Carvin MTS3200

This is a 50th anniversary Carvin MTS3200 head, 1999 I believe. I bought it used in mint condition, and the 5881 tubes were swapped for Groove Tube EL34's. This amp excels in features, but also severely lacks in them. In terms of the rear panel, features are a big plus. I like the impedance switching, the direct line out, the bias switch, but most of all i love the option of switching between 50 watts (two power tubes) and 100 watts (4 power tubes). I keep mine on 50 all the time because when you have it on the lead channel the power tubes are pushed harder and you get a more intense distortion. However the amp lacks a master volume, which is a serious flaw in my opinion because it saves a ton of time with last minute volume changes at gigs. Plus I would have liked to see certain tone controls that the Marshall JCM2000's feature like a deep switch or a tone shift. Separate reverbs for each channel would also be a big plus. But we can't forget that important factor: price. Despite the lacking of features (which in my opinion is the amps ONLY weak point), this is an incredible value for the money.

I play this through a customized fender powerhouse strat with a seymour duncan invader installed in the bridge, dimarzio blues in the middle, and a dimarzio HS-3 in the neck. My secondary guitar is a Jackson DK-10. I like to play older heavy metal (80's metallica, etc.) and lots of punk. Occasionally blues and the sort. This amp can cover any sonic spectrum, but i'll get to that later.
The clean on this amp is worth buying it alone. For those people who say it sounds sterile, you have to swap those 5881's out! The EL34's give a better, fuller clean. The presence switch is nice, although I would have preferred a knob. But the switch works just fine. The tone controls on the clean don't change the sound all that drastically, but once you have the right tone dialed in, you're in heaven. Add a bit of reverb and it sounds phenominal. The reverb is absolutely fantastic because Carvin doesn't use spring reverb, but tail reverb which I believe is more costly but comes out sounding much better. Its what they use in studio recording according to carvin.

The distortion is the other factor. This is the biggest landmine for people deciding to try the amp. If you are looking for a thick full bodied and brutal distortion (while still sounding like you don't want to stick your head in a garbage can) you HAVE TO sit down with the amp for at least an hour and tweak, tweak, tweak. I forget what size pots Carvin use (I think its 500K) but a little teensy bit of a turn will completely change the sound, and you have to find the right sound for the right guitar. Another thing is that if you want a really good distortion, you have to have the right pickup! The distortion on my two dimarzio single coils is decent, but when you switch to the invader in the bridge, forget it! But if you're using an invader with that much gain, be prepared for feedback. You'll be blown away with tone that rivals a recto! The distortion is very tight and controlled, similar to a rectifier. It has a very modern sounding gain, unlike the marshalls which is generally a looser and more grainy sound. Its your choice.
The tone controls are suited well for the channel, but i don't recommend using reverb on the distortion. My only complaint is that the mids don't go as low as it should, it doesn't allow you to get that death metal sound. But if you really want that save your money and get a boss metal zone. Just keep your gain set below 8 and you'll be fine, since you need to let those power tubes breathe. Crank that amp past 5 and set the gain to your liking, but don't judge it with the volume at 1/2 and the gain at 10. It'll sound like crap.
But overall I can't believe i spent this little money on such a fantastic amp!

I've owned it a good 5 months and i've had absolutely no problems whatsoever. It's seen three gigs and every other band asked if they could use it. It was jostled here and there, but it stood strong. It's a tank. I am getting some microphonic crackling, but that might be due to a 12AX7 in the preamp, since it comes and goes.

Never dealed with them. Called carvin once to ask what 50th anniversay edition meant since they've been putting that on their amps for years. I forgot his answer but they seemed like nice people!

Overall, if you are looking for a tube amp with lush distortion and a fantastic clean, you can't beat a Carvin MTS. If you want the heavy ultra death metal that makes your ears bleed, but a pedal. Or a crate. If you want a rectifier for 1/3 the price, check this thing out. I definitely recommend it. I give it a nine because its not perfect, but i have yet to come across an amp that is.

Read the oter reviews. This is a basic tube head with the wrong tubes (cheap corner cutting) installed. The tubes Carvin installs give the amp a sterile sound. I'll buy a $200 crate if Iwant sterility in my tone. Also, the head comes with an ugly white face plate. It really looks cheap and clashy -- no aesthetics at all.

