Yamaha DG80-112

Mine is the later model with chourse. For a 1-12 it's damn heavy. Every Friday night it gets a work out and it hangs fine with a 5 piece band.

Every one has described the models. I use mine with an extension 1-12 cabinet loaded with an EV of some sort. My main axe is a Parker fly Classic with Ed Roman's pickup mod, but I've used my Strat and all kinds of other guitars through the DG. I've been using mine for about 5-6 years and still love it. Well, love is a bit strong, I try to save that for living things. I sold a Fender Hot Rod 1-12 (one trick pony that wore out tubes every year), bought the Yamaha and never looked back. Having all the sounds at your toes is fantastic and the playing dynamics are so close to a tube feel that any difference is meaningless to me. Roll off the volume on the guitar and it cleans up just like an amp should, and unlike most other solid state amps I've tried. I've played other modeling amps and although the Yamaha doesn't name its emulations after other amps, it's better suited for real use (IMHO). The motorized knobs make tweaks simple and natural and the learning curve is very short. If you ever tried a Fender Cyber Twin you'll appreciate the difference. You'll walk up to this amp and dial in a tone right away and even the presets are good. I see that some complain that it won't do metal but neither does most tube amps. I use a Marshall compressor and for metal sounds I use a Metal Zone pedal. It's behaved well with any pedal I've put in front of it, the same as a tube amp does. I know that side by side with Warren Haynes rig it'll come up short but I ain't Warren Haynes.

Never a problem. It's worked flawlessly, although I've seen the E1 message, usually when I unplug my midi footboard while the amp is on. I think Yamaha says it happens when the knobs get pegged on 10.

? Haven't needed it yet.

I'm at the entry to geezerhood, ok-so I've entered the room, and have more gear than I need. I am trying to simplify though, hence the wonderfull Parker and the Yamaha.

I read the stellar reviews when the amp came out about 6 years ago.I was in Atlanta GC and my keyboard player was along. I plugged in and turned the volume to .5 with a maxed out gain preset and the pinched harmonics just sqealed like a marshall turned to 10. Unreal at that volume. My friend said "Dave I have heard all your boogies and fenders but none of them will do that at that volume." It gets plenty loud but for small gigs..bedroom or recording it will scream at ANY volume.
I bought it the day I tried it for 625 I think. It has 128 presets so that makes it a 128 channel...kinda. I play with others who are veterens of gigging mostly R B Vintage rock dance cover band. If we do a large gig I take one of the new Crate celestion open back speakers (199) for an extension cab and can stay loud if needed. We stopped miking everything a long time ago...way too much hassle...besides the clubs here have their own and the other gigs we play for the dance floor. I take just the Dg 80 most of the time and it is plenty loud and projects well.

I play an 87 PRS and a new PRS Hollowbody 2. I have been using the HB 2 because it is the most awsome guitar tone machine I have ever played and 5.2 pounds. The amp is dead quiet except for high gain and it has plenty of that. We cover a very wide range of music and at the touch of my tech 21 'midi mouse' I can get all but heavy metal. Preset 42 neck position is spot on Gary Moore and santana. It stays very clean at very loud volume. It is also very dynamic for a solid state modeling amp. The singing distortion is totally awsome..very much a Boogie emulation. You have 2 cleans..2 crunches 2 drives and 2 leads..basically that means one boogie and one marshall style for each category. I differ greatly with some of the other reviewers. The delay is labeled 'echo' because it sounds so much like an old 'echoplex'..for those not familiar with those...Digital delays that duplicates all the highs and pick attack doesn't sound like delay ...Digital is like...Ttting..ttting..ttting...tting as it fades. Echo would be more like Ting..ing..ing..ing..ng..ng. The highs and lows roll off after each repeat...just like in the real world playing in a huge echo space. The chorus beats any stomp box. The reverbs are ok for gigging. It is so important to realize that these reviews often depend on the quality of the guitar input and the players experience at tweaking. This amp is very different..I swear it sounds almost as good with my Hamer whammy Slammer as the PRS"S...amazing. There is NO OTHER MODELING AMP that even comes close. Buy one IF you can find them for sale. One caveat...the direct out is lousy..mike it. The amp takes pedals very well even though it's solid state...Ts 9..etc. VEry valuable TONE suggestion...go up to 10's on your strings and be amazed with any amp...just try it.

