B-52 Pro Audio LG100A Head

First off let me just say that if you want an awesome metal amp that's built like a tank, THIS IS IT! it has 2 gain channels, a clean channel, several effect loop jacks in the back, 4 ohms at 100 watts and 8 ohms at 120 watts in the back. As many people have said, this amp is built like a tank.

I play old school thrash metal (kill em all, killing is my business, etc.) i get a perfect sound for that! It also has a great clean channel. As i said before, if you want a metal amp on a budget, buy this amp!

I would never gig without a backup (anything could happen) but other than that, this is a very reliable amp

Never needed it

Great amp...these things go cheaply now days. you can spend more money for marshall's mg series amps and this will just blow it away. I compared it to the other guitarist's and it's no contest.

We all know the features 3 channels clean, distortion, and brutal distortion.

How I found this amp is is funny. I recently pieced together my dream rack system, Marshall JMP-1, Peavey classic 50/50, G Major, Sonic Maximizer, and my 23 year old Carvin 4X12 cab. I'm using this with my Mockingbird (w/ Duncan Pearly gates and Jazz pups), and my Strat (sanariam cobalt noiseless pups). I thought I was the schnizit!
Wrong... I played this solid state half stack at at rehearsal studio one day and was blown away. We sound more like a band than ever. It cut through the mix, and I could even hear myself over my ridiculously loud drummer. Something that didn't happen with the rack set up. Don't get me wrong the rack was loud, but it seemed to be missing those crucial mid frequencies that electric guitar occupies in a mix. Needless to say I bought the same Half stack (only $175 craigslist) and I'm selling my rack gear. I've been playing for 31 years, so I know that ultimately I'll buy an old JMP, or Jcm 800. But for now using this amp for distortion and A/B'ing to a JC-120 for cleans is just fine.

Have only had it a week. But I'm guessing solid state gear (if not abused)lasts a while.

N/A

I got mine used - It's an older one - maybe 2006. 100 watts, Solid state, Three channel, reverb, footswitch for reverb and channel switching, 12 inch speaker, and effect loops with level controls.

***EDIT***
This is an update from the previous 'Cicio' review. I stated that the reverb is electronic when it's a spring reverb. I shook the head and low and behold, the spring reverb was vibrating.

Yes, the clean channel does sound Fender-like! Both overdrive channels offer enough tonal options and gain to get all kinds of tones, including Marshall. Very quiet. The reverb is electronic and sounds good - quite usable.

This is a BIG head. Built very well. Like a tank. Very well designed and it should out last me.

I hope I don't have to use them - don't know.

Because this is a head, it's very crucial what it's played through. I run it through a Crate cab with one 12- inch 8 ohm Eminence Rock Driver speaker - a great sounding cab to begin with. The head is LOUD with plenty of head room (with an 8 Ohm speaker, you get about 60 or more watts). It's a very well designed layout with bass, mid, and high on Clean channel. Bass, mid, high on Overdrive channel 1 which links to Overdrive channel 2 which has a contour control. The amp does have TUBE like sounds and has a great thick midrange push. You can get all kinds of tones - very versatile. At loud volumes, the head cuts through like a knife without sounding harsh. Plenty of crunch in this thing! I don't use effects loops, so I can't comment on that. You have to take time to adjust the levels between channels on this thing - like most amps. I also own three Marshalls and a Fender amp, so I know my tones. The B-52 fits right in nicely offering plenty of power with tube like tones with a slightly different tonal palette, but good! Good looking amp (yes, that's important) and a Great amp for the money!

3 channels, decent reverb, XF Loop and line out.
Everything you need!

I used this thing for several years. The clean channel is virtually unusable... If you are planning to use a lot of cleans, or if you are using a processor for you sound, PLEASE go tube!
The distortion is pretty nice. Especially for rock and metal. It had a bright tone and HIGHS FROM HELL! And along with the B52 cab (or a Boogie if you can get it) the lows can be monsterous.

I likes this amp a lot for what I used it for.

It is pretty sturdy. Never had a problem with it.
Touring as much as I did with it, (which is the main reason I didn't use a tube amp for the longest time) I am surprised I had it as long as I did!

Honestly. I bought the thing used and never had a problem with it. So, I haven't testing that out!

If you can pick this up for a couple of bills or less... DO IT! It is loud and dirty! And with the right cab WELL worth the money!

I bought mine about a year ago. I was in a metal band and wanted something LOUD, CHEAP, and had good distortion. It's a pretty much a three channel amp; One clean and two different overdrives. It has an effects loop, a headphone jack, a decent reverb, and I'm pretty sure it came with the footswitch. It's solid-state; it covers it well but you can still tell that it's not a tube amp at times.

I play it mainly with my Schecter Gryphon. It's actually a pretty versitile guitar. It has two humbuckers that can both be tapped to get a single coil sound.
The distortion is very good. The second overdrive channel has a contour control that lets you warm up the sound or cut out the mids if you're a metal-head.
The clean is good; but it takes a lot of tinkering to get a pleasant sound. it's almost too punchy.
The amp isn't too noisy. The clean channel is almost totally silent. there is a little noise on the overdrive channels but not any more than any other amp. If you're having noise problems it is your guitar.
The amp sounds ok. It's ridiculously loud. They make a very similar amp that is 200 watts but i don't think many people have lived after playing one. I want to make it know that this amp breaks up at anything past about 5 on the volume knob. and not in a good way.

It can take a beating. after almost a year of abuse the second overdrive channel broke and lost a ton of gain; so now it's like a blackface sound. it'll hold up though.

don't know

it's a decent amp for the price but you only should buy it to play heavy music. It either does heavy or the pretty clean but no in-between whatsoever. I play softer stuff now and can't really get a tone I like out of it. I think i'm going to sell it and get a lower-wattage tube amp so I can drive it just a little bit; and not rip off faces.

It's your basic solid state amp, at a budget price. 1 clean Ch. 2 distortion ch. FX loop. Reverb......which is becoming more rare in lower priced amps. I'm sure there is a better listing of features somewhere here. I give it a 10 for this category.

