Zt Lunchbox Guitar Amp For Sale (Jan 2023 Update)

A ZT LBR1 showed up yesterday nicely double boxed from Musicians Friend. I bought and returned an original Lunch Box when they first came out. It did not sound that good to me. But here is the temptation repeated, this time with reverb! My QSC CP8, HX Stomp, cable, and power supply weigh nearly 24 lbs. By the way all purchased at Musicians Friend. The CP8 is rated at 124 dB peak SPL and the ZT LBR1 at 123 dB peak SPL. As is often the case the marketing gets ahead of reality… The ZT box says 9 lbs., the ZT manual says 10 lbs., and my scale says 10 lbs., 4 oz. My wife is working from home and I did not have a chance yet to try it at stage volumes. At reasonable volumes it compares nicely with the Black Face Deluxe Vibrato Channel plus 63 Spring Reverb running on an HX Stomp into my QSC CP8. Maybe a little less very high-end brightness and I did put the LBR1 treble control to 2 o'clock where the Stomp patch is configured with Bass and Treble set to "5". With my guitar's volume controls set to "8", I have both the HX Stomp and the LBR1 (gain at 12 o'clock) set to give a little distortion for richness when strumming or fingerpicking. Both setups give me a nice sounding light overdrive when I push the guitar volume controls to "10" The bottom line is it does exactly what I want at half the weight and bulk. My only criticism is the hiss is louder than the CP8 and while I would never imagine using the CP8 on a desktop, you could. Whereas the LBR could easily sit on a desktop but you wouldn't due to the hiss. No issues sitting on the floor even in a quiet room. The bass response might have been tuned for floor placement anyway. One observation… I like to "burn-in" new electronic toys and the LBR1 runs warm. I am guessing it is a class A-B power amp. Still not any hotter than the HX Stomp with its SHARC DSP.Jon Fields

Used for taking to friends' houses to play with a group…certainly loud enough. The cleans are amazing. Had to add an external distortion pedal (got a discontinued ZT Extortion…also amazing!) and now am all smiles.ibrewalot

I was excited to procure this battery/ac amp at a fair price, so I bought a used one listed as "great condition." These amps are hard to find on the used market and ZT told me in an email production has ceased for this model until Q2 2022. The amp was indeed in semi-great condition except for a small puncture in the foam of the 5" speaker which buzzed. Quality control was obviously lacking as it's noticeable while playing the bass strings on an electric guitar irrespective of where the ZT's tone control is set. Accessing the speaker simply requires removing the grill without tools and applying a bit of speaker glue to the damaged part of the cone. I did it myself instead of returning it to GC, which I would have pondered if ZT wasn't horrendously backlogged. These amps sound stellar for home, busking, or as a personal stage monitor. I have two of them for a stereo pedalboard and Rick-O-Matic guitar. I have a DI on my pedalboard. I wouldn't mic the ZT. Conversely, the active tone control has excessive bass for the small speaker to handle, and I suspect many amps result in ripped cones if played loudly with the tone control at less than 12:00.Ed

The sweet analog tone coming from this little guy really inspires me to play & practice. Great cleans but the real surprise is it has the best grind of any solid state amp I ever played when pushed. This amp reacts very much like a valve amp. I owned a 200w lunchbox and like the tone of the junior more.tony f

I was well aware of the dimensions of the thing before it arrived, but opening the box and actually holding it is still pretty shocking. I found it to be small on a scale that it left it hard to believe that it would be functional for more than a practice amp. I accepted that the small size could be handy but expectation of sound quality was suddenly diminished. I stand corrected. The sound is excellent. It is definitely more than a curiosity that is smaller than a breadbox. It will put out a substantial amount of volume with a substantial low end range that was a tremendously satisfying surprise. For my modest needs, it far exceeds my expectations. I would like to note, for jazz guitarists I think you'll find this to be a surprisingly versatile and capable tool, not just a toy.Bliss

Not only does this 5 watt lil' monster have enough power to rattle the windows, it also has class! At only 9 lbs. the Bugera T5 Infinium has enough "UMFF" to push your favorite 4X12" cabinet into the stratosphere! It's better having this reverb built into this lil' madman than not having any at all. Just like 9/10 of the other amp heads in its class. The 1 channel, "all tube" head has warm cleans. Push in the PHAT switch and crank the volume and gain and you get saturated distortion that will blow you away! All of that in a 9 lb metal cage like package for only $200! You won't find another 5 W head with all of that for this price. I love my T5 Infinium from Bugera!brmul-8207

