a tube amp is always a good thing to do.I've only had it 3 months but i don't anticipate any problems.It's already had lots of road trips and has been just fine.

David is excellent to deal with. I've talked to him several times with questions that most amp manufactorers would think are stupid and he is very courteous.He takes great pride in his amps and wants you to be happy with them.I bought the amp used so I'm not sure about the warranty policy but after talking with him I know he would make it right.I have ordered parts (the head cabinet, amp cover, and creme knobs from him and he ships immediately.

I've been playing for 30 years and for the features (no frills just tone and reverb) I want this is a great amp, at a great price.If it was lost or stolen i would buy another on the spot.I will buy another in the future because of the added upgrades (larger transformer that will accomodate more tube combinations). I'm considering buying one of David's kits and build my own.You can save yourself 300-400 bucks if you enjoy this type of work and like to solder.Customer support is the most important feature to me when buying any product especially for the money you spend to get a good quality amp, and David is excellent.I've emailed some of the other botique amp companies before I bought this amp and never got a response from them, and all the major amp companies just crank em out as fast as they can and as cheap as they can.

2000 model. vol.treb.mid.bass.bright.raw.three knob reverb.(tone, mix, dwell). ("raw" switch takes the tone controls gradually out of the mix, 11 stages. Wonderful feature!)
I wish it had an extra ext. spkr. jack, but this can be added for a few dollars. Tremolo would also be nice.

big time black face fender tone. totally quiet, capable of many classic tones, Fender clean to almost vox ac30, anything in between.
great natural overdrive. solid.

never had any trouble

David Allen is a great person who is always willing to help whenever
he can. he responds quickly and wants to keep his business on a person to person level. David is a pleasure to deal with.

player for 30 years, I love this amp. I brings back the vintage sounds perfectly, and then some. the only problem is trying to determine which of the great tones you want to dial into.
It's like owning a brand new '65 Super Reverb or Deluxe Reverb, or Vibrolux, (because you can get all of those sounds) and, be on a first name basis with Leo!

I bought this amp as a kit. The kit includes everything that you need to build the amplifier except the tools! It took between 8 - 10 hours to assemble the entire head. The instructions are very clear and lead you through the process a step at a time. As long as you take your time there is no way to get lost. Also included is a full color "layout" diagram that is used as a reference as you build the circuit. This kit is well done. David has really put a lot of work into making sure that the builder will be successful. The end product is well worth the effort. All tube (5AR4 rectifier, 2x6LG, 2x12ax7, 2x12at7). The website says that this is based on a modified black super circuit. I don't think that description does this amp justice. Sure you can get the black face tone but this amp has a few tricks beyond that! How about a 11 step raw knob that bypasses the tone controls and adds gain (resulting in more distortion) to the signal. How about 3 knob reverb (dwell, mix, tone). The downside is that it is only one channel with no effects loop.

It captures the black face fender sound. The suprise for me was that it is also capable of fairly high gain distortion sound. I think with a solid state rectifier you could approach a respectable "metal" sound. The 3 knob reverb is very lush. This is a long spring reverb. You can dial in any amount and adjust the tone as needed from heavy surf to light.

All of the components are high quality. Since this is a kit the reliability is a reflection of the work I did. I took my time and made sure everything was done well and correctly. The amplifier worked the first time I plugged it in. I have gigged with it without any problems. I expect it to survive anything that I will through at it. The nice part is that if it has a problem I feel that I could trouble shoot it and repair it.

I exchanged email with David a number of times before buying the kit. He always answers your question quickly and honestly. I feel that he is dedicated to his products and will go out of his way to make sure that your buying experience is a good one. Check out the web site and email him.

You can't buy a handwire amp for this price. I looked at every kit I could find on the internet and this one seemed like the best. I was not dissapointed. I enjoyed building this amp and learning about tube amplifiers and the end product was more than I ever expected.

