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.

You can do alot with this amplifier. Enough to suit almost every style :D The included patches does enough for me!

It really sounds awesome! Great, warm, almost like it was a tubeamp :P I mostly play metal, progessive rock, jazz and blues and I was lucky enough to find a great distorsion sound, really thick and heavy! (I don't have the "A" model, but here it is: Patch 30, Gain: 10, Master: 10, Treble: 10, High Mid: 0, Low Mid: 0, Bass: 5, Prescene: 10, Reverb: 2-8.

I played a few gigs and it worked like I was hoping it would do! I have like most other here the E1 problem, but I don't mind at all.

I havend dealt with them. Will do next week. I gonna upgrade it to the "A" model and fix the E1 problem if it isn't too expensive!

Best amp I have owned so far :D

I personally can't ask for more features: eight preamp types, reverb, delay, chorus, tremolo.

IT took me a long time to appreciate this amp and i'm still unlocking it's possibilities. it's loud enough for any gig i've ever done. For a more dispersed sound i use an extension cab. 1 12inch speaker doesn't cover a lot of stage but for most gigs it's incredible. i mainly use the crunch 1 mode dry. i add chorus or delay via two expression pedals that are attached to my midi board. i only use three sounds really the crunch, a lead 1 and a clean1 ocassionally. the wonderful thing about the amp is that it sounds great with a lot of guitars. when i was auditioning amps i found the amps only sounded good with certain guitars. between the preamps and the powerful eq you shouldn't have a hard time finding a good sound. the cleans are not as lush as i'd like though. and i'm not into adding chorus or reverb to make it sound good.

i've had mine for over five years and the only time i've ever had a problem is when i turn on my midi board before my amp. then it goes E1 or whatever. it's a computer, i treat it like a computer. i worry about it even though it gives me no reason to. it's digital after all.

I've been justifying this purchase to myself for five years. This is after countless people telling me a have a great sound (i hope i'm not bragging) Because it's not a tube amp i would tell myself it wasn't the right amp for me. i've tried lots of tube amps. They either only sound good at certain levels or with certain guitars or sound too mushy. the dg 80 is not made anymore but they were probalby the best amp for $1000.

I believe that I got this amp in '99, before the "A" version came out. The 8 different amp models are all useful in their own way. The FX are rarely used by me, except the delay and reverb. I've never been a big FX person, so I don't mind not having flange, phaser, etc. I wish it had a headphone jack, but the mic line out is quite nice. The power of this amp is sufficient to easily play with a band in a small gig, not something I'd use without an extension cabinet and/or micing the amp for a large stage. Sure wish it came with a footswitch - I'm going to have to buy one one of these days.

This is my favorite part of the amp. The tones are great! None of them are quite as good as you'll get on real tube amps, but they're extremely close, and they respond similarly to tubes. I'm a big metalhead, and it's not entirely awesome for metal, so I may be going for one of the original Flextone HD 300W before too long, but I've kept this amp for a number of years now. It's fantastic!

I had a Gibson LP, and the cleans were great, while lead 2 gave me a very nice hard rock sound. Now, my main axe is an Ibanez RG570 with tone zone and air norton p-ups. I play neoclassical and metal mostly now, and I can get some great sounds, although at times I wish some of the distortion was a little more saturating.

Still, it allows me to do so much, and with tweaking, they all sound fantastic. At times, I do wish I had a nice row of tubes sitting infront of me for a little more saturated distortion, but all-in-all, it even suits my fancies as a metal player. Lead1 is great for soloing, while Lead2 is awesome for palm-muted riffs.

never had a problem. i've heard of needing to fix error messages with contact cleaner, but mine works fine after 5 years.

i called them and had them help me try to patch the amp to "A", and they spent a good while trying to help me out. unfortunately, something with my sound card wasn't letting it communicate with my amp, so i took it to a music shop and they upgraded it. yamaha was willing to talk to me about it, though.

I've been playing 9 years. It's my main amp, as I'm fairly poor. I enjoy a wide range of guitars, so having this one amp is perfect. From my les paul to my strat to my RGs, this amp delivers regardless of what I ask it to give me.

Already covered in the other reviews

I play jazz and fusion, and I listen to guys like Frank Gambale, Alan Holdsworth, Scott Henderson and Brett Garsed. All players known for their smooth, legato playing. I love this amp because of the warm singing overdrive it produces. To my ears, most amps I've tried are just too gritty and screechy with their overdrive. With the yamaha, I'm able to get a lovely compressed, midrangy tone that is not fatiguing to my ears at all. Kurt did a great job describing all the different channels in his review below. Everyone has different tastes, and will gravitate towards certain channels on this amp. My personal favorites are: Lead 1 for smooth overdrive - this channel will warm up any guitar if set right. When I use my tele style guitar (with strat middle PU) , I'm in tone heaven - great presence and clear rich bass, with just enough jangle to let you know it's a tele. If you listen to Brett Garsed or Mike Laundau, you know what I'm talking about. And with an LP style guitar, you're in Gambale/Holdsworth land (they both use Yamaha DG amps). And the nice thing is that when you roll off the volume on the guitar, the sound actually cleans up nicely like a tube amp, and all of the sudden, you get a John Scofield sound. On the flip side, you don't have to crank this amp to get great tone like a tube amp - great stuff. By tweaking the tone controls, you can get various sounds from this channel, including more cutting, edgy tones. Lead 2 doesn't do much for me, and I haven't found too many usable sounds from the other distorted channels yet, but there is potential there. The 2 clean channels cover all the jazz, funk and fusion tones nicely. This amp is really very versatile and powerful. It is very clean and quiet too. The only shortcomings are lack of very high gain distortion, and the effects. I don't use extremely high gain sounds, and I regularly max out the gain - shredders will need to look elsewhere, or add an overdrive or distortion box. It's nice to have the on-board effects, and they will get you by in a pinch, but I'm not very impressed by the chorus. Although its clean, it is pretty subtile, and limited - incapable of big lush, or funky flanged sounds that I sometimes want. The echo and reverb are not bad, but I can get a much better effect with my computer recording software. So I would suggest adding a good effects unit, like a TC-Electronic G-force, and/or some pedals - vintage type chorus and distortion if that's your cup of tea. The amp comes equipped with an XLR out and speaker simulator for direct recording, but I find it to be much too trebly, almost like an AM radio. Better to mike the cab. It is unfortunate that Yamaha is no longer making these, because, as others have said, they are the only ones that have really gotten the modeling amp thing right.

So far it's been great, but I never gig with it.

If they don't come out with a replacement, I would seek out a used one if this were ever lost.

plenty of features, 8 amp types, two inputs, trim knob, global output, fx loop, speaker out, yadah yadha.

I'm using this amp with b-bender teles, and g&l asat's. I use a bunch of fx as well, boss vwah, ross and akai phasers, maxon chorus and compressor, fulltone octave fuzz and a noise gate. I also use a boomerang in the loop. I really like this amp, and I was sad to see no one has broken the amp types down and talked about each one, so I will do my best to do that.
lead one: this is a high gain sound, based off a boogie type crunch, close enough to metal for anyone. It has a great deal of mids, and is near to the allan holdsworth sound with the gain around 5. Not as usable except for that higher gain fusion sound.
lead two: This is a more marshall type channel, with less mids and a bit less gain. I can also coax a bit of bogner tone out of it by cranking the low mid control.
drive 1: my personal favorite for modern crunch. This has a matchless quality to it, as well as some vox undertones. Lots of mids, not as much low end, but it really cuts through. I use this for most of my lead sounds.
drive 2: I use this with a rackmount eq to get a scott henderson type sound for recordings. It has more of an upper mid quality, and sounds more like a blues type of crunch, but I really like it a lot. It's my other higher gain sound.
crunch 1: this is the robben ford, lary carlton channel, and with the right settings, you can get a dumble like sustain that will make your ears sing. I really dig this one, and use it a lot in my jazz stuff. With my compressor, it really shines. I can also get a close aproximation to a bogner shiva with this one.
crunch 2: this is the least flexible in my opinion, too much mids and a wierd peak at around 3 K that won't go away. It is okay for a fender type gritty gain, but not as musical as the rest.
The cleans!! clean 1, a marshallesque clean, with lots of punchy mids, and not as bright, really good for jazz stuff. I like this one a lot, and with the gain on 9 you can get a scofield type grit to your sound.
clean 2: Based around a twin, less mids, and bright. Watch the presence on this one, it can burn if you're not carefull. I like this one a lot, for funk and with the high mid cranked, I get the country tele tones I love.
There you have it, I hope you're still awake.

I had a dg100 before this one, and kept getting the E1 message, so I sold it, in a fit of foolishness andstupidity. With a little care, and not keeping any knob at exactly 10 or 0, you won't have problems.

