Goodsell Super 17 112 Combo

I just bought my Super 17 recently, but had played a Goodsell from the first series that was produced. Gerard Melancon of Melancon Guitars has a first series and I visit his shop on a regular basis, so I knew the quality of this amp before I bought it. The first time I plugged into his amp all I could ask him was where did he get it and what in the world was it? I've been playing over 40 years and never saw an amp so simple that could be so diverse. My ears could not believe what they were hearing. Richard has packed more tone and sound into a 112 combo than I had ever heard, and I have played through more amps than even I can remember. The tone is something you have to experience to truly appreciate. The clean is like nothing else I have ever heard. Full bottom end that doesn't muddy up, and still delivers shimmering highs. Someone else wrote about the lack of need for reverb and I have to agree. My amp is about two years old, serial # 0296, and has the three knob configuration. I have played it with reverb and just don't see the need for it. Richards' amps are the only amps I've played clean that reverb steals from what the amp does all on it's own. If I were to buy another amp, I sold everything else, it would be a 212 Goodsell. I use mine for everything I play. I have never owned another amp that can do that. I even push it with a tube distortion pedal at times, not just boost or overdrive, but high gain distortion, and it delivers. Don't know what else to say but I finally have one for myself.

I play on a Melancon Strat style body with two custom wound Dimarzios' at neck and middle and a Tom Holmes humbucker at the bridge. It is the only solid body I'm playing on right now and covers everything that I play. I play most anything, love most music styles, but blues based is my favorite. In my opinion this is the perfect blues amp, just my humble opinion. This amp is so responsive sometimes I think it knows what I'm going to do next. What I think people who aren't familiar with this amp need to know is what you can do with just three knobs, and your guitar. Again I think you have to experience it to know the true versatility of this amp. The amp is very quiet for a tube amp, not a lot of hum or hiss you get from most tube amps. It is not in itself a high gain amp, but takes pedals very well. I like the fact that clean is clean on this amp no matter how hard my attack is when I play, but does have that real vintage breakup if you want it. It really delivers what you are feeling.

I haven't owned it long enough to to comment, but I do know my buddy has had his for some time and has never had to send it in for any issues.

Never had to deal with them, but did call and Richard picked up and answered all the questions I had about my amp and other models that he offers. Seems to be a very nice guy and I really appreciate the fact that he talked to me for about 20 minutes and I'm sure he had things to do.

Again, I have been playing 40 years or so, kind of giving away my age a little bit, and as I said earlier I did sell everything!!! else I had. This is the amp I always wanted, and would buy only another Goodsell. Would love to have a 212 version, three knob configuration. Don't need the rest of the clutter. If someone were to steal this amp I wouldn't hesitate to locate another one. I had no need to compare it to anything. When I bought my Super 17 I knew just what I wanted and was not going to settle for anything else. I know everyone has what they like as for as tone goes, and I am not going to bash anything else that is on the market, to me Richard has captured magic in a box and I love the experience of hearing it every time I play.

I don' need no steenking features! Seriously, lack of knobs is a massive plus to me. Tone twiddle knobs, sliders and switches are just distractions to me. This amp is just, well it is just correct. No twiddling is needed at all. No jumper cords to combine channels, no stuff to disguise what the amp lacks. It just doesn't need it.

This is the tone I have lusted for my entire life. Absolutely no exaggeration here! I bought my Super 17 Combo less than one week after I bought my first Goodsell - the Super 17 head. The Super 17 head atop my Mesa Widebody cab with a Celestion Heritage G12H was a life changing gig. I *HAD* to buy another, FAST! So now I should be set for a while amp-wise. This is very honestly the best amp I have ever played through. Considering build quality and the tone, these amps are not expensive.

I have not owned it for enough months to have a valid opinion here. Rumor has it that these are old school less-is-more construction. There are certaiunly less knobs and gee-gaws, so it seems that there are less places for things to go wrong. I think that they will last nicely.

But one thing... the Goodsell nameplate on the front of my Combo snapped off. I did not even know about it till I got to the gig and saw it was missing. I found it laying on my garage floor where I keep the amp. The plate is held on by 2 screws that go through tiny plastic "ears" out on the ends of the nameplate. The tweed looked like there may have been some glue added to help hold the nameplate, but the glue didn't seem to help at all. I repaired the "ears" that broke off by gluing them back on the nameplate and added a couple pickguard screws in the black areas of the letters "G" and "d". Hopefully she'll stay on. I'm very proud of my Goodsells and I want people to know what brand they are.

