Epiphone Valve Standard 112 Combo

This amp is decent on features. I bought it specifically because it was a tube amp and it had very limited features (gain, 3-band eq as well as some solid state fx if I recal correctly). The built-in chorus was usable but that was about it. Basically I wanted a bare-bones amp that would take pedals nicely and this one did the trick.

I have yet to find an amp that sounds this good. Crank the gain (this amp is surprisingly loud) and you get a GREAT blues tone (I was also running my guitar through an MXR 6-band EQ which can throw a little extra gain in as well). For more distortion, just use a pedal. I actually ended up putting a Boss Metal Zone up front for more distortion and although it took me quite a while to get everything dialed in properly, I was rockin the smoothest, creamiest distortion I've ever been able to get from an amp. It was GREAT! Perfect for Classic/Blues Rock.

This, unfortunately is where my horror story starts. I got this amp on a trade in (got rid of my Line 6 Flextone III) and thought I had struck gold... I brought it home, got everything tweaked to my liking (and I was really diggin the retro look too) and then it was off to a camp where I would be helping with music the whole summer. It was the day before everything started and by this time I'd logged about 30 hours on the amp. Then it died and I was freakin out. So I rushed it off to get fixed and proceeded to wait for half to summer for the repair shop to tell me the amp was discontinued (in Canada at least) and that it was essentially unrepairable. In fact the place trying to do the repairs couldn't even get the schematics from Epiphone.

I bought this amp at Long & McQuade and they were amazing with the whole ordeal. I ended up returning the broken amp at a different outlet than where I bought it and they still said they'd fix it for free and when I talked to them after finding out the amp was broken for good, they gave me all my money back (in credit) and let me pick out a new one.

If you're willing risk the money on one of these (it may be fine, it may be a dud) it would be worth it if you find one that doesn't have issues. If don't have money to burn though, stear clear of this amp because I definitely did not have money to spare when I bought this thing and I definitely wish I would have gone with my current amp from the get go (Traynor YCV 50, not as smooth but just as good).

Features listed in other reviews, so I'll skip the rehash. What I will say, is if you like the blues..you should have this amp. Sweet Tone stock, or unbelievable tone with a few tweaks. I have the DSP effects bypassed on mine, they really do not add to the amp at all. I run a Boss BD-2 Blues Driver with the Keeley Phat Mod in front of the amp and I replaced the stock speaker with a Celestion G12H-30 Anniversary. I bought a replacement Output Transformer, a Heyboer Vintage 18 watt Marshall style, and once that goes in, this amp will shine.

I use an Epi Elite Les Paul, an Epiphone Dot(modded) and a '55 Gibson ES-125 with this amp. I Love the Tone of all my guitars with this amp, and I have a total of $325 in it from purchase to replacement parts. Keep the master volume about 6...then I adjust the gain and level on the blues driver to really shape the sound.

I've heard and read some horror stories on the Epiphone amps in general and this amp in particular. I think I got lucky and got a fairly clean PCB and solder joints. The biggest change has been bypassing the cheesy built in effects, because it sucks all that good tone. A jumper wire can be run and the DSP removed from the amp so that it is all tube Class A tone monster. I haven't had a problem with it yet. It fires up and gives me every sound I can ask for with a very simple setup.

Haven't dealt with them. Bought the amp used and since it is modified the warranty is void. I don't care. This amp in this price range can be a beast, if you just unleash it.

I've been playing a total of 15 years with a loooonnnng break in the middle. Too long. I have my three electrics, a MIJ Epiphone Elite Les Paul, a Samick (Korea) Epiphone Dot that I put a '57 Classic and a Burstbucker 3 in, and my stock '55 Gibson ES-125. I have a Pignose 7-100 that I take with me on the road when I am traveling for work and a Marshall 15 watt practice amp.

I don't own this amp, it's a repair i've got from one of music stores i do repairs for. I plugged it in, turned on the power switch then the standby switch and no signal at the speaker. Speaker is good so i dis-assembled the amp and started checking voltages only to find no tube heater voltage at any of the tubes. I suspect an open heater filament winding in the power transformer. I don't know if this problem is a fluke so if anyone else runs into this problem check the tube heater voltage. That might be your problem.

2005. The features are pretty well covered below. I play a variety of styles with classic/blues rock and blues being my strong suit. This amp is plenty powerful for small club work and will give nice clean to a bluesy overdrive--no distortion really. They could lose the DSP effects since the circuit adds a ton of hiss to the signal--I never use them. I also wish that the reverb were spring instead of digital--this circuit adds hiss, although not anywhere near as much as the DSP effects and then, only when it's turned up high. I really like the amp--the inherent tone is pure vintage, sufficient for great sound all by itself and also takes pedals very well.

