Ampeg R-50H

Amp is straight forward, simple with no frills. You cannot get a bad sound from this head.

I mainly play a Japanese Squier Strat and a Carvin DC-135 into a Boss ME-10 to the front panel of the R50H.
Amp is quiet with an intoxicating tone full of unbelievable reverb. EQ has minimal effect on overall sound, but it
doesn't matter since the tone is wonderful regardless of the settings.

I play classic rock and country. I have approximately 10 years of club experience over a period of 35 years. I have
a vintage Strat, Tele, Carvin and Westone guitars. I would not hesitate to replace amp. I love the sheer beauty and
tone of this amp. I might add separate EQ for distortion channel and tremelo though.

I have only contacted Ampeg regarding administrative matters and they were polite and helpful.

I play classic rock and country. I have approximately 10 years of club experience over a period of 35 years. I have
a vintage Strat, Tele, Carvin and Westone guitars. I would not hesitate to replace amp. I love the sheer beauty and
tone of this amp. I might add separate EQ for distortion channel and tremelo though.

I bought this amp in 1999 in Hungary. I didn't know this amp before I saw it in the store. It is a 50W full-tube halfstack (3x 12AX7 and 2x 6L6) with a clean and a lead channel. They have Individual volume controls but common reverb and EQ. The reverb is great, vintage style, but I'm missing the individual EQ very much... if it's good for clean, it used to sound plain with distortion.

The clean sound is out of earth... something brilliant... Shiny, crystal clear at low volume levels, but if you rock it up beyond 6-7, it get's such an overdrive, you wouldn't guess it is the clean channel.. perfect for blues (although too loud for practice ;-)).
The lead channel is too simple, (although it has a magical sustain with a compressor in the effects loop. Perfect for Santana's Europa) it is nothing more than vintage, so don't hope to get a high-gain monster... But for vintage rock and blues, it is perfect. In spite of knowing, that it's a vintage amp, I give it 9 for it's clean channel.

I only gigged it once, but without any problems. Except one. We asked the man at the store to show us the amp. He plugged it in and turned the power on, but nothing happened. The I noticed, that the cabinet wasn't connected to the head... ;-) He connected it and then it worked. I bought it, but after a month it gave up... Yeah, right, the tubes had to be replaced because of the operating without impedance (cabinet). ;-)

Well, I bought it in a guitar store in Hungary. It isn't a main Ampeg-dealer. The man at the store sucked, he blowed the tubes... They replaced them under warranty, but i took almost 6 weeks... and instead of the Groove Tubes, they gave me two nameless chinese Tubes... ;-)

It is a true vintage jazz/blues/vintage-rock amp. Nothing more. It sounds great for these styles. The only thing I'm missing is an individual EQ for each channel, and more gain on the lead channel.

Good Features

Somes Perfect for Punk Rock. But its distortion sucks. You should buy a pedal for that. The Clean channel is great.

Never broke yet.

Never needed it.

I like this one better than my mesa/boogie triple rectifier.

Made in 2000, very versatile for vintage sounds, not suited for modern heavy metal, dual channels (drive and clean switched)effects loop. Has plenty of power, for the really big venues you go thru the board anyway. Tube driven amp 12AX7's and 6L6's.

I play a Gibson Tennessean and a 68 Fender Strat thru this amp. This head excells for vintage rock and blues. Very quiet as far as hum goes. This amp is good for playing loud on stage and gives those sounds from the 60's ranging from clean to warm blues overdrive.

I have used this amp without a backup many times now. It has never broken down on me and seems to be of superior quality in it's manufacturing. I have NEVER had this amp serviced or done anything to it besides clean the beautiful blue diamond covering.

If you're looking for a vintage 60's sound, no matter what style, you can't go wrong with this amp! It's got the sounds, it's got the looks, and it's got the durability.

This is a late 90's all-tube 50W head. I bought it with the matching 412 cab. It features two channels, clean and distortion, switchable with a footswitch or a toggleswitch on the amp. Has heavenly reverb, which can also be turned off and on from the footswitch. Has two imputs, one for guitar and one for an accordian. Never tried it with an accordian.

for the money this amps clean channel is the best you can get. I never use the distortion, which is weak. I play through a boss blues driver to get distortion sounds. If you're looking for a tube amp with a great clean base to build from, this amp is worth checking out.

never had a problem with it, but only owned it for a couple months. I know the store I bought it from would honor the generous 5 year warranty.

if it was lost I would definitely get it again. I love the clean sound it makes. it's perfect to build from with pedals. there is nothing I hate about it. Of course it could be packed with features such as tremelo but for the price it's incredible.

