Koch Studiotone 112 Combo

Very versatile little combo;
Clean and overdrive channel with extra boost knob on that channel to cover the whole spectrum from fender clean to too much overdrive
A decent reverb
20W 2 * EL84 cathode biased poweramp
VG12-60 12" speaker specially designed for Koch made by Jensen that looks a lot like a jensen C12N
Recording output, output for slave amp etc.
It's a 2 and a half channel overdrive as the boost knob on the overdrive channel is just a on or off thing, so fixed gain and volume difference with the non boosted sound on that channel

Used it with various guitars ranging from telecaster to es335 style.
Sounds really good: the clean channel is really clean until you get into a very nice power amp overdrive.
The overdrive channel sound really good too: to my ears it doesnt lack any harmonics at all, nice touch sensitivity as it sound transparent when playing softly and doesnt sound hars when pushed into overdrive.
The only backdraw I had was a lack of loud and solid bass but what can you expect of a 20W 1*12inch combo! I solved it by using the output to a slave amplifier - a marshall superlead. This gave some hum due to ground loop problems as also stated in some forum but I solved it by using an audio transformer. Some people solve this the cheap way by not grounding one of the 2 amps but note that this is very dangerous; A tube amp should always be grounded.

I didn't track down the exact schematic of the preamp so I dont know if it's indeed solid state overdrive. Some people tell you that opamps and fets sound bad and tubes sound good but thats a too simple statement. Probably it's just that these tube fundamentalists never heared a good solid state overdrive, well I did and a also heared a lot of bad tube overdrive sounds as well as good ones. The only believe I still have is the need for a tube power amp and preferably close to or into power amp overdrive. Note that I will abandon this believe as soon as I hear a good guitar sound from solid state poweramp or from a digital signal processing / software overdrive.
Of course it's a matter of taste but keep in mind that there is no such thing as a good or bad component, it's all about the schematic around it and in bigger perspective, the combination guitar - overdrive - amp - speaker etc.

Early versions of the studiotone version1 had a well known problem of blowing the output transformer.
'my' amp indeed had this problem. Some windings in the primary of the output transformer were shortcircuited so the output was down to 1.5 watts.
The solution was simple: I emailed Koch. They only asked me for the serial number to check thats indeed one of those early ones and after that they sent me a new output transformer for free! They even offered me to install that trannie themselves but that was an easy job so I did it myself.
After that, the power was back at exactly 20W. I dont expect the trannie to break again as this is another type/brand that is probably the one is used in all the newer studiotone amps.

Excellent - read my story above.
The amp wasn't even in the waranty period anymore!

To me, the amp just doesnt have the looks but remember sound is something that's related to ears, not eyes and it's all pretty subjective anyway.
After solving the output transformer issue, i think this is a very nice and reliable amp. If short of output power: just use a slave amp and you'll have power amp overdrive at any volume above the 20W of the studiotone itself.

Honeymoon is over. I like the amp, but for some odd reason i was starting to notice a lack of harmonics in the overdrive mode. I decided to open up the amp and to my suprise....JFETS and OPAMPS in the overdrive circuit.

For $1600 I find it deplorable to use solid state clipping in the overdrive stages.

I'm dropping down my rating due to this. I can buy a fender blues jr and a chandler tube driver and get a better sound and real tube overdrive.

Again, this is my post honeymoon review. i really liked it the first night i played the amp, its different, aggressive, etc. The more i played though, i noticed the lack of harmonic richness that most tube amps have. I decided to open up the amp to see what could possibly done. To my horror i see JFETS staring up and me and numerous opamp stages. You never see JFETS in an amp unless the overdrive depends on it. Sorry Koch, to charge $1600 for an amp that doesn't have real tube overdrive / distortion is a crime in my book. Its going back to Musician's Friend this week.

Go to the website for features.

OK, i've been going through so many back up amps its getting ridiculous. I'm trying to keep it under $1000 and light weight. The amp fits all except for the price. Its light, has a 12" speaker, channel switching, killer clean, and great overdrive with one caveat:

I don't like the stock speaker. I'm not a fan of British sounding speakers and this one is good, but not my cup of tea. I'm running it through a 1x12 cab with an Eminence Red,White,Blues speaker. Great sound for me! Round milkshake like distortion, smoother mids and bass and a singing lead tone. Harmonics jump out with a roundness similar to the Dumble, Fuchs, TwoRock style of tone.

My main amp is a Fuchs ODS 50 and I can say that with the Eminence speaker change (which is what Fuchs uses now) this amp makes a nice compliment to the Fuchs.

Clean sound is somewhere between a Fender and a Vox. Gets very jangly with the "+" bright on. Very punchy and dynamic. One of the best cleans I've heard in a mass amp.

Distortion - Very heavy metal / hard rock sounding with the stock speaker. Lots of low end girth in the distortion. Crispy top end. Much smoother and creamier sounding with the RWB speaker change. A bit darker sounding but more my cup o' tea.