It sounds best with my Les Paul Classic with Duncan Antiquities, although my strat (w "Fat 50s" pickups) sounds really good too. It's got tons of bass--in fact the strat doesn't get as muddy when including the low E string in a chord as the Paul, but, I still prefer the Paul's tone overall. And as others have pointed out, this amp is not bright, but that suits me just fine b/c I can't stand harsh highs, the Standard definitely is in no danger on this count. As I stated above, this amp has a very vintage tone to it (think 50s through late 60s).
Speaking of vintage tone, what I really wanted to say is that the sound out of the box is very good (except for the crappy, hiss-laden DSP effects)...but...I compared this amp side by side with my early 60s Epiphone Galaxie--recapped, NOS tubes, a 10" hemp cone speaker, NO tone control (just volume, reverb level and trem speed knobs)--to see if I could get the Standard to sound as close to possible to the vintage amp. The Galaxie has superb and complex tone that just sparkles--when cranked (all 10 watts or so of it), it's super responsive and I absolutely LOVE the tone and figured I'd use it for a reference for dialing in the Standard. Anyway, the Standard could get a quite similar tone quality, but it was way too flabby and farty on the low end w/the Les Paul and sounded kind of boxey and muddy in the mids, I really couldn't get the same caliber of satisfying tones out of it no matter how much I played with the EQ. So, I decided to pop in a Celestion Greenback 25 watter (not the super expensive original spec reissue, but the standard model that still ain't cheap)I had layin' around. Anyway, after adjusting the EQ for a while (on the guitar too) I got this real close to the vintage Galaxy. Although it doesn't offer the same level of complexity and nuance that the vintage amp does, it's very close and also tightened up the woofy bass (although not completely--there's a good dose of that coming from the circuit and is accentuated with humbuckers when the gain is set past 3:00 +/-). It made a very big difference--the boxiness is gone, and it 'sparkles' more and over all, you can really hear the differences in distinct EQ settings.
Anyway, it sounds even more vintage than it did and no longer has a "cheap amp" sound, feel, vibe anymore. The amp's been discontinued, but if you want to improve what's already a good sounding amp, check out swapping the speakers. I haven't changed the tubes even though they're Sovtewks, b/c I'm real pleased with the sound of the amp--especially now since I swapped out the stock speaker for the Greenback..ME GUSSSTAAA! With the speaker swap, I'll give it a nine since it still doesn't quite reach the complexity of the real vintage amp I compared it too.

so far, so good although I haven'e gigged with it a whole lot yet.

Been playing long time. If this one was lost or stolen or blew up or some such, I would probably check out the Blues Custom and see how that sounds. I like this amp a lot and will be using it more as a gigging amp since I can now get the tone I want.

This is a fairly straight forward Valve amp. It is missing a second channel and an effect loop - hey, what do expect for the price!!!

Good old valve sound! Love it! I have a Marshall JTM30 combo and I would say it is nearly as good. The only thing that lets the amp down is the speaker. It's a bit dull sounding. Worth upgrading to a Celestion or equiv. I used a Behringer EQ pedal to brighten the sound up and works great! using an Epi Les Paul with EMG PUPs.

No problems yet!

New amp, so who knows!

I just bought amp about a week ago. I believe it was made in 06. It has some cool features. I like the sound that you can get out of the EQ. Reverb is nice and rich. Everyone says that the DSP effects are a mistake. Personally I think that they are neat. Mine doesn't Hiss or anything when they are tuned on. They sound actually very good. It's pretty dang powerful for 15 watts. (the loudest 15W I've ever heard.)

Oh man...I love the sound of this amp. You can definitely tell that this is a class A Amp. It's so responsive to touch and when you dig in its gets really down and dirty! Great overdrive! Sparkling Clean Highs and punchy lows. Great Tube Breakup. I have had Fender Tube Amps before and this sound is far better than any of them.

Well It does get a little warmer than I figured it would. But then again...my old Hot Rod Deville got way hot all the time too. So far no problems with this amp at all and I have already put about 12 hours loud playing on it.

The Epiphone Warranty is five years long so If I have a problem with the Manufacturer Parts like overbiased tubes, bad components, I can just bring it back to the store I got it from, and they will take care of it.

I have 12 years experience playing guitar, and I have been looking for a sound like this amp has. It's a beautiful sounding and looking amplifier.

Dollar for Dollar this Amp is so worth it!

You'll know what this amp is about if you're reading this.
The DSP was a silly mistake and I rarely use it.
I use it for playing dirty slide guitar blues in small to medium venues so my comments here might not translate to someone playing regular guitar.

The reverb is fine live, but I just wish they would have used a spring reverb and gotten rid of the silly DSP effects, because honestly, this is a very good sounding amplifier, has much more tonal quality to have the equivalent of some kid's toy gimmick effects bundled with it.

Bearing in my mind I use this for snarly and moody slide guitar, it sounds excellent! Mainly used for classic sounding blues. (Not rock. Blues.)
Guitar is a custom-made slide guitar with humbucking pickups, quite hot on the output levels so it may be pushing my amp a little harder than say a stratocaster or similiar.

I've played through Fender Pro Juniors, Blues Juniors, Fender Twins, Marshall heads, and Laney VC30's live, and this has a better quality overdriven sound than all of them, bar the Laney. The Laney is just as nice and has more headroom, so would be better live, but was a great deal more expensive so I bought this and was not disappointed.

I'm not a meathead guitarist, I take a great deal of care with my tone and any posturing based on brand, 'power', image etc... I take no heed of.
Bearing that in mind, I was a little hesitant to buy a 15-watt amp for smaller live gigs without micing it through a P.A.
But I was very surprised, it worked quite easily in a small bar with a full drummer, bass, other guitarist and keys through a leslie box.

