Ampeg Jet J-12-D

1966 ampeg jet with three knobs:volume,tone,tremolo.The trem is sooo old school and has a nice rich wobbly sound to it.It is sparse on features,but i believe more is less.It is still versatile,even if it only has three controls.it breaks up nice and smoothly,which i really like.It also has really cool looking chequered tolex.(forgot to mention it has two 6KB11 preamp tubes and 7591A power tubes that pump out about 15-20 watts)

Won't go to detail in explainig my gear,except i use only two pedals :A fuzz and a boost.All anyone needs,really.
To my ears,the sound is warm and clear,not shear fender top-end and vox AC-30 chime,although you can adjust the tone control to get trebley.I think the sound is wonderful and i really dig the tone i get out of it.When break up inevitably happens,the distortion is sweet and fat,with a kind of umph to it.The tone is very warm and woody,add a bit of tremolo and chill out.What i like to do is push it to break up,stick in my octafuzz,and experience pure,unadultered tube bliss.By the way, i play blues and stoner rock primarily(they look odd sitting next to each other).With the right pedal,i can achieve my stoner sounds easily.

Well the amp is older than me, the tubes and speaker are original as far as i know, and it holds up wonderfully.I guess i will change out the tubes soon because they're so old,but there is no rush.Tolex has a few rips and wear,but that is expected with an amp this old.Trem indicator does not work,but the trem itself works perfectly.Anyway,you get the gist.

Nope.

Man,i really love this amp.It serves me wonderfully and the tone is just so wonderful and unique.It has a sort of vintage vibe about it which is also the reason i'm so attached to it.If lost or stolen i would go on a quest for revenge-won't go in detail-as most people on harmony central reviews do anyway.What i love?the tone, the vibe, the look, and the fact it receives pedals very well.Because of this i have come to discover more subtle nuances about my pedals and appreciate them more.To sum up,I really dig this little amp,and i will never get rid of it.

It doesn't have much, doesn't need more.

Smooth and full, exactly what a low watt tube amp should sound like, not like the nasty raspy Fender Champ. I love the Fender Deluxe though. Not gigable for loud rock, but great for smaller venues and recording. I saw one on stage when I saw Vic Chesnutt play with a band, and they weren't quiet, but well orchestrated with breathing room. The tremolo was broken when I got it, and it was pretty tired overall with original parts. I had it heavily modified: 6V6 power tubes, 3-way power switch for standby, some replaced caps, speaker jack to hook up to other cabs (haven't tried that yet), and since I was having hum problems I had a tech rectify the heater. That didn't help because the problem is still in the tremolo. When the tremolo tube is removed, this is a beautiful and quiet amp. I'm still having that problem looked into, but it's the least important part of the amp for me.

It's simple and well built, so it's as reliable as your tech.

Ampeg is like a cheesy cover band, covering it's old material with casio keyboards. FIND A GREAT TUBE TECH.

This is an amazing amp, regardless of my continuing tremolo hum problem. If that never gets fixed I won't care.

1966 Ampeg J12 in almsot perfect condition with original leather handle. If the grill cloth color hadn't aged, you'd think this was one of the new PCB versions.

Check this... all original with Ampeg labeled tubes: 2x7591A power tubes and 2x6KB11 preamp/trem tubes, original 2 prong power cord, tube chart intact on side wall, schematic intact on rear panel, some original paperwork (3 sheets in great condition), original trannies, caps, transistors. Some components dated 1965, including Jensen speaker; other components dated 1966.

The top panel has 2 inputs (one for low powered instruments, the other for higher powered instruments), vol/tone/tremelo knobs, pilot light (green, I think).

This is a very simple amp operationally speaking; the tone control is very active and works well. The circuit itself is all hand-wired, point-to-point.

The cab is about 1/2 the size of a Deluxe Reverb and the Jet weighs hals as much as Deluxe Reverb, yet houses a 12" speaker and puts out 15-18 very loud watts.

not many features, but what it does - whew!

I use a variety of guitars - all archtops; some with humbuckers; another wiht P90's. The amp is very loud - as loud as my Deluxe Reverb II, yet it deosn't break up much. There is some power tube overdrive when dimed, but even that's not over the top. These amps were engineered for very clean tones for jazz players, which is AOK by me.

