Music Man 112RD Sixty-Five

It's been so long ago, i can't remember for sure, but i'd say i bought it around mid 70's. My brother and I were dealers when these babies first came out and i bought one of the first ones in the store. Versatility is not necessarily the 'name of the game', because tones are so variable that 'one amp really can't fit all'. That being said, I've used the amp since I bought it in top 40 bands, a horn-backed rock band and various local musicals and it has performed flawlessly. I'm pretty much a rocker in this area, and mostly use it for rock things. I HAVE used it for jazz (with a replacement 12... mine is an EVM 12L) and is supposed to be a good country amp (but I'm no country player so I really wouldn't know). This is really a ONE channel amp with 2 sets of gain controls. You channel switch between one set of pre/post gains and the other. Mine has 2 el34 power tubes. These are similar, but not the same as 6l6's and break up a bit easier and have a rounder tone to my ears. There is ONE set of Tone controls ... the typical bass, middle, treble and 2 switches... bright and deep. I don't use either of the switches. I think the bright is too bright and the deep is too deep, but those are MY ears. Your mileage may vary. These have an effects loop built in (something rare back then) which I have never used. There is no headphone jack. It has a set of 2 switches on the front... ON / OFF which is obvious and another switch that allows you to change the plate gain or put the amp in STANDBY. Essentially, in one position you are driving the tubes at full power and in the other you are halving the power to them. What you get is 65 Watts RMS in one setting and something like 30 or so in the other. I have never run mine at high gain; i've always run it at low. This has a couple of benefits -- it increases tube life pretty dramatically (I play regularly and have not need to replace the tubes in YEARS... believe me, if they went bad, they'd go) and increases distortion in a pleasant way. There is a speaker out w/ ohmage switch on the back to use with a cabinet. In one of my musical iterations, i used a Legend 212 Celestion Sealed back cabinet. Lots of nice chunk with that setup. This is a hybrid tube amp, so it's not one of those all tube things or those all solid state. it has some of the best of both.

My main guitar is a custom stratocaster with Bill Lawrence L-250's, active tones and a gain-boost pre-amp. Secondary instruments include a Gibson ES-347, a highly customized Hagstrom Viking VI w/ Bill Lawrence L-550's and a custom acoustic electric with a Seymour Duncan something or other in the bridge and a Gibson P-90 in the neck. All guitars sound just fine with it. i'm not a big pedal user, but the main axe is phantom powered by a computer-grade power supply that also drives a vintage MXR Dynacomp (an early one) and a Phase 100. They are custom built into a pedal box that sits on the floor. I don't use any other effects, although i have your various little stomp boxes and fuzz boxes, a POD and some other odds and ends that i don't take the time to wire up because i won't use them very much. I came from this amp from a 1964 pre-CBS blackface Fender Deluxe amp, so when I got this amp, THAT was the tone i was looking for... except in a 'channel-switcher'. Again, to my ears, that is the sound this amp delivers. In the over-drive channel, it is a bit hissy. this is pretty much to be expected. it is not overly so because i don't play all that loud (I mic into the PA)

YUP, it's dependable. I've had it since new. it has NEVER (that is: NEVER) been in the shop for any reason, whatsoever. Although i have a back up with the Fender, i've used this amp for years and never had a problem with it.

We were dealers. Back when music man was in business, they were great to work with. of course, now, there's really no such animal, so except for el Sr. Ernesto Palla, Music Man as we knew it, doesn't exist. This is a very straightforward amp. Service should be done by a tech who knows tube amps, but otherwise, schematics are readily available. Warranty at the time of NEW was a year.

Been doing this since i was 14 and that was a LONG time ago. I'm also a keyboard player, but won't list my keys here. Would I replace it? yes, probably with another music man or a mesa boogie or similar. I'm no metal head so i'm really looking for the 'mod' fender tone and both of these have that. Not much to hate. I don't really LOVE inanimate objects, but i do LIKE it a lot. As a dealer i did compare to others (and that included Marshall, Yorkville, Ampeg, Randall, Peavey and Fender. For what I DO, this was the right amp for me.

