B-52 Pro Audio AT-100 Tri-mode Rectifier Head

3 channels, 1 clean and 2 dirty...good for anything I play...bought at Musicians Friend in 2005. Use for recording and is brillent for this purpose powering 2 Eminence 'Man 'O War's' speakers in Cabinet. I use the Sovteck Tubes, and various preamp tubes...dont use loops, seems to cause distortion, think it's the effects used.

Good sound, noisey on the dirty channels at any higher volumes...good for GreenDay style, rock blues, some punk...punk good with pedal...

NOW, this is where this amp goes way down...since I had it (light studio use I mind you) bubbling tolex, broken reverb spring on arrival, very heavey one sided, front guitar jacks broke...just little things in a stationay inviroment.

I communicated with Avi at b-52 a few times via email (i'm sure it was the customer support staff) replaced reverb tank and bubbling cabinet, didnt cover front broken guitar jacks....only had 90 day warranty on Input jacks.

i dont think these amps will hold up well over time...poor componet layout and inside parts seem cheap...

100 Watt 3 channel 1 clean,2 overdrive,Tri-mode rectifier,SS Diodes,class AB ,class A. I'm updateing my earlier review from last year,amp still going strong sounding real good,mostly use clean & OD1,sometimes OD2.play everyday usally LOUD!!!

I run 2 Carvin 4-12's w/V30's in a stack, amp suits my tastes, i can play Recto Gain, Metal Rock, Classic Rock,Blues and Spanking sparkling clean.Can DO teh BrooTalZ....

Had it almost 2 years no major issues, good amp for the money, I put a Mercury Magnetics Output Transformer in myself,run Sovtex 6L6WXT's in the power section NOS Mullard's in V1&V2 in V3&V4 I run two NOS GE 5751's and on the input resistor put a 600volt 50,000 pf capacitor to brighten things up a bit. Sounds AWESOME!!!!

Emailed them last year for a schematic, got it no problem.

I wouldn't rule out picking up another amp in the future,not cause theres anything wrong with this one, but because i'm a gearhead, if lost or stolen I wouldn't have a problem buying another B-52 AT-100.

The amp was purchased in 2007, I don't know when it was made. I bought it used after the original owner replaced the tubes. The Amp is one of the most versatile tube amps on the market, even not considering it's insanely low price, and can handle any style of music fairly well. It comes with two adjustable gain channels, and these channels are definitely the same assuming you have the same settings on them, though some people may imagine differences. It has a contour knob which is assignable to either or both of the gain channels and separate volume and gain knobs for each channel, though they share an EQ. The clean channel has an independent EQ, a "bright switch" which boosts the treble, and it's own channel volume. There is also a low-resonance control, which adds some serious power to your low end and is a feature that needs to be included on more amps! It makes your palm mutes sound really amazing and forceful without making your sound excessively muddy. Finally, it has a reverb control which applies itself to both channels. Whew! That's a boatload of features, now let's talk about their faults. Obviously first of all there's no eq for both gain channels which limits the amount of customization and differentiation between the two gains, not a huge deal really. Then there's no presence knob, which really hurts the overdrive channels. It's not so bad for the clean channels s ince there's the bright switch to boost the high end, but for overdrive channels I found the lack of a presence knob very inconvenient. Finally, the reverb is close to useless and very weak. You'll need reverb from another source. I use the reverb mostly on the clean channel, the cleans sound pretty "wet" without the reverb enabled, but when you do enable it the difference is much too small. While the b-52 is a very versatile amp with some unique features like the low res and the contour knob, you're going to need some pedals no matter what. I play a few styles of music, primarily death metal, doom metal, post-rock, ambient, and jazz. For this I needed extremely high gain capability as well as fenderish cleans, and not any need for medium gain crunch. b-52 delivered for the most part but wasn't without it's flaws. The b-52 at-100 also includes a 3 way rectifier switch, included mostly as a gimmick so that people will compare it to a mesa. There's definitely a slight difference though.

I'm using 2 different guitars, an Ibanez RG120 with stock pickups tuned to B standard and a cheap Squier 7 string tuned down to A standard, also with stock pickups. The amp has enough gain for extreme metal styles, technically, but you'll need to turn the gain up to 8 or dime it to get there, and that causes a great deal of fizz. I stuck my line 6 toneport, which is sort of like an expanded computer based POD, as a preamp and that fixed the gain problem right up. I could roll down the gain to 6 o clock at most and still have just the right amount of gain using some of the pedal emulation in the toneport as well as the noisegate. This amp is VERY VERY noisy in the overdrive channels, you will need a noisegate no matter what. It's not noisy at all in the clean channel. The distortion is very good overall, it doesn't sound like a Mesa or a Marshall as many people claim. I found it sounded very very similar to the peavey valveking actually. With the contour knob, it can be smooth and midrangey, scooped and brutal, or a slightly grainy but very warm midrange tone without the contour engaged. The 3- rectifier settings make a slight difference in the overdrive sound, tube A sounds really grainy to my ears but is very well suited toward medium gain type sounds, tube AB is perfect for monster gain balls out metal sounds, but it's still a little warm. Solid state has a treble with a little more attack and slightly tighter bass, but sounds a little more sterile. The sound is a little muddy, but that's likely a result of me tuning down so far while using cheap stock pickups.
The clean channel is where this thing really trumps almost the other high gain amps on the market. The B-52 at-100 is really special because while it has almost as much gain as the big boys, the mesas, the 5150s, the Marshalls, and the ENGLs, it doesn't sacrifice so much from it's clean channel. If you need fenderish cleans but also want brutal chunky distortion that isn't thin and fizzy like fenders, you can have it for much less money than you could one of the "boutique" tube amps. The clean channel has a lot of customizability, can sound really sparkley or really natural and acoustic. It doesn't break up at high volumes at all and stays crystal clear. You will need some outside reverb though unfortunately.

Haven't had any problems yet.

Haven't dealt with them.

