Ampeg R-12R Reverberocket

I'm not sure exactly what year this amp was made in, but it is a relatively new Reverberocket reissue. It is a 1x12 all-tube amp rated at 50 watts. The preamp tubes are 3 12AX7s and the power tubes are 2L6 Groove Tubes. I play a variety of styles, leaning towards electric folk (i.e. just guitar/vocals, no band), and recently, laid-back slow-surf stuff. This amp has the basic Clean/Gain setup with a shared EQ (I leave it pretty flat, so I don't care about that). There is of course the hefty (four-spring?) reverb tank that sounds very good, and can crank out more reverb than anyone in their right mind would ever need, even for surf. It comes with a two-function (channel, reverb) footswitch, which is very nice to have. There is also an effects loop (which I don't use). A headphone jack would have been nice. This amp is plenty loud for the small shows I do (which isn't saying much, but I don't doubt that it could compete with drums and other noisy items in a medium-sized hall, although you might want to consider the 2x12 verion).
I should also mention how it looks. I am a bit of an aesthete, and I went amp shopping with the mindset that I was only concerned with how it sounded, not with how it looked. Imagine my glee when I plugged into this GREAT-looking amp and fell discovered that it sounded as good as it looked. If you like a retro look, and like me, think that the oxblood/tweed units (despite their nostalgic charm) are rather ugly, this everything from the checkered vinyl to the cool-ass blue light will push your buttons before you even hear it. There's a picture of it at <<http://express2.expressivetek.com/ampeg/>>.

I play an Epiphone Dot, which is the no-frills, striped-down, dot-inlayed Epi version of the Gibson 335 with two stock Gibson humbuckers. This amp has yet to come up short in terms of different sounds I can get out of it. Jazz, rock, blues, surf (my friend loves playing his Gretsch Beast through it)--it works well for all that stuff. Note: I don't play/like heavy metal music, and I haven't really tried getting a screaming metal sound out of it. My guess is that if metal is your cup of tea, this amp is probably a.) not loud enough, and b.) too mid-heavy for that kind of thing. Go buy a Peavy stack or something. But, if you want nice, full, lush, warm, tube tone that simply drips out of the amp like honey, you should DEFINITELY consider a Reverberocket combo. The clean channel is clear and vibrant, and the preamp breaks up very nicely when you push it hard. The distortion channel adds some nice warmth to the sound at low gains, and at about 4 or 5 is a good fat ballsy rock n' roll sound. (Again, I must point out to my metal-playing collegues that this is not a clean, slick, "lotsa low bass/lotsa high treble/the hell with everything in between" kind of sound. If you don't like the prospect of an amp that cranks out a whopping dose of solid, grinding midrange, then pick another amp.)
I don't play much high-gain stuff, (and I don't exactly play a gain-on-10 guitar) but the distortion's there if you need it. And I might add that when, just for the hell of it, I played the empirial march from Star Wars on my bass through it with the gain cranked, it sounded really scary and really cool.

Built like a tank. When I bought it used, it looked brand-new. It still looks brand-new. Pretty heavy for a 1x12, but I find that comforting, because it means that it's built from good solid stuff. I like the thick leather handle on the top.
I'm giving it a nine just because I've been very nice to it and therefore I don't know how it would hold up under abusive conditions, but I suspect that it would easily weather a good bit of banging around.

Nothing's gone wrong with the amp.
Never had to deal with them.

First of all, considering what an absurdly low price I paid for the amp, I'd be happy with it even if it was just a decent, run-of-the-mill 1x12. BUT...(sorry to reuse the simile, but what can I say--) the sound drips like honey out of this amp. It's worth every penny of the $600 it costs new, and if you can find one used, and you want a good, solidly-built, warm-toned tube amp, check this one out.

manufactured around 97 or 98. 2 channels, controls left to right - gain (overdrive channel) - volume (clean channel) - treble - mid - bass - master volume (volume for overdrive channel) - reverb.

