Ampeg R-12R Reverberocket

This is a Mid 60's non reissue version of the amp. 7591 power tubes, 12ax7 preamps, and a tube rectifier (which i'm stoked about)

The Features are: guitar and accordian input, Volume, Bass, Treble controls. For the Reverb and Vibe effects, there's a 2 button foot switch. The knobs on the amp which control these effects are Rate and Intensity for the Vibe, and Echo for the Reverb. With the eq on this amp in conjunction with the volume, tone, and pickup position on the guitar, you can get a really wide range of sounds ranging from ballsy low end, to ice-pick highs. It doesn't do overdrive on it's own, but I running a tube-screamer of some sort would remedy that.

The Wattage on it is around 20 Watts, and i use it for Jams, and small gigs. I play mostly Classic Rock and Blues, and this amp is perfect for those genres.

When I bought the amp, it had been equipped with a 12inch Mojotone speaker. I don't know how the original speaker sounded, but this one definately has Mojo Tone!

I believe the originals came with that diamond blue sort of covering, but this one was re-apolstered with vintage 60's car apolstery, so it looks like it's wearing blue jeans. It caught my eye because of that modification to it.

I play p-90s, single coils, active, and humbuckers through this amp, and it takes them all well. I am a little partial to the single coil strat sound however, but that shouldn't imply at all that a humbucker sounds bad, it doesn't. My 1983 Fender Elite Strat's active pick-ups sound the best through this amp as compared to other amps I own (59 Bassman Reissue, Gibson GA-15RV, 80's MArshall JCM-800)

being that it's older than I am, the amp is still pretty quiet. I do have a hum that starts coming on after 4-5 hours of playing, but i knew about the problem when i bought it.

It doesn't distort much until right about dimed, but when it is dimed, this sucker has BITE!...to die for. Contrarywise, it has a really nice low volume clean, and i have on occassion, played it soft after midnight.

I've used this to gig without back-up, and was bitten by that on 1 instance. However, the problem came from an electrical problem at the house I was playing at. Other than that, the amp has not ever given me problems of it's own, and considering it's around 40 years old, that's amazing. It did come to me with a 2 prong non-grounded plug, so after a few buzzes, I changed it to a 3-prong grounded plug and no problems. When I changed it, I had to open up the amp, and it was still very clean inside, point to point hand wired. But, the Hum that comes out of it after long playing prompts me to not give it a 9 or 10, but that's my personal situation.

I love this amp. I've been playing for about 7 years now. My gear are as follows:

Guits:
1977 Gibson 55 Les Paul reissue (55-77)
1979 Fender Strat
1980 Gibson ES-347
1983 Fender Elite Strat (active)
Late 90's Melancon Classic Artist (strat style www.melanconguitars.com)
1998 Fender Mexi Strat
1999 Gibson Les paul Smartwood Exotic

Amps:
Emerysound Microbaby > 2X10 Kendrick Cab (1-2 watt practice amp)
'59 reissue Bassman combo
Gibson GA-15RV combo
80's Marshall JCM-800 Head > 4X12 Slant cab
Tech-21 Trademark 20 (SS amp)

FX:
-Foxrox Captain Coconut II- fuzz, octave, vibe(www.foxroxelectronics.com)
-G. Teese RMC3Le Wah (www.realmccoycustom.com)
-T-rex Alberta Distortion
-Maxon AD-900 Analog Delay (Japanese Version, a little darker)

The only only gripe I have with this amp is it's lack of a standby switch.

Old as meself, black vinyl early 60's unit w/tube rectifier YEA! Turned out I got the r12rA. Even better, tube rect. with 7591's rather than the 6V6's. Not as loud as my DIY Deluxe, but that's cool with me.

Wow! it's love at first note. Sweeeet grind! Not quite as full as my DIY Deluxe, but that thing gets muddy. The neck pup shines on this thing whilst the bridge does no worse. Does all but shred...non issue. Dead silent with gtr. vol. off or gtr. unplugged.

I got exactly what I desired...something classic that really sings before they go for an arm and a leg. This peach made me realize my DIY Tweed Deluxe needs a bit of work. The 2 combine for a pretty sweet setup. Been playing for...geez, a few decades pretty much.
I'd get another and another if necessary.

50 watt 1x12" combo. 2 channels. Low, Mid, Treble, Master, Gain, Volume, Reverb knobs. 2 inputs (Guitar and Accordian which is buffered for hi-gain instruments). Effects loop. Blue LED. Standby switch. Footswitch. Tremolo would be kinda cool but whatever... This is a big ass amp. 24" wide even though it has just one 12" speaker. Weighs about 45 lbs.

