Tech 21 Power Engine 60

So So EQ, love the DI, could use better speaker though
This was from American Music Supply, for $250 (not factory sealed)

I use a few dist. pedals and a cry baby 535Q. G&L legacy special with all three dual blade pups. Also play my Larrive LV-03RE.

I think this amp is okay for very small venues, but not so much for anything else. I normally just use it to DI to the house, and for a monitor, with all my tone from the pedals. It doesn't add any tone of it's own, but breaks up really bad at higher volumes,especially with an acoustic. Hence, I would only use it for really small gigs.

I am about to buy a Traynor 80Watt 410 tube amp. It has all the features of this amp, all tube, and much more. I say, do what you gotta do for a little while till you can afford a tube amp if that works for you.

I have not had any problems with it not working, just the break-up at high volumes. You defineatly wouldn't want to mic this amp.

Lets just say that I won't be buying ANY thing that says TECH 21 on the label. I also bought a new old stock Killer Wail wah on ebay. 1 week after it started poping really loud when i was using it active. They gave me an RA and told me to send it in,(Had to pay my own shipping, most decent companies will arrange a pickup for you.)
Got it back an not even a week later it was squawking really bad in active. Needless to say, I broke down and spent 120 on the 535Q dunlop.

I would not have bought this amp if I could have played it somewhere first,by the way, don't ever do that<DUH.

I just want my Traynor to get here quick so I can Ebay-sionora this thing and throw in the SH)&(TY wah to boot.

This was already touched on by others. I give this a 10. It has all the features needed for its purpose.

I was about to sell my Pod xt live on ebay. I also own the original line 6 POD. I decided on purchasing this amp from musicians friend , and if i wasn't fully satisfied returning it. Its a keeper. It made a world of a difference with the tones. I was using the xt live with and without the amp simulation with different amps that I own (Crate v15 tube amp, B 52 at212) . I tried it in the guitar input as well as the line in. and I just wasnt happy.

seems sturdy.

have not used

Been playing about 25 years, I have a Gibson Les Paul Limited Ed, Kramer Pacer , Washburn a5, Guild 112 , Gibson q90 bass, and a Takamine EGS430. I would definitely buy again. Processors definitely make a difference with this amp.

Year=current (2005); Very versatile setup with NO coloration of tone; single channel amp (no preamp). 60amps is pleanty of power for my needs, and the 3 band equalization should allow any modification to suit taste or setting. Can't give it a 10, only because it doesn't have many features, can't ding it either as that is by design.

Playing with Fender Strat with HSS config (2 texas specials, and a Pearly Gates Humbucker). Will host pretty much any pre-amp you want to drive it with. I use a Digitech GNX3 system, and I think I have just begun to scratch the surface of tonal possibilities. I use the AMP package from Guitar3456 that can be found on Digitech's SoundCommunity website and his custom patches. It is amazing how nice the amp patches sound going through the PowerEngine60. I cannot say whether they accurately reproduce all the amp types as I have not used them all, but the Fender and Vox ones sound awsome. I play mostly blues and rock and the 12" Celestion is great! Very full and not too bassy or too thin.

This seems to be built of very high quality. Great materials, fantastic looks, and although my gigging will likley consist only of traveling to friends houses to jam it seems to be built for heavy use.

Have not dealt with them, don't expect to either.

I have been playing off and on for 25 years. I have played mostly accoustic and this is a recent venture to electric. If this were lost or stolen I would likley replace it, or perhaps try the Tech21 Trademark60 that has analogue amp modeling built in so I could leave the GNX3 at home when jamming. I did considerable online research on amps, and played many at local music shops before setting on this one. In fact I bought the Hughes and Kettner Blue Edition 60R first, and returned the defective unit (reverb was broken). The H&K unit was WAY too bassy and the thing shook and buzzed like crazy in the cheaply assembled Korean built cabinet. THIS USA built Tech21 cabinet is quality feeling, solid as a rock, and has no buzzing whatsoever. I got a great swap and ZZounds took good care of me through the process.

The Tech 21 Power Engine 60 is a superb little amp with lots of power. The features on the amp are basic with just volume, bass, middle and treble controls, however, because these amps were designed as just an add-on cab to the Tech 21 Trademark amps, thats all you need.

There are no bells or whistles on this amp, but if you use it to run any kind of modelling pedal like the Boss GT series, Line 6 or Vox Tonelab units, this is ideal because the amp does not colour the sound. The tone controls act differently to almost all other amps because they act like a graphic equaliser. You can gain a lot of difference with just a small tweak of the bass, middle or treble controls, making this amp ideal for quick adjustments at different venues.

