johnson reptone 15 (green)
-15 watts rms
-overdrive switch with gain control
-6.5" speaker
you can see this amp in the first picture from my first post with the archer and the ibanez. it's just a little practice amp that came along with the archer for christmas. it's done its job pretty well over the years, and it's taken a beating along the way. i still have it, and it works for the most part. the clean channel cuts out sometimes and i have to jiggle the gain switch to get it back. the sound is pretty much what you'd expect from a practice amp. it's just nice to have around when i don't feel like carrying my 50 lb. crate or my b-52 stack.
crate gt212 (black)
-120 watts
-solid state
-three channel
-reverb
-2 custom 12" speakers
-3-position footswitch: gain, rhythm, reverb
got this combo amp used at alpha music in virginia beach. obviously i wasn't satisfied with my little practice amp for long, and i wanted something with power. a guy at the store demonstrated it for me, and it seemed like exactly what i was looking for (price included). it weighs a ton for its size, but that didn't stop me from dragging it to college. it's a great amp at low volumes, but it can be very loud. i used for the first couple of months in down aero (first band), but i really had to crank it to get over the drums. the sound gets really muddy and the whole thing seems like it's going to shake itself apart. talk about feedback too! again it didn't take long to realize i'd need something better suited for (loud) band playing. it's still a great amp at low volumes. i keep it in my room for practice. i play a lot of songs with both clean and distorted parts, so the three channels and the footswitch are a big plus. the reverb channel is pretty decent as well. i will say, my general impression is that crate may have been a little crazy trying to put 120 watts into a combo amp. the thing is just really unstable if you crank it. it's sound is very digital as well, which may be enough to turn some players off. the amp itself is solid as a rock and has let me down so far, but the footswitch jacks have really started to fall apart. i had to have the reverb switch resoldered. at the moment, i'm using it to amplify my acoustic/electric (hopefully) for some small gigs with my second band. that reminds me..i didn't include my acoustic guitar in the guitar pages..i'll do that.
b-52 at-100 (black w/silver hardware)
-100 watts
-all tube with tri-mode rectifier
-3 channels/3-band eq
-low resonance and reverb
-effects loop with level controls
-line out with level control
-selectable 4/8/16 ohms external speaker jacks
-4-position footswitch: channel, gain, reverb, and effects loop
-ground lift switch
cabinets:
2 b-52 AT412 (A/B)
-480W 4x12 mono/stereo
-4 120W 12" speakers
i bought my b-52 head used on ebay shortly after i had started with down aero. i purchased one of the cabs as a floor model from the guitar center in virginia beach, but i can't seem to remember how or when i got the second. i shopped around quite a bit trying to find a head that i could afford that would still sound great. this amp has been great for me. it uses the same design principles as a mesa boogie triple rectifier, but i'd say it has more of a vintage, classic rock sound. the head alone is 53 lbs. so it's a beast to have to lug around. it's probably long overdue for a tube replacement, which i hope to get done this summer. it sounds great on most days, the leads really come through clear in a band (even in c21 where i'm one of two guitarists). getting a good crunch from the distortion isn't difficult, but again it doesn't have a super hot gain to it that most metal players would prefer. the reverb channel gave out a good while back (also something i hope to get fixed this summer). i use a delay pedal in some of my solos to get a reverb-like effect. i used the effects loop most of the time i've had the amp, but some of the pedals i use would lose all of their volume no matter where in the chain i put them. right now i run my entire signal path strait into the input and it works fine. it's tough to get the right feedback out of it, but i blame my guitars more than the amp. overall, i love the sound of this amp. for the price, i don't think it gets much better. but i wouldn't recommend it to metal players who would probably want something hotter. the cabs are fantastic. i don't think i'll ever need to buy any others. they're heavy, but that's because they are superbly constructed. i've heard stories about people dropping them down a flight of stairs and they barely get scratched and still work perfectly. so if you're in the market for a new cab, i'd highly recommend the at-412. i'm sure i'll fall in love with this amp all over again when i get some new tubes and fix the reverb. it definitely does its job and more, and will do find until i make it big and switch to orange amps (*wink*wink). it certainly makes me look like a pro, especially with the full stack towering behind me!
that's it for my amps. catch ya later!
rock on,
z
No comments:
Post a Comment