I am a tone snob. Love tubes....love tube amps.....love what a tubescreamer does to a tube amp. Most solid state amps get bagged on for being to " digital " sounding. On this amp, it totaly works !! Sorry Marshall !!!...this is WAYYY better than your low budget stuff.

I really do NOT think of this as an " amp "....I feel it's the worlds biggest distortion box. Master of Puppets tone right out of the box.....NO S*%# !! I was using it OVER my tube amp for months...WITHOUT any distortion boxes ! I was ripping out "Puppets " and " Damage inc." and loving the tone.

I have had ZERO issues with mine.....though I know there are reported issues with it.

N/A

I've had mine for a year and a half. It' is my back up, but I like to break it out and rip up some old school metal on it. I don't have any complaints.... or wishes.

The price is right, great for a newbie wanting to get some " tone mojo " on mom and dads money ( I wish I had one in 1981 when I started playing ).

I would bet another if this were stolen, due to they are in-expensive...NOT CHEAP !...and one always needs a back-up.

100 watts, reverb, effects loop, 2 channel (1 distorted with 2 gain settings, and 1 clean)normal shit.

As it is, the amps sounds really decent for a transistor amp, but when you start trying to use any effects though the loop, it stunts the volume, even if you have the effect's levels turned up properly

Pretty low..I bought it, brought it home, and found that the reverb did not work. I had a huge hassle returning it to guitar center becasue they didn't have another one in stock, which made me have to wait a week, then drive 30 miles to the other store to get another one. The 2nd one had a problem with the effects loop, which may have been something wrong with it, or it could of been the nature of the beast. When you put an effects unit in the loop, it severly cut down the volume, and even with the proper levels set on the effects unit (alesis nanoverb) It still had a diminished output. To make things worse, if I turned the bass knob up more then half, the amp just made this nasty buzzing noise, and it also made the clean channel useless because of this constant buzz, even with the bass knob turned down.

Didn't deal with them. Guitar Center refunded my money.

It sounds decent right out of the box, but if you try to use it to do anything real, it does not function properly. It would work for someone who just wants to plug and play, but sucks for someone who is trying to play gigs and use other equipment with it.

This amp has 3 channels one clean 2 distortion and reverb so its got some versatility now if your an effects freak your gonna need an effects pedal or just go for something like line 6 its a solid state but like everyone else said on here the distortion is amazing for a solid state i loved it when i first got it but i grew out of it i sold it to my best friend though, the whole stack (the head and the b52 cab) for 450 dollars i paid 600 for the whole thing the best styles to play this amp would be metal hard rock anything with distortion

The distortion on this is amazing for solid state with reverb it sounds very creamy the clean channel though, i hated it you have to mess with the eq so much or the clean channel sounds like crap i did recordings with it clean and yeah unless you got an effects pedal i suggest not using the clean channel but the distortion is the best ive heard from a solid state most of the time i would rather use this amps distortion than an effects pedal and im picky about my tone but yeah i just grew out of it i used to play hardcore shred metal stuff but i got into more indie music and i do not like this amp for this style

this amp could be used to smash doors down its built as sturdy i think as orange amps and those are known for being tough this amp has always worked i would not worry about having a backup for a gig this is a weel made amp

never had to thats why it gets a 10 on dependability

i have been playing since i was 7 im now 17 i got this amp for my 15th birthday i loved it i was so happy with it but yeah everytime i played in my band id complain about my tone because my style changed up a bit and they said i grew out of it and i did i finally sold it today but if you want punchy in your face distortion bass that could vibrate your whole house id say go for it it is a great deal but it just does not sound good to me clean but whenever i need to describe this amp to my friends i just say"it wants to take over the world" if you try one you will know why

It has a clean channel, and a distortion channel with two differant gains on it, also it has a reverb, as well as a level knob for each channel and a master volume as well. so it can get very loud!
I play metal, not just metal but metal metal! heavy shit, like lamb of god, and devil driver. i used to play on an amp that was $700, but i played on this amp at guitar center just so i could test out a guitar i wanted to buy. it turned out i bought the amp instead. it's very cheap and can dish out alot. i play in an international metal band called dark asylum. so i usually don't buy cheap equipment. but i played this and thought it was a damn good deal for the price! it's a solid state amp with good tone.

I use and esp F-200, and a digitech GNX3. the digitech floorboard is where i get my distortion, so i always use the clean channel on the amp. when i was testing out the amp at guitar center i thought damn that amp has some brutal distortion, so i bought it. when i got back to the practice space, i had to turn it up to full stage volume. i wanted to test the factory distortion first, and i had alot of fuzz. so i used my pedal board, it made my already good destortion preset even better, so i then start messing with the amps EQ. it had great low end. witch my $700 creat head could never do. i wouldn't use the amps factory distortion but when i run it thought my pedal board it has the greatest sound.

i've had it for a couple of months now, and so far so good. but i never gig without a backup! thats just industry standards! but so far i have had no trouble with it.

i got the amp with a one year warranty, but there was a longer option if i wanted it. as for the customer support center i've never had to use them.

overall i think if your going to be using this amp for it's distortion, i hope you will be playing it in a small setting, or else you will get a lot of fuzz. but if you have a digitech, line6, or boss pedalboard with it, or some rack mounted amp modules, it will work very will. it has a lot of low end if you use it right.
If this amp was stolen i would buy another one, it was cheap for the sound i was able to get out of it!
the only thing i hate is the color of the amp, it looks like a marshall with the gold trim on it, but hey, the sound is what truly matter to me.

Only comes with 2 dirty and 1 clean and also reverb, I play through a Line 6 PodXT Live effects pedal, so I run all my effects through it, but the sounds on the head are still very good.

