Music Man HD-130 410 Combo

I think mine is an '75 model. It has two channels with two inputs on each channel. On the first channel there is a volume knob, a bass and a treble controller. There's no switch, so you have to change input to change channel. On the second channel there is:
Volume Treble Middle Bass Reverb Intentsity Speed Master. There's a bright/normal and a deep/normal swich as well. Beside the deep switch, there's a high/low power swich. With the volume on 8 and the master on 4 and high power level, it plays LOUD. Imagine a high master level... I like the high power level best, because the low level "shapes" the sound.. There's outputs for swiching on/off tremolo and on/off reverb. These didn't come with my amp. It's heavy, but nice. Mine has no scratches or damages. The man i bought it from used it as a keyboard amp, but that's a shame for an amp like this. Some of the technology in the amp is quite old-fashioned, but it sounds great. I miss a simple way to swich channel, or to swich high/low gain (volume).

I use this amp with a fender stratocaster and a gibson les paul studio. It sounds great, but the sound often gets dirty. I don't know if it's noise from the speakers, or if it's the tubes which has to be changed. If you play metal, you need either another amp or a good dist pedal. The overdrive in this amp doesn't blow you away in any way. If you play more soft rock and blues (like I do), it sounds excellent! The noise in the amp is from the tubes, but that's a nice sound that you would love to live with.

Never had any problems with it. It has never broken down, and I've never had problems of any kind with this amp.

I've never contacted the company.

I've played for about six years. I own a fender stratocaster and a gibson les paul studio. I love it, and it will stay with me until the day I die. There is none of these amps on internet in Norway, other than the one that I have. So if it were stolen, I would have to buy another amp. But I love it! The sound is awesome, and it is a nice decoration as well!

I beleive mine was made in 1974/75, It's the original version with the fase splitter tube, wich was replaced with a transistor in later versions. I don't think I need to list the rest of the features again, the other reviews have been pretty clear. There are no features on this amp I never use and none I would like to add. Nice and simple, this amp has it all for me. Since I got this amp I've had a lot of compliments on how well I had my sound under control.

Still can't beleive an amp can make such a difference... First time I heard it I was absolutely stunned, and instantly bought it. Even with a cheap strat replica, scaled down to 3/4, which normally sounds like a bad midi sample, this amp really, really!! rocks. The distortion is very bluesy but I mainly use it clean, with a ts-9 or even a metalzone, which doesn't sound all that metally or sharp on this bluesy amp but instead gives a round thick lead, great for solo's. But above all the amp really loves a strat and a tube screamer. Almost made for each other you get the best blues sound i've ever heard. No humming at all and still it pumps out enough decibels to kill a smal animal. I never even dared set the volume to 10.

It did brake down once. But hey it's a 30 year old tube amp and I have no idea how long it hadn't been serviced properly. I've been playing and gigging on it for over a year now without any problems and i've even accidentaly dropped it flat on it's back. I really thought I'd wrecked it but it still worked fine, thank god! The only mechanical sign of it's age are the two connectors for the footswitch, which are a bit loose but very easy to replace. My final conclusion is that any 30 year old tube amp that can run without problems for over a year deserves a 10.

The company doesn't exist anymore. Todays Musicman is a different company.

I've been playing for 5 years now. And therefor very lucky to already own this great amp, they're not very easy to come by, atleast in Holland. Before I got this amp I had a Lany, a Sound(?) and two Marshalls. Don't ever want to see them back again, that's for sure. If this amp were ever to be stolen, I'd cry for a week and then sell whatever was needed to buy another one.

THIS ALL THAT IS NEEDED.. A TS-9 OR BLUES BREAKER PEDAL ADDS TO THE SOUND, AND I DO NOT MISS AN EFFECTS LOOP... TREMELO AND REVERB ARE SUPERB..

I PLAY THEM ALL.. EVEN ACOUSTIC THRU THIS AMP BLOWS ME AWAY..I DO BLUES AND FINGERSTYLE... GREAT FOR CHET ATKINS STYLE WITH THE REVERB UP TO ABOUT 4 ON THE DIIAL..QUIET AS A MOUSE ..HAS ALL THE SOUNDS YOU NEED FOR CLEAN AND DIRTIER THAN BLUEW.. NOT METAL.. BUT A PEDAL DOES IT JUSTICE..SUPER DUPER LOUD..

