Yamaha DG100-212

The DG100-212 has 100 watts of power, 2 Celestion Vintage 30's (nice) and 8 different digital preamps. I just got the software update to it, so in addition to the tape echo and reverbs, this one also has chorus and tremolo effects. It has really everything I need in an amp, and it is definitely loud enough to rehearse or gig with. Casters were included, and the knobs are motorized so that they move into the correct positions whenever you recall a sound from one of the 128 memory slots. Read more about the features from the previous postings. Oh, one more thing: This amp is HEAVY...

I play mostly rock and blues, with some metal thrown in occasionally. My only guitar at the moment is an Epi Les Paul Standard with Duncan pickups (JB and Jazz). Now, about the sound of this amp... If you want an amp that sounds like an all-tube amp, go buy one! You can get good-sounding tube amps for less money than what the Yamaha costs. I'm sick and tired of people complaining about a solid-state or digital amp they bought, just because it doesn't sound like a tube amp. Well, if you want a 100 % tube sound, get an amp with tubes! Just remember that you wont get the versatility of this amp and you will have to deal with tube damage and replacement. These are the two reasons why I got this amp. Although it doesn't have tubes, it still sounds pretty sweet to me! From the 8 preamps, the Drive 1 is my favourite. It has a dirty distorted tone that is really great for rock rhythm guitar parts. A lot like old Aerosmith. And when I dial in some more gain and flip to the neck pickup, I can get a good Santana-ish lead sound. I don't like the Lead preamps too much. They tend to sound a bit harsh and saturated, which I don't really like. The clean tones are great and kinda dark sounding. Not muddy but dark. The Crunch preamps can be used to create a slight breakup, kinda like a tube amp driven hard to the max. So, I really like the sounds I get out of this box. Actually, I love it! I've also tried a Line 6 XL, which was a huge dissapointment, and a Line 6 Spider (which seemed like a toy). I haven't been able to test too many digital amps, as you can see, but I fell in love with the DG the first time I tried it. It gets a bit noisy with high volumes and a lot of gain, but nobody's gonna hear it when I start playing and the drums come in! The chorus effect is beautiful, by the way! I don't use the tremolo much, but that's just because I don't really need tremolo. I guess it is OK sounding, too...

So far, so good...(so what!). The only thing I'm worried about are the motorized knobs, since they won't last forever. But I haven't had any problems with it yet, so...

The software update was real easy to take care of. I just took the DG back to shop where I bought it (Pro Center, Helsinki) and got it back the next day. I'm gonna rate it a 9 although I haven't been in contact with Yamaha directly.

I've been playing for 7 years now, and this amp is really a dream come true to me. The only gear I need besides it are my guitar (Epi LP) and a Dunlop Cry Baby. If someone stole this amp, I would...Hell, I dunno what I would do, cos I love this amp so much! If you have a DG and want to share some good sounds, just mail me!

The DG100-212 has 8 amps sims, plus 4 effects with the new software upgrade- chorus, echo, tremelo and reverb. Real time parameter control with actual knobs that also control the digital settings.

I have had this amp for a month and my Marshall 30th Anniversary head is now for sale. This thing is great! The sounds are real tubey- not solid state sounding, but warm. I can actually get nice controlled feedback with no external overdrive pedals, although the amp does respond nicely to external effects. The clean sounds are excellent, the crunch is very versatile and the distortion sounds are very sweet. I have had allot of amps over the years- this one seems to be the most versatile unit I have ever heard. so far, a really excellent product from a manufacturer not known for great guitar amp sounds. An excelent design!

I had to take the first one back due to a rattle inside the amp at high, basey volume settings. The amp also made funny crackly sounds when the volume is all the way down. Guitar Center gladly replaced the unit and the second one functions perfectly.
Like every other review though, I can envision the motorized knobs not lasting forever, but since I am a basement player, I should be able to make it last a long time.

Haven't had to use it yet.