Pick your poison.

At 1500,its pricey. The premium you pay on this amp is the tone, flexibility, and compact size. Its very lightweight and would be much lighter with a neo speaker. I may try a Texas Lite or Tonker lite in the near future. I think a bypass cap change on the overdrive to something smaller would tame out the lows in the distortion, which will also smooth out the highs a bit.

In stock form its a great amp and expected at this price range. If it was under $1500, it would be a exceptional buy. Compared to a Mesa 5:25 w/12" ($1300), this amp kills it. The Mesa is way too nasally midrangey for my taste and heavier. I don't trust Mesa's QC anymore. 1 out of 3 mesa's I try at the Guitar Sinner always has issues.

A lot of features on this amp: recording (with cab and mic simulator) and headphone outputs, 3 chanels (clean, drive, more drive), effects loop, mid boost and treble boost, etc.

the recording output is not amazing, but very usefull when you don't have good recording gear.

i play this amp with a duesenberg starplayer 1998. it's the classic rock sound of the 70's. Crank the clean chanel and you'll have a great overdriven tone a la led zeppelin, cream, guess who ... it has very punchy and vintage rock tone.

great for rock or jazz.
forget the blusy tone, you wont get it.

this amp would get a lot room with a 2 12 cab.

i bought it a year a go, didn't have any major problems with it.
but i think the transformer is too small for this amp and it's getting way too hot. so i fixed a 115 volt fan on back of the transformer, witch is drilled in the freim of the amp with small brakets, so it stays cool. the job is very clean and NOW it sould last.

but without this modification, it would eventually fail... so i'm giving a 6.

great rock sound, small amp easy to cary.

IT HAS A TRANSFOMER PROBLEM AND YOU TO TAKE CARE CAUSE IT WILL FAIL.

I has all the features i was lookintg for, and that means a lot because
that's pretty much the only amp i could find on this planet that was versatile, easy to use, good tone AND a silent recording output. More on that later, that's a VERY important point.

You'll find amps with a better clean sound, a better crunch sound, a better distortion? But you will NEVER find an amp that can combine such versatile sounds and still sound good on every setting?. I went to the Namm Showw 2008 and tried pretty much every brand. Some Had a cool distortion but a soso-clean (mesa and all the american high gain famly), some could only deliver crunches (orange, vox etc...).
Koch was the ONLY brand that could just make an amp that sounds good, whatever you play. FOr that i give it a 9. I can't give it a ten because it's not a VOX AC30, it's bnot a Mesa bogie or plexi, but it combines the best of it, with rich, authenthic sounds.

Using the different modes, you can go from a modern type, fat and creamy distortion, to a perfect CLEAN, fender type , or vox type as well. There's a million of CRUNCH sounds you can get combining the modes, vintage, modern etc.
But more importantly, whatever you polay, the tone is rich and authenthic, makes you wanna play ovr and over.

A few problems,the outputs screw went of and i realised the jacks entries had a platic tube, which breaks. Broke 3. It still works, but well...

Talked to Mr Koch at the namm, the FAQ on their site is good, and he answered my emails.

In the past i owned Orange AD30, Bedrock 600 (still do), Carvin Legacy, Line 6 Duoverb, Vox Tonelab.
I have been playing on this amp for nearly 4 years. I bought if after trying the TWINTONE in a store in Madrid, Spain. I had a Carvin Legacy. I wanted to change because i needed a smaller, lighter, more versatile amp. More importantly, i was after a silent recording amp.
Since i bought this amp, i never even consider buying another amp.
This means i've found the right one. 4 years without even thinking of a new amp, can you believe that ?

To me, the POD and other amp simulators all sounded like cheese,
and i was convinced that i could record with a professional sound
at home, if i choosed carefully my gear. And here i am : Mac+Garage Band,a cheap M-Audio USB device, this Koch amp and ah ah ah ah !
My friends who paid the "full monty" (cubase+Mesa+shure+isolated walls=$$$$). They all sound like ****, becaus they don't really know how to record an amp correctly, and how to use cubase. I just plug my KOCH in my Mac, and push REC...
That's what a Home Studio should be about.
Keep your cash for the real thing, this is the best you will get
unless rick rubin and his crew decide to produce your album...

So here is my advice: buy this amp, it HAS what you're looking for.
You can play everything, on stage, or at home. Yes, at home.
Some people said it's too loud: guys, they built-in a silent ouptut just for you.. Use it ! Plug it in your computer, or a PA.

If someone steals this amp, i will try to find different amps with similar features, and try it, but for the price, it seems very difficult to beat.

If i had more cash, i would keep my Koch and go on holidays for a while instead of investing 3000$ for an amp that is probably not much better. I'd like a Mesa, or a VOX AC50, but i'm not ready to pay for it yet.

