Guitar Amp Not Turning For Sale (2024 Update)

I just completed my Mod 102 kit. An excellent experience! I was delighted with the quality of components, clarity of instructions, and, perhaps most importantly, the sound of the amp. It is very loud – currently running into my Fender Twin Reverb cab (2×12) and very sweet! I will be running it into a new 1×12 cab with a new Celestion G12 M Heritage 'Greenback' when I get a case for the speaker (on order). My only criticism (and something to look out for) is that the chassis is very nicely painted in gray gunmetal paint. Even following the directions to file all the holes, it is very hard to get a good ground connection at every point a terminal strip connects. I worried about this, and about 1/3rd of the way through the build, took an ohm meter to check all the connections, and as I had suspected, some of the connections were not great (9-10 ohms or so!) So I removed the terminal strips (with the components I had already soldered still attached) and scraped away the paint under the tabs of the strips to ensure a good connection. Re-testing showed virtually zero resistance. I'd strongly recommend scraping the paint away at all holes under the chassis before getting started on the build. Even better, suggest that Amplified Parts leave the inside chassis unpainted (at least around the important holes). Aside that one criticism, I am delighted with the kit and with Amplified Parts. Everything was delivered promptly and they are a class outift. I'll probably try some of their other kits soon.vpmerlyn

I spent three evenings building the MOD102. The instructions are very easy to understand and the amp has a great Fender sound. I had one grounding issue that was easily fixed with a little help from tech support, which was excellent. If you're good at following step by step instructions and can solder well this is a fun little amp to build. Only small issue is the labels. They could stand an improvement.Brandon

I just finished this amp build and it sounds fantastic! I also just finished a Marshall 18 Watt clone and I have to say that the Mod102+ holds its own very nicely alongside the Marshall. In fact, I will probably use the Mod102+ for recording because it sounds amazing at lower volumes (the Marshall is loud AF). Honestly, if I were only going to build one of them today, it would be the Mod. I'm blown away by the tone! Great kit with excellent instructions. Great bang for the buck. The parts all seem to be top quality. I love the old style cloth solid core wire, too. I find it much easier to work with than modern stranded wire. The labels are a bit lame but I covered them with packing tape as suggested before cutting them out and they look fine. If you're thinking about building an amp, build this one.danjbeckett

Bought this for my grandson to use. My other amps are too big for him to take to lessons and school. This isn't the cheapest practice amp but the sound is great and the overdrive DSP is as good as much more expensive amps. Excellent amp for the money.digital_photog

I picked this up for my son so he could practice around the house. Killer stocking stuffer! When the son is away the dad will now play. I started playing my Mustang Bass through this and it did the job. It's a small amp, not a practice amp. This is perfect for camping trips, rocking at the office or kicking it in the backyard. Oh yeah and you can plug in 1/4 headphones and keep the concert to yourself. It runs on a 9-volt battery or you can plug in a 9-volt adapter.SERGIO

Took a chance on this and purchased it without every playing it. Watched video reviews on it and gave it a shot. Yes, I know that it's small in size, smaller than a kids lunchbox but I hoped it'd produce quality sound and what I got was muddy sounds at increased volumes. It's not clear sounding and my goal to play through an amp is to sound good and I felt if I actually played this in front of people, the muddyness would make me sound amateurish. So, for what you pay for this, yes, you get amplified but it's not real great quality, unless you're a metal player because you don't get a clean sound from this. I rate this 3 stars because it's convenient to have a portable battery operated tiny amp that you can plug into and get sound from, however, the quality almost makes you not even want to play it.Jesse

This ain't no micro cube or vox. This less than 20$ & runs on 1 9v battery or 9v plug in the wall.(transformer not included)& Holy Friggin' Smokes does this baby perform.Monster overdrive tone & super bright, clean tone.Headphone input.Probably exceeds 60 decibels,which is beyond city ords. could get U a fine it's so damn loud. My Strat Squire sounds soooo Fender good out of this lil sucka & my electric/acoustic, sooo crisp.Ultra light to carry around.I've been using the JOYO mini,I love it,plug in,no chord,fun but this Fender mini is a bit more.More tone options and louder.I've yet to find out how quick it eats batteries. The JOYO burns them up fast.Get the rechargeables.Also the JOYO has an MP3 input.This doesn't. I run guitar strap thru the handle so the chord is like non-existent or U can old school it and have a 10 or 20 ft chord.So light it can be pulled over by the chord.These mini amps also pick up radio signals. When I turn them on I can hear radio stations at certain angles. So get 1 for the road.It's all about the fun.annoyingted1

