Ampeg J-12T

Reissue Ampeg Jet, Saint Louis production by Crate I guess, but conform to the original. One volume, tone, spring reverb, and tremolo. No fx connections, no headphone output, No onboard digital fs s..t. This is not for sophisticated high tech quys!!!

this is.....TONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love clean sounds...makes my strats and teles shiny like bells of rhimney! I use only alnico stuff , texas specials, vintage noiseless, dano lipsticks and no effects at all. This should be operated without any effect, leave it pure!

never broke down. if it ever does, I just need to grab a preamp and run it through a DI. No drama.

this sounds better than my old twin reverb or my mesa boogie subway. sparkling, clean and warm. these little amps are so underestimated but I like it this way, it's a matter of connoisseurs.

not sure what year this was made -wasn't that concerned,knocked out by the Blue Diamond Tolex,real vintage look.Liked the size and weight as well as the 12" speaker,the output wattage was just what I was looking for 15 watts RMS--straight out of early sixties FeatureLESS-one volume,one tone,speed and Intensity on the Tremolo,and Inst /Accordion inputs(yea if you like Overdriven Polka music!)Great tube tone-Works for every guitar venture I put it through as well as for Blues harp(gives a nice breakup between 3/4).I've never run out of power because if it gives me the tone I just find the right mic to replicate it(Remember Zeppelins Early stuff was recorded with Small Amps)I play Jazz,R&B,Country,Blues,Rock(Vintage to modern)--Bonafide guitar junkie of all Genres.Love the tremolo gives me a vibes kind of push for Jazz and will replicate Link Ray to Psycho-billy-surf-even gets close to Sun era rockabilly-Push it with a Strat'Tele,Dano,lap steel,harp,all things single coil.but beware with humbuckers-the best tone I got was with the the Tone Set about 7-10 on the Amp and the output attenuated on the guitar between 5-8 with the Tone set anywhere between 7-10 brightside otherwise it turns into Mudfest,works beautiful with p-90s.This Amp works well @jams and for what its designed for as well as home recording( for a really Cool tone and highly intense guitar tone,place this Amp in a bathtub @ one end and a good mic @ the other,the tub preferably porcelin but plastic may work as well.Place the mic a few inches off the tub bottom as far away from the Amp and either straight toward the amp or angled to catch the reflection off the tub bottom or to the left or right.This funnels the sound intensely into the field of the mic.Please note you can't experiment with digital modeling like you can analog but likewise vise versa.)For what it is I give it a 9

see the above section for guitar and pick up use.Also above for music and styles.When I bought this it made no noise-had no output whatsoever-that's why I got it so cheap-30$ @ a garage sale-so I took it home and the only thing wrong was the internal fuse had popped.So I went completely through it and touched up a few things put it back together(not the smartest built amp)fired it up and test drove it.Soon after replaced the tubes w/Audio Glassic and Speaker with a Jensen.Overall have a little over 140$ plus alittle time in it.Having gone through it probably by-passed any troubles others encountered,works well in solo,small ensemble,settings--works well in larger settings if you have a Inst monitor mix.This Amp is designed for Vintage kind of tone which it delivers.see above review for suiting the music.Please---dont'try and play metal through a 15 watt amp there are amps for that.this works well placed between a deluxe or super deluxe where you A/B switch between tone machines.Love the Breakup The higher you go

used it regularly in lots of settings--my son the welder built me a very versatile amp stand with a tilt and height adjustment--Take care of your equipment and it will take care of you if you can't service it Have it serviced regularly---you don't neglect your car---don't neglect your equip.These are Tools take care of them-------can you tell I've raised 4 kids???

Just needed a schematic readily available

I've been playing for 34 years and have taught for 23-play anything with strings except Fiddle (probably could just never took the time to buy one)I have cut down my gear ownership to essential money makers but have owned from the very crappy to the Oh-lala s.I love this amp For the price and for what it is...Bare Bones Tone Machine I bought it knowing its lack of features.I'm a cheap ass and no I wouldn't neccessarily replace it with a new one---but i would replace it ...

Mine is a 90's reissue. It has one volume, one tone, one volume, and tremolo speed and intensity. There is no line out or foot switching. It is 15 watts, and can be used for small gigs without having to be micd. It has a nice 15" speaker, 12ax7, and EL84.

This amp is amazing in the sound department. The cleans are flawless. I originally thought that a 3 band equalizer would have been nice, but I find the one tone knob is all I need. I do not even use my 7 band equalizer any more. It is voiced very nice. It gives the best of Fender and Marshall. The amp starts to get dirty at 12 o'clock, and by the time you get to 9 o'clock, you are in pure Marshall Plexi territory. This takes pedals very well. I had an old DS-1 sitting around, and I thought I would give it a try. I was amazed. This amp took this cheap pedal into amazing early 90's alt rock territory (Smashing Pumpkin-Siamese Dreams, My Bloody Valentine-Loveless). The reverb is pretty interesting too. It is not the best, but it is nice to have in addition to my EHX Holy Grail reverb. The tremolo is pretty cool. It is a nicer tremolo than what you find in any pedal. I really believe this amp can do anything.

