Ampeg J-12T

15 Watt, all-tube single channel(2 inputs)combo amp w/ 12 " speaker. Pre-amp uses 12AX7's while power amp uses 2 EL-84's in Class A bias configuration. Reverb and tremelo are manual; no footswitch. No effects loop or headphone jack. Single "power" switch; no standby. This amp is excellent for what it is designed for, a clean-to-bluesy sounding low-powered very portable combo amp that can be used for practice on stage at small venues or at larger venues if mic'd through a PA.

I played this amp at George' Music in Orlando Saturday. I couldn't wait to check it out, and it sounded just as good as review I read had rated it. BUT, it also had the "BUZZ" in it that I had read about. Specifically, I was running riffs up the fretboard at about half volume when I hit the E-F#-G on the 5th (A) string and major vibrations set in to the cabinet. It sounded like a buzz-saw on speed. I could easily reproduce the "effect" for the sales-person, and did so. I also "cured" the effect by putting pressure on the back of the cabinet; that is I could make the BUZZ come and go at will. So, maybe with a little screw tightening or some door or window insulation material this could be worked out. It was NOT speaker or tube buzz but clearly cabinet buzz.
I never got the amp into distortion-mode, as I became preoccupied with the BUZZ. The salesman stated "Watch out, you'll fall in love with that amp", to which I replied " Not THIS one."

Can't tell. It looks as well made as any other amp, although I had been playing a Fender Blues Junior earlier in the day and though it looked better (Black Tolex model). The tube compliment of the Ampeg and Blues Junior are the same, but the BJ has a Class AB-biased power section while the Ampeg is Class A biased. The Ampeg will run a little hotter because of this.

I have a Fender Blues Junioron order, and decided to keep it that way. The Ampegs tone control is a single knob, while the BJ has bass-middle-treble so the BJ is more versatile in the tone department. I liked the looks, fit, and finish of the BJ over the Ampeg, but this is highly subjective. The Fender may hold it's value better . I WOULD NOT buy the Ampeg Jet re-issue at this time, but would give it a few more months and check them out again.

This is pretty bare bones amp but still pretty nice. It is touted as a reissue but I don't think it is. Uses 2xEL84,2x12ax7 and a 12" paper voice coil Ampeg label speaker. Has knobs for Volume,Tone, trem speed and depth, and reverb. Only thing I wish it had is a tube rectifier for a more compressed and 'saggy' tone.Only has power and no standby switch. It's covered in a spiffy blue diamond vinyl and has a chrome control panel.

Has great bright jangley clean sound that can be mellowed out some with tone control. When cranked up it distorts a bit for a nice warm overdrive. However, for 15 watts this thing s pretty loud and could probably be used at a club with a big PA. Reverb it about average but is not bad, and it only uses a small pan. The tremolo is totally fab. It can sound very traditional and nice and then get really warbly sounding with the depth up high. I like this amp because it sounds kinda like a Vox Ac30 when clean, but a tube rectifier would have been nice for a more compressed sound, but still its' darn good for the size and price.

I would depend on it. Ampeg is made by Crate now and I have never heard anything bad about Crates tube amps. Of course I'd have spare tubes and fuses just in case.

Never called and hopefully never will.

I would buy it aagain if I needed a good amp for not a lot of money. I love the reverb and tremolo, but like I said before I'd like a rectifier tube. I play with a telecaster and and can get nice Byrds like jingle-jangle sounds and early Beatles kinda sounds. I compared it with a Fender Blues Junior which uses the same tubes but is not class A and did not sound as nice to me. I also considered a Laney VC30 which has similar clean tones but costs more. I would get an AC30 if I could afford it.Not bad at all for the money,anyone looking for a small amp should definitely check it out.

This is a small practice amp but it can crank enough to play with a not-too-loud blues or rock band. It's a 20W all-tube amp (2 12AX7 preamp tubes, another for the tremelo, and two EL84's I think) I bought because I wanted a nice sounding amp I could play at home. It has a lovely sound, and I find the tremelo circuit very useful. It also has a very good reverb. I was planning to get one of the smaller Fender tweed's but I ended up with this so I think that says a lot as I'm a huge Fender amp fan!
It's not versatile in that it's not a multi-channel kind of amp, so that's why I'll give it an 8/10 in the Feature category, even though it does everything I wanted and should be fine for somebody wanting a small amp. If you want a small practice amp that can do 6 different distortion sounds or something, there are plenty of solid-state amps that will suffice. But sound-wise it's everything I wanted.
I actually found the Tremelo to be very usable as opposed to some used Fender amps where I find it isn't so great. If you do it just a bit, it adds a nice light shimmer to your sound, whereas if you crank the speed and intensity up you get classic tremelo.

It really is a great sounding little amp. It will stay nice and clean (and can get fairly loud for the size, 20 tube Watts into one 12" speaker) but will break up nicely as you crank up the volume for a sweet bluesy sound. Not a death-metal distortion if you're into that, but just perfect to play a Strat or Tele into.

I've taken it to jam sessions and it's done well. It's more suited to the studio or home than the stage, although it can get loud enough easily for a solo guitar act or soft band (e.g. 10000 Maniacs or something like that). It seems pretty solid though, the power tubes are ridigly mounted in a metal frame. Ampeg amps in my experience (as a bassist and guitarist) are built pretty solid, and I imagine even this little amp can hold up to some serious abuse.

Luckily, I've never had a problem with any Ampeg amp, so I have never had to deal with customer support.

It does what I wanted it to do -- give me a great tube amp sound at home without waking up the neighbors and shattering windows (although it can get pretty loud if I want it to!)