Fortunately, no opinion again. Rumor has it that Richard is superhuman when it comes to service. So far it doesn't look like i will get to find out for myself anytime soon.

This amp has made all of my guitars sound incredible. The amp has this wonderful clear tone with just the right edge to it. It is full of life and just exciting to play.

I think this is one of Richard's first few Clairmont amps. Serial Number 37. I bought it used on ebay. They don't come around very often. When I got it, it had a Chinese made Celestian Greenback.

I play a lot of blues and psycho-blues. Trust me and don't ask too many questions about this. It's got enough power if you don't take the labels on the knobs too seriously. If the gain and tone are too high up, the amp doesn't cut through that well. Turn them down to about half and crank the volume up and you'll hear it better. A lot of guys who've used my amp have dimed the tone knob to sound louder. This is not the way to be heard.

This amp is everything everyone else has written about it. 3 knobs, spectacular etc. I'm writing this because I've had mine for a couple years now and I've done a lot of changing of things on the amp and thought someone might be interested in what I've found out.

OK, here's where I'm going to tell you about my tweaking experiences. First is the speakers: As I said, mine came with a 12" Celestion Greenback G12M made in China. This is a fine speaker. If you're playing in a studio or home by yourself, it's probably the best one for the amp. I went to some trouble to locate a Made in England Greenback G12H. This has a heavier magnet and a bit lower bass response. It sounds a lot the same, but is louder and projects better for playing with a full band. It's also a little heavier. I tried a Jensen reissue C12N for a while. It's got less of that Vox sound and is more full sounding. It's a competent speaker, but the highs are not as nice. With a small cabinet like this one, you need your highs to come through. This would be good for getting certain sounds in a recording studio, but the Greenbacks are better for most playing. I've also tried an old Fender 12" and a Vintage 30 in it. The V-30 projected best, but the sound is a little harsh at some frequencies. The speaker I like the best in it is a Jensen Neo 12". It's got that less Voxey thing with truly great creamy highs that are so addictive. A bonus is that it lightens the amp another 5 pounds or so. It's unbelievably light for carrying to gigs. I've tried a bunch of tubes. The power tube choice is definitely factory E-H tubes, but I bought a trio of old Mullard 12AX7s and I'm using one in this amp. It gives it a slightly crispier tone which works well with the Neo speaker. I'm using an outboard tube reverb in front of this amp. It gives it a warmer sound...too warm if you turn the MIX knob up past 4 or so, but it's a nice sound and the blonde reverb box looks great on top of the Goodsell combo cabinet. They're almost the same width and since the Godsell knobs are in the front, it works out perfectly. I've used tape echo, wah, mild overdrive and chorus in front of this amp from time to time, all work great with it. It's still quite amazing played straight into the amp. I've found that good quality guitar cords make a difference with this amp. I won't recommend any except to say that it's worth some extra dough to get a decent one for use with an amp like this. Some other amps I have are not as sensitive, but this one really perks up with a good cable.

This amp is reliable as a brick but it needs EL 84s every 6 to 12 months if you play it a lot. I've never had them go bad, but new ones really freshen it up. If you've owned it a while and you're no longer totally mesmurized by the sound, pop some new power tubes in and you'll fall back in love with it.

In spite of mine being purchased used, Richard has been very helpful on the phone with tube info. A friend bought a new one from him and really put him through the mill with a million questions and could not have been happier with the responses he got. That's not my style, but it's nice to know someone is out there if you need them.

I have a lot of small combo amps. Each has its strengths, but the Goodsell is the one I play the most and take to the most gigs. It's hard to sound bad through it. For the amount of actual hardware you get for your money, this little thing may seem incredibly expensive, but why would anyone want a heavy amp? This thing blows the doors off most of the bigger amps and it's such a breeze to carry.

Number 43 here. 17 watts, Volume, Tone, Gain - That's it! I have used this amp for a variety of gigs and it's always been just the right amount of power. If you are new to the amp, understand, all 3 knobs change alot about the amp, not just what it's labeled. (ie: Tone adds treble but only to a certain point, then it increases gain and volume) I believe you could set the knobs any way and this amp would sound good!

It also helps to keep fresh tubes in this thing. I changed mine out when I got it and the difference was very noticeable.

I use this amp for pop/rock styles and it fits perfectly. The amp has a thickness to it that other "Class A" amps don't have. It's almost like a good Fender clean or even a very good Matchless I recently played (Though it doesn't sound like a Matchless it has that type of thick, full tone).