So far- so good. Great sounds. I might purchase an extension 2-12 cabinet and try to get some matching grillcloth so I can have the combination of the nice open back and closed back cabinet sounds. If Yamaha is listening- put in an extension speaker jack and add a tuner, or at least a tuner out jack. Also, put input jacks on the back of the amp as well. Just my humble opinion!

Good ol' chicken-head knobs married with the technology of modeling. Trim control to adjust for different guitars. 100 watts. Eight amp voicings to choose from that cover the spectrum from clean to a little country/blues spongey tube-breakup to massive gain - all voiced a little differently - plenty of variety here. Two 12" Celestion Vintage 30s. Effects: Reverb (3 types); digitally-emulated analog delay called "tape echo". Vers. 2 software upgrade adds mono chorus and tremolo, but I imagine they'll be shipping them with these already in. 128 spots to save tone/effects settings. Has MIDI in/out for doing all the important live-performance switching/comtrolling from a MIDI foot-controller, as well as for bulk dumps in and out. Has motorized knobs that return to where you left them when you saved a sound. Grab and tweak freely... no need to flip the knob back and forth to re-capture any parameters. The knobs, which are in fact "data encoders", really feel like genuine potentiometers with a very subtle, physical resistance and stop points at zero and ten. XLR line-out with cab-voicing that can be turned on or off, plus a level knob for it right next it. Has an effects loop which, I found out, is appropriately placed in the signal path AFTER the tone-making tools. That way if you run a volume pedal with it, as you turn down the tone and gain of a given sound stays intact. If you don't like that, put the pedal between the guitar and the amps input. There's also an effects-blend control right next to the loop jacks. Has removable casters.
The human-to-digital interface is astounding. Adjust knobs as you would on any old tube amp, then hit store. There's no hitting a "menu" or "edit" button first. The knobs are THERE for immediate tweaking. This makes the little tweaks I like to make on-stage a breeze. At any glance, the knob settings are the reference for what the sound is for each and every saved setting... love it. I hate menus.
Granted, there's four effects. But I didn't say "only four". The four are among the highest used by most. Really, this is first and foremost a guitar amplifier, and the quality in this respect is amazing - it's a tone-making/shaping champion. Go buy some pedals or a processor if you reuire other effects. Just be sure to turn off their preamp simulations or you might end up with that annoying, synthetic mosquito tone that so many processors have.

Tone: Extremely versatile. Easily I can see country pickers, bluesmen, and metal heads all falling in love with this amp.
Power: Plenty. On any other solid-state amp I've tried, 100-watts didn't really seem to have enough power when cranked up and playing with a band. But this thing (believe me) is different. It has MONSTEROUS power. Drummers don't scare me anymore.
Speakers: Celestion Vintage 30s. They sound awesome, 'nuff said.
Overall: I'm not trying to be bold at all when I say that this amp is superior in the modeling world. It flat-out is. It DOES NOT sound processed or synthetic like othe modeling amps and processoers. It has that immediate-ness, clarity, and power in it's tones that only comes from tube amps, and it responds and sounds just like a frickin' tube amp... actually 8, because that's how many to choose from. I'd be willing to bet my left arm that this amp would amaze and deliver goods to any tube-purist. I can say that because I've been there, done that. Tube people, you're missing out on something revolutionary if you don't look into this. If you're a "stack" person, Yamaha has this thing in head/closed-cab config too. The head has 130 watts. But try the combo first cause it's a monster itself.
I know the recommendation at Harmony Central is to not give glowing reviews. Sorry buds, it can't be helped in this case.

We'll see. I'm new to Yamaha products. Everybody I have spoke with about Yamaha products said their stuff is generally high-grade, built to last. The motorized knobs, being an integral and necessary part of the human/amp interface, are the only thing that I'm kind of crossing my fingers on. I'm at ease at the moment because it's new, but I do hope Yamaha put enough design time into this so that they'll last a long, long time. If they put the same effort into the knobs that they did into it's other areas of design, I'm not too worried.
RE: Gigging without a back-up
In 22 years of playing, I've never had the luxury of a "back-up" amp until now. I still have a Fender Ultimate Chorus that I could sub in a pinch. But really, I don't care for this "would you use it on a gig without a back-up" question. Who wants to carry two or more of everything to every gig? I might RUN HOME to get something, but I'm not into packing around a ton of heavy stuff unless I'm going a long distance away from home. So.. yes, I'd gig with this amp without a back-up, just to save my back if for nothing else.

