Ampeg Gemini I G-12 112 Combo

66 ampeg gemini I.
its another great sleeper.
awesome reverb and killer tremolo.
sounds cool on bass when turned very low.
has the ever useful accordian input.
the 7591A's are both the strength in that they're kinda hi fi and
perhaps the only drawback in that the're not the easiest to come by.
haven't heard new ones bt i know that i don't like how 6L6's sound in these.
its plenty loud at about 22w's and it has a nice crunch to it.

it sounds real good with P90's.
it can be clean and sparklie or squashy and distorted.
a really nice classic gtr sound.

the 7591A's seem to last forever.
i have two of these amps and played them a ton and they are stout.
i do keep it in good service.
the amp is 40 years old.

yeah right

its great amp period.
if you are looking for big bang for the buck and
classic amp features like reverb and tremolo look no further.
the tremolo is better than any fender and you can't argue with the reverb.
it sounds good clean or cranked.
as long as you're not expecting gainy nonsense this is a real find.

I have a 66 I got for $200 at a local guitar store, a price I now consider a steal. It does get incredibly loud for its low wattage. I have a few other Ampegs, and this is much louder than my brand new ReverbRocket. It's ridiclous.

I play a early 90's Strat with Duncans in it. The neck pickup is a Nashville Pro single coil. This is great for twang and really snappy blues. I love this pickup. The bridge is a Duncan Little 57, and it absolutely cranks. I use the Semyor Duncan pickup booster for almost all of my overdriven sounds, and nothing sounds better than a tube driven so hard that the room shakes. I kick on the booster and switch down to the humbucker and get the perfect Billy Gibbons tone. This amp is incredible. I highly reccomend the pickup booster for anyone who has this amp. It will open a whole new world for you. The pinch harmonics I can squeeze out of this amp never cease to amaze me. We play a lot of ZZ Top stuff, and I need to hit that harmonic, and this amp always comes through, unlike my newer Ampeg amps. They're not bad, but they can't compare to this jewel.

For being as old as it is, it has been absolutely flawless. Of course, cosmetically it has the absolute crap beat out of it, but hey, it's character.

Haven't had to bother, after 40 years.

Fantastic amp. If you can get one, do it now! This amp isn't meant for everyone though. It excels at the blues, jazz, and fusion, it can also handle some good old time rock and roll, but anything much heavier you may want to look elsewhere. BUT, if you're playing that kinda crap you should get this amp anyway and learn to play real music!!

Mfg'd in 1967, I understand that this amp was an upgrade from the Reverberocket. 2 Channels with Echo(reverb) and Tremelo, which are only on channel 1. Tremendous reverb! My tremelo works, but with weak intensity. This could be a tube issue, but most likely is the unusual optical device that is utilized. Has two 7591A Sylvania power tubes, a Sylvania 7199, a 6CG7, and three 12AX7's. Puts out 22 watts RMS, but sounds more like 30w. Original speaker was an 8 ohm 12" Jensen C12Q Special Design. My speaker has been replaced with one with no name, but it sounds great. Everything else on the amp appears to be all original. Has guitar and accordian inputs on both channels. Has the cool, large pointer style knobs. Cosmetically the amp is old and beat up(just like me). The checkered tolex is in terrible shape with black electrical tape holding it on. However, the grillcloth is in pretty good shape. Amp sits on casters. Don't know if this was original or added later. The only feature I wish it had is a standby switch.

I was in a hurry the day I bought this amp and didn't have much time to check it out. I more or less bought it on a whim.(Had just gotten rid of a crappy sounding Hot Rod Deluxe) I just thought it looked really cool. I got it home and plugged in my Fernandes Tele and couldn't believe my ears! These old Ampegs have got to be the best kept secret in vintage tube amps! I've played through HRD's, Devilles, vintage Princetons, Peavys and a variety of solid state amps and this Gemini G-12 brings a whole new tonal dynamics to my guitar. Awesome clean sound! By playing with the treble and bass I can get an unusual array of tones. The only way to describe it is it has "natural" presence. Clean sound starts breaking up slightly at about 2 o'clock. I play mostly old R&B and soul so this suits me fine. You could probably put a pedal in front and really sing.(I'm not into all of that) The "Echo" is the thing! It's totally awesome. Makes me want to start playing surf music. The only compaint I have with the reverb is that the tank is mounted right under the amp directly above the speaker as opposed to being in the bottom of the cabinet. Sometimes at higher volumes I think I can detect I slight harmonic, but I doubt if anyone would notice. I don't know if the tremelo is as good as people are saying. I hope to fix it soon. This amp is amazingly quiet for a tube amp. I had the 2 prong "shocker" chord changed to a grounded one and it really reduced the hum. Nearly all of the vintage tube amps have a little. This amp is plenty loud! I've played medium size clubs and there's no need to mike.