I've only been playing about a year and a half, the only other gear I own is a cheap marshall practice amp and a line 6 toneport which I used stand alone as a modeler for a long time before making the leap into tubes. If it were lost or stolen, I'd have a tough decision between this and a 5150(the holy grail of extreme metal). If you're mostly a metalhead looking balls loads of gain and don't really care about the cleans, don't buy this amp, either save up for a single rectifier or go with a 5150. If, however, you plan to make extensive use of the clean channel and don't want to have to use the ****** clean channels supplied on most high gain amps, this is the amp for you. You can do anything from jazz, blues, classic rock, country, or heavier styles like extreme metal or hardcore. This amps main selling point is it's versatility and it's unique features. You will need some pedals in front of this thing though, but as it's around a 3rd of the price of more popular brand names which are barely better, that won't be such a problem. 8.5/10.

I use this mainly for metal/hardcore. It's got a nice clean channel and two brutal gain channels. I really like being able to change the tone of the two gains by using the little switch (contour, I think it's called.) The only thing I wish it had was seperate EQ's for each gain channel. For the price, I understand it can't have everything. Overall, quite a decent arsenal of features.

I'm a metal/hardcore geek ala Crowbar, Corrosion, Clutch... anything beginning with the letter 'C'. I currently run an LTD EC-500 with EMG 81 & 85 straight through into an Avatar 412 with G12T-75's and V30's in an X. The distortion is chunkier than a mofo as-is and I don't need to run any pedals. It can be very hissy at high volumes (which it always seems to be set on), but I'm used to it. I may get a noise gate or Hush pedal in the future.

I had this head for about 3 months and noticed an annoying "ringing" after I would palm mute anything. I bought some new Sovtek tubes for V1 and V2, but no change. So, since I bought the GC Performance Guarantee, I shipped it off to Akron for a two week vacation. The tech told me that the Sovtek tubes I was using were probably louder than the stock Chinese ones that it came with. He did a bunch of tube switching until he settled on Svetlanas. Seems to really have quieted down the ring. I'll probably replace all the Chinese tubes with Svetlanas soon.

Customer support was awesome. They will email their schematic and tube chart if you just call. I spoke with a guy named Todd and he was top notch. When my warranty runs out, I plan to use an authorized B-52 service center which I found much closer to home.

Features wise the amp is a little above average due to the rectifier select switch. That feature alone actually makes is pretty versatile. it also has an effects loop, channel switching (switching between clean and overdrive, then between the two overdrives). its 100 watts of tube power, so its a little bit too much for my uses right now. i pretty much use every feature with the exception of the effects loop.

first i use ibanez iceman guitars pretty much all around, one with the stock pickups and one with emg 81s and 85s. obviously the emgs scream a lil more than the passives. imho, it works very well for blues, classic rock and (dear i say it) metal. if you take some time with it u can pretty much get any style out it. the amp is noisy though, with the gain set to the highest (obviously) you can barely make it past 3 on the master volume. and even going down with the gain and up with the volume it is still quite noisy. and i agree with the user below, the effects loop is pretty much crap. the clean channel is clean at pretty much all volume levels, and it has that bloom you kinda expect from a tube amp. probably the best feature/channel on the amp. the distortion is pretty awesome as well, albeit a little noisy as i stated before.

ive only had the amp about two or three months and so far so good. its an electronic so anything is prone to happen, thats why i got the guitar center performance guarantee so im covered either way. the amp does run pretty hot in class A mode (you know THE MOST IN EFICIENT MODE EVER CREATED) which of course its going to especially at higher volumes. you'd have to be a fool to not realize that. i put a fan on it and im not too concerned about that anymore. oh, and the tolex scuffs easily, but im not putting it on my mantle for show, so i dont care about that anyways... it could completly fall off for all icare.

never used em'

ive been playing for about 6/7 years and before this amp i pretty much stuck with solid states because i like aconstant sound. i also have a valve jr head, with weeping demon wah, whammy, a various other nick nacks to keep me tinkerin. if it were lost or stolen, id be up for parole in about a few years, but depending on the loot i had at the time probably. i love the versatility of the amp, not so keen on the noisiness, other than that all pluses. i love the tone, as its pleasing to my ear (which every one seems to forget, tone is subjective). after comparing it to the spider valve, the windsor, valve king and various other favorites of people who fear taking chances... pound for pound sound for sound this guy won out. if it were less noisy id say itd be the best bang for buck amp. as far as the whole, this amp sux because its not built well, id had marshalls die out on me for no reason, so dont give me that crap. the honest truth i could say is go out and try one, i mean really try one out and form a decision for yourself, i can stand by that statement.

For features, this is an average head. Anymore, there are so many options on channel-switching heads that you can spend a few days just learning how your amp functions. The AT-100 is much less so. I liked the rectifier select, although the best-sounding setting (Class A) ran the amp a little too hot for comfort and the solid-state rectification sounded too inarticulate and lifeless. So there's really only one rectification setting that was worth using (A/B).

The switchable reverb is a plus, but it's so weak, it's not even worth having on the amp!

The two gain channels are identical. Those who think they sound different are imagining things. They're voiced exactly the same. Additionally, the contour function saves the preamp voicing on the gain side from being altogether too midrangey. The gain also does not clean up well when you back off your guitar volume. Medium and low gain sounds are about impossible to dial in, unless you overdrive the clean channel which sounds OK.

The effects loop distorts easily and sucks volume when engaged making it impossible to use modulation effects before the power amp in anything approaching a usable tone.

The master volume also sucks tone. If you run it at anything less than 10, it removes some of the high end from your signal. Hence, I tended to run it maxed out and used individual channel volumes for adjusting loudness...which means that the master volume was a complete waste of a knob.

I'm using mid-output passive humbuckers (JB's, Tonezones) in all my guitars and I think this amp might be suited better to active pickups. The AT-100 is not an especially responsive amp. Considering it's price, it does sound pretty good, but it's failings in reliability and build quality ruin what should be a very good amplifier. (See above.)

In addition to what I've already mentioned, the gain channels are NOISY. I do understand that high gain comes with a certain amount of noise, but the noise level of the AT-100 is not acceptable. Your clue that B-52 understood this fact are the EH preamp tubes that come standard in the V-1 and V-2 positions. EH 12ax7's are known for eliminating unwanted hum and microphonics, and after testing EH pedals, I can see why this type of preamp tube was developed by EH (i.e., EH gear is F'ing NOISY). So, rather than tweak the preamp circuit (which takes time and money to engineer) they decided to cut noise by installing preamp tubes guaranteed to minimize preamp noise. The problem with that of course is that the preamp is STILL NOISY as hell! Add to that the fact that EH tubes are crap tonally. I replaced them with sino 12ax7's in all positions and was rewarded with much improved tone, but with the ever-present noise still intact.