it has a mono line in - line out effects loop, which is nice. the line out also serves as a speaker out. footswitch (with stereo cable) controls channel switching and reverb on/off. the preamp tubes came with metal guards on them to prevent rattle.

this is my main amp, i play bedroom rock, and small gigs with PA's. it has enough power - 50 watts - to go without a mic in small gigs.

the stock tube compliment is 3 12ax7s for the preamp and 2 6L6s for the poweramp section. the factory tubes are crap - the power tubes rattled like hell. i had mine re-tubed with new 12ax7s and EL-34s in the power section. improved the sound tremendously in my opinion.

an 8 rating comes from not having separate EQ's for clean and overdrive channels. for some people, this is an issue. however for me it is not, but i'm just trying to be unbiased.

I have a Gibson LP reissue with p-100s and an '89 American Std Tele. I play classic rock - zeppelin, cream, etc. I also dabble in jazz. this amp does both very well. the overdrive channel has *plenty* of gain. its not a triple rectifier, but with the gain on 10 you get plenty of crunch thats for sure. the clean channel breaks up nicely if you use a humbucker in the neck position.

my main overdrive is a visual sounds jekyll & hyde. i can pretty much get any kind of gain setting i want. the jekyll side i use mainly as a boost - it fattens up both the clean & overdrive channels nicely.

this amp isnt a Bogner or a Dr. Z, but its a helluva good sound for the money.

the only setback on this map. obviously, its a tube amp, so that requires regular maintenance. what i noticed, is if this amp is turned on for a long period of time - 3 hours or more - it gets HOT! the control plate around the standby and power switches becomes very uncomfortable to the touch. not the knobs, just the control plate itself. i wouldnt recommend using this amp in an all-day gig during the summer. other than that, it runs just fine.

never had to deal with them. came with a 1-year warranty, but i never had to use it.

I have been playing for about 3 years now, and this is my main amp. from a value standpoint, this is an incredible amp - an all tube 50 watt 2-channel 1x12 combo for around 500 bucks. on top of that, it sounds grreat! the clean channel is nice and warm. the gain channel goes from a warm clean sound, to a nice crunch, to a creamy saturated overdrive when dimed. i love it.

1963 Ampeg reverbrocket, with NOS GE 7591 power tubes, recapped, new tubes, serviced, bought it from my amp tech, the best, thanks John Landgraff. Oh yes, original Jensen Concert Series alnico, and the reverb, oh yes baby, blues with a feeling. This runs about 20 watts of power. I play diatonic harmonicas through this great harp amp, along with being a great guitar, and accordian? amp. Hardwood cab, point to point wiring, Kendrick/Victoria/Clark/Hoffman/Matchless boutique amp builders probably could build this same amp, and sell it 2 ya for $2,500-$3,000. I paid $375. 3 inputs(guitar, accordian, microphone), one volume control, tone, echo, and a couple others related to vibrato, which I don't use. No channel switching, master super duper volume, boost volumes, or other junk. Simplicity, quality, thank you.

I use a Shure green bullet dynamic mic., and soon a crystal element mic. Creamy overdrive, sound is a little dark,and can be midrangish, but a lot of range in the tone control, great sounds can be dialed in. The amp idles very quiet, probably due to it being recapped, tubes, serviced. By the way on preamp tubes, to reduce gain, using several 6SN7 NOS-Sylvania and Tung Sol preamp tubes(NOS from KCA NOS tubes(thanks Mike).The first time I played out with a 5 piece blues band the entire night when I would solo the other players kept turning and smiling at the reverbrocket, they like me were impressed.

I plan to use this without a backup, though I also own and use a 62 Fender tweed champ, which is also a great amp for harp. My service department is my amp tech, John Landgraff, of Pensacola, Florida, the best tech on the Florida, Alabama, Missisippi, Louisiana gulf coast. The power tubes(7591)are expensive, but can be found, have already lined up another matched pair(NOS GE). I love this amp.

The original real deal Ampeg people of Linden, New Jersey if around, don't work for I think the new Ampeg, of St. Louis, MO. Its safe to say my 63s warranty has expired, who cares.

