Sano 160 112 Combo

i think mine here is from the sixties. it is a crazy old amp a 1X12 with a huge oversized cabinet. footswitch isn't hooked up but looks intact and controls tremolo feature on amp. volume, treble, and bass. 2 inputs but one is busted. this amp has all that you need! isn't the best looking amp, but isn't the worst. has cool little atom symbol/diagram on control panel.

nice bluesy sound. for best results, set volume at 10, treble close to 10, and bass around 2 or 3. ha! make sure roommates and neighbors are not home/don't care. sound is a little dark, but this amp has a high wattage, ceramic speaker in it.

i don't know how dependable this little beauty is. wow, looks a little rickety but i think it could take a beating. but you shouldn't beat on an amp like this. hasn't acted up on me yet though.

that's a good one.

i love this thing.

Features have been covered good enough.
But folks have been too critical with their ratings. Point-to-point handwired, with a high quality cabinet, polarity reverse switch, treble and bass controls (uncommon on these oldies)with very good onboard tremelo and reverb, and yet some give it less than 9? That's nuts!!! Folks shell out more than a G or 2 for a modern boutique amp with these features! C'mon let's get real! Give this well made tonebox 9!

I'll agree with previous posters that it is a tad on the dark side, but killer focused bass, which I really like. But folks haven't been clear about how to brighten it up--simply swap in a decent ceramic speaker & it brightens & loudens up considerably.
Want more gain? Substitute a 12ax7 or 12at7 for the 12au7 and look out! If I'm doin my math right which i prolly ain't that kicks up the preamp amplification by about 2-3 times. Much more gain! Simple lesson--always try a few tweaks with different tubes and speakers.
Overall, color me impressed. Very flexible fat sounding amp. Smoky round tones, killer reverb. Great for country, alt. rock, jazz, blues, and whatever is that I play. Hard to get a bad tone outta it.
W/the higher gain preamp tube it sorta reminds me of vintage Vox AC15-ampeg reverberocket hybrid with some of the vox drive (prolly cuz of the EL-84s), but fat ampeg tone. Oddish blend, but it totally works
Nice and quiet idle.
I picked it up after reading these reviewers--thank y'all for steering me towards a obscure but awesome sounding amp!

Built incredibly well from cabinet to circuit to wiring. After 4 decades it works without hitch. I'd give that a 10.

Sano is consigned to history. But with the circuit layout & wiring, it is a snap & pleasure to maintain...unlike new circuit board crap!

Great amp that I'm keeping. I love ol' amps. Nothing can compare to the tones produced by a sweet circuit & good ol' tubes and this has got it all. I can't say it is the best I've have or have played, but it is up there with some other great ol'amps that I love like the vintage Ampeg Gemini & Reverberocket (both kill, baby!). I sold a few of my other main players when I got this Sano, though. Amazing, amazing value for the buckolas. I'd pick up another at twice the price if I didn't have this one. If ya gotta chance, snag one!

I believe this amp was made in the early to mid 60's judging by the girth of construction, true point to point wiring and lack of any ciruit board, but there are no identifying marks to really pin down the exact year it was made.

It is single channel with 2 inputs.

The tube lineup goes like this:
(2)el84/6bq5
(2)12ax7
(1)12au7
(1)6cg7/6fq7

The amp is between 15-20 watts with reverb and tremolo. This one sports a 12" Jensen we stripped from an old Hammond Leslie. This amp is boxie, un-sexy and very used.

The amp doesn't really distort, but the tone is lush, solid with a ton of bottom end for guitar. The reverb is great, but it won't replace your outboard Fender reverb tank if you wanna do true surf. The tremolo is fantastic. Love this amp!

I play a variety of styles of music and use a ton of effects pedals to achieve my sound and never expect or want an amp to do everything or replace my analog stomp boxes. My band (Django Twango) plays a lot of surf/rock/instro stuff and I have almost always used Fender amps... Bassman(s), Twin, ,75, Blues Jr. etc..