Adding an EQ in the effects loop helps the gain channels a lot, but is a hassle because of the mind-numbingly bad loop (again, see above).

The clean channel is good, except that it suffers the same problem with the master volume as the gain channel (see above), although, it isn't so great that I can understand the hype about it. It's decent, that's all.

Why did I buy it in the first place? I liked the gain sounds with the resonance turned up, and for some reason I can't quite understand, all gear sounds better in the store than it does at home. I should start to compensate for this effect somehow and save myself the trouble of cycling through so much gear. But anyway, the gain channels when dialed in well have a very nice bloom to them, very much like a triple rec. Note however, that this is primarily due to the Sovtek 6L6WXT's that come standard. I changed them out with EH 6L6's and was flabbergasted at how much worse my sound got. So I put the Sovtek's back in and left them. I'm now a Sovtek fan and I can understand why Mesa and Fender tend to use them as stock power tubes.

All in all, the price is great, the sound is ok, but B-52's manufacturing problems and poor design erase what value this amp could have.

The reverb is practically useless. The master volume is a complete tone-sucker. The effects loop distorts easily. And the class-A rectifier setting is harmful to the amp. The tolex is extremely fragile. The amp always runs hotter than it should.

Add all that to the fact that this amp has a reputation for shoddy performance and reliability, and this amp is officially a dud.

It's just not worth the money no matter how cheap it is.

I traded this amp in before it developed any major problems. I count myself as lucky.

If B-52 ever decides to address the problems inherent in their materials and manufacturing of the AT-100, they could be producing a very, VERY respectable high-gain head. As it is, it's not worth anyone's time. I realize that this is a budget head, but an unreliable amp won't save anyone money no matter how good it sounds. And, since the B-52 leaves a few things to be desired sonically, I don't see the advantage of owning one. Save your money for equipment you can depend on!

I would be extremely hesitant to buy any B-52 product at this point.

ok, so like i got one of these B52 at-100s after reading the reviews on this site and elsewhere, and it pretty much lives up to what is said. i've had it for two months now and it's louder than hell, the clean channel (with the brightness switch) sparkles beautifully, and the distortion is pretty decent (tho being more of noise guy, i could use a bit more fuzz - but my metal friend was able to dial in a pretty mean and heavy black metal sound quite easily). however it sounds good with all of my pedals, so yeah, i think it's actually quite versatile for the price and what you get. definitely a good starter for a tube amp, which is how i've approached, as it is my first tube amp and i wasn't ready to drop 2-3 grand on an amplifier. it's definitely an upgrade from my $350 crate amp, haha! and i've definitely already damaged my ears with the damn thing. gotten wear them earplugs everytime, cuz this mofo is loud!!

ok, so i guess you gotta replace the tubes, that's pretty much a given, tho i reckon it sounded decent with what it had. the reverb tho, was crap as the reputation preceded it. mine barely worked at first, so i contacted the company, and they said if i shipped it to them that they would fix it and ship it back for free. but at 62+ pounds, that was a no go. anyway, it crapped out on me entirely after a month, cuz the springs are ***** and just popped completely out, so i just got a new tank put in. still not terribly wet, but i'm gonna get a holiest grail eventually anyway, so whatever.

well i blew out a preamp tube after a month and a half right as i was getting ready to do some recording, so that sucked, and the line out seems noisy as all hell, but maybe that was cuz the tube was about to blow out (but it seemed like it wasn't grounded properly).

took a couple days to hear back from tech support when i had issues with the busted *** reverb. the warrently is pretty worthless cuz it'll cost you as much to ship it to them for repair as it will to get it repaired in town.

i'd say this is a solid starter tube amp. i will probably upgrade in a couple years or continue to mod it out as needed. it has all of the fundamentals for a really affordable price and the sparkling clean channel really is bright and sunny. really the main issue is that it is heavy as hell and is not balanced in weight (the left side is way heavier than the right side). it's hard to move around becuz of the way it is weighted and i'm almost always afraid the top holder strap is gonna rip off and the thing will fall crashing to the floor.

I went through 4 of these pieces of ****....... they all seem to have the same problem with the OUTPUT TRANSFORMERS, the first I owned for about 6 months and then it died.... so I got a new one thinking it was something I did... (not owning a Furman and all)
The 2nd one I took it out of the box and it came dead.
the 3rd one same issue as the 2nd one.
finally I had some luck with them 4th one..... and then when I thought I had gotten rid of the bad stream of luck.... It died again. But the sound was ok for the time being

NOT RELIABLE..... you will spend more money buying new ones that it will just be worth buying a Laney, Mesa, or a Marshall from the get go.
I highly suggest to not get this amp..... you will regret it if you aren't the kind to switch your pwr tubes once every 3 months at most.

Customer support is terrible.... they have some ******* frech dude working there who doesn't know what the **** he is doing.

crap

Some features on this head are really cool...some not so much. I'm actually on my second one and I noticed that, along with a $200 price drop since I bought my first, some of the quality has gone out of these. Most notably, the preamp tubes on my first one were EH 12ax7's (and one 12at7) which are fairly decent for stock tubes. My new head came with these cheap-as-hell, no name Chinese tubes(the same kind they put in ART Tube MP mic preamps, which if you're smart you'll replace imediately). So it's pretty much a given that you'll be spending over $100 to replace them right off the bat. I went with GT's this time. I like JJ's too...lots of balls. Wasn't too happy that I had to spend the extra money though. I the rectifier tube in my head was also faulty so I replaced that with GT 5AR4. The only good thing is that if you can't replace the recto tube you can just use the solid state setting on the head and it will still work. The power tubes are sovtek's which are actually not bad at all, though I plan on eventually rebiasing my amp for KT88's.

As far as the amp's functions: I've been using the head for about 3 years so I'm pretty used to it. The only thing I wish it had was a separate EQ and a switchable (on/off) contour for each overdrive. Besides that the amp is darn good. Really loud when I need to be and sounds better the higher I crank the volume. A half stack is more than enough for pretty much any mid-size club.

I play metal and that is what this amp is good at. I don't think it would be right for softer rock styles.

