Tech 21 Trademark 60

There are so many reviews for this product here now! When I was researching it before I bought it, there were, like, 12. There may be no point in even adding my two cents, but the best features are the boost circuit (clean volume jump for solos) and the XLR line out, which, compared with the 'industry standard' SM57, sounds BETTER! This is the only one I've ever played, so I don't know if the reverb is supposed to work better than it does.

The range and quality of the sounds in this little box is astounding! If it ain't here, I didn't want it. The reverb thing holds me up from giving it a 10 here. In all fairness, I bought it used and haven't pursued fixing it. I use it with a Fender Roadhouse Strat (DiMarzio Red Velvet added to bridge position--Tele lovers: GET THIS for your Strat!) or a Peavey Firenza (DiMarzio Virtual P90 in bridge--also highly recommended). Using a Line 6 Delay Modeler and a Peavey digital reverb in the loop.

I've been gigging with this with no backup. I'm not certain the reverb is right; the pilot light doesn't work. Just laziness that keeps me from fixing these. I love the amp so much that I couldn't play through the backup anyway.

Haven't used it. Couldn't fairly comment.

I've been playing in excess of 40 years, all styles but metal (blues, classic rock, country). If I'd known years ago just HOW GOOD this amp was, I could have avioded many missteps and saved a LOT of money!

Very versatile. I am amazed at how well it creates the Fender type clean sounds. It does a very good job at that. 2 channels (dirty and clean). Effects Loop that is foot switchable. Reverb which I am not impressed with and a "Boost" that is nice to have. It has plenty of power for such a small amp. 60 watts and it seems like a lot more. This amp is my practice / recording and small gig amp.

I use a Carvin Holdsworth mainly. I also use an Ibanez S470QFM. I play in a jazz combo and a rock band. This amp really covers the spectrum. It does exactly what I need. It is noisy. I don't know why but my bigger tube combo is so much more quiet.

The clean channel can be as clean or as overdriven as you want. The dirty channel acts like a tube amp. Lots of drive and when you roll back the volume on your guitar or let off the pick attack it cleans right up... pretty neato. There is a lot of variety, just more noisy than normal I think. The reverb sticks. Typically I run a rack unit for reverb and effects anyway.

Note to users... watch how much gain you use. It likes to feed back more than most amps I have had.

Very reliable. Well made amp. Mine is stainless steel not brushed aluminum. There really is no service.

Called them before I purchaed this product. Very helpful.

I have been playing professionally for 6 years. Before that I had been taking lessons and learning for 3-4. I would get another one if it were stolen. I really like the flexibility and sound quality. Tube amp emulation is great on it. It is easy to use although the noisy is a little bit of a pain.

Other amps I have had: 1973 Twin Reverb, Crate GFX120, Traynor Custom Valve 80, Peavey Express 112, Line 6 Spider. The Trademark 60 is much better than the Peavey, Line 6 and Crate in every aspect. The Traynor Custom Valve I have is my main amp, re-tubes with quality parts. It is a much better sounding amp than the Tech 21. The Twin was too much of a baby.

I wish the reverb was better and that it came with a cover. Otherwise it is the best solid state amp I have ever played. Very tube-like. A good amount of power. Very well made. Fairly priced.

yes it has features

sounds great

Ok, here's my chance to rant.... I LOVE this amp, I play out with it constantly, and it never fails me, ever. I mike it and I sound brilliant... Anyway, I want to complain about that poorly thought out foot pedal: THE BUTTONS ARE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER!!!!! I go to switch channels and I accidentally turn on the reverb, or effects loop. I had an embarassing moment tonight, where in the middle of a song, I went from clean, to super metal scooped distortion, because I accidentally stepped on the effects loop with the EQ in it, and got this super metal sound that was obviously out of place in the song. I love your amp tech21, but your foot pedal SUX!!!!

