Drive Elite G200H

The Drive Elite Series G200H is the "top of the food chain" guitar amp head from Drive Amplifiers.The G200H is rated 200 watts rms at 4 ohms and 120 watts rms at 8 ohm.The tube/hybrid preamp employs a single 12AX7A in front of the tone stack to better utilize it in the amp's voicing.The featured power section is a solid state circuit design.The head is nice and compact,though it feels real solid at 26.5 lbs.The dimensions are 17.5" wide x 7.75" high x 9.85" deep.The chassis,switches,jacks and controls all feel of real quality,as well.The Elite G200H is covered with a smooth layer of black velvet or felt like material.The covering looks quite nice and feels of good quality.

The front panel of the Elite G200H features a single 1/4" input jack,Clean channel volume,a channel select switch,Drive channel gain,Drive channel volume,a shared 3-band active EQ,a Master volume control,a guitar specific DSP processor [8 pre-set],a 16 position DSP effects selector,a lighted DSP locater/indicator and a DSP effects level control.

The split level back panel includes [bottom level] a detachable 3-prong cord jack,rocker power switch,a pair of 8 ohm speaker jacks [4 ohm minimum] and a little 2" fan to help cool the internal 12AX7A preamp tube.There is also two small covered vents in the chassis bottom to aid with cooling.The recessed upper panel houses an unbalanced line out,effects Send & Return jacks,a multi-pin DSP footswitch input [for optional FS-4 footswitch],a 1/4" channel select footswitch input [not needed if using FS-4],CD input level control,CD in RCA type jacks and a master Presence tone control.

The Elite G200H offers superb flexibilty and enough power and volume for most small to medium sized club gigs.The Clean channel stays rather clean and detailed,at least if the active EQ is used in moderation [straight up "5" is flat].For instance,the sound tends to get kind of flubby with the active Bass and Mid controls up much past 6 or 7.One also has to be careful with the mix of both the Presence and Treble controls,as too much can make for a fairly strident top end.The Mid control gives lots of tone shaping capabilty,being especially nice for shaping the Gain channel from classic overdrive to more modern guitar styles.The Clean channel breaks up rather nicely when maxing the Volume control and using the Master volume to get the desired sound level.The active EQ tone controls allow everything from warm jazz to sparkling Fender and Vox like tones.

As for the Gain channel,the amount of available gain is more hot rodded vintage Marshall and early Mesa/Boogie than modern nu-metal.A good boost and/or overdrive pedal can take you the rest of the way.The excellent active EQ really gives the overdrive mode lots of tonal flexibilty.This amp is probably not for most intense modern metal guys,as the amount of gain is not quite "brewtal" enough and the bass response is not really as tight and focused as needed for that style of music...at least without a decent EQ pedal.I find that the Elite G200H's overdrive tones work quite well for '80's hair metal soloing/rythyms,as well as for most classic rock styles and modern blues.

Btw,the cabinets that I use with my Elite G200H are a Celestion Classic Lead 80 loaded Carvin 2-12,a Trutone Custom "widebody" 1-12 with a Celestion G12K-100 and a Lopoline "large" 1-12 loaded with a vintage EVM12L.I'm guessing that it would also sound great through a quality Celestion or Eminence loaded enclosed 4-12 cabinet.One more thing,the head is rather quiet and gives up very little hiss,even at higher gain settings.

As for the rest of the stuff,the series effects loop works quite well with my Boss DD-20 and my other delays.But for some reason [a circuit design quirk?] the Master volume has to be turned up a bit to give a clear delay sound...then it works great.As for the built-in DSP effects,most are useable and quiet [I do like the #7 flange/delay mode],though somewhat limited...making me very pleased with the included series effects loop.I find the digital reverb modes to be nothing more than merely adequate,at best.For getting great quality reverb sounds,my Roland SRV3030 reverb unit does wonders for the head's cleaner tones.Heck,even my humble Digitech Digiverb reverb pedal sounds excellent in the amp's effects loop.

Too new to know...only time will tell.The Elite G200H feels really solid and well built.I also like the inclusion of the little 2" cooling fan and the two small vented openings.One more thing,Switch Music [Drive's parent company] gives a "nice,if needed" five year warranty.

Switch Music/Drive Amplifiers have answered my emails in a timely fashion.The included five year warranty gives good peace of mind,as well.

I have been playing guitar and bass for over 30 years now...mostly "old school" metal,modern blues and classic rock.I own lots of other quality stuff,including several American built Washburn,Hamer and Fender electric guitars.Other amps that I own include a classic '84 Mesa/Boogie MKIIC+ tube head,a couple of killer early '90's Bedrock tube amps and a sweet sounding '04 Crate V-Series V30H tube head.Oh yeah,I also like to strum my Martin DM acoustic and thump on my German built Warwick Streamer Standard bass [thru my Carvin PB-100 bass combo].

If lost or stolen,I would probably get another Elite G200H...especially if still available at the insanely low price that I paid for mine.Musician's Friend has been blowing these quality amp heads out for just $129.99 [+ free S&H] the last couple of weeks [late November of 2007].The list price is $479.00 and the regular street price is usually set at around $359.99,so you can see that I got a really good deal.Heck,even the quality FS-4 metal footswitch cost me but $9.99 [usually $39.99].Given the build quality,excellent tones and the flexiblity of the Elite G200H,even at $359.99,it's a fair price.But at only $129.99,it's a real no brainer.If the amp is not to your liking,you can always turn around and sell it at little or no loss.

In my opinion,the Drive Elite G200H holds up very well in quality,features and tone to my much loved Fender Dyna-Touch Stage 100 DSP head,which cost me $339.00 at a NOS blowout sale.The Drive head is compact,is well made,it sounds excellent and it can get very loud...sounds good to me.