With high output pickups and cranked gain it can get pretty noisy depending on your environment. I don't really get any radio signals through it but I do get a lot of noise from lights and other electronics. The best tip I can give if GET A VOLTAGE REGULATOR AND A POWER CONDITIONER. It's the best thing I've ever done for my tone. A good Furman will clean up all the excess distortion from dirty power and makes this amp sound like a million bucks.

As for the sound of the amp: the clean channel is ok and will sound good or bad mainly depending on what kind of guitar and pickups you use. Lower out-put pups will probably sound best if you want a really really clean tone. Going through the low input, higher output will push the clean channel when the volume is at 11 o'clock or higher. The high input jack can be really friggin loud on the clean channel and this may not be a good thing because it's harder the balance the two channel volumes. As far as tone, I'd say the clean on this amp resembles a marshall somewhat, depending on what rectifier setting you use.

The Overdrives on this amp are very good. Without the contour on, I'd say they resemble a high gain marshall as well. The mids are really pronounced and the lows have great crunch as long as you don't go nuts with the low res control. The red channel seems much drier than the green and a little darker sounding with emphasis on the lower mids. The green channel has much more gain and more emphasis on the higher mids with slightly rounded off highs. Great as a lead boost since it also seems to be a bit louder than the red channel and has more sustain and harmonics. I usually have the red channel gain at around 2 o'clock and the green's back at 11 o'clock so I have good crunch and clarity on both while emphasizing the differences between the two. I also set the red volume higher to even it out with the green (both volumes are at around 3 o'clock where they tend to sound best). Low res at about 9o'clock and everything through a BBE and this thing really rips.
I don't use the contour at all. I agree with one of the other reviewers who said that it makes the amp sound kind of weak. It seems to be an attempt to make the Mesa recto sound available on this head but I just don't think it works to well. I've used Mesa's to record and they sound much more powerful. The mid contour on this head tends to cut the presence from your sound too so I stay away from it. I think I'd just go with a pedal if I was really interested in that particular type of distortion tone.

My first one actually burned out on me a few weeks ago (almost exploded). It was an internal electrical problem most likely caused by bad power in the room I rehearse in. Never had any problems with it before that and I got a Furman conditioner and regulator with my new head to make sure it doesn't happen again. I would and have gigged without a backup.

Never dealt with customer service. The only repairs I had done was a rebiasing on my first head to replace the power tubes. I think it would probably cost too much to have my original head fixed up so I just bought a new one.

I've been playing long time and although I don't have my dream rig yet, I'm satisfied with this amp as a center piece to my set up. What i love about it is that it tends to surprise people in the other bands I play shows with. A lot of people don't expect this amp to sound as good as it does. You just have to figure out what it's good at doing.
What I hate about it is that it's heavy as hell and it doesn't feel like a quality piece of equipment compared to some other amps. My bandmate has a Framus Cobra and just from picking it up it feels like its worth the $2500 it costs.
But all in all its a great product. Probably the best of all the cheaper tube heads that are becoming available now. I compared it to a Peavy Valveking and I like the B52 much better. It has way more attack and raw power. Of course a VHT Deliverance 120 will blow this thing out of the water but what else could you expect? Until i win the lotto I'll just happily stick with this amp.

B52 AT100 yeah ok I bought this amp from my friend, and it seems he got gypped! for one thing, the circuit he got is not reliable! Why does it always seem to blow a voltage regulator when we go to a gig ???
why do they advertise a birchwood Plywood cabinet when it is particle board. and last but not least all tube means ALL TUBE not 4558s with tubes. MY advise is to stick with a Fender Bandmaster or AMPEG or Marshall or other alltube design and not a falsely advertised hybrid
Signed
Arthur Wayne Smith

NO

I can never seem to contact them
it a good thing I rebuild old fender amps and have a large collection of marshal schematics

Way Cool Triple Mesa Knock-off!
Three channels with footswitch for efx and reverb
Ohm selectrot on back
effects loop

Played a mex tele thru it at guitar center yesterday!

Clean channel- nice and spanky, eq. has lots of control
Couldn't get a believable surf tone with verb. I don't
think it was intended for surf though. With the neck pick-up I
got very cool clean chunky fat rythmn tone! SRV-ish.!! VERY GOOD!

Channel two- Great chunk, plenty of guts for hard rock, switched to
the bridge pick-up and ran thru some power chords very pleasing!

Channel three- Very heavy distortion, excellent crunch,with the contour knob you can flip between Mesa/Marshall fairly convincing
tones. I played this for about a 1/2 hour and it kicked out good tone for the money, $599.00 list, I bet I could get it for 5 if I tried. I'm giving it a 9, only because I own only tube amps and this amp would benifit greatly with a set of Grove Tubes or Sovtek. The price to retube this head would be pretty steep, This is one rweason they are selling it for so cheap.

As I was playing ch3 the amp volume died! Right in front of the GC Sales Guy, hehehe..Channel 1 & 2 were fine, most likely just a tube thing. We fiddled with it , powered off and on, and it did it again, only on ch3...hmmm....?
The amp is new at GC and it is not functioning proper after 1/2 hr of demo. It pains me to write this cause the tones are excellent and I like this amp and will be watching reviews closley to see how it works in the future. A big fat 5.

I've been playing since I was ten, I'm 41 now, not that I sound as good as I should! I went thru the 80's rack gear thing, playing in metal bands in so. ca. I'm into tube amps now. I have great collection of them, plexi, twin ,deluxe, champ etc. I like the B-52 for the fact that it pays attention to all types of styles, you can get alot of cool tones out of it for under 600.00 a fraction of cost compared to a JCM or a Boogie, So for those who can't afford the Benchmark there is now an option, Way Cool time to be a player. Go tube! Even a cheap tube amp set up right will out perform a solid state job hands down, furthermore when we say a tube amp we mean
Tube preamp and tube power stage! None of this hybrid stuff!

