Jackson Apogee 50 212 Combo

Features include clean channel and two lead channels (A and B) and a single input. It is footswitch able and there are two separate EQs (bass, mid, treble), one for the clean and one for the lead channels. It has Vintage 30 speakers and an effects loop. It also has a switch called "Sweet" that seems to work kind of like a bright switch and switch called "Lead Boost" which boosts the gain a bit.

I guess this was made very briefly (about two years) in the 80s. I don't know how many were made but it couldn't have been too many. Every one I've seen or heard of has a serial number in the 100s. The strange thing is even though they're very rare they don't fetch much money. I guess either they're not that sought after yet, people just don't know about them, or they figure they'll just buy a Marshall (which would be much more common and supportable) for a few more bucks.

Mine was the one described by the other reviewers with the chrome face, etc. It is well built and looks sharp. There was also a version of it which looked exactly like the Reference heads Jackson made that had a metal grill. I think that one was kind of ugly. The chrome face version was much sharper looking. I think they were trying to mimic the look of the Marshall JCM combos a bit but I think the Jackson actually looks cooler.

It does have a bit of a Marshall sound to it and it was very quiet but loud. However, I would agree with the reviewer that described the distortion as "fizzy". I had to keep the gain down around 2 or 3 otherwise it got fizzy sounding. It sounded good in that range for rock and some metal but you probably would need a pedal or something to get high gain sounds out of it that sounded strong and full. I think the Vintage 30s had something to do with that. In my opinion Vintage 30s sound like crap. A pair of Eminence V12s would probably improve the sound quite a bit since they round some of the high end off. Changing the Sovtek tubes might help also. It all depends on what you like though. Regardless, after turning the knobs a while I got a good punch and growl out of the lead channels.

The clean channel is quite good, better than the Marshall JCM900 I had, that's for sure. However, I could get it to break up pretty quickly with my humbuckers. I imagine playing a strat or tele through the clean channel might sound very good though.

I'm only going by how well it seems to be constructed here since I didn't own it more than six months or so. However, it seemed solidly built and I think if you took care of it like you would any other tube amp it would be just fine.

Good luck finding information about this amp. Jackson will be little or no help and most of the documentation was lost or destroyed when they moved from what I heard. If you're very lucky you might be able to find a manual for it somewhere. However, any good amp tech should be able to service it.

I've been playing for fifteen years or so and have owned a variety of amps including Alamo, Crate, Carvin, Fender, Marshall, Yamaha, and Peavey. I currently prefer old 80s Peavey heads (VTM, Butcher) for what I play.

This is a good combo amp for the price, no doubt about it. However, since it's pretty rare I always felt uneasy about hauling it around, dinging it up, etc. That's just me though. I would have to say it was up there with, and possibly a little better than, the Marshall JCM900 combo I owned. However, I did not like the fizzy gain on it much. But like I said, maybe that's just a matter of changing something like tubes or speakers. I basically sold it because I didn't really need it and wanted to save the space.

This amp has 1 clean and 2 distortion channels, an effects loop, and a great early Marshall type tone. Very loud. Chrome front panel with black tolex and black grill.

Has a nice tone for classic rock and the clean channel works good for country or funk. I play about everything but mainly pop and country. My main guitar is a Tele copy with a mahogany body and schecter single coils. This amp is loud and proud. It has a good early Led Zep tone with my stuff.

I've only owned this amp for about 1 year and I've used it many times with no back up. Seems to be built very well. It's heavy but has side handles so everyone can help carry it. I use it with a boss chorus and reverb through the effects loop and they sound great it is very quiet but the studio probably has a smaller rig to record with. I just got new tubes in it but it still sounds the same (thank heavens!)

Nobody knows anything about them. The guys at Savage Audio did and went through the whole thing. So I don't think having your local tech take care of it will be too much trouble.

Neat amp. Big and heavy but excellent sound, and that's what we're trying for anyway.

