B-52 Pro Audio AT-212 212 Combo

- 100 watt 5881/6L6 tube amp with 2 gain channels and 1 clean channel, reverb, contour switch, independent EQ for clean and gain channels, speaker line out, adjustable ohm for speaker load, effects loop with adjustable levels for send and return, selectable rectifier, actually quite a lot of goodies for the money.

I use a PRS custom 24 with stock pickups and a Les Paul studio w/ ebony fretboard and stock pickups and both guitars sound impressive through the amp, but a little dry sounding even with the reverb turned up half way, but still very usable sounds. I tend to use heavy distortion and this amp is a little noisy with the gain turned up past 7, but I deal with it. Clean channel is nice and chimey, actually the cleans are what sold me on the amp. I also own an older Mesa Dual rectifier running through a Marshall 4x12 1960BV cab and in comparison to that setup the B52 combo really can't compete, but I did take the speaker line out of the B52 into my 4x12 cab @ 4ohms and the sound was actually very tight and the distortion sounded very full, actually since both amps sound so different, I think I've got the best of both worlds. So if you can run it into a 4x12 celestion cab with vintage 30's, you'll probaly be very happy.

It gets very hot near the output transformer running in class A mode, but it's never cut out on me or caused any issues. I'm a tube junky and I've got plenty of tubes laying around, so if there's a problem it's an easy fix. I don't gig out, and all my gear is studio kept. I had the amp 2 weeks and have used it almost everyday. No problems.

Actually I've never had to call any manufacturer about any of my gear, so I feel lucky. I setup my guitars myself and try not push my amps to much, trying to keep everything reliable. But from what I've read, the guys at B52 care about their customers.

I've been playing 17 years and I've used quite a variety of studio gear, amps and probably could open my own music store if I kept everything I ever bought (ha..ha). Overall the amp is well worth the price tag, actually after playing it for only 20 minutes I bought it. If it were stolen, I'd proably buy the 100 watt head version instead, but having a powerful combo amp does come in handy. The only thing I'm not sure about yet is the headroom on the distortion channels. Seems to get noisy if used for heavy music styles, but does have a great AC/DC type sound with little hiss. When used for guitar solo's the amp has nice harmonics and cleans up nice when rolling the guitar volume down. I'm happy with this purchase. Did I mention it's heavy?
Good tube amp for a good price...enough said.

I been looking weeks for an Amp to replace my JCM2000 DSL-100 head that was stolen from a gig. Don't ask how, I have no clue and I wasn't wasted either, for once. I figured I would buy another JCM2000, ($1500) but wanted to check out what was out there. I stroled into Guitar Center the other day and played a few Voxs', wasn't impressed at all. I saw the B-52 AT-212 sitting alone and decided ah what the heck, let me check this out. After about 20 minutes of playing it, I bought it. I ran the speaker out at 16 ohm to my Marshall 412 cab, and man what a f***** sound, makes my nuts rattle. This Amp has it all,,the clean channel is extraordinary clean and brite, even going into hi gain, you got all the sustain you want, and still hear every note. The only problem I have is trying to find which settings I like the best, because it all sounds great. I bid farewell to Marshall.
I have an 86 Gibson Les Paul Standard, an 87 USA Fat Strat, and a 98 Fernandes Revolver Pro. They all sounded great, from Playing Eric Clapton blues style to Angus Young Balls to the Wall Distortion,, and the B-52 did it all with no effects added. I might stick a chorus in the EFX loop, but not sure if I really need it, the harmonics this Amp puts out is just above and beyond any Amp I ever played. It makes the peavey Classic 30 sound like a toy,,

I love it,,

2005 Model. This area is where the AT212 really shines. It has a boat-load of features. (And the price is amazing!)

100-Watt, all tube, 2x12 combo amp with a switchable triple rectifier (Class A, Class AB, or solid state). Clean channel and two overdrive channels. Master reverb. Master resonance (like a master low-end). Effects loop (tube driven) with input and output level controls. Each channel has an independent volume control, making it a great choice for someone who needs to quickly switch between a variety of tones. Bright switch on the clean channel. Presence control which can be engaged on either gain channels. 3-band EQ for the clean channel and a separate 3-band shared by the gain channels.