Well, it's been 1 1/2 years since I bought my TM60. I still haven't found anything I would rather have for the convienience of solid state and the versatility of sound. I read the review praising the Traynor YVC40 amp and I do beleive with the proper tubes that amp could beat the TM60. But your talking about extra tube expense. Personally I will probably get the YCV 40 2X10 version at some point but will keep my TM60.

I play a Hamer Stellar 1 and a MIM Tele. Sound wonderful through the TM60. I have read where people gripe about wanting a 2X12 configuration (can you say TM120?) and the desire for more channels to play with. An easy fix for turning the TM60 into a 2X12 is the Power Engine 60 which is connected to the TM60 by an XLR cable and reproduces exactly what is coming out of the TM60. Viola, a 2X12, 120 W amp. Now for more channels, the Sans Amp Tri- A.C. plugged into the effects loop or in front of the amp will give you 3 more progamable channels that you can play with giving you a total of 5 channels. What else could you ask for? Also the Tri-A.C. and the Power Engine 60 can serve as a backup or a second amp at home for practicing with a friend if they don't want to lug their stuff over.

GREAT!!!

Had one minor problem when I first received the amp. Bad capacitors shut down the reverb circuit. Dealer sent the amp back, Tech 21 fixed, and no problems since. They answered E-mails promptly and had me back in business in less than 10 days. I have a very high opinion of Tech 21.

I was seriously considering trading in for a Traynor YCV40. Played the Traynor my dealer had in stock then went home and played my TM60. I was impressed at how much better my TM60 sounded. Go to the Tech 21 web-site and now they have a picture of Mr. Les Paul playing at a special gig in Nashville and Yep, ol' Les is plugged into a Trademark 60. Nuff said!

2 channels, clean and dirty, reverb, active effects loop.....

This thing is cool! I bought this to gig with. I have some nice head/cab amps, but it's too much too carry around. This amp is perfect for club gigs. Mic it or go direct into the mixing board, it sounds awesome. The dirty channel has a button called "weep". It's suppose to do something rather with even harmonics, bla, bla, bla.... All I know is that when I push this button on with the gain cranked, I can get a really cool grungy, dirty old fuzz type sound and it sounds especially cool with humbuckers and both the treble and bass cranked as well as the growl cranked; this sound kind of brings to mind the distorion sound on "In Utero". You'll see what I mean when u try it. The clean is suppose to be fender like. I guess? I'm sure a fender sounds better, but this still sounds really good. I'm really happy with this amp

Other than a real tube combo; like a rectoverb or a VHT or something, this thing really is the next best thing. I see a lot of people using this in clubs. Interesting.... I guess I'm not the only lazy ass that doesn't want to lug around his halfstack.

From vintage to modern, Tech 21's Trademark 60 offers the industry's most desirable tube amp sounds, and provides the flexibility to create your own signature sounds as well. This 60-watt combo guitar amplifier has 2 channels. The Boost function expands the capability of the two channels by increasing each of their output levels up to 9dB, providing 4 footstwitchable sound options.
Built into the Trademark 60, is Tech 21's highly-acclaimed SansAmpTM Tube Amplifier Emulation circuitry, which encompasses all aspects of multiply-miked tube amp rigs. By incorporating this proprietary technology with our special design 12" speaker, the Trademark 60 sounds as big and smooth as a vintage 4x12 cabinet. For studio and live applications, the SansAmp circuitry also enables the Trademark 60 to be run direct to the mixer of a recorder or PA system.

Channel 1 offers a range of Fender?-styles, from sparkling clean, to semi-dirty to saturated Tweed?-style. It has its own Drive, Punch and Level controls. Punch sets the amount of midrange break-up and overdrive. There's also a BiteTMbutton which tightens the low end and add brightness.