I have played 28 years, semi pro over 20. Have played in blues, country,gospel/contemporary christian and string/bluegrass bands. I own and use a sweet 62 tweed champ. If my Ampeg was lost or stolen I would be sad, then look for an early 60s reverbrocket, or jet, with either 7591, or 6v6 power tubes. Early/mid 60s Ampegs are available, you just have to look around. To me, it is an affordable alternative to the boutique amps, and the vintage Fender amps like my little champ, which I paid more for than the ampeg.

This is a 50 watt 1x12 combo with two channels (clean and gain) and spring reverb. It has treble, mid, and bass knobs for both channesl (failure to have seperate EQs is reason for 8). Also has effects loop and came with a footswitch. Typical combo features.

I purchased this amp solely for my solos...I use a Mesa Boogie .50 cal. + for clean and distorted rhtyhm stuff. I was using a Marshall JMP combo with a TS-9 for gain solos but got sick of the weight and the hissing (even after retubing and cutting the wattage to 50). While demoing nosie gates to address the hiss problem I discovered this ampeg....with its gain dimed it gives a great, warm saturated gain sound for my solos (think late 1970s, early 1980s hard rock lead tone....Thin Lizzy, Rush, early Maiden, maybe even EVH). With the gain dimed the bass gets a somewhat flubby can't run the bass past seven but I am using this for single note solos only so that is not a problem. The clean channel is great too, especially with the reverb. I may run the clean channel in stereo with the Boogie in the future.

I have only played a single gig with it so I can't really comment.

n/a

I give it a nine soley because of shared EQ. It works wonderfully for what I require (single gain amp with volume cranked above that of regular amp for solo/gain boost.

This is a 50w reveberocket 1x12 tube combo made in '99. I bought this because I wanted a portable version of my Ampeg R-50H 50w head - It's the same amp in combo form and does have the same vibe. Two channels w/footswitch, mid, high, low, gain and reverb. Basic features - great for just plugging and playing with a minimum of tweaking. Good power - It's pretty loud for a single 12. Certainly loud enough for small clubs/bars. Only thing missing is an external speaker jack.

I mainly use a '72 Tele Thinline with Fender humbuckers and a '79 Strat with active single coil EMGs. This amp is perfect for classic rock, blues and surf. The clean channel starts to break up about halfway up and sounds great. Sometimes I use a Boss blues driver with the gain turned way down to boost the input signal a bit and get even more breakup. Not as much headroom as a Fender Twin, but I prefer a more dirty sound. The dirty channel can get a great Cream, Hendrix, Zep sound - Not quite enough drive and grind for heavy metal though. I would say that the hum and noise is about average for a tube amp, its not overwhelming but it's there. The revereb is amazing! It's worth the price of the amp! Great for surf sounds. I tried some Mesa combos, Fender Hot Rods and even Flextones - The Ampeg had just the right vibe for me. It not the most versatile combo, but it does what it does very well.

I'm pretty careful with my equipment when I transport it. But I do work the stuff hard on the job. I've been using this amp for about a year without any problems.

I've had excellent dealings with ampeg over the past few years (I own three Ampeg amps) both via telephone and email. Recently though, I noticed that the support link on their web site is no longer active. I don't know if this means that they're going to be harder to deal with or if their just in some sort of transition.

I've been playing for 20 years and own other Ampeg amps, Fenders, Peaveys and an Egnater. I play mostly Fender Starts and Teles but own one Les Paul. I would buy another one without question if it were lost or stolen. the only thing missing for me is an external speaker jack. It's a great amp for the price if you're doing a rock/blues thing!

1963 REVERBOROCKET WITH ORIGINAL JENSON SPEAKER. I'VE BEEN PLAYING 25 YEARS AND HAVE RUN THE ENTIRE SPECTRUM OF QUALITY AMPS. FEATURES ARE LESS IS MORE. THE BEST ONBOARD REVERB EVER MADE. VIBRATO FOR SOME SHAKING SOUNDS.

