Koch Multitone 100 212 Combo

3 channel amp as described by everyone else

this amp is the bees-knees
i have gone through 2 boogie mk111 combos and the multitone is far better.....i use channel 1 for clean sound,,channel 2 for blues and channel 3 for rock but because the gain on the koch doesnt give me that solo kick i need ,,i have bought a tc electronics vpd1 pre-amp,distortion with mid/treble range boost....and......it sounds incredible........ive had it 8 months now and i only have eyes for koch

this seems very well made and i cant see any problems

i did get some spare footswitch leads from them and they was very quick and polite responding to e-mails

i have the koch with the vpd1 pre-amp and a tc electronics g system...i use an ibanez jem 555 and a fender highway strat
these are just brilliant amps ......so smooth and warm
LOVELY.........

2002 model. 100 watts; 2x12. This amp is definitely versatile. It can do anything and only falls short of super hi-gain territory. Seems well built and durable. The previous owner had put it through some heavy gigging apparently. It is kind of beat up on the outside and on the face panel. Scratches on the logo plate as well. Still, it sounds well enough. It definitely has enough power and is plenty loud enough for any gig. The open back does not easily lend itself towards metal if that is what you want, but the clean channels are pristine and rival Rivera amps in their clarity. I have the EL-34 version and the store I got it from said it had been retubed and biased. I have no way of knowing this to be fact. The controls are pretty straightforward. The manual is basic and tells you what you need to know. The footswitch is laid out nicely too.

I play a Les Paul and a 335 mostly. Both guitars sound good through this amp. I think the "bright clean" input or "active input function on this amp is a bit overstated. I thought it was designed for humbucking guitars to help with the clean channels but I didn't notice a ton of difference between the 2 inputs. I use the clean sporadically and mostly use the gain channel (3rd channel). It has that EL-34 grind I like but falls well short of Marshall tone to me. I think the Kosh designers would agree - it has its own gain tone. It has that EL-34 color, but it is less compressed than the typical Marshall sound to me. Of course, I think EQ settings and a close backed cab would change things a bit too. I did not notice much of a difference in the gain taper after it was about half way up. It seemed that there was not much more to be had there. I wouldn't say the distortion was brutal, but it would hang with a lot of tones currently out there. Again, I don't think you will get Mesa-like compressed sounds, but you can get pretty close. On my amp, I found the gain channel to be noisy when I had it at high volume. When I was not playing I could hear static. Not sure if it is a ground problem or something else. Most Koch owners say the amps are quiet, so I wouldn't put too much into that statement. I need more research on that.

The clean is very nice and pristine. The EQ functions work well and you can get a lot of tones if you work with it. (I always wonder how many people bother to work with their tone settings). I know I dod not. Once I get it where I like it - it stays. The 2nd channel is more clean than gain-y to me. You can get some breakup, but it is still more like the first channel to me. It almost seems like this could have been a 2 channel amp instead of a 3 channel amp.

If you cover a lot of sonic ground (sounds) this amp is as good as any in getting you there.

The amp is heavy and has seen a lot of wear. I gig w/o a backup. It has not let me down. I think they are well made pieces....

I have found their support ot be great. Quick answers and service. Can't complain!

I have been playing for 18 years or so. Don't know that I would buy it again if I lost it, but it is worth considering. I would compare this amp to the Rivera line. Great cleans, good distortion, great channel switching versatility. Definitely a working man's amp. I chose this amp for the versatility and because I was bored and wanted to try it out. I don't think I will keep it forever, but it is a pretty cool amp. If you are looking for unique tones or the old brown sound EVH replicator thing - this probably is not what youw ant. But for an overall excellent amp that sounds great - you will dig this.

this can only be a 10. unless you go for full midi controllable, i cant imagaine an amp having more features than this without sacrificing practicality. 3 channels. channel one is clean, with 3 band eq and a volume. channel 2 has a seperate volume knob, and an additional gain knob, and the same 3 band eq knobs. these 2 channels have the eq controls before the preamp section. channel 3 has a 4 band eq (extra presence control) and drive and volume controls. then there is a master volume, which is switchable between a rythm and lead levels, and a master reverb control. it come with a 5 button footswitch, for the 3 channels, master rythm volume switch, and a reverb on off, which also switches the parallel fx loop on and off. it also has a second series loop. it can be switched between triode mode (50watts) and pentode mode (100Watts) giving a more vintage sound for the triode mode. there is also a direct recording output, which is taken from the speaker signal, not the preamp signal, so is a better interpretation of a poweramp sound. finally, you can switch the speaker damping from low to high giving slightly different sounds. oh, also has 2 inputs, normal, and bright clean.