I have a love hate relationship with digital technology, and I am back and forth about it every day. This amp is a diamond, pardon the analogy, and I think yamaha really outdid themselves this time. Nothing can replace a boogie's honk, a fender's twang, and the roar of a marshall, but, for a gig where I need all three, and some cool stuff in between, I love this amp, and with another extension cab, it really cranks. Check it out, and don't be turned away by the crap line 6 and johnson have out there. Yamaha's on to it, and I hope they keep it up.

This is an addendum to the service tip posted below, not a review.

To correct the E1 message:

1) Spray all the pots with a good contact cleaner.

2) Avoid the extreme "0" and "10" portions of the knob travel when storing presets. Turn the knob slightly to "0.1" for zero or "9.9" for ten. This will also help extend the life of the pots.

All right, I think that by now you know the features of this amp. Mine is the "a" model so I didn't have to do the effect download. A friend of mine with an older model did and tells me it was a breeze. Tremolo, Chorus and Echo, all geat sounding. It would have been great if it came with a footpedal(you'll need a midi controller to control patches,volume, you know).The 9 in features is for the lack of a footpedal.The eight amp models are very versatile and cover a lot of ground.

I have about 12 guitars, so indicating how does this amp work with each one would be too long. What I'm going to tell you is a nice trick I learned when in need of a very clean (strat) sound and all I had was my Les Paul. Turn the trim knob way lower than you normally do,(this will lower the output of your pickups) use both pickups and viola! nice clean, very LOUD sound with no distortion. By the way, if you don't get the sound you want with one of the amp models on this amp, go get a check up, you may be going deaf.

I've been using this amp for every gig for the last 3 months, and I gig about 3 times per week, so far it has given me a E3 reading (midi comunication error) once. I think it had something to do with a nasty power surge that ocurred a second before, what tells me that this amp is sensible to electricity changes.(I recomend using this amp with some sort of power protection).

I've never dealt with them it so I can't tell.

I've been playing for 15 years, and of all the digital amps I've tried this one has the most realistic sound I've heard. It's really fun to use it. If someone steals it I'd get another one for sure.(After I've tracked down and KILL the bastard).This amp SHOULD come with a footcontroller.

I got an original model made before the effects were upgraded, but the guy I bought it from had them downloaded and everything works fine. eight amp types, reverb, tremolo, tape style delay, chorus. look for the rest of the specs elsewhere...

I use this amp with a Fender Strat with Vintage noiseless pickups on it, and our band plays some R & B, some Classic Rock, some Funk, and so forth. There doesn't seem to be any bias toward one style or the other, since the eight amp types have most of the bases covered. I don't play any REALLY heavy, modern stuff, so I can't comment on it's suitability for those styles. plenty of volume for our group, although I mike it and run a little send through the monitors for fuller stage coverage. I'm happy with the sounds and really happy with the versatility,as this amp has (almost) everything I need for the gig. I tried out several other modeling amps, but found the FEEL to be lacking in a big way from the tube amps I've always played. This was the first modeler that had the feel I'm looking for, with one caveat: I run a Boss compressor in front of the amp (just a little, not a big squish) to tame the spikes. As soon as I plugged in the comp, I was real happy with the sounds. the effects could be better in terms of programmability, but that would come at the expense of ease of use, as everything can be done with knobs. A tradeoff, to be sure, but then this amp doesn't cost very much, and you can use the extra money to buy yourself the processor of your choice. When I got this amp, I also got the Floorboard that goes with it, and I'm real happy with it, too.

Who would ever play a gig without backup? I have a Boss GX-700 in the PA rack that I use for acoustic and electric with the duo I play with normally, and the 7 or 8 times a year that we do a full band, I bring out the Yamaha. The amp hasn't given me any trouble except for the E1 message everyone seems to get becasuse of dirty pots. I try to keep 'em clean, and haven't had any big problems. I've had the amp for about a year and a half. It hasn't let me down.

I haven't dealt with them. No idea...

I've been playing for 35 years for a living. I've owned tons of gear of all brands, Fender, Boogie, Vox, Marshall, Orange (hey, I said I'd been around a while) you name it, and I think they're makin amps that pretty much kick ass nowadays. If this were stolen I'd definetly get another one. I tried out most of the other modelers before deciding on this one. I still love Tube amps, but hate not knowing when I pull the amp out of the bedroom to go to the gig whether or not I'm gonna have a tube related problem. IF your only experience with modeling amps is the first generation of Line 6 stuff, I'd suggest a trip to your local superstore for a listen. Highly recommended.

I have owned my DG80-112 (now 'A') since 1999, when it was introduced. That makes me potentially one of the longest term users of the amp in this review section. The best unique features are: Parallel fx loop with blend knob, hot (+4) XLR line out with level knob, dual midrange controls, and excellent bass response/volume for its size. Also, a versatile input section with two jacks and a trim knob really helps optimize signal level at the A/D stage. The rating gets debited due to a couple of things. MIDI control. Only volume, reverb level, delay level, trem depth, and chorus level are controllable. I have no issue with the first two. However, while delay level is helpful to control, I miss the ability to control tempo - much more musically useful. Trem depth - I would have much preferred speed, since I stick with a standard depth setting. Chorus level is marginally useful. Keep in mind that the unit does not set these parameters to 'absolute' control change values. For example, if your patch has reverb level set to zero (0), sending control change 127 is not going to crank it up - it will have NO effect. The level must first be set to something positive on the amp, then the MIDI pedal will modulate it only from zero to the maximum it is set on the amp. Annoying if you frequently use the amp without MIDI control, as all patches must effectively be saved with reverb, chorus, and trem at the maximum and then reduced by a pedal.

I use the amp with several guitars, ranging from single coils to humbuckers to a neck-mounted jazz archtop pickup. It is fantastic. The amp selections are diverse as a set and each has its own wide range of useful sounds. I bought this amp for its Fenderesque clean sounds, as it was IMHO far and away superior to all the other modeling amps in that area. I have not heard anything since that has caused my impression to change, including Fender's own Cyber amps. For comparison, I own a 1965 BF Twin Reverb (vintage) and a 1992 Super Amp 4x10" that have their own clean nirvana to offer. The DG80 can be coaxed to approximate either one, and certainly offers more in versatility. In addition to clean, the Lead 1 amp setting offers very smooth, sustainy distortion. The Crunch and Drive settings have a great range among them, from slight grit to modern rock rhythm sounds.

The limited effects are, to me, extremely rich and perfect for what i need (minus the lack of realtime control as noted above). The reverb is just killer. The chorus is chimey and can be made subtle. The trem has no weird artifacts, and the tape delay is very spacious. I have numerous other toys (GT-5, Pod, DG Stomp) but the basic effects in the DG are superior to my ears. I only wish they were better-controlled in a performance setting.

I could have added this review for this category alone, because I just discovered an interesting tip that I've never read about before. As noted, the DG amps have motorized knobs. Several have expressed concern about their longevity, and even a couple of people have discussed dealing with the dreaded "E1" error (when a pot doesn't return to its designated position within 20 seconds). For these people, cleaning the pots apparently helped.

I started getting those errors at least a year ago, but not consistently. Some patches did it, some did not. I couldn't figure out the pattern, if there was one. It was especially annoying when controlling patch changes via MIDI, because once the E1 flashed on the display, the amp would have to be manually reset (by pushing any button) before it would again respond to MIDI input. A huge PITA when playing in a live context. So I cleaned the pots, but nothing changed.

Well, I finally figured out what was happening. Due to the fit of the knobs on the pots, it would sometimes occur that a knob set to an extreme of either 10 or zero would cause the error. By tweaking that knob to just slightly short of the extreme (9.9 or 0.1), it would not materially affect the sound, but it would stop the E1 error from occurring. By going back to my patches and rectifying these settings, I no longer get the E1 error. I give the amp an 8 because this shouldn't have happened in the first place, but at least it is easily fixed.

My Yamaha contact experience has been with Gary (can't remember his last name), the US rep for DG products - at one time anyway. We exchanged a few substantive emails on some technical subjects. He was very cordial and helpful.

As noted in previous sections, I have a decent amount of gear - 3 Fender amps and about a dozen guitars, as well as other FX and modelling products. This amp has remained and will continue to do so because it just shines for me. It is heavy for its size (55 lbs), but I plan to put casters on it like its big brother, the DG100. At least it weighs less than my Twin Reverb. No amp is everything, but the DG80 is a great value that does all the right things sonically, and most of the right things in its other features.