So far, so good. I was in contact with the product manager of Yamaha Guitars & Amps. The dude was amazing. He answered all my Qs, sent me a free Daneletro chorus pedal (a special when I bought the amp), and e-mailed me the software upgrade to version 2 (which adds chorus and tremolo). I don't have any worries about getting questions answered. My only thought/concern is where would it have to go if it ever needs servicing? I doubt if anybody local works on these. Oh well, we'll cross that bridge if we ever get to it.

If you're becoming more and more discriminating about what you like and don't like in the amp and processor world, I urge you to go check out this amp. It's so cool it's ridiculous. No mosquito tones.. it's natural sounding. Easy to use in ALL respects. It's the defining piece of guitar gear I've been searching for for years.

This Amp has everything anyone could ever possibly want, if you play blues, Jazz, Rock guitar, This amp will model the sound for you, I have had the amp for 3 or 4 months now, and have not experienced any lack of versatility, it has yet to fail to satisfy my requirements. It has effectivley 8 channels, 2 clean, 2 crunch, 2 overdrive and 2 lead. You can use a MIDI pedal to change between 128 possible preset settings, It has an effects loop, which works as it should, excellently, a headphone jack, should you want to bypass the Celestion Vintage 30s which sound incredible, There is nothing i have yet to pick up on that is bad about this amp, I intend to use it at venues of an increasing size, as well as for practice, and its power is beyond anything i will ever need, 100 Watts is enough to deafen me. A truely excellent guitar amp. Well worth every penny.

I use this amp with a Standard Fender Stratocaster, The sound quality is truely excellent, the Celestion Vintage 30s easily handle the 100 watts of power output, The amp does hum a little on the distorted sounds, but only at higher volumes, whereby the sound of the guitar is enough to drown out a foghorn let alone a bit of hum, the clean sounds are next to perfect, almost no hum even at full volume. The distortion is a s brutal as you want it to be, or as little as you want it to be, all of the different varieties of channels keep their quality at the highest of volumes. Absolutely every sound possible can come out of this amp.

The amp is Digital and so there is no risk of Valve damage, i have yet to experience a problem with it and would recommend it for reliability any day, it is a truely reliable Amplifier, it would take a lot of effort to damage it.

I haven't needed to talk to Yamaha about the amp, so i have no opinion on their service, the warranty is plenty at 12 months with optional extra, but i dont really know much more about it.

I have been playing the guitar for 6 years now, I have a Korg effects unit, and a MIDI pedal, and a Fender stratocaster, also a Yamaha Classical guitar, My amp is by far the most important and best piece of equipment i have, although my fender guitar means as much to me. I tried many an Amp out before deciding on this one, and this one won every time, and If it were stolen or lost, i would replace it with exeactly the same one, or perhaps Yamahas stacked DG130 version, (Simply better looking, and a little more unneccessary power). There is nothing i hate about the amp, it does about 10 times more than its average competitor, I love the amp, and would buy products of the same nature all the time if i had the money. Visit my Music Site at www.kcoleman.swinternet.co.uk