i use a les paul standard and a moddified squier strat with fender custom shop pickups. both sound awesome!!! i sold a carlsbro fatboy and a marshall silver jubilee combo for this amp, and it does everything they could do better than both, and a lot more neither of them could do. and they are two very highly regarded amps!!
ok. channel 1 is very fender-esque. pure clean, soooo warm. just delicious. i didn't used to like 100% clean sounds, as i though adding i tiny bit of dirt made it more dynamic. well somehow this manages to be just as dynamic without any dirt at all. quite simply delicious.
channel 2 is a mild gain channel. this is so versatile. with a slight bit drive you get very class A sounding break up tones. perfect for things like little wing by hendrix if you have a strat. i know he didn't use class A amps, but thats the kind of tone and playing style i've always thought was suited to class A breakup tones if that makes sense?!?! more drive goes into classic rock rythm territory, and absolutely amazing blues lead tones. you can really get such a variety of tones just by changing pickup and using the controls on your guitar. with a simple tubescreamer or similar as a boost, this channel alone gives enough to justify the ?1000 price tag. channel 3 is the high gain one. with a lot of drive it definately starts to get a bit brown sounding, and with a distortion pedal to give a slight boost and even more sickly amounts of filth, then eddie van halen is most definately in here somewhere. as is santana. most definately. in fact the have very similar tones if you just choose neck pickup for santana nad bridge for EVH. this channel also does a very fat chunky rock rythm. you need some kindo distortion pedal if you want full on metal. however, thats no bad thing. theres probably a lot of readers that think distortion pedals are inferior to the amps natural distortion, and yes, i would agree, but when used on top of a lot of distortion on the amp, you really can get some awesome sounds. so dont let the gain limitations of this amp put you off if youre in to heavy stuff. having said that, its got more gain than a marshall, so it should be enough to please most people!!

haven't had it for very long, but it looks solid. i would definately gig without a backup. yeah like i could afford two anyway!!!

likewise, cant comment as ive had no problems. although having said that, when doing gear research before buying this, i emailed koch several times about the logistoics of midi controlling their amps (which you can do by the way, with an appropriate converter), they replied pretty instantly. in fact i was very impressed, as we were banging off emails to each other, and he replied about 4 times within the space of 1 day. the only other company ive emailed is line 6, and that took 2 days, and was a very unhelpful reply, so i guess this deserves a 10 too...

overall this has to be the best amp in the world. with a good selection of only a few pedals, maybe even just one, to work WITH this amp, rather than as a substitute just on the clean channel, this amp really can do absolutely every sound imaginable. and it can do them all well. surely this is a dream come true for almost every guitarist on the planet? and unlike most amps that are this versatile, it does not compromise on any of the sounds. the clean channel is better than a fender hot rod deluxe i used to have. the slight break up tone is better than the pure class A carlsbro i used to have, the high gain is beyter than the marshall i used to have, and the medium gain stuff is better than the ?1500 point to point hand wired custom shop ashdown peacemaker head i used to have!!! all in one amp! plus it does a lot of stuff none of those could even start to do!!! truly an amazing amp.

three channels. serial and perallel effeczts loop. dedicated footswith.
2 12inch speakers.

great sounds. i use it since 2001 and it is getting better. maybe i got a little better as well... . my impression was that it took some time for the tubes and speakers to wear in.
now it sounds even smoother without loosing definition. i love the fact that it has a parallel loop. i mix a lexicon reverb/delay without spoiling the tone. the serial loop is good too (used it with a rocktron xpression) but i prefer to mix the effect signal.

good.
of course tubes go down once in a while.
back up ? i know only very few musicians in my area who lug around two amps.
bullshit.

the e-mail replie could be much much faster.

If you are reading these reviews I am sure you are familiar with the features of this 100 watt combo, so I won't go over them again. The amp is heavy....pretty much too heavy for the top handle, but comes with Marshall styled side handles to compensate. My back thanks the Koch designers for that. I can't imagine an amplifier with all the features the Multitone has, not being heavy, so in my book it is justified. I have always been pretty much a Fender Amp guy, but have also gone through Boogies, Musicman, Tech 21, Marshall, Traynor and a couple more looking for the ultimate do-everything-well amp. The Koch has come the closest of any, and I get to leave most of my pedals at home.