I use a Squier Fat Tele with seymour duncan '59 in the neck position, and Jerry Donahue in the bridge. I shielded it and replaced ALL electronics/wiring with american made parts. The tone is exactly what I was looking for. The clean channel is unreal. Gives fender-clean a run for its money. The dirty channel is not bad either, but I prefer my vintage Maestro MFZ fuzz pedal. It isn't the loudest 50 watt amp, but I like that. I had a Peavey Classic 30 once upon a time and it seemed to powerful. Even though it was only 30 watts, its power hindered its quality/tone. This amp is 10 times the amp that a Classic 30 is. I play bluesrock and this amp is perfect for that. Nice fat musical tones. I may replace tubes/speaker as a matter of personal pref. but it certainly does not need it (although i bought it used and these are NOT the stock tubes). It does however have the stock Ampeg brand speaker. I might want a Jensen C12N.

It was made in 97 and still sounds bad ass. The footswitch doesn't work properly though. The reverb switch on the footswitch does not work. If the footswitch is plugged in, I get no reverb at all. Also, when I switch channels using the footswitch, there is a slight delay. Not ideal for live use i guess. But i don't gig so whatever.

Never had to call them. Amp is used and made in 97 so warrenty is probably non existant.

Perfect amp for me. Sounds good at any volume. Great tone and I got it for a great price compared to the $699 street value. If you dig blues/rock/classic rock pick one up. You will not be dissapointed. Best amp I have ever owned. A great alternative over a Classic 30 or a Blues Jr. I bought this amp mostly because Dan from the Black Keys uses vintage Ampeg amps like the Jet, Gemini, and Reverberocket, and his tones are outstanding. This re-issue really gets close.

The features on this amp are basic.Depending on the music\stlye you play it should be enough.One set of EQ for a two channel amp is a slight draw back.The EQ sounds different between the two channels.I use this amp to gig,medium to large venues,thru our sound system.The power is there,but setup is critical.Tube amps need to be worked with.I've had mine since 1996,when they first were introduced,and I'm still trying different combinations of settings.This amp has a personality of it's own.I like that.

My 1979 Stat,has EMG replacement pick-ups,a.k.a.81'best thing I did.This guitar sounds 90% perfect.There is no 100%.The R12R complements my guitar and blues\southern rock\SRV.Clean is best to about 7-8,overdrive @ 8-9 is smooth.This thing has sounded amazing at some gigs.Guys come to the stage to see what the hell I'm playing.This sound is hard to come by.

My model does not have the power tube retainer.So I've had a little tube rattle,not that bad.In the middle of a gig the speaker harness popped of the pin it was seated on attached to the speaker,ruined my night.That is the root of other crackling I've heard.Don't bang this amp around.

I've not had to call them,but I've always like Ampeg

I've had this amp almost 8 years.I'll never get rid of it.I've been playing 35 years,played lots of other stuff,and this is asgood as all of it.Although the price on this amp has gone up,it is a good amp in it's class,maybe all you'll ever need,probably all I will.One thing about being a guitarists,most of us are never satified.The R12R is close.Good Luck

Have no clue on the year of mine.
50 watt AB tube combo. Single 12in"ampeg" speaker.
I never use its distortion channel

I'm playing an Ibanez RT with a Boss Extreme distortion pedal.
This amp can really hit some good clean tones.
The distortion is ok, it is a bit chunky, but kinda good
for a tube amp, ...i guess.
Actually, i take it back... the distortion is too chunky, and not
very impressive.
The reverb is really nice, and smooth for a spring unit.
I use the Boss for my distortion, the dirty channel just won't cut it.
The amp is a bit noisy, but i just read about plugging directly into line in... i'm gonna give that a try soon here.
I've put some Boogie 12AX7's in and some GrooveTubes EL34's in.
The boogies give a much nicer sound at high volumes, much more "ballsy"!

Never had any proplems

YEah... Ive looked all over St.louis for the AMPEG footswitch for this amp... nobody stocks it. I called Ampeg today... they gave me some bullshit about not being able to sell it to me for some reason or another... Horseshit. Maybe it's an omen... i shouldnt have the footswitch?