I almost hate rating reliability on an almost 40 yr old amp. The fact that a hard gigged amp like this one still works at all is a testament to it's reliability. As with any vintage tube amp I would not gig without a backup. I'll get a cheap solid state amp for backup and carry some spare tubes and change them out during break time.

Little or no support from Ampeg on thes old amps. They were bought by another company. Their website does, however, have excellent links to sites that are of great help. I found a place to get new tremelo modules, Vintage-Amp Restoration of St. Louis. The only issue I have with this amp is the availability of tubes, particularly the 7591A's and the 7199. Electro-Harmonixs and JJ/Tesla both have new 7591A's and 7199's but they are Russian made. Sovtec has the power tubes and I hear Svetlana may have. These are all Russian too (Don't know if Russian tubes are all that bad. When the Soviet Union fell apart they were still using tube technology in their MIG fighters). You can still get some NOS tubes if you're willing to pay the price. You can also mod the circuit to use 6L6 power tubes, but an amp guru told me that would definitely alter the tone dynamics. I don't want to do that. Hey, if you want it to sound like a Fender or Marshall buy one!!

If this amp was lost or stolen, I'd go into a depression. Fantastic vintage amp!!

This is a ?66 with 12? Jensen. Two channels, each with two inputs, one marked guitar and the other accordion. The accordion inputs have a tad more gain & seems to have a bit more compression, too. Each channel has volume, Baxandall circuit treble and bass controls (these don?t affect the mids)?they actually give provide a lot of tonal flexibility.
The treble knob on both channels acts as a bright switch by maxing it to a ?click? past 10. You better like boosted treble if you do that, because it is really intense, even at moderate volumes. Really intense. I can?t imagine what it?d be like at high volumes.
This unit is cathode biased and pumps about 22 very loud watts. So power tubes can be changed without having to f*&( with the bias. Nice feature. The volume is probably due to the Jensen and the 7591A power tubes. All point-point handwired well-made tone-machine.

At house volumes, I?ve used semi-acoustic bass in one channel and a guitar in the other, simultaneously & it sounded awesome. Cool feature, though it probably wouldn?t work at higher volumes. The ol? Jensen is fantastic and the amp?s got beautifully focused, tight bass galore, like most ol? Ampegs.

Tremelo and ?verb (respectively ?vibrato? and ?echo? in Ampeg-ese) are only on one channel, both have depth controls, and the trem? has a frequency setting. Tremelo has an extra depth setting that Ampeg called ?repeat percussion.? Both ?verb and tremelo and can be toggled via the classic hardwired Ampeg footswitch that has its own little rest in the cabinet.
Almost forty years old and all off these controls work flawlessly/quietly. Great work.
Beautiful Ampeg blue check tolex, these ol? Ampegs are about the best looking vintage amps there are. Came with a cool screw-on trolley in the same matching tolex. This one even has the chrome in fairly good shape (one mistake that Ampeg made in the 60s is that the chrome didn?t weather well).
Extremely well constructed, sturdily jointed pine cabinet. You could probably hit it hard with a heavy hammer and do little. The openings in the back actually work as ports.
It?s got its schematic and tube chart right on the cabinet walls. They don?t make ?em this nice and this sturdy anymore...I really don?t understand why these vintage Ampegs are still so cheap compared to other vintage and boutique stuff. To put it mildly, they are extreme bargains by today standards of price vs. features & sound.
No modern amp sissy stuff like headphone jacks, effects loop, channel switching, or other onboard effects.

The ?verb on these things is suitably famous. Extraordinary, earthy and splendid. Very hypnotic, responsive trem. Really sweet sweep on all controls. Amazing range of tones that complements a wide range of music
Clean tone is incredibly warm and the bottom end on it is fantastic. Sensational amp for rockabilly, C&W, jazz, blues, surf, and vintage clean rock.
The 22 watts is amazingly loud. Louder than most vintage 30 watt amps I?ve heard.
Lots of headroom, though this one does breakup sweetly at about 1-2 pm. Hotter it gets the better it sounds, but it won?t really grind even maxed and hot. Just not that kind of amp.
Idles almost silently in most settings. In a few others, it will hum a bit, but that could probably be alleviated by swapping out the ol? Ampeg two-prong plug of death (haven?t been able to bring myself to mod it?its got the Ampeg logo on the plug).
I mainly use it at home. It?s a great amp for playing out, but it?s in such great shape and I can?t stand the thought of it getting beat up or having drinks spilled on it.

