Great Amp if you can find one for a good price!

For some this is a holy grail amp, if you’re into The Rolling Stones or QOTSA. I picked one up in 2024, at a steal for $350 local. I couldn’t believe, when I saw it on FB market a min down the street. Buying one online with shipping cost can get costly! A good deal is still considered $500 or so on these. Normal is $800-$1k in most areas, if its been in the shop and checked recently . Anything under $500, in working order is a must imo. Just of not worked on recently, don’t spend too much! You may end up having to dump an extra $300-$500 at some point, to get it to where you want it to be perfect.

Moving to the sound! I have the 1974 no distortion master volume front load. For me this version was very desirable. The top loader, and this one with the polarity switch(easy way to spot it) are the 2 best versions made imo.

With no pedals you can set the mid rocker to 300hz, crank the mid to liking, highs and lows at 2oclock. Then set your master around noon, and turn the volume up till you get your desired overdrive. Crank the master more if you want to go Doom/Stoner. If you have one with master you can just set it max. That’s pretty much default on non master, and why people say they are crazy loud. You’re hitting the power tubes more so than preamps.

The master is good for home players, as this amp is crazy loud, and I was testing a 50w JCM 800 next to it. I liked this amp more for its own sound with no pedals. However, with the right settings it’s a great clean amp pedal platform. It can be a Fender or a Marshall really.

I chose to pair this amp with my Tone King Sky King, and they go great! The VT-40 is dirty and carries the low end and mids. The Sky King(BF Fender) does the cleans with upper highs and upper lows. This amp much like pairing a JCM 800 with a Fender Twin is what works for me. Just different flavors!

Cool thing also is if you don’t want to lug it around, you can buy a head enclosure for $200-$300 and just put it in that. I have no idea why these amps aren’t more popular! It has the ability to be a crazy doom amp, break up Stones amp to all out thunder Queens of the Stone Age amp or a clean Fender like Super Reverb… and you really don’t need many pedals on it if at all. Maybe a Treble Booster, boss EQ, and a Fuzz that’s it really.

I think it’s a great amp on its own, if you want a clean amp and a Marshall almost style driven. It can be whatever you want to a degree. But they are very loud amps! So to get the best you want to crank it. Recording is tricky with the bass and mids..highly recommend a mic on the back for low end, and a front mic on side cone. But live it can be heard fine, and has nice low end, mids for days and highs. For some using a load box and a Ampeg IR may be a better choice to record. Less hassle, and on some the speakers are just ok. I highly recommend Celestion vintage 10s…that’s what Josh Homme seems to be running on his with a 2x12 extension cab live under it.

Not sure on other versions…but this non distortion/master volume one has a good reverb. I’ve heard others say the distortion model reverb is not so great.

But yeah, if you can grab one without shipping costs, grab it! No need for tons of pedals to get close to the sound people want these for. It’s 90% in the amp and a boost, EQ goes a long way. Great for a dual amp setup, and just fine for heavy rock, or dial in clean as you like.

I have to mention the tubes are weird, and first thing I tested. Most tubes you can still find, but do a pencil test before buying to see if the cost of retube is within budget. Luckily mine just needed two new 12ax7s. Most I find also have all original parts, so keep that in mind when buying as it’s 70s. So could need some help within the first few years. You may also want to upgrade speakers, but can be a $350-$400 cost. I did just 2 at a time as I went, it’ll really open up the amp more vs the stock you find in these. But stock speakers are fine, and will still get you there…they just are a tad dark imo and you can really make it come alive even just swapping two new Celestions in for $200 or less.

Lastly everyone saying they are crazy heavy. My Sky King 1x12 is way heavier, and this amp fit into my small 2 door Honda Civic easier. It’s really not that bad, unless you have to carry it alone a long ways. But car loading and waking in a door no biggie…or a rolling cart is fine. My Sky King is 55lb and way more difficult to lug around given its dimensions. The weight is greatly exaggerated imo, it’s not a Marshall cab or anything…now those are a pain.

MY FAVORITE AMP

Been recording and gigging this amp for some years now and once you get past the fact that it weighs as much as a Chrysler, you'll find it's an incredibly beefy and versatile amplifier.

service nightmare, great tone and versatility

its well known now that this guy is the Josh Homme amp... I was into them before that. A neighbor had one of these he bought new and all the friends of his kids, myself included, enjoyed playing through it because with the active, semi parametric midrange it could cover a lot of ground with any guitar. This amp delivers a muscly 70s rock tone lean or turned up to mean, Its usually stock with CTS ceramic 10" speakers that have some of alnico CTS vibe of an early super reverb but more authority. It weighs a ton, more than any other 4x10 you'll encounter. These amps have a complicated circuit on multiple PCBs and can be very confusing to service even with a schematic. They also use some oddball tubes in the preamp. When I owned one there were no 6L6es that could hold up to the high voltages. The originals were designed for 7027A tubes. These days the JJ 6L6 will handle it no problem, but I used to eat tubes power tubes. All these factors made this a once-in-a-while amp for me back then. Eventually I left it at my buddy's as a gift (he loves the stones). Frankly I didn't want to lift it or deal with the retube it needed. I liked it, but not that much. My friend didn't keep it either. He traded it off. If you have a great tech, a source for NOS tubes and a guy to help you lift this (mine had casters, but they were no help getting in and out of a van) then this is a great American amp that can do a lot. Otherwise? skip. yes it will do all those queens tones with a tubescreamer and some cool fuzzes out front.

Very good combo from Ampeg

As for me, it is well suited for recording, rehearsals and for home gives a very professional sound Ampeg

Perfect when playing guitar, drums, or piano.