I received my Old Flame Head and a 2 x 10 Cabinet in August 2000. After three months of practicing, jamming and gigging I?m prepared to evaluate this amp. The amp is built on an 18 gauge steel chassis, which replaces the previous aluminum chassis. It is very solid. The amp is hand wired, point-to-point with solid-core cloth-covered wiring to a circuit board with brass eyelets. I?ve had occasion to carefully look at the layout, quality of components and wiring and I?m here to tell you it is beautifully done using carbon composition resistors, Mallory M150 and silver mica type tone capacitors, and Sprague Atom electrolytics. All the caps are carefully placed so you can read the values. The tube compliment features (2) 12AX7, (2) 12AT7, (2) 6L6, (1) GZ34, (1) 5AR4 which will put out 40 watts. The amp can also use 6V6 and EL34 power tubes. A very handy feature is the ability to set your own bias. There are two bias jacks and a ground on the back panel. You simply put a voltmeter probe into the jack and ground the other probe. There is an adjustment pot under the chassis that you turn to set the bias, which is done using the cathode resistor method. It is simple to do and works great. On the front panel you have a volume knob, 11 turn RAW pot, bright switch, three tone knobs, three reverb knobs (dwell, mix, and tone), master volume (post driver style using four coupling capacitors), DC power (standby), AC power (on) and a front panel light. I selected cream barrel knobs instead of the black chicken head knobs. The back panel, in addition to the bias jacks, has speaker and extension speaker jacks with an impedance switch for 4 or 8 ohms. The black, heavy duty power cord is 12 foot long and fits into the back of the head on top of the reverb pan which is shock mounted to the bottom of the cabinet head. The reverb circuit is all-tube using a long 2-spring medium delay tank in a 2-ply Tolex bag with shielded cables. The woodwork/tolex craftsmanship on the head and cab are works of art featuring solid pine with black Tolex covering, black/white/silver grill cloth, floating plywood baffle board, a tolex covered, rear screw on panels, chrome corners, rubber-cushioned chrome glides (feet), chrome chassis straps, black-rubber (steel-reinforced) carrying handles with chrome caps, and chrome screws. I selected the Weber C10Q speakers with doped surrounds. You?ve got to admit, this is a boatload of great features. If it had tremolo I would use it. No effects loop but that isn?t something I?d use more than a couple of times a year.

Wonderful. This has become my main amp for playing at gigs. I like a cleanish Blackface Fender sound hovering at the edge of distortion with reverb. This amp will deliver it in spades. The projection from the 2 x 10 cab is just great. I played an outdoor gig a couple of weeks ago with a guitarist who was using a multi effects box into a Twin Reverb. My Old Flame amp was projecting blues tones out to the crowd that sounded so much better than his effected sound through the Twin. The 40 watts are plenty of juice and it sounds so good when it is cranked up most of the way. The settings I have come to like the best are a slight variation of what was suggested to me by the amp designer, David Allen. The settings I use (played with a Fender American Standard Strat) are: Volume 8, RAW off, Bright off, Treble 6, Mid 6 (the mid affects the other tone controls) Bass 3, Dwell 10 (this is an attenuation control only so max it out for the most convincing Fender Reverb sound), Mix 3, Tone 5.5, Master 8. The 11 turn RAW pot progressively eliminates the tone controls from the circuit giving you a RAWer tone and a lot more gain. Think Tweed/Marshall instead of the Fender Blackface sound the amp puts out without the RAW control. Another very nice setting I learned from David is to turn the volume off, put the RAW control on 3 ? 4, turn the volume back up to about 2 ? 3, and then dime the master volume. You get a cleanish tone with the guitar volume down a bit but it definitely gets growlier as you turn up the guitar volume. You could play an entire gig with either setting. Occasionally, for the heavier tunes we play (like electric Hot Tuna), I?ll turn the RAW and Volume controls up higher for more grit. If you want to play Foxy Lady, turn the Volume, RAW, and Master to the max and have at it. I was really surprised the first time I tried this outdoors at a gig. The amp still had great definition and cut through the mix despite being at the edge of chaos (what fun!). The only reason I?m giving this amp a 9 in this category is because the sweet, clean setting with reverb isn?t quite as lush as my fully restored and masterfully tweaked Fender Princeton Reverb. The Allen amp is sonically way more flexible though and the clean sounds are very, very close. Without a doubt this is a great, great amp and a real bargain in my mind.