Lots of cool features. it's like getting 8 amps in one. It's basically 6 types of distortion (2 leads, 2 drives, 2 crunch) and 2 types of clean. i'm a big fan of having individual knobs for the settings. this really does make it a lot like a non-digital amp. the line out is great for recording and the 80 watts is great for playing out. also, a big plus, using the output knob, you can turn down the volume when at home, but the most of the tone is still there. this feature makes alone makes the amp extremely versatile. you can use it quietly at home, and retain the tone, but you can also crank it when playing out. The only feature i don't like is, when you select a different amp, all the knobs return to 5. i typically like to keep my settings the same, but like to change the amp type so this is frustrating to me. does anyone know how to change this? i have programmed in 8 settings, one for each amp, but it can be a pain scrolling through the numbers to find the setting i'm looking for.

I'm using an ESP MH-201 with 2 duncan design HB-102 set humbuckers.

I recently bought this amp to replace my Laney GC-50. my biggest complaint about that amp is that it sounds too loose. the low sounds can be quite muddy, especially when distorted. the clean channel was ok but overall, it always sounded like i was playing in a tube. my yamaha on the other hand, is the complete opposite. all the tones on it are very tight and clear; even when distorted. playing regular chords with heavy distortion still sound like chords, rather than all the sounds being muffled together. i don't have a lot of experience with different amps, but i defiantly like this one. and as i mentioned earlier, being able to turn down the volume and retaining the tone is awesome.

this part makes me nervous. i haven't had the amp long, so i can't really sayanything about the reliability. so far everything has been fine with it. but when something has a computer in it, i tend to wonder how long it will last.

i haven't had to use customer support

overall, it is a great amp. great for playing at home and using for gigs. i consider myself very lucky that i found such a good amp and such a great price.

I am not sure what year my amp was made - I bought it used. I play pop/rock/blues/country and it covers what I need. With a midi controller, I have access to more patches than I would ever need live. The only thing I wish it had would be a built in phaser. I use an MXR Phase 90 and love it, but it would be nice to have that built in - not a big deal. This amp is rated 80 watts and it feels like a true 80 tube watts. Its very very loud and punchy. My Flextone is 60 watts and isnt anywhere near the volume of the DG80. It has the staple effects most players need and they sound very good. It really does everything I need it to do and has way more features than any highend tube amp, but a digital amp probably should come with more effects, so I have to give it a 9.

I use an American Standard Stratocaster with a Duncan JB in the bridge position, a DiMarzio Virtual Vintage in the middle and a Kinman in the neck. This amp doesnt have as many tones to choose from as my Flextone, but I like it better. The DG has fewer choices, but they all sound better to me than the Flextone. The tones are very very tubelike, very warm and puchy and compress when cranked. The amp responds better to the guitar volume too. The distortion is wonderful for what I play. I dont think this is a metalhead amp - thats fine with me - I dont need scooped mids metal stuff. You can get great tube clean to overdrive sounds with this amp. Actually, I find I dont really use that many different patches because you have so much variation just by using your guitar controls (pickup selection and volume control).

I have owned a Boogie, a Rivera, a Flextone and other assorted amps and this one really is my favorite. I wont say the "best" because best is relative, but it really does sound great.

I always have a GT-3 with me as a backup but have never had to go that route (thank God). I havent had this amp too long but so far so good. It is built very well. Its quite heavy and seems very solid.

I got it for $300 used. Its worth much more than that and I would certainly buy another. These amps are going pretty cheap on Ebay and they are a steal. I have been playing 24 years and have gone through a lot of gear. I compared this amp to my Flextone which I really did think was a great amp, but the DG is just better. Its built better and sounds better. My Rivera was a wonderful amp and I sometimes regret selling it, but the reality is my DG gets those tones and more without the tubes plus it has chorus, reverb and delay built in and as many presets as you need.

I got this amp for my son, who play lead guitar in a church praise band every Sunday. Harvey Whitehead's review seems pretty much on target. The features that made this amp attractive to us are:
1. It is solid state. We're not gearheads, and the low maintenance associated with SS is a real plus for us. In addition, the flexibility of being able to turn the volume down in small rooms and still have the desired sound profile was important. When we need the power for a larger room, the 80 Watts into a 12-inch speaker delivers nicely. For outdoors, it gets patched into the mixer and fed through the sound system anyway.
2. The band plays a wide variety of musical styles, and James also plays Rock, Jazz, and Blues in other contexts, so he needs a lot of versatility in the sounds that the amp can deliver. As a modelling amp, this puppy is versatile.
3. The controls on the amp are easy to figure out. Some amps give the impression that you're piloting a jet fighter. The controls on the DG80 do pretty much what you would expect. Since the amp is so flexible, this last point means a lot. There's no value in having great flexibility if you don't know how to use it to set the tone you're looking for.

James plays an Epi LP. Even discounting for the humbuckers, the amp is quiet. The clean sound of this amp is to die for. Likewise, the lead sounds are bell-like and pure. In these modes, the amp is at least the equal of any amp, tube or SS, at any price to my way of thinking. When the amp gets crunchy, it is a bit less appealing, though. While you can get an acceptable overdrive out ot it, my goal would be to get a Cream-era Eric Clapton highly compressed but still fat sound, and I haven't found that in the amp yet. It may be there, but I can't get quite what I would want from it. The crunchy sounds aren't bad, but they don't have the blow-your-socks-off beauty of the clean modes.
One thing worth mentioning is that the controls for the tremulo, chorus, and tape echo need to be downloaded from a DOS floppy disk (your music store may have alrtady done that, but when the battery dies, you'll need to do it again). This is a MIDI device. I was new to MIDI, and Yamaha sells a $400 computer to do this. You don't need that. I have a SoundBlaster card in my PC. Creative (the SoundBlaster mfr) sells a $20 cable that allows the joystick port on the SoundBlaster to be used as a MIDI In/Out port. I have heard that there are similar cables for use with USB ports. You can download the disk contents using that. The MIDI port on the computer will probably have a couple of MIDI drivers for it -- some kind of synthesizer support and a plain vanilla MIDI I/O utility. Use the latter one. The Yamaha program on the floppy will tell you if the MIDI port is set up right on the computer (it will take some fiddling), and then download to the amp for you. It's relatively easy, takes about 10 minutes, and won't have to be done again until the battery needs replacing ont he amp.
Another point worth knowing -- Yamaha makes a very expensive MIDI foot pedal (~$300). It is easy to use for the basic controls -- switching between the 128 preset amp programs and a foot control for volume. The presets are MIDI Program Changes, and the volume is a MIDI Control Change. There are a few other controls possible, but I haven't learned how to do them yet. If you want to get a different MIDI foot controller, make sure it will support both Program Changes and Control Changes. I think that this amp needs to be used (at least by a lead guitarist) with the foot control, so this is a big "hidden" cost of this amp.

This is a very well-made amp. We haven't had any problems yet. The controls are motorized, which looks like a repair bill in waiting, but so far the amp has been a tank. And it weighs about as much as a tank, too.

As some other people have mentioned, the manual is very hard to red and not very informative. The amp is well-designed, so you don't need to refer to it very often. But when you're trying to establish a MIDI connection, you will hate the manual. This is by far the weakest part of the product. The Yamaha web site is easy to navigate, but pretty limited (you can download the MIDI patch if you lost the diskette, or the manual if you think that it will be less foul in electonic form). Other than that, I haven't used their support.

For $500 or less, this is a terrific bargain, a 10. I got ours when Mars stopped carrying the amp, so it was a good deal. At the ususal $700 discounted price, it's still a good amp, but awfully pricey. This is especially true when you keep in mind that you're going to have to cough up another $275 or so for the foot pedal.
If the gear were stolen, I would replace it because it is such a good amp. But if I had to pay the ususal discounted price, I'd be a very unhappy customer. The DG60 appears to be an attempt by Yamaha to bring the price down into the >$500 sweet spot, but that amp appears to make too many compromises on the controls, so I'd complain and pay for the DG80.

I bought the amp from mars in Dec.01. I play quite often at church as I am in a praise band. This is NOT the church music that may have put you to sleep when you were a kid. We rock the house with many different styles of music which is exactly why this amp fits the bill so perfectly. The band leader owns a '62 twin in mint condition. This amp can come so close to the sounds of the twin you'd be scratchin' yer head trying to figure out which one was being played. As far as power goes it will make your ears bleed. Like the other reveiws, IT NEEDS A HEADPHONE JACK!!!!!

I use a epi sheraton II with gibson pick-ups and coil taps. The sound is better when the hums are engaged. I wish I could get alittle more saturation in the overdrive tones but what I get is ok. I do plug in a Dean accoustic into the amp and it sounds go

I've not had a problem with it and it is in use all the time. I do not like the idea of battery replacement and loading all my saved info back into this amp when the battery goes. I hope it gives me some warning as it would be embarrassing if it quit during praise!