What I found is best, for me, is to keep it simple like the old records. No distortion pedals, and just turn the volume and gain to 10. If it worked for Hounddog Taylor, it shoul wThis isn't macho on my part, it's a small amp, so turn it up and it shines. Also I use a slapback echo and that's all.

Unlike a Laney VC30 which has absolute glass-shattering high-ends, even on moderate settings, the Valve Standard is a 'darker' sounding amp. So I ramp up the highs a fair bit to give just a normal amount of clarity, and back off on the bass a tad too. (I much prefer a thicker, creamy midrange and solid chunky low-end with just a hint of sparkle for leads. I usually use less high-end spectrum than most guitarists... don't like the sharpness of it)

So with both volumes on 10, and a moderate amount of reverb, I can control the distortion with my guitar's volume pot, -very- easily. I can play rhythm and back up, and moody sliding chords that trail off in the reverb really easily. Just be gentle on the strings and turn the volume down on guitar if needed.
And then when it's time for a lead, simply turn guitar to 10 and let it wail. It really shines here, howls up on the higher notes and they sustain nicely and trail off a bit in the reverb, and will even feedback a little if you want. Very responsive and friendly, but with a dirty swampy classic tone if you need it.

I have also use it at a large venue, miced up, and people all commented how much better it suited the blues style than the large Marshalls and what not. It really filled up the whole place with this tornado from a little box, and even the sound engineer commented on the satisfying musical overdrive it produced.
He commented that it's because firstly it's being run at maximum (I had it on 10), so the input tubes are saturated, the output tubes are saturated too (unlike a Marshall 100watt head etc..) and finally, the standard cheap 12" speaker is actually being pushed to clip as well. The speaker clipping or straining a bit is not something you'll usually hear in larger amps.
But this tortured classic sound is exactly what I wanted.
And it's all without being too thrashy, or harsh. It's very expressive and calls to mind another era to my ears.

So for un-miced small gigs, I can highly recommend this bargain amplifier if you're playing blues, country, or anything that wants a little bit of a 'brown' tone . Very hard rock and metal, I doubt it's much good for.
For big gigs, you can mic it up easily and it soudns great coming through a big PA. Remember, if a mic can make your voice power through an auditorium, don't be fooled by 15-watts, it will easily be heard and that little box will sound even BIGGER than a large amp because it's really working in the optimum 'hot' zone!

I wouldn't recommend it for anything where you need big punchy sparkling clean tones at high volumes. It simply won't do that.

As everyone has said, the front and back panels get hot.
But it's never caught fire or malfunctioned on me yet and i've had it nearly 1 year. Also, keep in mind that any time i've used it, i've had it set to maximum volume and am probably stressing many components by doing that.

It is large for 15-watts, much bigger than a Pro Junior or Laney LC15 for example. But that 12" speaker and 3/4 closed cabinet resonates really well and it makes a fuller and richer sound than a smaller cabinet. Very solid low-end, punchy and thick.

Unknown, no problems, but did have a 1-year warranty, not bad for a very cheap amp.

Overall rating i'll give it 8.
The most important thing - TONE- is great for my style and it's really loud for 15-watts.

Loses marks for dodgy DSP effects.
Loses marks also for the worrying amount of heat it generates on front panels. Really does get quite hot, and heat=bad.
Loses marks for not having a spring reverb tank.

Overall I love it, it feels 'trusty' and it's a real surprise package. Nice looks too, and is different.
I would trade up if I needed to, to a 30watt Laney, Vox, Peavey Classic just so I could have that clean powerful headroom, and spring reverb.

(p.s. If anyone needs more than 30-watts, I really don't know why, i've stood 20 metres from a Vox AC30 on full blast during a lead break and it was scorchingly, blisteringly loud!?)

Features already mentioned.

The gain control gives sounds from bright cleans to muddy distortion. The gain is very noisy and lacks clarity. The eq is very good, gives a variety of usable frequency shapes. The stock speaker is garbage, replace with something nicer if you want to appreciate this amp at all. I recommend a celestion vintage 30. Dsp is rubbish at higher volumes, the processor is too noisy, it buzzes. Just enough clean headroom for jamming with a moderately loud drummer. The tone is not the greatest, even for the price, its not smooth or clear enough.

This is where my review gets nasty, so if you have your heart set on his amp don't read on.. just be wary.
Within 1 week of having this amp it developed a nasty buzz and started running amazingly hot. I took it back to the point of purchase and they opened it up to find an array of issues; severely over biased tubes, multiple solder joint faults, a failing transformer. If i had continued to use the amp i was told i would set it on fire!
I would certainly hope that my case is an isolated one, i don't want fire bombs residing in peoples homes.

The amp was promptly sent back to the warranty service. After four months of waiting i was offered a new amp by the store. I promptly refused and demanded my money back. I'm sure that if the store had not offered my a new amp i would have waited for a even more ridiculous amount of time. Again i hope this is only the case in the australian warranty service and that americans receive spare parts quicker.

I have owned many a decent amp and it is only because i moved to the other side of the country that had to buy this unfortunate piece of equipment. I have since purchased a vox ac15 for only a few more $ than this amp, it has performed reliably for 6 months and sounds amazing. Please be vigilant if you do decide to purchase this amp, if it does break down demand your money back, don't settle for a bomb.