The sound of this amp is really unbelievable, I play PS900, w/ 2 Humbuckers, and the sound is great. The clean channel I find to be awesome never loses its brillance. As far as the dirty channels go, they are good, but like I said I play through an effects pedal, but I really don't need to, this amp gives you all the balls you need. I play classic rock to heavy and even some country, and they all sound great through this amp.

I've been playing guitar for 10 years and I've played through alot of amps including Marshall, Fender, Peavy, and Crate, and beleave me I've had my share of problems w/ amps, but I find the B-52's to be well made and very reliable.

Never had to use them.

I have to say that for the money, this is hands down one hell of an amp. When I bought it I tried out the Marshall MG100HDFX, and a Crate, and thier amps at that price couldn't compare, they seemed very cheaply made, but this amp is built like a tank, which is just what a working musician needs. If anything were to happen to this amp
I would run right back to Guitar Center and buy another one. If you want amp that you can trust, and you don't own a bank, this amp delievers. TWO THUMBS WAY UP!

I play old metal, Old Metallica style, and the sound is good for that, but I also like my share of Industrial, and the Effects loop is a nice feature! The amp has a little hissing on gain, as any other, but it seems to be quite clean if you run your effects through the back. I like the fact I got the foot pedal free with it and I love the 2 seperate gain chanel feature.

I play a Jackson reversed-neck Dinky with EMGs. When I went to buy a new amp, at first, I tried a Marshall MG100 Half stack, but (Luckily) Guitar center had no more in stock, So I tried this, and it blew me away. It's very close to a tube amp sound, and the distortion sounds better than what I've heard in any Marshall or Peavy. It doesn't sound too harsh in any chanel, but the clean is quite a bit louder than the Distorion chanels, so it takes some major EQ.

Until it was stolen from me, I never had a problem, I only had it for about 1 year, but I giged with it and it seemed to stand up to the abuse of ongoing transportation.

I've been playing for about 9 years and I've played and owned all kinds of Marshall, Peavey, and Fender amps, and this was by far my favorite amp for recording and for live sound. Plus, it looks more sleek than most Boxy Marshalls or Line 6s. Lots of power! It sounds louder than just 100 watts, and may have very well been. It's not too complex and doesn't rely on any computerized effects. No digital effects banks! Which is good for setting up sound for a live gig in a rush. Mine was stolen yesterday and I'm going back to buy on this week!

Check the homepage for the full details. Quick version, it's a 100 watt, solid state had with two channels and two different flavors of gain on the lead channel. Effects loop, reverb, yadda yadda.

I play old Metallica, Slayer, Exodus, etc. Heavy stuff, not today's wanna be heavy crap. I use a Jackson Rhoads V with EMG's (81 in bridge, 60 in neck), and I have a variety of cabs (4x12, 2x12, 2x15) for different situations. The clean channel is usable, but I wouldn't go much further than that. It's louder than sh1t, but doesn't compare to a nice fender clean. The lead channel is very good for a solid state amp. I am a "tube snob" who just bought the amp because I needed something to use at lower volume at home and the price was too good to pass up. While the lead channel doesn't touch my 5150, it definately is a huge step up over most of the solid state amps I have heard before. It doesn't have that thin, tinny quality that most solid state amps have. I personally wouldn't mistake it's tone for that of a tube amp, but it gets closer than any other solid state amp I have played. Plenty of gain, the first being very smooth, the second having more bite. Also has lots of chunk for a solid state amp. The bass knob on the lead channel boosts the signal at 50 Hz, way lower than most, which gives it more balls than your typical solid state amp. The distortion isn't "rip your face off" brutal, but it can still do some pretty good heavy tones with Gain 2. Gain 1 is strictly for blues or classic rock.

Haven't had it long enough to say, but it seems to be put together pretty well.

These guys rule. Like I said, I'm a tube snob, and I only bought their solid state amp because it was too good of a deal to pass up. Having liked it, I started to look into the tube version of the Stealth head. They emailed me the manual, schematics, etc, and within an hour or so of having made the request. Also very friendly, as in they thanked me for thanking them for being so helpful.

If you want a no-frills head for a fair price look into these. There are better amps, but for the money ($300 new at guitar center, under $200 used on Ebay) they are a heck of a deal. Like any amp head, if you don't have a good cab you are wasting your time, so if it doesn't sound great through your dad's old PA speaker, don't complain, get real gear.

Covered pretty much by all the other reviews. I am an engineering gear nut more than anything else and this unit shows that a good deal of thought has gone into the design. Solidly built and yu will get a hernia picking it up if you are not careful. Love tha fact that it comes complete - I bought a Line 6 and brought it back to get the B-52 and the Line 6 didn't have a basic foot pedal for the price. :-(

I have a wide range of guitars - Peavey FAT Strat, Epiphone DOT, Alvarez Acoustic with pickup. I play mostly for my own enjoyment and I play pop, blues and some folksy stuff. Some traditional rock, but I am not into heavy metal or big distortion. I like the way it sounds clean and with the different channels. I am not an accomplished gigger but I do have two good ears. Just a bit of white noise shows up with the contoured channel engaged so that channel is not completely quiet.

I have the combo and both are as I said above built solid. I have a Yamaha G-212 combo which is still going strong after 30 ? years and I put this rig in the same category. It will probably outlive me :-)

Great support. Called in and got return calls from the guy who designed it who is a musician and was obvious he enjoyed talking about both the product and music in general. I had a question on effects and he even referred me to a friend who is a big time road tech for additional help if I needed it.

Would definitely buy more B-52 products. If it were stolen I would replace - might consider their tube product if I were to replace but would definitely be another B-52 Product. I bought the combo with the 412 cab so the price includes both. I think the head is about $300 street.

I do not know exactly which year the amp I tried was made but it was at the store. It is versatile enough for me -perhaps too versatile as the reverb effects the tone a little to much (brittles it out). Nice reverb, but I don't like what it does to the tone. Oh yeah -this amp has good power. It has the smoothest sounding distortion I have ever heard on a solid state. It doesn't turn all harsh, glassy and brittle when you turn it up.