It is built very though.

N/A

The buzz that others are writing bout does exist. It is not bad in mine, so I don't know if people are exaggerating or if I just got lucky. This is the only problem with this amp. I feel blessed that I found this amp. I couldn't choose between a super reverb and a JCM800, but now I do not have to, and I saved a ton of money.

My Jet is from 1960 (I think, based on the serial #). Very limited features-wise. One tone knob, a tremelo knob (which turns tremelo on & off and controls speed...no intensity control) and volume. If you're looking for effects loops and direct outs a vintage Jet is not for you.

The trem is very sweet, though I don't use it much.

I'm a spring reverb fanatic, so I kinda miss not having one on-board.

Probably the nicest practice/coffee shop gig amp I can think of. Small and lightweight but built to last.

What this amp does it does extremely well. Warmth, warmth and more warmth. Great definition and clarity up and down the fretboard. Low E to high E. I love 12" speakers!

My Jet seems to have more headroom than some others, based on reviews I have read. If I dime it I can get a slight overdrive, but not much. That having been said, I am currently playing a Danelectro through it. With hotter p/u's it might break up a bit more. I like the fact that it stays clean. I'm in love with my Liquid Sunshine pedal, anyway, so it gives me a good excuse to use it!

The tubes in this thing get friggin' HOT. I could probably use them to light a smoke after playing through it for 30 minutes. But it has never given me any problems.

It's over 45 years old, fer chrissakes!

Never dealt with them...never will.

Been playing for 15 years. I also have a '71 Twin Reverb. This amp is the perfect antidote to that one. It doesn't give me a hernia when I take it up a flight of stairs.

Doesn't do much but give me great tone, which is all I ask of ANY amp.

It's a simple tube amp - 15 watts, tremolo intensity and speed, and spring reverb. One channel, but with inputs for passive and active (called "accordion") pickups. No effects loop and no footswitching (a point off for the latter). One tone control. If you're looking for a million built-in effects and screaming distortion, get a Vox instead.

It has a very creamy tone, though with the tone knob turned to 10 it can get quite trebbly. The tone is so rich that I've taken to playing jazzy blues almost without realizing it. It's obviously not for playing hard rock or metal, so anyone complaining that you can't play those styles clearly doesn't know how to choose an amp that suits them. My one major complaint is that the reverb absolutely sucks. It sounds like white noise, with no bass frequencies and very little melodic tone. I believe that a high-quality tube amp should have a far better spring reverb. The tremolo is slightly choppy for my tastes but is very controllable. I've been running so far on the stock Sovtek tubes.

I've only had it a month, so I can't really rate the reliability. However, in this time I have not noticed the buzzing noise described by other reviewers.

Haven't dealt with them, hopefully never will.

Other than the poor reverb, this is a fantastic amp for blues and jazz sounds. It's moderately loud for a 15 watt tube amp, and though I don't consider this a priority, the blue tolex cover is pretty spiffy. It's a refreshing change from all those digital amps that have a million functions and do none of them well. Well worth the price.

Excellent but would like a DB boost foot switch for leads

Perfect with my GNX3 Processor.
Replaced factory 12" with a Mesa Boogie Black Shadow.
Nice touch!
Best sounding 12" combo I have owned in 25 years.

Volume Control is cutting out and this amp only has about 20 hours of use. Seems to be well bult. I had to remove the board to properly clean the volume pot. My mistake as I missed a wire connection and it fried R22. Never work on these when you are tired. Desperatly looking for a schematic. Please help!

Just sent request for R22 value or schematic. We will see.
Can you help? robertson_tw@hotmail.com

Thanks

9

Very few, just the way I like it! volume (no master or pre, just one knob), tone (more of a treble cut), speed and intensity for the tremolo (always dug this effect, although you can't use it for much), and reverb. It has two inputs, marked "guitar" and "accordian", how odd....15 watts of screaming Class "A" tube power running through one 12" speaker made for Ampeg. That's all.....

This amp has only one useful sound from what I can tell...balls out fully saturated screamer! It does function faily well at lower volumes for a clean sound, but it's not loud enough to be used in a live setting unless you're playing a coffee house. Great to practice with at home though, I use it to freak my dogs out in my living room and piss my wife off...it's great for both! I have found it sounds best with my Hamer Vector using both Duncan designed p'ups, with the guitar's tone totally flat and everything jacked to 11 on the amp...truly brutal in a very old school sense!

I have never had a problem with this amp, and I've owned it since it came out (I got it the first year Ampeg reissued it). Even though it's a little tube screamer, it has been rock solid even when I jammed for about a year in a little bar with a three piece acoustic thing that I played lead for.

I've heard great things about Ampeg's support staff, but I've never had to use them personally so I'll just give them a good mark based on the solidness of their product!

