Ampeg R-12R Reverberocket

My Reverberocket was made in around 1963 with 3)6SL7 and 1)6SN7 and a knew weber blue frame jensen reissue speaker. Great amp for slide guitar and blues and rock. 3 inputs vocals, accordion, and of course guitar. I've never had an amp that breaks up so perfectly with no hum. I've gig tested it in a blues bar and it had lots of snot half way up on the volume. I didn't have to push it at all. I play blues, rock, original, reggae, funk, cajun atc.

I have a PRS 24 with zebra pickups and a1937 dobro with an magnetic acoustic electric barcus berry pickup that works great. great sustain with great high mids. I love it. I've been playing in bars for 35 years I wished I would of had this amp 35 years ago. This is what I've been searchin' for all my life. I love the reverb which is called dimension COOL

So far it's been great no problemo

I can repair it my self No problem easy to figure out circuit

I use it with a modded WAHWAH, homemade orange squeezer and a home made Blue Magic. If it where stolen I would hunt down the thief and the cops would never hear from him again or maybe I would just get really mad and find another on ebay

the warranty is long gone now but mine is extremley dependable

this amp is the perfect amp for me. its sweet. i have the 1962 reverberocket. i love it. ill never give it up ever. i got it for free too. it was in my deceased grandparents attic and never used. if you dont like this tube amp then i dont know what to tell you.

It definitely has a strong gain, better than most tube amps ive played,reverb,clean, bass, treble, mid, and master volumes. it also has the standby switch, power, and a switch for the 2 channels.

like i said, the distortion is killer! more for the classic rock vibe i was searching. i currently use a Gibson Firebrand s 335 standard with dual single coil zebra humbuckers. very very beautiful combination. i also have a Gibson Standard faded that works very strong and clear. the clairty in the clean isnt as great as a fenders, but still sounds great.

Currently it does need to have its tubes replaced. at the moment there is alot of crackily sounds and sometimes, i feel the tube harness is loose and the tubes start to loosen from its place. not good. other than that it has not broken down and is pretty reliable. i would gig without using a backup. just need extra tubes.

Ive been playing for about 14-15 years. My current rig includes : A Gibson Firebrand s 335 standard, Gibson Les Paul standard faded, Fender hss Japanese Stratocaster, Breedlove Ac/12 string acoustic, Ampeg Reverberocket r12r, Mghdfx100 (good backup actually), and a crate g80xl.theres definately alot of better tube amps out there, but if your looking for a classic rock tone and vibe, this one provides. i think it kills the peavy classic in distortion. the reverb on this baby is strong too. if this was stolen i would definatly buy another one.

I got one of the last of the reissues in 2007. It's a 50 watt, 1-12 combo.It's got plenty of power and it looks beautiful. The reverb is lush and I mostly just keep it on the clean channel. I've messed around it the overdrive but I would never use it at a gig because it does not suit my style. However, the distortion is a lot of fun and gets downright nasty.

I mainly use an old Gretsch but it sounds great with a tele, LP, and a 335. It's just a real good amp and sounds good with almost any guitar.

So far, it's been reliable. However, the first gig I used it on was an outdoor event. Several times it made an ugly farting sound when I attacked a note. I attributed this to Ampeg putting a 50 watt speaker in a 50 watt amp. They put the same speakers in the 212 version. Anyway, I replaced it with a better speaker and I couldn't be happier.

I never called them.

I've been playing for over 40 years. I have several other tube amps including a Fender Bandmaster, Bassman, Blues Jr., Gibson Skylark, and a Peavey Bravo. They all have their place but the Ampeg is probably second only to the Blues Jr. for sound.

The Ampeg Reverberocket is a real winner for anyone looking for a versatile, powerful, and musical sounding amplifier. This amp does Fender clean as well as the old Super Reverbs of yore. I mean, it's really really good.
I'm sure many would lump this amp into the same category as Fender's Deville amps, but all one has to do to put that idea to rest is to fire up the drive channel. With a twist of the gain knob, It'll go from subtle front end Blues Driver style overdrive to all out in your face crunch. The Rocket positively kills anything Fender has ever put out, short of maybe the new EVH model.
The reverb sounds natural and classic. Only thing that I felt was missing was the tremolo circuit that the Jett series has.