BOUGHT IN OCTOBER, AND MADE IN 1999,THIS AMP IS A 100 WATT COMBO.IT HAS 1 CHANNEL, HIGH AND LOW INPUTS, 2 CELESTION VINTAGE 30'S (THE BEST GUITAR SPEAKERS IMHO), TREBLE, HIGH MID, LOW MID, AND BASS EQ, MASTER VOLUME, GAIN, A PRESENCE KNOB (THAT REALLY WORKS!), AN EFFECTS LOOP SOPPING WET TO DRY, XLR OUT WITH SPEAKER SIM (NO MICS OR DIRECT BOXES TO USE FELLAS), 8 DIFFERENT AMP MODELS TO WORK WITH, AND MOTORIZED KNOBS! ALSO THREE TYPES OF REVERB (DIGITAL SPRING, HALL AND PLATE) AND A COOL VINTAGE TAPE DELAY ECHO. IT IS A DIGITAL AMP NOT SS OR TUBE, AND I USE IT IN MY BAND AND AT THE CHURCH. FEATURES I WISH IT HAD ARE A BUILT IN TUNER, AND AN AUXILLARY INPUT JUST FOR AN ACOUSTIC GUITAR OR A VOCAL HERE OR THERE. THE 100 WATTS HAVE BEEN PLENTY LOUD FOR THE SMALL TO MEDIUM-SMALL PLACES WE'VE PLAYED. (I HAVEN'T TURNED IT UP PAST 2) THIS IS AN EXTREMELY VERSATILE AMP! IT RUNS THE GAMUT FROM ULTRA CLEAN TO DIRTY, DIRTY DRIVE. AND IT'S LOUD. YEAH BABY! IT'S VERY EASY TO USE, JUST DIAL IN A SOUND YOU LIKE, AND YOU WILL GET A SOUND YOU LIKE, HIT STORE, AND FIND ANOTHER, HIT STORE, AND FIND ANOTHER, HIT STORE, AND THERE YOU HAVE IT. A WONDERFULLY VERSATILE BEAUTIFUL AMP. FEATURES GET A SOLID 9 FOR SIMPLICITY.

I AM USING A JAPANESE EPIPHONE GUITAR THAT WAS A GIFT AND I FRANKLY DON'T KNOW WHAT STYLE IT IS. IT'S REALLY OLD THOUGH, AND IT'S GOT A RONALD McDONALD COLOR SUNBURST BRIGHT RED ON THE OUTSIDE TO BRIGHT YELLOW ON THE INSIDE EVEN ON THE BACK OF THE NECK. MAYBE SOMEONE KNOWS WHAT THIS GUITAR IS. IF YOU DO, DROP ME A LINE. BUT ANYWAY, IT HAS A HUMBUCKER IN THE NECK AND A SINGLE COIL IN THE BRIDGE. BUT IT USED TO HAVE DUAL HUMBUCKERS BEFORE I GOT IT, AND I'M GOING TO REPLACE THE SINGLE SOON WITH ONE. (IF MY WIFE WILL LET ME. AFTER ALL SHE JUST SPENT $975 ON THIS AMP.) MY BAND PLAYS MODERN CHRISTIAN ROCK MOSTLY ORIGINALS AND A FEW COVERS, PLUS PRAISE AND WORSHIP AT YOUTH MINISTRIES AROUND OKLAHOMA. SO I NEEDED A VERSATILE AMP. THERE ARE THREE GUITARISTS IN THE BAND AND THE OTHER TWO HAVE THE LINE6 AX2. THE WONDER AMP. I PLAY RHYTHM GUITAR AND I DIDN'T NEED ALL THE EFFECTS THAT THE LINE6 OFFERED, BUT I DID NEED THE TUBE-LIKE SOUND OF AN AMP AND THIS YAMAHA JUST FLOORED ME. THIS IS THE AMP FOR ME. I PLAYED ALL THE OTHER DIGITAL AMPS, WELL NOT THE CRATE, BUT THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER SOAPBOX, AND THIS ONE JUST SOUNDS THE BEST. IT REALLY DOES! THE CLEAN STAYS THERE. THE DRIVE IS SO BEAUTIFUL. THE CRUNCH IS LIKE A BOX OF GRAPE NUTS. LEAVE THE MILK IN, SO WHAT. I DARE YA! IT'S CRUNCHY! THE LEAD, OH THE LEAD HAS PLENTY OF GAIN BUT IF YOU NEED MORE, DIAL IT UP! I LOVE THIS AMP! AND THEN YOU HAVE CLEAN2, DRIVE2, CRUNCH2, AND LEAD2. EVERYTHING SOUNDS GREAT. THIS IS DEFINATELY NOT A ONE TRICK PONY. FOR THE SOUNDS I GIVE IT A 10.