I am a guitar builder and tech, so most often I use my own Tele style or Strat style guitars, most often with Duncan Alnico II's, but now also with some of the newer Lace products. Others include a Tokai Les Paul which I really like, my Hofner Verithin which I adore and at times, I have evn plugged my Takamine acoustic into the amp. I pretty much stay in the first two channels, but occasionally slip into the 3rd for a little self-indulgent fun. In between the Volume/Gain controls, the overlapping EQ, and that brilliant little Rhythm/Solo switch I can go from the totally clean Les Paul/Chet Atkins sounds to the totally raunchy ACDC dimed Marshall sounds quickly and pretty accurately. In fact, I have lent the amp out on country, classic rock, blues, hard rock/metal and a reggae show, and it has performed admirably in all cases. As for the acoustic, I know you can't usually plug into an electric amp with an acoustic and get a reasonable sound....but try it with this amp....you might be surprised! By the way, I found you can get the first channel to break up a bit, but you really have to work at it. What I like more is that you can use the Drive (2nd)channel for the same 'just-starting-to-break-up' sound much easier and keep going with that channel instead.

Again as a guitar builder and tech, regular maintenance is next to happy techs.....or godliness if you like. If you don't maintain your gear, don't expect much out of it....even if it is an insanely expensive hand-built creation. I have had my Multitone for over a year and a half, and have had no trouble with it. I am about to change tubes (preamp & power) though as I am not sure how long the existing tubes will last....the pres are showing their age. The cabinet is very well built, and mine has been subjected to a couple good hits with no damage. I have used the amp on a gig or two with no backup, but again, experience dictates that you are playing with fire (without a backup) regardless of amp manufacturer.

as you just read, I haven't had trouble with my amp, so I haven't needed service. As it turns out though, I ended up doing some work with the North American Distributor (Audionova Inc) and have had lengthy conversations with their tech (Noraseng) and also with Dolf Koch (guess who he is....)and found them both easy to speak with, eager to answer questions and listen to suggestions. Can't get much better than that. I have heard of purchasers who have had difficulties, but I can't comment on their problems. Then again, I have friends who have laid out thousands for the latest new model from some of the biggest names, only to have in one case, the amp catch on fire mid-show, when it was only a few weeks old.

I have been playing for about 30 years total, although some of that time has been devoted to acoustic guitar. I am down to 2 amps....my Koch Multitone and my 1970 Fender Super. If I lost my Koch I would consider another one of course. After all I sold my 65 Twin to buy this amp. I love the fact that I can finally go guitar-cable-amp again, but now change my sounds/channels happily and accurately. I am a big fan of Evidence Audio Cables as well, so I get the full benefit of them.....without worrying about true-bypass switching on the stomp-boxes etc etc. For those of you who are saying you shouldn't say all good things about the amp.....if I just spent $3000 Canadian dollars to buy this amp, and I had bad things to say about it, it would either be back at the store, or I would need my head examined. I think if you are a mature player (or even if you aren't) and you really appreciate good tone, you owe it to yourself to try out a Koch amp.....I think they are on to something here. By the way, for those who may take issue with me writing this review, and having worked for the distributor.....I can qualify the review by stating emphatically that I fell in love with the amp and bought it well before Audionova asked me to do some work for them!

The Multitone is a three channel 100 watt class AB (though just barely class AB. It definitely has more of a class A sound than say a Mesa/Boogie) all tube amp. It can be used in Pentode or triode (half power) which offer distinctly different tones. The best feature, in my opinion, is the ability to use any tube type. Actually, I have been switching tubes about every other week lately just because I can. I like the different sounds I can get out of the tubes. Another great feature is the speaker damping. Here's what Koch says about it: "In high (normal) position the power amp damps the speaker which results in a more controlled sound. In low position the power amp's damping of the speaker's cone movement is minimal, which results in a more open sound." Where I have found this extremely useful is at low volumes. I was going to buy an attenuator box like a Marshall Power Brake or a THD Hot plate (actually, koch makes one that is MUCH better than even the Hot Plate) but I just don't need it. With low speaker damping it sounds shockingly good at low volumes. Yet another feature you may find useful is that it has both a parallel and series effects loop. The reverb is tied in to the parallel effects loop and both are switched on and off with the same button on the footswitch. The series loop is independent, which means that if I want to switch off a few effects at a time I can turn off the parallel loop and keep my delay on in the series loop. Another back panel feature is the recording out. This speaker emulated signal is derived from the amp's speaker out rather than the preamp so it still sounds like an amp should sound, not like the crummy recording outs you're used to. The amp also has a footswitchable rythm volume, which is basically a rythm/solo volume.

