Univox U1226

I believe this amp was made in the early seventies. It's all tube and 65 watts. The speaker cabinet has 2 12" speakers, two handles, and casters. It has two channels, 'Bright' and 'Normal', with separate volumes for each. There are four inputs so you can plug into one channel and run a jumper into the other. It has the basic tone controls: bass, middle, treble, but it also has a presence, reverb and tremelo speed and intensity. The reverb is a spring unit that is mounted in the back of the head. There are two outputs for speakers and jacks for reverb and tremelo footswitches.

I LOVE the way this thing sounds when it is overdriven. You can run a jumper from one channel into the other and crank it and oh what a great tone. It's a great tube overdrive. Sometimes I put a Presonus Bluetube preamp in front of it and peg the drive on that which sounds amazing with this amp. It has a real vintage rock/bluesy type overdrive which I love.

I bought this amp when I was in the seventh grade and was just learning how to play (it was already old by then). This amp has been very reliable. I owned it for years before I had it recapped and replaced old tubes a couple of years ago.

Univox hasn't existed for years.

I give this amp a 9 out of 10. I love the tone and it's been completely reliable. I don't regret a penny that I've spent on it.

This is a classic 70s amp made by the same company that brought you the Univibe and the Superfuzz distortion pedal. This amp is part of the classic B series of the early 70s which came in a nifty two tone tolex. I like the unique stylings of this amp which stands in contrast to the black tolex monotony of other amps.

Basically two-channels w/ 4 inputs, a bright and a normal for each channel. Independent volume for both channels. The first channel's volume knob is a pull knob for brightness/boost. This has a 8ohm/16 ohm switch on the back for changing speaker impedence. Includes tremolo and reverb (on 1st channel only). Full tube amp with 2 6L6 power tubes and 4 12AX7 preamp tubes, and one questionable other tube. I got this at a guitar fair with the accompanying 2x12 cab. The power rating on this amp is 65 RMS. Also includes a presence knob and three band EQ (mid, treble, bass). It appears that the 6L6 power tubes are original tubes (GE insignias), I haven't gone into the head to check the 12AX7s but I suspect they might be of a vintage era. It also came with the Univox 2x12 cabinet, however I think one of the speakers in the cabinet has either been removed or is pretty much dead. However for $200 I can't really complain, the head itself is worth it.

There are also inputs on the back of the amp for two footswitches, both serving an on/off function for the built-in reverb and tremolo. However, I've heard stories about the non-standard nature of the switches on these inputs so I'm not sure if I could find footswitches that would work.

Noting that this amp is around 30 years old it is comparible to amps of its era. Compared to a Marshall plexi or Laney of that era I think this amp holds it's own weight. It's a non-master volume amp which I think taints peoples' assertions that this amp is 'too clean'. In my humble opinion, master volume amps simply seek to 'recreate' the distortion of overdriven tubes at lower volumes but still sound like a hollow representation. The only way to actually create the Hendrix tone is to turn your amp upto 10!!! Unfortunately if you live in an apartment you can't really do that without pissing off the neighbors. But considering you can find one of these in good condition between $200-$300 consider spending money on a THD Hotplate.
I think the only features that I honestly miss would be the ability to do channel switching and an effects loop.

The defining feature of this amp get it's definition and versatility by merely dialing in the tone via the few knobs that exist on the panel. Want warm tune distortion and crunch for days? Turn up the mid and bass settings and crank the volume past 8. Too bright? Go over and turn down the treble. It's simple and intuitive. Also the amp basically translates the tone of the guitar your plug into it rather fluidly.

At 65 Watts of power the amp is loud enough for playing in my basement. I haven't had the chance to play with other musicians but as with any combo amp within this range it's got enough power to accompany a full band and to play out at gigs.

I'm actually underrating this compared to my own enthusiasmm for this amp but basing my rating off of what I think others would rank it. I've cited the obvious lack of modern fx loop and other features that some people have come to rely on.

I play a Kramer aluminum neck guitar w/ the original pickups (I think they're mini humbuckers) and a Guild S-100 (late 90s) w/ stock Seymour Duncan pickups. I also use an ADA MP-1 on occassion when I want a more modern crunchy tone with a tighter definition (or fx loop).

When I initially played through this amp was at the guitar show through a cheap 80s Fender Strat and my initial inclination was that this would be a nice clean amp. It wasn't until I took it home and turned I plugged in my S-100 and cranked the volume on it did I realize the thing had a great overdriven tone.

I play a wide variety of musical styles within the rock milieu ranging from 60s style rock (Think Love, The Beatles, Hendrix) to 80s hardcore (Minor Threat, Husker Du) back to 90s angular indie guitar rock (Polvo, Slint, Shellac), etc. Basically I wanted an amp that has good tone that can situate itself to a wide variety of sounds and tones.

