Heath TA-16

This is a late 60's-mid 70's solid state guitar amp. From what I understand it's rated at 60 watts. It has two 12'' Jensen speakers and two channels - reverb/tremolo and normal. No effects loop or headphone jack, but it does have a footswitch jack. Its controls are pretty basic; bass, treble, and volume on both channels, and tremolo and reverb controls on the reverb channel.
I use this amp for practicing, but I could gig with it. Just get a noise filter because it buzzes pretty badly, especially at high volumes.

This amp is great for warm fuzzy vintage sounds, or smooth overdriven tones. Not a metal amp at all. The tremolo is beautiful and can get pretty intense if you crank up the depth and volume. My reverb unit doesn't work, so no input there. The bass resonates wonderfully and usually shakes my house. I personally don't like the distortion it produces when driven hard. To me it sounds like a cheap radio about to explode, but that might just be my amp. I use a vintage les paul knock-off with humbuckers and a coil tap, and it sounds great with humbuckers or single coils alike. The sound is pretty full and warm but the treble can cut through as well.
I play stoner/retro and experimental stuff and I love this amp's sound. There is a bit of a noise issue, but a noise filter can solve this. Also try moving away from the amp a bit to get rid of some noise.

Not sure about the reliability. I wouldn't play it extensively without a back-up, but it is 30+ years old. Just having it serviced regularly should keep it pretty safe. I have noticed alot of heat when played hard for an hour+, but most amps do that. Mine hasn't crapped out yet, and I push it pretty hard.

Heath has given up on the kit business. Good luck finding any support for this one.

If this were stolen I would cry. It's become a part of my personal style and I'm well acquainted with this amp. It would be nice if the reverb worked, but that's my problem. If anyone knows how to repair a reverb unit like this one has, let me know! Great amp.

I built this Ta-16 in the late 60's- early 70's for someone else. Years passed and he died; I was able to get the amp back,clean it up etc. To my knowledge it has never failed to work. On a scale of 1-10 I would say it's a 7 or 8. Has original footswitch,speakers are fine though a little light( I like a squeaky clean sound-80-100W (twin etc)So it breaks up a little too early for me.But it's a gem;looks good too,grill cloth etc is exceptional,all knobs are there and none broken.Tremolo and reverb work fine(wish they could be gotten in other amps). Bmac51@netscape.ca. P.E.I. Canada (902) 961-3044

would not gig with it.

Never repaired.No need.

I've been playing 40 years.Wish amp was cleaner and had better tone, not break up so early(but it's only rated at 25 watts after all)

I think this solid state amp was assembled in the early 70's. It was given to me by my guitar teacher (used.) It has a very nice tremolo effect, very nice reverb, and a cool vintage look. It's got two channels and a jack for a footswitch. It gets plenty loud and it's been used gigging for about 18 years. Now it's retired, but I still use it for practice and recording--very reliable.

Good for country, Jazz, oldies rock--clean sounding stuff, but I used a DOD overdrive pedal with it and could get a very nice sounding distortion for blues, etc. It gets a very harsh distortion at very high volume (as with any solid state amp). I've used it with Les Pauls, Strats, Teles and a Mosrite.

Actually, this is the most dependable amp I've ever owned. It's way more dependable than my VOX and slightly more dependable than my Marshall. I've never done anything to it, but clean it and replace bulbs (the tremolo circuit requires a light bulb to function). It recently needed a good pot cleaning due to setting unused for about 5 years (scratchy.)

Heath is no longer in business, but I did have dealings with them in the mid to late 80's (probably just before they went out of business). I purchased the wiring diagram and owner's manual for this amp. They were easy to deal with and I'm glad I did (just in time.) I would have rated them a 10 in customer support, if they were still around, but as it is, I'll give them a 5. Because it was a kit, the original diagrams and manuals are so good that someone resonably skilled in electronics could repair it.

If I should ever lose this amp, I'd try to replace it. It is a very special amp to me because it was the first "real" amp I ever had. It is of such quality that I didn't feel the need to retire it for many years. It is hard for an amp of this age to compete with some of the newer, full featured amps, but I still consider it a great value.