100w all tube power, 3 channels, global resonance and reverb, master volume, tri mode rectifier (class a, ab, and solid state modes.) assignable countour control for overdrive channels. Made in ~2004

This amp sounds great for the money with the stock tubes, but you won't believe how much better it will sound after you change the preamp tubes! The stock tubes which came in mine were crappy chinese tubes that were pretty harsh sounding, the power amp tubes however are very good in my opinion (sovtek 5881 wxt's). I replaced all the preamp tubes (except for the phase inverter) with sovtek 12ax7wxt+s, the reverb 12at7 with an electro-harmonix 12at7, and the rectifier with a groove tubes 5ar4 and wow! What a difference! So much more clarity and warmth and alot less noise as well! This amp has a very sweet clean channel that you wouldn't expect for a high gain amp, you can peg it pretty far and it won't break up much at all. The overdrive channels are definitely intense and depending on the settings, are reminiscent of marshall and mesa amps. Overdrive 1 is chunk city and is what I use for distorted guitar at all times except for solos, I never take the gain past 2 o'clock as it loses definition and gains noise past that mark. overdrive 2 is similarly voiced to #1 but has more of a smooth, silky quality to it and less "chunk". It has more gain than #1 so I usually set the gain lower than gain 1 to retain some defintion. The assignable contour knob is an essential element to getting the sound you want, it is basically a midrange filter that will scoop or boost your midrange. I keep mine pretty much up the middle @ 12 o'clock for my desired tone. the global resonance feature basically tunes in how much low end "oomph" you want from the amp and is very usefull for tuning the amp to the room and the other instruments you're playing with. The tri mode rectifier further tailors your low end sound. class a has that classic tube "sag" to it, very warm and vintage in tone, great for classic rock, blues and mellower tones. Class a/b ads a little more chunk and definition to the low end and is my personal favorite, it seems to keep just the right balance of warmth and definition to my tone. The solid state rectifier setting is very chunky but ads a sharp attack to the high end as well. This setting doesn't please my ears as well as the other two. It seems a little harsh to me, I think some death metal guys would like it though, just because it ads some brutality to the sound! The reverb is pretty good, not the greatest spring unit I've ever heard, but not bad at all. Overall I rate it an 9 for stock tones with stock tubes, however with replacement tubes I'd rate it a 10! (I don't know if a perfect "10" even exists!)

It has not given me any problems to speak of, alot of people get these amps with broken reverb units for some reason, I guess I am fortunate and received a pretty solid one. The vinyl that covers this amp is not the most durable material and will get scuffs from being gigged if you don't have a case for it.

Charveldan here again That capacitor mod across the input resistor
is a 5000 [5K] pico-farad [not 50]. I didn,t want to throw someone
off.I wish the footswitch cord wasn't permanently attached and used coax 1/4" instead of T.R.S. phone. They also could have added a presence circuit to the amp instead of the contour feature.I guess cost was an isssue in manufacturing.

I run a rat pro co II, a wylde overdrive,banshee talkbox,T.C.elec.chorus/flanger,mxr phase 90,Morely dragon wah, and lil alligator volumepedal into a alesis 3630 compressor/gate into the front of the amp. Through the effects loop i run a BBE362 maximizer, rack rider dual 15band E.Q. and alesis midiverb....I got quite the TONE MONSTER GOING ON!!!the amp by itself i give a 5 for tone but with all this gear i give it a 9

So far so good. only had the amp 10 months and haven't gigged with it yet so it only gets a 5 for now.

very helpful at B-52 pro.com

Been playing for 35 years, i kinda ended up with this amp by chance
bought from a friend.: I have a very professional sound/tone and although not my first choice for amps my B-52 AT-100 really kicks butt!! so im changing my overall rating from my last review from 7 to 9.

Tri-mode rec [not triple like mesa] amp is very veratile for blues,rock,classic rock,metal,even punk and possibly jazz? 3 channels,[clean,and 2 overdrive] effects loop no phone jack,right now not playing out practice in my apt.[drive neighbors nuts!] amp has plenty of power but comes with cheezy tubes,retubed with sovtex 6l6 wxt's in power an old britsh mullard in#1 position a tung-sol 12ax7[new] in#2 slot and 2 5751 jan tubes in spots3&4 also upgraded output trasformer & choke with mercury magntics [absolutely phenomenal,recomend a good amp tech for install.

I play hard rock w/gold top les paul w/seymour duncan "custom" at brige of most my guitars[9] i ibanez 2 peavey vandenbergs the rest charvel/jackson new&old.The amp could use a presence knob as it kinda has a darker voicing than say a marshall or mesa but overall a decent tone.amp guru Gerald Weber recomends dropping a 47up or 50up [pico-farad]600v.capacitor across the input resistor to let more high's through the signal path...works great,stock O.T. ok but an upgrade from Mercury mags is the way to "stand me against the wall tone" it sounds like my old JMP MK II 50 watt marshall!!!!

The reverb came w/broken spring [took out tank] avi at B-52 pro said send him copy of reciept he'd send a new unit...prefer my alesis midi-verb better. Amp power transformer runs too hot..tucked an old computer fan[12v]inside front grill [took some work]B-52 components are made in china but the amps are "assembled" in calif??? I'll run this P.T.into the ground and when it dies upgrade w/merc-mags. all in all things are ok.

B-52 pro.com anserwed my E-mail next day and also sent me a pdf of the at-100 schematic upon request.

my first amp was a 2or4 watt from montgomery ward for X-mas in 1975 along with one of their guitars.i can't imagine a 12 or 15yr old starting out w/a at-100....Blows my mind. if your on a budget like a lot of us are [and you've heard this before]"it's the best bang for the buck"...If your looking for "legendary tone" go somewhere else but i will say with an O.T.upgrade the right tubes and a cap across the input this amp has some potential.

Don't really need to add much here. Its already been said below.Features are great for what you're paying though.

Sounds pretty good though not necessarily consistant. I play metal and rock..both lead and rythym. I use a Schecter 7 string with a DiMarzio D Activator in the bridge...not really an pedals. Just an rack effects processor and sonic maximizer and a HUSH unit for the noise.

Since I've had it, I've changed all the tubes except the recifier to Groove Tubes in the power section and JJ's in the pre (kept the EH's in the first two spots though).

An interesting point is that I always though that the high gain input would be best for me since I play metal...not so. I tend to switch between OD and clean channel a lot in my playing and the high gain input seems to push the clean channel way too much, especially with such a high output pickup as the D Activator. I'd have the universal and the clean channel volume at 9 o'clock and it would still be unbearably harsh and overly bassy and loud. No warmth at all no matter what I did and the 7th string would sound all muddyand overwhelming. So I tried going into the low input on the amp and it pretty much completely solved that problem. Clean sound is nice and warm although I still have the low knob turned down. The OD channels weren't really effected that much by the switch either and in fact they seem to have a bit more clarity this way...just had to turn the gain up a notch to get the right amount of sustain but I still only have them set at like 2 o'clock(12:30 on the green channel).

