Sommatone Roaring 40 112 Combo

This amp was the first one to be built in 2009!! This amp covers A LOT of ground. Everything from smooth blues, to funk, and even rocking southern tones! I play mostly Blues and Americana and I couldn't imagine a better amplifier. Like all Sommatone Amps it has one channel but they offer a fantastic volume pedal that allows you to use your amp as if it had two channels. The pedal has a volume knob on it that you can set for a cleaner tone. You can switch between that attenuated volume and the volume on your guitar to go from clean to crunchy in no time! I use this amp at gigs and at home. If I need more power I attach a 1x12 extension cabinet I attach and it rocks! I have an Eminence Tonespotter in the combo and it is PERFECT for rocking tunes yet has enough body for the blues. If I need to knock it down a few notches in my house it has a half power switch that knocks out two of the power tubes. As long as I half my impedance I am ready to roll at half the power.

I use this amp with a variety of axes: Les Paul with Burstbuckers, Swamp Ash Tele with Lindy Fralins, and an Explorer with a P-94 in the neck and a Tony Iommi in the Bridge. Each guitar comes to life through the amp! The amp is dead quiet! (unless you're playing through it of course!) Theres no extra hum, hiss or any unwanted noises. This is the first amp I've played through that I feel like I can hear my fingers really coming through the guitar. It is SUPER touch sensitive and I can control how much breakup happens with my pick attack and volume knob. Absolutely incredible! When I play live this amp DOMINATES. I can stand on the other side of the stage and still hear my tone cutting through the whole mess.

I have seen Jason Isbell beat the heck out of his Roaring 40 combo live on stage and it doesn't even phase the amp. These amps look overbuilt. The screws are huge and the amps are just completely solid. I would never bring a backup, I trust my amp 100%

The guys at Sommatone are incredible! They are totally down to earth and are willing to deal with your problems directly. They stand behind their products and the best part is you don't have to deal with "representatives" but actual informed AMP BUILDERS!

I give this a 100%. It is perfect in every way. If this was lost or stolen i would go insane. I love everything about the amp!! I love its touch sensitivity, its unmatched tonal quality, and its reliability. The only amp I could compare this to would be a combo of all the best parts of a Fender, Vox, and low powered Marshalls all combined with some Dumble thrown in for good measure.

Built in 2008 the Sommatone Roaring 40 112 came roaring onto the scene. A single channel all tube amplifier, it is perfect for dialing in those early 60's vox-fender all the way through the 70's marshall plexi vibe. It has a foot switch for reverb & boost.

I play a variety of different guitars, James Tyler SE HD, '94 PRS Custom 24, '97 Warrior, 2000 Telecaster knockoff. I usually play these through a Hartman Treble Booster (similar to a rangemaster) for my lead sounds. My style ranges from blues, to psychedelia, to hard rock and I have found that with a simple swap of guitars I can dial in all of these sounds. I haven't had any problems with noise, the clean sounds are great and the bluesy overdrive when cranked really rocks.

I haven't had it long enough to make a determination on reliability, but it seems quite solid.

I have met the owner Jimmy Somma and he is a straight up dude. He knows what he is doing and I have no doubt that were it to need repair it would be taken care of. The amp also happens to be manufactured in my home state of NJ.

I've been playing guitar for 20 years, I've owned all sorts of guitars, amps, effects in that time, but this is the first time I've been able to realize what I hear in my mind and have it come out of a speaker.

I tried many other amps before I purchased this one, in fact I went to the NY amp show just so I could try as many boutique amps as possible in one day.

This amp is Jimmy Somma's creation, taking the best attributes of Vox AC30, Marshall Plexi and Fender Blackface circuitry and adding his own mojo mix, resulting in a truly unique, but Oh-So-Toneful guitar amp, extraordinaire.

