B-52 Pro Audio ST100A Stealth Head

100 Watt Head, Headphone out, Low and High inputs, Basically a three channel amp, footswitchable Clean, Gain 1, and Gain 2. Footswitchable reverb as well. Independant EQ's for Clean and Gain 1, Gain 2 shares the Gain 1 channel's EQ, but has a Contour knob which makes the distortion kinda jangly, but ill explain below.
Back panel has speaker outs, ohms select switch, footswitch jacks for the 3 channels, and for the reverb, ground lift switch, effects loop, and a rectifier selection switch that chooses from Class A, Class AB, and Solid State.

Ran it through a Jackson 412 cab thats pretty neutral sounding, with a Gibson SG. A very good selection of modern tube sounds. You can scoop the mids out on this amp's gain channel and get very modern metal sounds.
The clean channel is sparkly and tight. The gain channel pulls everything from fat round grit to tight high gain metal madness. The Gain 2 channel has its own gain knob and a contour knob. The contour knob kinda confuses me. with the contour turned all the way up, it sound the same as Gain 1 with with matching gain knob settings. When you roll the Contour back, the distortion takes on a jangly sound that's horrible and useless in any application. I may have to play with this on different gain settings to see if it really serves any purpose. Basically I have the amp set up with clean, crunch, and lead sounds, and its fine that way.
The rectifier selection switch makes only a slight difference, with that difference being in the bass response at relatively high volumes. I think personal taste will decide what class you'll use. I have mine set to Class A, the bass response is a little looser than the SS setting and I really dont like that scooped modern metal sound. Give me some damn mids!
Regardless of the settings, this amp definitly has a very modern sound, different from my marshall which I A/B'd this with, but for the price range this thing is awesome.
As for noise, i found it to be pretty quiet, even on high gain settings.

Lemme tell you this, I purchased this amp used out of the back of a junk store for $200 out the door. Its was $400 but was 1/2 off cause someone had dropped it off a shelf. It's a very heavy amp, and when it dropped, the cabinet side cracked and bent, so its a little crooked, BUT.... no tubes broke, and it functions with NO issues. If thats not built like a tank then I dunno what is. Either way, I ran it hard for 2 hours of rehearsals and had no problems. I'd never gig without some kinda backup, and I bought this just for the purpose of being a backup, but I just might with this one.

Never dealt with em.

Ive been playing for almost 20 years. Been partial to tube amps, but have had my share of SS modeling amps, rackmount preamps, power amps, and practice amps. Currently using a Marshall JCM 900, a Line 6 Duoverb and this one. Awesome for what I paid for it, and I see them on ebay used for around 400 and I say its worth it. Pretty versatile, reliable, and great value if you aint got a lotta bucks. The only thing I really desire from these modern amps is a footswitchable FX loop, that would put it over the top.

I bought this Stealth 100 tube amp over ebay for $400. Has a triple rectifier feature, doesn't seem to make much difference but it's there. Another nice feature is that it has a ground switch, which really eliminates humming. Otherwise, has all the things you'd expect from an amp. I give it an 8, because I don't see a great big difference between the three rectifier settings.

If I had written this review two days ago, I would have given it a 6 or 7. I had been planning to buy a 50 watt Mesa single rectifier, since they were discounted locally. So I brought this B-52 in and compared it head to head with a $1000 Mesa, and there wasn't any sound the Mesa could make that mine couldn't do better. It had a thicker richer tone, and meatier distortion, which was surprising because I had thought the distortion on mine sucked before I compared it. The reverb also sucks on my B-52 but it sucked just as much on the Mesa. I tried everything to convince myself that the Mesa was worth it because they are mad cool looking. Maybe the bigger ones are better, but I didn't want to spend $1400 to get something that was a little bit better than what I already had.
Right now I'm running it through a 2X12 and A Sonic 2X12, and sometimes I use a Danelectro distortion pedal. I play a Hamer Standard XT, so it's all pretty bargain basement stuff, but when you turn it up you can really feel it. The clean channel seems to break up pretty early. I play mostly rythym, so can't really tell ya about the screaming part of it, but I think that might be a weakness with this amp. But I am positive you won't find a better range of good tones for the money.