I have never had a problem whatsoever and have hundreds of hours on the amp. The e midi error a few times but nothing major at all. I took it to many gigs with no backup..now I have the new Crate Power Block ..150 watts in a bag the size of a purse for $199?? who wouldn't buy that as a backup for any band member.

I have no clue...

I have played for 35 years and never dreamed I'd have an amp so dependable and awsome sounding for the type music we do live. I have other amps for recording but use the DG 80 sometimes in place of very nice Boogie and rack gear...no tubes to hassle with..I love this amp.
I have never given 10's but that's the deal with this amp..from yamaha??? YEP!!!!

Not sure about the year - I do not have the amp anymore -
sold it to a friend to make room for couple of tube amps.
I bought it used - it had one owner before me.
Features are covered by other reviews - I think it had
8 amp models. I mostly used Clean and Crunch ones.
I used it at home to practice and to jam with friends.
Playing jazz standards. Had some good comments on the
sound. It had plenty of power to keep up with drummer.
Motorized knobs adjusting to presets were nice thing and
I never had any problems with them.

Used it mostly with hmucker equipped guitars - SG'61 Ressue
and semihollow Ibanes AS 120 with PAFs. It does not sound
very tube-y when you play in the living room - distorted
sounds are a bit digital. But in the context of the band it
sounds much better - cuts thru and keeps with the drummer.
It is not noisy on lower gain channels (Clean and Crunch)
but it hums on Lead channels. Nothing major. It has Reverb
- nothing special - I used Holy Grail most of the time when
playing at home. Also Chorus, Tremolo and Delay - all acceptable.
My biggest problem was that Clen channel was dirtying a bit too
quickly for jazz and there not enough variety as far as clean
sounds. So after I bought Polytone Mini Brute I sold DG.
Overdrive is better than in many solid state amps - it sounds OK
when recorded but does not feel like tube amp.

Never had a single problem with it.

No idea - never had to deal with them.
But it is nice of Yamaha to have ALL the manuals
for their product available on their website.

Been playing for 25 yrs - but only 5 yrs electric.
Have ASAT Bluesboy, Ibanez AS120, SG'61, Firebird,
PRS Custom Soapba. Rivera S120 amp, Polytone and one
"boutique" 310 35W tube amp. VG80EX guitar synth.
I am quite sure I would NOT buy that amp again - rather
seve the money and bought some 112 20-40W tube amp instead.
Sth like SonicCord Toad etc.
For what it is - somewhat tube-y modelling amp it is fine.
I did not have a chance to play thru too many modelling amps
but a friend of mine who plays professionally and who worked
in music store for a while thought it was one of better
sounding modelling amps. Comparing it with VG80EX synth - I
would say VG80 is better. DG80 as a bit on a heavy side -
construction is very very sturdy.

Bought in 2005 from a local Music store...blowout sale.

This is the newer version.

Features covered below pretty much. MIDI pre-amp based on the Yamaha DG-1000. Solid-state power amp. Servo control knobs like on most digital mixers. (Only chicken head versions here). On board fx: Delay, Reverb, Tremolo, Chorus. Fx loop with mix level. 1 Celestion classic 30 speaker in a sturdy cab.

Power is roughly 80W....volume is average. Fed through a 4x12 the volume is adequate for all situations. By itself it won't stand up to a loud drummer. Mics up quite well however.

Love the intuitive controls...the two mids I find tricky!

Great Cab and speaker. When recording I often use a Matchless Hotbox that I run into the poweramp and through the cab...Sounds fantastic with a shure sm-57.