A TANK

WHO CARES..

BEEN PLAYING FOR 40 YEARS..I HAVE A 63 DELUXE REVERB.. IT IS TOTALLY AWESOME.. THE MUSICMAN SOUNDS AS GOOD AND MUCH LOUDER.. AND SOUNDS BETTER AT LOW VOLUME...

This amp has 2-channels; one designed to be used as a clean channel with just a volume, trebble and bass knob. the other channel has a volume knob; trebble, middle, and bass EQ; and last but not least a reverb and tremelo. the 2-channel construction is nice, but it is a bit difficult to get a clean and dirty sound that are at roughly the same volume (so you can go from playing a background rythm to jumping up front for a solo). The reverb on the amp is great, but the tremelo is not something i use at all. Maybe if it had a footswitch control on it i would used it more, but i don't think i would use it even with a footswitch.

I'm am all about the '70s and everything from that great rock and roll era plus jam bands from the more recent decades. I play on a rickenbacker 360 with their standard hi-gain single coil pickups and an american strat with the vintage shop single coil pickups in it. I use the rickenback for rythm, and this amp is perfect for filling in all the space in a 3 piece band. When i hook up the strat and spin the knob up to about 7 i get the greatest blues rock lead sound i have ever heard. With 4 10' cones with 130 watts behind it, this amp can dish out some serious noise. No wonder clapton liked it's little brother...

Granted i haven't had this amp for very long (only about 6 months), but i have loaded it in and out of my trunk at least a couple dozen times to go to and from band practice and i know the amp just slides all around in the trunk of my car and the only real problem i've had was right after i got it home the first time, one of the wires disconnected from one of the cones so after a quick solder job all was well again! I have a small practice amp that i use for running scales and learning songs, but when i sit down to write or jam with friends or at band practice or at a show i always use it without a backup, and frankly i have only one worry, and that is that i will blow a fuse or a tube so i just bring a few with me everywhere i go and it isn't even a problem.

Overall i don't think there is a better amp you can get for a reliable amp to drag around to band practice and shows. I mean hell it's straight from the '70s and it is still rockin just as hard as it did back then around 30 years ago.

I think my amp was made in 74 or 75.As far as features go I am not picky.Usually I set the volume to 4,plug my Fab Tone in and spin the master like the "Wheel Of Fortune" until it lands on 10.I do use the reverb and the vibrato is nice but I rarely use it.The main thing about this amp is it freakin cranks.

I mainly jam through it with an American Standard Strat.Sometimes with my SG.Have no clue what type pickups they have other than singles and humbuckers.I am into alot of bluesy stuff.And heavy groove oriented stuff like Sabbath but tuned down and 5 times heavier sounding.For the style music I play,I can't say enough about the sound this amp has.I love it!

The only problem I ever had was the reverb tank went bad and I had to replace it.No big deal.We got kicked out of atleast 30 practice spots.I will explain this below,he he.Hence the amp was moved in and out of car trunks and up and down steps constantly.I even lost it going down steps one day and it did a sommersault down about 5 steps.Put it upright,plugged it in,and it worked perfectly.This amp is a tank!

As far as customer service, I never had to bother with it.About all I know is you can download schematics for it.

I have been playing for about 12 years.I have never taken one lesson.And I think that is why people tell me I have my own style of playing.If it were lost or stolen I would definetly try to find another one.I love the power of this amp and the sound I can get out of it.If I ever run across a MM 4/12 cab,I will pick it up in a heartbeat.Here is a little story.When I was a teenager I was in a band that had the loudest drummer I have ever seen,even to this day.I had to crank my amp to 10 to hear myself.We got kicked out of so many practice spots in so many neighborhoods the cops knew us by our firstnames.It got so bad,we pitched in and rented a generator and went out to the boonies to this big feild just to jam.We jammed all night until about 9AM.At one point,it started to rain so we stuck our amps in the trunks of our cars with the trunk lids left open.We just kept jamming through the rain we didn't even care.I love this amp.This amp has given me many fond memories.

