Yamaha G100-112-01

Purchased new in 1979 from a music shop in Streatham, South London.
Two channel with double foot switch which also controls reverb. It was marketed at the time as being a solid state amp which bridged the gap towards valves(tubes) Of course, it doesn't really achieve that aim but it works for me. It is versatile, especially with the parametric EQ. I really do miss an effects send / return facility.
It is only ever used at home these days at relatively low volume. Everyone (including myself) acknowledges the awesome sound pressure level that can be coaxed out of this little box.

Mostly used with a Heritage Sweet16 with which it is a soulmate. Otherwise used with a variety of Fenders. An extremely clean sounding amplifier with very impressive headroom on the clean channel. Others have berated the distortion channel but I have to disagree. OK, it's not a Mesa but I feel that it does go a long way towards emulating a valve sound. I think this is because it does not give a great deal of distortion. As an illustration, I can go through a TS808 on the clean channel and set up the distortion channel to sound identical when I kick the channel switch. Isn't that the acid test? I don't equate valve sound with mega levels of distortion. Taken in this context and put up alongside a valve amp, the difference is actually not that significant. Try an Award Session "Sessionette" at 75 watts and I think most would agree that a lot depends on the skill of the engineer / designer of the amp. Tech21 work wonders with analogue and solid state circuitry. There is a surfeit of mediocre solid state engineering about. You get what you pays for. This amp is a square peg in the solid state round hole! I'm jess sayin'
The reverb tray is first class.

Unfortunately, I cannot say that I can depend upon it. In 1983, I ran a guitar and a bass through it at the same time (I was drunk!) and after about 90 minutes at sensible volume levels, it crapped out. I crossed the road to my own house and returned with my valve amp and carried on. Ever since then, it cuts out without warning at times when it is not really being pushed too hard. Another reviewer has remarked upon not cranking it up with a bass attached and I guess that he / she was correct. Hasn't happened to me in a long while though. I think that it may have something to do with the way that the transistors (mos FETs?)are supposed to protect themselves by shutting down (according to the Yamaha advertisements at the time)

Yamaha UK are very helpfull. I have had issues with incorrectly part numbered spare parts, incorrect products supplied and an inappropriate inspection quality stamp on a "hand crafted" acoustic. I still rate Yamaha very highly indeed for all that though.

I have been playing for 37 years. I don't lead worship anywhere. It would be pointless to go through my gear again and again, suffice to say that I now have a 150 square foot room filled up with gear including 17 strung instruments! I have always liked the self contained and understated power of this amp together with its looks. I'd buy a replacement if I had to without hesitation but it's a big market for gear these days and everything has moved up many notches. I simply could not be bothered to track one down. I dislike (hate? what's that?)the fact that it does not have a send / return facility but there is plenty and more to like in this little baby.
I have guessed the price and the retail outlet using faded memory but I think I'm in the right ballpark. It was so long ago but I remember trading a script logo MXR Phase 100 and a Peavey Backstage 30 for it. The balance was about ??170 so it must have been around ??260 new.

I'm pretty sure mine were built in the late 70's. The parametric EQ is definitely one of the unique features of this amp. Never seen another with it. Also has push/pull knobs for "Fat/Brite" boost.

The only negative is that they're very heavy, especially if you have the original Yamaha speaker.

I must preface this by mentioning that I only use the "Clean" channel. I use a 1990 Ibanez AS200 and a Digitech RP pedal for delay and reverb.

I love these amps so much that now I have two of them in stereo. I play jazz, going for a sound somewhere between Metheny, Frisell, and Ben Monder. What I love about the sound in particular is that I feel like it gives me the sound (IMO) of a mastered recording, very round and pronounced, and just a little on the dark side (which is fine 'cuz I'm going for that dark Metheny-esque vibe).

I got my first one used in 1992, and my latest one in 2004. So far no problems whatsoever. When I got the most recent one the speaker was shot so I had to get it repalced, but after that no issues.

n/a

I dig these amps and consider them nearly as much a part of my sound as my guitar. If lost or stolen I would definitely try to find another one.