I was looking for a pair of SS amps to gig with (I run stereo reverb), ones that sounded good clean but also had a tube like attack and compression. These TransTube do. Sure they aren't AS good as a tube amp, but they sound really good none-the-less. Better than all my other SS amps. They DON'T have the annoying ultra-high freq, almost ice-picky thing going on that so many SS amps have.I own four of the TransTube amps: the Solo, Rage, Envoy and Bandit. If you're looking for clean tones, this Rage 258 seems the best of the bunch.On the higher end models (Envoy and Bandit), you get to select separate EQ'ing for your clean and lead channels, but I find most of the lead selections not really my taste. But the Rage's three EQ selections all sound good to my ears.The other three models' clean channels tend to start breaking up earlier on as well. With the Rage, you can be almost to full volume before the break-up starts.I did a side-by-side with the Envoy and the Rage. I connected each to a single spkr in my Peavey Classic 50 combo, so both were playing from identical speakers in the same cabinetry.I found that the volume level of the Envoy wasn't really much greater than the Rage, and if you turned them up just to the point of break up the Rage was slightly louder. The Rage is EQ'ed a bit differently, so even the two models' clean channels sounded a bit different. The Rage was a tad brighter, a bit more presence, perhaps a bit less compression. I also noticed that going through the 10" speaker from my cab, the Rage had all the depth and character of the Envoy. In other words, I'm betting the limiting factor on tonal depth with these amps is the speaker and enclosure. I suspect I could plug my tiny Solo up to a warm 12" speaker and get some thunderous bass. I'll have to try that with my Solo and Bandit!How am I using this amp as a clean amp? By running ultra clean, I can more easily make my electric sound like an acoustic (I use an EH Knockout pedal). I also have the option of getting whatever kinda dirty I like, without limiting my ability to play clean – I treat the whole amp as the power-amp stage of an amp and use overdrive pedals to emulate the pre-amp stage, putting effects in-between like an fx send/rtrn on an amp would. I put my dirt boxes in front of my phaser pedal (A behringer PH9 – the cheapest phaser I found, and the BEST one [true bypass, low stage count so it sounds all warm and gooey like the Vintage 74 MXR]). After my phaser I've got a Vox Cooltron Big Ben Overdrive (basically a pre-amp stage from an amp). Then I do my chorus and reverb before going in the Rage.Chorus and Reverb sound MUCH nicer when not overdriven. By putting a tube pre in front of those effects, I get nice glistening effects. I put the phaser before the tube pre because it's a bit bitey and the tube pre smooths the edges a bit. More of a Robin Trower effect that way as well.FrostBottomBoys

Overall: As a studio musician, I get to try dozens of Boutique tube amps for free in return for my opinions and advice. You can spend thousands more and not get better tube-tone or "feel" than this little guy. As another reviewer pointed out, the speaker could be improved but is OK for low volume practice or very quiet jazz gigs, like those where people eat dinner. You can very easily improve the already good tone by plying this through a better 8 inch speaker OR putting the head into a better cabinet with a premium 12 inch speaker. I use both of those strategies. For lightweight low-volume jazz gigs, I bring TWO of these to run in stereo from my stereo effects board. In those, I merely replaced the stock "blue marvel" speaker ( which is not terrible) with a much better 8 inch with wider frequency response and a lower FS. You'd be amazed. I had a woodworking friend build another cabinet that encloses this amp with an italian neodymium speaker. WHOW! You probably won't believe how beautiful and loud this thing gets! So, if you just want a good little practice amp or play VERY quietly, use this as is. These are so inexpensive, you can get two and make a very affordable stereo rig that fits in a rolling suitcase. And if you need boutique low-wattage tube tone, just use this amp with a good 12".Geo

Love the quality of the product. Easy to use and sound quality for the price is excellent. I love buying products from Sam Ash!!!! Selection is great and everyone is knowledgeable and very helpful.Rita