Been playing aout 15 years now
If this thing was stolen, i probably wouldn't get another one, because i had to put different tubes, and the noise, and the support :P.
Sounds GOOD clean... Sounds mediocre distortion channel.

this is an older model.. not the reissue.. it's like 15-20 watts some weird tubespractically no features.one tone knob... three inputs.. one for guitar one for accordian. and one for mic .. but the best reverb ever, so i'll give it a five..

i am in love with this amp.. i just bought it. the tone knob dials in the perfect sounds.. i use it with a baker b1c and an epiphone sheraton ll. it is the best clean sound ever.. including jc120 and twin (of course not close to the volume) there isn't much variety .. just an amazing clean sound for jazz/blues/folk rock / country
it doesn't really break up at all.. i may get a more powerful speaker at some point.. it is point to point hand wired.. solid pine cabinet., awesome reverb.. it is the ultimate jazz amp

it's really old... and still kicking... although i just got it

i don't think they support these anymore

i love it... got it for cheap.. it's got vintage vibe.. makes me want to play.. i would love to find another one.. and go stereo into two of these.. it blows away so many amps that cost so much more, it's not even funny.. perfect for home, small gigs, studio ... all that stuff

just a follow up to my previous rating, the one purchased for $605 and highly rated

after a very short time the amp began to rattle, could not figure out if it was tubes or what. Took it back to the dealer and they had it for two weeks because the repairman forgot to bring it back. Then they said nothing was wrong and there was not rattle. Well I know there was and am now convinced it was the cabinet that was rattling. True enough it no longer rattled but it made me very uneasy that the trouble disappeared and no one knew why. SO as good as this thing sounded I did not want this kind of trouble that comes and goes and no one knows why so I just gave it backa nd got the Marshall DSL 50 head I was going to buy anyway. Too bad. I have seen this problem reported on other websites so maybe Ampeg has a problem with the cabinet design.

The features of this amp are simple and are pretty clear if you read the reviews below or the Ampeg website. I have a 2003 model which means it has the 6L6 Groove Tubes instead of the EL34s they used to use. Since many amps offer three or four foot switchable sounds I will give this an 8 because it does not do a lot of different things. The reverb makes everyone else look pretty sick. This reverb is so smooth and unobtrusive, just a real nice effect. Not surprising since Ampeg invented reverb. The distortion is also simple, there is pretty much one setting depending on your guitar and when you find it, that is it. The amp is friendly toward effects pedals, the speaker handles things pretty well. I have only used the amp at home and in a small hall and it does fine. Just fooling around I see that the clean has lots and lots of headroom. It is not the loudest 50 watts (such as the Mesa F 50) I have ever heard but it is really as loud or slightly louder than most. Quiet switching between channels. Footswitch lights tell you what is on or off. For my money i covers rock, blues, country, jazz, and folk music very, very well.

I have a Fender American series Strat with swamp ash body, maple neck and hard tail, a Fender Telesonic, a Rickenbacker 330-6, and a Heritage H 150 CM Les Paul style. The amp handles every one of these guitars just fine. I see a tendency toward treble and really have to back it off a bit on the Strat but otherwise the treble on 5-6, mid on 3, and bass on 5 or so comes across very well on these other guitars. The distortion channel seems to drop some of the highs but that is okay. I play a Beano Bluesbreaker sound with no trouble and a Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street. There is a nice Neil Young distortion from Cinnamon girl to the latest stuff with Pearl Jam and on. Fool around with the settings on distortion for each guitar and there is a spot on the dial that is just right. I could give it less than a 10 since it is so basic but it does the simple stuff it set out to do so well I will give the 10. Don't want to talk about brutal distortion, maybe I am too old for that question. One thing is for sure, this is not a modern Marshall or Mesa type of distortion and that is what I think of when I think brutal.

Cannot say what the deal is here since I have only had the amp a few months. I plan to get rid of the Groove Tube crap that it came with but that is not really the amp, that is just the tubes. How many amp manufacturers put really good tubes in the amp to bein with? You can count them on two fingers. This amp seems well built and the dealer I bought it from is an authorized St Louis Dealer. I am not expecting trouble here. Will give it a 7 but may change my mind down the road.

Warranty is 5 years on everything but the speaker which is 2 years. That is pretty good for the amplifier industry and it is also transferrable. Have not used the warranty yet but just on the terms as written I will give it a 9.