I bought mine used about 1990 for around $200. I play jazz, either on an L5 or mostly a 350T which I adore. Go figure. Lots of dials, with pretty colors. Nice EQ. Even to me, a non-distortion user, its distortion is pitiful.

Wonderful clean sound. My main amp is a Walter Woods, use the yamaha as a backup. The Yamaha comes closer than anything with that much of a price difference has a right to! Lacks the creamyness of the Woods in the above 12th fret world, but hey for the price?! Never noisy. Did try it with an EVM12L and wow it became a true smooth clean box of beauty. But it also became too heavy to carry.

Never broken down. I maintain it myself, only had to run a can of contact cleaner into the pots once when it sat below the house for a coupleof years. it was made in Georgia USA, shows some nice construction work.

No idea.

wow, playing for 40 some years. Always jazz. Own this, a roland jc50 which destroys speakers, and my woods. I would seriously hurt anyone getting near the woods, for sure. But again, this amp comes so very close to it I felt I had to post my comment.

I have recently started playing a G100-112. I must say it is a great amp in a small package.The Parametric boost gives me a bright edge to compensate for keepin my Strat Volume at 7. When I crank the strat the bite is great.
I have noticed the reverb sounds real dirty on anything over 2.

The versatility is there. I use a 12" JBL which allows me to run the volume higher without being as loud. The in-effeciceny of the JBL allows me to push the G100 at an interesting level.

Remains to be seen for me. However it is still working after about 17 years or so. I figure it is about that old. I bought it used.

N/A

I am an avid Phil Keaggy fan. I can see why he use the little big boy. Actually that was the reason I bought it. Now that I've played it awhile, it only confirmed that artists play what sounds good. And it sounds sooooo good!

Got my first new in 1981 on recommendation that it was cleanest loud amp for the price -- true. This workhorse continues to be my main amp; i got a spare recently before they go away altogether due to age. The EQ section, with parametric AND graphic elements, is adept at removing adding those wolf tones when you want/hate them, only Walter Woods has a better one in my opinion. I've done surf (Accutronics reverb in unit is worthy), jazz, mostly pop/rock. Distortion channel, as others aver, sux. But regular channel is so loud and clean that I converted several pals in town to this amp. Contrary to others, I prefer the stock Yamaha 100W speaker with its huge magnet, and I swapped it out with plenty others to see. It cuts keyboard gigs merely OK, and bass only at low volume (warning: don't run bass through this at high volume, as not only speaker but circuits are injured!). I've also used this as a vocal monitor, when EQ section is critical. If only there was ONE tube! This accounts for only 9 rating.

Big jazz boxes sound good (L5, Super 400), 335 (mini humbux) is merely OK, Tele is nice (EQ section can make the chicken pickin' pop), Les Paul (mini humbux again) merely OK, but Strat (stock USA '81) is best, a good match with that instrument. Quiet, no hum to speak of, really no distortion at upper reaches of clean volume, a godsend. I'm not interested in coloring the sound, so this is a pretty good overall amp for micing non-guitars: I've done banjos, melodicas, etc.
As for the distortion channel, this is a gardening accident best left unsolved.

Hate to rave, but absolutely dependable: this is why it's my main amp. I lost sound once playing a frat party five years in -- it was a broken solder to transistor, easily fixed. After that I started carrying my amp on the car seat instead of in the trunk; no problems since. The knobs do have a tendency after year 15 or so to fall off (cure: wrap paper around pot shaft until it fits tightly into knob)or break off due to getting hit with cases whilst travelling, but replacement pots are generally to be had and when one wasn't to be had, I drilled into the existing pot shaft and put a tiny screw in there so I could pull the bright knob on treble. The reverb unit gets funky also after year 15 or so (potential cure: check RCA inputs at reverb unit and clean coz dust and grit gets in there), but replacement units are cheap ($30). Also if reverb goes out entirely, hum can result (cure: turn reverb volume to zero, hum goes away).

I've done most of the repairs myself; schematic is available from Yamaha.