Fantastic little amp with super balls, I wish it was bigger though! I bought it to try and replace a Gemeni V that I had when I was a kid, it's kinda close but too small to do the things I did witht he vintage amp. Still cool though, I love the warble and the reverb is deep as shit! Since they don't make them anymore, I'd have to say I got a great deal on a now vintage modern take of a vitage rig!

I bought this new from Music 123. When it arrived I was stoked to try it out. I plugged it in and was surprised there was no standby switch. It had one volume, tremelo speed and depth, reverb, and tone. It is a basic amp with basic features. It is a single channel amp putting out 15 watts.

I tried my Les Paul, SG with P-90's, Telecaster, and Strat through it. The SG with the P-90's sounded best through the amp. However, the background noise this thing produces is totally unacceptable. The background hum is about half as loud as the guitar signal. I tried moving it to different rooms but it appeared to be internal to the amp. It makes a lot of noise without a cord plugged into the input. Also, the tremelo "putts" continuously. Also, the slope or sweep of the tremelo is not pleasing, it is more of an on/off stuttering tremelo. It is more of a square wave instead of a sine wave. The reverb is OK, but nothing like a long tank reverb. With the SG, the sound is very creamy and thick. It would have been a lot of fun without the background noise. The Les Paul was way too hot for this amp because it got very muddy.
BTW, I tried replacing the tubes. The tone got sweeter but the noise was still there. So I stuck the original tubes back in and sent it back.

Did not give it a chance. It appeared to be made from thin plywood. The corner protectors were stamped rather than cast like most. The were attached at different angles giving it a slipshod look.

Nah, I just sent it back to Music 123. I did not want to keep it too long and get stuck with it.

I live in Nashville, TN and you would think I could have found one to try out but I couldn't so I ordered it online. I had tried out the Crate Palominos. I really like the Palominos and since both are made in the US at the same factory by Saint Louis Music I thought they would be of comparable quality. I was wrong. It had a decent tone for P-90's and the Tele. The Les Paul was too muddy and the Strat was too brittle. All of them sound good through my Marshall JMP and Mesa Heartbreaker. Maybe mine was a lemon but there was nothing there to inspire me to beleive a good one would be a glorious sounding amp.

1996
they have been making these since the 60s and for good reason they are great amps. Very straight forward amps with one knob for Tone, plus tremolo speed & intensity knobs plus one Reverb knob. The reverb on these are excellent.. the tremolo is fantastic. It has two channels one for guitar and one is designed for an accordian but you can plug a guitar into it and it will work just fine just at a reduced volume. this amp is loud I never play more than 2 on the volume and my neighbors can have called to let me know about it.

I would also like to add here that the person from Australia that left a review on this amp either had a faulty amp or he is tone deaf. I do not say this to insult him in anyway but as a sound engineer I have been told by many artists that I have recorded that I have golden ears. This amp has exceptional tone! I have compared this amp with a 73 Fender Vibro Champ and on a scale of 1-10 I would only give the Fender 6.5 and as far as pure tone goes I give the Ampeg at least a 9. I have been thru a lot of amps and these little amps are fantastic for the money.

Like a rock. Very solid dependable amp. 10 years old and it works as good as the day it was made.

Have never needed them. So I can't really rate them here.

Been playing for at least 25 years. I play ambient, world, blues, folk and some light rock. This amp does it all. They are great amps and if lost I would buy another. I love the tone. I don't think the accordian jack is needed... make it two guitar inputs or a guitar and a mic input. I compared it to several amps and as I mentioned about I did a direct side by side comparison to a Fender 73 Vibro Champ and this amp blows it out of the water.

I bought this amp second hand from a friend of mine mainly because it was cheap Au$400 and sounded good when I first heard it. At that stage I didn't know much about amps and I hadn't looked around. Features are limited and the ones it does have are pretty useless. The tremelo for instance works well but I never used it. The main beauty of this amp is that it looks GREAT....but I guess it's like having a gorgeous girlfried that you never want to take anywhere incase she opens her mouth.
I think the design reflects someones self indulgent re-living of a past life rather than providing means by which to produce versatile sounds in a modern musical world.

It has little control over tone, and as a single chanel you only really get the option of low volume/clean - high volume/distortion and neither option was amazing. Tone control works about as well as just a tone control" can work

Mine was 5 years old when I bought it and I had it for a couple of years..(mind you 18 months of that it just sat in the corner as I didn't find it all that inspiring.)
and I never had any issues....extremely well made...nice knobs and components...what a waste.

never needed..so no comment

I sold it on Ebay to a guy who had been looking for one for ages....God only knows why...and replaced it with a Traynor custom valve 40...more power...more control...footswitchable from clean to dirty to more dirty...standby switch and it sounds sooooo much better whether I'm playing Jazz or Rock...and all for the same price.
Check out the reviews on the Traynor and you will never purchase an Ampeg.
(oh, and they come in Blue as well)