Cornford Harlequin 112 Combo

1x12 Combo , bought new approx 3 years ago.
Hi/Lo inputs , voice switch gives two distinct modes - to my ears one with a fender champ type sound , and one more like the normal channel on a vox AC30 or 50.
Use it for recording , even at 6 watts its still too loud for a residential area , not enough power to gig unmiked though.

Use mainly with single coils , a strat and a mosrite , all kinds of styles.
Not a particularly noisy amp until the pre amp gain goes up to 3/4 and above , but isn't that the case with most amps ?
With pre amp gain on 1/2 or below , and master volume maxed , some terrific clean and just breaking up sounds are easy to achieve at a reasonable volume , think Rory Gallagher or SRV with the strat and voice switch up, jangly Beatles type with the Mosrite and voice switch down.
Moving into more distorted territory , the overdrive is thick and quite dark by modern standards , and a bit 'flabby'.Makes a mush out of neck pickups , and to be honest is a bit of a let down.
I have had to use pedals to tighten the sound up when higher gain is required , the Rocktron Austin Gold worked well.
Tried other speaker cabs , but they were worse , and also other valves (see below) but also made no difference.

Excellent build quality , full marks here , perfect.
Changed the valves for some of those Groove Tubes Mullard re-issues , made absolutely no difference to the sound at all so the original Sovteks must have been ok.

Emailed the company with queries beforehand na received prompt replies from Messrs Cornford and Kidd.
Not sure about the warranty length , but I have a feeling it will not be used.

Playing guitar and bass for 22 years , have gear that I take out live , and gear that stays in the house , this was bought to stay indoors.
Doubt I would buy it again if stolen.
It is a good amp , not a great one in my opinion and I cannot agree with all the gushing reviews from the other owners here , but very well made with some good 'classic' rock sounds to be had.
Widdlers or 7 stringers stay in your bedrooms , this is not the amp for you , but if 'Stagestruck' , 'Texas Flood' or even 'Black Rose' are among your favourites , give this a try.

Every bit of this amp is handmade in England. The build quality is untouchable compared to any other amp I've used. It should be noted that this is not really a gigging amp (though I do gig it) as all the settings are changed by hand. This is the most versatile combo I've ever come across, only a Deisel comes anywhere near. I went to NAMM in Jan 2004 and spent 3 days trying every amp I could find. Not the best place to get the real feel of an amp, but this model stood out a mile off and I had to own one. The controls are very simple - hi & lo input, vol (drive), bass, treb, master and a 'voice' switch when switched up, it brings the middle up in to the mix. It doesn't sound like much is going on there, but the sheer quantity of different sounds, volumes and styles you can get out of this 6 watt beast is jaw dropping. I give it a 9, because you can't use it on stage for all styles, but if you are after an amp for recording I would give it at least 20.

I play many customised guitars - BC Rich, Washburn, but mainly a BlackMachine (www.blackmachine.co.uk). I use EMG pickups, both humbuckers and single coil. I use too many different set ups to go into great detail, but the Harlequin makes them all sound better than they have before (I smashed up my Mesa on stage when I got this, the damned thing kept breaking anyway). I play widdly stuff, funk, jazz, loads of other stuff, but mainly metal and this amp has a setting for it all. The growling distortion brings me close to ejaculation every time I plug in. I've been playing for about 15 years and now I've been reduced to sitting in front of my amp and just playing one chord over and over. It's just so good.

I've only had it 4 months, but no problems so far. I started having trouble with my last amp after only 2 weeks and it was a regular problem. Mesa's sound great (not as good as Cornford), but they just keep breaking. The one thing I am sure of is the fact that it looks and feels more solid than anything else out there. I'm not going to put a rating down here, as I haven't had it long enough, but I'm pretty certain it's going to be a 10 by the end of the year.

I am a little on the anal side when it comes to my equipment and want to know everything about it. The instruction manual that comes with the amp is very simple, so I wanted to know more about the design process and how they made this amp. I called Cornford and spoke to Paul Cornford for over an hour. He talked me through every inch of the design and build process, all about what other speaker combinations they tried and why they didn't quite cut it. I got every bit of information an anorak would ever need and more. Also, Mr. Cornford is one of the nicest guys on the planet, I'ts not often you call up a manufacturer and actually speak to the person who designed and hand built your own amp. He is passionate about tone and the craft of building quality at no expense spared. I feel totally honoured to be part of the Cornford players family.

This model is perfect for me, but if you need something with reverb, channel foot switches, more power etc... then Cornford have amps to cover it all. One day I'll get me a Hellcat, but I've got to save some pennies first. It's still much, much cheaper than my Mesa was, but I've been too busy at home with my new amp to be going out on the road making money. I've given this a 10, for 'Fantastic Value' as there is no other amp that even comes close for under #1000