George Dennis Blue 60 Combo

Four Channel Tube amp. If you have read the other reviews, you know what the features are. I would just like to add that unlike some other feature laden amps the options here are very useful. The difference in reverbs is very nice. A lot of options, but useful and not gimmicky.

I am a Telecaster player primarily, but use a PRS Hollowbody II quite a bit. This amp plays very nicely with either guitar. The clean channel is gorgeous. It has a 'spongy' quality that I love. Well defined bottom end. I use a Boss ME-50 in front and it responds nicely to the compressor and fat eq setting. I also use a low gain setting of the "Natural" overdrive setting to push each channel a little and it sounds great with the clean and my tele. The crunch is great. Two levels of variable gain and a mid sweep switch. The leads are somewhat similar, but voiced a little differently. A is a bluesy. B is a Rocky. The only thing I don't like is that you have to set the gains pretty close to keep the volumes close for live situations. They share a volume setting and you have to compromise with similar gain levels. That being said, they both work very well and I am nitpicking. The reverb is very sweet. I usually hate a lot of verb because it can sound cheesy. The dark setting turned up high sounds really great. This is a four-trick pony. All the channels sound great. I am very happy with this amp.

All I can tell you is it is built like a brick #*E(house. I just bought it used from a kid who I don't think realized what he had. This amp should hold up a long time based on my initial probings

George Dennis got back to me in under 24 hours with a question I had. That's all I need for now.

I am a semi-pro. Have been pro in the past. Owned old and new Fenders, Peavey Classic, Ampeg, and Boogies. This is by far the best sounding amp I have ever owned. It wows me. My Tele sounds perfect through this amp. I haven't spent a lot of time with the Hollowbody II, but I am sure that will sing. I would strongly recommend this to anyone.

It's really versatile amp (four channels obtains great sound for anything you play) there are very many knobs on the panel... I haven't seen so many settings on any usuall amp.
Mine one is made in 2003/4, I bought it three years old.
Great feature is setting of send level to effect loop (if you don't have any effects in loop, you can gain much bigger power by settin g it to high)
D.I. Output is great thing, but without speaker simulator it sounds dumm
It's shipped with four-switches footswitch.

I have J.J. Electronix Valves (in the power section) in the amp these times, they are fantastic for clean, crunch and for mild distortion, but I can imagine something better for hi-gain. Clean channel begans to be distorted at very high level of volume... I think it's more than ok.
Only bad thing is that it has just one speaker (you can connect more, but it's not ideal solution)

I have never seen any problem with my amp (except old valves)

I'm from czech... means it's near to factory.
But I haven't dealt with them yet

It's really powerful amp with great and versatile sound. But I consider buing the Blue 100 Head with some 4x12 box. One Speaker isn't enough for ev erything

Yhis amp is very versatile for different music styles and it is so beautifull,,,,

The sound is perfect and with a large panel of settings
The Four channels are a good idea,,,the other amps have only 2 channels

This amp is very heavy compare with other of the same categories -- On the Blue 60 one handle will be good for transport

***** Ah! Nothing exist for France,,,i must purchase these amps in Nederland ****

I play with this Blue 60 from 3 months ago --- I have also a Gibson Goldtone GR60V --- I choose this one because i bought it in second hand ,,,but it was a good story for me --- My friend who play with me in a band want to buy the Blue 100 stack,,,but in Holland

Bought mine in 2001 2x10 combo and it features 4 channel from clean to saturated heavy distortion which suits a lot of my playing styles. Pretty much this amp has all the feature that need and sounds out of an EL34 configuration combo. The only thing that I don't see here is a headphone input but I would say it would be a waste to do that on such an amp manufacturer who took their pride and ideas making it sound to reality. The amp weights alot for its size due to the hugh transformers that they use plus the materials and craftsmanship of the cabinet matches the tonality of most musicians dream. I use this amp on real nice decent gigs packed nicely on a road case.