A TELECASTER PRODUCES BLOOMFIELD AND CROPPER TONE. A BLUES DREAM. NATURAL DISTORTION. DONT BRING A CRUMMY DISTORTION PEDAL NEAR THIS.
REMEMBER YOU YOUNGER PLAYERS TONE IS ABOUT FEELING. LESS IS BEST.

VINTAGE AMPEGS ARE KNOWN FOR HARD TO FIND TUBES ETC. SO WHAT. THE INTERNET HAS MANY AVAILABLE N. O. S. ETC. I LIKE THE CHALLENGE.

1963 ARE YOU KIDDING. MOST OF US HOPE WE LAST AS LONG.

LOVE IT. OWN TWO.

Late 95 first run of this reissue, all Groove tubes no tube retainer (I talk about that later)1 guitar input 1 accorian input gain, treble, mid, bass, volume and reverb controls 2 channel manual or foot switchable (only with a stero switch pedal)

Coolest damn amp I've evr owned, and I've owned a lot. Beefier than a Fender but not as fat as a Marshall. I've been told it sounds a lot like an AC30 or a Highwatt combo. I play alteropowerpoppunk and it fits the bill perfectly jangely and full all at once, clean channel is incredible and could be played exclusively with a couple of effects pedals, rarely does it feed back in this mode regardless of the effects. Dirty is another story can't run a distortion pedal in dirty without some feedback problem ( have since correcxted that with a volume pedal) none with chorus, but distortion is a problem. This problem can be easily eliminated by turning up the gain, with it turned over 6 you really don't need a distortion pedal. All bitching a side it has one hell of a groovy sound.

Here is where I have a slight problem with this amp ( this does not apply to this amp made from '97 on) the power tube rattle like hell at anything approaching a resonable volume level. Came with groove tubes, replaced after little over a year with Sovteks problem came back a couple of weeks later. Later models come with power tube retainers to eliminate this problem, I called St.Louis Music and they are having a tube retainer installed under warranty, I will put GT's back in when I get it back ( they sound much warmer). Other than that it has been very reliable, never shut down, never lost power or punch.

Had to wait a while to get a response via e-mail but I was told the e-mail guy was on vacation for a couple of weeks. They have been absolutley fantastic since then and offered to pay shipping if there wasn't an authorized repair shop nearby.

This is my favorite amp, I've played a number of amps, some good some bad, but none have met the quality that this amp has. The closest I can liken this to is the new Gibson (old Trace Elliot) 50W combo which costs more than 3 times what I paid for this. I've played the original Reverberocket and this thing stays pretty close to the cuff but in my opinion is better. I will admit I'm an old Ampeg fan I used to have an old V4 100 watt tube head that I played through a number of cabinets and it made Marshalls sound like practice amps. The only real draw back to this amp is it's weight, it is HEAVY, somewhere around 45-50 lbs. A local guitar dealer told me that they are discontinuing the combos and will only be selling the heads and cabinets (what a shame) he expects used ones to sell for more than the new ones did within a year. If your looking at one of these buy it you won't be disapointed, I'm seriously looking at buying a second one.

this all-tube amp has two channels (dirty/clean), reverb, hi-mid-low tone controls, and the famous blue diamond tolex covering. i bought one of probably the first run of these re-issue amps in early '96. it has a five-year warranty, which helped sell me on it. i played it up against a fender blues deville and a mesa boogie (i don't remember which model, most likely a blue angel or something). anyway, the ampeg had a great sound, cool looks, and the price was almost half of the other amps. this is definitely an "updated" amp with retro clothing which, in all truth, was what i was looking for. it has a front-end gain (unlike the real deal) which is good for getting a good break-up without the neighbors bitching. the clean channel works well for me too--it has a really nice break-up ~6 which is more attack sensitive. at low volume, the clean channel is a bit brittle and "planky" to me, but i rarely play totally clean,and chances are if that's what you're after, you're not reading this anyway. i do wish they had sprung for the tremolo like on the original reverberocket. hell, i would have paid another $100 for it, especially since the thing only ran me about $475. it seems silly that they didn't. oh well.