Single channel class a/b push pull all tube combo. DSP effects and reverb, master volume.

I was a bit leary when I bought this amp but my fears with the tone are no more! I play a start with duncans and a washburn HB-35, yep I'm a blues guy! The strat actually sounds the best through this amp. I've read reviews here that the singles don't push the pre-amp enough but mine is just about perfect(after about an hour of running hot!)But I'm not looking for a high gain tone just alot of edge and a little umph! A buddy of mine just bought a vintage GA-20(1966). This is supposed to be a tone god, It didnt even come close to beef I got out of this amp. The beautiful side of this amp is my buddy is a harp player, and if you blow harp there can be a bit of feedback problems, harp guys check this amp out!!! It was awesome dialed all the way to 10!!

I've only had the amp for a few days and it seems to be fine, this remains to be seen. I had it at rehersel last night and there was no problems with it.

Haven't had to call them yet but with a five year warranty what more do you need!

All the features your need. One channel, 3 band eq, gain and master volume, digital reverb (with level control) and an FX select knob with an on/off switch (comes with footswitch for it). Back has footswitch plug and 2 speaker outputs (internal speaker connected to one). 15 watts class AB with 3 12ax7 preamps and 2 EL84 power tubes.

This thing screams! Well, actually my Jackson Soloist screams and this amp lets its true character come through. Great harmonics and overtones. I can get very loud and punchy clean sounds or a smooth clean jazz tone at low gain. I used to think I had to crank the gain to get a good rock sound but I think it sounds best at half gain and then adjust the master volume to the right level. I use a blues driver in front of it with everything set close to half on that and I get an amazing rock tone good for almost everything. Depending on how I play and what I set my guitar to, I can get screaming leads, powerful rhythms, and a great intense bluesy sound (neck pup) all with the same setting. This thing is very versatile and with the right pedals can get any sound you're looking for.

The effects....eh. I like a couple of the delay settings but thats about it. I use...i think the 3rd delay setting to add some body to some of my leads or arpeggiated chords. The reverb is ok, but I've heard better. Much better. Don't rely on these effects, they are really just a bonus and mediocre. If you like using effects, use your own pedals. I'm not taking points off for this b/c the amp itself deserves a 10 and the effects are really just a bonus.

Very solid. The tubes will die eventually, but other than that I don't forsee any problems. Only had it about a month so I can't rate it.

Never delt with them.

This amp can do what others more than 2x the price can't. Very loud too! No problem jamming with a band without a mic. I've been playing for 5 years. If it was stolen I would cry about my lost investment but I would get another one.

Bottom line: if you're even considering this amp, GET IT! You'll thank yourself later.

i love this amp for its simple features and basic settings, its like having a blank canvas where you can do blues/rock/metal (if you use pedals of course).
its got some nice (but simple) effects built in, a digital reverb that goes from 0-10 this sounds pretty good, then a rotary switch with delay/chorus/flanger effects, these effects are pretty basic (all set to different timings/settings) but still sound good.
i use this amp at home and it has a lot of power, could easily gig with it if i wanted to.
the tubes that came with it appear to be SOVTEK made, maybe one of the cheaper brands of tubes but they sound ok.
i looked on a website for amp tubes and it would cost about 50GBP to replace them all

the amp on its own has only 2-3 sounds, a clean bluesy tone, then when its turned up it has some nice rock sounds it seems to distort a bit with the gain at 10 and volume at about 3, this is loud enough to play at home.

it has a 12 inch speaker inside with an epiphone sticker on it, i might replace this for a celestion one.

seems dependable ive only had it a month though, since its a tube amp id have a backup if i gigged with it, the front panel and rear of the amp get Very hot from the tubes, i hope the wiring is ok inside...

havent dealt with them, seems to have a 5 year limited warranty with Gibson

this is a real nice amp for the price i paid id get another if it was stolen (or maybe the blues deluxe) these epiphone amps are really cool.

I'm not a fan of amps with lots of bells and whistles. I personally feel that your amp (by itself)and your guitar should be able to make the music without much help. So I was happy to see that you can completely bypass the 3 DSP effects all together and kill the reverb if you want. At that point all your left with is 15watts of AB tube power and it sounds really good for this set up and price range. (2 EL84 Power Tubes, 3 12AX7 Preamps). Usually everyone likes a little reverb in there anyway and I think this is some of the best sounding reverb that I have ever heard out of something this size. Its definately controlable and not overbearing. (But it can be set up so it sounds like your playing in a giant concert hall thats empty)It doens't have that tinny sound to it...probably complements of the tubes.
I also really appreciate that Epiphone decided to mount the speaker off center in the cabinent to balance the weight of the power transformer. As a result, you can pick the combo up by the handle and the weight is centered on it, unlike my late 70's Bass Man that tipped to one side when you picked it up.