It's a tweaker's dream. You can dial and dial to your heart's content. It runs REALLY hot in Class A mode. Class A does produce the most waste heat by definition - even with no signal the tubes are still drawing 50% of their maximum power. But it is still a little surprising how HOT the face of the amp gets. It's almost hot enough to burn skin. I mean HOT.

I was a little concerned to purchase a 100 watt amp until I played it. I forget the exact formula but if you think of how wattage/dB works, a 100 watt amp is not double the loudness of a 50 watt amp.

American Standard Strat w/ SD hotrail in the bridge.

Three channels plus switchable rectifier makes it very versatile. The clean channel is purposely designed with a ton of headroom, so there's really no breakup. Some people like a little breakup in their clean, but I set my gain channel 1 to a very light overdrive and my gain channel 2 to a medium overdrive. (I don't use a super-saturated high gain sound much.) You have a great variety of tones right at your fingertips.

So far I have not used the class AB or solid state rectifier settings, just class A.

The distortion is very nice. Warm, class A tube distortion - you can't beat it. It will go to a very high gain and it's not too noisy.

My only complaint about the sound is a bit hard to describe. Somehow I feel the sound is lacking in depth. As if some higher order harmonics were missing. It's just not a ... "rich" sound. A little flat. Just a little, don't get me wrong. Overall it's a pretty damn good sound. But its strength of sound is in versatility rather than tonal quality per se.

I just got it and it's also a new product. And B-52 is relatively new to guitar amps. So it's hard to say.

I know a number of people have voiced complaints about problems with the reverb tank. I called them on the phone before I bought. (An actual live person answered, by the way.) They told me they were aware of the problem, had taken steps to fix it, and would totally cover any amp that had the problem.

Seems to be well built. As a matter of fact I think it's likely to survive a head-on collision with a Hummer quite well. It's hard to say which weighs more, the amp or the Hummer.

Based on my phone call described above I can only say I'm hopeful.

Have been playing 22 years.

If it were stolen today I would likely get a couple more models to line up next to it and compare them. And I'd still probably end up with the B-52 because the features for the price are just unbelievable.

To sum up...

PROS
Features/variety of sounds

Footswitch functions


CONS

Did I mention it gets HOT?

Cost of a small boom truck in order to move it from place to place. I want to take it up to my den but haven't gotten up the gumption to tackle the stairs with it yet.

PRetty new amp series. I'm the kind of guy who plays whatever comes to mind, from blues... to rock, alternative, jazz... you name it. I'm focused mostly on Heavy....Metallica, Stone Temple Pilots, Creed, Led Zeppelin... All of them are playable trough this amp. Its got clean, dist. I and dist. II channels. 3 channels in total. Contour knob fot distorted channels and active eq. Eq for clean as well. Reverb and presence. Well, you'd better check the manual for features and stuff. I wish the reverb was a bit more wet ("wetter").

I use it on my bedroom at very low levels of course... and it can deafen you if you'd like it, so be careful with volume.

The thing that really calls me in... is the knob where you choose the rectifier mode: Solid State, Tube A/B and Tube A. So you choose whatever you like.

Speaker Ohm selector and ext. speaker output. Also it comes with the Channle switch pedal... wich also switches reverb and ext. effects.

I use Seymour duncan picks on a strato. The amp may be noisy when you crank the main level to its max. otherwise, you'll never get any noise unless you have defective ground line or probles with your guitar.

The clean channel is fenderish... I afirm that it is much better thoug. I compared with Line6, Mesa, Fender (Bassman 10, Deluxe, Deville 212, Deluxe 90), Marshall... and none of them can beat this amp's clean. The Deville 212 get's a bit close. The cristal and transparent sound you get from this channel is freaking awesome.