I've been playing for 30 years as a multi-instrumentalist, so own the usual bunch of crap with some decent instruments in there. If I lost my G-100, I'd definitely seek another. Nothing hateable in it, and as I say, it is dependable, loud and clean. I did get tired of the Yamaha logo so i went to an auto junkyard looking for an Alfa Romeo logo (dream on!), settling instead for a Datsun 210 which resides currently on faceplate.

I bought this amp new around 1980. You can find all the features described in other reviews. It's simple and does everything I need it to do.

I've used a Les Paul or ES-345 - each with PAF-style pups, or various Strats with this amp. I've found that the Strat that sounds best with this amp is my recently assembled Warmoth Strat with Kinman pickups. I play jazz, rock, pop and blues and it's handled them all just fine (for me at least). Sure, a nice tube amp might be better, but I'm not a tone snob. This amp can sound anywhere from adequate to excellent. It really depends on your guitar, your playing and how you tweak it. I replaced the original speaker right away with an EV SRO and it really makes a big difference. I think it helps warm up the tone and also adds a little headroom.

What a workhorse! Almost 23 years of non-stop use and it's still going strong. A couple summers ago, at an outdoor gig, it started cutting in and out, so I ran home (which was close by) and got my Twin Reverb to finish the night. I took the Yamaha to a tech, he ran it through a series of tests and couldn't find anything wrong and it's never done it again since. Maybe it was the heat...who knows? Still, I've never had a backup amp at a gig when I've used this amp and it took more than 20 years before I got burned. The only thing wrong with it is the reverb, which is not currently working. So I suppose I'll have to get it fixed or just use an external reverb unit. Not really a big deal.

Never had to deal with them. FWIW, I did own a Yamaha 4-track cassette recorder that had some problems and Yamaha ended up replacing it for free.

I've been playing guitar for 36 years and in bands for 34 years. I've owned and played Gibson and Fender guitars for the most part and mostly Fender amps. This Yamaha is the exception. If it was stolen I'd certainly look for another one. It's served me well and has paid for itself 50 times over. The music store where I was teaching at the time was a Yamaha dealer and I guess I just lucked out picking this amp... didn't really do any comparing. I don't think I'll luck out like that again. Next time I'll have to do some real shopping.

Thanks to Yamaha for a fantastic product!

Crafted in the late seventies early eighties I believe... It has those killer retro looks. This was my first amp over 15 watts, I bought it when I was a novice and I grew into my style with it, which has turned out to be primarily blues/rock, with jazz overtones and a metal edge. Equipped with two channels, the clean is the real beauty on this honey, I plug straight in with a monster jazz cable and get a lush arousal of sonic bliss... solid state construction, but rivals the best tube amps. Effects filter in nicely, and added versatility is provided with pull-out "Fat" and "Bright" knobs on the volume and treble controls. Parametric EQ sounds best when everything is at 10...
Features aren't as flashy as others, but the quality was put where it counted.

I started out playing a Jackson SDKII, customed with an EMG 85 in the bridge and the stock neck pickup puts out the same frequency as a Duncan Jazz... yes, it is half passive, half active... very twisted little beast... I go from snarling Metal thunder to euphorically defined jazz runs. I also hack away on a Cort MGM1 with custom Rio Grande pickups. This amp greets both with a smile and spits out their best offerings. For metal you absolutely need effects, the distortion channel is lacking, but a Metal Zone carries well... as well as a TS9 for that south Texas heartache. It is quiet, well behaved, and keeps me warm all night.

When I was young and stupid, I spilled plenty of beer on it... later I stumbled over it in dark hallways... its been kicked, knocked over, scolded and threatened... now I lead worship in my church every Sunday and she sits up there with a grateful heart, and a song of praise. Truly, this must be one of the Lords preferred amps... Phil Keaggy used one after all... She had been around the block when I bought her... all these years and she still sounds the same. That has to say a lot.

They prevented me from committing suicide twice... they attended all my school plays and bought me a Porsche for graduation.