The tone controls are more subtle than most, but I find the amp to be very sensitive to the players' touch, offering up biting highs or muffled sounds... depending on your picking attack.
I play an '85 Japanese Telecaster with Bill Lawrence Noiseless Pickups, or a G&L Legacy (strat style).
The clean channel will stay clean as loud as you can stand it with the stock Groove Tubes 6L6's. I found that using JJ 6V6's instead allows it to break up a little bit when you crank it up. I like that sound a lot better.
This amp suits most every style... with the exception of high gain modern metal tones. It being an open back design, it wasn't really meant to do that. But It'll get pretty darn close if you put an EH Metal Muff in front of it.
I've used it to play surf, Beatles, country, AC/DC style rock, Social Distortion style rock, Stevie Ray blues, John Mayer pop/blues, and even 90's style alternative rock.

I bought it used in fine working order. I re-tubed it with 6V6's as a matter of subjective taste, have had no reliability problems at all.
I would use it without a backup.

I have exchanged emails with Ampeg in the past (having nothing to do with this particular amp), and they have always been very helpful and supportive.

I've been playing guitar and bass for almost 20 years.
If it were lost or stolen, I would find another. Due to the relative unknown status of these amps (poor marketing on the part of Ampeg, IMO), they can be found for very good prices on ebay. Unfortunately, production of these gems has been discontinued.
Wish there was a trem circuit.
It stomps the Deville series in every category I can think of.

Manufacturing date on this amp is 1961. It has 6sl7s and 6sn7s in the preamp stage (some are used to drive the reverb), a 5y3 rectifier and two 6v6 tubes.

It has reverb and tremolo as well as a foot pedal to control both.

It has Three inputs and a 12 inch pine wood (i think) cabinet.

This particular amps was serviced by Jes Oliver (who worked for ampeg and designed it) and by Jack Kivolowitz of Rocknrollamps.com

I did a couple of upgrades to this amp that really shed some light on it's original sound.

The stock sound was pleasant, clean rounded and warm. It broke up gently around volume of 5 with my strat or my reverend wolfman due mainly to the vintage jensen C12N that it came with (speaker distortion not really tube distortion). It became warmer and more rounded as you turned up the volume number but never really went into the type of distortion levels you might associate with a vintage tweed fender (a good comparison for this amp).

I changed the vintage ceramic jensen with an AlNiCo weber 12A125. That speaker is bright, breaks up late and offers a lot lows and compression with volume.

Although a lovely speaker, it was perhaps a bit too clean with that amp for my tastes prior to the cap job. In other words, a lot of the stock amps' warmth is generated from that vintage jensen speaker.

I then took it to Jack Kivolowitz of rock-n-roll amps for a cap job. The cap job made it warmer and a bit more fender tweed-ish with far more clean headroom. It seems to offer greater and more pleasant distortion post cap job and its still very rounded, owing to the preamp tubes/circuit (6sn7, 6sl7). Gentle TUBE distortion starts at around 4-5 (depending on the guitar) and It gets nice and thick when you dime it. It sounds great now with that weber 12a125 that i considered too clean before the cap job.

It should be noted that Mark Sampson of Matchless fame recommends this ampeg as a good vintage amp deal and he suggests a cap job for it in Dave Hunter's "The Guitar Handbook." Its sound advice.

I have also tried this amp with a 12" 30 watt alnico weber blue dog (weber's interpretation of vintage celestion alnico blue). This is a nice combination. The warmth of the ampeg and the creamy chime of the weber mix nicely.

Tube wise, i have tried numerous NOS and russian tubes in the pre and power segment. The skinny: stick with NOS in the preamp as the russian tubes i tried were somewhat thin but the new tung sol 6v6s sound great (better than my vintage GE and other NOS 6v6s). The tung sols are smoky and quite warm. The NOS GE 6v6s sound more hifi.