What greater testimony is there than it is still kicking flawlessly after 39 years, probably due to a combination of Ampeg?s great work & the excellent treatment by the guy I bought it from, who had for about 30 yrs. These things are rock rocks. I?ve got two other Ampegs of similar vintage and they are built to march without fail.

SLM now owns the Ampeg name & is a company with very good support, but since this units predates their ownership we?re on our own.

I?ve got 5 other point-point vintage amps, and a couple of other good sounding modern boxes, but this amp is definitely in at the top of the mix. Especially at its price.
After 30 yrs of playing and a lot of gigging/recording the past 10 years, this Gemini has become an essential part of my sonic arsenal. I like its sound most, its integrity of construction next best, and its looks & vibe. An awesome amp. Even at twice the price that I won?t part with it soon, if I can help it. I?d buy another in a second. Especially over its overpriced vintage counterparts.

update to the review I just posted... a little more research corrects some of my statements... probably a mid '60s (66?67?) model. Cathode biased, about 20W output (fooled by the 7591 tubes). Also had a chance to try out the bright switch on the treble control (run it full up then, click) - wow, that's a heckuva bright switch. I was playing some stuff off jeff beck's Who Else using my gnx3 in front and the bright switch on - WOAH! Stand back!!

This amp kicks butt. period. I also have a $boutique amp and although the G12 is lower power, in its own way it's got just as great a sound. The fact that it coexists amazingly well with the GNX3 is a total bonus on top of the terrific straight-thru sound. Go get one of these if you can find one! And don't be fooled by the 20W, this is definitely fine for medium size clubs without a mic.

Don't be afraid of ampeg's unusual tube chart - you can get decent 7591 tubes now. Finding good 7199 tubes may take some work, some folks don't like the new sovtek's and NOS are somewhat rare, but they're out there and not terribly expensive. The 6CG7 is pretty easy to come by. I expect that the 7591 power tubes will last pretty well on the G12 because they're only running at about half their rated power.

I believe this is an early 60's (61-2?) model. The amp has two channels with lo and hi sensitivity inputs (guitar, accordian). Channel 1 has tremolo and reverb, channel 2 is dry. Has two speaker outputs and a hardwired footswitch in a 1x12 dovetail jointed wood cabinet. No loops, no headphones, nothing modern. I've played this in my home studio and at medium size gigs, no need for a mic :-) . Two 7591 output tubes means this is probably a 30-40W output. That figures, it sounds a hair louder than a deluxe reverb I owned and has no problems keeping up with drummers. If you're into blues, old rock or surf this is an excellent choice, it's got what you need and nothing you don't. Be sure to do the grounded power cord mod unless you like risking nasty shocks.

COWABUNGA! GROOVY! Yeah, it's OLDschool for sure, in a great way. I'm in an eclectic surf band (surf, blues, danny gatton, etc) and this thing ROCKS THE HOUSE. People always come up and ask me WHAT IS THAT AMP?! It's got some low end balls and a nice shiny top, not as shimmery/sparkly as a Fender but very warm with a crisp bite. When you crank it, it's got GROWL in a big way... fantastic tone for hard blues or oldschool rock. The original Jensen speaker is a great match... if you can get one with the original speaker you're in for a treat. A very fun amp to just plug into and go. Sounds great with Strats and HB guitars, I use mostly a Strat with BL pickups and a 335 with BL pickups - both are out there with this amp. The accordian input is sensitive so you can drive this even with relatively low output single coil pickups. The tremolo is cool, although if you crank up the intensity the amp's volume seems to drop some, but given the amp's age this might be a maintenance issue rather than a design problem. The reverb is WICKED (60's for SICK). You couldn't find a better surf reverb anywhere, just one guy's opinion ;-) Oh, it's pretty quiet too, even cranked. Nice. If you really need nasty/brutal disortion, put a pedal in front. A tubescreamer sounds good with this. I also have tried a digitech gnx3 with good results, just depends how you set the gnx up. Ampeg used fairly thin wood for the cab (helps keep weight down, not all bad) so you need to make sure all screws are tight, etc.

Haven't had it too long, but seems FINE. Interesting points in some of the earlier reviews about reliability issues. Hey, it's OLD, okay, like me, except it seems to have held up better! Don't expect miracles. Carry some spare tubes (at least you can easily get good 7591 output tubes now!) just in case. Don't gig without backup. Etc.

Well, there IS an Ampeg company today but I doubt there's much in common with the Ampeg folks from 1960. It was a great name then. I always wanted an Ampeg when I was a kid, now that I have one I wish I hadn't waited so long to get one!

I still can't believe you can get this much amp for this money. It's just unbelievable! The sound is great straight in and for a 1x12, it moves some air. I have a much more expensive boutique amp that is a sonic miracle, and more versatile, but when I go out with the surf band, this Ampeg is all I need.