+ 4 separate preamplifier channels, selectable either from the front panel or foot switch ( I lost the footswitch somewhere along the way)
Clean channel controls:
Volume, Treble, Middle, Middle Sweep, Bass, Dynamic Presence
Crunch channel controls:
Volume, Gain, Treble, Middle Shift, Bass, Boost
Lead A and B channel controls:
Volume, Gain A, Gain B, Treble, Middle, Middle Sweep, Bass and Contour (for Lead B only)
Master Controls:
Volume, Reverb, Cut, Reverb Selector Hi/Lo

+ Processor controlled channel and reverb switching
+ Balanced Direct output
+ Effects loop
+ 5 way foot pedal included
+ Accutronics reverb (3 springs)
+ 5 x 12AX7 preamplifier tubes
+ 2 E34L (Tesla) special power amplifier tubes
+ 2-10 inch CELESTION vintage 30's. some of them has 12's
+ Our forte: EVERY KIND OF GUITAR PLAYER WILL FIND THAT SPECIAL PERSONAL SOUND

Dimension in mm:
The Blue 60 Head 270 (H), 560 (W), 275 (D), weight including foot pedal 20,5 kg

Class A and very quiet. I just wanna let you know up front for my taste of the EL34 sound, as far as saturated and very-very long sustaining juicy sound with a lot body.. This is the one! Basically designed for "Glory Hogs" or any professional level or up lead guitarist that really want to shine on stage. Amp is so touch sensitive like an "extension of your fingers" that commands exactly what you feel on wanting it to do. If youre looking for a tight non-saturated, compressive tone, try a different amp with a 6L6 configuration I think George Dennis has one with the KT-88 or something.

I have been playing for almost 30 years with my favorite 80's japanese Stratocaster '69 reissue, 70's Gibson Les Paul Custom '57 reissue using their classic humbuckers, Burns Brian May Red Special, Customized Stratocaster.. Goncalo Alves neck with Pau Ferro fingerboard, Van Zandt blues on the neck and specially wound duncan hubucker on the bridge very similar to the old 496R but alot silkier, coiltapped very nice and it really shines the most on this amp. through the years I had different vintage tube and class A new amps ranging from $1000.00 or up US dollars anywhere from 38 to 60 watts. This is the amp that I finally stopped for it gave me the "Marshall on Steroids" sound that I was looking for. It is really beefed up even on low volume, very juicy on low end (surprisingly even on a vintage 10 speaker which they don't recommend on low frequencies), The midrange and the highs are just perfect for my taste. No "Ice-Picky" or any artificial high tones that are found even on high dollar amps. What I like the most is the "Cut" knob (like a frequency setting and it really gives you a whole variety of sound from shiny dark tone to equal level presenced tone. The 4 channel is really doing it right for me.
Channel 1 is clean (very clean with deep reverb sound just by a notch)
Channel 2 is Cruchy Rythm (Plexi to JCM cruch)
Channel 3 Rythm Lead (JCM High Gain to Boogie)
Channel 4 is Lead/Solo (Totally Heaven no one can touch with extra prescence very obvious with no ice picky tone)

For gigs, I use a 2x12 extension cabinet with celestion G12T-75 and Vintage 30 combined. For home and practice the 2x10 built in speakers are perfect! It gives me that perfect headroom and response sound (like the 2x12 I use on gig) on a home volume. Too bad there is not much dealer her in the US but it is beginning to expand now. I heard that they are shipping a lot of on summer 2004 to a dealer in Hillside, Jersey so you'll probably have the chance now to road test this amp.

3 years now of gigs and studio works, the amp is always been very reliable and cooperative to me :-) Just regular tube replacement probably once. The only thing that I fixed was the Transformer hold down bolt. I was playing it one day and started rattling like a loose screw. So after resting it for an hour, I immediately opened it, found 4 loose screw on the power transformer (just like the other guy said on the review below). Tighten it up back just by a touch and a notch where its suppose to and I dabbed the little heat resistant glue on the screw itselt so it will never loosen up again not unless if you want to take it off. Other than that its great. Hey no-one is perfect.