What it's not: Not a $1k boutique tube amp. Not a mid-size club amp (unless you have great monitors and a good sound guy). What it is: A well designed, very affordable little monster that will give enough stage volume at 5W for rehearsals in a full rock band or small club, and will also allow you to drive the output stage at that 1W or 1/2W setting for recording at home. The amp sounds best at 5W and driven into either a 4ohm cabinet or two 8ohm cabs. If you use it to drive an 8ohm cab, you are getting only 70% of its potential. I only use el84 based amps. i love their dark, throaty sound, and while this amp doesn't have the punch or snap I get from my 15W custom built el 84 amps, it sounds great for rehearsal or recording. I am a little bit worried about long-term build quality. The input jack is plastic. I have a hard time seeing that surviving a year of rehearsals without breaking. This is a great supplemental amp for rehearsals and recording. Very smartly designed. Good feature set. And if you like the el84 style sound, it delivers it above expectations at this price range. I'm thinking of getting a second one.klktrk

In these days of small solid state, practice amps, this little amp gives you tube tone and more at a very affordable price. A 12ax7 preamp tube and an EL84 power tube provide the tone along with built in reverb, 2 band EQ, gain and a "phat" overdrive switch for added crunch. The three stage attenuator is a nice touch. The stock Bugera tubes are OK but I switched them out with Tung-Sols which provided a rich creamy overdrive more to my liking. Great sound when plugged into my Orange 8" or 12" cab plus headphone jack for late night playing. Great amp for the price!Isom

This is a well made bag to carry your ZT Lunchbox Junior amp in. It is well padded for protection, a pocket for guitar cable and power cord and an adjustable strap. If you order a bag for your ZT amp, make sure to order the one for your size amp. I saw one review that said his amp didn't fit in the bag. He obviously ordered the wrong size bag. Mine is a perfect fit. Highly recommend.yaled67

These are well made bags with a zipper pocket on the front for extra storage – just make sure you buy the right bag for your amp. ZT makes three different amps, all different sizes. Buy the Lunchbox bag for a Lunchbox amp, the Junior bag (this one) for a Lunchbox Junior amp, and the Acoustic bag for the Lunchbox Acoustic amp.ghostdrummer

I bought this amp based on the good print reviews and the way it sounded in you Tube reviews. I did a lot of homework and finally placed my order. I was excited when it showed up at my house and plugged my Jay Turser Les Paul copy right in. Boy, is this thing dark! I turned all the tone controls to 10. I changed the strings. I removed the covers from my pickups- that just made it dark and tinny. After three days I decided that I had to either send it back or make some changes. I took the speaker from a Squier 15 amp and installed it in the Bugera. Right away there was more life and clarity to the sound, though it still sounded tinny (because it's a speaker from a Squier 15), but it was some progress. Next I pulled tubes from a circa 1959 Curtis-Mathes console stereo and swapped them into the Bugera. Now we were getting somewhere- the overtones, the reason we use tubes, were now present and accounted for. The same console is full of Oxford speakers, which are a Jensen knockoff and well respected. I took an 8" from that and installed it in the V5. OH YEAH! Now this is a great little amp. The clean tones are super sweet, clear, full and bell-like with tons of sustain. The overdrive has a huge range of grit, and the reverb is better than any other amp I've had. So after installing a set of +/- 60 year old tubes and speaker, it sounds great. But out-of-the-box stock, I would have sent it back, no question. If you have a too-bright guitar or are willing to make upgrades, this amp is a super value. My one complaint about build quality is that the wattage selector switch is extremely touchy- it goes from .1 to 5 watts and has to be fiddled with to get it to stay on the 1 watt setting.Farmhand

Perfect at home tube amp. I generally use 1 watt mode. Great tone whether clean or breakup. Loves my telecaster and Boss BD-2 into it, and takes pedals great in general. Couldn’t get over how nice it looked when I unboxed mine, either. Beautiful looking amp on top of sounding great. Really an incredible value. Can’t recommend this one enough if you’re looking for a home use valve amp.Grandaddy Jeff