I'm guessing the amp was made around '79, but I don't know a way to be certain. This amp is not overly versatile, but it works for me. The clean sound is very nice, and will break up slightly if the gain is cranked, producing a nice sparkly tone. It has two channels, clean and distorted. The preamp is solid state, so the gain on the distorted channel is too much for my taste if turned all the way up, but it sounds great with a Les Paul if set around 6-8. The channels and spring reverb (which is very nice, by the way) are footswitchable - that's actually the only way to switch them. The effects loop is helpful, and not something you'd normally find on an amp from the 70's. Sometimes I even run a Boss GT-8 directly into the effects loop return, to utilize that tube output stage with the 6L6s to warm up the digital gear. I use this amp for gigging and recording - it's my main amp - and it has plenty of power for me.

I love the clean sound this amp has, as well as some nice breakup and some rockin' distortion. One thing I would complain about in the sound is that mine is a little noisy (hiss, mostly) at times, especially on the distorted channel with the gain cranked. I mainly use a vintage Strat with it, but also a Les Paul at times, as well as a homemade slide guitar with P90s, and all sound great.

I use this amp on every gig, on a weekly-or-more basis, and never carry a backup. It's very reliable, and I've never had any problems out of it.

Haha - customer support - that's a good one. They're not in business anymore.

I've been playing for almost 8 years. The analog pedalboard I use with this amp includes a Boss Mega Distortion, a Tubescreamer reissue, a flanger, a Crybaby, and a nice compressor, and I use these disto boxes a good bit with this amp.
If this amp were stolen or lost, I think I would go with a Fender SuperSonic or something like that, but I'm really not sure. I love its reliability and great sound, but I do hate how heavy it is! I did install a casters that pop right in the bottom, so that helps inside. I guess I wish it had tube overdrive at times, but then again, the sound is kinda unique.

I have no idea what year this was made. 1978 - 1980s?? Well as mentioned below, it's a 65 watts 2-channel solid state/tube hybrid that to me does sound almost like an all-tube amp. Gain and volume for both channels, and a global treble-mid-bass Eq and reverb, foot switch for channels and reverb. Has one 12" speaker, main is still a Musicman stock speaker, and I should think about replacing it.

This amp is so awesome. I bought it with the intentions of getting that Twin sound for cheap. I'm pretty sure it does not sound like a twin at all, but it does feel like I'm playing through one or something like it. The clean tone is super creamy, it's loud as hell, the EQs are nice, and the reverb is excellent. The distortion sound is underrated I think. It is very dirty with a fuzzy quality to it when cranked all the way up. The max I've been able to push it is with a strat with a humbucker and going through a Radial Loopbone with clean boost of 15db. It sounds super. I do feel I could possibly improve on the sound if I replace the speaker, maybe a Celestion. I also play a Jazzmaster through it, and it sounds super clean; that combo was meant to be.

Running effects through it also sounds good. I noticed that I do need to run distortion pedals that have lots of balls or EQ control to do it justice; a Big Muff and a Radial Hot British sound superb. But my Boss SD-1 sounds a bit weak and so did a reissue Tube Screamer and a Vox Distortion Booster. I think I just need to mod the SD-1.

I think I can depend on it, I've only had it for a year.

I love it and I would buy it again, maybe a 212 if I had the chance.
Anything I wish it had? Tremolo or vibrato...

I don't know which year it was made,2 EL34 power tubes,solid state preamp,deep and bright switches(the bright switch is quite useless but the deep switch is kinda nice).
2 channels non switchable,i use only one channel and get my overdrive with pedals.
Not too many features but quite enough for me.