The manual SUX!!!!!! I was on the phone alot with Yamaha. They did stay with me until all questions were answered. The guy that wrote the manual must never give anyone traveling directions, who knows where they will end up! The 7 is because of the manual

I've been playing for 35 years and have played most everything. This is the most satisfied i have ever been with new gear. I would buy another if stolen but still worry 'bout the battery. I also bought the pedal board that goes with it but will never be able to fully figure it out. the manual on the pedal is worse the the amp. I almost bought the hotrod deville or the tech 21 but I fell in love wth the tone of the Yamaha. If anyone has the amp and pedal, and knows how to use it please help me out. I would like to get the full potential out of this amp and pedal combo. The pedal should have been included with this amp.

its been a while, but i wanted to add to my previous review.
i just love this amp. I sold the amp after buying a Tech 21 (because i get in my amp change'n moods).
i really didn't need two amps. anyway, the DG got damaged during shipping (top board of cabinet), thus i ended up getting it back. when i got it, the case had been damaged, but the amp was still running great. so, comparing my Tech 21 to this DG, i realized how WARM sounding this amp is. it sounds so good. thus, the TECH 21 is gone. i reset the pre-programmed settings back to yamahas initial settings. I must say, they did a extremely fine job with their sounds. most amps/effect companies do a lousy job. And i must add, this amp does the best job of maintaining its sound when a "line out" is sent to a mixing board and to my recorder.
its just a top quality amp. By the way, i think i'll sell this amp if anyone is interested, $300. why ??? i think i want to try the DG 2x12 amp. BIG BUCKS though....... hmmmmmmmm O-O
^
O

HANG'n in there after being dropped by UPS !!!
the impact broke the top board of the cabinet
everything else looks new

I bought the amp new at Mars at a blow out price, they discontinued stocking these amps. Since I have been using a DG1000 preamp for some time in my rack (I hardly ever use my expensive Soldano X88R preamp anymore), I was quite familiar with the features and functions of the DG amps. The DG80 also has reverbs, delays, trem, chorus that are not in the DG1000. It doesn't have as many built in FX as some of the other modeling amps, but I am not much of an FX guy anyways. I think there should have been a headphone jack, just because of the nature of the amp. The manual is not the greatest, but the amp is really fairly straightforward to operate.

I use a variety of guitars, vintage Gibsons and Fenders, plus some hotrod superStrat guitars for more hard rock stuff.
The first time I heard the DG1000 preamp, I was amazed! I could not believe the sounds were digital. The DG80 is no exception. The trade off here is that there are no 'specific' amp models, but since most of the modeling amps really don't sound like the amps they are supposed to model anyways, it doesn't really bother me. I usually try to go for the sounds I hear in my musical imagination, and the DG amps can achieve 'that' sound for me. I do like the attack and touch sensitivity the DG series of amps have. The DG amps have a good 'feel' to them, which is very important to me. I feel that some of the more popular modeling amps do not have the 'tube feel'. The DG amps just seem to have a more 'dynamic' feel to them, the notes seem to 'bloom' better than some other modeling amps. The DG has quite a lot of gain, but does not have super saturated mega gain as some modeling amps do, so if that is your bag this may not be the amp for you. If good tone and response is your thing, then take a closer look at the DG amps. I use my DG for recording, and people are usually surprised when I tell them I use a Yamaha DG for recording. I have recieved many compliments about the tones I have generated with DG amps. I especially like the smooth, woody overdrive tones I can get from this amp, reminiscent of EJ or Allan Holdsworth. Awesome for fluid toned soloing. I find it easy to nail the sounds I hear in my head with this amp.

Reliable so far. I did get an error message, cleaning the offending pot with some cleaner fixed that problem. These units also seem much heavier and robust in construction than some of the modeling amp competitors. Take apart a Line 6 Spider and see what I mean!

Never had to use customer support, no opinion.

I've been playing 20 years, and have owned a LOT of modern and vintage gear. I'd sure consider buying another one if it disappeared, since I have tried all the other modeling amps (Line 6, Johnson, Fender, Crate, Behringer) and did not care for them. I do like the ease of use this amp provides, the motorized knobs make life a lot easier! It may not have as many bells and whistles as the competitors, but maybe that is why the DG amps sound better? Less is more? Who knows! A heaphone jack would have been nice for silent jamming. The manual sucks big time, but the amp is pretty easy to figure out.
Yamaha has done a really piss-poor job promoting these amps, nobody knows about them, and the major chains are not carrying them anymore. A shame, really. Listen with your ears, and not the marketing hype and maybe you will come to the same conclusion I did...

This is a servicing tip, not a review.

I began getting the E1 message on my DG about a year after purchase, and it got to the point that it would come on after every midi switch. The manual says this means the volume pot isn't returning to its specified position, and the solution is to take it to an authorized service center. I've found that a better solution is to spray all the pots with a good contact cleaner-lube, which is probably what they'd do at the service center for the $100 bench fee.

Made in early 2000. This Mars Music display model was loaded with the new effect features --chorus, tremelo, so I didn't have to install them via MIDI. Ah, the little victories. The tremelo is especially rich, and surpasses that found on any digital amp I've played or owned. As far as I know, the DG amp series is rarely seen in retail stores.

One odd oversight:no headphone jack. I suppose one could string an XLR out to a 1/4 female plug, but it seems Yamaha has missed an essential feature. I also own a DG Stomp, so this is less of an issue for me than someone who wanted his/her amp to double as a headphone preamp a la POD or J-Station.

On the plus side, the DG-80 has a staggering 128 memory locations, and you can run an extension cab for stereo effect.

Like many, I have been intrigued by digital amps. Over the course of two years, I've owned a POD, Flextone, DG-Stomp, and I've tried Johnson, Crate, and the new Roland VG amp that seems so feature ladden that it probably has digital strap locks. In short, as enjoyable as the Roland and Line 6 Flextone series are on the design side, the purity of tone does not rival even the most pedestrian of tube amps. Granted, there are trade-offs --personally, I like the Line 6 Fender emmulations; however, the Marshall and Vox are uninspired.

Enter the DG-80. When compared to the Flextone, two things are immeditely apparent. Sheer output is not an issue with Yamaha. The rated 80 watts are of the tube variety --duck and cover drills occur at a volume setting of "4". Additionally, that certain "Je ne sais qua" of tube harmonics and tone is represented extremely well by the Yamaha --better than any digital amp in its price range IMHO.

I especially like the "Crunch" and "Drive" settings --two each. Here you can dial in those elusive Vox and boutique Class A tones that most digital amps fail to reproduce. The "Lead" channels serve up a
great range of Marshall tones, from JTM-45 through JCM 2000. The gain provided is merciless, though not unweildy at high volumes.

The two "Clean" settings provide only a hint of break up with the "Gain" set to 10. I've often read musicians lamenting the digital amp's inability to voice completely clean tones. Frankly, the DG's are almost too clean for my taste. I like a little grit in my coffee.

My trusty set-up: LP Standard, Tele, Danelectro Baritone & 12 St >>
535 Crybaby>>Line 6 MM4 >>Line 6 DM4>>DG-80 with or without an extension Laney 4X10 cab. The amp has made friends with all my guitars --I tend to use a Vox-like emmulation for my 12st and a driven Fender Tweed Deluxe sound for the Baritone.

I've been guily of churning gear for mere whimsical reasons, and have often regreted my dispensing of gear. Let me just say that I doubt that my DG-80 will be among the equipment posted on HC classifides.

The rotating knobs make me nervous as they seem laggard in moving to the preset designations --luckily patch changes are driven internally, and the sound changes instantaneously. Additionally, the internal battery seems a hassle. Other digital amp manufacturers don't require a battery to store internal settings --I'm not sure why Yamaha went this route.

As is a selling factor for a digital amps --no tubes to maintain. Hooray!

No response to my e-mail -though I'm not surprised in this "self Service" age. The manual is uninspired, and unlike the DG-Stomp there's no "quick guide" for the amp series. Web site is adequately mantained. I suggest Yamaha create different sites for their product offerings as there's too much navigation required to get to "Musical Instruments" --let alone specific amp products. Dirt bikes anyone?

I've been the happy custodian of a RI Vox AC30 TB for the past year. I think the finest compliment I can pay the DG-80 is that the Vox no longer gets quality time.

This is a great amp!! I play blues and country weekly and it covers both styles beautifully. I might change the speaker someday because I am in love with the sound of EVM speakers, but the Celestion G100 sounds great now.

I use a Bolin guitar with EMG humbuckers, an Ibanez RG 520 QS with a HAZ preamp and Seymour Duncan pickups and a mostly stock Gibson 335 and though I must adjust the Trim knob when I switch guitars and the Gibson gets plugged in to the LOW input because the pickups are not active I can get an appropiate sound for any type of music.

Well built amp, BUT I never gig without a backup. I have boogies and fenders and I always have somekind of spare amp at a gig. So Far Great!!

Yamaha are good people, they have returned both my email and voicemails.