Great little amp for the money. This is my first EL84 amp as I was after something different to my old EL34 Laneys & Marshall. This delivered what I was after. Both channels very useable – clean has quite a bit of headroom as a pedal platform. Drive channel sounds great – better with humbuckers than single coils to my ear, but very useable – very touch responsive and cleans up nicely when you roll off the vol. The reverb is fine but maybe a little over the top at higher settings: maybe useful for ambient stuff. Biggest surprise is the speaker – well balanced and sounds really tight – especially with humbuckers. Stock valves seem absolutely fine. The combo is nicely finished too. If you want the sound and are not bothered about brand names, this is fantastic value for money as a first valve amp, or as something that sounds a bit different. Easily loud enough for pub gigs. Recommended!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This item was purchased as a level 2 blemished item. The blemishes very minor and well within my ability to accept it that way. However, after receiving the amp I discovered that the reverb did not work. I tried several different guitars all with the same results – no reverb. Though the demos and reviews said the reverb wasn't the greatest there was still plenty of reverb available (too much according to some reviewers). Even with the reverb turned to 10 there was no reverb. I called MusiciansFriend and was told that a level 2 blemished item could have functions that didn't work. The fact that the reverb didn't work or that some items may not work on a level 2 blem should have been explained in the description I could not find this information anywhere.Chris

3 x 12AX7s and 2 x EL84s, solid (heavy!) chassis, reverb, effects loop, external speaker connection with switchable impedance – just what I wanted. The footswitch to change between clean and gain channels means you don't need pedals to get a boost. Only negative: the footswitch came in a heavy duty plastic bag which was stapled to the bottom of the cabinet, and difficult to remove. Sounds good on its own – all the tone without blowing your eardrums. Playing through my vintage Carlsbro 4 x 12 sounds better still.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Before you purchase this amp, make sure you're only after crunch sounds, and heavier. This thing breathes fire, and even the clean channel on the Ironball, when the gain is turned up, gives you enough distortion as a Mesa. You COULD leave the clean gain down, and keep the Master control up, but then when you switch channels to it's first overdrive channel, you'll be rattling your house with volume. I chose to buy the larger 1×12" cabinet, thinking at the time it would give me more depth of sound, but if I had to do it again, I'd pick the smaller 1×12", since the bigger 1×12" that I have can get a bit bass-y. All in all, if you're looking for good distortion and good crunch-clean, this amp shreds. If you're looking for shimmering cleans, and plan on using it in a channel-switching to clean sounds in a live setting, you might want to go elsewhere. Personally, though, I was looking for heavy distortion, and I'm happy to say that I'll never have to buy or use another distortion pedal again in my life. Also, it responds to picking dynamics and volume rollbacks quite well on all channels. It's built like a German tank. The only reason I gave it a 4/5 is because upon arrival, my stereo footswitch cord didn't work with the channel selecter very well, but that problem is peanuts compared to the value and versatility in this amp.keithdrover

Ok..so obviously you're not going to get the full push of the 6L6 or EL34 brothers. But this is is loud even at 3 watts. I wish they could've designed the internals to throw out 20 watts but oh well. This isn't better than the LBX1..it's just different. This LBX2 has clean and lead channel which I personally like. I want either 0 gain or a ton of gain. The only real let down on this is that the knobs feel a little cheap and it's difficult to adjust the clean volume/drive without accidentally adjusting the lead channels. Also…the cable for the footswitch is too short. So shop for an adapter for the footswitch to extend the length. Otherwise it's a great amp for practice, studio and small full band venues.Jrod

First impression was that it is noticeably bigger than other 15 watt "lunchbox" heads I own. Plugged it into an Orange PPC212 to get jamming right away. I was thrilled that this head included as resonance and presence control, many other lunchbox amps leave those features off. As with many lunchbox amps, it's only 15 watts but it is a LOUD 15 watts. Plenty of volume for the shows I play, where the amp is going to be mic'd anyway. The clean channel is quite versatile. You won't get Fender-style cleans, but you can get a nice clean sound from the Green channel. With the gain turned up, you can get a good SRV or early AC/DC style overdrive sound. The Green channel takes pedals very well, which you will need to get a classic rock drive sound. The Blue channel is all metal all day. It sounds great, but it should be noted that even with the gain turned down and the presence turned up the Blue channel lacks some clarity and articulation when playing nuances in full chords. Even with the gain setting at 1 or 2, the Blue channel has a very high-gain tone. Turn up the gain to 6 or 7 and you're in thrash metal heaven. But if you're looking for a more classic rock drive, this Blue channel is simply too high gain. A few annoyances for me: 1) The on/off/standby are on the back of the head; not the end of the world, but it makes it a little more difficult to easily turn the amp on and off, especially in a gig setting. 2) This head does NOT come with a carry case. That was somewhat misleading since the demo videos both show the carry case. 3) The footswitch cable is kind of short, so in a larger stage setting it may be difficult to set up the amp conveniently. Then again, in a large gig setting you probably wouldn't be using a 15 watt amp! Overall, a great little amp that is easy to carry and sounds fantastic. Just be aware that the Blue channel is VERY high gain, and you may need to purchase a few accessories with it.Slick301

