Koch Multitone 50 212 Combo

i RECENTLY TRIED A KOCH 2-12 100 WATT COMBO ON CONSIGNMENT A T LAVONNE WAGNER MUSIC IN SAVAGE, MINNESOTA. I MUST SAY, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE PERSON WAS TRYING TO SELL IT!THE CLEAN CHANNEL HAD FANTASTIC HEADROOM, .THE SECOND CHANNEL WAS BLUE'S HEAVEN AND REALLY RESPONDED TO PICK DYNAMICS. MY FAVORITE , WAS THE OD CHANNEL # 3! THIS BABY SOUNDED LIKE A MARSHALL TO A POINT, BUT THE HARMONICS SEEM RICHER WITH MORE DEFINITION. THE SUSTAIN WAS TRUELLY AMAZING. I COULD OF STAYED THERE ALL DAY AND PLAYED THIS BABY, BUT I THINK THE STORE PEOPLE WERE TIRED OF ME!

I THINK YOU CAN USE THIS AMP FOR ANY TYPE OF PLAYING
I TESTED THIS AMP WITH A G&L TELE STYLE GUITAR WITH HUMBUCKERS.I TRIED A COUPLE ALT TUNINGS AND STANDARD TUNINGS.I WAS VERY IMPRESSED.
THE DISTORTION BREATHES FIRE! THIS AMP ALSO PROVIDES SUPERB CLARITY WHILE DISTORTED. THE EL34'S REALLY ARE THE BEST CHOICE OF TUBES FOR THIS RIG.

I DON'T KNOW THE REALIABILITY, AS I DON'T OWN ONE, BUT EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE VERY WELL MADE. IT IS A HEAVY AMP, BUT THAT IS UNDERSTANDABLE FOR A COMBO OF THIS CLASS.

THE AMP I TESTED HAD ALL THE MANUALS ECT, BUT I AM NOT SURE OF ANY WARRANTY AS IT WAS USED. WE HAVE SEVERAL REPAIR SHOPS IN MINNESOTA, SO SERVICE WOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE.

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR 30 YEARS, AND HAVE OWNED MARSHALLS, LANEY'S SOVTEKS, AND A PEAVY CLASSIC 50.I THINK THIS AMP IS VERY VERSITILE. WITH THREE CHANNELS PLUS A BOOST, AND A HEAVY DUTY STEEL FOOT SWITCH, IT IS A KILLER RIG.IF I OWNED THIS AMP, I WOULD INSURE IT FOR FULL VALUE, AS I AM NOT SURE WHO SELLS THESE IN MINNESOTA.I WOULD REPLACE IT ASAP. I ALSO TRIED A CRATE BLUE VOODOO, BUT IT LACKED THE CHARECTER OF THIS AMP.

Made by Dolf Koch in Holland (Amesfoort, toch??)

Feats: 3 channel 50 Watt, 2x12 all-tube combo, with 2 jensen designed speakers, spring reverb and solo boost, 2 kinds of FX-loops, Rec out, Footswitch, triode/pentode swith, hi/lo speaker dampening.

Channel 1: Clean, sparkling with 3 band EQ and volume, great for jazz, funk, blues etc

Channel 2: Compressed clean/drive, shares it's EQ with CH1 and has an extra drive controle and it's own volume knob, great voor blues and clean lead's with an edge of overdrive

Channel 3: The lead channel, together with CH1 the moest versatile.
Great for metal, blues.......you name it, 4 band EQ (hi, mid, lo, pre) a gain knob and a volume knob

conclusion:
Not as many features as a Nomad, but it's enough to do the trick.

The guitar I'm using is a ESP/LTD M-100 with 2 dimarzio Pups in it (Double Whammy and Evolution)
and I have a modifies strat copy aswell, fitted with a lil'59 and 2 vintage flat by Seymour duncan

The clean channel is very sparkling, yet very warm you can use this channel for about every style of music.
I compared it to a Fender Twin Reverb, and sorry guys, I think the Koch is the better.

Drive channel is a bit muddy at higher gain settings, but a great clean lead channel

The lead channel is awsome, from a cool crunch to a real Fat lead sound, great for soloing an heavy riffing
and if you turn the gain down you'll get some real cool blues tones.
From Marshall to Mesa, from Soldano to Fender, it's all there, and you dont have to tweak for ours, just fool around with the gain control and you'll get millions of great sounds.

Never let me down

I called them once, cause I ordered it, and the store coulnd tell me how long it would take, very nice guys, they make these amps in there spare time.