This is an excellent amp to cover many styles and types of music. It can't out Boogie, out Fender, out Marshall the other respective amps but it unlike the forementioned amps it can sound like all of them at the push of a button.It is an excellent compromise for a "one type fits all" amp. It sounds good and can "imitate" many types of amps very easily. I love it's versatility.

Manufactured in October 2000. This amp is very versatile and sounds suprisingly good for a digital amp. I have played all of the competitive models that I could and this sounded better than the Line 6, Johnson, Rocktron. I liked the distortion on the Carvin Bel-Air 212 better, but like most tube amps, it was a "one-trick" pony. I like to play blues, jazz, rock, experimental and make sound design based noise for video and film. This amp fit my needs perfectly as it is so versatile. It's also the first digital amp I have ever played that had that "thump" in the mids like a real tube amp as well as the "sag" and "delay" in the attack. I'm not going to list all of the features because everyone else already has so why be redundant? If you need to know go to http://www.yamaha.com/cgi-win/webcgi.exe/Specs/?gGUA00004DG80-112

This amp is mainly used in the studio, jamming at home and at the office (yes, it's cool to be able to play guitar at work). Does it have enough power? So far, yes. Haven't tried it with a live drummer yet although the glowing Guitar Player review from last year said that it had enough "oomph" to keep up with a live drummer. I play more in the studio so this isn't a big concern but for the occasional jam session, it could matter.

This amp is played mainly with a customized (new pickups, wiring re-done, Corian nut, titanium custom bridge) Epiphone Dot and a cusotmized Telecaster (Corian nut, new bridge, Fender Vintage noiseless bridge, Fender Vintage humbucker, wired to accomodate coil tap with tone control). I love how it sounds with both.

It suits my musical taste and style of playing quite nicely. I try to play a little bit of everything as far as musical style and I also just plain make noise with it that is further heavily modified in audio post for film and video soundtrack work.

Is it noisy? No, it's very quiet, much more quiet than a tube amplifier. I played the Mesa Boogies and I was very disappointed at how noisy (not in a good noise way, in a hissy rainstorm way) all of the models were. How does anyone record with them? There must be an entire industry subgroup of engineer set up just to noise reduce and gate anyone who records anything but loud rock with Boogies. I was really looking for a quiet, versatile amp and I think the Yamaha fit the bill. This amp does pretty good takes on various famous players sounds if you are into that. I prefer to use it to find new sounds that hopefully haven't been discovered.

I'm by no means a virtuoso guitarist and I suppose I never will be. My musical style is evolving more toward finding ways to integrate the guitar into various groove based electronic music (house, hip-hop, electronica, R&B). And, I am also trying to use the guitar to generate organic noise that is later integrated into film and video soundtracks, sometimes as music and sometimes as sound effects.

The distortion that the DG80 produces is definitely organic, smooth and nice. It is not good at generating death metal chainsaw buzz, it leans toward Fender and Marshall type sounds though. Just not the scooped mids, seven string Korn, chainsaw stuff.

Have only had it a couple of months. So far, perfect. I did buy a factory refurbished unit at a discount from Musicians Friend that didn't work right but I don't blame Yamaha for that. The new one I bought from ZSounds has been perfect so far although I have been too busy to play a lot. Other Yamaha gear I have owned has been absolutely bulletproof so I expect that this will be the same. Not sure about those motorized knobs, though. I guess time will tell.

Oh and also, this thing weighs quite a bit for the size. Our office is up two flights of slippery tile covered stairs and their is no elevator. So it's a good workout to haul it up and down occasionally.

Haven't dealt directly with them on this unit although I did send a e-mail inquiring about a new piece of equipment and the response was prompt and courteous. Have never dealt with a Yamaha repair.

I have been playing for 22 years. I have the two electric guitars mentioned above, Washburn D-21 acoustic that by some fluke is one of the best acoustics I have ever heard and played, including Martins, Roland GR-303 Guitar Synth, Carvin DC-4 bass (awesome bass), a Carvin DC-210 Redeye 600 watt bass amp (also killer for the bucks), and I am planning on buying one of the new Yamaha RS-7000 Midi Sequencer/Sampler/Synth units as soon as they are available. This should be enough music toys for a non-professional musician to keep busy with ;-)

If it were stolen, I would track down the inconsiderate person and make them watch an endless loop of the MTV Movie awards, have a debate about the merits of boy bands with Carson Daley for a week, then would make them carry this amp up and down flights of stairs for a week. by then, they'd be begging for mercy so I'd let them go if they repented and went to fourteen Benny Hinn crusades in a row. That would be the ultimate punishment, much worse than death.

Almost bought the Carvin Bel-Air 212 (I still might get one sometime) because it was sweet sounding but just not very versatile without a ton of boxes). The Yamaha won out because I play so many different styles of music and I thought the Yamaha would just be more versatile. Also didn't want to mess around with tubes since I have such a busy life. Much too busy to worry about tubes at this point.

Latest model with the full updates, all the features of the other reviews, 80 watts, wish it was a tad bit louder, I think digital amps need more DB to cut through a band

I play many guitars, Les Pauls, Juniors, Tele, Strat, some vintage some new, mostly stock guitars, blues infl rock/pop/punk/country.
First of all: if you are looking for an amp the you click on Blackface, or Plexi and it sounds like those, this ain't it. This amp has its own, distinct, extremely musical tones and qualities that have bits of those amps coming through, but it doesn't attempt to recreate those sounds.
That being said, the sounds of this amp are extremely enjoyable and musical. I have used it on gigs and recording, using speakers only, no direct out. I have been able to get everything from some very nice clean, warm Lindsey Buckingham stuff to crunch, vibrato swamptones to Mick Ronson sheets of Les Paul. It does not replace having a great old Fender or Marshall, but it sounds great, has it's own personality and is satisfying to play for hours. The effects are the type that most players use on real amps, reverb, cool sounding tape echo, vibrato, just like a real amp should. No whizbang ray gun over effected sounds here.

appears to be built like a tank.....

don't know

don't know if I'd replace it, but as an addition to a bunch of cool old amps that I don't want to cart around and have people set their drinks on anymore, this one is a keeper.

Easy to use features. The effects loop could be improved. Any device connected to the effects loop is applied to all of the patches. I would have liked to be able to select which patches the effect loop is applied. Also has a direct out XLR connector but I felt the sound coming from that output seemed kind of brash and not at all like the sound coming from the speaker.

I have been playing for 33 years. My first amp was a 1966 Fender Showman, the Yamaha DG80-112 is my second amp. I love this amp. I use a 1968 LesPaul with P90 pick-ups and I am very happy with the sounds I can get. I didn't find a use for any of the factory pre-sets and I never have on any pre-set loaded equipment like the Alesis Quadraverb GT for example. I feel the Yamaha Foot Controller option is necessary
to operate this amp because I have always used a volume pedal and the typical volume pedal doesn't work well with this amp because you need a certain amount of gain going in to make the amp work.

I gig several times a month and this brings me to the reason for my post. In a couple of places I have played, the amp goes into an "E3" error message. This NEVER happens at home. I have ruled out cables and I am only left with the thought that this amp might be sensitive to line voltages, be it a voltage drop or surge. I noticed I am the only post to mention this problem but I am not sure how often the other posters' DG80 leaves their home.

Off the Yahama website I called a telephone number, it wasn't toll free and while I was waiting maybe 5 minutes, I had to listen to ads for Yamaha products, very tacky. When my call was finally put through to a person, all I got was his answering machine. I left a message and he did call back but got my answering machine, I called back within one minute of his return call and got his answering machine again. I think I need an e-mail address to deal with them.

I purchase the DG80 for two reasons, one I could get it at wholesale price, and I noticed Allen Holdsworth was using them, seemed like a good endorsement.

I think of this as a 128 channel amplifier. It sounds great and gets way loud. It's very flexible, more so than other digital amps with little more than a big dial. Others have flanger and phaser features which are nice, but not crucial to me. I think anyone shopping for an amp should check out the DG80 line. There's another model with two twelve inch speakers for the heavy giggers that have good backs for heavy lifting. Yamaha should provide a cheap, but effective footswitch at this price.