It does gainy distortion well but lacks in dynamic tone character. The clean headroom is present but not enough for a 50/100 watt head full of tubes. The mids sound like cardboard, and the highs get shrill, the lows begin to sound warm but end up muddy. Carvin needs to go with EL34's and get rid of those cheap stock tubes. Just to retube this this with good JJ tubes will cost $110.00. If i buy an amp for $650.00, I am certainly not ready to spend another $110.00 to make it sound the way it should.

I have heard horror stories. Mine is going back before it breaks. I tried it out for a couple of hours. I don't want to flirt with danger with this thing.

Don't believe the hype on these amps -- the Carvin Bulliten Boards are edited by employees that want to sell products and are contributed to by loyal customers that have only positive things to say about the gear they invested in. Notice that nobody has one single negative comment to say on thier boards. I guess the editors fixed that. I had this item shipped US 2nd day after being quoted a price of 59.97 for total shipping. They later charged me 89.97 for the shipping -- interesting that they can charge you something else after they have promised you a lower price.

Been playing for over 15 years and have had my fair share of gear. Nice amp if you don't have ears for good tube tone and could care less about reliability issues. Save your money and get a Marshall DSL or something comparable. I got a Randall RH100 for 299.00 that does the same things and more than this over-priced, over-hyped head.

See other reviews for this amp's features. I'm giving it a 9 because I'd really like to have that master volume knob. I bought the half stack used on Ebay for $500.

Three words: TOTAL CREAM DREAM. I primary play an American Deluxe Fat Strat (humbucker in the bridge), and the overdrive on this thing is out of this world. Not a ton of gain, but more than enough for most people. Thick, creamy, delicious. It's got tons of low end, but without getting muddy. Shimmering highs, cardboardy mids, all perfectly balanced with a few easy tweaks of the EQ knobs. Even with the drive cranked to 10, you can still pick out the individual notes of every chord. I mostly play hard rock and metal, and this is the amp I've been looking for the last 10 years. But wait, it gets better. The clean channel is where this amp really dominates. Puts a Fender to shame any day of the week. Huge, hall-filling clean tones just like you always wanted. If you don't like the way this amp sounds you're either a snob or an idiot.

I've had it for a month, couldn't really say yet.

I've never really dealt with them. I hear they're pretty good, though.

If you have the $900 bucks it costs to get one of these new from the factory, do it. Two weeks later you'll be sitting in front of it mouth agape, hands trembling, a single tear running down your cheek in awe of the sounds you're making. No, really.

2 channel, 100/50 WATTS all-tube, reverb, effects loop, speaker simulator, power tube switch (EL34 or 5881), headphone jack. This amp would be even better with another reverb knob for channel switching...and oh yes, a master volume.

I currently use a custom strat which has a Fender Jeff Beck neck, a very heavy strat-style body...ash wood I believe. The pickups I currently use are a PAF in the bridge, with a Dimarzio Air Classic in the neck. I have a 5-way toggle switch which allows some Telecaster-like tones in a couple positions. I must say I don't understand the negative reviews this amps been getting. Either they bought a lemon or the amp just needs proper tweaking...possibly the guitar they're using or they just plain don't know how to play music. This amp gets beautiful tones. The clean tone is LOUD and is capable of a wide range of tones. The drive channel is this amps real prize though. I should state that I switched out the 5881 and installed EL34's. I biased the amp myself...this is very important! Maybe the biasing was off on these other persons amps. If the amp is underbiased, you won't get the creamy thick distortion this amp is capable of. I bought the amp used so I went to the Carvin website and dl'ed the manual, which states how to bias the amp. Really simple for anyone with experience in electronics. I also put in new 12AX7 ECC83's. I power this amp through a 70's Marshall which originally had Greenbacks in it...I would recommend using Celestions Vintage 30's though. The amp really thickens up with these. I like to keep the drive on a notch above halfway and kick in my TS8 modified TS9 for more drive. Another possible cause of bad amp sound is the tube sockets. They may have to be retensioned otherwise the sound will be weak and noisy. This amp is also plenty loud...I don't know how loud 100 watts needs to be. But like I said...it cranks. A wide range of crunch is possible....its very nasty and very ROCK AND ROLL baby. Must be all those glowing tubes.

I haven't had any problems with this amp...like I said before, if yours sounds bad, take it to someone who knows how to make an amp sing. This amp was made to sound good and it does when setup properly. First thing I would look into is the tube biasing, and make sure your using a good speaker cabinet...loaded with V30's.