I emailed George about getting me the remote footswitch and he responded right away. Cool! There is dealer too in Hillside, New Jersey that supports this amp and really a great guy. Wow I will have to stop by there and look at his line of amps. It might cost me plane ticket from Las Vegas but hey "We live only once and I gotta do it"

I started narrowing from 26 different EL34/El84 amps to 3. I threw away alot of pedals. Compressors/sustainer, 80's heavy metal distortion, t-bone classic, Kings of britain, TS9, tweeked Japanese DS-1, Lani... spring reverb, Rack mounts.. Name it.. I got it. I have a modified 68 bassman 50 watts 6L6 totally different sound from this amp that I have keeping for different occasions and a 66 park. But I found myself picking this up more so I named it #1.

The amp(s) were made in 2000. Go to their website and download the manual for specifics. Basically this is a 4 channel amp with separate tone controls on 3 of the 4 channels, and an extra presence boost option on the 4th channel (which is voiced differently than channel 3 - which is darker sounding). There is a global high end cut control, and a high / lo reverb switch reverb switch and reverb volume pot. The amp uses a solid state rectifier. For my applications, it would have been nice to have a boost button on the footswitch or an effects on/off switch instead of the reverb on/off, but overall, the 5 button switch (which switches very quietly) is good. There is a switch on the back panel next to the effects loop which acts as a boost when effects are not plugged in, but doesn?t seem to do anything when the loop is being used. The speaker outputs are for 8, 4 and 2 ohms (though one of the 2 amps I bought had not received the 2 ohm sticker to cover up the marking which read 16 ohms). I checked the relative resistances of the speaker outputs and George Burgerstein (George from George Dennis) confirmed that the outputs on the Blue 60 are 8,4 and 2 ohms. One of the features (the Middle Shift switch on the Crunch channel) was not operating on one of the amps, and I looked inside and saw that the switch was missing one of the wires that should have been attached. I figured out where to attach it (confirmed by looking at the second amp) and after attaching it, everything worked fine. The amp has plenty of power for my applications, though the clean channel is softer than the crunch or lead channels, even when the clean volume is on "10".

I play both Greco Les Paul copy , an Ibanez AM205, and a Strat type guitar, though most of my testing has been using the Greco (which is a "lawsuit" model Custom). I play blues, jazz, and country - and mixtures of these styles. The Blue 60 has great clean sounds with good headroom, and great overdriven sounds (a la Clapton) using either neck or bridge pickups - especially on the crunch channel. After replacing the 12AX7 used in the Lead channels with a 12AU7 to lower the gain, I was very happy with the sound of the Lead channels - especially Lead B. The reverb is pretty good though you should make sure that you have either an 8EB, 4EB, or 9EB style tank, as I got an amp that initially had a 4AB style tank installed by mistake, and the reverb sounded distorted when running the amp using any channel on the ?high? volume setting (the switch near the effects loop jacks), no matter which reverb option was used (high or low level). I can really get very good overdriven sounds and clean sounds with minimal tweaking. I have had several amps: VHT Pittbulls, Laney VC50, Yamaha DG80, Carvin X100B, Marshall JTM312, and the George Dennis is among the best as far as getting good clean and good overdriven sounds. I like the Clean channel, the Crunch channel, and Lead channel Gain B the best of the 4 available. I?d give the Clean channel a 9.5, the Crunch channel a 10, Lead channel A an 8.5, and Lead channel B a 10. The Crunch channel works well for the neck or bridge pickup of my Greco Les Paul copy, while the Lead channel B works well for the neck pickup. Lead channel A is voiced differently from lead channel B (more bass, less treble) and works OK for the bridge pickup, but the sound is a little damped (less ?liquid? sustain than on the Crunch channel unless you crank the amp up and have the power tubes doing more of the work). I tried putting 12AX7s back in the amp, and Lead channel A still didn?t have quite as good a feel to me as the Crunch channel, but then again, I?m mainly looking for blues type sounds (a la Clapton), and Lead channel A may be fine for higher gain rock stuff, especially with the 12AX7 installed.