Nothing short of outstanding. I have played a lot of Orange amps in this configuration (though with a little more power) and this amps keeps up just fine in the clean end. The tube break up (controlable via the gain knob) is excellant. However, I think that if you have a guitar with "good" pickups in it, you'll get better results than some of the cheaper standard hardware that is usually in our guitars. The tubes are all Soviet made Sovtechs. So I'm thinking about putting in some JJ power tubes to "cream" up the sound a little bit. This will help the overdriving of the tubes also (because EL84's contribute to the distortion, too). And if I decide that I still want more I may try some more expensive preamp tubes. But as far as an off the shelf amp goes, for this size it sounds great. Oh and I tried the 5 watt class A little brother,the Special, and the Standard BLOWS it out of the water in the Tone department. Seriously, spend the extra 40 bucks and get this amp instead. If you don't believe me that there is a night an day difference in tone between these 2, do what I did, plug them both in, turn them up and let your ears tell you which one is better.

I have not had this thing very long but I have taken it apart and compared it to other amps that I have owned. Inside I have found a very simple configuration with solid parts, spaced nicely inside it's mount (nothing looks shoved in there) and all the hardware is solid, and well constructed.
I wouldn't think twice about using this for a gig, though with any tube amp, I would make sure I had a set up spare power tubes (EL84's are cheap...15-20 bucks?) and an extra preamp tube just to be safe. The cabinet is solid, it has a strong handle thats anchored through the cabinet and into the metal chasis of the amp.

I have not had to deal with customer support. Though on their official website the amp is advertised as a "class A push-pull" amp. Obviously thats not possible, you can be one or the other. (Class A or Class AB) So if I ever did need tech support, I hope this is NOT an indication of the type of assistance that I can expect.

So I have been playing for about 8 years now and done some touring and recording. I wouldn't hesitate to take this amp on the road or in the studio. I think it sounds great, looks cool, functions well, and its really easy to dial in your "sound" that your looking for without fussing much. I would recommend this amp to anyone who is looking to spend a few hundred dollars on an amp and wants that "tube" sound. For this price, why not have the real thing!?!

This amp is okay on features. It's pretty bare bones which works for me. It has a DSP circuit, but if that isn't your thing, you can bypass it via footswitch. It's only one channel so to get a good gain sound out of it, you gotta use a pedal. I used this amp at gigs and it holds up great when you stick a mic in front of it. The best feature to me, is the master volume.

This amp can do vintage stuff very well. It stays clean even with the gain all the way up. If you want a natural gain, you need a pedal. It's great for blues. I run a fuzz pedal in front of it to get good classic rock tones.

I've only had this amp for a month or so, but it's worked great so far.

Never had to deal with them.

This is a great amp. If you want a straight up, no frills, blues amp, buy this...

I thought it looked really cool, the dsp was pretty lame I thought kinda ruins the whole vibe.

This amp has the worst sound ever, it's not personal preffence, it's common sense. It is so farting and hardly any gain. The DSP effects are rubbish and they hiss when you turn them on. Reverb is a pisstake. I'm giving it a 2 cos the clean tone is okay, just okay.

The handle has come away already after a few days. I'm concerned about the hiss on the dsp channel so I wouldn't rely on it to keep its chaz in the heritage.

Thought it looked ace but sounds like shizen. Piece of shit, I am glad I didn't buy this thing.

I purchased this amp new in 2006. 1 channel, 10 watt class A all-tube amp with digital effects, a footswitch to turn the effects on and off, a three-band EQ, a gain knob, a dedicated DSP reverb, and a master volume. There is an extension speaker output on the back. The amp has gorgeous, retro styling. Very classy amp. The amp is made in China.

I'm giving this a 10 for features because this amp has every feature I was looking for, which was a 1 channel, all tube Class A amp around 15 watts. I was trying to stay pure and simple. The addition of digital effects was actually a disappointment to me, but with the effects bypassed you would never know they are there. They are fine, albeit limited, effects when in use. In contrast, the DSP reverb on this amp was a welcome bonus and is very good.

The portability of this amp is hard to beat. The construction is solid, the weight enough to speak of quality, but not enough to break your back.

I went to pick up a Fender Blues Junior at a music store I could trust. When they didn't have one in stock, the guy took me over to this amp and told me I would be surprised. When I started to leave, the guy said, "You should try this amp." 30 minutes later I walked out with one.

I am convinced that, hands down, this is the most perfect amp ever built for any situation.

The tone is the best I've ever heard. I sold my Mesa after buying this amp. I basically leave the master volume knob at 60% all night, or my stage volume is too loud. I tweak the Gain knob if I want a different tone. It breaks at all the right places. Want a pure clean? Turn back the gain knob to 6 and its a lush goodness that mixes well. If you're like me, you like that clean that breaks just a little. Set that gain knob at 7 or 8, and that's where this amp is really sounding great. Set the gain to 9, and you've got an understated overdrive going.

I've never had such an easy time setting pedals. I bought up a Boss Super Overdrive and dug out my old Chorus Ensemble, Digital Delay, and Jimi Hendrix wah before going to the store. 30 seconds later, I had the best overdrive sound I'd every gotten. I bought the amp, drove straight to the gig, and was the first to be done with sound-check. The other guitar player was fiddling with his Victoria for half an hour.

When it's that easy to be setup and have good tone, then you know you have the right amp.

The digital effects themselves aren't bad, but there isn't much control over them. You get chorus, flange, and delay at 4 or 5 presets each. I have a chorus and delay pedal, so set it to flange in case I want to trip-out a solo or line. Frankly, I haven't used it yet.

The reverb is very good, and has its own separate control. I don't tend to use reverb in a club, but if you want some, you're all set.

