Koch Twintone 112 Combo

I been haven it a long time since I owned dis amp. Mo probably got neer 300 gigs on it. Been through a lot of crawfish and catfish festivals so I guess it wuz built about 2000 or so. We play cajun, blues and mojo. Plantly lowd for doze outdoor gigs while boiling crawfish. It got all dat in da back of da amp for hookin up to a PA. Dont need no effects loop do it got 1. Use a long neck bud bottle for effekts. Sounds really good thru an old 2 x 12 silvertone cab my paw used to play accordian. Bought it on Sears Roebuck fo I was born.

Sounds better every time I use it. Wore out da Koch el34's and put new ones in. Sounds da same to me. Footswith for when you want a little hair on it. Boudreax hollars when I step on the hair switch. Jumps up and down and shakes da floor. Mama likes it without da hair, really clean sound;n. We do a lot of old mississippee blues, muddy water, Albert, Freddie and BB too. Set all nobs at 12:00. Really kicks. Use an old 3 bolt G&L Legacy I won playing booray when I was working offshore out of Cocodrie.

Like a rock. Never done broke on me yet.

Don't know how to say KOCH. Have no idea how to reach em. No sto round here noes who thay r. Like an alien or somthen. Just a bad ass amp. My nephew sent them a picture of me and da boys at Gils Marina down south of Lafitte, pass Baratari on da west bank. We wuz tearn it up.

Been playing as long as I can tremember. Mo probably 30 years or moe. Aint no body better steel did one cause day gonna have to hide from me. Wish da plug in chord would stay plugged in all da time. it unhooks from da back of the amp. Wish it had wheels to role around. I built a cart to pull it.

two channels, reverb, built in attenuator, a nice feature set

i really like the sound of this amp.. i play mostly clean, and the clean is really nice and warm with sparkle and headroom... i love the overdriven sounds a lot too, but i prefer the gain at 12 oclock or below.. it also sounds great with a rat pedal in front of it.. i think it likes single coils very much.. i got some great sounds with my tele.. but i'm a 335 guy, and it's great with that.. you can get scofield, larry carlton type jazzy sounds.. modern rock all kinds of stuff

never had a problem, have owned it for about a year now

very nice all around gigging amp, at a good price on the used market, lots of sound from a small package (it's pretty heavy though)

This is a follow up to a previous review, and the only thing that has changed is support.

No change.

No change.

After my last review, I spent some time online trying to find out where to get replacement parts for the amp, and found that the new US distributor is AudioNova.

http://www.audionova.ca/

Here is their home page. I emailed them and a day later I got a call, no not an email, a call, and they are going to send me the replacement parts that I need for FREE. They are very concerned about my happiness with the amp, and are willing to walk me through the repair over the phone once I receive the part!

I should get what I need to repair the amp in the next day or two and it will be up and going. I don't think that they could do a better job other than having a repair facility on every corner, which isn't very realistic.

So I am changing what I wrote before to let anyone interested in this amp know, they will help you if you have a problem. You just have to know where to look. The previous problems with repair should be gone now that they are handling things, and if my experience means anything, I think they are on the right track.

Upgraded the overall to match the service.

The amp is a 1x12, half open back combo. I believe it is a 1997. I gigged with it for a few years and it has sat in my basement as my primary amp for a few more.
It has two channels, a clean and a distortion. It also has a headphone out, a direct out, a plug for a second cabinet, a solo volume boost, and reverb that is unswitched and just turned on by using a knob on the back of the amp.

The clean is a nice all purpose clean, that does well with humbuckers if you roll down the volume a knob a little bit.
It is not glassy, or really an amazing clean, but it gets the job done, and it sounds nice with a delay in the effects loop. It can sound nice without a lot of work - it hides some playing flaws at the expense of also hiding some great playing nuances.

The distortion has a very nice fuzzy sound, kind of reminiscent of STP's Core. It can't really do a raunchy sound like a rat or a big muff, it's more of a Mesa sounding distortion, without as much compression. It seems to hate single coils, but a PRS sounds pretty amazing through it, especially if you hook up a closed back extension cabinet.

The distorion is kind of hi-fi sounding - it is not vintage in the least.

Never used the headphone out.
The direct out is terrible. I don't know why they put these on here, there's really no reason to use it. If you don't mic the thing live you are going to be taking some heads off.

Here is the problem. The effects loop jack stopped working and even after cleaning it, it was dead. To replace it I had to have a jack hardwired, because the jack is surface mounted on the PCB AND it's a very strange jack that I couldn't find in the US.
A month after this, the footswitch jack broke. I took the amp in and had all the jacks replaced for about $100.
The volume POT was messed up, and they replaced that as well, but we couldn't find the right value part easily, because once again they used some odd parts. I am currently trying to find the right part because it sounds awful with the wrong one.

I emailed them and their distributers. I haven't heard back. I talked to Willcutt guitars about his (they are a distributer as well) and they called and were unable to get a response.