I tested the amp using a Gretsch 6120(Brian Setzer) and a Fender Strat(57 Reissue).

When I first plugged the strat directly into it, I was impressed by the thick bottom end and the glassy highs when the amp was on about 4. At this volume, the reverb and tremolo sound fantastic. Really cool! Pushing the amp up to 8 produces a mild, natural overdrive. The reverb seems to get washed away, but the tremolo sounds awesome. Very Link Wray!

When I tested my Gretsch 6120 directly into it, I was a little less impressed. Where as my Fender strat, with its single coil pickups shined with this amp, the 6120 with its TV-Jones humbuckers seemed to long for a little more high end. For this reason, I will keep my Army of Fender amps.

In spite of my split decision here, I still give the Sano 160R a '10' because the Fender Strat combo is sooo good!

I don't think any amp is 100% reliable, but this one is built like a tank, but I would still keep a backup in the van.

When I got this amp, it had a broken tube and the foot pedal didn't work. I replaced the tube(s)and everything sounds way cool.

The foot switch is a different story. The foot switch uses a 3 pin DIN connector (footswitch/amp) that is to put it mildly, "No Longer Available". After several fruitless trips to my local Radio Shack, I gave up and hard wired the damn thing and it works great!

Don't go there...

If you have to service old amps, you better know how to fix them... I know where to take them locally, but you're gonna spend a ton!

I think this is a really cool amp. It's got great tone, great reverb and a great tremolo. A couple of new tubes and the thing sounds like butta!

I don't know when it was made. I believe it was in hte sixties. This is a nice blues, jazz or classic rocker. If you want super heavey crunch look some place else. The features are "Tone", Reverb, Tremelo and more tone. It is as said earlier all hand wired point to point "glass" (tube).

This is a class A tube amp. I'm a blues guy from way back and this is a true blues machine. It is a quiet little beauty. Not very loud but creamy tone. At low volume, it's not a bad country amp either. When I bought it, there was no speaker. I got an old alnico speaker with no name and whooa yeah. This thing made me sell that Fender Blues jr thing. It was easy to tell, this is a special piece. For all you guys thinking about grabbing one of these, don't think do it. I mike it up pretty much every weekend and let it inspire. Remember sooner or later everything breaks if you use it. My amp tech loves point to point, easy to find and repair trouble. (in other words cheep repairs).

It's old but well built. I've had it for about 18 months, no problems. Just tone.

Who?????????? they've been out of business a coupla decades. But they it to last. Thanx ya'll.

Been playing sinc the seventies. I guess that's a while time flies who counts? I've got an old SG, Les Paul, '56 Guild E100, MIJ Strat and a Casio midi strat. Last year I sold my Twin and two Mesa's (too stinkin heavey for an old fat guy.) Still got an old RCA 50 watt amp with an original Jensen 15 inch speaker, Sovtek MIG 60 (you know why), and a bunch of other no name cool vibe amps. I don't do SS and you can cram that digital stuff.

single channel ,12" speaker,reverb,and tremalo with speed and depth controls ,2 inputs bass and treble knobs, power/polarity switch.Probaly a 60's vintage.12ax7a,12au7a,el84 and 6fq7 tubes

Not a high gain amp,has very nice low end,would probably benefit from a good treble-booster in front.would be probly a very good jazz amp(but I cant play jazz ,dont understand it).sounds great on delta blues,slide styles ,country even some low end rumble surf.great clean tones ,does not overdrive easily,again the right effects could probly bring out a distortion monster.This amp probably has the best reverb I have ever played and the tremalo is great also.over all a great sounding amp for the price, may need a little help on the metal side of life.It pleases me

Have owned it for about a year so far so good.apears to be very solidly built,was in good shape when I got it,dont know what kind of abuse it endured before me ,but it handled it well.Would imagine it has the same weaknesses as any older tube amp,butlooks like it would be simple to sevice if any problems arose.I dont gig but it seems that it would be above average in roadworthiness and reliability.