Once the DG80 was in my home, I cranked it up a bit to check the clarity. My Washburn HB35 sounds fine on either the high or low impedence jack; but my solid body Yamaha RGX612A with active pickups needs to be in the low jack to retain a clear sound. Aha!, you say - married to Yamaha, is he? Nope. I've had this guitar for about a dozen years and I just liked it better than everything else under $700 at the time. Yahama just makes good instruments.
Not all is perfect, though. It took me a bit to reset my old Zoom 9000 effects unit to sound right with my HB35 through the DG80, but then it didn't sound very good with my solid body guitar. I've pretty much given up on it. I don't find the wet/dry blend control very useful, all that should be set in the effect itself. The first amp I brought home had a bad buzz in it (something loose inside), so I took it back for another which is fine. Also, I had heard and read so much about tube amps that I had this nagging feeling I was missing out, so I went back to the store and bought a Fender Hotrod Deville. I'd read a lot of glowing reviews about it here. I took it home and set them side by side and tried every setting illustrated from Fender's documentation on the Mars Music website including everything from clean to dirty. I could not get a clean sound out of the Fender. There wasn't any sound in the Fender I couldn't get out of the Yamaha and even tweaked an open setting to emulate a nice, distorted tone produced by the Fender. I was really surprised given the praise heaped on the the Deville. I returned the next day to the Guitar Center and asked them which they thought I was returning. Both reps assumed I was returning the DG80. One actually owns a Deville, so I didn't emphasize the difference. It was an easy decision. Funny, though, according to the reps at the Guitar Center, Yamaha has dropped them as a reseller due to something about their product mix or marketing focus.
The DG80 is really versatile and has great reverb options, chorus, and a nice tremelo that I'll rarely use. The range of clean to distortion is wonderful. I tried every preset to see if they'd be useful for lead, rhythm, or both. Most are very gimicky sounds, but I found 12 lead, 6 rhythm, and 14 that worked for both. These are settings from 1 to 80, but there are additional settings from 81 to 128 that you can set to your liking. I've set ranges for both guitars and can get that muted distortion I like for blues and jazz sounds and I've found this amp sounds very good with my electric acoustic, too.

There was a bad buzz in the first one I took home, so I returned it for another. It was something in the chassis that sounded like a loose, jangling washer. I had questions for Yamaha Support which I asked via email and received useful responses. They have several third party providers in the Dallas area for repairs. I'm concerned that the built-in computer might we brittle with power surges; I like the simplicity of older equipment. Digital amps may be subject to having to reload software, too. This keeps me from giving it a better score.

My questions were answered via email. I don't recall seeing a phone number for them. I often try to reach support for a given product before considering purchasing it. If support sucks, I omit them and their product from consideration.

I've been playing for about 30 years, but only in a band for a while as a kid. I'd recently bought a new Washburn HB35 semi hollow body and thought a new amplifier might bring out the best in it. My old amp just couldn't create a bright, clean sound and the muted distortion I like for blues and jazz sounds came across broken up. It was time to replace my old amp - a fairly versatile JMF Spectra. They've since gone out of business.
The new digital amps seemed appealing, so I tried several including models from Crate, Johnson, and Line 6. None seemed to have a very clear sound; too much emphasize was placed on sounding like other amps, but their "clean" sounded dirty. I also tried playing on Fender, Marshall, Peavey, and Tech 21 amps in the stores. I was rather impressed with the clarity and range of the Tech 21, but it didn't seem very versatile in terms of tonal adjustments. Among all the amps I'd tried was the Yamaha DG80-112. It was easy to adjust and set. The knobs move so you can see how it's set, tweak it further, and then save the setting. It seemed pretty clean in the store, so I bought it. It doesn't come with a foot pedal and Yamaha's cost way too much. Digitech makes a comparable unit for much less called the Control 8, but they'd recently discontinued the Control 7 which would have suited me fine. My money will stay in my pocket until I have a compelling need to change settings in the middle of a song.
If stolen, I'd buy another (I'm a meticulous shopper) unless a year or more had passed, then I'd have to check out newer digital amps.

This is the DG80 that came without the temelo and chorus. But, the music store added the chorus and tremelo on for me via computer/midi. I was reading some reviews on this amp and really started to get pssssssssssssst. A few were saying that the distorsions sounded like crap with single pickups, DUHHHHHHHHHHH, singles have never sounded good distorted heavily !!!!!!!. man, wake up !!!. another thing people are complaining about, modeling amps can't provide a certain tube amp sound, DUHHHHHHHHH!!!, really ? i wonder why ?. I don't think any modeling amp will ever produce exact tube tones, so quit hopeing. Now, you must ask yourself ?? am i happy, if the sound is somewhat close ? do i like an amp that can do many sounds ? do i like reliability ? do i like lite weight amps ? if yes to all the above, then i think this amp is for you !!. I've had many tube amps, and yes they sound good when cranked full blast, but they're basically BORING.
if your looking for an amp that is FUN and can provided some david gilmore, black sabath, eric clapton, SRV, and so on, then this is the amp. as to the guy who said the amp's distortion broke up, i haven't herd it yet. I did buy the DG60, and it was really bad when cranked, but the DG80 doesn't seem to do it.

PRS and my SRV strat are the guitars i use. i'm able to get a pretty good SRV sound. The amp is good for many styles, although i like blues/rock. The amp at my house isn't noisy. The clean channel is really nice on the amp. No compressor is on the amp, but you can get some compressed sounds with the plate reverb and on one of the clean channels. The distorsions on the amp are pretty good. There are some i favor more than others.

i have owned for about a year, no problems with reliability.
i take it out to gigs all the time, still hang'n in there.

haven't dealt with them. But, from the personel at music stores say they're pretty good.

I've been playing about 10 yrs. I own a Fender hot rod 1-12 amp and a PRS swamp ash and my SRV signature. I play my yamaha more than the hot rod. the hot rod is a great sounding amp, but like i said, its boring. i have a Tech 21 trademark 10, very impressive little amp. I love that amp !!. if the yamaha was stolen, i would buy another. I've played many modeling amps, this one is my favorite. Art made one a while back, called the Art 830. I liked that amp also. it was my favorite until yamaha came out with the DG80. Yes, i've tried probably every modeling amp out there, except the rocktron. The Yamaha is pretty dam nice. Alan Holdsworth plays one. I don't think he would play one unless he love it. anyway, what i've concluded over the years, is that guitar playen is about FUN !!, its about trying to get man different sounds for your own music and also old sounds. If you look back when clapton and pink floyd were starting out with tone, i don't think they're were trying to copy others, but instead trying to get something different. So, i suggest you experiment.
"thats all i got to say about that "

read others

sounded great at first, but when you turn it up to gig or play with a drummer.....forget it! the distortion is DIGITAL, not only artificial sounding but the gain signal breaks up...very thin and lacking character. the clean sounds are good, that's why i give it at least a 5. if you care about your TONE at all, then do not get this amp. dont get me wrong, this amp is great if you want many different sounds, effects, and programmability, but if TONE is what you care about, you wont find it here. if you have single coils, the distortion will be horrible. humbuckers sound a bit better but still very sterile and lifeless. and honestly, only about 2 or 3 of the 8 modes sound decent enough to play at all. i had this amp for 3 weeks and got rid of it. now i play thru a Laney pro tube 50 watt head and a Boogie cab....now i can get some great TONE.

very versatile...good clean tones...poor gain sounds....artificial and lacking warmth....please do not even compare to tubes.....poor TONE.....don't you care about TONE? every true player with great tone plays TUBE AMPS...this whole digital craze is one big dissappointment!

Built in late '99, bought in June '00. 8 digital tube amp emulations, 128 MIDI presets, 80 of which are populated at the factory, though they can be overwritten if you need more than 48 presets of your own. MIDI i/o, 4 digital effects: chorus, tape echo, reverb (3 flavors), tremolo. I wish a MIDI foot controller was included, even at a higher price, since I missed having one until the back-ordered MFC10 I bought arrived. Also, it has no ground switch. That hasn't seemed to be a problem, but it seems an odd omission. Otherwise it doesn't lack any features that I use. It has volume to spare while cutting through my four- or five-piece group.

I play fusion, groove jazz, and blues, and have played for around 9 years. I'm using a Yamaha SBG200 SG copy and saving my pennies for a semi-hollow (Ibanez AS80/120, Yamaha SA2200, or used ES-335).

I was looking for 3 basic sounds when I bought this amp: tweed crunch, Mesa high-gain, and Fender clean, and when I read about digital modeling technology I was excited at the prospect of not dealing with tubes. The Mesa Nomad 55 was the other amp I primarily considered.

The sound of this amp is awesome, with tremendous expressive touch sensitivity. You can do a blackface on the edge (gain ~ 4) on the Crunch 2 model, and get warm clean sounds when laying back, or push it into soft clipping with a crisper attack. Crunch 1 (gain ~ 7) gives you the Larry Carlton/John Scofield tweed sound, so harmonically rich. I find myself using this sound for extended periods when practicing, it sounds so excellent. Lead 1 (gain ~ 7) has the Boogie down, super-smooth high gain. I haven't settled on any clean sounds that I really love, though I'm using several presets that I've saved against both Clean models. The provided bebop preset (#51) sounds very warm, clean, and natural, while my Clean presets lean toward the fairly bright Fender Twin thing, with some bass added. I also get a Marshall crunch from Drive 1 (gain ~ 5-7) that I use occasionally. This model also sounds extremely bluesy on the edge (gain ~ 4).