I use a Fender american special Toronado(the best guitar ever!!!)
The sound of this amp is AMAZING!!!,it has that crystal clean sound i was looking for.this amp sounds like it's all tube,seriously,everyone who hears it thinks that it's an all tube amp.The built-in distortion sucks,but i didn't buy this amp for its distortion and you shouldn't either,i get my distortion from pedals.
i play all kinds of rock,and it has exactly the sound i was looking for.produces no noises.i LOVE the sound.

this amp is very old probably 20+ years old,and it works great.
because of it's solid-state preamp,this amp is very reliable.
Had some "cooking" like noises when i bought it,but all my Tech did was cleaning everything from the inside and it disappeared.

MusicMan don't make amps anymore,but i'm going to my Tech anyway and he works it just fine

I love this amp,it's perfect for me and for my style.sounds as good and even better from other expensive all-tube amps that i've heard.
If you find one BUY IT,you won't regret it,it's the best amp for the price that you can find,sounds much better than any other hybrid amp.
This one is a keeper,i love everything about it,will play for years to come i believe.

2 6L6 tubes (Even though it says to use EL34s!?!?!) and a 12AX7C pre-amp tube. It has Reverb and Tremelo, both of which sound extremely natural, as well as a bright switch and a deep switch. I'm not sure what the deep switch does, but the bright switch is pretty useles. No effects loop, YES! 2 seperate channels, non-switchable. Channel one doesn't have pre volume, reverb, or tremelo, OR a mid EQ control(?). Not too many features, but I use effects for most of the tonal coloring anyway.

OH MY CLEANLY GOODNESS. I always leave my post volume around 7 - 8, or even 9 - 10 to keep the 6L6 running at their peak performance. The weak point of the amplifier is definately the single pre-amp tube. Don't expect that creamy smooth tube overdrive here, cause it sounds kinda weak and floppy, like a beat up crate amp or something. You shouldn't buy this amp for the overdrive anyway, as I never would. I get my overdrive and distortion from my effects chain. Long story short, Very warm tone, just stay away from the bright switch. I'd describe it as vintagey, only because it sounds so farmiliar, yet not to anything I've ever owned/played.

This amp has never done anything strange since I got it in June (Now October). It has two 6L6s instead of the EL34s it suggests. My best bet was that it was rebiased at some point, but I still need to take it to the local shop to find out exactly what the deal is. Regardless, it seems to have been running on these tubes for years, and it sounds great. Don't fix what ain't broke, I guess.

HAHAHAH!!! Music Man hasn't made amps for over a decade I'm pretty sure. This amp was estimated at 77 or 78, haven't found out yet. No reason to try and fix it though.

I have been playing for 3 years now (but don't judge me on that, I know my shit). I run a Music Man Sillhouette Special - (effects chain doens't matter I guess) - Music Man 112 65(RD?). I can't say I know for sure if the is an RD or not, but the 6L6s seemed to be the deciding factor. If you find one of these amps, I'd strongly suggest buying it. It is the strongest base for tone I have ever had, I love every minute of playing on this amp. Notes seem to seperate themselves, evey attack is distinguished and unique of the next. Warm, colorful tone are the words I'd choose to describe it. If you can afford shipping (Or if you don't need to) pick up one of these ASAP

It was made in 1980 (says in the cabinet). It has two channels the other distorted and the other clean. The channels and reverb are switched by a footswitch. Shared eq for two channels. Deep and bright switches which add some more versatility. Two effects loops (high and low level). Quite loud and needs to be played loud to get the best sound. SS preamp and two 6L6s / 5881s in the poweramp. The power amp can be used alone if wanted with high level fx loop return.

Well, the distortion is not really brutal by itself. It does get better the louder it gets, but to play heavy rock you are going to need a distortion pedal. With a stomp box, an external cab and the deep switch on with an ear piercing volume you can really have a ballsy heavy metal tone, but that is not what this amp is really about. It is more about clean tones which I find really good. Clear and loud. Suits for both humbucking and single coil pick-ups (don't know about high output active humbuckers, though). The shared EQ makes you do compromises between the dist. and clean channels on a live situation.
The amp fits to my styles (rock, blues, funk) but I have to use pedals.
It is not noisy.