The amp takes to pedals very nicely, but I plan to pull the '65 Jensen since it's somewhat collectible and slap a Weber JBL replacement in there for even mroe defined tone.

By itself with the Jensen, it has a spike in the midrange, which is great for warm jazz guitar tone and would probably work well with rock. For country, you'd want an empahsis on the top end tone, but the J12 is voiced darker than, say, a Deluxe Reverb.

For its size, lightweight, they packed a ton 'o tone in there and I'm gonna give it what it deserves - a "9".

Hmmm, lets' see... the amp is about 40 years old and has the original tubes, transformers, etc. It looks almost like new. It works great with no hum... yeah, I think she's reliable.

I've been playing about 10 years and have 4 name brand archtops and a flattop. For amps, I have an '82 Fender Deluxe Reverb II, a Gibson GA-15RV, a Fender Super Amp, and a Fender Acoustasonic JR for my flattop amp.

I've wanted a Jet for a long time, but didn't want one of the new ones with its PCB construction and EL84 tubes. I wanted the 7591 tube model. If this was lost, I'd find another - small, compact, light, and loud - you can't ask for more.

1964 - sparse on features (vol. tone & tremolo)

This amp is VERY warm and organic sounding. I use it for harp (great with bullet mic) and all types of guitars (strats, teles, semi holow bodies, etc...). This amp is WAAAARM and full sounding. It breaks up at around 7, but never fully distorts.

Tremolo is very musical and fun.

This is not a good candidade for one's primary amp, but it is a great amp for those special occasions when you need some pure tube tone.

My amp has a Jensen Special Design speaker, I'm not sure if it's stock, but it sounds great.

Has worked flawlessly since I bought it in '71.

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I'm a full time composer and producer. I own a number of amps, Pre-CBS Fender Deluxe & Vibro-Champ, Boogie Mark III, VOX AC-30 re-issue, Marshall JTM-45 re-issue, POD and a Korg A3.

I have three clients that keep coming back again and again just to put a blues harp through my Jet. So in that sense, it has paid for itself many times over.

This was my first real amp, and I have a great attachment to it. I played many a Jeff Beck, Jethro Tull and Pink Floyd riff through it in the early years. If it were lost or stolen, I'd probably pick another one up, however it would not have the same caracter as my original.

1965 Jet original!!! Basic features from '65 trem, volume and tone knobs. Got this baby from a yard sale for $15 from an old lady that stored it for 35 years in her attic :) still had the cover on it. Only problem was a blown speaker so i looked up and found the original speaker issued from a manufacturer that has been out of buisiness for like 25 years. All original again.

I play a late 70's fender strat with it and you can feel the time clock reverse, it really brings in a vintage feel to you. Breaks up at will (not distortion as a pedal) and brings out the true warmth of tube tone.

It was around 35 years old when i found it and fired right up! Tubes had a lightning glow that imaged the sound to come. The resisters are the size of my thumb (today a million would fit in it that space). Built in '65 and it shows. One thing to mention is tubes ,very hard to find and no replacements that i know of. :(

This amp has never broken ,aside from the equipped blow speaker due to missuse. I think it will go along time even though i try not to play it ,due to its vintage values and collectable stature. So to rate Ampeg for support i put an 7 since they do have helpful links but minus a few for lack of company support on their vintage amps ,they have been owned by a hundred companies since the though.

Amp itself no doubt a piece of valuable history and work of musical art. If you play oldies ,this is simply the best amp for you but i normally play 90's to modern rock/metal and i also found an undeniable appreciation for this assett ,so pick one up try it out to feel the true warmth of the tone or maybe to live the vintage era. Its an experience to the most fanatics of guitar players.

features are straight forward...volume, tremelo speed, and one knob for treble or bass.

i love the tone...its jazzy and warm, less shear top end than a fender. mine breaks up around 5 and gives a nice crunch...very smooth and vintage sounding. i play an ibanex talman with P90's on it and i get a very easy tone, very little hum and a fair amount of body to it.

i got mine with the original tubes in it, had those replaced(power only) and put a three prong on it and had it recapped. it's been kickin for about 4 years now with no problems...i should get new power tubes though.

its vintage...a good tech is all you need

this amp is a 10, i would buy 3 more if it suited me. they look beautiful and sound the same.