I have never offered a product review for any product but I had to make an exception for this one. I am 69 years old, have been playing music for over 50 years, and I have just begun learning the harmonica. This amp is perfect for me for a number of reasons. First of all, it's portable. I can take it anywhere – from my living room – to that picnic table at the park – to my guitar player's front porch. I've had it for a while and I'm still on the batteries that came with it. (You can get an optional power supply for it if you want.) Second – it sounds great and has plenty of volume for personal practice and for use in small settings. With the GAIN and VOLUME controls, you can easily get the response you want. The EQ control only makes a subtle difference in frequency response but nothing dramatic. The DELAY function, however, is very effective and fun to use. Next – a variety of additional input and output jacks make it very flexible. I can plug in my MP3 player and play along with a backing track, for example. It also has a headphone jack, an extension speaker jack, and a DC power jack. Finally – and most importantly – It's fun to use and, because of that, I find myself practicing longer and enjoying it more. I'm new at holding a mic and at first it felt awkward. Now, because the FLY 3W is so much fun to use, holding the mic has become second nature. OK – now you're waiting for the downside. Well, other than the EQ control comments I made earlier, I don't have any. At first, I thought it could benefit from a handle but, upon closer inspection, I discovered the recessed finger grip on the top of the case. (Very clever Blackstar.) This is a well designed portable practice amp. (It even looks aesthetically pleasing.)Bill

First things first; this combo pack DOES include the power supply but batteries are NOT included in the combo pack. Despite the great reviews, don't expect this to sound like a full-size amp; the small speaker mean this amp lacks low end. The pair does sound OK playing in stereo music through the aux input; good detail and sound quality except for the missing bass. As a practice amp, especially through headphones, this thing rocks; with the ISF control you can make it sound like a Fender or a Marshall Amp. Cleans are good but the high gain channel can sound a bit messy if you crank it to 11. The amplifier is more than loud enough for home practice even without doubling the power to 6 watts by adding the second speaker. I don't own a full-size electric amp but I've found out that running the cab-simulated headphone output into my acoustic amp's aux input gives an excellent equivalent so I probably won't bother with a 'real' electric guitar amp; this setup sounds sooo good.Dave W

I was very pleasantly surprised and the range of EQ and the control of compression the Fly 3Bass gives me, not only a great practice amp but mic it up through a PA and it sounds amazing. Great running on batteries (last about 12 hours) or mains. I did a back garden set with couple of friends on acoustic guitars me on electric bass via Fly 3 and it sounded really good so i am very pleased with my purchase. Only thing i had to do was back off tone and bass enhancer on my active bass as it slightly overpowered the amp but i get that on my stage rig as well so expected that.Barry J.

For those of you who like short reviews: Overall, I thought that this book was worth the cost. Here are some thoughts on specific sections I had as I read the book: This book was published over twenty-five years ago. I mention that only for those people who are concerned about such things. Designs for Tube-type Instrument Amps were more or less codified another twenty years before then, so it is pretty much a moot point for me. That said, there is a Chapter on Speakers that could be updated. While underlying concepts remain the same, today´s Speakers are made of new, improved materials. If you own a tube amp and know little or nothing about tube amps or amp electronics in general, then Chapters Fifteen and Sixteen, ´What NOT To Do´ and ´Technical Tips´ are probably worth the cost of the book right there. If your interest in this book is Amp Mods, be aware that the author is a Marshall kind of guy and although Basic Principles remain the same, modifications for other brands of amps are not described. There are also some Troubleshooting Flowcharts included. I have not had occasion to use them, but they look very well done. This book is not a collection of schematics and is not intended as that sort of reference work. Bearing that in mind, a few schematics or circuit sections could have been very helpful in illustrating the text. A sample schematic would be especially useful in the chapter on biasing. Final assessment: This is a good introduction to the topic of Tube Amps. Techs and other Advanced Readers might want to look elsewhere. This is Technical Material, so you can expect some Math, Science and Big Words, but there is nothing here beyond the High School level. Recommended for Beginners and Early Intermediate.michaelmx

Any guitarist wanting to learn more about how their tube amp works and how to service it should consider picking up this book. Plenty of theory without it becoming overwhelming and lots of essential information how to keep your amplifier working. Highly recommended reading for all guitarists.dirtbomb666

I really like this amp. I bought it used at a really good price, so I was very pleasantly surprised at how nice it sounds. It has loads of power and nice tone. I bought it as a practice amp, but I wouldn't hesitate to use it on stage in a small club.voltyr

THE 8 INCH SPEAKER IS ALITTLE WEAK SOUNDING ,CAB IS BUILT WELL, EFFECT ARE GOD THE ACTIVE EFFECT IS REALLY KOOL SOUNDING,WELL WORTH THE 100 DOLLARS I PAID JUST NEED TOO UPGRADE SPEAKER SIZE TO A 10 INCH!!PAUL