High and low gain channels, 3 channel EQ, clean channel A and distortion channel B. It's a real meat and potatoes type of amp, nothing fancy but it gets the job done. The effects loop has been pretty useless to me so far.

I traded a guitar for this head (got it new)with the intention of using it just for clean tones. Once I started playing it on a daily basis I came to love this amp. I use a '61 reissue SG and the amp really compliments it well. The clean channel is one of the best I've ever heard, and when coupled with an external EQ (I use the Boss eq) it gets even better. The distortion is not for scooped-out metal, but if you're going for that classic rock sound then I'd reccommend it. Individual notes ring out very well through the distortion but the tone is very raw and grindy. For something heavier I'd just use a stomp box distortion pedal on the clean channel.

No problems so far, it can take a beating and still keep going.

Haven't dealt with the company yet, but I assume that they'd stand by their work.

I've been playing for almost 7 years and this is my first tube amp. I had been using a Marshall Valvestate but once I dedicated myself to the Ampeg I haven't regretted it. Although it lacks a big bottom-end type of sound, it suits my style very well. If it was stolen I'd probably get another one. This amp's a real workhorse and I'm sure I'll continue to use it.

I bought this amp and cab new around june 98. I'm not in a pro band or any thing I just like to jam out with buddies. So therefore I don't know to much about road wear on this amp. I play any thing from sabbath to the dead. As stated above you're probbally not going to use an amp like this for "crazy hard metal". Most features are listed in the previous submissions. 50 watts all tube w/ 2 channels and a foot switch, effects loop. It has two imputs at different dB ratings, but not evident upon seeing (I learned this from manual w/ 0dB and like -6dB or something). Plenty of power (they say I'm too loud). I' was shopping for a tube amp and was leaning towards a jcm2000. But for the price of the marshall head I could own the ampeg head and cab. It does have styling like no other.

This amp sounds great with a strat. Ialso have an gibson sg and an epi es335. They all sound good but single coils wail. Noisy on dist channel but I can live with it. With gain at 10 and a roto vibe or such nice amounts a "Hendrix/ Trower" could occur. Though when it gets hot the clean gets alittle distorted which I don't like. This amp is loud and when jamming with a "heavy drummer" I don't need to go past 4 on vols. I would rate the dist at about 5.

I feel its very reliable but on the other hand I don't play out to much so wear and taer would be a lot less than some. Just for kicks I switched the preamp tube (the volume was dropped dramaticaly) but I changed it back to stock. It does have stock Groove Tubes which I beliave are deceant.

Never dealt with the company but I'm glad this baby is American made and it comes with a 5 year warranty.

I've been playing for about 5 years. Before this I owned and still do a pignose studio 60r, which is a solid state head from the 70's I think and died last christmas. I also own an early 70's peavy musician w/ tons of crappy built-in effects. Both don't compare to this. A great bargin for the buck ,but not quite sure if I would replace it with another. I wish dist had a bit more "balls" to it.Don't take anybody's word as law find one and check it out the also come in combos. Please drop a note and share some tips.

The setup is quite simple. It features reverb, master, bass, mid, treble, volume (which effects the clean setting volume), and gain controls. The EQ controls don't really effect the structure of the sound, aside from loosening the bass response. If you play with several different sounds (especially modern thrash), this amp is not for you because it will only produce essentially one sound. Although that one sound is excellent.
I can't go without mentioning the aesthetics. It has the vintage blue diamond vinyl covering with silver mesh over the front. White vinyl striping lines the grill, as well. It sports a 50's space-age Ampeg logo and has a blue pilot light. Not only will it sound original, but it will stand out from the masses of boring-looking amps. Get the matching cab for the full effect (which, by the way, gives it great definition and comes on removable casters).