The amp has reverb and tremolo but i NEVER use either. The amp does not need it to get a good sound.

The amp takes pedals extremely well. I use a zvex BoR, a crunch box and several menatone pedals with great results. The amp really sucks in pedals.

I went through a lot of bad 6sl7s and 6sn7s with this amp. Most were vintage. Some were new and russian.

This amp (made in 1961) is the first production amp to feature reverb. The reverb is subsequently a tad bit temperamental. Jes Oliver serviced it and added shielding to minimize feedback but be warned every vintage r-12r (the first reverberocket not the r-12-r-b, r-12-r-t, etc that follwed) I have tried (three to date) has had a temperamental reverb. By that i mean it can go into feedback if you add too much.

The amps does not need reverb to sound good and frankly i prefer it without so its not a problem for me.

This is a great amp and one of the last deals you will find in the vintage market.

The 15 watter is loud enough to play with a drummer (provided he is not beating up the drums) and quiet enough to use as a home studio amp.

The clean sounds are thick, rounded and warm and the amp plays nicely with different speakers and pedals, which provides a lot of opportunity to customize and alter your sound. The distortion is tweed fender-ish but still its own thing especially after the cap job. This one sounded good pre cap job but everyone i've heard (3) that has had a cap job sounds better to me.

Combining it with pedals creates a very powerful recording set up, especially in the home. You can place the volume at 3-6 (still quiet enough to avoid pissing off your neighbors, house mates, spouse, etc) and use a menatone or zvex BoR to generate a nice sound that sounds big. I do this via a shure sm57, beta58, or beyer160 with great results. You don't need to use a condenser (as you might with a smaller amp) to make it sound formidable. That is pretty important because the dynamics are cheaper and less likely to pick up room noise or bad echoes (if the room sucks)than a condensor and few homes i've seen have treated recording rooms.

Not many, but more than enough. Sexy blue diamond tolex and 50 watts of tube lovin.

Fantastic. My first "real" amp. Loud, proud, and full of sound. Run it with an Epi Les Paul, Big Muff and wah. This amp really starts to hit the sweet spot with master volume at 4-5, which is pretty damn loud. At that point the clean is just beautiful, a bit darker, but really bites. And the drive has a sweet retro crunch to it (sorta QOTSA).

No super high gain. Just throw in a pedal if need be.

Seems to be built super sturdy - all tubes are protected.

Been playing for roughly 15 years..all spent dicking around with solid state amps. I love this little monster, perfect for my style and needs (basement rock star). Would recommend this amp to anyone, it's totally gig worthy, looks great, sounds great and is relatively inexpensive. If you're considering other tube amps in this price range (Fender Hot Rods, Traynors etc), I would definately give this one a look.

bought the little beast to replace my v t 22 that we stuck a couple of sro speakers in and pushed the weight to about 140 pounds....... that ampeg got me a hernia operation ..... like most of the guys in here i've been playing forever and have a ton of guitar equipment to choose from, including a newer marshall avt 2000, a silver jubilee marshall, but i've always loved ampegs ....... i have never played a venue without another guitarist commenting about my sound, so this amp puts out what i'm hearing in my head, i think thats all any one of us is looking for ...... i play jazz, rock, blues, a little country, and i'm very pleased ....... if it fails, which no ampeg i've ever owned has, i'd immediately get another one ..... i'm old as dirt now so i think my little reverberocket will out-live me

old les paul custom, prs 20 anniv, custom shop strat ...... amp loves all of them, but i think the marshalls like the strat a little better......... i'm using an old mxr distortion plus so i use the distortion channel just a little dirty for power chords and such

never.........never........never even thought of taking a back-up ..... i first heard of ampeg reliability when rod stewart said an ampeg fell outta the belly of a 747 and they plugged the bitch in that night and could'nt believe it still worked ..... i'll give it a 20 on a scale of 1 to 10

next to the maytag man, i guess the ampeg repairman is bored to death

i've been playing over 40 years, every type of music, like most of the old dogs playing these things i can afford any amp or guitar i choose, but i always come back to ampeg ....... i do wish they would make a 2 piece amp so it would beak down some of the weight ..... i've always been a sucker for amps with 2 12's, and i've had all of them, but i like the simple operation of my little reverberocket, if it was lost, stolen, or broke, i would grieve it and seek another one immediatly.........

