Teisco Checkmate 25

A true vintage tube amp with great big nuts!!! I think this range was manufactured in the 60's in Japan. It sports t 2xEL84 power tubes and 3x12AX7's on pre-amp as well as a vibro tube! The only unreliable feature is the crystal reverb setup. It sounds great but if damaged u cant replace it anymore. but what the hey...just buy a reverb and add to the effects.
I use this amp for anything from Jazz to hard rock and Blues! My amp has increddible power especially when u change from 12 to 2x12! or 4x10 02 2x12....u getting the picture.

Well all i can say is stand and deliver on this baby!!! Anyone who goes past 5 at a gig is gonna do some serious drowning as far as fatness is concerned! This amp is almost identical to the AC30 VOX as far as features are concerned and i've dropped a few JCM 900's in my time with only a Tube Screamer & a Dirty Rat!!!
It has an awesome Vibrato and if pushed gives increddible natural overdrive. (also depending on speaker setup) there is also a speaker extention output to add on.
The biggest raunchiest cheese head-buttin sound I've ever had!

Its been goin for decades before its 1st service and will go on for decades more!
Just a problem maintaining the reverb.

No support no more....but the parts are pretty easy to replace!

I have been playing for 16 years and nothing has come close for me.
All i do is plug the strat the rat and the TS9 through my Ibanez vintage wah and we're away!
Only thins i wish it had is a twin sister ;-)
Paid near nothing for it.

I'm not sure about its' age but I know it still sounds great. I play rock with it and it is fine. It has a nice reverb, a cool tremolo effect on it too, bass, treble knobs also. A master volume. It's all tubes. I wish it has a distrotion channel or a crunch but still... It provides enough power to play in a band I can tell you that. It would be nice if it was a bit more powerful...

The sound is great. Don't crank it to its' max. The clean sound will start crunching at around level 6 (on a scale of 1 to 10 on the volume knob). I use a Fender Telecaster Hihway 1 with it and it sounds great. I admit, it can be noisy sometimes when really hot and you're playing loud and close to it.

It never failled me. I had it cleaned (inputs...) and I the tubes seem to last long. I played some gigs with it and I'm planing on doing others.

I've been playing for 14 years. I had this amp for 2 years now. It's hooked on with a Ibanez cab (4x12") and it is quite interesting. I love this amp, bought it for almost nothing and wouldn't change or sell it for nothing. Turn it on a couple of minutes (even an hour) before using it and you'll get its' maximum capacity.

I heard that the manufacture start of this amplifier was carried out in 1964. However, I don?t know the date of manufacture of the amplifier which I have. Although this amplifier consists of an amplifier head and a speaker cabinet, I have only the amplifier head. I received the secondhand amplifier head about 30 years ago. Then, it was already out of order, but I fixed and used it in several years. However, I did not use at all after that for a long time. Two weeks ago, I take it out from my warehouse, and started to repair. I exchanged all the old capacitors to the new capacitors. Moreover, I exchanged four main vacuum tubes for the new ones. Since there was also no front protection wire netting, I stuck it in front of the amplifier. Moreover, I also exchanged the rectification diode for the fast recovery diode

After the repair, I have already used it on a small performance. I played traditional Jazz style guitar with the amplifier, Fender speaker cabinet, Boss digital delay and Gibson ES-335. This combination is really great! When I played the amplifier with my ES-335 at a small music bar, I was fascinated to the gentle mellow tone.

If you get this amplifier and if you want to use this amplifier and it has not been changed old capacitors to the new ones, you must change the all of old capacitors to the new ones. All of old capacitors are useless because of degradation. The date of manufacture is almost 40 years before and you should better think that almost capacitors have broken. In the worst case, it may ignite from old capacitors. Regarding to it?s tone, after you changed capacitors, tone quality becomes amazingly good.

After the repair, this amplifier (with Fender speaker cabinet and Boss digital delay) became my favorite amplifier. Even comparing with the Polytone amplifier or Fender Twin Reverb amplifier, it is better for me. It?s really good for playing traditional Jazz style guitar.

hey
I juste buy a 1969 checkmate 25 wiht a 1973 vantage guitare and electrovoice mic pl11 ,a roland phase five and a couple of wire for 100$ can.i had to clean all noisy pots and take off the rust on crome parts,the cabinet have two bar for inclination.



3 channels(1 reverb and 2 normal.i have two knob betwin the reverb and the depth knob,those knob had been unusable because all the wire was cut,i dont know why and what is for,if someone know,let me know plz.

i use this amp for studio and sound great.and if more power needed,juste mic it.

I use a 1980 gibson les paul custom wiht active emg-89 pickups
I use it for progressive style
The sound is great live or studio,Is it noisy,juste chage the gound selector on back.It`s sound clean at middle volume and great sound for blues style if u turn the volume, the substain is simply ammezing,

u can count on it,

n/a

playing whit 45-6 time,i use two pig nose.
if it were stolen...i`m gonna cry h?h?h?.
i love the sound,i hate notting about this amp.
i am very lucky to find this amp.

Made in the late 60's to early 70's, used predominantly for blues blues/rock and great for that. Reverb and two normal channels, treble, bass, volume and reverb volume along with tremolo depth and speed, standby and on. It's simple but great for home and bags of tone, guy traded it for a Fender Twin along with cash.

I've a big selection tele, strat, les paul, flying v, sheraton and Sg and this sings with all of them. It takes abit of time to warm up, a bit temperamental on the switching side and can sometimes pick up noise from electric sources, but the tone and warmth is to die for.

I've changed the tubes and had the pots cleaned, it really needs to warm up and is best at higher volume to keep it on the straight and narrow or otherwise it pops and starts to fade in and out.

Playing for three years, I also have a valvestate Marshall but when this is warmed up and on song you cannot beat it, have tried a number of other amps but this beats them all. I would be heart broken if it was stolen, because it is also not far of mint.

I dont know when it was made.
I am a home and small player and this amp is great for me.
2 channels
no
Yes it has enough power.
One of the tubes burnt. (7082)I am despirate to find a new tube!!

The tubes are very old and one burnt. I am looking for a new one but could not find one!!

I don't know what year this amp was made i was told late 60's they were sold in a department store called Gibsons here in dallas,texas. it has 3 inputs,volume,treble,bass,reverb,depth and speed for the tremelo,and standby, and on switch with green and red light's.and the cabinet is a 1x15 with a small 2'' speaker i would think for high's.
the amp is all tube....3 12ax7's 1 12au7 for tremelo, and 2 7819 power tubes.if you know anything about these amps email boldwilly@msn.com thanks

the amp sounds great it's 25 watts so it works great in the studio.

I use it on alot of clean stuff in the studio but i couldn't use it live it's not loud enough i use Marshall's live 2 78,76,JMP'S.

I was told the company has been gone since the late 70's so i don't think you would have much luck finding parts.

I've had the amp for a little while but plan on keeping it,,,,it sounds great.