Ampeg VT-22 Review

History:

Purchase: Bought this combo back in 1976. Needed a decent amp that would support live work in local bar band. It was a previous year demo clearance, so I got a good deal-$350.00. List new was almost $700!! Rated at 120 watts, but I swear it's gotta be more. Tubes handle everything. Two channel w/distortion and bass, mid, treble controls. Spring reverb w/lock(Acutronics?). All birch plywood construction w/2 x 12" Altecs. HUGE magnets on these! The whole combo package probably weighs 130 lbs. easily. Good quality, overall.

What I Like About This Unit: The SOUND! Very tubey and yet, clean. So clean, in fact, that it's hard to overdrive without getting to volumes that kill small animals and must be listed as a WMD! VERY LOUD, even at low settings(2-3). Easily carries through drums and bass. Starts to get a bluesey feel around 6, but you'd better be in Shea Stadium. I used an overdrive pedal for push at lower volumes. Clean levels great for effects because the full range of the effect can be heard. Great for my MXR Phase 90 and Cry Baby sounds. Completely indestructable. Has fallen off stage once from 6 feet and was still crankin'! Face down, no less. All tubes intact and cookin'.

What I Do NOT Like About The Ampeg VT-22: It's so G&* D@#% HEAVY!! Between hiking this thing to/from gigs and slinging a LP all night, I definitely stayed in shape. I finally got smart and made a castor cart for it. Takes a while to overdrive, making it difficult to get the advantages of a true "tube sound" in a small venue. Great for big clubs and open air. Spring reverb is pretty sensitive and will SPROINGG if you're not careful. This was made before the advent of "Master Volume". One of these controls would alleviate most of the problems above. NOT a good bedroom/practice amp, as this was before headphone jacks, too.

VT-22 Quality: As I've said...built like a HUUMVEE. I've had mine for years. It's played, been moved cross-country, been shipped to/from GERMANY, for Pete's sake! Never a problem. The tubes could stand to be replaced in the power section. Problem is, I'm afraid to change the tubes to 6L6's or something and change the original sound. Still pondering this. All birch plywood with tight dove joints. NO rattles. NO MDF in sight. Electronics tray seems to have some sort of shock absorber deal that evidently works well. It's a daisy!

Summary: I guess it's true...they really DON'T make them like they used to. I can see why the big acts of the time(Rolling Stones, Doobie Bros.) were using these. Stone cold reliability and great sound. I've seen a few of these show up in vintage shops and EBay and for the prices I'm seeing, they're the best deal you'll get. Maybe not good for GenX'ers to play their Nu-Metal crap, but for classic rock and even 80s hair metal, they're all you need. Add a few of your favorite pedals and develop your own nuclear deterant capability! One word of caution...if you suck now, this amp will not Hendrix you up. It will faithfully reproduce your suckness at incredible volume.

Rating of this product: 4

This Ampeg Guitar Amplifiers Review Submitted By: OldRocker

Date: 2004-03-25