Nice amp, but not worth the problems. I'd rather have had something that I could get serviced here in the US without issues.

Brand new 2004 model Twintone amp by Koch. Everyone should play out of one of these amps..the search is over..After 35 years of playing and collecting every Fender, Matchless, Carr, Victoria made..finally a small combo that has the sparkle clean of a Fender Blackface with a ton more headroom and no flubby sound..and the overdrive of any boutique amp even better..

Dual inputs one designed especially for humbucker equipped guitars. This amp is dead quiet..GREAT long spring reverb very similar to a Deluxe reverb or Twin reverb in sound. Channel switching from clean to overdrive..but it doesn't stop there..built in power soak for 0, 25, or full 50 watt operation. Headphone output and effects loop round out this tone monster..Seriously, if you play any type of music from clean Jazz, to blues , to rock..this amp does it all..You must try one..I was turned on to it by a friend who found one in a pawn shop..At the time I had a mint 60's Blackface Deluxe Reverb and a Carr Rambler..I was so blown away with the Koch I sold both my other amps and bought one...Probably has the best sounding 12" speaker available in any 1-12 combo..If you need loud..this amp is it..also if you need a footswitchable rythm sound..it has it..Best clean tone I have heard yet..The tone controls are very sensitive to the slightest movements..very high fidelity tone..I have heard that Paul Reed Smith uses the Koch Amps..as well as alot of other players..There arent alot of dealers for them..but if you want to buy it and try it..I suggest Larry at Washington Music..they had the best price and they have a 24 hour return policy as well..so if you arent as impressed as I was you can return it for the price of shipping...

Built like a tank..no cabinet rattles like a Victoria does.No flubby tone of Fenders..Better value than a Carr..Quiter than a Matchless or Badcat..what else can I say...Heavy duty hand wound transformers..all tube construction..Lots of road worhty touches..

They are made in Europe so other than a promptly returned email..I choose to talk to the distributor in Canada..Audionova. Mike is in sales and Noraseng is in the tech dept..both are very polite and will spend as much time as needed to answer any questions..they are very excited about this product..with good reason..it's an exciting amp..

This is a 2003 Koch Twintone Combo rated at 50 watts. It is a 2 channel amp with a dual gain in the 2nd channel. The 1st channel has incredible headroom and does not break up which is perfect for jazz and clean styles of music. It is very responsive dynamically using 4 12ax7 preamp tubes and 2 EL 34 output tubes. The 2nd channel has everything from mild gain right thru to over the top saturated distortion and can all be controlled at any volume without losing any definition. The Twintone comes with a footswitch for changing channels along with a feature that allows you to set both a rythm and solo level for quick bumps in volume. How much of a bump is controlled by a small volume control on the back of the amp and once you set it to your taste can be left alone. Koch has not cut any corners with this amp including a long tank Accutronics reverb, effects loop, recording out which uses a filter to simulate the sound coming from the speaker, and a headphone output for silent practicing. It also has a built in powersoak that allows the user to switch the amp down to 25 watts or 0 watts for direct recording. I find the versatility and portability that this all tube amp has unequaled by any other amp. The cabinet is 12 ply birch, the pots are very smooth in tapers, and the overall look is very upscale and regal. The icing on the cake is that it is small enough to go anywhere and is powerful enough to play any gig, no matter how large or small and doesn't break your back to pick it up! I have a 1x12 matching cab that I sometimes use for larger or outdoor venues and for small intimate gigs I love the ability to switch down to 25 watts and not have to worry about blowing away the person sitting 3 feet in front of me.

I am a recording/performing professional with over 30 years experience in Jazz/Blues/R&B/African/World Styles. I prefer playing archtops whenever possible yet the Twintone sounds fantastic with any guitar and has 2 inputs with different filters for allowing more highs or lows depending on your preference. The amp has built in noise reduction and is extremely quiet even with extreme distortion settings. The best way that I can describe the overall sound is "HI-Fi". It has a very large dynamic range that is very pleasing to the ear and will make any guitarist sound that much better as a result even when the amp is turned way down.

The only issue that I have had with the amp is an issue that anyone who is seeking great tube tone will have ... replacing tubes. It is a given that any tube amp will have to have its tubes replaced periodically. I play this amp in every concievable setting every day so it gets a lot of use. an average person should only have to replace the tubes once a year or so just for preventative measures. If you do this and carry an extra set of tubes with you I don't think you would need a back up for this amp. It is built like a tank! I give this category an 8 just because I hate changing tubes just like everyone else that doesn't want to mess with anything.

The people both at Koch (www.koch-amps.com) in the Netherlands and the North America Distributor Audionova (www.audionova.ca) are fabulous to work with. I have dealt with both and they go out of there way to make sure that the customer is taken care of. You will also be able to speak to a real person, not a machine if you ever have the need for some assistance. In this day and age this is something that I personally appreciate.