Fantastic amp for the price! The clean channel is great, and has time delay effects that is unexpected for an amp in this range. The overdrive is excellent too, and you can control different frequencies as well. It also has two inputs for guitars, and a microphone input! So you can jam with friends and sing along. At 40w output, it is pretty loud. If you are in the fence, get it! You won't regret it!integrationbyparths1

This little amp is quite amazing in sound and features. With the Guitar input, Aux In, and headphone jack it nails the features desired for practice. EQ/Gain control and volume can make a huge difference. I read the one critical review below about no bass or treble/AM radio sounding, etc…I don't get that? Probably doesn't understand the gain/vol/ and boost…or his was pre-owned and maybe had issues. Hey, if you're expecting the Fender tube sound of a Princeton or Vibrolux or Deluxe…get real, this is a 10 watt practice amp. For the money, it's a quality Fender product and does everything needed to practice.madillac09

This is doing the job I wanted. It doesn't have fancy effects like reverb, but it produces a nice sound for practice. I don't do public performances, so can't say how well it works in that environment. For the price it's a winner.lndi2007_yrggd7or

Im really disappointed with this amp. I know its not supposed to be super loud because its only 10 W, but I was hoping that the sound quality would be better. The sound reproduction frequencies are all mid range. Sounds like cardboard. Color is grey. Bass and treble tones are all but nonexistent. The eq is useless because speaker cannot reproduce bass and treble frequencies. The sound is very cheap and does not give a representation of the Fender vibe whatsoever. You are better off just playing your guitar with no amplifier at all rather than using this, because it make a good guitar sound bad. I equate the sound to that of an a.m. transistor radio. Its really bad. I actually read some of the favorable reviews on this amplifier before I bought it, and Im seriously starting to think that none of those reviews are actually real. There are better practice amps with better fidelity out there, and I would avoid this one if your ear demands quality sound.mrmarksiii

If you're expecting an amazing Marshall sound, you might want to invest in some of the bigger amps Marshall has to offer. If you think you can get a concert level sound out of this little guy, you will not be the happiest person. However, that level of "high" expectation would not be very reasonable or even realistic for such a little amp. This is a very cute, small amp that will help you plug your guitar so you can practice quietly in any room in your house without annoying your wife. It will distort if you crank the volume all the way out, and if you're used to the full sound of a bigger Marshall (like I do) it might make you feel like you're hearing your guitar over an old telephone (just my opinion). However, if you calibrate your instrument volume & tone you can find a happy medium. With that said, for the price it is a very nice solution to practice and if the sound seems too weak for you, you have the choice of putting headphones. I personally use it just for practice on the fly, it serves it purpose, but then again I was not expecting the best sound output. So I am happy with the purchase.BeeZee

It's basically a toy amp. I can see it being used as a portable amp for non-serious performance. Personally, I like it for a quick jam and for (relatively) quiet practice in my apartment setting. Won't disturb my neighbors but it does get noticeable at the highest volume. That and the overdrive knob are the two main controls. By default it just does a clean sound but overdrive lets you toggle in some gain for that distortion. It has a good look that definitely models after its bigger brothers.Rick

I don't know what some of you guys expect from this thing, but be realistic: it's an inexpensive 5 inch tall, 1 watt amp. It's not designed for anything but sitting in a chair and entertaining yourself or a couple of people. Within that context, I enjoy this thing and sometimes get it off the shelf and play around with it for awhile. Also, when I owed somebody a 1 minute long riff for his podcast and my main amp was getting some regular tech service, I plugged my American Standard Strat into this thing, mic'd the amp, used the OD channel with the volume and tone both on 10, played the part, then added tons of bass, reverb, and chorus to it in post, and it sounded great and nobody ever knew that I recorded the part using a 5 inch tall amp. It is what it is as long as you don't expect the world.Steve

This is a great little amp. The sound is clear, and it fits in my son's backpack for when he needs to take it to school.ktw1050

It arrived earlier than expected. Just what we needed to have our son practice His Bass playing for school . At home . Thanksjistilwel-5