I got this amp used over 20 years ago. It still sounds great. I love the vintage sound and I'm amazed it still works after all these years. Mine didn't have a foot switch that came with it, so I don't know if that works or not. It would be fun to have one for it.

I've got two Rickenbacker guitars, so what else can I say about the sound that I'm into playing. The tremolo still works great, the reverb needs a few wires sodered back into place. The 4 spring reverb tank low tech at its best.

Never had a problem with it. It has worked everytime I've turned it on.

I do also use a smaller more modern amp to get the "gain" and distortion for a harder sound. But this old girl still does the job.

I got it for a beat up playstation that wasn't worth $10.00 and have had mine for 6 years now. It has 4 input jacks and 2 12inch speakers. Along with a tremelo,depth,and rate controll knobs. Not a bad sound for a solid state and works great with every effect i have stored in my ZOOM 505 II.

It was badly worn and like most of the people who have posted here it need work.2 new speakers all new wires and paint and it was better thanew it sounds fucking fantastic and keeps up with all any other amp it's size give or take depending on the compared modles

i havent done any repairs since i first finished restoring it 5 years ago i use it for all my gigs if this wont fill a room nothing smaller than a half stack will all i had to do was a a ground but it never fails to do it's job

I use it all the time with a fully upgraded squire bullet orignall worth $99.00 now worth $999.00. With my trusty ZOOM 505 II to back it up i will take on the meta world.

Update on the sound here...

I've been a single-coil kind of guy for the most part, playing telecasters, a jazzmaster and my mosrite. I recently found an Epiphone Sheraton at the pawn shop... HOLY MOLY! Crank this baby with some humbuckers and there is some great sound in there.

Granted, I've done a little bit of customizing to this amp. I cut the cabinet down to make it a head that fits on my '65 bassman 2x12 box. I had to renovate the box, covering it with blonde tolex and fitting it with Mojo Tone speakers (I also have a matching baltic birch box fitted with Celestion Vintage 30's). So, now my TA-16 is a blonde head that actually looks really cool on top of the 2x12 box. If I max the volume and treble and set the bass at 7 or 8, I've got some serious tone crunch.

I'm fixing up a 70's telecaster deluxe... can't wait to hear that baby's buckers cranked through this amp!

Other mods? I'm thinking about finding a three spring reverb pan. Any other suggestions?

These amps are all hand built. Like paint by number. Every transister, capasitor etc was soldered by the original purchaser. My dad and I built the TA-16 kit when I was 12 years old in 1967. It's 25W RMS and 60W Peak. 2 channels normal and reverb/tremlo/depth. Depth is cool it varies the reverb and tremlo speed. The original knobs are plastic glossy black centers with chrome parimeter. The power indicator light is green. This was a beuatifull amp in it's day. I loved it.

I had a semi-hollow (ES style) Harmony guitar when the amp was new. In the late 60s the reverb with a slightly crunchy overdriven sound for blues and clean tremlo for surfer styles was exactly what this amp produced.

Over the years it got dusty and lost it's mojo-power. I gave it to a friend in 92 he still uses it in his jam studio. I feel responsible for it's lack of mojo, AFTER-ALL I was a kid with a hot solder gun.

Heath no longer in biz selling Heathkit products. Being a youngster it seemed like an eternity passed from the time between placing the order and it finally arriving. Brand new kit cost $129.00 (catalog price) + shipping, seemed like a lot.

PAWN SHOP RESCUE!!! They wanted $60 and I talked them into $40 because I would have to "put some money into fixing it." A couple bucks worth of weather stripping for the reverb pan and some elbow grease and I had it in great playing shape. The best $40 I've spent in a long time.

Fairly simple twin-type setup. Two channels with the added tremolo and reverb to the main channel (both footswitchable... very nice). Simple... but I love it. Two 12" "special design" speakers - could be Jensens?! They aren't labled. The power output is definitely not 100 watts like some people have posted. I found an old ad that states "25 watts of EIA music power and 60 watts peak power." If I plug my guitar straight in and crank the volume and tone all the way up it gets fairly loud. If I plug my SansAmp GT2 in first, I hardly need to bring the volume up at all! Monstrously loud!!!