Ive tried this out many times, but every guitar I have used has had humbuckers. I like classic metal -I am not into NU Metal whatsoever so don't think that this amp is only good for that -though it is. I have o admit I do tune down just a little now and then and this amp sound really awesome when strings are dropped. I compared it to another amp I really liked side by side -the MArshall Valvestate VS100R. AT first I liked the valvestate hands down, but when I turned it up another notch I realized this thing came alive while the valvestate's sound started to fall apart. The mids and highs were much harsher on the valvestate yet no as responsive as they are on the B-52. The Valvestates bottom end was more prominent but not as present as the B-52s. I could easily tell that the B-52 would cut through a mix much better and easier than the Valvestate that tends to hide behind the band because the B-52 mids and highs (as I said before) are more solid. I want to own one so then I can really try it out and hear how it sounds on 4 or more -I can tell there is a whole new world to be opened up. I already have the cab so I'm all set. The Valvestate didnt totally lose though. I prefered the cleans on the VS100R -they were warmer and the reverb didn't effect the tone so much. I would alo use the VS100R for leads -because again the reverb doesnt split up the tone. I also think that the VS100R is more versatile, I can imagine more styles of music such as blues being played on it. The B-52 wins for raw metal madness and that is important to me. So I s'pose I'll use the B-52 and my AVT50 which gets doesnt even compare to the B-52 for rhythym. I don't want to bring such a revolutionary piece of affordable equipment down so I'll give it a 10 in this category -the rhythym is just that damn good -i you try it out at the store -dont be shy- turn it up some and compare it to other amps -you'll find this one to have much richer and solid tone.

It looks tough eneough -but I don't know so I wont rate it here.

I've been playing for about six years now. If I owned it and it were stolen I'd replace it. I love the smoothness and strength of the overdrive which allows it to be played at just about any volume. My girlfriend thinks it looks prettier than the AVT50 head... but I don't know. It packs a hell of alot more balls. The number one thing I'd like to see changed about it is the reverb. Not the reverb itself (that sounds great) but the way the reverb alters the tone. It makes your settings sound completely different than how you set them. I do plan on getting one... hopefully soon. Definitely a fantastic value.

This is a solid state 100w head, and I won't bother listing all the features, because about ten other people already have...

There is a nice sound to this amp, more so the clean channels then the distortion. Although a s/state, it has a warmth to the clean, where the distortion is not my taste, but does have possibilty for a good hard rock tone. My only gripe with this head would be how early the quality breaks up. I run this head through two B-52 4x12 cabs, and although this is loud as holy hell, when you set the master at about 60%, you can notice a dramatic break up in the sound.

I have been gigging with this head, and the two cabnets for over a year and a half, hauling everything in the back of my truck almost every weekend, and it holds up incredibly well.

I have dealt with the b-52's customer support on two occassions. The first was due to a technical question I had regarding the equipment, which was answered within 5 minutes of dailing the number, and they were very knowlegable and helpfull. The second time was for a warranty issue for the casters on the bottom half of the stack, and they sent me out replacements free of charge, and with no hassle. I wish all customer service ran like this company's. No joke.

For the price I paid, the quality is incredible. Including some minor issues here and there with the sound quality at high levels, but nothing is perfect, and this amp is no exception. The positives do out weigh the negitives by far, and I have reccommended B-52's products, and this head in particular to anyone in the market for a quality half or full stack. (*just a note, I have the B-52 100w stereo stealth tube head on order...and plan on keeping the LG100A as a backup)

- no
- 95% yes could use a little more gain for what i play, but nothing a pedal can't fix
- it has three channels (clean,gain 1, and gain 2), yes to channel switching, yes to effects loop, and yes to the phones jack
- gain is all i like in an amp, i like the straight sound. if i want another sound i would rather use pedals anyway
-right now i use it at home jamming, but will soon be gigging with it, and yes definetly has enough power. but nothing can have too much power

- i am using a 1960 les paul classic reissue with emg 81 85 pickups
- it suites it very well. my style is more metal, blues background
- not too much noise, but in the house right next to it it has more
- a nice clean sound and heavy as hell. only those two nothing else
- nope not mine
- out of a scale of 1-10 the brutality is an 8

- i have only had the thing for a week but so far so good (knock on wood)
- same as above

- same as above only have had it for a week
- but the warranty is four years on electrical and lifetime on the box

- i've been playing for seven years, and have too much gear to even start to list
- i would definetly buy it again, i can't beat the sound for the price
- not much to love it's just a usual amp, but only thing i hate is that it isn't a known brand
-yes, line 6, marshall, and mesa/boogie, i picked this one because it sounds like a marshall which is the one i wanted and is over a thousand dollars less
- it only need more gain
- for the price you can't beat it and it kicks major ass

Features have been mentioned. Good for many rock styles and tastes. If you're a big effects person, the only "effect" it has is reverb, but it's a rather nice reverb. Good for adding a little flavor to your solos or clean channel. Distortions are the best I've ever heard on a solid state; best when paired with B-52 cab (B-52 cab is actually the source of power since the speakers are especially bass-worthy and bring out the best in the distortion). Beyond that, it's a good overall amp. If you're looking for some kind of Line 6 cyber thingy or even a Crate amp with some digital effects, this isn't your slice of cake. And if you're a tube fanatic, you may be very surprised at how good this sounds for a solid state, but nonetheless, is still a solid state.