i'm not sure of the actualy year, but i've been told it's somewhere between '73 and '75, either way it's a great amp. it's not full of a hundred pointless wanky features like so many newer amps, it's got what's needed...plus a master volume, which really is nice. the 130 watts it puts out go up against anything i've ever plyed with...the other guitar in my band right now even uses a earlier 5150, and it goes up against that real well...they really compliment eachother.

this thing is made for the sound.
i use a '72 sg with mini humbuckers in it(well, one mini one firebird pickup) and i might as well get the two married. no better sound i've ever had...i sometimes run a ts-9 with the distortion all the way down and the tone all the way up, to get even more highs. that's what this thing is great for. i play alot of jagged, screechy guitar and this amp kills for that...i'm sure it's great for blues, rock coountry, whatever...but let me tell you, it's amazing for clean, angular loud art rock. yeah, i said art rock.

i do depend on it...i have it don't i?
it's broken down twice...once, right after i bought it, due to the output transformer blowing. got that repaired and it was fine. a year later one of the tubes got cracked due to a less than respectful practice space roomate's tampering...but i guess that's not the amp's fault. yeah, this thing is reliable. it gets thrown around, stood on at shows, dropped off stages, and even douesed with blood...and it still keeps up

yeah, just try and get them to warranty something.
having said that...it's an amp...people know how to fix them...deal with it.

i've been playing this amp for about 3 years now and have never even thought about getting anythign else. if it were to go missing i'd seek out another one right away. and as for all the super reverb comparisons...let's get more creative guys...just because it has the same dimensions and appearance doesn't mean it's the same damn amp...i had a '65 super reverb for awhile, now i have this...there's a reason. this amp is louder, has better tone, isn't a relic for a museum and is far closer sounding to earlier sunn amps in my book. turn the bass low, the highs to 10, flip the bright switch on and go.

Hummmmm very much like a Fender Super Reverb...with a Master Volume. No effects loop. Half Power switch. Bright and Deep switch on the Main Channel. Very versatile amp for Country, Blues, R&B, Jazz,Rock music....things you need a tone for. Any tone you would favor a Fender amp for it seems to do just as well plus you can drive it to achive breakup/ distortion at lower volumes due to the half power switch and the Master Volume. The Reverb and Tremolo is as just like what you get on the typical Fender type amp. Very useable. I used this amp as my main/only amp from 75' to some where around 87' or 88'.When I bought the amp in GLendale Az. I was told by the salesman that it was delivered by Leo Fender in person. I know a guy that bought a HD130-1 15 in Houston about the same time I bought mine and he was told the same story. I can't say if it's true or not I don't know but it is part of the amps history.

Back with this was my main amp I used Strats and Tele's almost exclusively. Used Fuzz Faces, Uni-Vibes, Vox Wahs, Systech Flangers, Mu-Tron III's, Memeory Mans and other things I can't remeber at the moment. Sometimes I think that Leo Fender was trying to get the best of both world in these amps. The sparkle clean of a Fender and the growl of a Marshall. I many ways he successed. With the Master on 10 you can adjust the channel volume to taste and the amp would stay pretty clean up to rather high volumes. You other old timers out there well remember with a amp was judged by how "CLEAN" is was. In that reguard the "Man" was a front runner. When you did the opposite with the Master Down around 3 to 5 and the Channel Volume on 10 you get a real nice tube overdrive. Even more so if you flick the power to half. At the moment I have replaced the 4 10" Jesens with some Kendricks and they seem to break up much faster then the Jensens did. When I bought this amp in 75' I compared it with Silver Face Twins and 100 watt Marshalls. This amp was a compromise. It flat out smoked the Twin and the Marshall only sounded better when it was turned up to 7 or above. At the time I didn't have anywhere to turn up the Marshall that loud so I went with the Music Man. Never really regretted it either. When driven hard the tube distortion is very Marshall like due to the 4 6CA7/EL34's in the power section of the "Man". This is also one of the early models with the one 12AX7 phase inverter tube. This I think is the secret of the amps warm tone. Even though it has a solid state preamp it goes thru this one 12AX7 before hitting the tube power section and it makes all the difference in the world. There is no brittle solid state sound in this amp at all. This isn't a Metal amp! But if you want to goose it with a pedal it well probably do. But them 10's ain't gonna like that Drop-D stuff for very long.

