Sewell Texaplex 50 115 Combo

I have had the Tplex since early last(2004) year. I ordered it a few months after recieving my Texaverb. It is a single channel 50 watt combo with a master volume. No reverb. Top mounted controlls are Volume, bass and treble with a bass bost switch on the back. High and low gain inputs. The 15 is a Eminence Red Coat Big Ben, 225 watts rms. The Power tubes are EL34 JJ's.
I play mostly church gigs so I have to be able to play a lot of different styles. From rock to jazz to country to the standards. The amp has more than enough power for any church gig that i will have to do. Actually, I never get the Tplex working in the sweet spot at church because of volume constrictions. But even in the lower 25 percent of the power output of this amp, it sounds so great!!!
I think if I were to order this amp again I would have Doug put a pentode, triode switch on it just so i could operate the Tplex at half power and get the thing up and smoking with the tubes cooking.

I have used a P90 Les Paul, a humbucker LesPaul, Zion strat with stacked humbuckers, custom strat with Chandlers, G&L Tele. All of these guitars sound so good. The tplex does justice to anything I plug into it. This amp does not play favorites. Its very subjective as to which guitar a person might think sounds better thru the Tplex. My personel favorite is the old Black face Les Paul with the P90's thru the Tplex but then that guitar would be my favorite thru any amp I think.,
The amp is dead quite on stage. I do jam with some of the local blues players at times and this amp can "Stevie Ray" all by itself. Just plug in and get it. But since it has no reverb, in those jams I take a delay pedal and sometimes a tube screamer. Depends on the club if I dial up some crunch with the master or use the tube screamer. The Big Ben doesn't break up very early with the 225 watt rating but the dog barks with authority. I never get lost in the mix and the tone has guts like you wouldn't believe until you play one of these. In this setting I can get the Tplex up to operating in the sweet spot. When you pick the notes just come shooting out of the 15 like bullets. When you mute with your hand on some passages you can be heard so well.....when you lay back your still in the mix, then when you dig in again and hit a solo, just kick up the volume pot on the guitar and away you go. This amp sounds a lot like Robin Trower to me. I guess I would have to say that there isn't a style of music that the Tplex doesn't sound good on. I had to do the song "White Christmas" this past holiday season and I just dialed in a beauitful jazz tone with the two tone controlls on the amp and played several songs like that with the sweetest sounds coming out of the neck pickup on my Paul. It is easy to get a sound up with the Tplex. Its uncanny that you can dial up so many good guitar sounds with just a volume, treble and bass controll. That took a little getting used to after playing thru VHT's and Boogies and the Fender Prosonic, my Bogner etc. With just those three controlls I can hit sonic bliss very easily.
I'm trying to be more objective with this review. I find myself gushing about Sewell amps......raving like a madman!!! So forgive my indulgence if I'm not being helpful.
With pedals, I get any sound I want. With out pedals the amp sounds spectacular anyway. It just responds to everything you do. But the 15 will tell on you if you get sloppy. The amp just has tone and cuts thru any band I have jamed with. And not because I'm playing louder than anybody else.......it just fits in the mix like that. So does my Tverb.......

Wonderfully built. Hand made amp...point to point wiring. Beauitful blond Tolex with a big fat leather handle and Oak panels. This thing is the most bestest looking amp i have ever owned.
I would not worry about giging with the Tplex. I do not take a back up amp. No fears!

You get to speak with Doug Sewell himself when you make your order. Now how cool is that. Your talking with the cat who is going to be doing the soldering and wiring the thing.
Doug seems to treat me like family when I call. I suspect that he treats every Sewell customer the same. There is no bull being slung, no putting you on hold. He always returned every call I made and the emails get answered quickly as well.
I have never felt the confidence and trust with any person that I have not been able to talk to face to face. Doug is in Texas and I'm in the Northwest. His word is good. Trust is powerful stuff!
I realise that I have given 10's for each catagory but after owning a lot of different gear over the last 35 years and having delt with a good variety of people, I feel very comfortable with giving a 10 for each catagory.

I have been playing 35 years, maybe a little longer than that. I have a Bogner Shiva 2x12 combo with reverb. It is a monster amp in its own right. The Sewells have better tone. I will say that the Bogner sounds just killer as some of you might know yourselfs but Doug has something going on with his amps that is just beyond AWSOME!
I have a Sewell Tverb.(see my other review) and a "65 Fender Super Reverb that is stellar sounding! And a couple lessor amps. I would very much like to have one of Dougs "Classic" designs as well. So, yes I would replace any Sewell amp that I have that was lost or stolen.