I asked the owner of the music store if they had gotten any back for repair, and he said none. So far, no problems. But I haven't owned it long enough to offer an opinion.

No experience. Epiphone is an old name in the music industry, though, and owned by Gibson.

The perfect amp for any situation. Do you need more than 10 watts these days? If you can't hear yourself at rehearsal with this thing, the problem is your band, not your amp. For shows, just put a mic on it.

More than 12 years I've been looking for this tone. At $299, I can't think of a better deal.

Single channel class A tube, some DSP effects

Surprisingly good tone. Very open, not too compressed. Awesome sound with humbuckers. Very little real distortion...really just tube overdrive, but I think it will make me a better player, because I can't mask my ability with fuzz or other noise. Not as glassy as a fender, but still sounds very very good. Not much clean headroom at all, but that is also okay...it is not meant to be gigged with (at least not without a PA). I have only had it a week but I find it to be really cool.

Again, I have only had it a week...cannot say anything bad about it.

No experience here.

I have been playing for about 15 years, mostly by myself in my basement these days. Have an Epi Sheraton II with Duncans, a Washburn Maverick with humbuckers, and a Fender Tele. Love the sound of the Epi with the amp, and also the Washburn. The Tele has trouble overdriving the amp...the single coils don't seem to have enough juice to do it.

Overall, this is a REALLY cool amp. I have had Boogies, and most recetly a Peavey Classic 30 modded with a Vintage 30 and JJ tubes. I may explore getting new tubes in this and maybe a new speaker, but really I have to spend some more time with it before I will know if it's needed.

Class A tube amp, 1 channel amp with master volume, 15 watts, 12 inch speaker, effects and reverb.

Update: I Use a Musicman Sub1 and Epihone Les Paul junior. Amp has a great tone, nice blues break up. Not much clean headroom so if you want loud clean volume forget it, get a Peavey Classic 30. This amp sounds fantastic with overdrive or distortion pedals, rich, warm, fat full tones. This is partilly do to the speaker, I have tried several others but alway come back to the original one. I have been able to get more headroom and keep the amp sounding pretty close to the original tone by using a AT7 tube in the first socket and a AU7 in socket 2 and a Eminence legend GB12-8 (8 ohm) speaker and various pedals for overdrive.

No problems so far

Never needed them

The sound you get from this with pedals is amazing the tone is great,very little clean headroom.

i'm gonna give it a 6 because by itself it's pretty much a one-sound amp, you get kind of a marshall sound out of it, but it's completely its own sound, class A tube, and it sounds wonderful, it makes me feel like my ears might orgasm or something, really buttery nice tone. the effects are $%^& though...

i'm into DEATH METAL and i have to say, i stick 2 overdrive pedals in front of this amp with the gain all the way up, boss super distortions, and i get amazing noise-free distortion reminiscent of Cryptopsy on their "once was not" album. really full...yet at the same time, it's not a fuzzy sound, like people would think would be good for metal, you can hear clearly the individual notes, and the picking response....damn this amp, for the price, is so amazing.

i've gigged with it before, ran it into a 4x12 and mic'ed that, and i've never heard anything better.

also its PERFECT FOR RECORDING.

i've had it for about a month and a half, moved it around, hasn't failed on me yet. it does run quite hot, but whatever, the output tubes glow orange as soon as i turn it on for a while, like someone was saying...i thought that was normal...? i'm not worried about the amp.

i called gibson support and they couldn't tell me how to switch out the speaker. i'm kind of confused, if someone knows how to do that pleaase email me at exhumed@dartmouth.edu

i've been playing for about 8 years, always searching for a tone that could give me a good foundation to build a heavy distoriton off of...plugged into this thing and it was perfect. i dont really like the retro looks but they're kind of cute and they're growing on me...not very death metal though haha

Mine is an 04/05 model. By now im sure u know the features so i wont bother listing them again. Really its got all the features i want out of it (15 watt tube amp is really only for practice and small jam sessions.
Really i just wish it had a lead channel built in it.

As far as a rig i run a godin solidac(H-S-H, acoustic bridge incase u dont know the guitar) with ts9dx tubescreamer, GCB-95 crybaby, holy grail reverb. I play pretty much anything and everything and this amp is perfect for that. the natural sound is perfect for flooding it with effects. For a new amp it does have its good and bad days, but ive read thats becuase of a bogus capasitor, dont knwo if i care enough to fix it though. The reverb and dsp on it are absolute junk, dont even listen to them.... go out and by a holy grail... best pedal ive ever purchased. To clarify when this little baby is on..... its on!

I havent owned it for very long but ive already had some worries about it. Nothing has actually gone wrong with it, but im sure everyone has owned/played an amp that they always think is gonna fry itself. As far as gigging without a back up i wouldnt gig with it at all, really i would recommended this amp when u want great tube tone and dont want the old people downstairs to call the police. I would say its as reliable as anything being made out of the states these days

I've never dealt with epiphone for repair, but anything ive ever returned has gone smoothly

Ive been playing for about 5 years now, this is the first tube amp ive ever owned and am happy with it. miss the solid sate though

Final update on this amp. See other reviews below.