Sounds good with a Tubescreamer as well.

I love the tremolo on this amp! I've been having fun doing all sorts of crazy stuff with my Mosrite plugged straight in. The reverb is pretty good... crank it all the way and I can start to get a wet drip going on. It lacks the warmth of tubes, though. Still, I've found that I can dial in a wide variety of tone and distortion by cranking this guy up. The natural overdrive is great!

Another thing that I discovered is that it sounds great with my SansAmp GT2. The sound of the GT2 can be killed by plugging it into an amp that doesn't jive with it. This Heath amp handles it very well.

For a 35 year old amp, is has held up very well. Like I mentioned above, things like the original foam on the reverb pan had deteriorated and it was very dusty. Easy things to take care of.

I've found resources for schematics online just in case I have to do any repair, but so far it has taken everything I've given it. However, I'm not going to be taking it on the road any time soon. It will stay in my office/noiseroom.

I think I'm thirty years late for any customer support.

Very cool amp!!! I like to play all sorts of weird stuff, so it may be great for me and complete crap for somebody else. I've had fun plugging my Line6 Delay Modulator into it and doing crazy stuff with the effects... like doubling up the tremolo to create weird patterns where they peak and cancel each other's signals. Even without added effects I've been able to dial in some great sounds... Johnny Marr's guitar sound from "How Soon Is Now?" and stuff like Echo and the Bunnymen. Fun Fun Fun...

I'm extremely pleased to have discovered it. I would easily pay triple the price for another amp like it. I'm sure the only thing to be wary of if you are looking for one is the condition of the electronics.

I remember the ads for these as a "build-it-yourself" amp from the '60s. 60 watts output advertised. Solid -state chassis. Normal (bass, treble, volume controls) and Reverb channels (bass, treble, volume, reverb depth, tremolo speed and intensity controls) with two inputs each. Lacks bright switches. Line reverse (ground) integrated with on-off toggle switch. Reverb pan missing - looking for replacement. Needs a double-foot switch with a phone-jack plug to operate reverb/tremolo rather than the RCA-type plugs that Fender uses. 2-12" Jensen Special Design speakers

Single-coil Fender (Stratocaster, Mustang, Jazzmaster, Jaguar) Thinline-Tele (Humbuckers), Mosrite (P-90), Silvertone. Sound is very clear, but slightly shrill, lacking the "warmth" of tube circuits. I have found this to be common of many solid-state amps. It's suitable for some of the "oldies" music I do - instrumentals, surf, "car-tunes," etc. For the more mellow doo-wop and folk rock, I prefer my Fender or Silvertone tube amps.

I've never suffered the indignity of an amp breaking down, although there's always an extra back-up or two, just in case. This amp appears to be dependable.

Never dealt with the company. The previous owner sent me copy of the schematic, which I will be happy to send on to anyone else who needs one.

Playing off and off for 37+ years. I have a full complement of Fender tube amps: Bandmaster, Bassman, Dual Showman Reverb, Quad Reverb, Twin Reverb (two tube, one solid state), Tremolux, Vibrolux Reverb, Bassman 100. Also, Silvertone: 1482 (1-12" combo), 1483 (bass w/15" Jensen), two 1484 Twin Twelve (2-12" Jensen). Teisco (Checkmate 45 w/2-12" cab, Checkmate 50 and 55 heads). Peavy Bandit 112. Acoustic 150 and a few other assorted solid state heads.

Similar sound as my Fender solid-state Twin Reverb, but in a horizontal cabinet rather than the Twin's vertical.

I picked this up off e-Bay as they rarely show up anywhere. Though I possess no technical electronics skill, I was always fascinated with the kit concept and felt drawn to this amp ever since I first saw the advertisement back in the 1960s.

I built this solid state amp myself in late 1978, early 1979. It has two channels, one clean and one that has onboard tremelo and reverb. No head phone jack is a negative. Plenty of power for me in a non-professional capacity.