This is the reissue version of the amp (made in the last five years or so...I got it used...). It has 2 channels,a regular EQ and reverb. All in all pretty standard features

This amp is very good, but not for everyone. The sounds that come out of this amp tend to be trebly and midrangey and it breaks up easily. Overdriving the amp in this fashion sounds amazing. It's great for any kind of rock, but most brings to mind garage. Rolling back the volume on the guitar yeilds a nice, warm clean as well. It shouldn't be surprising, but the onboard distorted channel is only decent and is very one-dimensional.

Never had any problems, but haven't been rough on the amp. Owned for almost a year.

If it were lost or stolen, I would probably buy something different. I love this amp, but have no special loyalty to it. The new price (699 on musician's friend) is too high. Fender and Traynor make quality tube amps for less. If you can find one used though, check it out. It kinda rocks.

This USA made 50 watt 2 channel tube amp was made in 2004.This amplifier is versatile enough for the styles of music thatI play - mainly classic rock, blues, old R and B and country rock..
It has an effects loop - which I hardly use and channel switching with Low, Midrange, and treble pots. The distortion channel does not have its own EQ. The clean channel is where this amp really shines. I use the reverb which , in my opinion is the best there is.
The amp is used for both for practice and gigs. ( I do between 3 and 4 gigs per month). People at gigs make positive comments about the sound. I recently had a guest guitarist/gearhead play through it at a recent gig. He raved about it.
I wish the amp had an external speaker jack and the effects loop is a little noisy but as I said before, I hardly ever use it

My main ax is a 1989 Stratocasor plus. The pickups are Texas specials.
I replaced the stock pickups -Lace sensors- because they were too thin sounding for my taste and style. My main influences are Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, SRV, BB King, Albert King, Jimmy Page,and Steve Morse. I have a style that is kind of a mix of Rock, Blues, and country.

The amp is very quiet except of course when you open up the gain to 10.
I never do this however as I keep the gain on the distortion channel on 6 and the master on 6 or 7.
The clean channel has plenty of headroom. The distortion is not brutal
sounding, If you wanted this you would have to get a pedal.
The only effects I use are an Ibanez tube screamer, Dunlop crybaby wah,and Ibanez super chorus.

The amp is solidly built, much better than other amps in its price range.
I tried quite a few amps- fenders, peavys, etc. and none had the quality sound. I even compared it to a low end Rivera which was about 350 more that what I spent, I thought it sounded better.
I never bring a backup amp to gigs. It has never broken down so far.

I aven't had to deal with any service people yet.

I have been playing guitar for 42 years and gigging for about 25.
Other gear: Guild 1979 D40, Bauer 1951 Mandolin,German Strad copy Violin
Shecter- just bought- 2005 csh1 semi-hollow body electric guitar, Lab Series L5 100 watt amp, Yamaha 8 channel mixer, Crown 300 watt amp , Yamaha 6 channel mixer amp.
This is a great amp for the money-if it were lost or stolen I would definetely buy it again.

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.

Just to update the review I left here in April of 2002 which is below. I've had the amp about a year now. I've made one significant modification to the amp that I feel makes it even better. Basically, I added an external speaker jack to the amp. (Just wired it to the end of the speaker leads with a switch, so that I can select either the built in speaker or an external speaker.) I then built a 1X12 closed back speaker cabinet, based on a Mesa 1X12 Recto Cab, and put a Celestion Vintage 30 in it. Sounds great. I was thinking of just putting the V30 in the R-12R, but it was just slightly bigger than the Ampeg speaker, and made contact with the chassis! Kind of bummed about that. So I just carry the amp and the cab when we play gigs.

