Ampeg Rocket 2 112 Combo

This is an update to my revious review- so take that into consideration. Featurea are still minimal ;-)

After one round of service, we noticed that one of the power tubes was glowing cherry red. Oh-h- that's usually the sign of a shorted output transformer, and that's exactly what it was.

$120 and a used transformer later, the amp was returned, sounding much louder and much cleaner- in fact, it sounds fantastic. But now I've got $250 in repairs, $40 for a new back, $70 for a new speaker, and the original $120 cost. That's $480, which might have been better spent towards a $600 Fender Hot Rod Deluxe.

Now that everything's been replaced, yeah, it should be good for a few more decades.

As the other reviewer says, this is a bare bones amp, with volume, treble, bass, and the best tremelo even put on an amp! One channel, but two inputs marked "Guitar" and "Accordian". (The hip players use "Accordian" as it has more gain.) It's a fine basic amp for 1966.

Quiet, no hum (well, mine was just serviced) and a good range of tone controls. Good for jazz at low volumes, or not-too-loud rock and R&B. The trememo makes it a super surf amp.

When it breaks up it's not as smooth as a single-ended Champ, but it has possibilities.

This puppy lasted 40 years, and the only service it's had in the ten years I've owned it is new tubes, a new coupling cap, and a three-wire power cord for safety.

The Ampeg that made this amp is no more, so you're on your own. (The newer Ampegs are really a different organization)

Been playing 35 years and I have seen a lot of gear go by. This is a fun amp- kind of limited, but good for those clean and bright 1960s guitar sounds. I particularly like to use it with my Rickenbacker 330-12.

I wouldn't use it on stage today- it's not very loud, for one thing- although plenty were used back in the old days. Might use it in a coffeehouse gig.

Would I replace it if it was stolen? No. But I'd miss it.

Made in 1966. Bare bones - Volume, Treble, Bass, and trem controls - Speed and intensity. Two inputs; Guitar and Accordian, with the accordian being the preferred input, as it is much hotter. 7591 tubes make this the real deal. I don't use the tremlo much, even though it sounds cool, and is very versitle. It shares a tube with another circuit, and reduces volume a great deal. Thus, the tremolo works great for recording, but not for live work, without an attentive regular soundman.

I've used this for many years with a variety of instruments. Strat, Les Paul Classic '60, ES-135, and electric violin. Plug straight in, crank it up, and you get killer 60's tone ala Vox AC-30. Retains each guitars character with clarity. Records well at reasonable volumes. Works well on most stages. I've used it with a Mesa Studio Preamp in live situations with much success. This gives me a hard edged "clean" sound and saturated overdrive sound (a $500 distortion box!). With the electric violin, I get a nice "dark" sax/blues harp type of tone. Super cool. This thing rocks.

40 years and still going strong! I've used in for years without an out right failure. I have had it overhauled. Tubes were hard to find, but EH make outright matches now. Remember everyone, ELECTROLYTIC CAPS ONLY LAST ABOUT 20 YEARS UNDER REGULAR USE! LESS IF THEY ARE NOT PLAYED REGULARLY, OR AT LEAST TURNED ON FOR A FEW HOURS EVERY MONTH. If you get one of these, get it re-capped immediately, and you will be rewarded with tone,tone, and more tone.

Warranty is not an issue, given the age of this thing. Wouldn't matter anyway, as reliable as this puppy is.

Been playing for 26 years. I play guitar, bass, violin, and keys. I have tube amps spanning 4 decades. This is my hands down favorite, with a silver face Vibrochamp coming in a close second ( not loud enough for live use, although I did an outdoor gig with the Champ for 2000+ with a good monitor system!). I love the ease of getting a good tone by simply plugging in, the reliability, as well as the versitility. If this amp were lost or stolen, I'd curl up in a fetal position and cry! I have yet to find a guitar that this does not do justice.