IT'S DIGITAL AND HEY THAT'S THE LATEST CRAZE RIGHT? I'VE PLAYED WITH IT 7 TIMES IN THE TWO WEEKS I'VE HAD IT AND NO PROBLEMS SO FAR. I GUESS I'VE LEARNED TO ONLY RELY ON ONE THING THOUGH. GOD.

I CALLED DOWN TO YAMAHA, BUT I HAD TO GET THEIR NUMBER OFF THEIR WEBSITE. I DIDN'T SEE IT IN THEIR MANUAL. HAVEN'T HAD TO USE THE WARRANTY FOR ANYTHING, IT'S ONLY TWO WEEKS OLD. THE LADY I TALKED TO SAYS IT HAS A THREE YEAR WARRANTY. I DON'T KNOW THAT I'D WANT TO DEAL WITH YAMAHA DIRECTLY. THEY SEEM A BIT..... LOOPY!?!

OVERALL, THIS IS THE AMP I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR. IT IS MY FIRST REAL AMP. MY OTHER ONE IS A SYNSONICS PRACTICE AMP WHICH IS JUST HORRIFIC. I'VE BEEN PLAYING GUITAR FOR ABOUT 7 YRS, BUT ONLY SERIOUSLY FOR 4. IF IT WERE LOST OR STOLEN I WOULD DEFINATELY BUY IT AGAIN AFTER I GOT OVER THE PAIN AND SUFFERING. I LOVE THE WAY IT SOUNDS, THE WAY IT LOOKS, AND ESPECIALLY THE WAY I SOUND PLAYING ON IT. I HATE NOTHING ABOUT THIS AMP. I PURCHASED A DIGITECH MIDI FOOTSWITCH TO CHANGE AMP SOUNDS AND CONTROL VOLUME ON THIS AMP. I COMPARED IT TO THE LINE6 AX2, FLEXTONE, JOHNSON MILLENIUM, AND ALSO SOME TUBE AMPS LIKE THE MARSHALL JCM600, FENDER TWIN REISSUE, LANEY, AND PEAVEY, AND THIS AMP IS JUST THE ONE I WANTED! ITS GOT A VINTAGE SOUND AND LOOK, SOME GREAT REVERB AND DELAY, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, I SOUNDED GOOD ON IT! TRY ONE OUT, BUT TAKE YOUR WIFE'S CHECKBOOK AND A CAR BIG ENOUGH TO TAKE IT HOME.

Yamaha's answer to the amp-modeling wars chooses not to emulate other amps. It offers 8 preset voicings which run the gamut from clean to crush. Basically it has 4 modes Clean, Crunch, Drive and Lead with 2 preset voicings for each mode. The EQ section is pretty versatile with treble, hi-mid, lo-mid, bass and presence controls. There are inputs for hi & lo gain pickups, an input level, output level, gain and master volumes. There is a reverb knob and some controls perform a 2nd function to control echo parameters. There are 128 preset locations, an effects loop, MIDI mapping, continuous control via expression pedal, and motorized knobs which return to their preset locations when a preset is changed. The DG-100 makes an excellent effort to offer a versatile, MIDI preset amp with regular amp features -- turn the knobs, store the sound. There are no tubes -- all digital technology. Power is 100 watts into 2 Celestion vintage 30 speakers. The only effects offered are 3types of reverb (plate, spring, hall) and a tape echo simulation.
Features I wish this amp had: reverb and echo that decayed naturally over preset changes without cutting off abruptly, More voicings with tight low end, more power -- 100 watts solid state DOES NOT equal 100 watts tube power.