I play rock music through it using my 1965 Fender Mustang. It is a little noisy, but the line reverse switch is useful. I rarely get the volume up high enough to distort it. I use an effects box for that.

The foam strips that support the reverb tank disintegrated and I had to replace them. Not difficult at all. I think the in/out footswitch for the trem and reverb no longer works, but I never used it anyway.

The combination of tremelo and the wet spring reverb sound is great. Would be tough to replace. It is very heavy though. It has two channels but I rarely use the second one.

This amp was made in 1978 By my self I paid $189 for right at the Heathkit facilaty in Michigan Your Sit say's it a 100watt amp but it is realy 25 watts RMS 2x12s it was a good amp and easy to sevise great 4 spring hammond reverb best on the market at that time I don't use the amp any more stupid me I sold it in the mid 80's

I used P90's, Dimarzio Super Distotion, Symore duncan 1\4 lb's
it will suit any style if you like clean
it picks up CB's
the sound is clean reverb and tremolo old clean twin style
the stoke speakers where not good for the amp I replaced them with music man 12 inch speakers then I could crank it to the max

Very dependably ,easy to repair

At the time when HeathKit was big the support was great
today you need to go on the internet for help

I recently inherited this amp from my uncle Alwood after he passed away in spring 2000. I'm quite certain that he assembled it in the late 60's. He was a masterful guitarist and 'toured' the local nursing home circuit with it well into his 80's with this as his main amp.

I use it with my Epiphone. I haven't turned it up all the way, but as loud as I've had it the sound stays very clean with a fantastic vintage sound.

My uncle carried this with him in active service for over 30 years. I haven't had any problems with it in my few months with it. Any problems though should be easy enough to repair. All compononts are on a single sided circuit board (easy to trace). I would really like to find the schematics for this amp if anyone comes across them please contact me.

Heath is still in business but they don't manufacture kits like this anymore. I am considering contacting them to see if I can get the schematics for the TA-16.

I am in the market for another one!

This thing looks old, I would guess late 60s-early 70s. It has two channels, one with Reverb and Trem and then just straight. There is a footswitch Jack but I do not have the footswitch so I dont know what it does. I have not started gigging with it yet, I just recently got it. I wanted to make sure that I run it for a while and that it has no issues. It does have enough power for me, it will get really loud. All and all I would say it is pretty good for being 30yrs old.

I am running mainly a STD Fender Strat through it, and it makes the singles sound meaty. I was getting a little too much noise with my Tele(but it is noisy). And when I plugged in the peddle board you could hear the electricty buzz, but that could probably be remedied by using batteries. With just a slight turn of the nob, I am as crunchy as I want to be, it gives a good Neil Young sound. With a little more time I am actually thinking about using it with no effects when gigging. Right now I am using a Fender Pro 185, and I love it, but this amp just has the sound I would die for. OH and the Tremolo set on 3 for the rate and 3 for the Depth is freakin awesome, I threw away the tremolo pedal...

So far so good, like I was saying I have not had it long enough to be able to tell if I would gig with it without a back up.. But I always bring two guitars so maybe Ill bring two amps...

I think I found the company that made them but I am not sure.
www.heathkit.com

Older amp - I'm guessing early to mid 70s by the electronics inside.

It's a wonderful amp for what I'm doing: running a simple Strat through it, running an old Shure mic mixer through it, or using it as a dual-mono amplifier for CDs. More than enough power to annoy the neighbors.

It has a spring reverb, controlled by a single knob. It gets a good sound at medium volumes, but tends to be overly springy at higher ones. It is also, unfortunately, overly sensitive to case disturbances and will rattle for practically anything.

The tremolo is good but a little erratic. Sometimes it will go much faster than other times; I'm not sure what to attribute this to other than 25 year old electronics.

I wish it had a headphone jack or some sort of lineout because of the direct recording I do, but I'll settle with miking it.

Good sound and tone, even though I'm using it with a Squire Strat.

It gets a little bit too much hum for my liking, especially when using the reverb, but this can usually be worked around by changing the phase.