i write/play power-pop/rock a la replacements, posies, wilco, so i'm going for a fairly straight ahead rock vibe with some definite TONE. i switch guitars a lot and use some weird tunings as well. i use everything from an old '50's silvertone archtop to a thinline tele to an old supro to an SG custom 3-pickup model! people always seem to have good things to say about the actual sound of all of my guitars, and i hardly have to tweak once i get dailed in. there's a surprising amount of low end coming out of just a 1X12. this amp is great for any type of "american" music: rock, blues, honky-tonk, rockabilly, even trad. jazz ("smooth" jazzers, take a hike!)

okay, now for the interesting part...and to tell you the truth i'm glad to be here! like i said, i bought one of these when they first came out, and like anything that hasn't had years of "field testing" under it's belt, i wasn't surprised when i developed some trouble. if you've read about this amp at all, you most likely already know about it's tenedency to develop "tube rattle". i've never had the thing go down, but the rattle is unacceptable. which leads into...

this is where i think people need to take note. when you piss and moan and make it very clear that you will never buy this company's product again, you greatly reduce their incentive to help you, EVEN IF THEY ARE LEGALLY OBLIGATED! be friendly but firm. challenge them to make you happy, and let them know that they can! i used to work at a drum shop and i understand what it's like on BOTH sides of the counter. SO, i shot them a friendly e-mail telling them how much i liked the amp, and how much i wanted to be happy with it. i got a response 3 days later (not bad considering it was over memorial day weekend). they explained that, yes, i had a very early model and that they had recieved many complaints about the tube rattle. the service guy told me of 3 places i could go and have my amp retrofitted with a "tube retainer" (which appears on the newer models). the tubes (sovtek el34's) i would have to replaced on my dime, but they would at least be groove tube el34's (much better), or for a more fender-y kind of thing, i could get 6L6's, which they are using now (i think). i prefer the dirtier el34's.

first, KEEP YOUR RECIEPT. the warranty is even transferrable as long as you get the original bill of sale. ampeg is certainly not making the quality amps that they once did, BUT!, for the money, they're doing alright. i wouldn't have gotten it if it didn't sound great, look good, and sell at a reasonable price. don't listen to the prima-donnas. if you ever have a problem with a piece of gear, don't be an ass--try to give the manufacturer a REASON to keep you happy. i know that sounds lame, as you're the one keeping THEM afloat, but think about it, would you rather help someone who seems like a conceited jerk, or someone who seems nice, and might actually buy from you again if you treat them right. nobody wants this stuff to happen, but it does from time to time. i love my reverberocket:it's warm, tone-y, loud and cheap (like me!!)..

The Ampeg R12R Reverberocket is a reissue of the original amp that was introduced in 1961. Faithful to the original, it has a 12-inch speaker, sexy "diamond blue" covering, and two inputs, marked "guitar" and "accordian", the latter padded down 6db. (Ampeg's founder, Everett Hull, was an accordian player who reportedly hated rock-n-roll.) In a recent interview, Peter Buck of R.E.M. said of choosing amps, "If it's got an accordian input, I know it's gonna be a good one." (He's right!) The R-12-R's modern features are channel switching and a line-in and line-out. Both channels share EQ controls for bass, middle, and treble. It also has 50 watts of power compared to 35 watts for the original. The amp comes with a footswitch for switching channels and toggling the reverb. The R-12-R features GrooveTubes 12AX7's and 6L6's. The preamp tubes are protected by shields and the power tubes by a metal cage, the bottom of which has a strip of foam for additional protection and perhaps to prevent noise. The amp itself lacks an LED to indicate which channel is engaged, although the footswitch is so equipped. The reverb tank is bagged. The amp has very sturdy construction, with metal corner protectors. It weighs about 42 lbs. It is easier to carry by holding the bottom, as the leather strap is terribly uncomfortable (one vintage feature that it might have been better to replace).
The amp is used for gigs and rehearsals with my band. It is loud enough for both, although I use the line-out to connect to a PA for outdoor gigs. We play rockabilly, mid-60's (British Invasion era) pop rock, and CCR. It works great for these styles of music, especially with the guitar that I'm using, a Ric 360.