I love the sounds you can get out of this amp and I'm more and more convinced that the real difference between this one and the Mesas and Marshalls that everyone compares them with are the type of speakers you play through. I'm not a fan of the B52 speakers so much(I have the matching cab), but I've played it through a number of different backline cabs on gigs and the character of the amp can change dramatically depending on what I'm using. Honestly, if you're into high end brands, save up for a recto cab or a Marshall 1960, Vader, H&K, Budda or whatever, but save some cash by getting this head instead of what the big stars are using. They can usually afford it...unlike myself.

As far as noise, this head isn't bad as long as you have clean power. A Furman power conditioner is a good investment for anyone. The mid contour switch seems to help a bit with the noise because it cuts certain frequencies. I actually don't use it at all though because I think the amp sounds fuller and more powerful without it on. Most sound engineers will tell you that tons of gain is not great for maintaining balance between multiple instruments. If you crank the gain on this head past 1 or 2 o'clock you'll get a lot of noise even with a gate on. Plus I get cleaner driven tones that way that are still bad ass.

My reverb actually went out too not long after I had started gigging with this head. I removed it and saw that the a few of the springs had actually detached themselves from their mounts. Didn't seem like a very well made component but I have better reverbs on my effects unit anyway so I'm not worried.

There were actually a few instances where the amp didn't work for some reason at a couple gigs but I'm pretty sure it was the fault of bad power or other elements in my setup because so far its been a very rare occurance.

Haven't really dealt with them but if you need info from them I'd suggest writing an actual letter or calling on the phone. The few emails I've sent to them were never responded to.

I've been playing for a long time and this is definately the best amp I've owned. I used to use an Ibanez Tone Blaster cheapy SS amp and then a used, early 80's Ampeg tube head (which sounded like shit because the tubes in it were probably from the same era and I couldn't afford new ones at the time). I just think B52 is the shit for making a tube amp that I can afford and which sounds really good. I've had the occassion to use Marshalls, Mesas, VHT, H&K, Peavy, Engl and various others. And honestly, with the execption of maybe the VHT Deliverance and the Mesa Triple Rec, most of these brands are not worth the money in my opinion(especially Marshall...JVM is nothing special). Again, I'd say if you're willing to go top dollar on something, do that with the speaker cab and/or the guitar itself, then buy this head because it will sound great. Period.

A nice clean channel (the bright setting is a lot like my buddy's Fender deluxe), two gain channels, contour controls, etc..

The amp is very versatile! You can lower the gain on gain 1 (turn off contour) and get a nice AC/DC or Aerosmith sound... more gain and you get heavier!

Les Paul Goth Studio with EMG 81/85 pickups (zakk wylde)
Washburn WS-4 (strat copy)
Washburn WG587 (7 string)

The lp can SHRED!!!!! I turn the gain up on both channels and I get Slayer-ific. Not much noise at all on the lp (because of actives)

The strat copy, my first guitar, is just a $200 guitar, but it sounds like my buddy's Fender strat (he has noiseless pickups).. and that's the only difference.. he has no noise on my amp, but my low-end strat does.. but it's not a problem.. I get very bluesy sounds with this guitar (the ws-4).

My 7 string is very muddy, VERY thick sounding.. so if you like bands like Meshuggah, or even Dream Theater for some of their 7-string.. and if you have a baritone, you'll get that low-end crunch from the at-100.

Overall, the amp is BRUTAL...so versatile!

I should also mention that my cab is a Marshall AVT 4x12 with four Celestion Vintage 30s.. sounds wonderful!.. and LOUD!

I just bought it last month, so I cannot comment on long-term use.. but I wanted to post a review so bad because I am in love with this amp.

The stock tubes are supposedly crappy, but I don't have a problem with them.. I will probably go to eurotubes (JJ) and get the high gain option in 6 months or so to upgrade.

I will gig with this in a couple of months, but I'm sure it's more than enough.

B-52 seems to be guitar center only, and I haven't heard any complaints.. but seeing as how I have 5 years of warranty, I will put No Opinion.

I've been playing for 8 years. I tend to prefer hard rock, metal, but lately have been getting into Progressive rock/metal, as well as blues and jazz.

If it were stolen, I'd buy another one, turn up the gain on both channels, and wait for lord satan to punish whoever stole it!!

I compared it to the following amps:
Marshall JCM 800 2203 (great, but limited compared to the at-100)
Orange Tiny Terror and ADH30 (TT is a one trick pony and adh too similar to the Marshall)
Mesa dual and triple rectifiers (great amps but too pricy)
Peavey JSX (little too pricy)
Peavey Triple XXX (more power, but wasn't impressed in comparison)
Peavey Valveking (about $50 cheaper than the at-100, but not as versatile)
Peavey 6505 (little pricy, but versatile as well)

The build quality is not as good on the B-52 as those mentioned above... it doesn't feel as solid as any of the amps I mentioned above, but if you baby it, you'll be fine.

The AT-100 is the best bang for the buck.. if money wasn't an issue, I'd probably go for a triple rec, but I'd have the at-100 as a backup in a heartbeat.

You don't need distortion/metal pedals with the at-100. I run a Digitech RP350 in the effects loop (just for fun/messing around) and it's great, but if I just need straight up distortion/gain, I use the amp's stock.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this amp. I researched it for a few months before committing to it.. and I am very satisfied.

Bottom line, it's a triple rectifier for 600 bucks. Pair it with some v30s and you're rockin'!

The stock cab that comes with this is fine (I tested it out in the store), but I found a great deal in the Marshall 4x12 with v30's so I couldn't pass it up.

I won't rehash te specs. You can get that elsewhere. Like others, the minor complaint is that it would be nice to have one more channel, or possibly a footswitch for the contour control on the gain channels. Otherwise, this amp doesn't leave me wanting for anything.

Everything I've played so far has sounded right at home. The gain is plentiful for a heavy crunch. Add some contour and you'll be scaring the neighbors. Also capable of some more classic sounding tones on the "A" setting with a bit of reverb. I'm using a PRS SE Singlecut (that's the korean made PRS) with a Duncan Pearly Gates in the Bridge and a '59 in the Neck, and it's a thing of beauty. The gain settings have a typical amount of noise while idle. The clean setting has a bit of hum, but this may be attributable to the stock tubes. Regardless, it does nothing to hinder this spectacular sounding amp.