Using a Gibson 335 Reissue or a Fender Jeff Beck with Dimarzio Evolution humbuckers and an Evans single coil, this amp does everything quite well! Cleans are varied...from compressed funk to big chords. Not spectacular, but very impressive!

Great Crunchy tones...Dynamic as hell! Much better than any other solid state modeller out there (that I've tried). Better than my Marshall Silver Jubilee!!! Could not believe it!

Liquid lead a plenty!

What I like about this amp is that it gives me the flexibility of a full rack system in one package. Don't use the onboard fx much however. Have a Rocktron Replifex for that.

Can't give it a ten in the sound department, but it's close! (Cornford and Matchless would be a ten).

Computers Suck! I'm sure there will be problems down the line. But for now everything is fine :-) Servicability however will be an issue. The battery will need changing and so on! Will try to dump the midi at some point for backup purposes.

POD or Flextone 3 as a backup. Can't rely on anything that can break!

Rating of 7 just cause of poor servicability.

I think this model is discontinued...And Yamaha is too big to care!

Been playing for 15+ years

If stolen I don't think I could find a replacement. But would buy one if available.

This amp is really good value for money! Easy to program, good sounds, not excessive in the options department. Would like a computer interface for backups and midi programming.

My flex 3 was demoted to stand at home in a corner status.

Over all it suits my needs amazingly well for a cheap amp. For gigs I'd choose this over some amps that are 10 times it's cost. Tubes rule in the studio however.

I play acoustic and other electric tunes.This amp can satisfy just about any effecy I need.The headphone jack is a great use, aswell as the double plug-in which is great for jamming. I use this at home so i don't need it to go very loud. But when i DO need it... it does NOT dissapoint. I love the way when you put it on an effect using the numbers 1-70 on the keypad, the knobs automaticaly change to that effect...AWESOME!

It really suits me and the type of music I play. But occasionally when I just want to rock out... i can hit the right effect in an instant and get what I want. With over 70 channels it is extremely versatile.

If i was in a gig...i would definetly use it without a backup thats how much I trust it. It has never broken on me and i dont think it ever will.

Never needed it so... that must mean its high quality!

I've been playing for three years and I have no plans on changing my amp.

All i can say is...GREAT AMPLIFIER, A BARGUN FOR THE BUCK!...|
i only wish it had a Phayser and a Mic plug in...but it does have head phones...and 2 channels so its not to bad...BUT THE AMP ITS SELF IS INCREDABLE TRY IT OUT AND JUST TRY TO PROVE ME WRONG!...I DARE U!

I perfer playing heavy / death / black metal music and let me tell u the gain and bass effects are overwelming...(specailly the bass)...nothing bad to say... i dont use a lot of reverb but i've found in the past that with a lot of amps u cant realy tell clearly the difference in change of reverb...its a very dramatic prounounce sound. On the down side of this amplifier, i do however have a problem with high ammounts of static(when volume is cranked) but still it doesnt deplete the overall quality of sound

I wouldent put more trust in any other amp...i can crank this semi sized half stack on full and still get exceptional quality withought risking the chance of poping a speaker...so for reliability i couldent ask for more, i take this amp on stage for live gigs all over my area and it sounds great even live.

well i've never had to call apon customer support for any help at all becasue they make there amps with quality adn value ....so that the customer support is not needed...but knowing yamaha im gooing to just take a guess that they would be realy helpful due to there renouned performance

i've been playing for only a year but im in a very sucessfull band in my area and i wouldent trust anything but my Yamaha Dg-80-112 and my -210 ...the quality is just mind blowing, and drop those heavy low bass notes with the great quality of the bass effect....it realy brings out the true quality of music... the only thing i wish this amp had was a Phayser for doing the more heavy ( Metallica/Slayer ) kinna tunz

I'm unsure of the product year of my Yamaha DG-80. I only play at home now so it has power to spare, I'm also unsure of how it would work in a live situation. I channel switch using an ART midi floor thingy. Combined with the effects and loops available it has features galore.