(Hopefully you know a smart-aleck when you see one... I bought it used)

All joking aside... here's the bottom line. When I bought it I was young, stupid and a beginner guitarist. I wanted something louder than those generic cardboard boxes they sell us young suckers new in the superstores... I saw an add for this thing for $250, I went to the guys house and swindled him down to $180, the poor sap was hard up for cash and he took it. I brought it home thinking "What the heck kind of grandpa amp did I just dish out two weeks pay on?"

I didn't learn to appreciate it, obviously, until I got a foothold on the instrument... and I was one of those guys who practiced in his sleep... but now I think it is one of the most unique, quality-made, relics floating around out there. I cannot tell you how many compliments I have received from "people who know". I have friends that wish they had my tone... I will never part with it, if you see one, grab it.

This amp has loads of grunt thru ext. altec speaker ,although tube amps have the warmth, this one comes pretty close.

playing in loud rock band with tele, the only thing missing is the reverb unit - gone before I bought it. Anyone know where (south of the equator), you can get another? The distortion won't send metal heads to heaven, but the accessory is at least an effort by the Tokyo Joes to give you a poor man's grunge option without the outboards.

Hasn't missed a beat

playing 32 years with many different amps- deluxes,bandmasters. Doesn't have the timbre/presence of the fendries, but makes up for it with value for bleeding eardrums.

I bought this amp new in 1980 after hearing one at a club gig and I've owned it ever since. I have use the amp continuously for over 20 years. It has 2 channels-one clean, one overdrive-with a footswitch which also has reverb control. It has an output for an auxiliary speaker, a direct out and even a grounded outlet in the back. To say that this amp has tons of power would be an understatement. This thing roars and any volume setting over 4 requires ear protection or just getting the hell out of the way. I use it with a pod 2.0 for effects and distortion and I think because of it's solid state design it really responds well. The overdrive channel just doesn't cut it, but the clean channel is incredible. It has a pull bright on the treble which really adds a top end and a pull-fat on the volume control. And the whole thing won't give you a hernia when you pack up.

I use a USA fat strat and a USA power tele, both through an A/B box. The tele runs through the pod and the strat goes straight in. I have changed the speaker to a celestion lead 70 and also built a second, identical cabinet with a lead 70 and the effect (stacked or separate) is super powerful. I mike this rig on stage but don't really have to--I just don't want to go deaf before my time. The versatility with the pod is fantastic and the tones are extremely warm for a solid state amp. I run the tone controls very high (around 8) and keep the volume down (3 or so). In my opinion, this amp with the pod is an amazing combination and reproduces the various cabinet types and mfgrs very well. I've tested this amp against lots of vintage amps (66 Super, Vibrolux, Deluxe, Marshall) and every time I think about buying some boutique amp I come to my senses, just by what my ears tell me.

I have relied on this amp and this amp alone for over 20 years worth of gigs. I'm now in a 70s-80s R&R/blues band and we're loud. The only problem I've had is a problem with an intermittent cutting out, which I discovered was just that the input jack from the speaker had come loose--no surprise considering the thunder this thing puts out. I did replace the reverb tank about 5 years ago, about 25 bucks. Not bad for thousands of hours of playing.

I've never delt with Yamaha CS but do own 2 yamaha acoustics and a TRB5II bass, which, by the way, is one of the nicest basses I've ever played. ( I emailed Yamaha and told them so and they responded immediately with a thank you--that says something). I've never had to call them for support. Their stuff is top shelf, in my opinion, and this amp has stood the test of time. My only fear is that when it does bite the dust I won't be able to find another.

I've been playing guitar for 35 years and have played professionally for over 25. For ten of those years I played about 200 nights per year. This little amp has done its duty and still keeps cooking. Maybe I'm biased because I know this amp so well but I also know what sounds good and this amp does it for me. It's portable, incredibly reliable and it does whatever's asked of it. If you ever see one, buy it. It won't cost you much and you'll be amazed at what you've got.

Never plyed a Yamaha amp in my life !!! I found this one in a pawn
shop for $70.00 So I though this must be junk for that price.
I like to tinker around with amps so I gave it a try WOW this
amp kicks butt!! I don't know the year but it looks very old
and seen many bar gigs etc. But not in beat up to bad and has org.speaker too.