A very reliable amp, I would say. I've had for four years and haven't even had to replace the tubes (Sovtek 5881). Not even a fuse has blown.
I've gigged it many times without a backup amp and haven't had problems, even though the amp is over 23 years old!

The Music Man company is gone a long time ago. I bought this amp used and didn't therefore except any customer support. But the present owner (Ernie Ball) has the schematics in it's web site. Another cool web site is www.musicmanamps.com
There is lots of information and useful tips for Music Man amp owners (tube changing, biasing, maintenance...)
If my Music Man broke some day I would propably fix it myself with the help of that website.

I've been playing about 10 years and this was my first "real" amp (the ones before this were about 10 watt ss-boxes with really bad tones). If it was stolen or lost I'd propably get something else with more gain. But don't get me wrong. It still is a very good and especially reliable amp.

Original owner, bought new in 1978. Tube (2x 6L6) power amp, solid state preamp. 65 watt w/1x 12 speaker. Two channels, clean and overdrive, gain/volume per channel, shared treble/mid/bass eq, shared reverb, extension speaker out w/ohm switch, preamp out. Wish it had separate eq per channel and effects loop. It's pretty loud, but you need the PA for gigs.

Definitely has that Leo vibe. Originally played a Les Paul through it, but I think it works better with single coils. The clean is crystal, punchy, great for country. The overdrive really does sound good for blues and some classic rock, but get your grind elsewhere. I have one strat w/eq- scooped the mids on the neck pickup with overdrive and got "Fool For Your Stockings" dead on the album sound, straight through, no effects. Blew me away. Low noise levels, and you can get some nice musical feedback. The reverb is great but anything above 3 overwhelms. I warmed mine up just a little with some 7-rated Groove tubes.

25 years old, just two problems- same thing one other guy said, the overdrive got thin, but came back sporadically- tried to play through it, but scared the sound guy to death when it would pop back in. Also replaced a bad volume pot. I probably have a couple thousand hours on mine. I would say very dependable- if I had an OD stomp with me, I could have played through the gig on the clean channel, and the pot was just noisy- not inoperative.

Never dealt with the company or exercised the warranty- only dealt with independent repair shops on my nickel.

I think this is a great little amp, especially for working country players, or for anyone playing casually for almost any kind of music save for hard rock. It can do anything a Fender can do. Good build quality. I've been playing 30 years (I should be better)- I own a '64 Fender Deluxe, Boogie Nomad 55 and a Tubeworks/Boogie/Intellifex rack. I keep coming back to this amp cause it's just got a great balanced sound, and it's relatively light. If it were stolen I would be heartbroken, and would probably try to replace it. I also think they are undervalued and will have collector interest. After all, this was Leo's foray back in the business after he cleared his obligations to CBS.

I've had my Music Man for 7 years.
Found it in a great little guitar shop in Australia.
Shipped it to Vancouver because of how lovely it sounds.
I rarely use as much crunch as s necessary to require the use of the distortion switch - but the reverb is a beaut.

i play a les paul standard and a jackson single cone resonator and a larrive acoustic - all through the music man.
I run it through a V-Amp for the fantastic effects and get everything i want from my sixty five 112RD.
sweet as pie on the Larrivee.
And the deep tone switch with just a taste of reverb is positively yummy on the resonator.
carolyna loveless
carolyna.com

hundreds of shows -
on 4 continents -
never let me down

i have had no need of support

I have been playing for 9 years.
If it were lost or stolen i would DEFINATELY search one out.
I love everything about it EXCEPT it is as Heavy as my little brother.
I compare it - favourably - to the Vox tube amp.

My 112RP was built in 1974 and has a great JBL speaker in it. It's a great amp, but it needs a second channel.