It's a single channel, 40 watt, all tube TRUE POINT-TO-POINT amplifier with Reverb and Boost features. It's all tube format consists of the standard multi-stage preamp section based on a mix of Vox and Marshall Topology, the power section is similar to a Vox AC-30 (four EL84s), the tonestack is Marshall-Plexi style (but the 'presence' control is very Vox "cut-control" like), and the reverb driver circuit is all Fender but the recovery circuit is completely original, it runs parallel so it doesn't color the tone of the preamp.

The reverb is lush, but not overpowering, and magically, when the amp is pushed or hit with a pedal, the reverb 'hangs back' a bit, but when cleaned up, it is on top like a good old vintage Fender 'verb set on about 3-4 on the dial. THe 'verb controls are two-fold: Dwell and Mix; and the function is footswitchable.

The Boost circuit is also footswitchable, or activated by a mini-toggle in the back of the chassis.

The two volume controls (Bright and Normal) are internally jumpered (like using a jack-jumper cable on a Plexi or Tweed Bassman) and the controls are interactive. The Master Volume is perfection and fully transparent. When maxed out, it is electronically removed from the circuit.

The amp is fitted with a 1/2 power switch for 20 watt operation using two power tubes. The Speaker has a selectable impedence with 3 positions and an external speaker connection for using extra cabs.

As mentioned above the amp is true PTP. No tag strips, no terminal boards, only resistors, caps, diodes, and other components soldered directly to tube sockets, jack pins, or potentiometer pins, and some wire for connectivity.

I use the amp in a variety of situations: Classic Rock Cover Band, Blues Band/Jams, studio/recording.

My style includes Classic Rock, oldies, Southern Rock, Blues, some oldies and country. THe amp is flexible enough to shine in every genre.

So many words would describe the amps tonal quality: Touch Sensitive, Responsive, Depth, Punch and Clarity, Balls, the list could go on forever. Suffice it to say, the amps does excellent cleans, perfect crunch, searing, thick, smoky leads, and most tones in between. More than it's tone, the amp has more FEEL than any amp I have ever played. The feedback through the guitar from the amp lets is like a sports car suspension... you know what you played and if it is right, the amp lets you know... hard to describe, but you'll recognize it when you "feel" it.

This is the first amp that I believe I can truly gig without any pedals at all. It can go from "Clean to Mean" with pick attack changes, Guitar volume/tone control manipulation, pickup switches, etc... Imagine "Little Wing" to "Pride and Joy" to "Tush" to "American Band" then back to "Jailhouse Rock" with no channel switching, no pedal stomping, no guitar swaps. Just the volume and tone controls on your guitar !

I am a big fan of Dr Z, have been in love with my PTP Tweed Bassman for some time, and recently gave the Tone King Meteor II a run for a few months (excellent amp!!), but after gigging with the Sommatone for a few dates, all those amps pale in comparison. I am not kidding. Simply an amazing product from a true craftsman.

Although I have only owned it for a couple of months and gigged less than a dozen times with it, I can't imagine something of this build quality needing too much repair work.

My interaction with the builder tells me that IF it ever needs it, it will be in good hands.

I picked this amp up used in a trade deal, but my first email to Jimmy Somma was answered promptly and it sparked a series of correspondence that has continued. THe amp had tired tubes and a replacement speaker when I got it. Jimmy talked me through his recommendations for replacements and his advice was SPOT-ON (figure the odds, huh? these amps are his babies, he knows them inside and out).

He sent me a manual, and some minor parts, and took the time to explain his recommendations and why, and it was evident that he is passionate about his amps. There are lots of excellent customer service-oriented amp builders out there, and Jimmy is right up there with the best.

I have been playing for over 25 years, in bands gigging regularly for 7 years. I have played many amps (Fender Blackface & Tweeds, Marshall, Peavey, Dr Z, Tone King, Alessandro, etc...) and although most of them were OUTSTANDING amps, the Sommatone stands out as, well... perfect for me. It's got the best of all the great tone machines, none of the 'not-so-good' qualities of those amps, and is all rolled up in a nice, fairly light-weight package that is flexible, reliable, and toneful.

I try hard NOT to give straight perfect ratings, but I can't see this amp getting anything but. I would replace it IMMEDIATELY if lost or stolen.