Still absolutely loved the sound of this amp when coupled with a distortion pedal. Just Freaking awesome. Smooth sounds even at real low volumes.

after a month of regular use, and almost every day, after about 15 minutes of playing, the sound would gently fade out, have no signal for around 10-20 seconds and then fade back in, and sometimes to a slightly softer volume.

What the F. is that? It's a new amp. I talked to an amp tech in town, and he said many chinese built amps have real poor soldering connections, and with what one of the other reviewers said, overloads some of the circuitry.

I wish I could have looked the other way due to the great sounds this puts out, but man, after only a month and having electrical problems. I didn't want to wait years down the road and keep finding other things going wrong with it so sent it back to MF. Great return policy.

Epiphone emailed me back soon after so props to them

Awesome tone, poor workmanship.

Good luck to others who have this amp. If you got a diamond in the rough, then good on you.

Just an update... Gibson emailed me back and said it is a Class A amp, and didn't know why in the info packet that came with it said class AB. Had it about 2 months now and still love it stock. Last reviewer had a great point of it not having high gain sizzle to it, even with high gain pedals.

Love it.

Still only had it a couple of months, will review again in about 6 months so as not to give another honeymoon review. So far I still say that with my outboard effects, it is "the sound" I was looking for.

twice in two months it momentarily lost the signal for a split second, don't know if it's the amp or in my pedal line, but who knows, the way this sounds if it cuts out twice every couple of months, I really don't care.

I'll let others talk about this because I had a problem with mine and that's why I'm writing this review.

I play mostly blues but that's not why I'm writing this review.

OK, here we go. This amp runs the output tubes so freaking hot I'm suprised they don't melt. From day one the output tube's plates glowed slightly after about 15 minutes use. I took it back and got another one and then yet another. Finaly I just opened it up and looked inside. With the help of Gibson Tech support who sent me a schematic I located R24 which is the cathode bias resister. It was called out as a 120 ohm which it was, in my opinion, too low. I changed it to a 180 ohm. This works much better and is much more in line with common practice. The amp runs fine now without all the burning smells they used to make. I've run it for 24 hour straight without issues.

They were great and very helpful. A lot of amp builders won't send schematics to people for whatever reason. Gibson rules here.

Once modded I like this amp but not so much that I would buy another. MF is selling them for something like $250 delivered which is a great deal as long as you don't get a hot one like I did.

2005, 1x12, 3 12ax7, 2 El-84, Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, DSP effects, Reverb, standby, on/off. Extra speaker jack, detachable power chord, footswitch included for dsp on/off. One channel, 15 watts. Also, this like a 4/5 closed back combo--adds to the bass and projection while still giving the tubes enough circulation. Cab's pretty big compared to the competition, which gives a nice and full sound.
As far as I'm concerned, they should have forgotten about the DSP effects since they pretty much suck and add an incredible amount of hiss to the signal. The only one I'm ever tempted to use is the slapback delay setting, but this is only if I have my floor pedal delay unit set for something else.

Using a Les Paul Classic with Duncan Antiquities and my pedal board (OD, Dist., Wah, Trem, Chorus, Delay, Vol. pedal, EQ--not in that order, of course.
BASIC AMP SOUNDS: Holy Shite! This amp sounds great!!!! There's some discrepancy about whether this amp is Class A or Class A/B--it sure sounds like class A to me-- rich, full, PHAT. Responsive to pick attack! It blooms!! It sings!!! At decent performance volumes (assuming you mic it and use the amp as a stage monitor)can get anywhere from a nice, fat, ringing clean to a really smooth, fat, sustaining distortion which reminds me of Clapton's tone from the live stuff from the 1960s. Lots of Bass and NO HARSHNESS IN THE MIDS OR HIGHS! Yea!!!! I HATE spikey and harsh highs and mids and as the others have noted below, this is not a bright amp--but for me, bright enough, actually, just right! I don't know if it's the speaker or not, but the low end can get pretty farty and flabby with the gain set higher, which can make the lower end of chords kind of mushy, but the higher gain settings are absolutely amazing for single note work, even on the low strings, notes bloom and sing--the last time I heard anything like this was on a 1500.00 used Kendrick at GC.
I usually run it just on the verge of breaking up for a nice and fat clean--Gain set at about 10:00-11:00 and the Master dimed. This amp really has a vintage sound (from the 50s through the late 60s).

TUBES: The el 84s are stock sovteks, I haven't popped the back off to check on the preamp tubes yet, probably sovteks too. I don't plan on changing ANYTHING with the tubes--not with the tone I'm getting from what's in there now!! And I'm usually a real tweak freak.

SPEAKER: Don't know what it is since all it has on the back is a plain Epiphone label. It's a ceramic magnet though, and I think (judging from the back of the speaker) it's a smooth cone, not ribbed like a Celestion. This may be why I get the flab at higher volumes/gain but it might also be why it has such a smooooth tone over all. I don't plan on replacing it, but I might pop in a Greenback I've got around the house to compare.

DSP: I don't waste my time--they just get in the way of the really great inherent tone of the amp--when they're off though they really are out of the circuit (you can tell because everything sounds so much better when they're off).

REVERB: It's digital, and if set too high creates a pretty strong hiss. I keep it low. The sound is pretty good, but it needs to have a longer tail--it sounds like it's coming from a VERY short tank.