As mentioned above, this amp is perfect for use with any of the modelling pedals from Boss, Line 6 or Vox because what you hear through your headphones when listening to your modelling pedal is what you'll hear through this great little amp - its transparent.

Ive lost count the number of times Ive read guitarists complaining that they cant seem to emulate the sounds that they are hearing through their headphones when they plug their modelling unit into an amp - the simple answer is that modelling pedals need to use an amp such as the Tech 21 which doesnt colour the sound, because your modelling amp already has speaker cabs and amp models built into the unit, so all your doing by using a normal guitar amplifier is trying to run one amp sound into another - now you know why it all sounds muddy.

I use a Fender US Strat and an Epiphone LP with this amp. The amp can capture that classic Fender twang and when I hook up my LP it sounds just awesome. I can play anything from The Shadows to Whitesnake and it all sounds authentic through this amp.

I tried running my Vox Tonelab SE through a Fender Deluxe 112 Plus and it didnt sound very good. But after reading reviews here on Harmony Central I decided to invest in the Tech 21 and I now believe that I have the best guitar sound Ive ever acheived in my 20 years of playing the guitar!

I play lots of styles of music in my band, including rock, 60's to 90's and current bands like Robbie Williams and Keane. This amp coupled together with the Vox Tonelab SE can emulate any of these styles and is the warmest sounding guitar setup that I have heard. You couldnt tell the difference between my set up and a tube amp and I know because I have an original 1970s Park 75 tube amp in my collection.

I have owned Zoom and Boss GT3 and GT6 pedals but none of them compare to this match made in heaven of the Vox Tonelab and Tech 21 PE 60.

The singer in my band was so impressed with my sound at our last band practice that he compared it as sounding as good as Doug Aldrich who plays in Dio which we saw just a couple of weeks ago - now you cant knock that!

Seems pretty robust and well built to me. Nice brushed stainless steel look on the back and all corners are covered with metal covers. The amp only weighs 24lbs which is really light for a 60 watt amp.

Only had the amp a couple of weeks but it looks like it will last for years.

I wrote to Tech 21 to see if they could help me find a retailer over here in the UK as these amps are made in the USA. I got an Email back the same day with details of their UK distributor. Not only did the guys in the UK send me a list of sellers, they also asked where I lived so that they could tell me where to get the best deal.

Very good service.

I love this little amp. Its small enough to use for practicing at home and the sound is so sweet and warm that it sounds like a valve amp.

Although there are cheaper amps on the market with lots of effects and other things on them, this amp is ideal for my Vox Tonelab SE. It simply amplifies the sound coming out of the Vox, it doesnt colour the sound and is nice and loud if I turn it up.

This is the only amp you need for your Line 6, Boss or Vox modelling pedals. If you want an amp for live use with a modelling pedal then the Tech 21 is probably your only option that will deliver the power and sound. Ive heard that the Atomic amp is as good as the Tech 21, but its only 18 watts which probably isnt going to cut it live if your competing against a loud drummer.

Take my recommendation - buy a Tech 21 Power Engine 60 and a Vox Tonelab SE and you will have your killer tone in 10 minutes flat. I previously owned a Boss GT6 for 18 months and never got the tones that I can easily get with my set up now.

I am happy - after 20 years of searching I have found the sound that I have been trying to get for all those years. I dont need to search any further and would definitely replace this kit if it was lost or stolen.

I am using the Power Engine to amplify my Pod 2.0

I can get the best tones from my POD using the Power Engine. Every other amp I tried colored my pre-programmed sounds so much that I could not get the sounds I wanted from the POD. The Tech 21 Power Engine is great. It does exactly what I want it to do.

It has a 3 band eq for highs, mids, and lows, and a volume control. This really lets me tailor the sound to the room I'm in.

I can use this for practice at home (with a wife and 2 small children) and get some decent sounds even while the kids are in bed.

It's ideal for solo practicing at a variety of higher volumes and for playing with other musicians. I can shake the rafters if I need to.

Finally, you can send an output to a P.A. system. I think this is great because for my application, I can get great modeled sounds amped to me, and sent direct to the P.A.. It's the best of both worlds.

It gets a 10 because it does what it's designed to do.

I play rock (classic to heavy) and am working on jazz.