The only noise that I get from this amp is a weird buzzing that occurs at high volumes but I think the problem is with the speaker cabinet. My honest assumption is that either one of the two speakers is blown or has been removed by a previous owner. In that case I think I'm just pushing the remaining speaker too hard. I'm currently in the market to swap the speakers with Vintage Celestion 30s or just buy another cabinet (something with Vintage Celestion 30s).

Outside of that, by switching the inputs from channel 1 to channel 2 I've found the amp has a different character for each channel. Channel 1 is much brighter and seems to be a bit cleaner. Channel 2 has a nice bottom end boost that gets really crunchy when the volume is cranked. The tremolo and reverb are a nice addition and when backing off on the volume on channel 1 I can get that 60s surf tone.
Plugging into channel 2 on the 'normal' input and playing through the bridge pick-up on my S-100 with all controls set to max (backing off on treble and presence) I get a really ballsy crunchy distortion good for Minor Threat style power chord riffs. My first inclination is to buy an A/B switch for 'channel switching'.

Basically I think the key to getting tones out of this amp relies primarily on what type of guitar, what pickups,etc. Learning to pay attention to your pick-up selector switch and the volume/treble knobs allow a lot of control over tone. I think in the day and adge of digital effects preamps people have gotten lazy and expect to be able to dial up their settings and punch a knob with their foot to instantaneously get their 'tone'. This amp was made in an era where guitarists viewed their guitar and amp as an extension of themselves and relied a lot on the physicality of adjusting their guitar settings to change their tone. I've started to understand a lot of the inherent beauty in the simplicity of old vintage heads. By adjusting the few knobs on the amp and relying on the tone controls built into your guitar you can achieve quite a lot of variety without relying on a footswitch. I don't think you can replicate the tone with digital modeling amps.

Basically an all around classic rock style amp. If you want a good clean tone w/ lots of definition soaked in reverb, this amp. If you want to play everything from warm overdriven blues lead to crunchy punk power chord rhythms you can get those tones out of this amp.

My rating, again, reflects what I think others opinions of this amp would be based on the lowest common denominator of currect expectation.

Well, the amp itself is 30 years old which attests to it's reliability. If it's lasted this long I couldn't imagine anything short of a natural disaster to ruin this amp.

The previous owners obviously didn't put a lot of thought or care into this amp. When I bought it someone had painted the gray tolex front of the speaker cabinet black with Krylon. They also spraypainted upside down 'five-pointed' stars on the grill clothe on the circular speaker openings on the front of the cabinet. Knobs have been replaced, the handles on the head are missing.

All I can say is that it appears to be a workhorse that has withstood 30 years of time and is still in playing condition. The tubes themselves appear to not have been changed and are of vintage quality.

Um, well Univox is long out of business so there's no warranty or company to even speak of. You'll end up paying for service so my advice is take it to a trusted local tech or music store with a reputation for good work.

I've owned various amps. My last amp was a Music Man combo. I've owned and played through other peoples' gear. I think for the going rate for these amps I'd gladly buy another if this was lost. I can't think of a better deal for the price.

This was honestly an impulse buy but I'm very happy with my decision to snag this amp. It has yet to disappoint me. In all fair honesty I have been fretting over what amp to buy yet and had been considering a newer Laney, a 70s Orange or a Laney Supergroup head. Against the older Orange and Laney amps I think this was honestly a

This amp was made sometime during the 70's

Quite a few features with this one. It has a push pull volume and a second volume knob, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence, Reverb, Tremelo speed, & Tremelo Intensity. It also has a Reverb adjust knob located on the back side of the chassis allowing you to set the wide open depth amount of the reverb located on the front panel. Interesting feature! This amp is all tube consisting of
Power tubes 6L6GC blackplate
6L6GC blackplate
Preamp 12AX7 MULLARD!!
12AX7 MULLARD!!
12AX7 MULLARD!!
12AU7 MULLARD!!
12AU7 MULLARD!!
6AN8
There are input jacks located on the backside of the chassis for reverb and tremelo foot switches.
I picked this amp at a local store for $60.00, what a steal!!!! I have just seen this same amp online going for $299.00! I was very suprised to get this amp home and take of the back panel to see that it was loaded with MULLARD preamp tubes! To those who know these are great sounding tubes and tend to fetch high dollar.

There is not a whole lot of drive to this amp but rather a slight breakup. I am using a Les Paul Studio with this and find to get a overdriven sound I have to put a stompbox on the front end of it. For clean sounds this amp is great and the tremelo on this amp is sweet.

I have had no problems with this amp. I plan to test the tubes in it and change those that need it and give it a recap job.

This was definately a find and a great deal. This is a keeper, like the sound. Its a UNIVOX