Amp gets a good amount of gain but might not be enough for some. It's plenty for me but might not work for some hard rock. Has a fair amount of head room but I don't really use it in this context much.

I've been using a G&L Telecaster and a Gretsch Duo Jet (Professional series) with and has worked well with each. I think any guitar would sound great because the amp lets the sound of guitar really come through.

I've also been using a few overdrive pedals with it and they've all worked well. EGDM, Eternity, Sparkle Drive (lest favorite), Fulldrive . My favorites has been the EGDM and Eternity. I set the amp up with minimum breakup and then use the pedals to get a full crunch sound. Really works well for pop and Rock styles.

The amp is very quite. It does seem to pick up cell phone noises a bit more then other amps I've played.

I'm not sure if I would ever have an excuse to get rid of this amp. It's light and easy to get a great sound out of.

No problems yet. I always carry extra tubes but haven't had any problems yet. Seems very well build and don't expect any trouble.

Talked to Richard on the phone before I bought the amp. Very nice and informative. We talked for about 20 mins or so and he answered all of my questions. Everyone I've talked to has had a good experience with him, his amps, and his work. I know if I ever had a problem I could just call him and or take it down to his shop and he would take care of it.

I've been playing for over 10 years and would call my self semi-professional. I've been making my living playing music while I'm in school and am doing it with the Goodsell. No other amp I've had has sounded as good, been as portable and reliable as it.

I'd love for Richard to make a 2 channel amp or even a slightly different style amp. If this amp is any indication, it would be amazing.

These amps have created quite a little buzz around Atlanta and I'm seeing them more and more. I've gotten compliments about it's sound and even had bass players and drummers tell me they love these amps! They don't even play them, they just know the sound.

This amp is absolutly perfec! Richard Goodsell takes a very old school approach to his amps featuring only three knobs: gain, tone, and volume, but that is truly all you need to get mind blowing tone from these things. My particular model also features a reverb knob that is found on the back of the amp, but this feature is an addition, and is just an option to the stock models. I am in love with this amp and know of several professionals who are playing them and everyone seems to be as mesmerized by them as I am.

Sound is what it's all about, and that where this amp has em all beat. It has some of the sweetest tones you could ever imagine. It breaks up so nicely like a vintage amp, yet also has some of the most shimmery clean sounds I've ever heard if you back off the gain a bit. Everyone who has heard this amp so far has been amazed by it. I was at a festival the other day and I recieved more comments and questions about that amp than I have ever recieved from any other single piece of equipment, it was quite a hit.

Built like a tank! I mean they are all hand built by the same guy who uses nothing but the finest parts and does some of the finest work I've ever seen. I am a full time musician who stays on the road all the time and could not afford to have an amp that was unreliable and this amp definitly is.

Richard Goodsell builds these amps himself here in Atlanta and he is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. He has a business and work ethic like no other, and would go to any extreme to help one of his customers. Although I don't foresee any problems with my amp I know that if anything did happen Richard Goodsell wouldn't rest until the problem was solved.

If this amp were lost or stolen I would be finding just how quickly I could get my hands on my next one. I've even thought about buying another one as a backup just in case. I would recommend this amp to anyone who cares about great tone. Not only that but as prices stand right now, compared to a Bad Cat or a Matchless these amps are very affordable. I just can't day enough good about these amps or Richard Goodsell they are both world class acts.

My amp is serial number 47(!), and the first and only Goodsell to date with a Tone Tubby Hemp Cone speaker (ceramic, not alnico). Most of my amps now have Tone Tubbys, as I've come to appreciate what truly marvelous speakers they are. I have no LOYALTY to Tone Tubby or anyone (I'm spreadin my loyalty around;^), I just stick with winners. Being an officially licensed Obsessive Compulsive, I shop around for a long time before blowing big bucks on any equipment. (Some will disagree that I'm OC.) I go to ADM often and thus am around when cool stuff comes in. I've heard the Super 17 with the Red Coats, Greenbacks, and just about every other speaker Richad has used, and they all sound incredible. It must be Richard. He does some Voodoo on these amps, perhaps he made a deal with the devil. No? Have you ever seen a picture of them together? I think not...;^)

I play mostly rock, some blues, mostly rhythm guitar. I don't care much for features, but if one feature would be desirable, it'd be an outboard tube reverb. But the more I play this amp, with all it's chime, I think reverb would just be an afterthought. The amp does not need reverb.