I play several different guitars: a PRS Custom 24, G&L Legacy, G&L ASAT Classic, Carvin DC200, Fender Strat and Fender Tele. The amp doesn't seem to show a preference for humbuckers or single coils. It doesn't translate all the subtle nuances of every guitar played through it but it does allow a fair degree of the guitar's character to come through. I had a Johnson Millenium which sounded exactly the same no matter what guitar was played through it --hated it! Will this amp sound as good or better than many tube amps on the market today? Nope! Will it sound as good as a big, bulky tube rack system? Nope! I bought the Yamaha as a small gig / practice amp to use instead of lugging around my big stage rig. I play alot of different styles and this amp simply sounds more like a real tube amp than anything I've heard up to this point. It's much better than a Millenium or Line 6. I haven't heard the Rocktron Taboo Twin but I'd wager that the Yamaha will hold it's own. It'll do the clean funk thing, the Fender clean, SRV, AC/DC, 80s metal, Vox, Metallica, scooped-mid Thrash. Mind you, I'm super- picky about tone so for what I was looking for, this amp does a good job. Tone is mainly in the hands anyway. The amp also retains its tone at loud volumes better than its competition. Sadly though, its 100 soild state watts just don't project like a good tube amp rated at 1/5 the power. It can get pretty loud -- loud enough to keep up with a drummer but the volume output knob seems to lose effectivenes after about 2 O'Clock. The Clean channel stays clean at high volume. The distortion can get pretty brutal but the voicing I like for heavy distortion (Drive 2) doesn't have quite enough gain. Other voicings will get you into thrash mode but don't have quite the low end tightness I like. There are some convincingly saggy tube tones to keep vintage dudes happy.

The DG100-212 seems to be put together well.Would I trust it without a backup? This IS my backup! It's advisable to always have some sort of backup no matter what amp you're playing thru. I chose the solid-state digital technology so I wouldn't have to replace tubes like I do for my main rig. I liked the amp for its sound quality and not for the motorized knobs which are always good for a laugh! I don't think I'll be laughing when I have to replace them after the warranty expires, though! I haven't had it long enough to make a judgement on it's reliability.

Haven't dealt with them. Warranty is one year.

I've been playing guitar for 28 years. I have a great rack system with an H&K Access preamp, Rocktron Intellifex, Digitech DHP-55 and Boogie 2:90 into Marshall 4x12s. I have yet to hear anything that would replace this rig in sound quality, versatility or back pain. If the DG-100 were lost, I'd replace it unless I heard something else that sounded better. It's a great ultra-versatile little combo that doesn't sound like a cheesy processor. I believe that better solid- state/ digital amps are coming but I am also convinced that solid state will never sound as good as tubes.

8 distinct preamp voices, a pair of each for lead, crunch, overdrive, and clean, fx loop with wet/ dry mix, midi controllable, motorized control knobs. Each preamp voice can be adjusted and stored in memory, then recalled.

It's a cool user friendly performer's toy. With 8 distinctive preamps on which to base your tone and distortion on, there are plenty of sounds to go for in this amp, and they are all simply adjustable, useable & storable. The ease of use and features sold me. I barely heard it in the music shop when I bought it, Iwasn't looking for the greatest tone on earth...but it had a thing about it..it isn't expensive by today's standards, and it certainly isn't a one trick pony. O.K, its not a tube amp, I have tube amps also that blow it away, but but for the gigging musician whose tired of tube hassles and the inability to crank tubes because the room's too small, the DG can substitute sonically and with less baggage to carry. I've downsized. Everything's in the amp which you need. Bring a midi pedal, your guitar and cable and go. The ability to tonally adjust the DG 100 in an analog style on the fly using the motorized knobs and storing is also cool. Its got reverb, it's not killer, but it works..the amp also has a digital tape echo that's adustable and again savable to your particular program. Dial it all in, hit save, and you're set to blast it at up to 100 watts through 2 vintage 30 celestions. Not a bad deal for $920.00 Its a giging machine and can cop tones pretty well. It's like a Japanese motor cycle, It'll never be a Harley, but it's a cool toy.