I've been playing for 5 years now, I play a lot of Shred metal and Progressive rock/metal, and the last couple of months I started to play some jazz, so I needed an All-round amp.
I tested a Multitone, ENGL Sovereign, Mesa Nomad and e Rivera
And the Multitone came out as the winner.

If it were stolen............i'd go beserk

3 channel, 50 Watt all-tube amp. Handbuilt in Holland, end of 2001/beginning of 2002. 2 12" speakers custom built by Jensen from Dolf Koch's design. Fitted with 2x EL34 powertubes, although it also accepts 4x 6V6 tubes. Can work at 50% power by switching the tubes from penthode to triode operation, also changes the sound a little.
Koch sells their own relabelled tubes that are tested, matched and categorized in bias classes, allowing you to retube an amp with tubes from the same biasclass, without needing to have the amp biased.
Direct recording out, parallel and serial effects loops, switchable speaker dampening. Shared Bass, Mid, Hi EQ on Channel 1 and 2. EQ and presence on channel 3. Adjustable rhythm/solo volume (preset rhythm volume at a percentage of solo volume). Footswitch with buttons for all 3 channels, reverb and rhythm/solo volume. 2 inputs, one for passive, one for active pickups, both can be used simultanously.

I bought this amp for home use, although I do not rule it will once be used on stage. It's loud enough for that at least.

Bad things? Yeah, the on/off switch and standby switch don't look cool enough. I'd prefer the Fender-like switches with the Jewel light. But you vant have everything

I play a mexican built Fender Stratocaster and an acoustic Ibanez AW300, but have also tested it with a Gibson Les Paul standard. I play everything from bluesrock to metal and the amp suits my style very well.
Channel 1 gives a very clear, clean sound. Even makes my poor singlecoils sound good, while keeping the character of the sound.
Channel 2 adds a bit of distortion ranging from a mild compressed sound to a nice hardrock crunch. Channel 3 is not just the "even more" gain channel you'd expect but starts pretty clean and THEN goes to abnormal gain settings (multiple gain stages with the control going form 0 to 20). Of course it isn't a triple rectifier but the distortion does compare with Mesa's. I can't describe how versatile this amp is, you can create just about any sound with it. I was considering buying either this amp or a Mesa Nomad 55 Combo, but decided on the Koch because (as somebody once described to me) "any idiot can make it sound good", the Mesa required a lot of tweaking to get the right sound, but on the other hand also allowed a lot of other (less usable) sounds.
The thing I like most, but what can probably be a bad thing for a lot of people, is the directness and transparency of this amp. I found that a lot of people associated tube-amp tone with a sound I experienced as mainly muddy, without the original character of the guitar. This amp really let's the sound of the guitar and the playing come through, which also means that lower quality guitars or bad playing can be heard very well.

Overall, very nice sounding, very versatile

I'm not going to use the corny expression "it's built like a tank", even though it is. I would take a backup to a gig, even though i highly doubt this sucker will ever break down. Up until now, nothing has broken, although it is about time i retubed it.

I mailed Koch a couple of times because I wanted some more info about the 100 Watt version (wich accepts almost all kinds of tubes) and if it would be worth the extra expense. Always got a response in 2 or 3 days. A friend of mine had some questions about his tubeamp and was reffered to Koch by the store where he bought it, talked to Dolf Koch personally and he was very helpful.
Since I live in the Netherlands it's easier to find a dealer than abroad, but I would recommended looking for one and stopping by to test these great amps. Due to increasing demand, there have been a number of times when certain models were no longer in stock, but they have increased their output since then.
Warranty is 12 months.

I have been playing for about five years, but only sterted to play serious the last two years. Up until then i had a small Fender solidstate amp, but I wanted something better. If it were stolen I'd be depressed for a week, then have my insurance company pay for a new one. I don't think anyone could inconsipciously sneak off with this thing, it's reliable and versatile, for me definitely an amp for life.

Only problem is taht you need to crank it up a bit to make it sound great nd that it costs a lot, but hey, that's tubeamps for ya.

Brandnew.2/12 speakers.50 watts ;4 6v6 Power tubes.Parallel + serial fx-loop.3 channels.Great concept.Very versatile ; serious amp.Direct out jack ; Half power switch....

