Mojave Ampworks Sidewinder 212 Combo

One of the things I like about the Sidewinder is its relative simplicity. I've owned amps that had so many dials, switches, push-pull pots and other bells and whistles that it took forever to dial in sounds I wanted. The Sidewinder's main panel has the usual power and standby switches, four chicken-head knobs, a mid-range cut-emphasis switch, and that's it. The chicken-head knobs are power dampening, which varies the amp's output from three to 30 watts of Class A Power; volume knobs for the treble and bass channels and an overall tone knob. See the Mojave site for a detailed, technical explanation of how they all work together to shape tone and volume. As a user, I can say that the results are great. I've only had the amp a few weeks, but I've found it to be user friendly with incredible tones. It has low and high frequency inputs. The low input produces better clean tones with more headroom. The high input is louder with more gain. It doesn't have channel switching, but you can mix the channels by adjusting the volume of each. I've been hooked on channel switching forever, but with this amp I don't miss it. I play classic rock and some blues, an ecletic mix from the British Invasion groups of the '60s to ZZ Top. This amp works for all of it. I'm giving it a nine rather than a 10 for features because it doesn't have channel switching or reverb, which would be nice. But it sounds so good I honestly don't miss them.

I have six guitars, from a Gretsch and a Tele to the two I'm using most these days - an Epiphone Casino and a Cort M-1200. (Don't laugh; I'm using the Cort to replace a Fender Robben Ford signature guitar I sold, and I like the Cort better.) The Cort has Duncan JB pickups, the Casino P-90s. The Casino has a warmer tone with this amp, the Cort a brighter, ballsier sound more like a Les Paul. My group plays primarily classic rock, and the tones of this amp shine on every song. Victor at Mojave voiced it like a Vox AC-30 without top boost, but it's more versatile than an AC-30. It gets those elusive Beatles tones to the bone. Twist the knobs a bit and you've got the Kinks and Rolling Stones. A bit more tweaking with the inputs, channel volumes and the mid switch, and you're into Tom Petty, ZZ Top or Marshall territory. I may do an addition to this review when I've had it longer because I still haven't discovered all of its tones.
The amp is very quiet. I get some hum with the Casino, but that's the P-90s. With the other guitars, it's virtually silent. I paid extra to get the Celesion G-12 blue annico speakers, and it was worth it. The clean sounds are amazing and don't break up at all at high volumes unless I set the amp to make them break up. The distortion isn't brutal; if you're a metal player, this isn't the amp for you. But it will do about everything else. I have a Barber Direct Drive I took to the first gig in case I needed more punch and didn't touch it all night. I haven't done an outdoor gig or one in a huge room with hundreds of people yet, so I don't know yet whether it has enough power for those kinds of gigs, but if not I'll mic it. I have to say that this amp has the sweetetst tones I've ever had, and I've owned a ton of amps. It brings a new high even to something as simple as strumming chords. The first time I played a major 7th through it, I just turned around and stared at it. The tone was so deep and had so many rich overtones that it sounded almost like it was coming through a Leslie. I've been looking for the holy grail of amps for more years than I want to think about, and for what I play, this may be it.

Haven't had it long enough to have problems and don't expect any. It's not only built like a tank; the quality of components and workmanship are first-rate, inside and out. It has a great warranty, and from everything I've read and heard about Mojave I won't need to use it.

Victor Mason has answered every e-mail and every call, both from me and three of my friends who have bought other Mojave models, and he's answered every question quickly and thoroughly. When I asked about how to get a couple of tones I was looking for, he sent me a two-page, single-spaced e-mail telling me in detail how to get those sounds and more. And this was when he was swamped with orders. He's friendly, helpful and an expert on tone.

I've been playing since I was 13, and I have gray hair. I've owned Fender, HiWatt, Matchless, THD and other high-end amps, and unless this one explodes or turns out to disappoint me in some way I can't even imagine at this point, I think my search has ended. If it were lost or stolen, I'd call my insurance agent first. Then I'd call Mojave to order another one.