The Dist. channels... if Mesa Rules... mmmm... I think this kicks some Mesa ass.

Brutal distortion and different flavors with the Rectifier Switch mode.

I never use a backup... I trut my gear. Of course you can never be too carefull. Try not to put liquids close to the amp to avoid spilling. Do not clean it with wet stuff and spryes to avoid damaging the tubes (I thinkk they are 11 or so)...

When replacing tubes... make sure you have a full pocket $$$$.

Never dealt with them. I think it's a 5 year warranty.

I've been playing for quite a while... and recording for some years now. I'm a "tone freak" and know when an amp rocks. I just sit in front of this amp and it takes me to another level of sound. I do not use pedals and stuff, jut my guitar and my amp. (occassionally I use the Line6 MM4).

I hate the reverb... it is plain crap. THE ONLY COMPLAIN.
I wish it came with Celestion speakers...

Try it and you'll find out for yourselfe how this amp is worth it.

I compared with lots of amps... check the "Sound" tab.

100W, Triple Rectifier, 2-12 combo with specialized B-52 made speakers. A, A/B, and solid state modes for a more customized tone. Semi-closed back. Uses 4 12AX7 preamp tubes and 4 6L6/5881's for power. So it basically has a 6505/Mesa Triple Rectifier tube setup. Also uses tube power (12AX7) for the effects loop, reverb, phase inverter, and recifier (SAR4) making 12 tubes total. B-52 opted to not use the Celestion Vintage 30's (like on the 60W ST-212), and I'm glad they did. These B-52 speakers have to be heard in person... they pack so much punch and it can literally take your breath away. Clean channel w/ Bright switch, 2 identical Gain channels with seperate gain and volume controls, and a contour (mid-scoop) for both both channels. Master volume, Low-res, and Reverb.

I play on this with several guitars: 2005 Ibanez Prestige RG1570 with DiMarzio Steve's Special in the bridge and Air Norton in the neck (Petrucci style), 1994 Jackson Rhoads RR1 w/ Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and DiMarzio Breed in the neck (my C tuned guitar, lotta power), ESP F-207 w/ EMG-HZ 707's (for Dream Theater 7-string stuff), and some other stock cheaper guitars for odd tunings (Schecter Omen-6, Ibanez RG270) This amp is amazing. I cant stress this enough. If you're into metal, this is for you. I play anything from Dream Theater to Arch Enemy and Children of Bodom. When I was looking for an amp, I wanted to stray as far away from the mainstream as possible. I tested everything regardless. Mesa Solo/Dual/Triple Rectifers, Stilleto, Marshall JCM800, DSL, Peavey 5150, 6505, XXX, ValveKing, all the Randalls I could find (dunno any model names, dont care anymore). I knew exactly what tone I wanted before I tried anything. This thing nailed it, and beyond. Mesa's are great but their clean just doesnt cut it, and they're out of my price range. Marshall's didn't have enough growl for the metal I play... and everyone uses them. I tried the clean channel on max volume and it didnt break up at all... except my ears. The punch from nailing the low E string litterally made me lose breath. The range of these B-52 speakers are amazing... like a subwoofer up to a tweeter. Next is the gain... omg the gain. It's so fierce with the midrange turned up... very much like a rectifier/6505 without the static/noise. Totally solid. I set the other gain to scoop out the mids with the contour knob, and it gave me a very nice DSL lead tone with more aggression. The solid state mode gives a tighter attack and better low end (I tend to use this on the 7-string), while the A/B kicks out the raw tube gain. I don't really use the A setting very much... the manual states it as more "vintage" style attack, but I just feel like it's a little too loose for my style. It sounds great a lower gain though for some Zeppelin/Sabbath sounds. The Low-Res knob really gives you more low end for 7 string and C tuned guitars without taking away any highs.

