Jones Amplifiers KL50 Head

Don Jones built my KL50 in 2005. It's a pretty versatile amp and I've heard quite a few people say it's one of the cleanest amps they've seen. All hand wired, 50 watts, three channels. The channels consist of a fender clean, a marshall plexi, and Jones called the third "plexi on steroids". No doubt, it is a plexi on steroids. It has plenty of gain to boot. I can get just about any sound that I like out of this amp especially with the two drive channels and the slope control that allows for more sag or can really tighten up the overall sound of the drives. The channel switching is set up outside of the amp so you would have to purchase a boss AB box. I also had to purchase a boss FS-5L box to switch between the drives, to me that's not too big of a deal for an amp this great. Also... Jones built the amp so that If I didnt have a footswitch plugged in, It would just put out the higher drive channel. It has an effects loop which is great, but I havent used it much yet. A few of the other nice features are the switchable speaker impedance from 4, 8, or 16ohms and dual speaker outputs. The only thing I could think of that this amp lacks is a headphone jack, but who needs one?

I play a Carvin semihollow with humbuckers and they sound great through the KL50! I also have an acoustic pickup under the bridge and it sounds absolutely stellar through the clean channel. This amp has some incredible tone. I play mostly rock, some classic but I like things a little more modern. The third channel has plenty of gain (I usually run the gain at 9 o clock) and the slope control can give me the tighter sound that I like and where I like it. The only time I get any noise is from running a ds-1 or a big muff over the drive channels and after a little bit of tweaking you can lower the hum. I also run a Boss noise suppressor just on the drives. It helps reduce any hum from leaving a stompbox on while playing on the clean channel. Other than running stomboxes it's not noisey at all. It's just a killer tone machine. The clean channel is plenty loud... I run a THD hotplate on my amp and I like the clean at about 9 o clock. You really have to get it close to 12 o clock to get it to distort and without a hotplate it's painstakingly loud by that point. Using the hotplate however, it has a really nice subtle drive to the clean channel and sometimes I crank the clean channel a bit and just play through that when I'm jamming alone.

I've owned this amp for a few months now and it's been roadworthy. It withstood a trailer ride to the far side of colorado and back (from eastern Kansas), as well as being on stage. The tolex would probably gash if something smashed into it though, so investing in a case or building a padded case wouldnt be a bad idea if it's going to be stacked up against other equipment a lot. I dont take a backup.

I've known Don Jones for a few years, He's very honest and stands behind his work. This amp has a 5 year warranty, dont really have anything on paper other than the reciept from when I picked it up. I'm sure if I'd have asked for it on paper I'd have been given something on paper. But like I said, He's very honest and stands behind his work. If something went wrong He'd be sure to fix it.

I've been playing roughly 7 years now. I would definitely replace this amp if it were stolen and I sure as heck wouldnt lose it. At the time I decided on this amp I was looking into getting a Marshall TSL mostly because it had the seperate EQ's for the different drive channels. Jones' amp doesnt have that but it really doesnt need it. Overall this is an incredible amp. I had mine done with blonde tolex, and an amber light on the front really compliments the blonde tolex. Gold colored face with black lettering around the knobs and on the faceplate. Metal corners and large sized rubber stoppers on the bottom. This is really a great amp. Stop by Steam Music in Topeka and check some of Jones' amps out.

*UPDATED REVIEW*
Jonesy upgraded my amp! He added a bufferless effects loop and a gain circuit bypass switch socket. The advantage of the unbuffered loop is the tone is not sacrificed when an effect is not used. You will suffer signal loss when using an effect, so what else is new. The gain circuit bypass will let the amp sound just like a Plexi. Otherwise, the gain circuit lets you go out to Bassman and beyond. He also performed some other circuit updates to improve reliability and performance.

Now even more flexible than before without any downsides. The "Fender" clean channel is unaffected and still is my personal choice for evaluating and adjusting pickups. No other amp I own seems to clearly deliver the subtle nuances of my pickups as this does. Channel 2 has more diversity now that the gain curcuit can be bypassed. Sweet, pure distortion for days with the circuit in! Bypassed sounds like a Plexi. Nuff said.

Seems to be very reliable as I have been playing it for several months now without so much as a hiccup.

Don Jones is TOP DRAWER service and support. 5 year warranty. I took the amp in because I wanted to have him install an effects loop. We discussed the 2 types and I opted for the unbuffered to keep the tone. When I went to pick it up, he showed me the other stuff he upgraded as he had done on Kerry's personal rig. Then, he didn't charge me for the upgrades! The best customer service I've had in a while!

There are a number of new amps in this series. If you're in Topeka, KS, stop by Steam Music and check them out. They are frikin' awesome!

Made in 2005 right here in Kansas. Serial number 001. All hand wired point to point tube amp. Built like a Marshall, 2 channels, clean and dirty. 50 watts (more than ample), switchable speaker impedance (4, 8 & 16 ohms), dual speaker outputs, volume, treble, mid and bass knobs for each channel, presence and master volume on dirty channel. On the back panel is a gain knob for channel 2 and an unmarked knob which is a rather unique feature, a tone slope knob. Don Jones and I were discussing the tone qualities of different resistors in the tone stack and he decided to add some versatility to the stack by having a variable resistor in the circuit. This allows me to get a tone like a Hiwatt or a Marshall or in-between by adjusting the knob. Way cool! This amp is capable of nailing those tones as well as giving more. I play hard rock and blues based music mostly and I can easily dial up a pleasing tone on channel 2 without using any pedal effects for distortion. The master volume lets me do it without blowing my head off or enraging my neighbors (though I could quite easily with this baby). The clean channel is reminescent of Fender tube sound and has that "sparkle" with a Strat plugged in. Tele players might like it as well. The channels are not switched, they each have an input jack. An A-B foot switch and a couple of cables are all you need. No headphones or effects loop. No reverb. Not nearly as many bells and whistles as my Cyber Twin but a much more pure sound. It doesn't require a manual and hours of tweaking to understand it.

I play both Les Paul type and Strat type guitars, single coil, mini humbucker & full size humbuckers. They all sound good, it just depends on the tone I'm after at the time. I can rock out with that classic AC/DC sound or Jimi or Jimmy or Eric or Jeff. Channel 2 hums a bit with single coils (no surprise) but is quiet with 'buckers. Like I said before, with the slope control and variable gain, I can emulate a number of famous amps as well as dialing my own sound. The clean channel will hurt you pretty good before distorting. Channel 2 will go all the way from fuzzy to raw.

Too new to tell. I believe it's as reliable as any else I've owned. I still posses a few Fenders, a Vibrosonic, a Champ and a Cyber Twin. I prefer to have a backup but would take it as my only rig. This baby is solidly built and is designed for the stage.

I know Jonsey personally and he is top drawer. I'm not sure of the warranty terms as he didn't give me a piece of paper. I've seen him work on amps he has built for others and he stands behind his work.

I've been playing off and on for 35 or so years. If it were lost or stolen, may God have mercy on their soul, but he may not! I would replace it if possible. It has light Lizzard green tolex covering and a nifty mahogany faceplate. The knobs are standard chicken-head on a numberless dialplate. All front controlls are clearly labeled. All rear connections are also clearly labeled. WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE! I really love it. The fit and finish are very good. The layout and wiring inside are very good. I looked at several other Jones amps as well as considering a Marshall or a Hiwatt. This one gives me the sound of those and more. It looks like no other with the lizzard tolex. The KL designation stands for Kerry Livgren of the bands Kansas and Proto Kaw and the design is the same as the amp Don built for him except his is 100 watts. The only thing I wish it had were a dust cover.