I called Carvin once when I was trying to bias my amp and he directed me to the manual which I downloaded...he gave me some good pointers...very helpful.

I'm very happy with this amp...especially for the price I paid. I would buy another in a heartbeat.

The features on this amp arent as good as I hoped. All of the standard knobs and buttons are there, but as far as FX go, there is only a presence and reverb. Presence really kicks in at about 2 or 3 but the reverb is always awesome. Now the set up is nice on the other hand is beyond my needs, but if ever needed, I know it will be there. Specs:
2 channel's clean/deistorion, going through 2 12" BR12 British Series Speakers
50/100 Wattage switch (very useful)
ALL TUBE: Four 5881 power tubes and 5 12AX7A Preamp Tubes

Need I more?

I use a Fender Jimi Vaughen Signiture Series, playing from nice blusey Hendrix Style to Slayer. This is is perfect in every way for my playing styles. NO Noise on either channel except when my Monitor is on. This is great for any type of clean playing music. I love the way the bass kicks in if you want it, but when it mix's with those clear ass highs its amazing. It has yet to distort on Clean, and I highly doubt it ever will. Now, about the distorion, for Tube Distorion I was expecting more, but since im stuck with it, its not so bad not having that Death Metal sound im used to.

Ok, I have only had this amp for about 3 weeks and here are the situaions, when it first arived the delivery "boy" droped it on the ground so damn hard I thought some of the tubes broke. Nothing Broke.
The way I used to have it set up in my room was tilted back a little bit until one day it fell backward slaming on the ground, I then set it to not lean so far back, then it fell forward. Nothing Broke. I have yet to take it anywhere but im not going to worry.

What can I say ordered online for the 2nd day air, got here the third day. Warranty is the thing, 1yr c'mon.

I have played many other amps, at one point I almost bought a shitty ass "Blues Junior", and this amp is by far the One of the best amps I have palyed. I dont need any other gear, I wouldnt want it no interfear with the Tube Sound. If my amp was lost or stolen I would probably shit my pants, then cry, then buy a new one. For this price and capibilties. Fuck yeah, in a second!

I do not own a Carvin MTS 3200 nor would I unless I could pick one up cheap and modify it. Let me explain.
The amp seems to have a problem suppling enough filiment voltage, especially when equiped with EL-34's. According to the Carvin supplied schematic, the filiment supply is rated for 5.9 amps. The (5) 12AX7's take about 300 milliamps a piece (about 1.5 amps total for the 5 in there) and, if equiped with 6L6's, as they ALWAYS are from Carvin, you add an additional 0.9 amps a piece (about 3.6 amps). 3.6 plus 1.5 is 5.1 amps. Not much of a problem yet. If you were interested in making this amp sound good (by installing EL-34's), your output tube filiment current draw will be 1.5 amps times 4 tubes, 6 amps! That's just for the output tubes. Now add the preamp tube filiment draw (1.5 amps) and your up to 7.5 amps total filiment current. To make matters worse, Carvin added 0.56 ohm fusable links before the bridge circuit in the V1 and V2 filiment supply. These tubes starve at typically 3.75 volts on their filiments! You cannot even see them glow! Without the filiments being at least close to design operating voltage the cathode does not get hot enough, not enough electron flow through the tube,and, the cathode gets stripped of it's coating causing premature failure.
The output tubes fare some better. The voltage on their filiments are around 5.5 volts with EL-34's and about 5.75 volts with 6L6's installed. What I ended up doing is:
1: I installed a 6.3 volt 3 amp filiment transformer (it's all I could find)in parallel with the filiment windings already there. This helped by about 0.25 volts, not a big improvement but boy does this amp sound better, the EL-34's do not seem to be current starved any more.
2: I removed (shorted)the 0.56 ohm fuseable links in the V1, V2 dc filiment circuit and replaced the 1 amp diodes with 3 amp diodes. The 1 amp diodes were getting noticably warm, not a good thing. The 3 amp diodes are fine.
After these two mods in the preamp circuit the filiment voltage on the preamp board is now around the 5.5 volt range, not up to spec but a lot better than what Carvin had originally.