Here is my advice to everyone. Don't let the price decide for you.
Buying expensive gear will not make tyou sound better.
The most important is to be able to define what you need,
what you want, and what's important and inspiring to your playing.

Once you've done that, most amps will not fit the bill.
There's always an amplifier out there that can give you the right sounds for the right price. The Koch will !

Very versatile. Line out with speaker emulation. Does a decent job for rehearsals. Tone shaping switches really work as for the 3 tone EQ knobs. Lightweight about 30 lbs. Does every thing I wanted. Very very few can do all this and is easy to carry around.Wish I could toggle between 20 watt RMS to 5 watts RMS. Considering a THD HotPlate to get in full power tube saturation without annoying other band mates. This amps is surprisingly loud.

I was also looking for a higher gain amp and I got what I wanted. There are still higher gain amps out there but they become more specialized. This one can cover a lot of ground. A bit noisy on higher settings but can live with it no problems. A lot of bottom end if needed (from a single 12inch mind you). Sound is even better connected to a cab with 212inch celestion but I am looking at ease of transport.

Was a bit worried from the transfo issue. I have been playing it daily for 3 months at relatively high gain and volume and have no issue to report so far.. Looks a bit plain but very very made.

We have the noth american distributor in town and are supposedly very good.

Been playing actively for last 12 years. Latest amp was a univalve. Switch over to the studiotone for higher gain, ease of transport and advanced features. You can't be dissapointed with this amps. It does everything it's suppose to do if you can play loud enough. I would buy one the day after this thing is stolen.

hmm my 2:nd output transformer crapped out on me recently. When the first one broke i had to wait for about 3 months (thats right MONTHS) ,and pay big bucks, for the koch people to send me another one. Then it worked for about 3 weeks and then the second one broke. don??t know if i??ll keep the amp or sell it and buy something reliable. Looks like i??m not the first one to have an transformer go (judging from other reviews) which proves that these amps where built whith less than mediocre components and it pisses me of since its supposed to be a "high quality amp".

So when the first transformer broke down i emailed Koch severall times but they where obviously to busy to answere and then a 3 month wait for a frickin transformer... COMON!!!! ( I live in Sweden by the way and it was shipped from holland)

the main features have been described. It has a good range of sounds although its not for extreme metalheads. I was concerned that it wouldn't have the volume required, but it out does the Peavey Bandit I used before in terms of volume and in terms of sound there's a world of difference

the clean channel is stunning, I use it with an American Deluxe Telecaster and an Epiphone Sheraton II I just love it. The overdrive channel has pretty much put my distotion pedals to bed, I prefer the distotion from the amp. The amp is the envy of quite a few guitarists in the rehearsal rooms where we practice

so far no problems whatsoever

no need to use it so far

Already described

Sounds awesome, true. I love the clean and OD1 channel.
EQ works great, and the bright switch is a nice feature. I put it to 0 when connecting a tele or a strat, and to + when I connect a humbucker guitar.
I LOVE IT.

Now, I'ld like to draw attention to one point: This little thing is LOUD AS HELL.
It starts to sound good if you turn volume past 8 or 9 o'clock, but at that point it's giggable loud... NOT for your room at home.
Unless you intent to connect an attenuator(highly recommended), don't even think about getting this for your bedroom.

Don't know yet, but I've heard that customer support is unbelievable so I wouldn't mind if it breaks !!! :)

Heard nothing but the best. No personal experience though

I would definitely buy it if it was stolen.
I highly recommend this amp. Though, as I said, if you plan to use it at home, save some money for a good attenuator (a weber minimass would do it).
Nice tones out of this little thing!

Three channels, reverb, Fx loop & lots of recording goodies.

I??m absolutely in love with this amp. I play strats with John Suhr v60lp pickups and callaham blocks.
-The clean channel: crystal clean. Nice breakup if you crank the volume.
-The od channel: This is the channel i use the most(Gain at 12 ?? clock). Loads of great sounds, although be aware, since this is an class A amp the tone can get fuzzy and hairy unless you roll the tone knob down a bit on your guitar and roll the volume down to 9 instead of 10(The old Jeff Beck tip). Really nice crunchy sounds!!!
-The od+ channel: I dont use this channel. I use a crunch setting on the od cahnnel and i use a Xotic BB preamp for solo boost. the original tone is lost a bit on this channel i think.

This amp takes pedals pretty well allthough i didn??t like the sound of distortion pedals through the loop. Got a little muddy.
Oh I play in a blues/funk/rock -band

No problems allthough i??ve only had it for 3 months.

Never delt with koch.

For the money, This is one of the best amps out there in my op.
I??ve been playing for about 11 years and i??m somewhat of a gearfreak, constantly trying amps and pedals out. If it were stolen i would definitly buy a new. I??ve been playing fender amps for a long time (deluxe reverb, Blues deluxe & blues junior.) and this one beats them all.