Again, this amp has a GREAT inherent/basic tone--it deserves a 10, especially for $299.00 But, since the reverb isn't all that great and the DSP, if engaged, gets in the way, I have to nick a point.

I've pretty much said everything I've wanted to say above. I've played for more years than I want to admit and have gone through all kinds of gear. Trust me, for the bucks and even for a whole lot more, you'd be hard pressed to get better tone.

The other review pretty much nailed this...inability to turn reverb on/off and a lack of a level knob for the onboard effects. Other than that, it has everything you need

This little amp is great for blues, jazz and classic rock right out of the box. It reminds me of a fender champ with the high's rolled off. I like some of the onboard effects, especially the slap echo sounds I can get with the delay. I really like the reverb. Plenty to
spare.woks great w/distortion pedals and it actually seems to respond better to stompboxes than my Marshall or Randalls. An Eq pedal will give you some of the high end you might be missing.

I mostly play on a Music Man Sub 1 and an ESP Hybrid. The humbuckers on the music man come out a lot brighter than the Esp. I really like the clean-to-bluesy tones I get from the coil split setting on my hybrid (turning off one coil in a humbucker to make it a single coil). Playing with the gain cranked sound's like Jimi Hendrix in the low end, basically really raunchy and farty. This doesn't really suit my tastes. Using a distortion pedal with the gain around 8:00 breaks up nicely. I actually got some good high-gain sounds with my Boss DS-1, which usually sucks monkey ass. I can't wait to try a Rat pedal with this thing!

The speaker is ok...it'll sound a little shitty right out of the box because it really needs breaking in. I did this by setting the amp up in the closet, turning it on with the gain and bass cranked and leaning my guitar against it so it fed back in the lower register and leaving the room for a couple of hours. After breaking in it was a lot clearer and a little less farty, but I still think I'm going to replace it with one of my Eminence M12's to get a little more clarity and high end sparkle. I believe the stock speaker is a Weber signature series, but I could be mistaken.

I play punk rock, hardcore and 70's-style rock and metal. You can do it all with this amp, but it'll need a little help.

hasn't busted yet...but I'll keep you posted.

I've been playing for 12 years. My main amp is a JCM 900 with El 34s played through an ampeg v-4 bass cab reloaded with greenbacks. I bought this amp so I could get some less traditional tones at lower volumes but I plan on using it for gigs. As far as value, this thing is either going to go up in price as it gets discovered, or it'll drive down the prices of other small tube amps...I'm just glad I got one now!

I haven't seen any reviews on this yet so I figured I'd post one. I only have about five hours on this so I will do another post in a few weeks/months...

Now depending where you look, it's either a Class A or a Class AB amp. Epiphone's and MF's website both say it's a class A, but then in the info packet that comes with it, it says only the Jr. and Special are class A's, and this is a class AB push/pull setup, I emailed Gibson and they said they would check to see which one is right.

Comes with 3 12AX7's in the preamp, and 2 EL84's on the power side. 16 DSP, 15Watts of power, reverb, 12in speaker and the Standard comes with the footswitch to turn the effects on and off

Wish you could turn off the reverb with the footswitch but you can't

Very smooth sound to it. Not really a rock amp by itself. To my ears when the gain switch is turned towards max, it sounds like "summer of 69" type of distortion. Not bad but it isn't much. Cleans sound good. The reverb seems to almost have to get to the 2 or 3 O'clock position before there is a noticable difference The EQ is in the same fashion... not super sensitive, but nothing an EQ pedal can't fix. The are a couple of DSP settings that are usable, but I don't like them all.

I hooked up my favorite distortion pedal in front of this, the korg 104ds, and wow, this thing just rips for rock/metal. The harmonics are easier on this than anything I have played before. It just squeels with the slightest pinch. Great sustain too. Smooth buttery sounds just sing out of this, and this is with the stock speaker, which I do plan to replace, cuz this one isn't the greatest.

I would say with your favorite pedals in front of this, any sound is possible. It sounds good at low volumes, bedroom levels,and higher volumes where it starts to sing more. At low volumes there is a slight buzz to it, but start playing and you will forget all about it.

brand new, but has 5 year warranty. One I tested at guitar center had a slight buzz to it when played loud but the one I received from MF does not.

It's made in China so the verdict is out on this. But if it holds out, I will be a happy man.

don't know, we will see if I get a response from my email.

I got this when MF dropped their price 100 bucks and had a 20 dollar coupon. OUTSTANDING value. With the money I saved, I plan on getting a good speaker, and possibly new tubes, but I like the ones in it with the distortion pedal in front of it. For $280, to get a new tube amp that sound this good is amazing.

I play mostly a Gibson SG and Les Paul through this. Both sound great. My other current amp is a Randall. I have had tube amps before but were too damn loud for the house now as I get older, but I missed the tube sound. I tried out several lower priced tube amps and some higher ones, but settled on this. To me, with my distortion pedal hooked up, I liked it better than the Peavey ValveKing, a Laney AOR, better than my old Crate Stealth, and better than a Marshall TSL. But remember that was testing the others with their own distortion/overdrive. I never hooked my pedal up to those. I was searching "for that elusive sound" without having to hook up pedals to achieve it and didn't find it in those other amps.

This little Epiphone gets close to the sound I was looking for with a little help and for the cost is Unbeatable.