I tried several amps (both purchased and auditioned in store), including Fender HR Deluxe & Princeton Chorus, Marshall VS & JCM 2000 DSL 401, Crate VC-50, Roland JC90, and Vox AC-15 and AC-30. I was unable to get the sound I wanted (warm & bright & punchy, all at the same time) with any of these amps until I tried the Ampeg. It brings out the best qualities of the Ric, which apparently needs just the right amp to sound great. I typically use just the clean channel, with the EQ flat (12 o'clock position) and reverb on 2 or 3. I've used the gain channel for leads, but I've found I prefer my Daddy-O pedal for that. I will use the gain channel when the song calls for a crunchy rhythm part. Clearly not Marshall-like, but suitable for my needs. My bandmates have said that the only other amp that this amp compares to for quality of sound is the Fender HR Deluxe, which I sold because I couldn't control the volume --way too loud. The Ampeg's volume is very controllable and gets loud, but only when you want it to. No problem at all being heard above drums, bass and 2nd guitar. My bandmates have told me, "Keep this one!"

I have owned it less than a month, but the features -solid construction, excellent tube protection, Groove Tubes, plus good care on my part, make me believe that it should be reliable. I have had no problems whatsoever in the last month, playing two gigs and rehearsals, as well as practice by myself. I'll give it a "9" just because I haven't owned it that long.

No dealings with the company. Like their website, though.

I love the sound. As stated, my Ric 360 sounds better (which is wonderful) through this amp than any other amp I've tried. The first chord I hit, I thought, "Tom Petty!" I love the diamond blue covering, it's very cool and unlike any other amp. I don't like the leather handle, looks neat, but very hard to carry the amp with it. Yes, I'd buy it again. I wish I had two now, so I could use my "Ric-O-Sound" kit with both of them. I'd also consider the Ampeg SuperJet, with identical features except for channel switching. I think that Ampeg should be the preferred alternative to Fender and Marshall, even over Vox.

I bought this amp new in 1997. Sold my Marshall Valvestate because I could't get a good sound with the '62 Fender Jaguar Reissue that I had. Has 2 channels (clean and gain). Channel switching with footswitch. Effects send and recieve and reverb. I like the amp alot....quite versatile for what I play (classic rock and southern rock). Very loud and more than enough power to play out at medium/large venues. All tube with 2 EL34 power tubes and 3 12AX7 preamp tubes. Funky blue diamond tolex covering

Used this amp with the Jaguar but couldn't get a thick enough sound because of the single coil pickups. Sounded great for Rickenbacker-ish surf and twang sounds. Now playing an old Peavey T60 through it and this is a crushing combination. The humbuckers really hammer the front end of this amp and bring out it's beastly qualities. The clean channel is good for blues and jazz. Can yield a very smokey jazz club sound or good Tele twang depending on settings. With the gain set anywhere past 8, the amp can almost get into the metal zone. Roll back the gain to 5 or 6 and you have a good crunchy rythym sound a la China Grove.

Haven't used it extensively yet but have had zero problems with it so far. I'd gig with it without a backup cause I don't have another amp! Good warranty from Ampeg (5 years I think)

Haven't had to deal with them so can't say

I've been playing for 17 years. Mostly acoustic till a few years ago. Owned a '62 Fender Jaguar Reissue and a Marshall Valvestate 8080 before this. Had a Hagstrom Super Swede about 12 years ago but got rid of it after only 3 months. I'd buy another one if this one was lost or stolen. Can't say that I hate anything about it at the moment. I tried out a Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket as well as this amp and I felt a little better about the Ampeg's tones (which is strange) also it was 50 watts and the Mesa was only 20 so I was worried about it being able to cut through the mix on stage. I wish it had a headphone jack though. If you're thinking of making the jump to a tube amp, give this one a try. You'll be surprised at how good it sounds. And they're not that expensive either.