I've tried out a number of other tube and hybrid amps since I wrote that review, (Mesa Nomad 55, a decent amp, but not so much better than the Ampeg that's it's worth the extra $$, (however the Nomad 45 just might be!), Peavey Classic 50, Marshall AVT series, Fender Hot Rod and Cyber series, the new Crate V series (all-tube)), and every time I walk away thinking that they've got nothing over my current rig. I'm still very satisfied with my purchase and would most likely replace it if it was ever stolen.

all you need

well this thing kick ass it was in the store for a while and i played it a few times and loved the dirty chanal but when i bought it and took it home it turnd up the clean chanal and it was the best overdrive i have ever herd i own a AC30 and love but theis kicks its ass as far as tone and almost looks as cool i have a epi casino and tele it kicks ass the dirty chanal is still cool is just lick a good old marshal but i prefer the clean all the way up

only had it 2 days

i love it oh so much it is pefect for my style the who the stones the cars the sex pistols mc5 the hives the cure depche mode the yardbyirds the firs zepplin album so good old rawk and or roll and 80s new wave

It was made in the 90's,it is a reissue amp.This amp is great for blues ,jazz,funky,solid rock or even folk music.
It has two channel.A bright clean channel and a distortion channel.Two inputs ,one for guitar and one for accordion or something like that(one of my friends use it for harmonica).Beautiful blue diamond spot.Chicken knobs .So it has a real cool vintage style.

I use a Fender stratocaster (made in mexico).I usually play blues and funk.This amp was the perfect choice for these styles.It has an amazing clean sound (like SRV things).
I don't use the distortion channel because in my opinion it hasn't enough high frequency,a bit bassy.That is why i use an Boss Bd-2 bluesdriver for the perfect blues sound.
After the 7th volume setting at clean channel it starts to begin distorted, but not brutally.Just the other amp i used:Fender Hotrod Deluxe.On the other side this Ampeg has a better clean and distortion channel.

no problem with it

I've been playing for 6 or 7 years.I hate the weight of it:).
I love this amp,that's all a can say.

It's very easy to use it.It has nice chicken knobs with a real cool vintage design.

I use a standard Fender stratocaster(made in Mexico).It's sounds very good,clear bright sounds in the normal channel.The second(gain)channel hasn't a professional distortion.(Not too much treble,more bassy notclear sound).So that's why i use a Boss BD-2(BluesDriver) to have amazing power.

no problems with it so...

I usually play blues,funky and Jimi kind of rock.(Not hard).As i mentioned it has wonderful bright sounds that fits well for these kinds of music.I've played guitar for 6 or 7 years ,and i owned this amp for a year.They say (and i also feel)that Fender amps are the best for blues music.But this amp has a different unique sound.

50 watt tube amp (class A/B power--like a fender, not a marshall). Volume (clean channel), gain (distorted channel), treble, mid, bass, master volume, and reverb controls. I believe it has 6L6's for power tubes. Typical amp features, nothing outrageous, but at least it has two channels.

I sooooo want this amp. I've played it in a guitar store where my friend works a few times, and it sounds good. Very nice clean tone, similar to a fender. Of course different guitars sound different through it. Hollowbodies and strats sound much brighter, my les paul with a seymour duncan distortion sounds a bit dark, but still a hint of sparkly high end. The distortion sounds almost exactly like a Rat, I know because I played a Rat through it and then played with the amp distortion. The amp distortion is very fuzzy, with little compression. The Rat is similar but a bit more gain and enough compression to do metal stuff. I would like to have both, so I could switch between the two without really changing the tone all that much.
I should note that I only played this thing at low volume. Anyone who knows tube amps know that they operate better at high volumes, but I've never gotten the oppurtunity to just crank up.
If you like vintage tone this is a good amp to check out. I would recommend playing one for yourself instead of taking my advice.

The best thing I can say about this amp is that I want it. I'm tired of the Marshall sound. I play mostly fuzzy Sabbath-type stuff, with a few bluesy tunes and a few punk tunes mixed in. This amp is perfect for all of that stuff.