This Jet is a 1966.All original(even tubes).The amp does exactly what I bought it for.I find it to be versatile in a way that maybe different than most would relate to versatile. I wanted a small amp that would have a bigger sound ,volume and tone than it looked.But, I also wanted to be able to play without tube overdrive with a large tone and volume . But still wanted it to do the tube break up if I wanted.
I've owned Fender tweed Deluxes that did this OK but broke up a little
to soon and I tried Gibson tweed Ranger. This amp was like the Fender in volume but no matter what kinda pre-amp tube I used in the phase inverter it would not do clean.The Ampeg Jet VERSATILITY is that it let's you get tone and volume when clean and then will break up in a tonefull creamy cathode bias way at 7 or 8. Perfect!

I enjoy the warm tone that this amp brings in such a small package. If you so desire treble and less warm it has no problem.These amps sustain well in the clean area which,I experienced for the first time.
The original power tubes were no good but still worked so I had to change to Electro-Harmonix's. This was no problem because the amp is self biasing.Big improvement.Mine was not noisey and I play with P-90's. I love this amp and can play all day with it.I paid $265.00 for it and it does a much better job than any other I have used in it's class.I use a Art Reverb unit with it and the built in tremolo is good.I play blues and classic but a friend of mine plays thumb picking style(Chet)and this amp even suited his style because it has a satifying volume (clean) before breakup.It sustains well even in the clean like the amp is trying to help your playing sound it's best. This little guy will make you shake your head in delight while you play. It's a great buy and does a better job than Fender.Check one out , you won't be sorry. I got some new 6bk11 tubes for it so that when the ones that are in it go bad I'll be ready. This one is'nt going no place!

It's built real well but if your going to take the back off you will need a special wrench!The reliability I think is as good as a Fender or Peavey. That's saying alot!!!

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I don't care to much for this section of the reveiw because it's not about how long I have played or if I would run somebody over with my car if it were stolen. I like the amp real well and I've owned some of the best point to point wired vintage amps there is to have. I really dig it when I can get a great amp that does the job better than
a hyped up vintage amp and pay what the amp in it's class is REALLY worth. This Ampeg Jet J-12-D is just as good or better than those that the dealer's would have us believe is god sent so pay thousands.I find that Silvertone twin twelves are a better amp than those amps that keep making vintage dealer's rich!!!The Ampeg Jet is cool but don't let them know or they'll hype it up so everybody will have to pay through the nose.

The features on THe Ampeg JEt is good it has a vibrato and Reverb and insted of like the knobs that are for bass mid and high there is one thing that controls that

THe sound is pritty good i with it has a vintage tone but i don't play "oldies" one thing that makes me really made is the damn "Amp Buzz" i dont know what is up and if some one could post on how to fix it or what my prob is thanks otherwise it has good sound

the reliability is ok (so far) i got it like a week or so ago and it is ok so far it is well constructed and pritty damn heavey (30 lbs) i am wimp

i have not have to customer suport my amp yet

i have been playing for about a year and I use an ESP H-200 and I have an Ibanez phaser,Boss distortion (DS1) and a origional Cry baby my overall rating is a 9

1966- features same as mentioned previosly, and all u ever need!
this amp is in mint condition...lived in somebodys closet! not a mark on it!

this is a mother of a tone machine...nuff said...
i would trade my fender blues jr. anytime for this...
dark and moody....

so far so good...!Question for u all...this thing gets hot...
i mean really hot...all original tubes....i noticed that the power
tubes emit a blue fire? inside...any help would be appreciated.?
top control plate gets extremely hot to the touch...not normal???

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ive tried them all...15 watters that is...and i dont need to look any farther...for the price...hell for that matter...even at higher prices...

Manufactured January 1966
dual inputs(one high)
controls:volume, tone, and tremolo
tubes:dual 6BK11 preamp/dual 7591 power
less than 50 watts

Runs quiet-will break at 9(my favorite sound)
I play all types of instruments-mostly stringed
(even a Russian bailalanka)
I play all types of music

When I got it:
no tubes, blown resistors, no knobs, no grillecloth, destroyed covering, no power cord, and a blown out speaker.
I rebuilt with Eminence 12" speaker
I NEVER GIG WITHOUT BACKUP!

I build and repair gear

I've been playing 15 years
I have a large collection of high-end equipment(some I built)
If stolen or lost, I would build one (from the schematic I made prior to rebuilding it)