I've set my POD up to get a variety of good sounds (IMHO), and I can finally amplify them with the Power Engine.

I cosidered buying a Flextone, but think this solution is better. In the future, I can upgrade to whatever preamp/modelnig device I like, and still use the Power Engine to amplify it.

It's a perfectly versatile and flexible solution for those of us who like using various modeling amps.

I have nto had it very long, but don't see how many thigns can break down on it.

I know Tech 21 has a great customer service record.

I e-mailed customer support with two sets of questions about product features and applications and received clear answers the same day.

Thier answers made it clear to me that I could use the Pwer Engine to accomplish what I wanted. And they were right.

I found them to be very helpful.

I've been playing for over 15 years. For the most part, I am self-taught, but am now taking jazz lessons. I play for fun, and enjoy playing with others.

The Tech 21 Power Engine is one of the best things I ever purchased. It's very versatile and powerful. Simply a great product.

This amp is simplicity itself, a power section and speaker, with 3 eq knobs. Just connect your modelling device/preamp, adjust the eq if necessary, and off you go.

Playing a 2004 Suhr Classic with 3 V60LP single coils, and a custom Jem with EVO's into a POD XT Live, (as a backup i have a Yamaha Magicstomp) into 2 PE 60's.
I love the sounds i get using this setup, both with the POD and also with the MAgicstomp. I haven't recorded direct with the POD yet, so i can't compare the sound of the PE 60's with a direct recorded sound. I will say that i think the PE60's add some "life" to the sound that i find is lacking if i use the POD with headphones.

I bought these brand new, and after about 2 months one of them died. I sent it in, and some resistors had to be replaced. Not a major deal, as i have 2, and if one goes down, i just play in mono, but i'd hate to be the guy with only one of these at a gig, and have it die.

Excellent customer service. Every tech i spoke with was patient and friendly, and didn't mind answering my questions. The girl who answers the phones could use some training in friendliness though.
As far as service, i sent in the one that died on a tuesday, and i had it back on friday!!! Granted, i live in NY, and they're in NJ, but that's still an incredible turnaround time.

Been playing guitar for almost 30 years now, and i definitely embrace new technology as it comes along, hence my use of the POD. I think the PE 60 is the perfect answer for modelling devices and preamps- i wish they existed back in the 80's when we were all using Digitech and Rocktron preamps!
I think tubes are overrated, and with this setup, i have the means to back up my case.
Hopefully the one that died was just a fluke- as long as these things prove to be reliable, i can see myself using them for a long time.
peace

VERY EASY. What place in front of it is what you get out of it. I put a Line 6 POD XT LIVE. It really makes it sing at lower levels. Has Low,Mid,and High. Volume level also

Again, no one to blame but yourself if it sounds bad. The only thing is to match EQ. Start off flat, and tweak.Very easy to use. just educate yourself on proper effect chains. That is a definite plus!!

So far, so good!

havent had to use them yet!

Again, not much to it. But it has good volume levels, easy to use, and its biggest plus is great sound at lower volumes.I am used to mic'ing amps, so that is a plus.

Brand new Power Engine 60, featuring the new Celestion Seventy 80 Speaker, which replaces the original Tech 21 Special Design 2112A speaker. Although the old one was rated at 100 watts, there was a fair amount of people accusing lack of headroom and farting-out problems at higher levels. The new Celestion 70/80 (80 watts) seems to have solved this problem, at least I don't have it.
This amp has no channels, as it features no preamp. It only has a transparent SS power section and the speaker. You must supply the preamp. I won't go in deeper technical details, as this has been covered pretty well by the other reviewers.

Ibanez RG-470 L with a Seymour Duncan TB-6 Distortion Trembucker in the bridge position > Shure UT-14 wireless > Keeley TS-9 Mod Plus > Tech 21 Sans Amp TRI-A.C. > Fulltone Fat-Boost > Ernie Ball VPJR 6181, with a BOSS TU-12H slaved out > Power Engine PW60. Prior to the Power Engine, I was using a Marshall 5275 SS 1x12' combo, going directly to the power amp section. I wasn't satisfied with it, because all the amp emulations in my Sans Amp TRI-A.C. (Fender, Marshall, Mesa Boogie) had an inevitable marshallesque flavour.
Enter the Power Engine 60 and everything improved dramatically. My TRI-A.C. just came to life. The PE60 just amplifies what's given to it, without additional coloration, harmonics, etc.
The onboard 3 band active EQ is further useful to compensate for a bad room. I usually keep the lows an highs at 12 o'clock and slightly cut the mids, at 11 o'clock. This gives me a killer cutting tone. However, for the music I play (hard rock) I think I will need one more Power Engine, to have more air moving. You just can't do palm mutes with just one open back 1x12', isn't it?
The Power Engine has enough headroom. I never had to turn the volume past 60%, neither live or at band reherasal, and we're a 6 piece rock band, including double bass drums, 6 string bass and two dirty (very often) guitars.