This amp was loosing preamp tubes every 3 or 4 months and the output tubes kept going soft too soon.
I guess I wrote all this in the wrong spot but I think people should know about this because Carvin, at least for this 1995 unit, had some serious engineering problems. Like I say, If you keep the 6L6's in there and live with sterile sound, you may never notice anything wrong (although things are very wrong in there). The installation of EL-34's just pushes it over, way over, the edge. This amp was never designed for EL-34's, don't let the sales hype fool you anymore! It barely works with 6L6's!! You can make it work with EL-34's, but you will have to add these (or some better) mods to make it work. Probably a more robust filiment transformer with a 6.7 or so open circuit voltage would be the answer, I know they use to make them that way. That way the voltage is in spec under load.
These things come from Carvin with four 6L6's. Now you know why.

I just fixed this amp. After I added the Mods, it had that nice sweet, warm tone you get from EL-34's. Clean or crunch, this thing sounds good, NOW. It is not quite as good as my Marshall JTM-60 in tone but it is a great improvment over what it was. Like I say, for the right price. . .

Before I installed these mods, this amp was not reliable. I am only hopeing this improves, time will tell.

I E-mailed them about this problem but I haven't heard back. What does that tell you?

This could be a great amp for the price if it were engineered right. Too many corners cut for me to feel good about owning one.

I have already sent a review on a mts 3200. I like it so much that I wanted to buy another one. HOWEVER! My only request was that I have carvin install the el 34's before I buy it and I offered to pay te extra cost to do so. They refused to do it. All I can say is fuck you carvin you have lost a once happy customer and I will never buy another piece! I liked the amp better then boogies and price was not an issue! Now I guess Im buying a boogie. I wanted two heads that matched and the way that dork acted on the phone at carvin I will now go else where. Thanks for nothing you lazy asses at carvin! Its so sad.

I play '80s metal and melodic death metal like Iron Maiden, Carcass, and In Flames. 2000 Carvin MTS3200 tube head and full stack that I purchased from Carvin's Hollywood shop as a GIT/MI student before relocating to my native Arkansas. 2 switchable channels, effects loop, reverb, presence. Relatively few knobs, so it's easy to dial in a sound quickly. Would've loved a "vintage" and "modern" gain channel, as well as a switchable effects loop to use with my rack gear. Direct recording sounds sterile compared to a Shure SM-57, even in my acoustically incorrect house. Never use the tone knobs on the clean much, it's sparkly and nice, can get deep when it wants as well as high, but a bit sterile overall (I know that's kind of a contradiction, but it's the best way I can put it). Clean doesn't have much variation in sound. Not a very loud amp-shame because I love the sound. My other guitarist uses an old solid state 1981 Fender Stage Lead II combo and can blow me out of the water live in terms of volume, but mine has a much tighter, modern sound. Wish it would've been louder, even on 10 it's a great sounding amp, but be prepared to be drowned out next to a Marshall or Mesa. Bought it as a lower priced alternative to a Mesa Triple Rec, and it sounds, if not close, in the same vein.

I use currently
Jackson Kelly Standard 1996 model, tuned Eb, 9 gauge Super Slinkies, EMG 60/81
Jackson King V 1999 or 2000 model, tuned E, 10 gauge pure nickel Ernie balls (not wrapped like Slinkies), loaded w EMG 81, 89, push pull pot and BTC tone control

Jackson Dinky Reverse 2001 model, tuned DGCFAD, EMG SA, S, 81, expander midrange control on tone pot, Ernie Ball Regular Slinkies

Love the sound for rhythm, especially in moderate heavy tunings like Eb and straight D. Most younger players mistake gain for heaviness, and I just use my gain on 5 for rhythm, 7 for solos, scooping out mids, cranking bass and treble. I like a modern gain, Mesa sound as opposed to a grainy, overdriven Marshall one, and for that reason I bought the amp as an cheaper alternative to a Mesa Triple Rec.

Clean, as before stated, is wonderfully nice and crisp but a bit sterile. I just leave those knobs initialized and use my ART SGX 2000 Express for cleans and delays in the studio. Live I would use the head since I hate messing with racks live, but I wouldn't be 100% satisfied. Clean isn't very dynamic, but then again I use high gain pickups. Even the EMG 89 didn't match my Dinkies stock coils for vintage tone, but the SA/S's should blow those out of the water.