I have only had it 2 months, so we'll see. But the rectifier knob has already stripped off, so we'll see. But as far as that goes, just buy three of them, you won't have to worry.

Never contacted the company.

Have been playing off and on for a long time but have recently just started getting serious about getting good equipment. When I first started up, I used an assortment of Peavy amps that I sort of inherited. This is obviously a step up. And if it were lost or stolen, I would be a bit upset, but they are affordable, so it wouldn't be the end of the world. And what I love about it, it's sort of an ugly, funny-looking amp that no one has heard of but kicks ass over $1000 amps, because music shouldn't be a name thing.

Log onto the homepage if you really need to know.

Jackson Rhoads guitars with EMG pickups (81, 60). I play real metal (old Metallica, Slayer, Sepultura, Exodus, etc), not the pathetic excuse for music that passes for heavy these days (Limp Bisquick, Kornhole, Lincoln Log Park). I was pretty impressed with the sound of the solid state head that these guys make, so I figured that I would give the tube head a try. Usually tube amps stomp all over SS amps, but that was not the case with this. The SS version kicks this amp's ass completely. Maybe there was something wrong with the one I tried, but it had absolutely no balls, and absolutely no gain. Nothing even approaching "high gain", the best I could get out of it was a soft crunch! This surprised me because the B-52 solid state head had tons of gain. Since the lead channel sucked rancid Donkey ass, I figured at least the clean sound would be nice, especially since I had never heard a bad clean sound out of a tube amp. So much for that idea, I've heard better clean sounds out of a Crate practice amp. I can't tell you how shocked I was by how awful this amp sounded because the solid state version really impressed me for a non tube based amp. How this company can make a solid state amp sound good and a tube amp sound awful is a mystery to me.

For a while, I thought that their must have been something wrong with the particular amp that I tried, but a friend of mine plugged into a new one in Guitar Center and said that it sounded equally awful. If someone offered me a brand new one for free, I would turn it down.

You could get better tone by plugging your guitar chord into your a-hole. This amp sounds like you are hitting a baby with a cat.

I can only assume that the reviews that gave it good marks for "sound" must have been written by employees of the B-52 company, because even someone who was completely deaf would know that total crap was coming out of their amp based on the look of horror on every other face in the room.

Didn't keep it, so I can't really say. I must admit, if it broke that would probably be a good thing, it sounds that bad.

Never tried to contact them.

Bought it used from a store (without plugging into it) with a good return policy and brought the amp back the next day. It was possibly the worst sounding amp I have ever plugged into, and that includes cheap solid state amps that I used when I first started playing. This gives the Peavey VTM amps a run for their money as the worst tube amps in the history of the world.

I absolutely have fallen in love with the all-tube B-52! I was playing through the solid state for a while, which sounded great, but just couldn't compare to the tube. I play all kinds of music with my band, although I've been influenced heavily on metal. I primarily use the distortion on the preamp (BOSS GT6) during songs and sets, so I don't switch between channels much on the amp head. But take my word for it, it is definately comparible in terms of amazing sound to the Mesa's & Crate's and all the rest. With a modest price-tag, this is definately an affordable amp for anyone.

I'd love to be able to hear a built in delay option, with variable rates and frequency. Aside from that...it doesn't need a thing done to it. Stick with what works! And the full stack is more than enough for any show you are wanting to put on! I played in an amphitheater with only the half-stack, AND IT STILL SOUNDED GREAT!