I play numerous guitars (tomorrows vintage today!), none of which are vintage, but are first rate in my realm of needs. That ranges from a Gibson SG Special (with 57 Classics!), several G&L ASAT's, several Tribute knockoff ASAT's, the aforementioned R. Cray MIM Strat, Gretsch Malcolm YoungII (Gretsch is back!) with Filtertrons, a Yamaha SA2200, an EPI 335, with all Gibson USA pickups and electronics, and my latest little inexpensive gem, a Korean-made Parker PM20. A great guitar!
The amp is pretty quiet for a tube amp, and has very little hum, except when around flourescent lights or rheostatically controlled lights. Pick up noise is minimal. Your experience may vary;^)

No shredders should bother with this amp, as it doesn't have a jillion watts and a wall of speakers. But anyone else might want to audition one of these bad boys. Too bad the tiny speakers on your computer can't convey the wonder of this amp. Congratulations to Richard Goodsell, for having the good taste and skill to bring this amp to market, and congrats to the music world as we have one more weapon in our arsenals of tone...

Richard told me one day when I ran into him at ADM that the amp can be hard on
tubes, depending on all the things that tubes need to do, and your demands of that
amp. I don't gig, so I can't comment on that, but it made it home just fine, so that's
all that matters to me. Looks very rugged. My Super 17 has never had issues of any
kind, but I know they'd be taken care of. Have not yet had to replace the tubes.

Excellent! ADM is the exclusive distributor of the Goodsell amp line. They are
some of the good guys out there. Richard is a heck of a nice guy and very
knowledgeable. I'm sure any issues with this amp would be rectified (hah!
Tube Humor;^)

Who needs reverb?

When I was luckily enough to be in Atlanta Discount Music (ADM) one day, I happened to notice a butt ugly amp on the show floor, and asked proprietor, George Coats about it. He said it was the prototype of a new amp line called Goodsell, made by Atlanta's own Richard Goodsell, Hammond B-3 Guru to the stars. George filled me in on the specs and played a little through it and I freaked! Could something so unassuming be that big? I couldn't believe my ears. Sounds like hype. I know. Brendan O'Brian has that amp. Sigh...

I go way back to the early 60's in my interest in all things guitar and rock and roll. I'm no freakin genius guitar player but I know good tone when I hear it and this is great tone. And the most surprising to me is how versatile this amp is, considering the 'lack' of features. I just put down my Robert Cray MIM Strat (an amazing guitar) after playing it through my early serial number Super 17 and I'm still as floored as I was when I first heard it at ADM. I swear this guitar amp makes me a BETTER player, because I can HEAR my strings, no matter what the setting on the axe or the amp. I WANT to play better because it sounds so good when I do.

Mine is a releatively new Super 17 1X12 combo. One input. Volume, Tone, and Gain knob. It's all you need!! I'm selling all my other amps! It's the truth. This amp works great with every guitar I have and is an inspiration to play. From clean to crunch, it's magic!

I use my Tele, Les Paul, and Tyler Strat with this amp and it works awesome with all of them.
It lets the guitar be the guitar and doesn't add any weird eq peaks anywhere. It ROCKS!!

No problems so far, nor do I expect any. It's made from a B3 power amp! Richard Goodsell is in town and is a great guy who supports his products!

AWESOME!! Richard stand behind his stuff!

I've been playing 20 years. Been through tons of gear....this amp is magical. It really is. It's inspiring to play and it's what I've always wanted and heard in my head, but hadn't nailed until now!!

I bought serial #8 of the SuperSeventeen and it is truly a remarkable amp. I use it in a very different way, I have a chopped Hammond that Richard built for me and there is a line out on it that I send the Hammond signal to the amp (there is also a 100w Leslie involved in all this). It is a killer sound especially as I use a couple of different effects on the line out to twist up the sound. The 112 can handle all of it and provides a warmth and tone perfectly matched for the organ (obviously). Highly recommended.

See above

In the early versions the tube sockets were not ceramic but with one call Richard happily and quickly switched them over and there have been no problems since.

I've been dealing with Richard Goodsell for about 15 years and he has always been a man of his word and has gone out of his way to make sure the customer is always satisfied.

I've been playing organ about 35 years and this rig that Richard put together for me is the best I ever had and the topper is the 112!! It enables me to take my playing to a different level and gives me many more options and colors to explore.