I paid $605 new since the dealer was trying to move this amp off of his floor. They really had it priced at $685. I have been playing since 1968 so that means 35 years now. I have had a "sound" obsession since I can remember. When I starting playing guitar the sound obsession found a new outlet and I have owned lots of guitars and lots of amps trying to find the sound that I heard in my head. Did the same thing with stereo equipment over the years. I have owned Fender, Crate, Marshall, Mesa, Orange, and Carvin amps. The guitars have gone from Schecter to Fender, Gibson, Carvin, Rickenbacker, Heritage, Danelectro and so on. It comes down to this; I am now sure that I prefer the sound of acoustic guitars (my Martin HD 28 to be exact) and really have a hard time finding an electric guitar and amp that is musical as well as electric. I never even looked at Ampeg before I bought this. Nevertheless this amp is musical and makes my electric guitars a joy to play. I cannot stress enough what a real pain in the ass I am about sound. This amp is the best electric sound I have ever heard. I will probably be getting a Marshall DSL 50 Head pretty soon for some other sounds but that is not really a musical amp, it is just a real nice noise. The Ampeg is musical, a pleasure to listen to and a pleasure to play through. Simple set up and off you go. For my style of rock, blues, jazz. country, english folk, folk-rock and the like I have never found anyting that will beat this amp. I know that "everything lead up to this day" and I forgive myself for never looking at Ampegs before, but I must admit that I never even considered an Ampeg before. It is a real obscure name in guitar amps and after all, who in the world plays Ampeg guitar amps??? Perhaps Peter Frampton idid a while back. So I stumbled upon this amp when I was looking at a guitar. By chance, I heard this amp a few months ago and I realized that I had finally hit pay dirt. I bought it as soon as I got over the feeling of who buys an Ampeg guitar amp? This is a musical sounding amp that handles humbuckers, single coils and Rickenbacker higain single coils all with equal aplomb. This is one very, very nice sound if you are ready for it. If not, it is just a box of rain, just pass it by and let someone who is ready have the chance.

It has reverb which is lovely. The distortion channel is awful. I modded my amp quite a bit and it sings now. The EQ is essentially useless. Only the treble knob makes a difference. I am working on by[passing teh whole thing to get more power out of the amp.

The clean is nice, but it is noisy. My secret is plug straight into the Line In Jack. It gives fatter sounds with less noise. I modded my amp so it always works this way. Then added the distortion channel as like a distortion pedal being switched in or out. I reccomend 6L6s for this amp. They sound really good, as do the EL34s. JJ preamp tubes sound awful for distortion though.

It broke once, which was because I got it used. Open Screen Grid Resistor. Cost me $40 at a tech ebcuase it was a $0.25 piece. I wish I nkew how to fix amps back then. The handle sucks on it. I bought large metal handles for the site and it feels so much lighter becuase I can use both hands now.

Great clean, reliable, small tube combo. Distortion is nice to have, but not the greatest. I replaced the opamp in there with a JRC4558 which helped the sound a bit. I'd defiantely buy it again, especially for the price.

R12R 2-channel tube amp w/3-12ax7's & 2/el34 power tubes in class ab config. appears to be solid-state driven reverb and effects loop. 1x12" "ampeg" speaker, appears to be emminence co. Long-spring reverb. 3-band e.q. w/standby switch. very basic and easy to maneuver on top-mount control panel. vintage-looking box. Would be nice if it had tremolo, but o.k. without it. plenty of power in 50 watts, and not too heavy. effects loop is unnecessary imho.

Amp sounds good with both single coils and humbucks. Very Marshall-sounding due to the el34's. Able to dial in just about any guitar tone one would need. the stock sovtek pre-amptubes are a bit harsh sounding-replacing them with some softer units would help. The ruby el34's rattle. they have nice chimey tone, but a better el34 would help. clean channel gets a good grind when turned up. tone controls have a wide range and can shape the sound very well. As much distortion as one would ever need, but a bit harsh with the stock tubes. Better tone than Mesa Boogie. Reverb is very good, but not as good as Fender.

Box appears to be made of 3/4" osb with a plwd spkr baffle. Handle on amp is marginal. Some components in chassis appear to be on the cheap side, especially the potentiometers. decent steel chassis, decent tube sockets & shields. Easy access to tubes & electronics. Seems to be well built for the money. Survived UPS across 4 states o.k.

n/a. have not had long enough.

I have been playing for 35 yrs. I have had every type and brand of amp. This is a good all-around amp in my opinion for the money. Good tone, volume and versatility for most situations. I also have a 1960 Reverberocket. The original is of course way better quality and wonderful tone. They are totally different amps. This re-issue is more versatile for gigging since it has the 2nd overdrive channel, and the tube config is modern. Not as warm sounding as original, but overall good tone. If it were lost(how does one lose an amplifier?)or stolen, I'd probably get a Fender Blues Deluxe or Hot Rod Deluxe.