I use it with dimarzio pickups, (Air Norton in neck, Steve's Special in bridge), settings are very good either loud or turned down. Solid state allows it to retain good clarity at a lower volume, while still having the ability to be really powerful at high volumes. I like it the most for the way it attentuates bass tone (especially with the B-52 cab), because that's what I focus on most with my distortions. It allows me to get the best amount of bass bottom and still have clarity. I am not a nu-metal player, the lowest tuning I ever play is dropped-d flat, so these insane bass subwoofer amps don't do it for me. I still need screaming solos and good grunge and chop in my chords and palm mutes. The bass tone though keeps my distortion and mutes sounding meaty and have good impact while still maintaining a normal rock tone and sound. I play prog rock, metal, and Hard rock and this amp pleases me.

had it pushed off the cab and dropped onto the floor a couple times during a gig, worked fine even months after; although I didn't have it for much longer than 6 months so I'm not sure of its extended reliability

never dealt with

I've been playing for about 6-7 years and gigging about 4 of those years, and if you're short on cash (like I have in the past) this is the best bang for your buck... and I do mean bang. It rocks for a solid state and for it's price, there is no competition. If you have the bucks for something better, obviously you could get something better, so don't be knocking this half stack just cause it ain't your Marshall's baby, because there is no denying how good of a deal this is. Finally, a GOOD, SOLID-STATE half stack for players who want to take their music seriously, but haven't the cashflow to get a big-deal brand name. I personally have sold this head, but am about to get the B-52 ST-100A which is the screaming tube version of this head (not sure if that's what ST really stands for, I made that up). B-52 gets a good grade in my book for being good with quality and not just sticking a brand name on the tolex and pumping up the price.

We all know this a 2 1/2 channel amp. The reason I say 2 1/2 is because the "third channel" doesnt have an eq. Thats fine with me though because I only use the thrid channel for distortion. Its the best solid state amp I have ever listened to. 100-120 watts (I am not quite sure which it is but who cares). I love the volume controls for the effects loop and the line out.

I am using a Jazzbox with humbuckers on it. Its a good guitar and it sounds great with everything. I mostly play MELODIC hardcore/metalcore. Thing rocks my socks. I use gain 2 because it gives me tighter low end and the highs cut through a lot better, think As I Lay Dying-94 hours.

I have had this amp for less than a year and I am already saving for a new amp. But thats how it goes you know? It will deffinatly be my back up head if I need one. And the cab will always be part of my rig, I love B-52 cabs.

Just bought one and love it. Paid $600 for the combo at Guitar Center. I tried the Marshall MG100HDFX and the B-52 blows it away. The Marshall sounded great for palm mutes but it lost a lot of tone and punch when chords were played. The B-52 DOES NOT lose any tone or punch. I play mostly thrash and death metal and some hardcore/punk like Pennywise style. The 2 distortion channels are good but have a lot of bass to them...So, I use a DOD Death Metal distortion pedal running on the clean channel of the head and I get more treble and the sound I want. The distortion channels have slight feedback at higher volumes, but when using my effects pedal, no feedback occurs. I like my guitar playing to be very loud so I can feel the sound and ground shaking. I've had it up to 5 on the master volume and I could only take it for a few minutes...THIS THING IS STUPID LOUD!!! I practice with it on around 3 on the master knob. Sounds good loud too. I got it with the slant cabinet since I wanted more sound directed up at me since the cab is on the floor. My advice is to try the Marshall and the B-52, I'm sure you'll agree that the B-52 sounds better.

2 distortion, 1 clean, reverb, head phone, effects loop. Beauty in simplicity.

I use a 2003 Peavey Predator Plus TR7 (don't confuse it with the cheap-ass Predators) 7-string with dual humbuckers. Nice, Crunchy channel 1 distortion. With the right settings I can play all the old school Korn I want. Channel 2 distortion good for cutting, lead riffs. Clean channel with reverb kicks ass for undistorted metal riffs (clean solo in "One", clean interlude in "Did My Time"). LOUD!

Dunno. Just bought it, but I've been playing on a B52 that my son's guitarist owns. He's had it for a year or so with no problems.

Dunno.

I've only been seriously learning for a few months, but on and off for 15 years. I've had smaller Crate amps, I bought the Crate GLX212, Vox AD120VT only to return them. They had nice effects and sounded great...at low volumes. GC, I am sure, is tired of me returning the "CRAP" that I've bought from them. I played every solid state amp in the store (including Marshalls) and they all sounded like crap. What sold me on this is the sound clarity at extremely loud volumes. I can now jam without worrying about the drummer not being able to hear me on the Vox (turned up all the way on UK Modern, full gain, full volume, full master volume). The Vox had a HUGE amount of negative feedback, which disappeared when I plugged into the B52. As for effects, well, after returning the Vox and getting the B52 half stack, I now have store credit to get a decent effects processor. I guarantee I won't return this one!

mine was made in 2003,this amp for the price range of $349.99+tax is so versatile because it is three channeled,and also comes with a steel foot switch,and for only a hundred watts this thing can push two four-12 cabs.

I use an Esp Viper-301 with EMG'S humbuckers pushing through this beast with a b-52 slant cab with 4-12's and 400watts handling,it can preform sound's from country to death metal,this amp is litteraly a beast because the clean channel has so much clarity,and both distortions have really good clarity and low end.

I played with my B-52 at the high school that i graudated from thier homecoming parade with ten band's preforming including my band that I play in,and what was funny five of the bands guitar players used my half stack because they liked how good it sounded at such a loud volume ,I had it cracked up to 12:00 o'clock.

they told me detail for detail about the new B-52 tube head that just came out ,6 months before it was even introduced to the public

this amplifier is a beast like I said before ,you won't regret buying this amp,and also my theory why pay over a thousand dollars for amp like a marshall mode four that sounds like some built it then took a huge crap in it. p.s. this amp is Excellent for HardRock because that's what i play

I used money from Christmas and working to buy the B-52 half stack. I payed about $325 for the head and the cab. At first I was aiming for a Marshall or Randall but the B-52 was sitting next to a Marshall so I tried it out. I had never seen it before and was looking to try something new. I believe it was made mid to late 2002, because I had never heard of or seen anything by this company before. I play Rock and Roll/Heavy Metal; think Anthrax and Pantera. This is amp is great for that style of music. With the bass at 10, mids at 0 and the treble between seven and eight it can't be beaten. It has three channels: clean a type of crunch and full maxed out distortion. It comes with a footswitch which gives you the option of going from clean to distortion, changing the gain settings (crunch or distortion) and a Reverb on/off switch. There is an Effects Loop in the back and it gives you a sort of boost knob in the back to let you put however much of the effect into the signal that you want. Headphone jack in the front, but that's what Practice amps are for. I don't use the effects loop, I just run straight through the floor board. I use this amp in the garage for practices and at shows it's a great amp. Loud!