I prefer a tight, modern crunch (like Gardenian's "Soulburner", heavy as fuck, not noisy). For that the amp does a great job for its price, and handles a lot of overdriven sounds as you lower the volume/gain. Not much variety, however, as say, a Mesa Nomad, which was the most versatile head I'd ever had experience with. Solo sound is good overall, very Rhoads-ish, but I use my ART when I want more dynamics or fullness. Reverb is present in rhythm, I use it around 6 1/2 or 7, but not totally obtrusive.

Clean doesn't distort very much. I'm used to hearing my other guitarist's old 1981 Fender Stage Lead II's 250 watt combo distort at about 1 1/4, so the Carvin doesn't distort for its wattage. Distortion isn't necessarily brutal as much as it is defined. Layering in guitars and being sparing on the gain helps the brutality part.

Hard as hell to crank out harmonics, even cranked and with my '81's too. Feels like I have to dig into the strings too much. Getting a PB100 powerbrake soon for that, as I can't record at high volumes. Harmonics could be more responsive, as well as sustain longer. Cleans are very "...Justice for All" when initialized. Could be more dynamically responsive and Gilmour sounding.

Overall, the amp does what I ask of it (sounds so much better than the marshall DSL100 I tried in Guitar Center Hollywood), but I'll have to supplement it with my rack, powerbrake, and some different axes/pickups for different tones. A good "main" head.

Amp and cabs are sturdily built, but oddly not sealed that much inside. The head I haven't had a problem with, but when rehearsing I had to turn the gain and volume to 10 to be heard near my other guitarist's old Fender. One of the speakers blew, but Carvin returned it no problem in a couple weeks. Main complaint is how relatively quiet, if great sounding, the head is. A good studio tone, but live, go with another, louder head that can make the same sounds, like a Mesa.

Carvin are really great with their service. I've no complaints, as I was answered via email the same day.

Been playing since 96, and possess a GIT Journeyman's certificate, class of 2000.

I own/use with this:
an ART SGX 2000 Express preamp (good for some stuff, requires too much tweaking).
Alesis MEQ 230 (helps crunch come alive).
Shure mics and Tascam MKII8 cassette recorder for studio.

If this head were lost or stolen, I would severely miss it, but would save up to a). Purchase a Triaxis b) a Triple Rec and c) a Nomad 100 instead of purchasing it again. Then I'd collect a bunch of other stuff cuz I can't resist.

Love:
Tight, modern distortion that can be made more vintage with some tweaking (tightness comes with actives, I hate how passives sound like wet pud, even if theyre more dynamic).
Crisp, nice clean sound. Sounds "more digital" than most tube heads, that is, more clear, clean, less boomy, but also doesn't sound as sterile as digital.
Easy to go with live. Not a million knobs or buttons.
Fairly reliable.
Good sound for price, as with most Carvin heads.

Hate:
Low volume even when cranked.
Lack of a vintage/modern gain.
Fairly sterile and undynamic clean.
Difficulty of getting harmonics/sustain even cranked.
Fairly difficult to use with multi-effects processors. Of course I probably just don't have my ART set up right. The FX loop keeps everything quiet, but wish it was switchable so I could pass my rack sound through it without being colored by the amp. I use this head for now as my main rhythm, lead and clean sound, and use my rack stuff for specialized sounds.

Also hate direct recording output, sounds sterile compared to micing.

Compared it to:
MESA Triaxis, Mesa Triple Rec, Mesa Nomad 100, Marshall DSL 100, Legacy head, Crate GX-130C
Bought it because: sounded similar to Triple Rec's distortion, lower price. Played it and Legacy side by side for about an hour. Legacy is more "Marshall-sounding", but I like a Mesa tone. Would've had a Legacy had it been given to me, but I like the MTS better and the decision was easy to make due to Carvin's few amp head models.

Blew the shit out of the Crate, except the Crate had nice chorus/clean that doesn't work anymore. Hate that amp, immensely unreliable.

Not as grainy to me as the Marshalls, but not as loud. I'd rather be as quiet as a mouse and have killer tone than the grainy tones a lot of bands tend to have when they go live (as opposed to more compressed and tight in their studio work).

Wish it had:
Three channels, more dynamic clean, switchable loop, more of a variety of distorted sounds instead of just Mesa-ish or somewhat vintage when gain is reduced, more volume, more harmonic output, perhaps Celestions in the cabs.