It's nice being able to color any of these amp models with decent chorus and tape echo sounds. The digital reverbs (Spring, Hall and Plate) are especially good, each in its place.

One note is that it apparently wasn't Yamaha's intent to emulate specific tube amp models, but rather to reproduce the essential harmonic and transient characteristics of tube amp circuit families. I'm content with that. These sounds are extremely natural, articulate and expressive, and the fact that the amp contains several of them rather than one or two is just icing for me. In other words, as the other reviewers have noted, if you're longing for the exact sound of a certain tube amp, you probably won't get it from this amp, but if you're looking for excellent tube sounds of various flavors with the reliability and consistency of digital technology, try one of these.

One surprising thing to me was that the crunch and distortion sounds clean up and get smoother and less fuzzy when you turn it up even a little (output >= 0.5), just like tube amps of moderate or more gain. The sound quality doesn't change much from there on up. Like at least one other reviewer, I expected the sound not to change between low and higher volume.

I've used Yamaha home audio and guitar equipment for many years, and have had zero failures with any of it. I expect this amp to be utterly reliable. I'll drag a backup amp to the gig because I'm conservative, but I don't expect ever to take it out of the car.

I've never had a failure in any Yamaha product I've owned, so I've never had to seek repairs.

I would definitely buy another to replace this one if something happened to it. When making my purchase decision, I tried the Mesa Nomad 55, and several Crate and Line 6 modeling amps. I chose the Yamaha for the natural sounds it makes compared to the other digitals, and in comparison to the Nomad, I didn't find anything compelling in the Mesa's sound. It was somewhat different in the various amp types, but not clearly superior. Also, as I said, I wanted to avoid tubes if possible, so the Nomad had to be superior-sounding across the most significant sounds I wanted (especially tweed and high-gain)for me to pick it. It wasn't. On a lesser note, the Yamaha was the better value due to its inclusion of chorus and digital echo, though with the needed MIDI foot controller its price is close to the Nomad's.

8 different amp settings....spring, hall, and plate reverb....tremelo, chorus, and tape echo(delay) effects....12" celestion speaker....80? presets.....can store up to 120 of your own...motorized knobs return to stored settings.....would give a 10, but doesnt come with a footswitch, and it is expensive to buy separately....

this amp is not forgiving of poor quality electronics.....you can get a good sound if your pickups are good....if you play single coils, prepare to get a lot of hum in high gain settings.....if your pickups are not humbuckers, you will think that the distrotion on this amp sucks.....i played my strat plus with lace sensors and the distortion was no good....very weak and artificial sounding, completely lacking warmth, and noisy....but man, the clean tones out of this amp are incredible...not quite as nice as fender tube amps, but almost there...clean settings are very warm and sweet...when i played a les paul classic through this amp, the distortion was very nice....not quite as nice as an all tube marshall jcm 800, but sounds and responds very tube-like....you cen get really nice jazz and blues tones out of this amp....but like i said, if you play a strat with single coils....prepare for noise and a weak thin distortion.....the effects are great, i give them a 10, overall, it's an 8

if you know exactly what tone you want, then dont buy this amp and get that nice tube amp....but for $630, this amp is incredible....you get such a wide variety of sounds....you can fine tune the amp settings and get the exact sound you want, then you can store is and recall it whenever you want! if i were to buy a tube amp with the clean tone i want, then buy another tube amp for that gain that i want, and then buy effects......i know i would spend well over twice as much as what i paid for this...i play a strat plus with EMG DG20 active pickups (Dave Gilmour model from Pink Floyd), and i can get just about every tone i want.....it's a great tool for songwriting, and practicing, and even gigging too!

This amp is fantastic! I can get a tone quite close to just about any of my guitar heroes-- more importantly, I can coax my own cool tones out of the 12" speaker because of the dizzying array of tonal filters. I think the tape echo program is great... this amp has everything you could need. As well, a well-designed MIDI pedal (not necessarily the one offered from Yamaha) will be a huge benefit and may be a deciding factor on whether the amp will work for you (the pedal is a necessity live... a good Roland/Boss pedal would really work well, among others) I feel the motorized chicken-head knobs are a wonderful idea, but what's better, you don't have to wait for the knobs to turn to their position to hear the chosen sound - it happens instantly because it's digital. Also, the look of this amp is great...a killer vibe from a classy looking unit!!!!!

Most amp settings work equally well with both my Fender Strat Deluxe Plus and my Telecaster Deluxe...even my SG screams on the same settings!The distortion can be as raunchy or as clean and smooth as you wish - I find the 8 preliminary amp models to be a great idea...
I would like to find out which Amps they actually based each of these on...Does any one know?????? They sound terrific none the less!

I've only had the Amp a little while, but am already certain I won't be worried in any way about performance and reliability.

haven't ever had to speak with Yamaha.....

I've been playing for several years, and live for almost as many. This amp is quickly replacing my Fender Twin for tone and versatilty... can't beat the price either!

Good built in effects. Great EQ including low-mid and high-mid adjustment, makes it easy to dial in sounds.Direct out with speaker simulator sounds better than my Mesa Boogie Formula pre amp. . . don't get me started on that thing! The only thing it really needs is a foot controller. With an amp this flexible it doesn't make sense not to have one. You can buy one (MFC10) for just under $300.

My main guitar is a Tom Anderson Hollow Cobra which is similar to a Les Paul. I was really impressed with the sound of this amp. It's got so much flexibity I don't think there are many sounds you couldn't get out of it. If you are looking for a certain sound from a fine tube amp you should probobly buy a fine tube amp. But if you like to play many different styles of music and like the idea of an amp that is reliable, portable, and has more than two sounds to switch between (how about 128!) you should check out this amp. It's got the touch sensitivity of a tube amp, which is pretty impressive. I would go into more detail about the sounds but there's so many. Let's just say this amp is capable of just about any sound you want. When you go to the store to audition it, take a look at the owner's manual, in about 2 minutes you'll have a complete understanding of how it works. Then you can get the full experience.

Haven't had it long enough to give a rating. I have owned a lot of Yamaha gear and it's all been 100% reliable. The only thing that worries me is the motorized knobs.

No dealings with Yamaha. Never had a problem with their stuff.

I've been playing for fifteen years or so. I've been in bands and have some experience playing live. I do a lot of recording at home and I've owned a lot of gear. If you can afford a really nice tube amp and it has the sound you like then I say do it. But for $699 I can't believe how good this amp is! I own or have owned other amps (costing two and three times as much as the Yamaha) that do a few good sounds and they're great at what they do, but this amp does so much for so little. Check it out.

This DG80-112 had the software upgrade to provide tremolo and chorus, but the panel did not show which knobs operate the new effects. (This was easy to figure out.) Please read the earlier reviews for details on other features. Assuming you like the tone, it would be versatile enough for most any style of music, though the effects selection won't please all. The included effects sound good to me. This was my second audition. I went to the store with the intent to buy it, but decided not to. (I could have bought it for $600 and tax.) I also tried some of the other modeling amps, but didn't like them either. As for the interface, I think it is the best yet for a modeling amp. What other features would I like to see? I wish the knobs didn't reset (gain and master at set at 6/7, the rest at 5) when changing amp modes. It doesn't come with a footswitch to change presets, so you have to use a MIDI footcontroller. It really needs a simple, dedicated footswitch like Line6 and others that lets you select a few presets and turn on/off the tremolo, chorus, delay and reverb. I think the power level is sufficient for most situations. If not, the S112 extention cabinet adds another Celestion G12H100, letting the amp deliver 100w -- and move twice the air.

For this audition, I used a '57 reissue Strat with Fralin pickups, and earlier, a Grosh Retro Classic with Kinman noiseless pickups. My tone goals include Beck, Gilmour, Johnson, Metheny, Stern, Ford, and so on. In other words, I want to cover a lot of ground. I don't expect one amp and guitar to satisfy 100%, but the closer the better, in terms of simplicity and getting on with making music. On the other hand, singing or playing an acoustic guitar is the ultimate simple tone solution. Yamaha's DG amp modeling is as good as I've heard, but it does not sound good enough for me to substitute for my favorite tube amps. Bear in mind, I am ready to stop using tube amps as soon as possible! They are expensive, noisy, and occasionally troublesome beasts. For distortion, the volume is typically too loud when they sound their best. But...the best tube amps sound fantastic when heard with good speaker systems! To it's credit, the DG80-112 is the quietest modeling system I've heard. OK, how did I judge the tone? Since this is a modeled amp, it shouldn't rely on speaker or power amp distortion for it's tone, although those may help. I set the output level low enough to listen up close, just like a microphone. What I heard were... Insects! Yes, the dreaded crackle and buzz of hard clipping, not the smooth, rounded tones of tubes. (The input level was set so the red LED almost, but never lit, so I am sure there was no digital overload.) Well controlled tube clipping, by comparison, is ear friendly, at least if the volume isn't overmuch. Attack transients are dynamic, but not spitty. Harmonics are connected to the note. There is simply more feel and dynamic range with the tube amps I play. I think Yamaha is on the right track with this system. Maybe in a year or two it will be good enough? I hope so.