I've played 4 guitars through the amp. Japanese strat with single coils, Japanese Jagmaster with 2 buckers, Yamaha something with 2 buckers, Tom Anderson swamp ash classic. I really have no musical style at this time, my only desire is to noodle. This amp is very noiseless, at least in my home environment. Personally, I think all of the tones are pretty awsome and slightly dominate the tones produced by a famous competitor's amplifiers. The surprise winning combination is the Jagmaster and the DG-80, the Jag's buckers (stock neck - Duncan bridge) sound great clean and distorted through this amp. The cleans are nice and crisp but they do lack a little of that "bell" like quality only produced by tubes and single coils. The disortion is super fat and still retains some complexity usually found only with again, tubes. It seems that there is plenty of head room and the bottom end is nice and fat as well. I've only tested at low and mid level volumes.

no idea

no idea

I started on bass in 1969 as a hobby, not a career. The DG-80, Fender Jagmaster and a Pod are all I have left. Definately, I would buy this amp again, and again, and again. It's light, portable, versatile. But what I really love about the DG-80 is the fat tone. It's fat, very fat, clean and distorted. Not as complex as tubes, but in my opinion the best emulation to date. I won't bore you with the other gear I've owned. If I had any kind of talent I think I could play any musical style with this guitar amp. Awsome value.

My amps (I have 2 exactly alike)were probably both made after 2000. I believe that's when they started the 'a' series. They have all the extra effects, and what a great upgrade! I liked the first one so much that I bought a second one right away.

I use Modulus guitars live and a dozen others in the studio. The amp is very quiet, easy to program with the cool chicken head knobs.
I think the reason thisisn't the number one solid state modelling amp in the world, it that the presets are simply a numbered LED. Not near as sexy as the Vetta, where you get names of the amps modeled. Bottom line is the DG-80 sounds way better than any of the other solid state amps I've heard!

I've never had any problems, but I'm very careful with my equipment and I'm no longer on the road. They have held up great on the weekend gigs and the studio. Like I said, I liked the first one so much that I bought a second one right away. They are such a value that it is worth having 2 if just for a backup. Of course you can use them in stereo like Holdsworth, and get mega fat tone.

I was lucky to find a Japanese website that still had a downloadable manual. Yamaha US was worse than useless.

I've been playing 38 years. I've owned lots of good amps (all tube). This is the only solid state amp I ever liked at all, and it is the only amp I ever bought 2 of. I would definitely buy another if my 2 were stolen. I still love tube amps and solid state amps don't compare, but the DG-80 is so close, in a live situation, I can't hear the difference. It's more consistent live than a tube amp by far.

Features are well listed in the previous reviews - but the basic are here. 80 Watt solid state modeling amp. I have the 'A' model with built in term, reverb, delay, chorus. Very versatile amp that covers a wide range of styles quite well. The direct out with the speaker simulator is very nice. The volume knob could use a bit more play at the lower volumes....

Sound wise this is a very nice amp. I have used a very wide variety of guitars in this amp - but mainly a Fender American Tele and an Epiphone Les Paul. I play in a church praise band, and in various other bands on the side, so the music style is quite wide. I am using an ART X-11 midi pedal to change patches live...

First off - this amp is LOUD! I ususally use the direct out from the back to the board and point the amp towards myself. I get glares if the amp is turned up to 1. Usually it has plenty of volume at about 3/4!

Tone wise the amp delivers very nicely in a wide variety of settings. I tend towards classic rock/blues tones and the DG-80 delivers those easily. It does a nice AC30-ish mid boost nicely, and has some sweet bluesy stuff. I have found that I need to program very different settings for humbuckers and single coils pickups. Some of the preprogramed settings sound great with one, and suck with the other - and visa versa.

As far as clean tones - they are good, but not great. You can get warm clean tones, but they are not really tubish, per se. I played my DG-80 the other night next to a Fender Deluxe Reverb, and there was a huge difference in the clean tones between the two.