I've used several Les Paul's with this amp (some loaded with EMG pickups). I've also used, live and for practice, Ibanez guitars with Seymore Duncan pickups. RG 470, RG 570 and RG 220. All sound awesome on this amp. This amp is perfect for Heavy Metal. With the Gain 2 selected, maxed gain turned up and bridge pick up you can't go wrong. With Gain 1 selected, guitar tone all the way down, gain set from 4 to 6 and the neck pick up on you have an awesome blues sound. The clean sound is really great on the neck pickup as well, but I find that it gets somewhat high pitched on some bridge pickups. Not a good idea to play full open chords on the bridge pick up. It's also a good idea to have the Master Volume higher than the Level knob. To protect yourself from feedback and unwanted humming. I use a Rocktron guitar silencer so that's not a problem anyway. Amp sounds great even at high volumes, gets very loud. Gain 1 is good for blues and Crunch (Bush, Pearl Jam softer Ozzy parts) and Gain 2 is good for anything Metal and Rock (Slayer, Pantera, Anthrax, Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne, etc.) Hardcore distortion, very awesome!

I've used this amp at all my shows. Awesome all around amp, perfect for what I play. I've had no need for a back up so far, I've had it for about seven months. I've never hit it against anything or dropped it, but it's heavy enough to scream out "protection!" I've never had any worries with it. Wheels on bottom of cab to help movement.

Never had to contact them.

I've been playing about two years. I have an Epiphone Les Paul (EMG pick ups) White Gibson Les Paul Custom and three Ibanez RG series guitars (470, 570 and 220) with Seymore Duncan pickups. I use a Dunlop Wah Wah, Digitech Whammy effect Pedal and some racked gear (Rocktron Noise Reducer, Korg Tuner and Furman Perimetric EQ) and a whirlwind A/B box. All this plus two B-52 half stacks (one distorted and one clean) makes a kickass guitar rig. I highly recommend getting the B-52 head and amp if you're not a tube amp fanatic. It's an awesome amp. Worth the money, very affordable.

I bought the head as well as the 4x12 400w cab(350 bucks each). I bought this at Guitar Center and it was right next to the Marshall MG100HDFX. I walked right past the B-52. I tried the Marshall out as well as a crate. I was all set to buy the Marshall when the guitar floor manager of Guitar Center told me that it wasnt a "real" Marshall and then he showed me the B-52(and the b-52 was cheaper!). I was amazed at how much better it sounded. The B-52 is really loud but it still sounds great loud. The 2 distortion channels are great. One is really crunchy and the other is more ballsy. The clean sound really good too. Came wit ha footswitch for channel swithcing plus a switch for the reverb. I'm going to be in a band soon and I think this will work out great for me.

I currently have an Epiphone G-400...sg style, two humbuckers(both stock). I play mostly hard rock, metal, and a little bit of blues/jazz here and there. The distortion works really well and everything sounds clear. It can have some feedback on higher volumes but u can get rid of it by playing with the EQ. Its a pretty simple, straightforward amp which is great. Nothing there to just take up space.

The head and cab both seem pretty sturdy and they both have 5 year warrantys as opposed to marshalls 90 day warranty. I would gig without a backup. I just got it so it works great.

Well I havent dealt with the company and I hope i won't have to. But they get a ten for the great warrantys that i got.

I have only been playing guitar for about 5 months but I'm really into it. I also have a 25w crate amp and my guitar I mentioned earler. If it were stolen now I'd want to buy another one but if it got stolen somewhere down the road I might look at something more expensive. I really love how great it sounds and from being so simple. Alls you do is plug in and have fun. There isnt much i could say that I hate about it. If you want a relaly great first half-stack dont be fooled by the fancy Marshalls...take a good look at this. You'll be pleasantly surprised...and its cheaper too!

2003 brand new US built head w/ matching cab. Fits my styles well, i lean towards punk, but i like a lot of detuned and metal stuff as well. For the price, this amp cannot be beat. Includes 3 channels - clean, overdrive, lead - and reverb. Came w/ footswitch. Effects loop and headphone jack are also located on the back. It would have been awesome to include chorus, but i am well beyond satisfied. Easily meets the power needs to perform with a band. I was tired of being drowned out by our drummer, but that is no longer a problem.

I have 2 les pauls (epiphone standard and a 80's japanese-made copy that looks exactly like a gibson custom) and a EMG equipped Schecter C-1+. The distortion is amazing, the lead channel screams, especially with the EMGs. The clean and overdrive channels are also very well done, they are not awesome, but for the money they blow away the competition. The reverb is also damn good. Lead channel w/ full distortion + reverb + bridge pickup = amazing tone for soloing, especially tapping. But this amp could easily do other styles, like blues or jazz with no problem. The only problem is on the gain settings there is a buzz, but i already had a BOSS noise supressor, so its not really a problem. OVERALL, IT SOUNDS GREAT, HAS MORE THAN ENOUGH POWER AND HEADROOM FOR DAYS.

This thing is solid, damn solid. I have moved it around a lot since purchasing it, i am more worried about smashing things with it then things hitting it. Metal reinforced throughout, this thing is almost indestructable.

Extremely helpful, answered all inquiries quickly, ordered catalog and recieved it in two days! Warranties are amazing - 5 years on the head, some number of years on the speakers and lifetime on cab construction! They are also a US company.

I have been playing for a couple of years now and while i don't have as much experience w/ equipment as others, it is easy to see the greatness that is this amp. for $600 you can get this B52 half-stack that stands against marshalls costing 2 times the price. For the money it simply cannot be beat. If it was stolen i would be damn pissed, i would buy another in a heartbeat. I love the distortion, the number of channels (every amp should have 3) the reverb is great, its indestructable + it has great warranties, its US MADE, its VERY LOUD, and above all THE BEST VALUE YOU WILL FIND IN THE $600 RANGE OF HALF-STACKS!!!! THE BEST!!!!