The "Man" is enjoying it's semi retirement and has been replaced by Boogies, Marshalls, Line6's and now a Soldano Decatone and 4X12 Marshall cab. I like the Decatone cause (something don't change) it stays clean up to 11. I still play mostly Strats like in the 70's but also use a Les Paul Standard and a PRS Custom 22. For the most part I have weenied myself of all digitial gear and use as many Fulltone or old analog stomp boxs I see fit for a gig.

(Exhales)..WHere do I start. This amp has never failed on a gig in close to 15 years of giging/jammin'. But, it has failed. It burned out a high dollar output transformer in the later 70's. I was told it was a brown out caused buy not having proper power to run the amp. I figure this was due to the South Louisiana Honky Tonks I played in with the one light bulb hanging on a wire over the stage and a box fan in the window. Most of these places had one or two wall outlets (on the same beaker of course) near the stage to run the P.A. and other equipment ie..guitar amps. So that cost me about $250 bucks to replace maybe a little less but I remember it was expensive. Then one time it was blowing fuses ever time you turned on the power switch. This was caused by a burned choke coil and I was able to repair it with the help of my electronics instructor for the price of the part. Which must not have been much cause I don't remember how much it was. Besides that I have blown a few speakers now and then in it. I would just get them reconed when that did happen. Not that often but every few years a speaker would go out. I came on a set of 4 Kendricks 10's new in the box for $150 bucks a few years ago and I put those in it. Besides that I have had no trouble with the "Man" at all. It really got beat to hell in the 80's due to a ton of gigs and not the ahhh humm best packing technics by our roadies. The tolex was coming off in places and the grill had a big stain down the middle from where I spilled gin & juice down it one night. The slip cover got left in one of those Honky Tonks a long time ago. One day I got new grill cloth and some new tolex and spend a day stripping and recovering it. I put new corners on it and new knobs. I retouched the big MM name plate by hand with a Silver and Black paint pins. Now it looks just like the day I bought it. A year are to ago I forgot to close the lift door on my Explorer and it fell out in to a parking lot. I picked it up and when i got home I noticed one of the new corners on the top had a big dent in it. Opps fell on it's Head! Plugged it in and it worked fine...You can't stop the "Man". Now it spends it old age on a shelve in my garage...plugged in so I can walk up to it and play it anytime. Ever Blue Moon I take it to a jam or a gig. It still sounds fine and I would use it any night with out question. I have changed the tubes a bunch of times...Remember back in the day we never did that unless one was bad. It has some skinny Mesa Boogie EL34's in it at the moment. I'd like to get some NOS Silvania or Mullard 6CA7's fat bottles like it came with one day but since I don't really gig with it anymore I can't justifiy the cost. But i know it would sound even better. I know where the bais should be set on it and can make that adjustment to it when ever I feel like opening it up.

Music Man amps are a time of the pass but you can get a schematic on the Music Man guitar website if you need one. I hate to give them a 1 just cause they don't make them any more and they sold there stock to Howard Dumble so he could build his amps with there parts. Hummm how about a 5 OK.

This is one of those great sleeper amps. It may not have as many feature and the modern amps of today but it is still a "Great Amp" for the TONES is can generate. If you don't know or don't remember Eric Clapton used these amps for most of the 70's and early 80's. He sort of diss's them now but if he didn't like them why did he use them for so long? Or did he have to wait for some boutique amp builder or the Fender custom shop to build some thing better? These amps where used by Lowell George and Paul Barre of Little Feat and those guys in Heart. Lot's of people used them. Johnny WInter still uses 2 Music Man HD130 4X10's to this day. This old amp is like a old friend when ever I plugg in to it I sound like ME! It took a long time to replace it. I could go on and on about this amp but I won't bore you anylonger. If it could talk the stories it could tell. It well never be sold or traded. You can find Music Mans for bargains prices if you look around for them. Try one out you maybe surprised.