It's sturdy enough, I rely on it on stage and I can't afford a back-up. Of course, it's not Mesa/Boogie construction, but neither is the price the same. The front panel is plywood and the speaker is fixed with 4 T-nut screws, which is fair enough. It weights 35 lbs, which you'll definitely love.
After all, it's an american product, and you can see this on it. I baby my stuff, anyway, and don't think something will go wrong. Besides, Tech 21 NYC is known for making good, reliable products and their customer service is incredibly good.

I've dealt with the company a couple of years back, when they replaced my defective TRI-A.C. with a brand new one, for free, although it had voided guarantee! Not to mention that I was the one to screw the TRI-A.C. by mistakingly applying 12 V instead of 9V!
They answer fast to e-mails and are very supportive, willing to help, coming up with suggestions even if you ask some other gear related questions. Mr. Lloyd Schwartz is a very cool person, I thank him again this way!

I love it for it's transparence, simplicity and for the way it complements my TRI-A.C. It doesn't stay in it's way it's just the other missing half. It offers you no bells and whistles, just clean power for your preamp. What you feed in is what you get out of it, so garbage i,. garbage out, that's for sure.
If there's something I wish it had, it is a 2x12' configuration. It would have been more suited for the style I play. But I'll end up by getting one more, and have a killer set-up.

Quarter inch or XLR input (only use one at once), balanced line out (XLR) with ground lift. Trebble, Mid and Bass active eq, volume, on/off switch and light. One new cab, one second hand cab. The older cab has a Tech 21 custom speaker -100 watt (so the sticker says), the new cab has a Celestion Seventy 80 - 80 watt - speaker, which is slighty lighter. Fr this type of application, there is every feature you need. They're not trying to be guitar amps, not trying to off reverb, channel switching. They're just offering to amplify the sound they're given. This is a flat response amp, single channel as it is designed to run with pre-amps that handle their own channel/patch stuff. I run them as a stereo pair on stage and use the line out to feed the desk. The amp runs at 60 watts, and it is transistor but...This isn't any old transistor amp with crappy speakers and overrated, you get 60 watts, it is as loud as a 60watt valve amp as the speaker is matched correctly to the amp, allowing it to produce maximum power.

Using a USA Strat in to a Boss GT-8 in to a pair of these. No matter the digital pre-amp, these Power Engines make the difference. Forget about putting your POD, Tonelab, GT-?, Sans Amp in to the front of an amp or it's effects loop, this is how you should really do it. You'll then see how good digital modelling is. I leave the eq flat (all at 12o'clock) and volume between 9 and 12o'clock and that's loud enough for most small/medium stages. I think that if you need to dramatically alter the eq of these things then you've got you eq all wrong in the pre-amp and you should fix that first. I've not got them to fart out and I do use a Marshall Hi Gain sound with plenty of bass. Check out the Tech 21 site www.tech21nyc.com as they have plenty of info and sound samples(!). You get all the warmth, all the highs and lows as clear or as muddy as you want. If you put crap in, you'll get crap out. If you know how to set you pre-amp up, you'll hear fantastic results from this!

Old one is holding up OK and the new one worked straight out of the box...

Emailed them with a question and got a reply within a couple of days...no problems there so far...

Playing for over 25 years, have valves, still got a small valve amp, but wandered in to the digital domain a few years ago and kept dipping in and out, finally found the GT-6 and now the GT-8 and not looked back. These Power Enginges are the missing link in the digital chain for me. Alway try before you buy but if you're on the line over digital, see if you can have a go through one of these...it may just change your mind.

basic simple sweet

just like a recording
no color
perfect if you run any type of preamp

heard great things about Tech 21
no probs yet

very helpful on the phone

perfect amp for a monitor system
been playing for 15 yrs and this is 1 unit I will keep for a long time
I use it for a monitor in a church setting and it truely gives you the same sound that the mains give you.
I love this thing.
Plenty enough power for a monitor.