"Handmade in the USA by Jackson Electronics, a Division of the Jackson Guitar Company" is how the back of the amp reads, with a low serial number of 0141. The only info I was able to get from Jackson was that they only made these amps for a very short time, and none of the documentation came along when Jackson moved to a new location. I assume that means the move from San Dimas to Ontario, CA. In any case, it is fairly rare. Other than finding a list price of $2695 here on Harmony Central, all info is what I determined from looking at the amp.

50-watt 2x12 tube combo; 2 Sovtek tubes, not sure what kind specifically, and dual Celestion "Vintage 30" speakers. Three channels - Clean, Lead A and Lead B - with dedicated clean and lead 3-band EQ. Also has "Sweet" and "Lead Boost" switches, as well as a standby switch on the front, and on/off and 4/8/16-ohm selector on the back. Chrome front panel, black exterior and grillecloth. Power cord is removable, same type as on a PC. Has effects loop, line and speaker jacks in back. In addition to the standard top handle, it has recessed side handles. Good thing, as it weighs 70-some pounds.

Very good features for a vintage-styled amp. Knocking off one point because it has no reverb.

The irony in this amp's design is that, while most Jackson guitars are made for shredding leads and crushing rhythms, this model is more geared towards straight-forward rock n' roll, probably `70s and earlier. The clean channel is crystal clear, very musical sounding (should't ALL amps be that way?) with any kind of pickups. The two lead channels are a raw overdrive (A) and a thick fuzz distortion (B). My style is more of a melodic/technical death metal like At the Gates or Dissection, so neither sound suits my playing, but I still consider all three channels very good for their intended uses. Playing Jackson and Hamer guitars with high-output Seymour Duncan and DiMarzio pickups, I do get a little clipping when playing through a Korg 104ds HyperDistortion, which is my preferred distortion with a tube setup. I get the same clipping on a `77 Peavey Classic with other distortion pedals, also a 50/212 unit, and a chorus pedal usually takes the edge off. That aside, the distorted tone is incredible! Having no internal reverb means I really need some sort of processor, but I use anything from a simple BOSS Digital Delay to an entire pedalboard of effects.

Overall sounds are great as-is, but I require something more for what I do. A single point off since the clipping is annoying when using outboard distortion. Seems to me that it's a common tube-amp issue, but I knocked points off on my Peavey Classic review too, so it's only fair here.

I just bought this amp on consignment, but based on physical appearance, it probably was stored more than it was played. Other than a nick in the vinyl covering and a scrape on the cloth, it looked like new once I dusted it off. A very solid amp. The two tubes are partially enclosed and recessed from the open back, out of harm's way. No noisy pots or connections.

Odds are, this amp will stay at home and I'll use one of my Peavey's for rougher work. Still, I don't doubt its reliability at all.

Jackson has always been prompt in answering my emails, and this was no exception. Mike Fratus replied to my inquiries, even if only to tell me they had no further information on this product. Some companies won't even bother with a response, so I can't complain. The fact that I had a reply the morning after I sent my request is impressive in my book. Deserves a decent rating for trying, even if they couldn't help.

I've been playing for around ten years, and own several Peavey amps and cabs, and a Randall bass combo. Much of my equipment was bought used, some of it being 20+ years old. I play all Jackson guitars except for one Hamer USA, and a Charvel bass. Although I consider myself a player before a collector, I love nothing more than finding bargains on obscure discontinued gear. Rare? I don't care I guess, but this amp apparently is. I didn't know about the $2695 list price until I got it home, which made the sweet $400 tag even sweeter!

The sound is great, although my sound comes more from my guitars and pedalboard than the amp itself. I looked at Peavey and Randall combos for an extra rehearsal amp, but this jumped out at me. Being a Jackson guitar player, it was worth a try. For $400, it's hard to find a good used amp, and precious few new amps in this range are worth plugging in. The workmanship and sound are excellent, making me wonder why Jackson didn't make more of them. Maybe the lack of bells and whistles made it less appealing to the shred generation, but it certainly delivers for me.

I have only good things to say about this amp, and it was worth every penny...probably even to the original owner who paid $2000 more than I did for it!