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I use an Ibanez with dual humbuckers.This amp is the mutha-fuckin schiznit doohickie.The tone nobs actualy work!(not like on those crap-ass marshalls)
The distortion is so good.It cuts through everything else.

This is the strongest amp in the whole world.I have dropped it three times and nothing happened.

never dealt with

This is the best amp out there.There are you butt-fucks who say ooooo its not tube!Or oooooo its not marshall!Fuck you shit heads.Tube amps are the biggest rip off ever.more than squier guitars.They dont sound any better,you get auto-overdrive at slightly high volumes,and you have to replace them.And marshalls all sound the same, and they are sooooo quiet.you practicly need a full stack for quiet practicing.

This is a verily new amp I have heard. I am 15 yrs old and play in a Punk band good punk not gay punk I'm talkin (Anti-FLag), some ska like Rancid and stuff. Since I only started playing guitar in mid december of 2002 I wasn't really sure what amp I should buy. I knew alot about amps cuz i have played bass for about 4 yrs. Iknew I wanted a halfstack so I didn't have to every worry about buying anotehr amp to play shows ever again. I knew Marshall was to expensive and shit like that so I went to Guitar Center and the Salesman showed me this I was amazed and played it for 10 mins and bought it. Since I only play rythem in my band I could honestly careless about the effects. I do like the reverb and the two gain switches though. This amp has so much power I have played this at 4 different venues and have only had to crank it up to volume three. Only at one venue it was miced and that didnt really matter though to much. This is probably the best deal I have ever seen on a halfstack.

I'm using a Fender with Seymour Duncan Humbuckers (modified into it). This amp is really good for ska and punk if your a pop punk/emo queer don't by this. I have tried playing some old AC-DC on it and it sounds incredible.Some jazz music and this amp sounds good no matter what I play. The only probelm I don't like is to much feedback but I am playing in a very small room so that could be the problem when I'm playing live between songs I have to turn it down so we cant talk to the crowd or for bass solos and then have to turn it back up to play again.

I trust this amp all the way. I don't ever worry abouta back up or anything I am really careful with my amps and this thing is built so well it has wheels a very big plus compared to my Fender Bass amp. (I hate carrying that thing). IT has a metal grille so I dont ever worry about fuckin up the speakers or anything.

The company has a great warranty that's one of the reasons I bought this amp even though its a new amp out on the market I felt safe buying it cuz of the warranty. I haven't had any problems with it so I don't really know.

I play bass alot and guitar now I use a Fender p-bass and Fender jazz bass and fender bass amps. If my new amp was stolen I'd buy it again.If lost I'd kick the persons ass who stole it but if they were alot bigger than me I would just buy a new one haha im hardcore.

All the other reviews can tell you the technical details... Not too many features... Two distortion channels and a clean channel. There's a nice effects loop with gain controls although I haven't tried it yet. I used to own a Johnson modelling amp which had so many features that going down to something this basic was a shock... I must say though that LESS IS DEFINITLY MORE!! I got the matching 4x12 cabinets which is loud enough for most any gig I'll ever play... Only a few knobs but plenty of versitality available with them and no confusion with a million effects that sound like crap anyway...

I play all styles of music from metal to punk to rock to funk etc... This amp can get real loud! The clean sounds are nice but nothing special... It is solid state and does not compare to a fender twin or anything... But it works... The distortion on the other hand can sound from wicked and screaming to mellow and soothing... The two gain channels really give a lot of options... Pinch harmonics seem to leap to life with this amp! And this amp can hold its own at the highest volumes! Something the modelling amps don't do very well. Only complaint is that it does feedback quite easily if the gain is up to high... probably due to the fact that I'm using the 4x12s in my 13x13 room... Play around with your positioning and it should go away.

I live in Buffalo NY and I've had to drag this thing through snow storms to my car/truck... I haven't dropped it yet but I've put a decent amount of abuse on it and the thing is built like a tank!

never had a need to use them

I've been playing guitar for about 7 years now and this amp blows away my marshall JTM-30 watt, my Johnson Mirage, and all the marshall valvestate amps... It is comparable to a mesa boogie without the humongous price tag. Although not as smooth as a mesa it definitly has the bite and the tenacity to bring all your notes to life.

I believe this amp and this company came out in 2002, but I do not know for sure. But what I do know is that this is a fantastic amp for the money. I play in a punk band (not that popunk crap on mtv). It has 3 channels which are Clean, Overdrive, and "Super Overdrive". It comes with a footswitch, and also has switchable reverb, and an effects loop. It sounds exactly like a Marshall Tube Amp, but it is solid state. Whenever the guy at Guitar Center told me it was solid state I couldn't believe it. I have had this amp for almost a year now and I have gigged it frequently, and I have never turned it up past 5 at a show. And when we practice I have to turn it down about 3. No headphone jack, but who buys a halfstack for the headphone jack? I bought it with the matching 4x12 and I think that this amp is the perfect match for my style of playing. It's just a cheap, basic, loud, good sounding amp. But as far as features go I don't really care because I don't use any effects or anything, I just plug in and rock out hardcore.

Currently my main axe is a Fender Deluxe Double Fat Strat, with dual humbuckers, and I think it sounds just dandy. As far as my musical style the only complaint I have is that it sounds a bit muddy, not much clarity, but that might just be my guitar. As far as variety goes I have played classic rock (led zeppelin, ac/dc), punk (germs,black flag), hardcore (limp wrist), even a little ska.
If youre looking for an amp to play some lame nu-metal this is definately NOT the amp for you. And if youre looking for an amp to play some lame old-metal Steve Vai/whitesnake/hair metal/Zack Wylde/ CRAP...this is also definately not the amp for you.