Not noisy and very clean! this is the best thing no buzzing bulls-it.
no tubes to burn out! just plug in your effects and rock out!
Amp is cool if you find one buy it! and it's small but rocks!

I played this amp at a beach party all day it was 96 in the shade
I was in the sun so was the amp it was hot hot hot the amp said
rock rock rock!!!!!

If I ever see one again I'll jump in the air and yell rock n" roll
and buy it fast!!

A very versatile amp. A workingmans tool. For 20 years in a variety
band this amp has never failed.
With pedals etc it will give about any sound you want with the
replacement of the original speaker with an ELECTRO-VOICE.
Not as warm as a tube amp but the difference only shows when both type amps are played side by side for camparison.

I play mostly with a Gibson ES 347.
This amp is quiet. The distorted channel will require an assist
from a foot pedal for most players.

Probably the most reliable amp I have ever owned.

NEVER HAD A PROBLEM.

With the newer options available I would probably go with a new ( 3 channel) amp,
but for anyone looking to get a great used amp it would be hard to
beat.

made around 1982 100watts 1-12" yamaha speaker this amp has 2 channels, clean and overdrive they do share reverb and a 3 knob assembly (parametric eq level, q ,frequency), also shares trebble , bass,middle. this amp has 2 inputs hi and lo gain. comes with a foot peddle for ch 1 and ch 2 and reverb amp also has a button on amp face that switches ch1 to ch2 rated 7 because it should have sep. eq's and trebble,bass,reverb for each channel also has a direct line output jack on rear and ext.speaker output. comes with a rear mounted service 120vac power outlet.nice feature all solid state amp. handle strap located on top about 60lbs

use a les paul coustom and a guild300d. play 80s metal southern rock some new metallic also some blues. this amps clean channel sounds great and very very loud. played out with amp miked volume never went above 4 overdrive channel needs the help of an ibenez tube screamer.for a hot blistering overdrive. this is a versitle amp

very dependable. had one problem got hit by lightning. about a 75$$ repair back to rocking.

na

playing 18 years, this amp suited my needs .very small in size 100watts of loud power can lug it anywhere.band practice home even out also sounds good with a digitech rp-7 bought it so long ago it was my first amp . ill prob. keep it for the kids or trade it on a marshall this amp is better than the cheap junk out there now. worth about 200$ if this amp were lost i would go with an all tube amp maybe a marshall,peavey 5150 or ultra 212 old enough to know now that you cant beat the tube amp sound. hence the 6 rating.

I owned one of these several years back, but thought enough of the amp to submit a review. 100 watts solid state, 1-12" speaker. It has two channels, but they share tone controls. Little extras like a pull-fat switch.

I like a tube amp sound the best, and for solid state this thing comes amazingly close. It doesn't have the quite depth or richness of a real tube amp, but the distortion really sings.

Owned mine for about 4 years with no problems...very well made.

I'll give it a seven overall. If you find one used, it's worth consideration. I got sold on it originally because Phil Keaggy was using them. I used it by itself for a while, but later bought a Marshall half stack. What I ended up doing was running the Yamaha into the Marshall 4x12 cabinet...great sound, better IMHO than the Marshall head.

All solid state. 100 watt 1x12 combo. Two channels; clean and overdrive. Three band eq. (Bass/Middle/Treble) and parametric eq. Pull BRIGHT switch on TREBLE control and Pull FAT switches on both channels. Reverb control. Footswitch for channel switching and reverb on/off. Direct out and aux. speaker out. It has a Yamaha speaker, but it's old and rotting and will soon be replaced with a fiesty new Electro Voice 12L to really kick some clean butt.

Overdrive channel is a joke, but this amp is for jazz. I only use the the clean channel and it is perfect for getting killer jazz tones. It's very loud and really puts out. Direct out is great for hooking up a tuner in line.

Super reliable. It's all solidstate so you don't have to worry about any tube problems.

I bought it used so don't ask.

Great for jazz, but nothing else.