I bought a road case for it for $300. I don't think the motorized knobs would be happy if the amp were to tumble. It's under warranty, but if it died after the period, I would hate to guess repair costs. Chuck it, just keep the speakers.

I would hate to have to deal with this dept.

It definately does what it does well. There are no ground breaking tones here, but it can shake the earth. the DG is purely convenient rocket science.

This is a well built amp with various Digitally modelled sounds as part of it's preamp section and along with a built in simulated tape echo and digital reverb. The front knobs are motorized (similar to what is used in the high end Soldano amps) and the speakers are of the Celestion Vintage 30 variety. The amp packs plenty of punch and power and some nice bottom end as far a sound output. It is very versatile for all styles as most digital modelling amps tend to try and achieve......HOWEVER.....

I use two Ernie ball guitars (Axis and Axis Sport). Both guitars sound superb with pretty well any amp I use them on. They have a certain characteristic tone....so to speak. However, I honestly think Yamaha needs to go back to the drawing board on this one. I was real excited when I first saw the amp in an add and said "WOW....that may just be IT !" Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. I realize that Yamaha's goal here was to try and make a unique sounding amp on top of the modelling, but to be honest with you, my ears weren't that pleased at all. This in one of those cases where you try it in the store at a low volume and then take it home, try it a little louder and the disappointment sets in......However, I am just one reviewer here and I can see that probably someone else would really enjoy this amp. I honestly tried to give it a chance......On a positive note to start things off, the clean tones are quite nice and have a beautiful "darkness" to them. Kudo's to Yamaha also for including a set of casters for hauling this heavy beast around....a wise thought here. However, the dirty tones need a bit more work. While there is lots of gain at the higher setting, there is little clarity or crispness that one would look for. It's hard to explain but with a tube amp, you get that buzzy sound that only tubes can give you, not an electronic noise kind of buzz, but a compressed kind of sound. It truely is wonderful. Someone once told me that this new Yamaha modelling was a "LINE 6 Killer".....Hmmmm....well, that is total nonsense. The Line 6 Duo that I took instead killed this Yamaha as far as tone goes, and significantly cheaper. I realize that you are getting some neat things for your money, such as fancy motorized knobs, and premium speakers, but does everyone really need motorized knobs? Some may like this, but in my opinion, it's just another thing to go wrong and an extended cost....sure, it gives you the feeling of having a vintage amp and the simplicity of not having to sort through a couple of menu's but that is about it!. To sum it all up. everyone knows that Tape Echo's are not as bright as a regular digital delay, but with some of the excellent effects that Yamaha has developed in the past, I really think that they could have dropped the motorized knobs and in place put in one of their excellent multi-effects units similar to the other amps. Apparently the Power amp section is a Rivera based design, which would explain why the more you turn up the bass, the more clicking you get when playing on the higher frets. This was one of my biggest beefs with this amp. When cranked, I literally had to scoop the bass to get some kind of clarity in the upper end of things. Sometimes, trying to be different has it's disadvantages too.

I only had it for a week and it seemed very well-built and sturdy. The casters were included and that saved a lot of hauling problems that could have occured. There has to be an issue with those motorized knobs though, because eventually, they will wear out. I have a friends Soldano with the same setup and after 4 years, only 4 of the knobs work. Not a bit thing to worry about, but why pay for something when it really isn't that necessary.
Can really give a rating here due to having it for a short time.

Never dealt with Yamaha.

I am being real fair on this one as I think that the amp has some great things in it as far as construction, functionality, and quality of workmanship. However, in a be all to end all setup, it just didn't work for me. There is simply not enough for the money you are spending. To me, it seems almost that this design was rushed out to compete with Line 6, Johnson/Digitech, etc.......By adding different specialized things as mentioned above, they tried to make it distinctly different. I have been playing for 25 years and have literally played everything. This one simply didn't work for me. Try before you buy.......