The clean channel probably will distort at some point, being VERY loud, but I've never had the need to turn it up past 6. I think it would shake apart the room it's in if I did.

I attached a spare EPI tweeter I had lying around and it gets much better high frequency response now when I run a CD through it. It doesn't really make much difference for normal guitar sounds, other than improving the brightness a little.

Wow, this amp is great. I've never had to worry about servicing in the 6mos or so I've owned it. At first the reverb was a little flaky (cycle the power to get it to work), but now it seems fine after I poked at the cables and cleaned the amp.

nil - Heath still exists somewhere, but I've never contacted them.

Wow. For the sound, features, and power this amp has, it's wonderful. If you don't care about the brand of your amp, this is the thing to get, because it's an absolute steal.

This amp is thirty years old so it's main function is to make a clean an amplification as possible. There are two channels (clean and reverb with tremelo) and each has two inputs (very useful). There are treble and bass controls. Other than that it has few features.

This amp is quite loud and makes a good vintage sound. The reason for this is that it is a vintage amp. The clean sound distorts when I turn the guitar all the way up (with Gibson humbuckers) and when I play my bass hard (cheap p-bass). The reverb channel is quieter but makes some good sound. The tremelo is nice sounding.

This amp came in a kit (a circuit board, components, and the chassis and speakers) during the sixties and was constructed by my dad. It breaks alot though. I have had to replace a few resistors and a potentiometer in the inputs and preamp respectivly. I believe the input jacks are next. The amp gets quiet sometimes when I turn up the volume or the treble control and I have to hit it hard to get it working right.

The Heath Company went out of the kit business a while ago and I have never talked with them. The amp circuit is simple so it isn't difficult to fix yourself or get the local music guy to.

This is a cool amp for a beginning rocker (as I am) and the sound is good enough. A distortion pedal makes it more fun.

This old thing has reverb, tremolo (depth and speed), bass and treble controls, and 4 inputs. It's also solid state and powers 60 watts I think. Two 12' speakers.

Pretty good sound but distorts fairly quickly with bass and treble all the way up. It gets a real cool overdrive sound when its cranked to the max. The reverb and tremolo sound surprisingly good, even though this amp is about 20-25 years old.

This amp has been very reliable to me. It always sounds good except when something goes wrong and you have to hit the reset switch. The speakers are old so they are currently blown out.

I'm not sure if the company is around anymore so I haven't dealt with them.

Nice amp to have around for an extra, if your main one breaks down. This thing is loud so it's okay for practicing with my band.

This is one Ancient Amp. I was told it was about 25 years old when i bought it(although i think it is at least 35) at a yard sale for $75. It plays everything i want perfectly. It has 4 channels, two normal and two reverb. I think that it is too old for an effects loop and i don't think headphones were around when this was made. I use this amp at home to practice and to play gigs with my band. This has plenty power in the normal channel (100 watts) but is a little weak in the reverb jacks. This is a solid state amp with two jensen speakers.

I use a Yamaha Pacifica 302s and a Gibson Bluesbird with a pair of Blues 90 pickups in it. I play rock and this amp fulfills my every need when i play with the exception of the underpowerment in the reverb channel. It does emit a weird humming vibration noise when turned up to high volumes. Well, it doesn't have much in terms of sound variety because it is so old, but i do believe that it has a great reverb channel. I don't think that it is supposed to be distorted(which i don't mind) but it does get distorted after i play it awhile at loud volumes. I usually turn it off and take a brake at that point.

I am not to sure how much longer this will last (since it is between 25 and and 35years old) but it hasn't given me a problem yet.

Well, I can't answer this because i think that this company is now out of business.

I've been playing for about 2 years and i also own a Epiphone Viola Bass and an Epiphone Explorer. I would buy it if it was stolen but i don't think that anyone would steal it(its very ugly)but i would ATTEMPT to buy another one if i could. I like its versatility and its vintage sound that it produces.(You could buy an amp that CLAIMS to have vintage sound, but this is it!)I don't really know if i could compare this to anyother products since this is the only Amp Combo that i own. With the two jensen 12" speakers this one was a STEAL!