I play through a Jackson PSR with dual active EMG dual coils, and a single EMG single-coil. The amp works wonders for me! I do play through a special preamp, eliminating my need to utilize the overdrive feature. I have played through it before, and it definately has a powerful, raw sound. Yet, when you tone it down through a good EQ you are bound to fall in love with it some more. The volume rarely goes over 5 on the amp. That's with the volume on the preamp WAY down! I've played through both head models, and they both sound heavy at higher levels. You rarely hear any clipping from clean-tone highs, which is a great thing & the distortion feels like it's tearing through your chest...which is also a GOOD THING!

I've been playing through the tube head for over a year now, and haven't had to change any tubes yet. I have some backups available but won't use them until I have to. The solid-state you'll RARELY have problems with. I found out that it could definately take a beating, and bite you right back! I'm pretty careful not to bang up the tube head, but I know it can take a thrashing when it comes to sheer volume. Don't neglect this equipment, and it will take care of you in return.

Wow, I've already forgot about the warranties! I never had to use any of them. I think there's a 5-year guarantee on the speaker cabs, but it doesn't sound like I'll be worrying about it for a while still.



(SORRY, I HAD TO GIVE THIS RATING! IT'S JUST FUNNY! I SINCERELY HOPE NO ONE WOULD EVER PICK THIS...NO MATTER WHAT THE SERVICE WAS LIKE!)

I've been playing rhythm guitar on and off for the last 12-14 years. Seriously for 6 years, and in my first and last band for 3 1/2 years. We have access to access to every kind of recording equipment and program under the sun. The lead guitarist is employed with a company that does major audio productions for major concerts, shows, etc. They have virtually set up an entire working recording studio in their livingroom! The amp works very well for recording, if you like to amplify your recordings that way. I've played through Marshall's, Crate's, Mesa, etc. Most of which are terribly expensive for full-stack setups. The B-52 combines the sound and performance of all of those amps...with a pricetag that won't set your kids back a couple years from college!

this amp was made in 2004 which a very versatile sounding amp for many styles but mine is metal like mudvayne slipknot killswitch engage i beleave its got 3 channels 1 clean and 2 ovderives has alow and hi input reverb effects loop in the back rectifier class switch in the back and an ohms selectible switch between 4 8 and 16 ohms for speaker cabinets i use this amp at practice and gigs weekly. this amp is very loud i only use it at 4 maybe 5 since its a tube it alot louder than a solid state

first i use cort m600 guitar with emg 81 and 85 as my main guitar then i have a schecter s1 elite for my backup .so this amp suits my style perfect.which is heavy hardcore nu metal some death metal sounds.you can get some nice sounds out of this head if you take your time setting the knobs right .you can go from clean to slight overdive and then bluesy to death metal sound.okay first clean channel is nice not a fender but kinda like a marshall maybee a nice peavey it does distort at hi levels i say having the clean volume past 5 but once again this amp is super loud so you wont need to go that high anyways. the distortion channels well channel 1 is like a marshall kinda middy tight bass lots of gain id say more of solo mans channel. now channel 2 is more mesa boogie idea which suits metal and more metal nice low end just cuts right threw the mix reminds me of the mudvayne,s sound type or killswitch engage,s sound im not saying that it better than these other companies but its great for the money

no probs yet

ive been playing 13 years now ive owned randalls mesa boogies and marshalls and what i can say is randall amps have that white noise sound that you get sick off mesa boogie is awsome but to expensive to fix marshalls sound is just getting old if this amp were lost i just buy the other model the at100 a better version of this one i love the price about it and the features are great for simple operations id compare this head to a mesa single rectifier or a peavey triple x i buy this once again price and the sound are near the same as the other amps i mentioned .ive nocticed in the other reviews peaple complaining about this amp well first your compairing it to a mesa boogie or lets see soldano,s like we all can afford this guys come on. well any how those are great amps for studio and live but this amp is a great live amp i can give it that peaple might not agree but its just my opinion just give this amp a shot

Sean here... just wanted to update and say that I musta just had a bum first couple of rounds... I have had this one for a while now- with no problems.
Johny with b52 and his genuine interest in seeing me back to playing ASAP was a big plus.