I mainly use a roadhouse strat ('97) w/ texas special pu's.I play blues,rock,jazz in various occasions.
This amp has 3 very good sounds, that means you can use all three of them.It is a serious tool for serious musicians.I use a rocktron multivalve in the (parallel) Loop for some reverb/delay which works
fine.The clean channel is very dynamic and stays clean even at high volume settings.The crunch channel is based upon the clean channel but has separate gain & volume controls.Very open and rich sounds here.From blues to rock.The gain channel has seperate tone and volume controls.It is abit like a different amp.Modern distortion one might say....At higher settings there is a lot of compression, which some of the more unexperienced guitarists might underestimate.(sounds "cool" alone but does not work in a band situation.)For my taste the highs/upper mids
are a bit unnatural.
But this channel works great and remains dynamic if you set the gain knob at half way.
All 3 sounds cut through very well in a loud band if set properly.
I do not agree with some people saying that this amp sounds wonderful at bedroom levels.It is a tube amp. You have to f*** with the power tubes !!Then it sings.
I give it a 9 .

I had to order my amp since my dealer did not have the 50 watt version.he just had the 100-watter with EL-34.All comments made refer to this amp.I played it a lot cause I had to wait Three !!!! months for my amp.When i finally received it itook it immediately to a rehearsal and it sounded shit !!But iwas too busy with the songs so i thought:"maybe you just played like a cunt ?!"The next day i took it to the gig and 15 minutes before the show the lead channel said goodby with a loud crack.Fortunately i managed to get a second multitone from my dealer so i did not have to use a completely different amp.
The serviceguy told me that it was a broken chord on the footswitch.
Idid not believe him cause exactly this switch worked fine with the 2nd amp.But I'm just a stupid musician....Of course on the next gig the same thing happened.But this time i had to use the gear of the guitarist who played before my band.Fortunately i had a good distortion pedal.By the way :the gig was fuckin great - even without the koch.Never think that your equipment is the most important part of your music.It is just a pleasant luxury.
I finally found out what the mistake was.A broken resistor in the preamp.Hope it works now!!

E-mailed to koch and they kindly replied.Talked to Dolph on the phone and he tried to be helpful.Good.
But it took them three months to send me an amp which did not work.

The 100 watt version which i borrowed from the store worked fine and sounded very good.I played and gigged with it for 4 months while i waited for my 50w/6v6 to arrive or to be repaired.
I own a fender evil twin ,a champ 12, various stomp boxes like Jekyll & hyde ,Tube factor,TS-10,Carl Martin compressor,line 6 delay,boss reverb/delay,a cry baby ,ernie ball vol. pedal and a roland VG-88.

When it was stolen i might buy the twintone which is not as heavy.

I have alot of respect of the viewers here.It's great to hear from other players how they find they gear.But I cannot share their enthusiasm.The multitone is a fine peace of gear - when it works-and can deliver all sounds that a serious player requires.Contrary to some expensive american brands it has handy features like 2 (great) FX-loops,
direct out and a really useful switching board.You can set 2 different switchable output levels which i find is a great idea.

I was just sick of paying too much money for all those fenders, boogeys, soldanos, bogners (german by the way).You pay for the name + for the toll.I used to play a boogie mark 3 and it wasen't half as good (but more expensive).
This amp is a really good tool for a reasonable prize.Nothing more ,nothing less.

Recent manufacture. Three channels with separate tone and presence controls for the lead channel. 2 special-issue Koch Jensen speakers. Comes with 6V6 tubes, but can handle EL34's. Great footswitch with CH1, CH2, CH3, REV, BOOST. I think it has a recording out, effects loop, and a head phone jack; I don't use these. Very useful half power switch in the back. Can handle everything that most of us mortals play--you may have to mike it for those 15000+ arenas. A bit heavy at around 75 lbs, but has great handles on the side which make it easier for you to get your drummer to help you carry it.

