Yorkville Image 15G Combo

It was made sometime in the 80's for kids playing their knock-off heavy metal Strats. There is, however, something to be said for these little mini "practice" amps in studio work. It has the standard range of features you would expect to find on a low-cost "practice" amp, with a more-or-less standard arrangement of knobs and a "Gain Stack" knob. The only thing I find it lacking in is reverb. I have a Fender Bullet Reverb 15W practice amp with a fantastic little distortion unit in it.

There are a few tricks needed to unveil the brilliance of this little amp. In the studio, you stick it in a soundproof closet with a blanket over top and the mic a foot away. Settings: Treble 7, Mid 2, Bass 10, Gain all the way up, volume at about 4. This gives a very NIN style of sound, almost too distorted. Very brash and squeal-y.

It has a so-so clean sound, nothing spectacular. EQ-ing is crucial for a good clean sound, and it will vary according to each user. I have found it to be most impractical as a "gigging" amp, but it is unparalleled as a practice amp or when used for "ambience" for recording.

Considering the age of this amp, it has held up remarkably well. I have never had any issues with it. It has been dropped and kicked around a bit and still works.

Never had to service it.

While not suitable for gigging, it is fine as paint for low-volume practice or for adding a little "something" to your recording sessions. My style of music can be described as "experimental ambient metal jazz." For most guitar work, I use a Parker Fly through a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, but when I need that extra layer of "filth" in the studio I pull out the Image.

I bought this amp new in 1987. i was a kid. It is a two channel,solid state 15watt combo with a 4 1/2" speaker. it weighs less than nothing. It has a gain switch (called "distortion stack" ha, ha), gain, treble, mid and bass knobs. it has a line out and a headphone jack. it made an ok practice amp when i was a kid, but now there has been a rennaisance! about two years ago i dusted it off and plugged one of my telecasters into it. i tell you what, nothing can be so awesomely horrible! No other amp sounds like this old image! it has the most annoying squak when the gain is all the way up. it chirps like a starling on acid. so, i peeled the black vinyl covering off, removed the back cover panel, and varnished the beautiful chipboard. me and my bandmates decided to write some punk songs and record them in our studio. the image 15G performed just as it should have- terribly. it did what it was designed to do. It sounds so very very cheap because it is very very cheap. it is very unique. i love it very much. it sounds like no other amp in the world. i will not rate this amp bad because sometimes a 'b' movie can be better than a hollywood feature.

never mind the clean channel. this amp is a one hit wonder. the gain is on 10, the treble on 4, the mid on 2.5, the bass on 6. that's the recipe for this amp to do its dirty work. your tonal opinion may vary, but that is where its been ever since i dug it out of the closet. the distortion is a little similar to others in its class, but no other amp that i have played sounds like this. the punk album we recorded sounds just great, though it sounded a little drowned within the mix. i am compelled to give this rating a high number because this amp makes me laugh. it is great for someone to plug a single coiled guitar into and wail.(humbuckers cant acheive what i want to get out of this) i can't really compare it to anything else. nor can i translate into words what it sounds like, but if you happen to see one, try it out.

a cheap 110 dollar amp is bound to have problems. i had to replace the plastic input jack for a metal one. that's it. i play this amp wide open at practice and it has been ok. it has fallen off the chair at gigs and has been fine.

never dealt with the fine people at image. i repaired it myself and voided the precious warranty.

i've been playing a long time. i have a lot of gear. I have a bogner shiva head, an ampeg reverberocket, a marshall jcm800, and a fender bassman. i have three telecasters, a 1981 gibson les paul Black beauty and a 73 SG. this old image is just plain hilarious with a tele plugged into it. i don't mean it in a condescending way, it is just that it adds to my tonal repotoire in a very interesting way. my latest cd will feature it (not the punk stuff) you'll hear it in the background somewhere. What i'm saying is this- just because an amp costs 110 bucks doesn't mean it sucks. a 'tech junkie' will dismiss it even before he hears it, and it is unfair. this amp is crappy, yes, but that is what is great about it. Frank Zappa would have loved it.