I play a Harmony strat copy (don't laugh, it has great G&L pick ups) and a Danelecto baritone through it. It's great for playing clean, I can play loud and clean all day, but it does lack a second channel for crunch playing, which does narrow your variety. I put a rat distortion and a fuzz pedal though it, and the tone takes a dive. But I try to keep it clean, with maybe a little dirt.

It failed me once on stage, the reverb started producing a really thin distortion. I just kept playing hoping it would go away, but it stuck around until the end of the gig. When I turned it on the next day to fix it sound perfectly fine. I played rythym gtr. for two years behind a guy playing through a Marshall half stack, and I was told I had a much better tone, but that's just opinion. When you take into account all the practices and gigs I've been trough with the amp it has been a great piece of equipment.

I haven't had a lot of reason for customer support. Between the internet and the local guitar shop I have had a lot of positive feed back about it. When I replaced the pick ups two or three years ago, I was told they were the originals. I have no way of knowing for sure, but as they put it, "Wow, these tubes belong in a museum".

I can't even think about replacing my 112RP. For me anyway it's just a great amp. Plus weight of 57 pounds I get a work out too. Sometimes I feel like a walking ad for these great amps, they rock.

Just picked up this amp a few weeks ago. No idea when it was made, but on plugging in, I was immediately impressed by the power and tone of this little beast. I took it home, rather than the Fender Deluxe or Peavey 2-10 Delta Blues I could have walked out with. This amp has an incredible clean sound, and with the 2-channel gain controls, I could get any amount of crunch I could use, if I ever decided to. I play clean and straight in, no effects at all, and this amp is one of the few I've played through that can provide the sound I prefer--a crisp and full tone. It's loud enough for any club I play in, and if any more volume is ever needed, this amp would mike up nicely. Haven't tried the line out yet. The standby switch has two "on" settings: High Power and Low Power. I detect no difference in sound between the two, would like to know what the function is supposed to do. The reverb is very nice and can be set at just a tad, which I like. No tremolo, but I don't need it.

I build the guitars I play, and presently use Harmonic Design Pickups. The Z90s are killer pickups, fat single coils that drop into humbucker recesses. Great for blues. My guitars are one-offs, mostly hollow body, set neck instruments. They are high-end guitars, built for tone, and this Music Man does them justice. There's a little hiss when the volume and gain are cranked, but I never get that loud, and don't set the gain at more than 2, so the amp remains very quiet. If I was into distortion, the 112RD has a very smooth and creamy overdriven sound, not the typical obnoxious fuzz you hear all too often.

It seems to be well-built and I've had absolutely no problems with it thus far. I trust Leo's work. It's equipped with two 6550 tubes in the power section, and the solid-state preamp relieves the worry of having to replace 12AX7s. I'm a faithful tube man, but this thing has swayed me elsewhere. The amp is probably from the early eighties, and was well cared for before I got it. A couple small scuffs on the corners, a little dust in the grain of the covering, but the original grill cloth looks like it did when it left the factory, maybe a little faded, but no rips or frays.

Hey, this is a fairly old amp, bought used from a reliable music store that warrants what they sell for a reasonable time and do great repair work. I don't plan on having to have any repairs done, but they'll cover it. Just punched up the Ernie Ball / Music Man site, and the only amp they offer is a bass rig, so don't expect manufacturer support. Leo's gone, but his children remain strong.

I've been playing professionally since 1965. I've had lots of amps in the past: the 60's Japanese Echo 45-watt copy of the Bandmaster (good copy), Dual Showman, Twins, Pro Reverb, Princetons, Roland JC120 and 120A, Peavey Classic 50 212. Nowdays I play more bass than guitar, but still get on the six-string a couple nights a week. This Music Man is as good or better than any amp I've had. I'm too old for spandex or effex, and this amp does everything I ask it to. Its weight is not consistent with its size, probably due to the fact that it's loaded with an EV speaker with a HUGE magnet. May reinstall the casters. If some jerk carried it out of a club when I wasn't looking, I'd certainly track him down to get it back, and if I couldn't, I'd be looking for another Music Man 112RD.