Within the first week I bought this amp I knocked it completely over on its front (great metal grille) and absolutley nothing happened. Within the year there have been some rips in the outside, but it is definately nothing major. It has never broken down, and sounds just like it sounded a year ago. Since I am a broke punk-rocker I have to play without a backup every show, and I don't have to worry at all, because this amp is solid.

Well I do believe it has a lifetime warranty, so I guess thats about as good as it gets. I do have the number of the company, but since theres been absolutely no problems I havent had to use it.

I have been playing guitar for 6 years now, and I looked long and hard for a good amp. I tried the Marshall MG series and it really didnt appeal to me, and I also tried a Crate amp that was just awful. And my friend even has a Marshall JCM series, but it just wasnt for me. I am the only person I have ever met with one of these amps, it is kind of cool. I am unique, and have my own sound. If someone stole it I might check out the Fender Stage 100 halfstack, but if I didnt like it I would definately buy this back again. It is a magnificent buy, I think B-52 made a mistake by pricing it so low. All in all if you want a great amp for the money, this is it.

Three channels with reverb and effects loop.Basic amp head.Very LOUD! I realy liked it till I got it home and tested it with a few stomp boxes.

I use Ibanez Jems guitars and this amp sounded great.Kind of marshall sounding with a great clean channel.Plenty of head room too.The 400 watt cab is great {Iam keeping it} But I returned the head because of the effects loop.I use a boss chorus and this head sucked the life out of the chorus? Seemed to drain the volume out of the amp too.The effects loop has a gain for send and return but still just did not sound good at all.If you do not play with effects this amp is AWSOME!! I just could not get past the effects loop.The distortion is great,I got alot of cool sound from this amp.

Spoke with them and they were great.I think B-52 is on its way with these amps.

Over all I liked this amp.Its just not for me.I play through a line six flextone and its hard to give up a floor board with a tuner and wah and volume and channel switching !! Iam going to keep the 4/12 cab and run my pod and a power amp with it.I have tested this out and it sound great. Go check one of these out.LOTS OF HEAD ROOM !! They are coming out with two more heads soon.One a 60 watt tube and one a 100 watt tube.Great sounding amp,just not for me :-(

As others have said its brand new from B-52 Pro Audio. I saw this half stack in a ad for Guitar Center, and came on here and looked at how well it was rated so I decided to check it out. I really liked the way the head looked, its a bit different from most. There are two channels, clean and overdrive. And the overdrive has two different footswitchable gain settings itself. This definatly makes this a great lead guitar amp. Becuase you can have it on one for a smooth rhythm distortion and then switch it to shred out on lead. Its got a switchable reverb as well. Its got the classic two speaker outs, and effects loop.

As I said I tried this against a Crate Blue Voodoo. The distortion on this was 100% more smooth than the Blue Voodoo and over all it just sounded a lot cleaner and smoother. This thing sounded awesome.

Two year warrenty on the amplifer, lifetime on the construction. The thing seems like its built really well.

Haven't delt with them. They have a great warrenty though. It'd be better if they had a 1-800 number, but thats okay. At least they are in the US.

Overall this amp was great. I got it with the matching 400 Watt 4x12 cabinet. This wasn't as loud as the Blue Voodoo, but blew it away in terms of sound quality.

when the guy first showed me this at guitar center i thought it was gowwing to be a piece of crap,but it is far from it.there is 3 channels,clean,distortion 1 and distortion 2.it sounds as good as all the marshall heads ot there,but its $350 not$1500.but the thing that amazes me is how loud it is.it is way louder than the randalls and marshalls.

the clean channel is great,but its the disyortion channels i love.with the gain low it sounds like a tube screamer,but when its crancked its somewhere betwwen DS-1 and MT-2.

this thing is as solid as a rock.i've dropped it three times and there weren't any dents or anything.

i havent dealt with them.but it comes with a lifetime warranty(fuckin sweet)

overall this is the best head you can buy.

This is a new release from B-52 Pro Audio. I was looking in Guitar Center for something to replace my Fender Blues DeVille 212 tube amp, and the salesman showed me this 1/2 stack. i had never heard of B-52 before, but I guess they have a reputation for pro audio/sound equipment other than guitar amps. The head looked a little weird, but very functional. It was basically the traditional "marshallesqe" black and gold, with two channels, clean and gain. The gain channel has two actual switchable gain settings, so you could dial in a smooth rhythm dist. and then tap the pedal and get your overdriven lead stuff from the same channel. Master reverb (switchable) and two speaker outs, effects loop, the usual suspects.....

The reason I'm replacing my Blues DeVille 212 is that I don't care too much for the tube sound, and Fender colors your signal no matter what you do to make it sound "fendery", so that just wasn't me. I play mostly hard rock, 80's/90's and some classic, but the DeVille was just not "razor sharp" enough for my taset. Using this amp's built in gain, I got exactly the distortion sound I was looking for, and I still can't seem to dial it in on my GT-6, so the amp is perfect for me. It had the low end "chink" when I muted some power chords, and it held it's own soloing with some pretty high notes, and bends, etc... The reverb was quite nice, and if you didn't want it, you could just switch it off with the 3 button foot controller. The clean tone was average, nothing special, but I would probably add a chorus pedal to the mix all the time through the effects loop. The loop has separate volume controls for send and return (pretty cool!) and it will support 2 4x12 cabinets if necessary. The salesman forced me to crank it up at almost full volume, and I must say, I couldn't tell if my brain was shaking or the sound was breaking up, but I think more so my brain. It seemed to handle loud volumes without breaking up really at all.

Have no idea, but the speakers have a 5 year warranty, and the cabinet construction has a lifetime warranty. The head I think is 1 or 5 years too, but not sure.

Have no idea, but there here in the states, so that's a plus at least!

For the money, a very nice package. I doubt you could get much better unless you spent about twice the amount. Definately something you can use for semi-pro to pro applications. The gain was incredibly nice, and the power was something to be reconed with, so I think overall it's got to be the best buy in guitar gear in several years!