A an overall amp with the sound that I am going for this amp is perfect for me. If I was more into a metal sounding amp I probably would go for the Koch Powertone which caters more to that type of sound. I love my Twintone and it goes with me everywhere that I play and record. Many sound engineers have commented on how am I getting that huge sound out of that small little amp and I tell them that is my secret weapon. Now you know so that you can go out and find one for yourself because I'm keeping mine!

All the basics are here. A clean channel that sparkles with that Fender vibe and a second channel that has that Marshall crunch. Simple easy to use control scheme. Points off for a confusing effects loop that I've not had any success with. I run a Boss GT-6 in front of the amp for delay, chorus, and wah effects (but would like to try them in the effects loop)

I've had this amp for 2 months now and have been getting used to it in the practice room and have played 4-5 gigs getting the sound dialed in. Since 1985 I've been playing through Twin Reverbs and using pedals for distortion. I've gotten tired of the bulk of the Twin and went looking for a 1x12 50 watt combo and the Twintone is awesome. The clean channel has that nice Twin Reverb sparkle and plenty of headroom (stays clean at gig volume levels). Step on the 2nd channel and the distortion is a big upgrade as compared to the pedal approach I'd been used to. All of my band members have commented favorably on the amp and it's become a joke that my 50 watt amp is the loudest amp on the stage (not literally true but everybody has been amazed at the big sound that this amp produces!).

Although a couple of months isn't really long enough to know for sure, this baby is built like a tank. HEAVY duty tolex and hardware. I am gigging without a backup and have no concerns

Have not had a reason to contact them.

I've been playing for almost 30 years and gigging off and on since the mid 80's. Over the years, my band mates have always complimented the sound I've gotten with a Twin Reverb and pedals but since the Koch has showed up I've gotten RAVES from band members. Also have found myself almost getting distracted from the music because my guitar tone was so good. If it were stolen I would absolutely buy another and am considering selling one of my Twin Reverbs (the reissue - I'm keeping the silverface)

Actually, I bought two Koch amps....one used and one new. Very lucky I found one used at the same store I bought the new one. Very simple vintage style controls layout. Very well built with quality in mind. Smaller and lighter than my old Fender Hotrod Deluxe and more power. One thing I didn't like was it comes with no cover. You must order separately which is a joke and takes forever. Also, the remote channel switcher has a fixed cord on the unit. You know that cord will go bad someday and Koch should have just used a 1/4 jack input (like Fender) on the switch box so the cord can be replaced or extended for big stages with no problem.

This is one of the best stock amps I have heard.....and I have run through many makes and models through the years. Koch has a great ear for settings of the amps tone control frequencies for a guitar. Most amps that have descent Distortion tones bite it on the Clean channel tone settings. I am amazed how good this amps distortion sounds at low volume levels. Most amps mush out at low distortion levels but not these! This amp sounds great loud or soft! Doesn't compress the tone at loud volumes like a Boogie Amp. Much to my surprise, the special design Jensen 12" speaker compliments the amp extremely well. You can get very nice Fender blues sounds from this amp although it favours the vintage marshall sounds....very tight and punchy with nice low end. The distortion-gain control ranges from blues grit to heavy metal. Very easy to dial in the sound you want. Channel switching has no pops.

One amps distortion channel went out. I have had it fixed (cracked pre-amp tube). I think shipping those amps to US might be hard on them. Other than that both amps working fine with no problems. Knock on wood.

Ok, here's where I have problems. When I got my new amp, the distortion channel stopped working at a gig(wonderful) We(me and my music store rep)phoned EDEN(which handles Koch warranty) and some idiot rep told us that there was no way it could be a pre-amp tube....it had to be a loose wire inside the amp. So, when I got the amp back I was charged $100 for a cracked pre-amp tube!! DOH!! Many attempts to contact EDEN failed as they are being bought out by another company! Oh, well! Also, I have been trying for months to get covers for my amps. Koch did answer my emails though and told me I would be referred to another distributor which never happened so far. So, I am still trying!

These amps are expensive but you get what you pay for. Also,they are built in the Netherlands! Very good sounding stock amp! You really need to check these amps out if you can! They are not easy to find and I am thankful my local music store carries them. Go Koch!!

Perfect! Sweet and simple. One clean channel with volume, bass, mid and treble...one overdrive channel with the same configuration but add presence and gain. Reverb in the back...headphone jack...built in powersoak...f/x loop...recording jack...lightweight. This amp is pure tube simplification

Nice Fender clean. Overdrive is sweet. Harmonics jump through my PRS and out this amp!

So far not a glitch. Tubes holding up well. This amp sings!

This company is out of the Netherlands. I hope I never have to drop it off at their shop

I've been playing professionally in the Baltimore/Washington DC area for 15 years. I own 2 Boogie Mark IV's and various other Fenders and Peaveys. I use PRS guitars (one bolt-on, one signature series and one hollowbody) This is the amp I will judge all others against. The Twintone may be a little on the weaker side volume wise for some applications but it works fine for me. Plus that's probably why they built the Multitone.