Channel 2 delivers amp sounds ranging from traditional Marshall?-style, to Mesa/Boogie? Rectifier-style, to Vox? AC30-style. It has its own Drive, GrowlTMand Level controls. Growl is a powerful and sophisticated midrange control. It can give you that scooped-out, heavy sound without making your guitar sound thin, and without any loss of volume. There's a WeepTMbutton, which increases the amount of even harmonics and thickens the sound. It provides a "singing" quality like that of a Class A tube amp.
The Master Section includes Low and High EQ controls. The Boost and Reverb functions can be accessed via the footswitch --either individually or in tandem by utilizing the Link button. For solos, in particular, this unique feature gives you the ability of increasing the size of your sound, as well as the volume.

Included with the Trademark 60, is a triple-function footswitch to alternate between channels, engage the Effect Loop, and activate the Boost and Reverb functions.

The music I play with my band is like a heavy pop rock, somewhere between Nirvana and Tonic. I like a warm clean sound and a thick distortion with lots of harmonics...I play les pauls and strats. The clean channel is kinda nice; Fenderlike. I can even get a nice crunch out of this channel with the drive cranked. Channel 2 is a pain in the ass. It's hard to get a good sound out of this channel. It's voiced like a hot rodded Marshall, but I'm a Mesa Boogie fan, so I need to get used to it. When I turn up the growl and the drive, both cranked and the treble and bass at 3 o'clock, I get a nice Soldano type sound. I like this sound a lot, but my heart does belong to my Tremoverb. There is something to be said about the modified Marshall/Soldano type tone. That's channel 2 does pretty well. This is the perfect gigging amp, I'm VERY happy with it.

since its solid state, I guess it's less likely to die than tubes?

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I like this amp. It meets me needs. I still love my treoverb halfstack, but it's sooo heavy to lug around. The trademark 60 gives me a great sound that I'm happy with when we play out and is light and easy to carry around. I'm starting to fall in love with the distortion channel in the setting I mentioned previously. I really can't find a use for the "weep" button. This is a great gigging amp.

60 watts, 2 channels, reverb, "bite" control on ch.1, "weep" control on channel 2. 1 is voiced clean and has a mid conrtol called punch; 2 is voiced dirty and has a mid control called growl. The weep control is kind of a mystery to me, I can't understand it's use really, so I don't use it, I just cant get a good use out of it. Boost control, a footcontroller, etc...

Ok it's solid state, so it doesnt sound like a tube amp, it's supposed to emulate marshall, mesa, fender, vox... It can't get these sounds identically, but it does give characteristics of those sounds, which in itself is very cool, because this thing really does have a sound of its own. I like the distortion, and the growl control gives you a lot of options. I turn the drive all the way up, as well as the bass and treble; all the way up, and I play around witn the growl control until I find a sound I like. Remember to turn up the channel volume when you turn the growl down. The clean (ch.1)is really nice, it can get gritty and even give a nice marshall or orange type distortion when the gain is on 10. It does clean up crystal clen too, very fendery. The bite control gives channel 1 a whole new sound. I think this channel is the more versatile of the two. I even play a distortion pedal through channel 1 sometimes. Channel 2 is cool too, but in all fairness, it really is very hard to replicate a tube distortion sound authentically; but as I said before, this thing has it's OWN sound, and it's a good sound at that. I think it's voiced somewhat like a Marshall? It feels more Marshall than Mesa anyway. I bought this because I couldn't aford a rectoverb combo, and it's doing the job just fine.

it's Solid State, so I think it should be reliable?

I think this is the ultimate gigging amp, and I was surprised to discover how many people use this amp to gig with. It sounds great and it's solid state, so u don't have to worry about breakdowns.

I bought this amp new a couple months ago, I'm not sure what year it was made. I'm guessing 2002. I've only been playing guitar for 1 year, this is my 2nd amp. (1st was 15 watt Crate) What a world of difference! Anyways I bought it for $489 from a local shop, I felt that was a good price from what I've seen on the net and around town.
I played thru a lot of different amps and talked to many people before I bought the Tech 21. It's basicly the first music related product that I've bought that I feel 100% happy with. To me that is a great feeling to have. The features are well documented by others and on the web site so I won't bother. Here are a couple of things that I like about the unit; it's made in the USA, it's built solid, I think looks very nice - the stainless steel chasis is a nice touch, quailty lifting handle, it comes with a nice foot switch, the reverb is great! Perfect size and power for jamming with friends and practicing at home.