My Gemini 1 was made in '67 I believe.It came with all original tubes which unfortunately didn't last very long once the amp started getting used again. I had originally bought it to use as a low watt practice amp & was shocked by how cool it sounded once it got hot!

It doesn't really matter what guitar I use, I have a Les Paul Classic with Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pick-ups (with 500K pots), a USA Strat with Alinico pro IIs as well as an assortment of "orphan" (read cheap) guitars & they all sound great strait in!
I always use the accordian input & changed the two prong shocker with a grounded plug (highly recommended)

I don.t gig, but once I retubed it, i've had no worries. I tried to get NOS 7591 tubes from some antique amp shop in the US but I got burned. Svetlana now makes a replacement so I didn't have to go the 6V6 mod route.

Jeff LaRoque from DSR Amplification from Sarnia, Ontario Canada was a tremendous help in sourcing some of the trickier to find tubes.

Sounds smooth, warm & has a lot of soul. I'm so happy I found it. The only thing that comes close is a "69 Vibrolux with Oxford speakers. Mine still has the original Jensen "Blue Alnico".

Amp is a '66 model with the original jensen 12". Has two channels with guitar and a hotter accordion input on each. Both channels have bass, trebble and volume knobs. Ch 1 has tremolo and reverb but mine is missing a tremolo knob and due to a bad tube the reverb dont work. Has plenty of power for practice or small indoor gigs.

I am using a '94 strat with hot rails and a digitech rp300a multi-effects pedal. Amp sounds great clean. Plug in direct and amp starts to sound distorted with the volume at 12 o'clock. Higher volume settings produce a much grungier distortion.

Reliability is good except for the bad reverb tube. It used to have a two prong plug that caused the unit to shock the shit out of me if I plugged it in the wrong way. I replaced it with a grounded three prong plug and I no longer get electrified.

I've had no dealings with ampeg customer support - I don't know what to expect as far as support goes on a 38 year old product.

I've been playing guitar for 23 years and drums for considerably less time. I've also got an ampeg vt-40 so if it were stolen I've still got another ampeg. I like the gemini because it's light and portable and I'd have to get another amp to fit the bill. You've got to have at least one ampeg and the gemini is not a bad choice.

This amp was made in Febuary of 67. Thanks to those with the dating scematic. 2 channels although each has a guitar and a accordian input. All tube all the time.......

This amp has the sickest tone of anything I've ever heard. Reverb is spring loaded for your pleasure and the tremelo is sweet enough to put a baby to sleep to......

Tubes, what do you expect?

Not unless a time machine is invented, customer support is not the best. The ampeg website does have some good links though......

I love this amp for everything its worth. Thankfully it was given to me by ex-girlfriends mom so it was basically free (if you don't count tube replacements)......

This amp is not going to keep up with a modern amp in terms of features. It has no effects loop, no mid eq adjustment and no gain control. However, it has two features NO MODERN AMP can reproduce, an absolutely amazing vintage spring reverb, and a ridiculously good sounding tremolo effect. It has two channels each with a guitar input and an accordian input. I've found that the accordian input produces slightly cruchier tones and the amp is overdriven slightly sooner when plugged in to this input. the two channels seem pretty much the same to me but i don't use channel 2 very often because I use an A/B switch between this amp and a Marshall JCM 900 which I use for overdrive tones. The 20 or so watts this thing puts out is plenty loud for what I use it for. I play in a metal band but I use the Ampeg for all my clean sounds. i know this thing was made in the 60's so for it's time I'd say it was a pretty advanced amp feature wise.

I've been playing a gibson SG through this amp with the original 490 pickups. The clean sound of this guitar through the Gemini I can only be described as perfect. It is hands down everything I ever wanted in a clean tone. The warmth of the tone is incredible. It just sounds so three dimensional compared to most amps I've heard other than this one. I'd say the distortion on this amp is weak, but well suited to blues or rockabilly. It starts to distort with the volume at about 11'o clock and increases from there to a distortion just short of adequate for hard rock power chord riffs. It hums a bit but it's nothing that detracts from the tone.

This amp is a tank. it has lasted between 30 and 40 years without any major failures, just retubes and some minor cometic damage (there's a tiny square cut out of the dark navy blue viny). I have never had any problems with this amp.

Customer support? on an amp from the 60's?! HA! good one! but parts are easily available and it's not a very complex amp to fix if something were to break on it.

I've been playing for four years playing through almost exclusively Marshall amps. This amp is the only one I on that isn't a marshall but it is the only amp I am not willing to part with for a price. If this amp were lost or stolen I would definately buy another if given a chance.