Pignose G60VR

4 12AX7 preamp tubes, 2 6L6 power tubes, 12' speaker, effects loop (very handy), selectable high/low gain switch. Been playing 30 years, was looking for a portable substitute for my 4x12 stacks. Play mostly classic rock and country covers, sometimes in a ban d situation and sometimes in open jams

Purchased this nearly new on ebay about 4 years ago for 200 bucks.

I like the portability of the unit. Great volume and tone, takes pedals *very* well. The stock speaker was a little crappy so I replaced it with an Eminence v12 from one of my 4x12 cabs. Fabulous improvement. I then replaced V1 with a NOS 5751 and V2 with a NOS 12AT7. It now has the tone.

It has lower gain than it's little brother, the G40V. That's where the pedals come in. The reverb was a bit overbearing, so I replaced V4 (reverb driver) with a NOS 12AT7. Now it's really sweet.

Well made albeit with particleboard construction. Carrying the amp, I tripped once while stepping up on a high stage. The amp flew through the air about ten feet and landed solidly on it's back on a concrete floor. Horrified, I plugged it in and it worked perfectly. Guess that's the equivalent of the Samsonite gorilla test.

Love it. Portable, tube amplification, great versatile tone, effects loop. Would buy again - too bad they don't make them anymore

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Musicians Friend for $300.

It's light, it's loud and it's a tube amp! It cuts right through the mix and has a wonderful warmness.

Cheap speaker, knobs, tubes and handle. What do you expect for $300? I have replaced the speaker with a Celestion G12H-80 and the tubes with Groove Tubes and this baby rocks!

The cabinet seems to be very sturdy. I wished there was a metal grill under the grill colth, so I added one. For the money, this thing sound better that a Fender or a Marshall costing twice as much (including my upgrades!).

I'm a minimalist kind of guy and so follows my amp. With about 50 hours at preformace volume on this unit (and several upragdes), I am thrilled with my Pignose.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I am reviewing the head version (G-60VRH) of the amp which is the same as the combo without the speaker. This is a 60 watt tube amp (2x6L6 tubes) with a solid state rectifier. It also uses 4 12AX7 tubes with three in the preamp and one for reverb. There are 4 and 8 ohm speaker outputs and a series effects loop. There are volume, master volume, treble, middle, bass, presence, and reverb level controls. There is one input with a high and low level switch which I don't understand. There is no jack for an external reverb switch.

UTILIZATION

This is an ultra simple straightforward tube amp. The coolest thing about it is its compact size and light weight. It is totally unique in this respect for a powerful tube amp. The construction quality is solid but the quality is less than that of a Fender or Marshall amp. The amp would benefit from a jack for an external footswitch to control the reverb. The middle Knob must be kept very low in order to get a good sound. For some reason this and the Pignose GV40 are both this way.

SOUNDS

I own this amp and the Pignose GV40 which are nearly the same. Both of these amps are suitable for country, blues, rock and roll and some classic rock. They are not the best if you want to use gobs of distortion. They are like Fender amps with a decent preamp distortion gain for adding bluesy grit or heavier distortion. For some reason the G-60VRH sounds less warm then the smaller GV40 combo. The 60 watt head is cleaner but sounds more sterile. It sounds better than a transistor amp but cold and unmusical in comparison to a Fender blackface Super Reverb. The Reverb is usable.

OVERALL OPINION

This is a poor man's Fender that sounds great until you A/B with a good Fender and then you hear its shortcomings. The coolest thing about the amp is its compact size and light weight. It makes for a superb backup amp if you can find one used. This amp is not worth more than $350.00 which is what I paid for it 6 years ago. If your gonna spend more for your main tube amp, look elsewhere. This does make a good inexpensive backup emergency tube amp.