Great clean sounds with good headroom, and great overdriven sounds (a la Clapton) using either neck or bridge pickups - especially on the crunch channel. After replacing the 12AX7 used in the Lead channels with a 12AU7 to lower the gain, I was very happy with the sound of the Lead channels - especially Lead B. The reverb is pretty good though you should make sure that you have either an 8EB, 4EB, or 9EB style tank, as I got an amp that initially had a 4AB style tank installed by mistake, and the reverb sounded distorted when running the amp using any channel on the ?high? volume setting (the switch near the effects loop jacks), no matter which reverb option was used (high or low level). I can really get very good overdriven sounds and clean sounds with minimal tweaking. I have had several amps: VHT Pittbulls, Laney VC50, Yamaha DG80, Carvin X100B, Marshall JTM312, and the George Dennis is among the best as far as getting good clean and good overdriven sounds. I like the Clean channel, the Crunch channel, and Lead channel Gain B the best of the 4 available. I?d give the Clean channel a 9.5, the Crunch channel a 10, Lead channel A an 8.5, and Lead channel B a 10. The Crunch channel works well for the neck or bridge pickup of my Greco Les Paul copy, while the Lead channel B works well for the neck pickup. Lead channel A is voiced differently from lead channel B (more bass, less treble) and works OK for the bridge pickup, but the sound is a little damped (less ?liquid? sustain than on the Crunch channel unless you crank the amp up and have the power tubes doing more of the work). I tried putting 12AX7s back in the amp, and Lead channel A still didn?t have quite as good a feel to me as the Crunch channel, but then again, I?m mainly looking for blues type sounds (a la Clapton), and Lead channel A may be

Haven?t gigged with the amp yet, but it seems to be built very well (I?ve only had it a few months). I have had a little bit of a problem with some mechanical noise from the output EL34 tubes (which have retainer springs holding them in place), but it is not very objectionable, and replacing the tubes might fix that problem, when I get around to doing it. There seems to have been some lapses in quality control (the non operating switch mentioned earlier, and one of the amps was sent to me with a reverb tank having the wrong impedance - which produced a distorted sound). Otherwise, the wiring seems to be very good, the parts of high quality, and the amp solidly built - and probably a great deal of it by hand (lots of hand wiring). I'll give it a 9 because so far, I haven't had any real problems to speak of other than the ones mentioned - which are not really issues of reliability, but more of getting things right at the factory, and of problems inherent to tubes in general.

Excellent support from company owner George Burgerstein (who lives in Prague) who sent me a reverb tank (to replace the the one that was the wrong model for the amp) and a schematic, both free of charge. However, the current distributor in the US, Dennis Swiden (of DS Sound), after sending me a few very informative emails about the amps and his musical career failed to answer several emails that I sent him asking for a replacement cost for the amp's footswitch which was scratched up by FedEx during shipping (though it still worked). George Burgerstein answered my emails though, and I got a reimbursement from FedEx. Being that DS Sound is supposed to be the main contact in the US and has not been helpful recently, I'd have to rate the customer service a 9 instead of 10, though George Burgerstein has been very helpful so far and deserves a 10.

I've been playing for about 30 years, and would say the amp is one of the best overall that I have played through. Would I buy one again - definitely - especially if the price was right (list price is a bit high for me, but the amp is a good one). Is the amp a fantastic value - for the price I paid, I would say "yes".

All-tube 60 watt combo.4-channels(clean,crunch with separate eq. and gain,lead 1,lead2 with shared eq. and separate gain).Each channel has separate vol. control,very nice!