Class A, point-to-point, hand-made with a Greenback! Do I need to go on?! Don't let the lack of bells and whistles fool you. The three knobs on this amp do more than twenty knobs on any other. One can blend the Volume, Tone and Gain knobs to a plethora of tones and sounds to fit any style of music and cater to any pickup configuration. Forget buying a Dr.Z for your Strat. Vox AC30s are a thing of the past and you can stop saving for an overpriced BadCat. This amp can do what every other amp wishes it could! Oh, mine is serial # 0105.

I play a Rick 330 ('97) and a Gretsch Atkins Axe ('77). Both sound rich and full of texture without losing their unique tones. Not to mention the fact that the tone does not change whether the volume is up or down. You will be able to easily get most pleasant, clear, warm and crunchy overdrive at 11 as you will at 2. What amp can do that?! And don't let the 17watts fool you. This has more head room than my Orange AD30R twin. But if you really want more then simply purchase one of the Goodsell 22, 33 or 44 wattage amps. Although the simple thought of what a 44watt Goodsell could do to you ears is a bit frightening. I am actually removing pedals from my pedal-board as they only get in the way of the tone. No joke! I am not sure if I even need my ZVex SHO for the '77 Gretsch as this amp does not seem to mind the old magnets in the guitar.

I have only had the amp for a week and have already sold my Orange AD30R Twin as I don't foresee needing a back up with this beauty. Besides, after a week of playing through the Super17 has made me a tone snob!

I have actually spoken with Mr. Goodsell and he is the most friendly and down to earth guy you could meet. He personally returned a call I made to his company.

I have been playing professionally for over 10 years and have finally found THE amp I have always hoped existed. There is no mountain high enough or ocean deep enough to keep me from this amp. She is the unicorn!

The best feature on this amp is the ON switch, 'cause once you hit that you've got great tone for miles and miles. I'm so sick of amps with knobs and so called "features" that color the true sound of the guitar and the amp together. This amp doesn't have two chanels to switch between, per-say, but imagine the volume knob on the guitar being the "channel switcher" for you. Want more gain, go to ten, want less gain go to five, and you still have the same output on the amp, just cleaner. Plenty of volume, and plenty of head room. Sounds great at any volume level.

Um...it's insane how good this simple amp sounds. I use a thinline '72 RI Telecaster (w/ humbuckers for those unfamiliar with the '72 tele), which is a very versatile guitar in itself, but match it with the Goodsell and it is heavenly. I hated switching pickups with other amps and all they did was add more bass or more treble, but with the Goodsell, every pickup combination is a dream all its own. It brings out the best in any guitar, hands down. If you don't care about tone, don't steal this amp from someone who does, but if you do care about tone jump on a Goodsell ASAP. I play mostly church service/conferences and this amp doesn't hum a bit (important during prayers and such). The gain isn't insanely hot, but its got great bite to it...perfect!

As of right now its the youngest Goodsell (#0096) to come out of Richard's secret lair (thanks for the tour Richard!) and it still works great! I was able to see a little bit of Richard's method-behind-his-madness and I have no doubt that this amp is rugged and sturdy, and I have no doubt that I will give out before it does. Amazing product. Richard re-matches the tubes that he gets that are already supposed to be matched from the manufacturers, but seldom are actually perfectly matched. When you get a Goodsell you get better tube combinations that you can find anywhere on the planet. C'mon who else puts this much energy and soul into their product?

Why isn't 11 an option? Haven't the Harmony Central guys seen Spinal Tap? Richard, the bulder and the customer service rep, is a great fellow, but since this amp will live almost forever I won't get to bother Richard too much (which is my loss!) Goodsells come with a 1 yr. full coverage warenty on everything excepth the tubes (they get 90 days). Phenominal service!

I've owned plenty of amps, and have been going through them left and right for the past year trying to find my soulmate, and I think I can rest because I have been introduced to the beautiful Goodsell Super 17. For now, and for sure a long time, its the end of the road as far as amp shopping goes...until Goodsell forks out a 4x10 combo...my gosh how good could that possibly sound? If your thinking about a Goodsell, stop and go get it before someone else does. These aren't mass produced, they are made one at a time, every wire put into place by the master himself, so don't think it will be there tomorrow, 'cause it won't. Especially if you are reading this, while looking at one on eBay. Chances are, as you are reading this, some young whipersnapper has just hit the buy-it-now button on YOUR dream. It's a sad truth, I know...but that is how I got mine!