But overall soundwise - I realy like this amp. As long as you don't 'have' to have tube tones - this amp is great!

I've had the amp for about 5 months and other than the infamous 'E1' problem (which is easy to reset) it has been very reliable. Yamaha makes great equipment, so I have no worries along those lines.

I have had no dealings with Yamaha...

I have been playing guitar on and off for quite a long time. I have owned way too much equipment in that time, and this amp is a keeper. For a solid state amp, it kicks butt! The versatility and good sound quality, coupled with the low prices they sell for used on EBay make this amp a steal! It will stand up to any other modeling amp on the market and hold it's own easily. It is relable and sounds great. It also has more than enough volume to keep up with a band in a live situation - even with a loud drummer!


An overall '8' for an amp is pretty high from me - I'm picky about tone (one of the reasons I go through so much gear). I would not hesitate to buy another - though I am in the market for a good Fender tube amp since that is the one thing this amp does not do well - clean tube tones - and I need those for an upcoming band. No solid state amp will do those well, but the DG-80 is about as close as solid states get.

I think I bought my first DG80 new in 2000. I think this amp can do just about anything I need it for. I LOVE THIS AMP!! I bought my second used on an online auction a couple days ago. Lucky me I was the only bidder.

I play music ranging from Fusion and Jazz Standards to Classic rock, Country and Dance stuff.

I don't really use the the onboard effects. I run a Tc Electronics G-Force through the effect loop which sounds great.

My main guitar when playing rock is a Ibanez 560 with Duncan pickups or my boat paddle shaped Steinberger. When I'm playing Jazz or Fusion I use my Holdsworth model Carvin or my Ibanez 335. I wish I had a fatboy.

Since around 85 or 86 I started using Dean Markley's RM series amps which have been a long time out of production. I have three of them. They get a very warm sweet distortion that is very simililar to the way the Lab Series L5 sounded on the Holdsworth Instructional video.

I think Bill Connors and Alex Lifeson used to use Markley's.

One of the amp models on the DG80 is very close to the sound of the Markley's. Not a dead on match but close enough for me. So I can get the sound of the Markleys or a Boogie or I can also get the warm clean sustainny Schofield sound. I've found I can also get Santana, Steely Dan(Carlton, Skunk, Dias), Scott Henderson, Gilmore, Clapton, Eric Johnson, Steve Morse, Alex Lifson ect... sounds.

I love the clean sounds I can get with this amp too. Sounds great in Stereo with two!!

When I bought it I was playing in a original fusion band that did music ranging in styles from Eric Johnson and Steve Morse to Chick Corea and Allan Holdsworth to Wayne Sorter to Miles and Herbbie Hancock. Now I'm in a Variaty band doing stuff from clasic rock to Country to blues.

Sorry if I'm rambling.

I've had my first since 2000 with no major problems. I have gotten the dreaded E1 error before but I haven't seen it for quite some time. This is my main amp. As far as backup goes I used to have one of the Markleys with me but now I will have two DG at all my gigs.

I haven't called Yamaha yet.

I've been playing 25+ years. I've owned Marshalls and Boogies
and currently own three Dean Markley RM's one Dan Pearse and two DG80's.

I used to play in Original Prog band called Threshold which opened for Eric Johnson in the late 80's in Vegas when I was using my Markeley's and he complemented me on my tone. Comming from him, a guy who's first big album is named "Tones" meant something.

If it were lost or stolen I would most definetley find another if possible.

I love the tones and the simplicity of use. The motorized knobs are a great feature. Makes a patch adjustment very easy.

I compared a little but I have to confess that once I saw and heard Holdsworth using these at the Baked Potato I was pretty much sold on them. The value is unreal to me. I remember when I used to have a refriderator sized rack and I paid like 1000.00 for a Mesa 295 Simulclass. Just for power.

I love the warm tones I can get with this amp.