I bought the amplifier based on sound clips and others reviews. I love the amps clean channel with OD, Eq and delay in the signal chain for my driven sound. It gets a very articulated, clear, deep throaty sound that is intoxicating for rock sounds. I only have to turn it up to about 4-5 to be clearly heard in the mix. I don't care much for the OD channel as I find it a bit harsh for my taste, even when I dial it back a bit & Eq. it. The only comparisons I have are to my VOX AC 50 and Mesa V mark 25 valve amps. This amp is a great, inexpensive alternative that is ultimately portable – glad I bought it!Dr Crusher

This is a good amp that will give you different results based on your pickups and speaker cab. The tone stack is a bit dark so I like it less with humbuckers than with single coils, but it's still very useable either way. Depending on how you set it, it may or may not have trouble cutting through a band mix. I haven't had that problem, but my amp is always mic'd and we don't play super loud. The dirty channel is – from what I understand – more like an OD pedal overlaid on top of the clean channel. It sounds good and has its own lo/hi EQ and can go from a semi-clean boost to about as much gain as a tubescreamer or the like. Sounds very good, IMO, to the point that it would be possible to use this amp with no pedals for a gig. And it does take pedals well – I haven't run into anything that doesn't sound good. Overall this is an excellent lightweight amp that sounds great and is very giggable. I don't know that it's "better' or "worse" than "a tube amp" (as if tube amps are one generic thing). It just sounds good. I've never felt it lacked anything. I run it through either a 1×10, 1×12 or 1×15 cab and all sound great.Al

Love the clean channel – sparkly without ice pick highs. I don't care for the OD channel, it sounds too harsh for my style. I get the sound I want through an old GenX 2 from Digitech fed into the amp & out to 2 single 12" speakers. I'm blown away by how loud this little amp can get. It gives a full, thick throaty sound that is very articulate and gives singing highs when needed. The portability and sound delivery is amazing! I bought the open box model and couldn't be happier. My main amp is a Boogie & this sounds close – quality sound.Dr Crusher

I ordered a positive grid 600W head it arrived defective and I returned it the next day I then ordered and paid for a second one because I didn't want to miss out on the deal. Well today I called them because the second head was not being shipped and I was told that I would not be getting the second amp because they were out. They are refunding all my money that's not the problem the problem is I was told they had another to sell me which I was find with even though they should have set one aside because they knew the first one was being shipped back. I was not even offered a deal a a rack one which they have in stock I think I should have been offered a deal on one of the other positive grid. I guess I won't be coming back terrible customer service.carl2-82833

This amp is incredible. Having pretty much any sound at my fingertips, in a unit which can go from whisper quiet (but still great sounding) to stage volume is awesome. The knobs/switches etc all feel like very high quality, and the added software licence is a nice bonus. It may seem pricey, but it is way, way cheaper than buying all those classic amps, and the sounds are indistinguishable. Can't recommend highly enough.malediction99

I was very excited to get the Bias head after many reviews online. To my disappointment, it seems that this amounts to a midi controller for the Bias Amp software and pretty much nothing else. Unfortunately, I was not able to get any kind of usable tone out of this (possibly due to my own lack of understanding or maybe it needs to be run out of a cab) but, the thing that made me give it a two star rating is that I found out the Bias FX software cannot also be used with this head. There is so much more that could have been done with this thing. I am very disappointed with the execution of this product and had hoped for something more than the bare minimum amount of functionality.NICK

I use the product for practicing & recording and possibly for gigs. Loud, very clean sound. Works well with the DV MARK 4×12 which has some odd resonant frequencies. Works well with my other cabs too. Takes pedals well. However, I may cover the amp title for gigs. Raw dawg is cool for bars, but maybe not for schools or church. Piece of electrical tape should cover it up fine if needed.Edwin

after telling the sales person what was wrong with the amp head…he try to compair it as it was a car."once i drive it off the lot" he said. i had to remine him of the return policy.again they treat people like we are dumb. i do not have an amp head and NOW I HAVE TO WAIT FOR TWO CREDITS TO MY ACCOUNT!………I bought this amp head..two weeks later it went up on me…not sure if i want to get another one.guitarman

Very well built and great sounding one channel amp without any confusing bells and whistles. Tons of headroom without breaking up. Great pedal platform, especially for strat-like guitars.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I recently completed the British 18W head kit from Tube Depot, and can't say enough good things about it! From start to finish, the kit exceeded my expectations. Ordering, shipping, and customer service were top-notch. No issues with components. The instructions and documentation were amazing, worth their weight in gold. The end result was an amplifier that sounds incredible! I incorporated a few of the suggested options- PPIMV, Tremolo HI/LO sw., Tube/SS Rectifier sw., and choke. The sound is amazing, I'm finding it very difficult turning the amp off- once I start playing through the amp I don't want to stop. I would absolutely recommend Tube Depot for anyone interested in building a guitar amplifier. The clear, well-written instructions really made this an enjoyable project. This was my first amplifier build, and I had no issues thanks to the great documentation.Dave R