2 channel tube amp with an aux gain channel that has a shape control.

It ws made recently. It has channel switching and reverb and a footswitch. It has class A and class B and SS rectifiers.

The clean sounds good, but the gain channels have the Tube screamer chip built into them so you can never clean the gain channel up completely.

It always has too much clipping due to the chip.

??????????

????????????

Well, unfortunately there is a IC in the amp for distortion. I hate the TS808 sound, and this amp uses that sound as the base for it's lead channel. Turn the gain to O and you have what sounds exactly like a Tube screamer plugged into a clean amp.

I like clean vintage tone that barks in the mids all the time. And the lows are clear and mids crap out when you spank it. This head lined up with my Marshall cab with my G12T-75 celestions has all the bottom end I was searching for. Overdrive channel is okay... It has got some bones to it. Needs about 20 more watts for my zesty freshness. Wish it was Stereo... Guess I could get 2 >D

Using a strat with hot pickups for a texas sound.
Not fair to say it is noisy... I am playing a strat.
Clean channel is juicy and punchy at high volume, and classic break-up sounds great. I love this head's sound.

Unfortunatly... the bargin in price makes sense when it comes to the reliability of this head (at least in my case). The first one I got crackled from day one. I exchanged it for the same model. The second one died on tube settings A and AB right about the 45 day mark. Now only the Solid State option works. And now that channel is starting to go. It's too bad I dig the sound so much, so I will take the unlimitted warrenty, and keep returning the same head over and over every time it breaks. Maybe I will eventually get one that will last a bit.

not sure... just dealt with guitar center direct... and of course they are always cool.

100 WATT ALL TUBE, BOUGHT NEW IN 04, THE LONG CABLES TO THE FOOTSWITCH ARE PRETTY USEFUL. IVE ONLY PRACTICED WITH IT SO FAR BUT IT SEEMS DAMN LOUD, NOT MUCH CHANGE IN VOLUME AFTER HALF WAY UP, BUT THE SATURATION AND TONE GET BETTER.

I PLAY A LES PAUL 1960 REISSUE, ALL STOCK. THIS HEAD HAS A TON OF LOW END,FIND A CAB TO MATCH. NOT FLABBY AND VERY MUSICAL, DONT DIME ANY OF THE CONTROLS THOUGH, AND YOU SHOULD BE FINE. CLEAN CHANNEL DOES BREAK UP AT HALF VOLUME OR BETTER, BUT WITH SWEETER PICKUPS, THERE IS PROBABLY MORE HEADROOM. LIKES OVERDRIVE PEDALS A LOT TOO.

TOO NEW TO TELL, BUT ITS BUILT LIKE A TANK, HEAVY AND SOLID FEELING, BIG TRANSFORMERS.

AGAIN, TOO NEW TO TELL, HAVENT USED THEM YET

IVE GOT TEN YEARS OF PLAY UNDER MY BELT, AND THIS TONE IS NEW TO ME, IT HITS HARD AND CUTS LIKE A CHAINSAW, IT RAWKS HHAARRDD!

I recently bought a brand new, 2004 B52 ST-100A all tube amp head and matching speaker cab from Guitar Center. It has one clean channel and two varying drive channels. In the back of the amp, there is an effects send and return, and a line level out.

I used a Gibson Les Paul Studio with the stock Gibson alnico pickups thru the amp directly. The clean channel was decent, but when played at loud volumes, a weird buzz/humm could be heard underneath low notes. I thought it was just a defective head, so I returned it for another of the same model, and the problem was still there, making the clean channel all but useless. The overdrive channels aren't awful, but they lack bite even on the solid state rectifier option

It works, and seems pretty solid, but the problem with the clean channel "underbuzz" makes it difficult to use in any real situation besides Pavement style white noise.

If you are really in need of a half stack that can get high volumes and high gain, this might be your option. But don't plan on using the clean channels at all.