I play rock,heavy blues and some jazz-blues(Robben F. GARY Moore,...)
guitars:Lespaul st.,Ibanez AM.200(fantastic 335-clone),Hamer spec.p90.
Clean channel:puts a T.W. to shame!
Crunch:fat JCM800 sound(best channel on the amp)
Lead1&lead2:high gain,lead2 is nastier voiced.With the gain above 8,to muddy.Gain at 6.5,this is screaming rock-territory!(Satch flying into a blue dream)So,i specially like the fat crunch channel,it is very versatile,real creamy overdrive!I also have a Framus-cobra head which is way better in high-gain situations.But overall,the G.D.is a very good,versatile combo

Now,here was a B.I.G. problem.After a couple of gigs,it died.I contacted my dealer,and after inspection,there were loosened screws fallen on the transformator and smoked it up.My dealer and myself mailed the company several times.Mr.George Dennis R.E.F.U.S.E.D. to send a new transfo for free,although it was in warranty,and it was their assemblers fault.That is what they call in Belgium a lousy asshole.My dealer,Mr.Paul Schoors from LIMIT music payed for me and installed it for free!!GREAT SERVICE!SO,although being a good product,i nnneeevvveeerrr buy anything from mr.Dennis again.At the moment it is still very reliable

very,very,very,very shitty(see above)

Dispite the problems,a good product!

The Blue 60 Combo belongs to all tube amps family produced by the Czech company George Dennis. With 4 footswitchable channels (CLEAN, CRUNCH, 2x LEAD)+two mode reverb, master volume, effects in/out, DI output and power break switch this 60W combo is extremely versatile. With my band called PROFESSOR I play music from blues and rock'n'roll to hard rock on different places. This is the first amp that satisfied my needs when playing in the small room, the big open-air festival or in studio.
Combo is solid, no problem on tour, however, watch your back, 30 kg needs quite a good condition when carrying (case is not included).
It's simply cool and don't forget - it's blue!

I use Ibanez Roadstar RG 440 guitar with two singles and one HB. Before I had only Fender Hot Rod De Luxe, which is great for clean, you know, but the overdrive seems a bit poor to me. My aim when selecting the amp was to get clean sound like Fender plus variety of distorted sounds from bluesy crunch to fat heavy metal, naturally with simple control when playing live. The Blue fits perfect. Using 6L6 tubes it's clean channel is great. The crunch channel is sensitive enough to change from clean to distortion following the style I play the guitar. The lead A channel I use for crunch solos or distorted background, lead B for heavy distorted solos. It plays like big stack, wow! Separate volumes/gains on each channel (except lead A/B, which have one volume pot for both) help a lot. Reverb works two ways I like the power cut switch which allows me to soften the combo with no change of channel volumes. Then the sound is almost the same BUT quiet, now I practice that way. In studio I used the DI output for clean channel, worked well!

Once I had to change the fuse. No other problem.

I bought one of the first units George Dennis produced. After couple of shows when playing it I found out that it could be better to do some minor improvements. I told the GD people, they listened to me and helped me. I feel comfortable with their support, I wish the others treat us the same way!

My dream was Mesa/Boogie Mark IV. With The Blue it came true, even further and for less than half of the M/B price. What I really appreciate is the variety of sounds I can get from my combo, simple control using 5 way footswitch and the fact I hear myself when I'm not in the direct axis the sound goes from my speaker. I dislike the weight, I know it's common problem of the tube amps. Well, as a Xmas present I bought myself a small trolley for my The Blue...
My other staff consists of preamp Hughes & Kettner Tubeman Plus, preamp/effect unit Roland GX700, Fender Hot Rod De Luxe and Roland Chorus 60 combo. This is the consequence of trying to find the best solution during 11 years of my playing the guitar. Everything in one box, no mass of cables, AC adapters etc. I like it. Try, you'll find out.