I ordered this kit with a mod to use KT 66 power tubes. The changes were easy to make and it sounds fantastic. The classic JTM 45 tone at a manageable volume level with the master volume control. Just to test it out I've used a power soak and the tone is exactly the same using the master volume. A couple of real nice features of the design are the negative feedback switch and the ability to switch between solid state and tube ratification (the tube sounds better to my ears). Great product!Clint

I bought this amp to have a small, cheap portable amp to play harmonica through. For that, it is decent enough. I use a Shure bullet mic and the amp produces good enough tone and is plenty loud for practice or small gigs. When I plug my tele into it the clean channel is decent and clear, but the overdrive channel is junk and hurts my ears. I would rather run the clean channel and use a fuzz or distortion pedal. So that being said it is decent enough to practice licks on and it is tiny so it tucks away easy. If you look around you can find a bigger amp with more features used for the same price but if you want a new amp, this one is probably worth what they charge for it. I would only buy it if you have a specific purpose for it though.Roy

It's small, and pretty portable. However, the sound quality is trash, given the speaker is tiny, but the overdrive is just horrible. If you buy this, try returning it. If you can't return it, just get a fuzz pedal and leave it on clean. Imo, just buy the mustang lt25-50Hotdog Games

Overall: Recieved this amp on saturday. Took it out of the box, looked great. plug in to 4*12 marshall cabinet and turned on to standby. Plugged in my Westbury custom to test. From the very beginning to was cracking, snapping then full blown static. I played all of two minutes before it started picking up radio signals and static was loud. No guitar signal was heard. Im not sure if its inherent in these amps but I am returning and not wanting another egnater productsVito

My Tweaker 15 half stack is my primary gigging amp. I don't like a ton of stage volume, and in any case this little rig is a lot louder than you'd expect from 15 watts. Using an angled-back stand for the cab, I can point it at my ear level and hear myself just fine w/o having to have guitar in the monitors. Hang an e906 in front of the speaker, and good to go. This rig's best feature is the broad range of useful tones. The various toggles and knobs actually DO something. Since I switch up between twp very different guitars (ES-335 to G&L SC2) in our current live sets, making a couple-three quick changes gets each guitar into its sweet spot and at the right volume easily. Foot-switchability would be even better, but it's quick enough. The gain control is particularly well done. There's some real range, not the "all or nothing" thing that a lot of amps' gain controls give. The Vintage/Modern voicing toggle offers distinct differences, as well. This rig takes pedals nicely. I use both individual stompboxes (recording) and an M13 (live…don't hate!), and both sound good. The one thing I dinged it a little on was that the lower ranges on the Master Volume aren't as useful as I hoped they would be when using the Gain. There's a big, non-linear jump in volume in the first quarter of the dial's movement. Not only does this jump bypass the volume I really wanted (for apartment playing), but the tone on the low side of that volume jump isn't nearly as good as the tone AFTER the jump. Not a problem on stage or even recording, but for those who have to be concerned about volume at times, it's not an ideal practice amp. Bottom line: a lot of great tones at a price that makes touring with it less nerve-wracking.David K