I got this combo from The Starving Musician in hellish condition. The 3 remaining original speakers had moth holes, and the outside cover had paint all over it. The grille cloth was falling off, and the power cord was hanging by a single strand of wire. All the knobs were intact, and the tubes were new, so I went ahead and bought it because I don't care about looks. I played it for a couple of months in this condition, but eventually replaced the power cord, and turned the combo into a head. Its much lighter now and easier to carry. I now use it to drive 2 closed-back 2X10 cabs. It has 2 speaker outputs, in Series, with a switch to change from an 8ohm load to a 4ohm load which is really nice for me because I can run one or both of my cabs with a flip of this switch. I also like the Hi/Lo switch because you can run either 2 tubes at 60W or all 4 at 130W depending on your situation. The original combo was open-backed, but the head also sounds awesome driving my closed back cabs, but I will talk about this in the next section.

I play a 1982 Les Paul Custom, and my effects rack only consists of a Keeley Modded TS-9. It's a basic setup, but the best for what I do in my opinion. Dialing in the correct settings on the amp results in a killer rock-n-roll / bluesy sound. Crisp and powerful. Turning the bass knob above 4 or so, and running the amp on full power can transform the sound into a dark and thick one. I play in a rock band, and this amp is great for it. Almost all the bands in my area play Marshall amps, and the Music Man sound is refreshingly unique. I don't know if anyone but a guitar player would notice this fact, but at least a feel pround playing something different- and better.

I have never changed the tubes, mostly because I am broke and lazy. The amp has fallen over, been on many bumpy car rides, and left on overnight. The sound is still smooth though. I try and let the tubes warm up before playing, and cool down before cutting the power, so maybe this habit has helped the sound stay consistent for the past 3 years, but I would never think of bringing a backup. This amp is too stable.

Its pretty obvious that I like this amp. Ive played for 6 years so I am starting to develop an ear for good tone, and this amp never disappoints. This amp will not be stolen, it will have to be pried from my cold dead hands! hahah.

I AM A "MEAT & POTATOES" KIND OF GUY. VOLUME,TONE, REVERB AND TREMELO. THAT IS ALL I EVER USE SO THAT IS WHY I RATE THIS AMP SOMEWHAT HIGH IN THIS CATAGORY.I HAVE FOUND OVER THE YEARS OF PLAYING THAT SIMPLE IS BETTER! KEEP THINGS SIMPLE SO YOU CAN DEVELOPE A GOOD SOLID TECHNIQUE IS THE KEY TO GOOD TONE.THERE ARE NO EFFECTS LOOPS NOR IS THERE A 10 BUTTON FOOTSWITCH TO TAP DANCE WITH.IT IS JUST A FAIRLY SIMPLE MACHINE.

I HAVE PLAYED JUST ABOUT EVERY KIND OF MUSIC IMAGINABLE.BLUES AND COUNTRY ARE MY FAVORITE.I LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF CLASSIC/SOUTHERN ROCK THROWN AROUND TOO! I HAVE OWNED AMPS FROM THE LIKES OF MARSHALL,FENDER,AMPEG,MESA/BOOGIE,PEAVEY,SOLDANO,BUDDA,BEDROCK,CRATE,
LANEY,SOVTEK AND A FEW OTHERS.THIS IS MY FIRST MUSIC MAN AMP AND I LOVE IT!I TEND TO LIKE A GOOD CLEAN "FENDERY" TYPE SOUND AS WELL AS A NICE GROWLING "MARSHALL" OVERDRIVE.MY MUSIC MAN FITS THESE SHOES NICELY.MY AMP IS AN HD130 4X10 COMBO THEREFOR IT IS A TAD ON THE HEAVY SIDE TO CARRY BUT THE SOUND OF FOUR 10" ALNICO'S IS WONDERFULLY FAT AND RICH.ALL OF THE CONTROLS ARE SMOOTH AND RESPONSIVE AND THE AMP CAN BE SET VERY CLEAN AND "JANGLY" OR FAT AND OVERDRIVEN.THE PRE-AMP GAIN AND MASTER VOLUME CONTROLS WORK WELL TOGETHER.THE REVERB IS FULL AND THE TREMELO SOUNDS FINE TO MY EARS.AT FIRST I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT THE IDEA OF A SOLID STATE PRE-AMP DID NOT APPEAL TO ME BUT I FIGURED IT HAS 4 EL34'S SO IT MUST SOUND HALF WAY DECENT...RIGHT?
I WAS TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY WHEN I PLAYED IT! I PLAY TELECASTERS EXCLUSIVELY AND I FOUND MYSELF PLAYING THIS THING IN THE MUSIC STORE FOR OVER AN HOUR AND I HAD TO HAVE IT!