I had a bit of buyer remorse until I plugged in and did a gig with it. After all, it is very expensive for a 12 watt amp. That being said, I wish I would have bought this amp a few years ago as it probably would have saved me money looking for the right amp and I have bought quite a few. (Marshall, Fender, Mesa, Egnater, Blackstar just to name a few) I do wish it had reverb for some of the quieter things we do. I don't really use pedals (a little bit of chorus sometimes) but might get a reverb pedal. The decade switch is pretty cool. At first I couldn't get off of the 80's setting but after using it for a few months now, I'd have to say that the 70's is my favorite. A little less gain and a little more responsive to the pick. Honestly, I haven't found a bad setting on it anywhere. I haven't had to use the power scaling too much except at practice as our practice room is small. Most of the gigs we play are smaller clubs, weddings, street dances, car shows etc. and the 12 watts is just about right. I usually run the master 3/4 and the gain around half or slightly more. With this setting I get nice cleans at 3-4 on my guitar and can roll into as much distortion as the song requires. This seems to be a real sweet spot for the tubes. At practice I can dial down using the Power Scaling and it's not bad. Much better than a Power Brake. We play mostly 50's, 60's and 70's covers. I play lots of different guitars but mostly PRS. The sustain and harmonics of this amp are incredible! You can easily get controlled feedback without burning the eyebrows off the crowd. I've also used a 52 Tele reissue for some of the earlier stuff we play. I dial up the 60's mode and it really does sound like a full Marshall stack back from the day. (again without killing your audience) I can't say enough good things about this amp. It's not too heavy but it's big. I run it into a couple of single Fender 12 cabs with EVM12L's. I have been using a Mesa TA15 or Egnater Rebel 30 prior to getting this amp, occasionally using a Blackstar HT-5R for smaller jobs. Don't get me wrong, I love all those amps. I really do but the Fargen just is in another class altogether. Built like a tank. It will be around after I'm gone I'm sure. If you can afford it, buy it. You won't be sorry.Bluesman27

I was looking for a Marshall blues breaker or a Plexi that I could play at home and get Beano, and Hendrix tone at low to moderate levels. I read TGP 50th Anniversary vs Fargen threads and ordered a Mini PlexII through Musicians Friend. It came two weeks earlier than promissed and lived up to the hype and then some. Like having three amps in one with Ben's decade switch. 3D cleans and sweet spots from .5 to 12 watts thanks to two volume controls and a power control. Hats off to Ben. Great design. It should last longer than I will.Spectrum

I could have saved lots of money over the years if I could have purchased this amp first. It covers lots of territory and does it well. I waited until I was able to use this amp quite awhile before giving my comments on it. It has a feature allowing you to scale the power way down but with the master volume, I rarely use it. At 12 tube watts, it is plenty loud but I am able to get real good sound a bedroom volumes with this amp. I have purchased many other amps that make this claim, but for me, this amp delivers. Why is that important? Sometimes when you can't "crank it up" , the tone you are left with is just uninspiring. Good tones, when you need to be quiet, can allow for the inspiration needed to keep practicing or to find that phrase you can't get. Being an old guy, I have had most of what is out there at one time or the other. The clean of this amp is "that" glassy, jingly platform you have to have, but the gain stages available take you from F. to M. and anything in the middle. Yeah, I love it. I feel sorry ahead of time, for others who are going to buy some of those boutique amps out there, costing more, just to be disappointed. Oh, and when you contact Fargen, you get to communicate with Ben, the owner. I have done so before purchasing this amp and after. His communication and service is first class.44Johnson

This amp is loud and it rocks. Sounds lovely Like original 1957 specs to my ears. Tube one at 12ax7 is too hot and changed to 12ay7. Nice amp good quality.sunsterdog123

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