I think that Sano was started by people associated with ampeg,now out of business.A good amp tech. should have no problem doing service or repair.

A very ,very good almost great amp.Definetly worth seeking out ,nails a good vintage tone better than most ,a good value at twice the price.very satisfied!

1x12 Class A dual EL84 amplifier with reverb and trem. All point-to-point wired with hardwired footswtich. Because it is from the early 60's, there is no effects loop or channel switching but oh . . . the tone!

This is the best sounding amplifier, overall, that I have ever heard or played. It's so good, I went on a global search for another one after I purchased my first on eBay. I found the second one in a music store in Seattle, WA. It's clean all the way to 5 then start a sweet tube overdrive until it's all cream and butter at 8-10. I will buy any decent 160R I ever find for sale. Period.

Built like a tank. I've had both broken down and they are as well built as you would want Very large cabinets for a 1x12 amp.

N/A - Sano went out of business in the early 70's. No biggie. Let me have them all!

35 years playing. Own 28 vintage tube amps. Want as many Sano's as I can afford. The 160R is as good as a vintage guitar amp gets.

Jimbo says it all !

This is not a high gain amp ! It was originaly a Harp amp, this amp is a sweet sounding clean amp! the best I have heard in my 25+yrs playing guitar,2-EL84's in class A, it is loud for its power output of about 20/25wt, I too got mine for a song $150.00 dead mint !

Going on 4yrs now and not one problem , still has all the original tubes and caps. I did add a 3 prong grounded plug for safety.

N/A

For the price I paid their are none better! I have a lot of amps come and go but this one isn't moving. I am allways on the hunt for another one, and would look very hard for one if something happend to this one. this is a sleeper amp get them wile you can ! I have also seen 2x12's on E-bay

Dual inputs. Volumn, Bass, Treble, Reverb(mfg:Folded Line), Tremelo with speed and depth control, dual polarity on/off switch, red power light, fuse, all top mounted. One 12" Alinco speaker, Codes suggest an Eminence. Integral footswitch for tremelo and reverb. Black Tolex cover with chrome corner gaurds and a chrome stripped piece around the front of the amp. Has SANO nameplate in upper left when facing the amp. Tubes are two GE 6BQ5's in the power section and one 12AU7 and one 12AX7 in the preamp section. Everything hand wired point to point solder.

I don't know anything more about this amp. I do believe I saw one on a vintage amp site. Wish I could find that site again.

I am going to be real honest here because everyone seems to rave about THIER amp. But first the Story.

I was making the occaisional rounds at the local pawn shops. I went to one of the older shops that usually has some good stuff, walked back to the back corner and there it was. Got it for a song. It is practically brand new condition. All the tags, no tears in the covering, original cords and all.

I brought it home, plugged in my American Deluxe Fat Strat and couldn't believe the sounds I heard. After playing that for all it was worth, I drug out the old '64 Gibson SG and continued my play in Vintageville. I can't belive this amp puts out the tone it does through those little tubes. Blues deluxe, Rock deluxe. It's not a high gain monster but dang!

The reverb puts my Vintage Club Amp to shame. The tremelo is fab-lux. As you can tell, I am very happy about this purchase. I wonder if it is a class A or AB.

I don't know. It is built quite heavily. As I said earlier, it is in near original new condtion with all original tubes. I will have to be extra careful with this amp.

I think this company went out a long time ago, so I'm sure that if something goes wrong with this amp it will go to Rockin Robins for repairs.

I have been playing for more than 20 years. I own a number of amps and guitars mostly vintage stuff. I do have a Vintage Club series from Crate which is an excellent amp. I have an old Les Paul Jr. amp and an old late thirties Gibson roundtop amp. Just bought a V-Amp 2 which I highly recommend. My noteable guitars are a Fender American Deluxe Fat Strat, '64 Gibson SG, '76 Firebird, 2000 Moderne, and a few other lesser curiousities that I have gleaned from pawn shops.