DV Mark FGC121 Frank Gambale Signature 120W 1x12 Guitar Combo Amp

This amp is super powerful and I've found it sounds better if you turn down your EQ which will result in turning up the master to maintain same volume. It's very clean or dirty....what ever you wish. I strongly feel if these were out in the stores, these things would fly out the doors. It's so very light, a dream to take to the gigs. They need to make a cover for it.

I did extensive research before buying this amp (from GC used). The videos are ssparce but a few of them are good & one guy actually got Eric Johnson tones out of it. The forums & reviews kept raving about how LOUD the amp is (120 watts) & how light it was (23 lbs). I really couldn't believe an amp so light could sound so good. Well, I was totally wrong. - When I got my amp I took it into a GC recording room & shut the door, the only place now it seems you can test a guitar amp at stage volume. I've tried 3 or 4 other amps both solid state & tube. Most of them either didn't have the umph to compete in a R&B band with a brass section, or simply had bad tone. But NOT THIS AMP! The controls are simple bread n butter Vol, Bass, Mid, Treb, Pres & Master but have a good range of tone to them. What that means is, if you dime the bass, your amp will start shaking the walls. If you dime the presence, you'll start breaking glass. Yes, the controls have that much 'swing' built in. - Now for the really good part. I don't have back problems like other guys who wrote about this amp, but I still refuse to pack around a Twin Reverb at 66 lbs minimum. I was considering the George Benson Twin weighing in at 50 lbs which is incredible, but I have limited car space & needed a 1x12 combo. This amp is literally 1/2 the weight of the GB Twin & just as loud! Of course you're NOT going to get that 2x12 Fender sound out of it, but with some careful tweaking of the tone knobs, I could get plenty of clean tones that will keep up with a full brass section band, so I really didn't need a Twin for the headroom. This one has it, & I was playing a Les Paul, a guitar not normally known for being clear & clean, compared to a Strat. - I also play blues and if you dime the gain on the clean channel & reduce the master, you can get just a hint of break up that is pleasing. Now mind you, this is a full solid state amp, but the cleans are nice & the drive channel can get into Led Zeplin territory.

If you are willing to take some advice from an old man, I may be able to save you a lot of time and money. I have found that the only amps that really sound like tube amps are tube amps. And while I'm at it, the only pickups that really sound like single coils are single coils. And neither of those things matter if you play well. Remember those three truths and you will save yourself a lot of time and money. Whether you are buying a hamburger or voting for President you are consistently told that you can have your cake and eat it too. They say you can get a single coil tone from a pickup that doesn't hum. They say you can get a tube sound from a lightweight solid state amp that costs half as much. And they say if you spend more money, you can sound even better. Why do we fall for the same lies over and over again? This is a good amp, don't get me wrong. Buy it if you want something loud that is lightweight. But don't buy it thinking it will sound like a tube amp. It has a midrangey clean tone (more British that American) and a warm overdrive. I think a Jazzman would like this amp, but a Country Western guy would probably prefer a Fender. And a if you play metal you are probably better off with a Peavey or an Orange. But if you play humbuckers clean then this is a good choice, especially if you want something lightweight and loud.

Sounds great,light weight and looks cool! Ying yang

In a word- powerful. I made the decision to order this one over the 50 watt model, because generally with solid state amps, you need twice the power to keep up. Not here. Holy mackerel, this thing is the guitar amp equivalent of a tactical nuke. I don't care who you gig with, you will not be short on volume. It doesn't even make sense that this much volume comes out of an amp this size. It's sorcery. But how does it sound? Great. Clean channel is NOT Fender style sound. It doesn't do the scooped, huge bass, thumpy thing. Much more mid forward, a little reminiscent of early Boogie Mark series designs. Fender fans may find it dark, I like it. Very tight and focused bottom, fat warm mids, and smooth highs. Very punchy. It'll pop through any busy mix. Dirt channel is very smooth and warm as well. Mid heavy. Syrupy. Not enough gain for modern rock or metal, but plenty on tap for classic rock, blues rock, fusion, and anything else. Clean channel can crunch up nicely with the gain control. A very versatile amp. Extremely portable and lightweight. You can literally lift it with a finger. I do a couple hundred gigs a year, light is wonderful. B/W tuxedo look is classy and unique. Build quality is superb. Excellent tolex work, inside the cab is finished very well. Pots and switches are substantial. Four stars instead of five because it doesn't come with a foot switch. To get this much power and tone for this price is unheard of. Absolutely killer amp. Did I mention it's capable of more volume than I've ever heard come from a 1x12 combo in thirty years of guitar playing?