I ASSUME IT WILL LAST WELL INTO THE FUTURE.I PULLED OUT THE CHASSIS WHEN I GOT IT HOME AND EVERYTHING IS "OVERBUILT". HUGE TRANSFORMER,SOLID METAL POTS,HEAVY GUAGE WIRING THROUGHOUT,THE SOLID STATE SECTION OF THE AMP IS "MIL-SPEC" NOT THE CHEAP PRINTED CURCUIT BOARDS YOU SEE IN TODAY'S AMPS.IT'S INSIDES RESEMBLE A NICE PIECE OF OLDER MILITARY TYPE ELECTRONICS ONE WOULD FIND IN THE 1970'S.THIS AMP IS VERY WELL BUILT AND NEATLY ARRANGED.

THESE AMPLIFIERS ARE NO LONGER IN PRODUCTION,HOWEVER I WAS ABLE TO GO TO THE ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN WEBSITE AND DOWNLOAD A SCHEMATIC AND A 1976 PRODUCT LIST/CATALOG! MY HAT GOES OFF TO ERNIE BALL FOR PROVIDING THIS INFORMATION!

OVERALL, I THINK I FOUND A REAL DEAL HERE! THE AMP SOUNDS GREAT AND IT IS VERY WELL BUILT.MY AMP IS IN A 9+ CONDITION COSMETICALLY AND IS IS PERFECT WORKING ORDER.I HAVE SPENT SEVERAL HOURS PLAYING IT AND I AM NOW IN SEARCH OF A SMALLER VERSION (1X12 COMBO)IN THE 50WATT RANGE.
I WILL USE THE SMALLER AMP AT VENUES WHERE MY 4X10 IS A BIT TOO MUCH. THIS AMP WILL REMAIN WITH ME ALWAYS.IF THERE IS ANYONE OUT THERE WHO WANTS TO SHARE/SWAP EXPERIENCES WITH ME ON THESE WONDERFUL OLD AMPS PLEASE BY ALL MEANS E-MAIL ME.

To the best of my knowledge, this baby was made in 1978. I can honestly say this is definitely one of the most versitale amps I have owned. Whether you are rock n' roll, metal, country, jazz, this amp will do the job. The amps main features are two channels, two volumes, bass, mid, treble, reverb, tremelo, intensity. It is equipped with heavy duty Alnico 10" speakers with 2" voice coils. It also has 130 Watts of POWER ! It also has 4 6CA7 tubes.

The main guitar I use with it is a 1980 Les Paul Deluxe. My style of guitar is very versatile but lately it has been rock and hard rock. This amp definitely suits my needs. For such a powerful amp it is surprisingly quiet. The clean sounds are very pleasing to the ear, deep and full and does not intefere with the guitar's natural sound qualities, it only enhances them. The distortion is brutal and delicious to the ear. Once playing through it, you will be hooked.

I can't imagine a more reliable piece of equipment. I don't mean for this review to sound glowing but it is because the amp is just that good. They are built like a tank and I have never seen it fail at a gig. The amp did have heavy neglect over four years though. It was stored uncovered in an old 63 Chevy parked outside. The rain and moisture and mildew all went in and took its toll on the amp and the car. All I really had to replace was some Caps and the speakers (Sunlight is also brutal for the speakers). Right now she sounds great as she did when I purchased it way back in 1982. I will never part with it.

I have been playing since 1980. I have a little Fender Princeton that I use for home practice but I use the 410 Combo for eveything else. If I can say I truly love some piece of equipment I have this would be it. I really want to get another one but they are tough to come by.