Penn Instrument Company 2-Tone 112 Combo

I just can't help but give a 10 in this category. Although this amp may not be the most feature-loaded amp out there, Bill Penn will work with you and incorporate almost any design aspect you desire, custom building the perfect amp for you. This 2-Tone is a 1x12 open back combo (with very cool two-toned tolex!). It is a one channel amp with footswitcheable Reverb and Vibrato. It has controls for Volume, Master, Bass, Treble, Reverb, Vibrato speeed, and Vibrato depth. A pair of NOS 6v6s power it for 20 watts, which are nicely complimented by a Weber Ferromax speaker. With this speaker, the amp is extremely light, weighing in at only 36 lbs! Very transportable. All top quality components are used throughout, such as Mercury Magnetetics transformers. More details can be found on the website.

Simply stated, the best, most dynamic clean tone that I have ever heard. Granted, this amp may not be for everyone. If you're looking for high gain Marshall crunch, look elsewhere. But if you want a rich, sparkling clean tone for pop, rock, blues, jazz, or rockabilly, this amp is a real winner. The Weber Ferromax speaker, while not being suited for high gain amps, is a perfect match for this combo. It allows an almost acoustic-like pick attack and lets every subtlety of your playing be heard. And the 6V6 tubes, renown for their clean tone, really create a warmth and bounciness that makes the amp a joy to play. The reverb is spacial and smooth, and the vibratto is warm and can be really heavy with the depth controlled turned up. My only (tiny) complaint about this amp is that, while it is dead silent with no effects, it can get a little hissy with both reverb and vibrato turned up. Hardly worth mentioning, though, because that much reverb and vibrato is way too much for most players. An all around amazing sounding amp.

Bill Penn stands behind his products. They are built using top-quality components and point-to-point wired by hand, creating extremely reliable amps. Even in the unlikely scenario that a problem does arise, Bill will take the time to fix it immediately, giving as much of his own time as necessary.

Not only does Bill offer a very comprehensive warranty (see website), but all his customers are like family. Since he only builds a max of about 50 amps per year, he can take the time to keep in contact with all of his customers. What's more, Bill is a very knowledgeable guy who loves talking about various aspects of amp construction. Give him a call some time and ask him about his amps! Maybe it'll make you want to become a customer.

Last summer, I went through an exaustive search for the perfect guitar amp. I was very lucky. Not only did I find the perfect amp for me, my Penn CHSW, but I discovered Penn Instrument Company. Each and every one of their amps is custom crafted to be a unique product with superior tone and flexibility. The 2-Tone, in particular, is an example of an amp designed to attain the best clean guitar tone possible... and it succeeds completely. I highly recommend Penn Instrument Company to any others who are on the quest for their perfect tone.