It's a 212 and it weighs 80 lbs. How much more solid can you get? I haven't had it long enough to say anything yet, but from B-52's reputation, the weight, and the design/construction, I feel like this thing will last forever. It runs a bit hot (cmon, 12 tubes? I'd be scared if it didnt.) but I keep a fan on low behind it, blowing into the opening, just in case.

Havent needed to, considering that somone else on here got a call from the company's VP on an off day for a question, I'm impressed. It has a 5 year warranty, which I doubt I'll ever need to use.

This is a short add on to my review below. I realized that I had forgotten a very important fact about this amplifier. During my search for a new amp I dealt with The Guitar Center in Tulsa OK. They were very good to deal with. I was very resistant at first to buying a 100 watt tube amp. Obviously it will be quite loud and I was concerned about using it at smaller gigs and for at home practice. I was looking at amps in the 30 to 60 watt range. I found that virtually all of the tube amps I tried stacked most of their power output into the first 2 or 3 numbers on their knobs. Fender De Ville amps are really bad about this. It was very difficult to find decent tone at the lower volume settings required for small jazz and blues clubs and especially for at home evening practice. Once I finally tried this amp I was amazed at how good it sounded at low volumes and how contollable the output is. This is accomplished by the master volume knob. The output builds very smootly and gently until about 5. That's when all hell starts to break loose. The bottom line is, the AT212 has wonderful tone no matter how loud you play it. You won't need a smallr amp or an attenuator for smaller gigs.

100 watt all tube combo with 2 12 inch B-52 speakers. 3 channels, Clean medium gain, high gain all switchable with included four button footswitch. Separate 3 Band EQ for the clean channel and a shared 3 band for gain channels. Gain channel has a countour control with on/off sxitches for each. Each of the three channels has its own volume control and each gain channel has its own gain control. There is also a master volume for the entire amp as well as a resolution control which functions like a presence control on a Fender amp. There is also a reverb control. On the back panel is a rotary control switch to change rectifier settings. Class A w/tube rectifier, class a/b w/tube rectifier and class a/b with solid state rectifier.. Also a switch for 4 ohm, 8 ohm or 16 ohm speaker cabs. There is also an effects loop with level control for both in and out.

This is the most versatile amplifier I have ever owned or used. The clean channel is wonderfully clear even at fairly high volume. I use this channel primarily with an American standard Strat and a
Gibson 335. The Strat for country and the 335 for Jazz and 60's British rock. The rectifier switch comes in handy here. Class A for a really warm smooth jazz tone and A/B for country.
The lower gain channel I use with both of these guitars. Class with the Gibson for Santana style sounds and Class A/B for Eric Clapton type sounds and good hard electric blues (Buddy Guy, Robert Cray). This amplifier is capable of nailing all of the sounds. The High gain channel I use for playing old original Black Sabbath (primarily albums 1 thru 4). I still haven't decided whether I prefer the A/B tube rectifer for this or the A/B with solid state rectifier. The tube recto sound produces a tone very similar to the original Sabbath sound with the old Laney amps of the early 70's The solid state recto creates a tone very similar to the present day sound or the Tony Iommi signature amp. For this work I use an Epiphone Tony Iommi model with the gibsom Iommi signature pickups. The tone in this configuration is very powerful with brutal distortion without it sounding dry or raspy. Another item of interest are the speakers. B-52 makes them in house. They use Celestion vintage 30s in other models. I was a little skeptical of their in house model until I played through it. It seems like different model Celestions excel at different types of sounds. The B-52 speakers seem to sound great with any type of music.

To new to tell. However, if the build quality is any indication this amp should be very reliable. It is built like a tank. By the way, the B-52 literature claims this amp weighs about 53 pounds. I also have a 4x10 Hot Rod Deville which supposedly weighs 53 pounds. The B-52 feels considerably heavier. Thankfully id comes with nice sturdy casters. Also, the footswitch particularly well made. The amp also runs pretty warm. That is to be expected though with 12 tubes under the hood.