This amp provides a much better value than similarly designed amps by the top manufacturers. I was looking for small wattage amp to get natural tube break-up (previously playing 100 watt fender twin) at small room club-approved volume. I was down to this amp vs. Mesa Express 25 watt. Although the small Mesa's like the Express and TA models have more channels, I just really felt that the 2 channels of the Egnater were more versatile and responsive. I truly feel this amp does the best job of getting a Fender-ish clean and a Marshall-y overdrive in 1 amp. The overdrive channel is what really sold me. The dynamics make it really fun to play. It can get very saturated without sounding metal, and it compresses naturally. I've used on a couple recordings and can't believe the sound is coming from one 12" speaker and a 30 watt head. Sounds way bigger. This channel can also be used as more of a dirty clean channel. That is my one major qualm with this amp though… I like that the new 2 channel tweaker has a gain knob on both channels. I wish I could get a Stones-ish breakup sound using the clean channel on this amp without turning up to 10. So i'm forced to use a pedal and that's just not the same. Oh well, can't have everthing. I still wouldn't get the 2 channel tweaker because this overdrive channel is better to my ears – way more dynamic and responsive. The clean channel is stll great and I can turn it up to like 6 on gigs and get warm sounds. It can still get me the Fender cleans that I need – or close to them while still having a solid overdrive sound at the same time. That's the big win here. I agree with most that the wattage knobs are pratically useless – but to me, having both set of tubes is so cool. Clean channel can truly sound either Fender or Vox on 6V6 vs. EL84. I love being able to get Stratty Fender sounds with 6V6 and then flip to EL84 and get my Tom Petty sounds going. The distortion is slightly creamier with 6V6 but I like the feel changes depending on what guitar I'm playing. In general, it's nice to have 6V6 for strats and EL84's for Les Pauls all in 1 amp. I've had no issues with this amp (knock on wood) and have played steadily for over a year. Overall, this amp has 2 great channels instead of 4 decent channels. That's how I feel about it. Again, I wish they would have thrown a gain knob on the cleans for a slight break-up at low volume, but that is my only qualm. However, I'll gladly find a pedal solution for that instead of paying a lot on a bigger name brand. Thanks Egnater!WarrenHaynes4Prez

Bought this as an Open Box item in Mint Condition, and all though the boxes were torn and tattered, the Amp Head was in perfect shape. Not sure why someone had to return the head, but the foot pedal was crushed a little, so there may have been some damage at one point. Anyway, the Thrasher 120W is working just fine, and I'm very pleased with the sounds I'm getting with different pedal configurations. Someone said it was hard to dial in the sound they wanted, but it took me very little time to dial in some great tones. It is a versatile amp that can range from a rich clean tone, to an ear blowing distorted Monster. I've been playing a long time, and I'm kicking my self for never getting a Stack like this! My Fender Blues Deville 212 is going to be cold and lonely for a while, because I can dial in the tones I've always been looking for with this Thrasher and a few pedals.Hubie

As a guy that’s owned almost every high gain head and still owns a Fortin Cali, a KSR Gemini, Diezel Herbert MK3, a Monomyth Skeleton Key, a Omega Granophyre and a Ultra Lead it holds its own. Does it sound better than those? No I wouldn’t say that but it really isn’t a bad sounding amp and is real close to the satan in terms of tone. My biggest complaint would be it’s made in China and you can definitely tell the quality difference when it’s cracked open. Not a bad amp for the money thoughJason Quick

Overall: Bias your amp as soon as you get it otherwise the amp is underwhelming out of the box. Set the bias correctly even and the amp sounds the best. The stock ruby tubes are actually pretty good out of the box, I did swap the stock tubes for Tung-sols and it definitely gave alot more sound to the amp that i perfered. (You can mix and match the power tubes to different types than just the stock 6l6, i find the 6l6 the best for this amp, but el34 are good as well depending on what flavor you want)I use this amp primarily for studio use and it kills 5150 type of amps in versatility. You can get a plethora of different sounds. This amp does not need a overdrive but it can handle boosts and or overdrives very well. My favorite feature is the gain shaping options to really dial in the distortion character and the boost function is great for adding in a little more saturation focused on the higher mids.The clean channel is not over looked and delivers the goods.This amp isn't for everyone some perfer 5150 sounds, this gives you a hot rodded Marshall sounds met with Mesa type sounds and it's own 5150 type of sounds (but not exactly close but in the ballpark of 5150 style amps).After putting in the work with a tube swap and a bias, this amp is a monster and has plenty of gain necessary especially when it's biased even.This amp is assembled in China, but don't let that steer you away from it.. (Although my footswitch that came with the amp however came defective with a short in the cable where it meets the houseing and would not function without disconnecting the signal from the amp. I didn't want to return the whole amp after falling for its sounds compared to other amps i have had in my studio. I contacted zZounds customer service and they were able to reimburse me with a gift certificate to replace the defective footswitch, that's awesome customer service.)I will say this amp isn't made for everyone, especially if you perfer straight forward classic 5150 sounds (you may perfer the Randall Diavlo that costs less than this) If you want a Fortin Natas this amp is the closest you'll get to it with a little over 1/4th of the cost. I may contact Mike Fortin in the future in the interests of modding it personally to get it closer to the Natas in terms of transformers/chokes etc., till then this monster of an amp delivers the goods in terms of heavy music live or in the studio. Definitely made for someone who wants go have the options to tweak their sound and tone. I have yet to have a problem with the amp, my band mates are very impressed with quality of the sound when used at rehearsals compared to their 6505 and mesa rectifier they are used to hearing, and both my guitarists want one for themselves for live applications. Couldn't be happier with an amplifier.Casey