Let's face it, getting great clean tones is relatively easy, at least with a good tube amp. It's the distortion tones that cause the trouble! Perhaps Yamaha will bring out a modeling preamp footpedal for use with existing amps. The DG series is a good first try from Yamaha. I will continue to check out theirs and other companies digital modeling amps. I will continue to seek an amp or pedal that will allow me get the edge-of-distortion and cranked tones of the best tube amps -- at any volume. Perhaps this will never be possible. I will keep looking and hoping that such a system will be created eventually. In the meantime, my Carr Slant 6V keeps me pretty happy.

Paid 8300 DKR. at my local dealer. 128 MIDI settings. 90 Factory presets. Easy to find the sound you like using the buttons on the frontplate, then store the settings in a free memorylocation. Easy to use on stage via footcontroler. Use "Digitech Control 8" with volume pedal, OK.

Guitar: Nuno Bettencourt N4 vith EMG 89 / EMG85. Play anything from British instrumental music (very clean with delay) British and American rockstyle from the sixties, jazz to heavy metal. You can make any sound that normaly comes out of a tube amp with this one. I have owned Marshall tube, Marshall transistor and Fender tube amps, Dynacords 50W, homemade tubeamps and lots of different speakers and cabinets like 4/10" , 2/12" 1/8" and many more. They were all different and were OK in their own way. What i like about the DB80-112 is that I can get very close to the sound of all these amps in a single unit. When you change the tubes in a tubeamp you will have to find some tubes with the same specs as the ones you replace if you want the exact same sound. The DB80-112 always have the same sound.

Don't know. Anything can fail.

Emailed Yamaha in Denmark once. They mailed me right back with a very satisfying answer. Phoned them once and they were very polite (almost Japanese style)and solved my problem right away. Very nice. Service is no problem, you just deliver the amp to the local dealer and they take care of it.

Playing 35 years. I do not want to stop before I die. This amp is the best that happened to me the last 20 years. Of course it is no tubeamp, but it does the job so well, that I don't need any other. I would buy another if it was stolen. The thing that would make it better is a dedicated flightcase with wheels. If you like the sound of a big tubeamp or like the way a huge wall of Marshalls look like( the impressive look of a big setup is the best music to my bassplayer), then it is your choice. If like it simple with good sound and lot of different choices, give the Yamaha a thought.

Digital modeling amp, 128 presets, 8 basic amp sounds gain, master, treble, high mid, low mid, bass, presence, digital reverb and tape echo and just added in version 2 software chorus and tremolo. read the review for michael he goes into great detail (It almost sounds like he works for Yamaha ;^)

This is not a tube amp, the digital modeling simulates that wonderfully, but thats just it "simulates" I doubt if anything solid state will ever have the sound and feel of real tubes. That said it does a great job simulating the sounds of a tube amp, very responsive to picking dynamics and the guitars volume knob. It does so many things well, clean to high gain mayhem, I'll just mention what it doesn't do. I doesn't have that "ring" on the clean settings that some tube amps have, it produces beautiful clean tones but not that characteristic tube ring. I also can't get that really smooth sustaining, singing lead tone eg. Santana , again close but not quite, there always seems to be some grind. I play contemporary Christian music which can go from soft and quiet to rocking. I just started going to a new church so I'm not playing in the band yet but I bought this amp for that purpose. In the last church I attended my Peavey Classic 30 just didn't cut it I've been playing in a worship group for 15+ years and my style leans toward jazz and blues, with a little rock thrown in. I play a custom built (by myself) solid body with 2 humbuckers, an Epiphone Archtop and an Alvarez acoustic. I almost forgot the best part, dead quiet, there's a little noise on the high gain patches, but very quiet, big advantage over humming, buzzing tube amps. I have to mention this, when I bought the amp I didn' know that they would add chorus and tremolo and I loved the amp w/o them, but I was having a terrible time with effects. I have a Korg AX1G multi-effects pedal that sounded great with my Peavey but the DG80 is so quiet that I couldn't stand the noise that it added. I tried changing the settings,shorter cables, running it through the effects loop, nothing worked, all I wanted was a little chorus for clean rhythm and tremolo for that old fender vibe. Then I heard about the new software, called Yamaha, they sent it, I installed it and I'm thrilled, it's great, beautiful sounds and no noise!!!

Only time will tell? I've only had it for 3 months.

Great, I called Yamaha about the version 2 software and they e-mailed me the new software immediately, I'm very impressed. I actually talked to real people when I called, with a company the size of Yamaha I thought that I would be caught in the automated phone system maze or on hold for hours but they answered may call right away and were very helpful (an honest plug for Yamaha) I hope all my dealings with Yamaha are like that. Thanks Gary!

About the price, I bought it used on an online auction site and I don't think many people knew what it was. I got it fairly cheap and I really expected a bidding frenzy.

It's a great amp, I would buy it again, even at retail price. It does everything I need and more. Any shortcomings it may have (head to head with a tube amp) are far out weighted by its strengths, wide variety of tones, quiet, built in effects, great sound etc. Let me clarify what I mean when I say tube amp, I'm talking older Fender, Marshall, Vox, Mesa or any of the newer high quality tube amps, not the low end Peaveys or Fenders etc. It blows them away, but if you put it up against a Matchless or Victoria etc. you would hear its limitations.

The Yamaha DG80-112 was first introduced in January of 1999. If you like tube amp tone but the reliability of digital, it blows away Line 6 and Johnson amps. This amp is the most versatile amp on the market and is perfect for guitarists like myself that demand the subtle nuances normally found in a tube amp. I play rock, blues, country, jazz, even metal. I have played for 25 years and worked with many international artists so TONE is my calling card! The DG80 has a HI and LO inputs that can be used depending on your guitar output. It has 128 Patch Locations where you can store your own sounds. The digital modeling technology includes 8 amp types that KILL the Line 6 and Johnson amps for authentic tube type tone. You can go from a classic hi gain Marshall to a punchy Fender with no problem. If you use the Lead 1 amp model and turn the volume knob on your guitar way down it cleans up just like a tube amp. Then by turning the knob to 10 on your guitar you get full shred distortion. The Clean 2 is based on a Fender Twin type sound and even sounds better than my Fender Twin and is much more reliable! You can get Marshall, Vox, Matchless, Boogie, and Fender sounds with ease. The DG80-112 includes a Spring Reverb model, and a Hall and Plate Reverb from the Yamaha SPX1000 - SUPERB! The best effect is their digital model of a Tape Echo. This really sounds like an old Echoplex providing 2 seconds of delay with mirror image repeats! The DG includes an XLR output with its own volume knob on the back panel and Speaker Simulation which is really quiet and is great for recording. I've used it direct for albums. Since the DG80 has no noise gate, I was suprised how quiet it was to record direct with my Roland 1680 Digital Recorder for song demos. There is also a Parallel Effects Loop with an Blend Knob. This amp is 80 watts but screams like a 100 watt tube amp. I can even get Santana type feedback and sustain at mid volume. On top of all that you have real chicken head knobs. On stage I can grab a knob just like a normal amp and make quick adjustments. Then just hit RECALL and it gets my original patch settings back. And get this, the knobs are MOTORIZED!

I have many guitars but primary is my Brian Moore Strat and Les Paul. I also use a Yamaha SA2200 for jazz styles. This amp is much less noisy than the Johnson or Line 6 in all environments and provides the most natural sounding tones. The clean channel has tones of headroom even at loud volumes it sounds clean and has that sparkle similar to Fenders. The distortion is SWEET and you can get TONS of gain - ala MESA BOOGIE!

The DG80 has been very dependable for sessions and live gigs. The amp has not broken down in any situation - knock on wood! The best part is that I don't have to spend tons of money re-tubing it!

Yamaha has great support. I called and spoke to someone in Guitar Marketing/Support and they even sent me a brand new upgrade that adds CHORUS, TREMOLO, 80 NEW PATCHES, and MIDI EFFECTS CONTROL via MIDI File. I loaded it in using their directions with ease. The new effects are STELLAR! They also told me about a promotion that ends January 15. If you send them your reciept before then, they send you a FREE Danelectro Chorus Pedal. Mine is on the way!

I have been playing over 25 years and have worked with several big name artists. I really love this amp and so do my clients. If it was lost or stolen I would have to buy another. I love this amp for it's TONE and versatile features including the NEW EFFECTS! I do wish it had a built in tuner and its own MIDI pedalboard. I have to use my DIGITECH pedalboard for MIDI foot control. For those of you that have tried the other digital amps without luck...try the YAMAHA DG80 you won't regret it!