If I could give them a 20 I would. I called the company on a day they were closed with a tech question. A couple hours latter I received a call back from Avi, the company VP. Needless to say I was impressed. Made me feel like a Mesa Boogie customer back in the 70s.

Been playing since of and on since 1965. I would definitely buy another one of these should the need arise. I love its tone, versatility, it's built quality and its price. I compared this amp with similar products from Fender, Marshall and Crate. I chose this one because none of them compared to this amp regardless of the price. B-52 is a family owned business and even though they have made other sound reinforcement products for a long time, I think they are fairly new the guitar amp business. They seem to have found a great formula.

Brand new AT 212 combo. Losts of features 2 gain channels and a surprisingly nice clean channel.
# Mode Rectifier switch aloows you to gofrom "A" to "AB" to "solid state"
Shared EQ for the 2 gain channels and a contours switch that dramatically effects your mids.

I'm playing this with ajackson SL2H solosit a couple of old San Dimas chavels and a GMW custom Strat. All of my guitars have seymour Duncans in them JBs,custom Tb 11's and Jazz.
I play mostly old school 80's type of metal, VH,Ratt, Dokken, Ozzy etc, but also lot's of Instrumental, stuff IE; Satch, Vai, Greg Howe, Kotzen, firkins etc. I went out amp shopping with either a 5150 combo or a JSx combo in mind. I tried both out and liked both, but each had their drawbacks. I saw this combo in GC and I had never heard of them. I plugged in and was blown away immediately. Really versatile. The 2 gain channels have enough flexibility to get you just about any famous tone you're looking for, and plug a MXR 10 EQ into the loop and this turns into a noise free 5150 gain monster!
I have been A-b ing this against my buddys JCM900 hi gain (ya what a joke) 100 watt 2 X12 combo and this thing destroys it loud or quiet.
I had a Line 6 flextoneII plus and I traded that in and got this for a great price.
I also plugged this into a Marshall 1960V top loaded with vintage 30's and it sounded absolutely amazing. If I decide to keep this amp (I have 30 days from GC, but it looks like I'm going to) I am definitely going to get me one of those cabs for playing out.
This amp alos sounds realy good at bedroom levels as well which I found surprising for an all tube amp.
the only thing that worries me about this amp is that it runs really really hot, so I've got a fan running on it constantly. But with a 5 year warranty I'm not too worried.

too new to tell, I've heard reverd nightmare stories fromthe AT 100 head owners, but so far so good.

No contact yet, but with small companies like this, it will probably be pretty good (at least at first!)

I've been playing since 1975 (ya I'm old I know) and I've had mostly Marshalls, and this hangs right with them, for a third of the price.
I think these are going to take off as soon people realize how good they sound for such short money.

This beast is an all tube 100W 2x12 combo. It has 2 gain and 1 clean channel. It has a 4 button footswitch which includes Gain, Channel, Reverb, and Effects. High and Low inputs, Effects loop, selectable 4,8, or 16 ohm extension out. You can choose between A,AB,and Solid State. Basic EQ including a contour option. I play it in a club and at home just jamming.

I use a Schecter C-1 Blackjack w/Seymours, and an Ibanez Rg 420 with EMG's. This amp is brutal with the C-1. I like to play hard rock mostly. This amp will do any kind of sound. It has tons of gain in both channels. The clean is great. It has a bright switch that really makes it stand out.

I feel that this will be a great amp. Haven't had it that long. But it is built like a tank.

Don't know yet, Hope I don't need it.

I've been playing about 16 years. Been through tons of amps. This is hopefully the last I'll ever need. As far as sound, it rules over anything I've ever had. You know, the mesas, marshalls, and all the other fun things. The gain is right up there with the best of them. Cranked up, it is nothing else than a wall of sound. The sound guy from the other night was very impressed with it. I recommend this amp to anyone wanting a Mesa or Marshall sound. The name B-52 made me wonder if it was cheap, but I guess I was wrong. This isn't a crappy amp. It is well worth the money. Great amp, good price. Try one, you'll be amazed.