I play a Custom Shop Les Paul, a PRS McCarty, and a reissue Strat with Fralin's. Channel 1 is the "clean" channel. Not really Fender. More of a JTM-45 type with more sparkle. Very expressive. Enough headroom for most venues but clips when pushed, like any great tube amp should. The strat sounds like a Strat should with nice snap out of pos 2&4, and the neck p/u sings nicely. The big surprise for me was the bridge p/u. Actually sounds smooth, but has plenty of bite. How many of you actually use your bridge p/u alone? You will with this! Humbuckers seem to reflect the guitar they are in. The LP has a plenty of upper end response with a ton of low end. The PRS is the opposite, with the midrange honk really coming through. Each guitar will clip beautifully when pushed hard in half power mode, making this option great for blues jams.
Channel 2 is the "crunch" channel. I know it's cliche but its ZZTOP/ACDC all the way. I prefer humbuckers here--they clean up when you ride the guitar volume down. Classic power amp-type distortion with nice note definition. Turn up the grind to about 1/2 and crank the excellent & unique long-pan reverb for a nice Garcia lead tone. Turn it up all the way and pound out 1st position chords for Angus. Nice.
Channel 3 is the high-gain channel. I am a Warren Haynes geek who has a lot of amps with great clean channels but all "lead" channels sound cheesey to me and always seem to get lost in the mix. You know what I mean--you keep turning your amp volume up and up until you are drowning out your entire band and everyone gets pissy. This amp is exactly what I have been looking for.
I probably would have bought an SLO100 combo if I could have found one to try. I love a nice heavy tone (Presence-era Led Zep/Allmans/Santana/KWS), but absolutely hate heavy metal sounds. If you know Warren Haynes you know what I like and this amp does a damned good job of producing it. The best tone to me comes with the gain set at about 12:00--plenty of dirt with note definition that you only dream about. Strum a G chord and you hear each note chime true. You can even use an alternate picking stroke on this distortion channel and hear every nuance. I am still blown away by this (god, I'm a friggin geek...) May not be enough gain for the metal heads and the Godsmack fans but it works for me. Another cool thing about this channel is when you unplug your LP after The Wanton Song, you plug in the Strat, don't turn any knobs, throw on the neck p/u and rip into Pride & Joy. It's perfect. You won't believe me but try and you'll see.
The reverb is full and deep (fuller than my Fenders, but not as deep)
and the adjustable & footswitchable boost function is absolutely invaluable in live situations.
This amp cuts through the mix and is an absolute pleasure to play through. It has three very usable channels that fit all the cover band chores I have run into. This amp makes you want to play your guitar more.

Steve at Wildwood Music in Louisville, CO takes all my money (he gives me cool stuff in return, and I seem to ask for it) so he will get the call if anything goes wrong. I have no idea how long the warrantee is and don't care because I buy my gear from good people who take care of me.

I have been playing for about 12 years. I have a Super Reverb, a Vibro King, a '59 Princeton, a Blues Pearl '59 Bassman replica, a Mesa Boogie Subway Blues, an Ampeg Reverberocket, and a few smaller amps. I have had Riveras, Marshalls, Boogies and others in the past. This is not a clone amp but rather an instrument with its own unique, very useable, voice. I would recommend this amp to just about nobody because I want to be the only person cool enough to own one.

it's like a marshall TSL-122 100watt combo with three channels except it sounds better. Has a master volume, reverb, and three channels accessible by footswitch. Lots of other good stuff including parallel and series effects loops, loose/tight speaker damping, active and passive inputs. All the knobs are nice and beefy. Cool grillcloth that's kinda sparkly. Mine got upgraded from V30's to Koch designed Jensen's. (2x12) About the size of a twin reverb.

I'm told this is the amp that PRS tours with. My friend on the internet who owns a two rock setup thought his amp could not get the sounds he was hearing from Paul and the Dragons. The clean is nice but not in the old blackface league..more of a jazz clean. The crunch shares the eq with the clean channel. Great stuff here with hums or singles. The Overdrive channel is pretty much the sound i was looking for. Heavy metal is no problem and also Robben Ford tones here. I have a VL1002 Lee Jackson Head which i am now considering selling. I've owned a Bogner 101B, T-Verb, Dual Recto's
Triple Rectos, Naylor Super Drive, VHT Pitbull and more. This amp
and the Bogner are my favorites. If someone can put in a really great sounding fendery clean channel and get this kind of OD...that's the only thing that i could imagine would really top it. But if you need a fender clean you wouldn't be buying this amp. Probably the two rock does both. I've never actually a/b'd the amps but i'm always blown away by my tone on the overdrive channel.
because this OD is so much more refined.

Never had a problem even though it got shipped from back east somewhere by the animals at UPS. the Tubes are fully encased in a metal cage. Looks bulletproof.

Koch reps will rap with you no problem. I think they are trying to get a toehold on the US market. No enviable task as conservative as most amp buyers are. Never had to get the amp repaired.

If it was stolen i'd have to save some money to get another one.
the only drawback is the weight which is around 76 lbs. If i was gigging i'd probably not be carrying this monster around unless i had a roadie. I've tried and owned most amps under 4000 dollars and this is my all time favorite. Probably you'd gain something with Santana's two rock or the Diezel or some other 5000 dollar amps but
what's good enough for PRS is probably good enough for me.
I'm sure i'll keep looking for something better.