I have a MIM Strat with CS Fat 50's in it. My style of music is no style, I'm still learning the basics. That was a big selling point for me. How can you know what type of sound you want when you are still learning the basics? This amp lets me explore many different sounds and amp styles to figure out which sound is for me. I usually play a clean Fender type of sound which this amps can do really well.
The amp doesn't seem very noisey at all, with single coils the amp is the last of my problems as far as noise goes! The distortion seems really nice although my guitar isn't really set up for heavy metal. If you're looking for pure honey driping tone and you know what style amps suits your needs then you sould buy that amp instead. The tone of a tube amp is better, but then you are suck to one sound. I played a Traynor tube amp with 2-10" speakers that sounded great, I almost bought it instead. I think it would be nice if Tech 21 offerd a twin model, I think that is the way to improve this product.

Another selling point for me, I think this thing is built great and I perfer solidstate over tubes in this catergory. I read a lot of reviews on Fender tube amps, quotes like this are common, "I replaced the tubes right out of the box" - screw that, I bought a Blues Jr from M.F. - pluged it in and put it right back in the box and returned it. What a piece of junk! If I spend my money I expect something to work properly for years! So I'm not a recording artist, I'll give up a little tone for reliablity. (Side note: Does Fender have a quality control department?? Time to ISO 9000 they're arse!)I wish every thing I bought was as well made as Tech 21 products

I have not used it, can't comment.

Overall rating is a 9, there is always room for improvement on any product. As I stated before a 2-10" option would have been nice but that is just a personal thing. This amp is one you should check out in the $500 range (I'm talkin $499 not $599). I'd also consider, Marshal AVT50 - $475, Traynor 40 watt tube (forgot model number) which was around $500. You can't go wong with any or these.

I have had this amp for about a year now - so guess it is a 2002 model. Others have detailed the features or go to the web site and check them out. This amp does everything i want it to - it works for me. I use this amp weekly in a jazz group and daily for practice. It is loud enough to get over a drummer, bassist, sax and loud fuglehorn player with no problems. I wish it had two clean channels that i could tweak.

I use a Parker Fly, Blade RH1, and Epi dot. All sound great. I mostly play jazz and 60's politically incorrect rock (Alice Cooper, QMS, Vanilla Fudge, Iron Butterfly, Jefferson Airplane, etc) The amp has it's own voice which is perfect for me - I don't want to be a clone of some one else. I may play others songs but the solos are mine. If I wanted a Fender twin or Boogie or Marshall sound I would have bought one of their amps. I just got a GT-6 and use that in the return jack and the amp shines with that as well.

No reliablity problems at all. One small buzzing problem that was correct in two emails from the company - great response both in time and knowledge. I always take a back up of everything cables,guitars and amps to preformances.

As above great service from both the sales group and technical service people. They know thier stuff!

I have been playing sense 1964 - garage band high school guy. Currently I have a Boogie and a Roland amp to cover other styles. Yes I would buy it again - with out hesitation. I love its smooth clear rich tone - nothing I hate about this amp - just wish the other channel was cleaner - i love the clean sound as well as a slightly break up tone - cant seen to find that on the second channel though. I like the active tone controls a lot. I was looking for a light weight 40+ watt amp that would be clean enough for jazz and tried this one along with just about everything else I could find under 65 lbs. For the money nothing came close. On its own or with effects this amp is a winner!!

NA

A frequent comment about this incredible amp is wich the speaker fart-buzz for high volume settings in channel two (Marshal-Mesa-Vox).
I agree this opinion, is the only bad thing in this machine.
I would replace the original speaker with another a bit overpowered, 150 watts peak for example.Someone have some suggestion for me?Thanks.

Perfect in all situation if you dont'need more power and don't want buy and carry around the power engine 60!

Friendly and helfull.

na