Here's where the fun begins. The distortion is quite potent. it's a grindy tube tone that sounds more classic than modern, but still fits extremely well into modern musical stylings. The focus in designing this was obviously to emphasize the tubiness rather than to create some high-gain monster like many manufacturers these days. I prefer to use a lower gain setting that makes it even more responsive to the intensity at which I play the guitar (around 4 or 5 on the dial, and i have my tubes biased low to bring the gain down as well). At this setting, the amp really shines through. It will be your best friend when you need to cut through a loud mix, live or in the studio.
Paired with a Les Paul, this amp really "purrs". The distortion is very warm and harmonic, with a good blend of bite to it. I have also used a 60's ES-335 through it with the coil tap engaged. This way, the amp is characteristic of a Matchless. In fact, i do equate this amp with the big names like Matchless and Bogner in terms of its distinctive, midrange crunch. Tele lovers will not be disappointed, as i pair a Fender and a G&L ASAT through it regularly, and am greeted by great responses. The R-50H is very sparkly without sounding too biting, and retains all the snappiness of a Tele in its distortion setting.
The clean channel is very tube-like, too. Not quite a Fender, but still an applausibly well-rounded clean tone. The headroom is decent enough, but sometimes will distort slighty when being played hard. Part of that is just the nature of tubes in general. If you use mostly clean tones, like in funk or jazz, you should probably stay away from this amp. Though, if you do a lot of switching between crunch and clean, the clean tone will get the job done nicely.
This amp has more reverb than any amp i've ever heard, and might be a little bit superfluous, as it will completely drown out the original sound when turned all the way up. However, in moderation, it is a very surfy, resonant reverb.
As a note, I play in a very guitar-driven rock band, and this amp has been a workhorse for me. The 50 watts project well, and the tones are stupefying. Rockers of the same genre with a predilection for a classic yet modern crunch should check this one out.

This amp is very low-maintenance. It only implements five tubes, which means less things to break on you during use or on the road. The tubes are mounted by the base and housed fairly well, no clamps around the actual tubes like you might find on a Mesa/Boogie or something. Thumbs up for good design work.

The local Ampeg repairperson's phone number was given to me upon purchase, so I assume there would be no trouble getting this amp serviced quickly. However, I have not had any trouble with it (notice the outstanding reliability rating), and have not dealt directly with Ampeg.

The verdict? This amplifier is simply beautiful. It produces only one sound, but that sound is amazing for those who seek the ultimate tube grind. It is aesthetically pleasing, and best of all, the whole halfstack goes for just under $1000 dollars. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a distinctive amp, even among pools of amps costing as much as $3000 dollars. Congratulations to Ampeg for creating a fine piece of work. Don't close the deal without giving the R-50H a fair chance. This amp is worth spending some extra time seeking out.

This is the Reverberocket blue diamond series. It's a basic 50 watt all tube head. 3 12ax7's, 2 EL34's. 1 clean channel, 1 distorted. They share a common EQ and reverb. Effects loop via line out and in on front panel. 8/16 ohm impedance selector. Controls are 2 volumes (1 for each sound), 1 gain, bass, middle, treble, reverb. Footswitch to control channel select and reverb on/off. A foot switchable lead boost would have made it a better amp for me. For a 50 watt head, It is plenty loud. You won't have any problem cuttting through.

I checked it out with a vintage strat and the tone was very nice. The best clean sound I've ever heard out of a 4x12 cabinet (I tried it out with the matching blue diamond 4x12). Shimmering highs without being shrill. Just enough bass to be there, but not at all boomy. The gain channel had that cool vintage vibe. It still had great warm sustain even with my strat. It was a little noisy though, even with the guitar turned down. Easily remedied by switching to the clean channel between songs. Not a good amp for heavy metal. Great for classic rock though. Only other niggle was that it seemed once you got the volume over about 3 when in gain mode, the amp lost a little of it's character.

Seemed very basic. I can't imagine what would break other than tubes getting replaced.

Don't know.

I've been playing for 20 years. I currently own a Peavy Ultra Plus head as well. It beats the Peavey in the classic rock crunch mode and ion clean as well, but the Peavy is much more versitle and has a larger overall sonic pallette to choose from. I personally wouldn't have it as my only amp, but for classic tones it's perfect. Sure which it had a foot switchable boost. Anyone playing retro rock should definitely give this one a listen. Not real versitile, but what it does it does very well.