The selling point of this amp is its tone - absolutely unbelievable! Listening to this amp, you would think I paid five grand for it, but I only paid 1100.00. You may have heard that Carlos Santana uses this amp. If you think that's an indication of what it sounds like, think again. Sure you could get that sound out of it but remember that Carlos plays with some funky pickups and likes to roll back the tone knob and who knows what type of tubes he uses. This amp is good for more than just a novelty tone. It is also perfect for mainstreamers. The clean channel is the most buttery, warm, sparkling tone imaginable. Imagine a Fender amp on the best day of its life. The second channel with the EQ in the preamp stage is kind of a low medium distortion channel with a very vintage vibe to it. It has been described as a spot on Matchless sound and definitely has an AC30 feel to it. For me, it does not have quite enough distortion as I would like. However, it is awesome for blues, classic rock and light rythm. If you're into stuff like Matchbox 20, this is probably what you will use the most. The third channel with post EQ can deliver anything from mild clipping to impressively tight, focused and defined high gain that you could never get from a Mesa/Boogie or Marshall. It does not offer monstrous make-you-crap-your-pants gain but it has been compared to a Soldano and definitely has more gain than a Marshall. At any gain level it just sounds stinking good! All warmth and brilliance and no mud. If you are looking for that make-you-crap-your-pants gain then you should get the Koch Powertone. Don't even bother with something like a Krank Revolution. Sure they sound incredible too but they are not nearly as versatile. The power tone's second channel is basically the Multitone's third channel and the Powertone's third channel has an extra gain stage. One thing you will find with this amp is that it is incredibly quiet even at high gain settings. I'll give it a 9 in this category because I would like to have more gain in the second channel for heavier rock stuff.

Never had any problems. Other people have posted negative reviews because of reliability issues. I asked Koch about these issues and most of them were because of the poorer quality of the tubes they had been using for a while. All other issues have been fixed. These amps are built extremely well and you won't have any problems with them.

Customer support is the best I've ever dealt with. They usually return my emails the next day. I had a problem with one of the fuses a while back. Apparently my amp had been a rental at the store I bought it from and someone replaced a ceramic fuse with the a glass one. Koch sent me four ceramic fuses in the mail free of charge.

I realize that I may seem to be saying a little bit too much good stuff about this amp, but it really is hard to be critical. Aside from preferring more gain, since I do enjoy a lot of modern rock, it really is as good as they come. You may have to experiment with a few different tube types to find the sound you want. I bought it with 4 6L6 tubes and for the longest time I was not very happy with the way it sounded. I thought it sounded okay, but not good enough to justify the kind of reviews I had read about it. After a while, I put some different tubes in it - 2 EL34's and 2 KT66's. After that it sounded fantastic. I guess the problem is that you just can't build an amp that is going to sound perfect with every tube type and 6L6 tubes, having a scooped midrange, just made it sound brighter than other tubes would. So I played with the new tubes for a while and every time I played it I liked it better. A couple days ago I decided to play around with the different combinations that are now available to me since I have three different tube types to mix and match and I found that two 6L6's and two KT66's sound absolutely phenomenal because they balance each other out so well. It is the perfect modern rock sound that few guitarist ever find. The clean channel now sounds better than any Fender. I honestly never knew any live sound could be that good. I mean, I hear recordings all the time that make me wish I could get the kind of tone I'm hearing, but I realize that the only way all these bands on the radio can sound that good is because they have thousands and thousands of dollars worth of equipment at their disposal and every track is tweaked in a dozen different ways like microphone placement and equalization and processing and compression in order to get it to sound that good. All I do is plug in and I've got that million dollar tone! I Play through a Les Paul with Alnico II Pro's, a PRS Custom 24 and a 57 reissue Strat. I've been playing for 10 years and I cover every kind of rock and blues from 1970 to present day stuff. I also play in a worship band and on the church worship team. If anything happened to this amp I would probably get a Koch Powertone. Although, I would miss the second channel on the Multitone for stuff like blues and classic rock. Oh screw it! I'd just buy one of each.