OVERALL:
Great amp for price, like most Carvins. Expect to have to supplement it with other gear if you want a variety of sounds. Good head for more than just metal, as lower volumes and gain clean up nicely on the distorted side, although I'd rather have a Marshall on the rare occasion that I'd wanna play AC/DC. Carvin's cabs are nice cuz they handle big wattage loads, but theyre the only cabs I have experience with. I'll keep them around for my next amp head.

I have a 2001 mts3200.Playing hardcore and punk I needed an amp with plenty of nuts,and this baby has it.I don`t use the clean side alot but i`ll tell you it is way loud and crystal clean. I don`t use the fx loop at all,this is the only thing i wish it didn`t have. The only thing this amp didn`t come with,as all amps, was a case.I play in an old barn so things get ugly out there.The one thing it could`ve used is a little better e.q. on the dirty side but i`m not complaining for a $599 dollar amp.5 12ax7 4 5881 bias switch for el34 or 6l6.4 8 16 ohm switch it`s got all you need on the back side.

I play a 2000 s.g. with a emg 81.With this guitar and a dunlop crybaby I get every thing I need.The amp responds very well to my style.I replaced a Hoffman 100 wat for this amp,I was very critical in deciding on a replacement,tried marshall,boogie,peavey,line6,and on and on and nothing touched it,especially for $599.

Seven months later and no problems.Wish I could say the same for my rythem guitar players marshall,who has had two meltdowns in seven months.The mts3200 is a tank,I have a good feeling with it.I`m giving it a 9 so I don`t jinx myself.

Carvin is honest.Maybe that`s why they have been around for fiftey years.When I called I got straight answers,they even said I would have no need for their more expensive amp the legecy.

It get`s a 10 here.Been playing for twenty years,tried them all and even though I still have my hoffman it will never hit the road again.If this amp gets lost stollen or burnt to a crisp I`ll buy another for $599 any day.I`ve got nothing but raves from it even from my friends in Pro-Pain.The only thing left to say about it is check out the Carvin website they tell you everything you to know.

I bought this amp 2 months ago. $599.99.. All tube, selectable power tubes 5881/6L6 or EL34's, selectable power output 100 or 50 watts, 5 12AX7 preamp tubes, selectable cabinet ohms, 2 channel. Master reverb for both channels. LOT'S of features for an amp in this price range. I would have given it a 10 on features if it had two things. A master output for both channels and a seperate reverb for each channel. I would easily pay the extra for these features if they offered them. So I deduct one point for each.

I play an Ibanez RG570 with a Tone Zone in the bridge and a PAF Pro in the neck. I was looking for an all tube amp to replace my amp that was stolen. I had a Mesa-Boogie Dual Rectifier. I did'nt want to spend THAT much cash again. My style of music is metal, metal and metal. Not this nu-metal crap, but good heavy metal. This amp handles this style with ease. Plenty of gain. (My gain setting on the MTS is at 7, plenty of room to squeeze out more if you want) This is a high gain monster. I am so happy with this amp. I'm going to buy another head so I can run stereo. I've played a Soldano SLO 100 head and like the sound the MTS puts out much better. The clean channel is awesome as well. Clean all the way to 10!! I checked out a Carvin Legacy as well and it sounded great as well but the MTS had quite a bit more gain which is what I was looking for. Again, I wish it had a Master output control for the power amp, but that is an easy fix should you so desire.

So far so good. It seems very solid even though it is lighter than a lot of all tube heads. The light weight is due to the cabinet wood. It's light yet tough. Metal corners. Brass pot knobs. Very cool design. I have used it without a backup, but with ANY tube head, you should have a backup. Even though I've only had it for a couple of months, I'm giving it a 9 because I play 3 nights a week every week and no problems so far.

Very nice people to deal with. I called them to double check the idle voltage if I wanted to rebias it for EL34's They were very precise on their info. Most companies won't tell you that info. Just check out Carvins catalog. They give you more specs on their products than any other company. They know their shit! You know you are dealing with a professional company when you call them and you can feel confidence when dealing with Carvin. No wonder Steve Vai chooses Carvin.

I absolutley love the Carvin MTS 3200.....it is the ost awesome sounding amp I've EVER played and I have played a LOT of amps in my 23 years of playing. Marshalls, Mesa's, Crates, Soldano's to name a few. You can't beat this amp for the money or any other money for that matter.