I was really surprised at how good this amp sounds. Years ago I tried Line 6 and was not at all happy with the tone; but this is another story. It does take me awhile to dial in a specific classic rock tone, but when I do, it sounds better than any other amp that I've tried. I have tried the Marshall Code, Blackstar id Core, Vox Valvetronix, Boss Katana; as well as some all tube amps. The only other amp that is a close 2nd is the Fender Mustang GTX; also a great amp. The Spider V is fairly easy to operate. It offers lots of choices for amp models and cabinets. I like that it has variations of a mic'd cabinet. The parametric eq is a plus. I haven't played around too much with the effects yet, so I can't comment on that. The only negative thing I could say is that when you're editing a preset and want to hear how it sounds before you save it, you only have a short time before it goes back to the Home Screen. This really is a small price to pay for the quality of the amp and all the versatility it has. I like the App too. Musicians Friend got me a great on this as well; and their agent is following up making sure that I'm satisfied. The funny thing is that I came across this by accident. I placed an order for a Peavey amp that was on back order. I called Peavey multiple times, but they never returned my call. I also emailed them, but they didn't respond to that either. As far as I'm concerned, Peavey doesn't have any customer support.crrkr

Been playing about a year, so my review is from the perspective of a complete newbie. The things I like- Lots of presets, mobile app functions, computer interface, and loads of user created effects available. Nice and loud, but no real basis of comparison to say if clarity is better or worse than other comparable amps. Don't likes- The micro-usb interface. I had to get an adapter and it's just not as good a connection as nearly anything else would be. IMHO, micro-usb is far too flimsy. Connecting to PC is far more problematic than just using the spider mobile app. It's probably a little more complicated than it should be for a beginner, but it's feature rich for the money.Nic T

I had a Line 6 120w amp for years that I regrettably sold a while ago and was looking for another amp. I looked at all the amp reviews I could find and decided that the new Katana was the way to go. I got the Katana home and absolutely loved it but the second day I had it it started a really loud buzzing that I couldn't stop. It probably was an easy fix but the fact is the amp was way too powerful for my purposes and their software wasn't compatible with the new Catalina OS. I returned and started looking again. I saw the 60w Spider V and the price was excellent so I made an on the spot decision to buy another Line 6 and I'm really glad I did. The tones this amp can get are incredible. There are so many amp models and cabs that you can dial in pretty much any tone you want from a crispy snapback country clean to the most vicious heavy metal and everything in between. You can use the presets as they are or you can use them as a baseline and tweak to your own liking or you can start from scratch and build your own rig from the ground up. The controls are intuitive and easy to use but there are some features where you'd have to be a professional to really know how to use or even care to use. The software and the mobile app are so easy to use and give you all the options at your fingertips. The amp comes with a lot of presets that I find are completely useless but there are a lot that are excellent as I already talked about. There are only four empty slots for your own custom presets and I wish there were more but if you use the mobile app you can have your own tone library on there. I bought the FBV3 foot controller so that gives me a lot of flexibility to have various effects. One of the limitations is the lack of good effects though. There's enough that if you work at it you can get a decent sound but there could be some better ones. Overall I would recommend the amp. Don't listen to the naysayers or the amp snobs, it's a quality amp and extremely versatile.Just Plain Joe

I bought this amp to have a small, cheap portable amp to play harmonica through. For that, it is decent enough. I use a Shure bullet mic and the amp produces good enough tone and is plenty loud for practice or small gigs. When I plug my tele into it the clean channel is decent and clear, but the overdrive channel is junk and hurts my ears. I would rather run the clean channel and use a fuzz or distortion pedal. So that being said it is decent enough to practice licks on and it is tiny so it tucks away easy. If you look around you can find a bigger amp with more features used for the same price but if you want a new amp, this one is probably worth what they charge for it. I would only buy it if you have a specific purpose for it though.Roy

It's small, and pretty portable. However, the sound quality is trash, given the speaker is tiny, but the overdrive is just horrible. If you buy this, try returning it. If you can't return it, just get a fuzz pedal and leave it on clean. Imo, just buy the mustang lt25-50Hotdog Games