As I mentioned previously, the amp is made the old fashioned way with top notch components. There is no reason it won?t last a lifetime. However, it is still a tube amp and as we all know, they can be fussy creatures. Worth it though for the tone. I?m really glad to have a modern amp with new components that I know is made right.

Absolutely top-notch without question. David Allen made the entire amp buying experience a pleasure. I first approached David through email and asked questions on and off for about a month. When I was ready to order, I called him on the phone and we went over the specific details. Great guy to talk to and obviously very knowledgeable. During the time it took to get me the amp, David gave me regular email updates and answered some ongoing questions I had while waiting. I really appreciated this level of service. It took about two months to get the amp from the time I placed the order. The head and cab arrived separately. Both were extremely well packed in crush resistant boxes. There is also a schematic and instruction booklet.

You wouldn?t believe how many guitar amps I have owned in the 34 years I have been playing guitar. Started with an Ampeg Gemini 1 and have progressed to my current stable of (chronologically by manufacturing date) a Gibson EH150 (1938), a Fender Princeton Reverb (1971) a Tone King Continental Head and Cab (1996), and this Allen Old Flame Head and Cab (2000). Believe me, I could have purchased any boutique amp I wanted to this time around and I picked the Allen Old Flame. My rating of 9 reflects the fact that there are always improvements possible and hope springs eternal. Maybe David will make an amp using the new Sovtek 7591A power tubes (if they are any good) like my original Ampeg Gemini 1 had. My overall experience in purchasing, using and admiring this amp leave me with a desire for more Allen products. I am strongly considering tackling one of his kit amps so I can get some hands-on amp building experience. Try one of these amps. You?ll really be pleased.

Single channel "Blackface-JTM 45" hybrid with 3 knob reverb. Very versatile. Built from kit in February 2000. Used the GZ34 option along with Svetlana 6L6GC's,NOS JAN Phillips AT7's,JJ/Tesla reverb return and a Jan GE 5751 preamp tube. Also used the bigger output transformer. Extremely low noise floor, however, plenty loud enough for a 40 Watt Amp. Used a 27K resistor to drop the voltage to the mid 300's for the last(extra) filter stage with excellent results. Fatter, spongier, well sustained and "Browner" tone that way. Used primarily with a 210 speaker cabinet loaded with THD longhorns(Blast from the past?). Play three different Strats and rarely need a pedal to achieve a variety of tones from this amp. Generally play about somewhere between R. Cray and "heavy" Stevie Ray Vaughn(pardon me for the bold statement) on the tonal palette dependant upon where and with whom I am playing. Have tried everything from "light" Country to Jimmy Page and beyond with good results from the amp. Dave Allen is to be congratulated on a superb product.

see above. Additionally, the "Raw" feature will take one's head off if one is not careful, however, it is a very useful feature. One idea here, if possible, would be to "pad" this volume discrepancy down and(since it is a grounding mechanism) make it footswitchable. Perhaps not if it raises the noise floor. The distortion evoked from this feature reminds me of Albert King or Elmore James with the preamp at 4 to 5 and the master at 6 to 7.

Caveat. I know my way around Black(and Brown)face circuits fairly well. This circuit is very innovative in some respects but also very familiar overall. It is well laid out and comes with high quality components. Therefore, although I have only been playing it for a couple months now, I am of the opinion that it will be extremely dependable.

Obviously there has been no reason to test any warrenty/repair issues, however, David put up with a multitude of my inane questions throughout the purchase process and even suggested a few small changes to the amp before I began building it. The changes worked wonderfully to my ear.

Played for approximately 25 years. Own 3 to 5 other amps(Fender BF's,SF's converted to BF Specs and early 70's Marshall's) and have 3 or 4 in for repairs at any given time(Well, it's a good hobby to have now isn't it!) and the Allen Amp compares favorably with all. I plan to get a 2nd one at some point and load it with 6V6's for an A/B rig. Like everyone I've played through just about everything and if this one got stolen I would cry until the insurance company got me another one just like it!