So far so good. I'll leave this as 'no opinion' for now though b/c this requires a test of time.

B-52 has a warranty which seems really great on paper. Haven't to use it though, so I'll leave this as 'no opinion' for now.

I've been playing on a relatively casual basis for about 9 years, and this is my first tube amp. I love it's versatility. As I said before, I've been able to dial in pretty much any sound I could possibly want. I also tried a Valveking 212 and some Vox amps. The sales guy talked me into trying the AT100 b/c they didn't have any B-52 212 combos in stock. There was no going back. It's a great amp at any price. But for what you have to pay, it truly is a tremendous deal. Play one and repeat after me "Marshall who?"

I'm sure you know already: 3 channels, all-tube, reverb, footpedal, etc... For the price, it really blows everything else away. How can you not give it a 10? If it cost $1500 I might be miffed about not having 3 FULLY discrete channels (instead of a clean channel and a distorted channel with 2 different gains). As it is, this thing is steal, no doubt. I might pick up another one just to have it.

To be brief, the sound quality is excellent though it seemed a little brittle/overly crisp at first. It's very easy to get it to sound really good, and if you put some time into it you can make it sound even better. The clean channel is bright, nice and shimmering. The distorted channels do not sound the same, but that's not a bad thing at all. There's more gain than I'll ever need, and I'm not exactly playing Hall and Oates, you know? (I'm in a hard rock/metal cover band). I use it with a Marshall JCM900 Lead 1960 cabinet. I've had a couple Peavey 5150s (100% box stock), and the thing that always bugged me about them was that they had ONE sound to them, and any amount of knob-turnin' wouldn't change the sound much. Both were like that. This is *not* like that (and I've also had two!). You turn them knobs, things happen and that gives you a wide range of tones to work with.

Again for the money, it's a 10. Not even close, but an easy 10. When I think about how much I was prepared to spend when I went amp shopping, I'm stunned to think that I got a sound that I'm really, really pleased with and spent far less than I was planning to spend. This thing wasn't even on my radar when I went to the store. I walked by it (on my way to a used Mesa Nomad 100), noticed it had 3 channels and decided to try it out.

I've read that the early ones had issues with the reverb going out. I've had 2 now and both have been OK in that respect. I played out 2 or 3 times with the first one (and tons or rehersals), and it never gave me a problem. Always loud, clear and a pleasure to play. The second one just came in the mail yesterday, so it's probably too soon to tell (I'm not worried about it). I'll bring a backup, but that's just to be safe. When I play this thing, it's LOUD. It doesn't live in a corner in my bedroom - it's either at a rehersal space or at a gig, at show volume. Gets a 9 just because I don't have a long term result.

Haven't had to call them up.

My search for a good amp started with a Marshall JCM900 50w Hi-Gain Dual Reverb 2x12 that I paid $700 for. Turns out I bought a MkIII, and those versions aren't the ones that sound good (the thing is a blues amp at best). Fuck that. That's a good chunk of scratch to spend on an amp that is supposedly a STANDARD in the industry, and it wasn't even close (the lead channel had just enough gain to pass as a rhythm channel in my application). I even bought a JCM900 4x12 just to see if it was the speakers! I realized that I also would like 3 channels, so I started to look around again.

I found a used Mesa Nomad 100 at Guitar Center for $850 (I was going to offer $750 - it had been there for a LONG time). I was on my way to test it out when I walked by the B-52. The specs looked good, so I checked it out, side by side with the Nomad. The Mesa wasn't as crisp sounding, kinda muddy on the high gain channel. You know what I bought...

They had 2 of these there. Both were brand new, but one looked like it had fallen off a truck and gotten hit by a dozen cars. The logo was missing, the chassis was tweaked, the panels didn't line up right, a couple of the STEEL corner protectors were dented pretty bad (I've NEVER seen that before!). The nice one was $650, this one was marked down to $600. I offered $550, and they said OK but had to do some tricky stuff to get it to ring out at that price (receipt said I paid $600). Almost a month later, I realized how cheap these things were going for on Ebay, so I returned it to GC (30 day money back guarantee). I got a 'full refund' >:D , and bought one off Ebay for $385 ($420 shipped and insured) and in better shape than the beat to shit used on that was 'brand new'.

I just purchased my second one of these. The first one I bought about 3 years ago. Features are perfect. Everything you need to dial in good tone without having to have an engineering degree. Has a clean channel which sounds very Fender-like. Also has a drive one and drive two. I don't care for drive one, but drive two is very good. On board drive is very usable.

My first one came with SOVTEK power tubes and Shuguang pre-amp tubes. My newer came with SOVTEK 12 power tubes. THe second one came loaded with the cheap SOVTEK 12AX7WA/7025 pre-amo tubes and a Shuguang 12AT7 for the reverb driver. These SOVTEK pre-amo tubes are about the cheapest thing out there. This amp takes much better to the Shuguang pre-amp tubes.

On the first one, the power tubes were not matched. On the second one, they were but the bias was set too hot - in the 46 to 48 milliamp per tube range. I had to open up each amp and set the bias pot as cold as possible. I replaced the SOVTEK power tubes with SEDs. They bias at about 35 milliamps per tubes. The SEDs sound great - noticeably better than the SOVTEKS. The SEDs should last just about forever at this bias setting. I also stuck a JAN Philips 12AX7WA in V1 in each amp. It works great as your primary tone generator giving great cleans and good on board drive. Clean does not break up as you crank it. Distortion is plenty there.

The first one has been 100% reliable for three years. That has a lot to do with why I went ahead and bought the second.

Customer service is so-so. In my one effort,they replied to me promptly advising that they were looking into my question. Aft that I never heard back with the actual technical information I was enquiring about.

These amps are tremendous values for the money.

This amp was made at a time when OK amps were just too expensive, and it was prime time to not pay through the nose for a name. I have owned many high gain tube heads, -almost all the sought after ones by metal freaks and shredders, and this is by far the best one in all categories. 3 channels, footswitcheable effects loop with separate volumes on the send and return, loud glassy and spanky fender clean, Full blown British, Cali, and all in between SHRED! I would like to see a midi switching option, but the price would go up. I use it live and for practice. It has a switch for Tube A, Tube AB, and Solid State... Thats funny, a tube head that models a solid state head! It just sounds great and has endless tone-shaping capabilities ie; gain 1 and gain 2 with a Coutour knob that can be independantly turned on or off with both gain stages! Bright button on the clean, footswitchable effects loop, Awesome AMP!!!

Brutal distortion, Glassy Cleans, Used with EMG actives and it will melt like LAVA. Not very noisy at high levels, pretty normal for high gain heads, this amp does metal and rock as it was born to.

Had it for a short while, but bought it used, so at least a year or so old judging from the scrapes... looks like it can take a beating from the deep gouges in it. Seems very dependable, no backup needed.

I emailed the company before I bought it and asked for the massive 4 button footswitch and they got back to me in 2 business days and quoted me $40 plus maybe $10 for shipping, Excellent customer support and cheap price for the switcher- have paid double that for other amp switches that were less in features.

I have been playing for 17 years, I play through and sell my own custom 2x12 cabs loaded with Texas Heat drivers which sound similar to the KRANK 4x12 cabs. I would buy this amp over and over, in fact, I am looking for another to keep at the practice place. I like everything about it, if they could lessen the weight then I would like it that much more, but all tube heads are monsters! I have compared this to many big names and hate paying for the names, but really was impressed with this one, so I am going with it in my main rig. I know this review is very positive, but I am just very happy with this amp. After trying all the expensive heads, this is just great! I can say that an ENGL or FRAMUS may be more Lush and a bit better, but you are gonna pay for it.

What a great head this is! I have been looking at amps for months and months now getting all of the in's and out on each one, figuring out where the best bang for the buck is. The B-52 AT-100 was the final resolution in my search.

I have tried everything from Mesa triple rec's to Peavey Valkings, XXX's and even the JSX, but the B-52 won out due to the bang for the buck.

The AT-100 is a tri mode rectifier amp. For those that aren't framiliar with the concept, it means that it is an all tube signal path that (at the turn of a knob on the back) can be switched to operate on solid state, tube, or a combo of the two. It has 3 channels (Clean,Gain 1 & Gain 2) a contour and Depth control knob, Reverb and a 4 button selector switch.

The amp sounds GREAT. I play a lot of high gain music and this is a terrific choice if you are looking for some serious crunch. The recitifer tubes really make this amp scream. Just dont do what I did. I finally got the chance to really crank it up and was terribly disappointed in the sound. I fiddled and twiddled with it and though I had made a mistake in buying it.

I went around the back of the amp to switch to the A/B setting and realized that I hadnt changed the Ohms to meet my cabinets specs. I switched it into the right position and the amp just came to life. The sound was brutally crisp and punchy. I adjusted some setting and am THRILLED with the sound I get from it now. It was exactly what I had in mind as what an amp should sound like.

Now there are a few things I'm not thrilled with. The Revers isn't all that great, and it actually didn't work when I got it home from the store. I don't use reverb much so that really didn't bother me too much, but apparently it bothered me enough that I took the reverb tank out and reeated all the cables. It turns out the cables were a little loose on the tank (Maybe from transport, who knows.) and once that was done everything worked and I put it back together. Havent had an issue since.

The reverb is OK, but it's seems like it's... underpowered. As I said I dont use reverb much, so it really doesn't bother me. I think it was the fact it was a brand new amp and whether I use a feature or not, I want it to work!

As I said, it's got a GREAT tone and sound. My friend convinced me to go tube and I will never look back. The sound is so clear and (I hate to coin the phrase but I will) Organic sounding It is amazing. I tried out a Rivera knucklehead out once, and LOVED that it rang so clearly. even when distorted full chords were strummed I could hear each individual string ringing. I wanted that clarity and can't believe how much of that I get from the AT-100.

I try not to give all 10's on these things, but I can't help it. In my opinion the AT-100 can hold up with any amp out there. If you really want to go for the gusto contact Bob at Eurotubes and get a B-52 high gain kit. Those that get them LOVE them!

Other that the (easily fixed) reverb issue I have had only one problem. I heard about how these amps get hot as hell and there is a LOT of truth to that. After stretching it's legs, the front plate was HOT> I mean I bt I could have melred butter on it, Seriously. If you have a AT-100 with a serial number starting BELOW 1200, get in touch with B-52 or an autorized service center. There is a fan kit you can get for FREE. It should resolve the over heating issue. I'm also working on building a better back cover for mine that will allow more ventilation. I have had mine for about a month now, and have no major issues with the amp whatsoever.

Not impressed. I sent an e-mail about 2 weeks ago and never heard back. I get the feeling their E-mail inbox is a special place where no one goes. I'm going to call them about the fan kit today.

Weighing good -vs- bad, this is an outstanding value. The amp looks and sounds amazing. I have heard people complaining about the weight of the amp and I have to ask... Have any of you carried tube amps before? They are ALL heavy. I think what makes the AT seem so hard to move around is that the transformer really sets the balance off. Additionally the amp seems a little bulkier in size than other heads. I'd bet if you weighed it against other heads it weighs about the same.

If you are thinking about getting this amp. STOP THINKING ABOUT IT. GO DO IT. It is an AWESOME piece of hardwareGet to the store nearest to you and try it out. You wont be disappointed

Congrats and thanks to B-52 for coming up with such a (relatively speaking) affordable amplifier. Despite my very few well known issues I have encountered, the AT-100 is an outstanding amp!

I play hard rock, and have never owned an amp that suits this genre as well as this amp. Some people complain about not having separate EQ's for each gain channel, but personally I like the simplicity of setting one EQ on this amp and having basically infinitely variable gain settings via the contour controls. The triple rectifier knob is cool, but I honestly have no use for the solid state setting, as I hate the tone in that mode. Although, metal heads using EMG's probably have a use for it. In my opinion, the AT-100 sounds nearly as good as a Mesa Triple Rec at a WAY lower price, and is FAR easier to set and find a great sound. Often Mesa owners need a long time with their amps to dial in their sound...not with the B-52.

The clean channel is very good, although not as good as my Fender Deville's clean (what amp's clean is though?). I find the gain channels are somewhat Boogieesque, but definitely have a sound all their own. I use a Yamaha AES620 which costs