AT-112 Review

The B-52 AT-112 60-Watt 1x12" Tube Combo amp's foundation is outstanding tone, versatility and power. Each channel, clean and overdrive, has its own set of gain, treble, mid and bass equalization controls for maximum flexibility.

Features:	7.7
Sound:	8.7
Reliability:	8.3
Impression:	8.3
Overall rating:	8.3
Users rating:	4
Comments:	5

overall: 8.5

Featured review by: chocolame, on july 18, 2007

Price paid: $ 550

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: The B-52 AT 112 is a great overall amp. The AT-112 is a tube amp which makes a big difference coming from solid state. I have had my amp setup to sound like the following bands: Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Rammstein, Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Rush, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Ozzy Osbourne, Kalmah, Iron Maiden, Korn, Atreyu, Megadeth, ZZ Top, Cacophony, Pantera, Alice Cooper, Slayer, Rush, Kiss, Boston, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Judas Priest, Agalloch, Children Of Bodom, and Anthrax. It sounded great will all of those styles of music. The AT-112 features two channels: Overdrive and Clean. It comes with a 2-position footswitch: channel and reverb. You can control the amount of reverb from the amp. The amp has All-tube preamp/poweramp signal path which I found to be very nice. On the overdrive channel you can control: gain, bass, middle, treble, contour, and volume. On the Clean channnel you can control: bass, middle, treble, and volume. There was only two things that I wish they could have incorporated in the amp. I would have liked to seen Delay and Flanger effects on the amp. As far as the features go this amp is a good buy. // 7

Sound: This amp can definately give you whatever sound you want. My guitars are a Squier Stratocaster and a Gibson Les Paul Special II. I mainly use the Treble pickup when I'm playing simply because I like the harsh sound it gives me. This amps sounds suits my style very well. I play a lot of metal and rock. This amp packs a big punch for it's size. I have cranked this amp up and it will make your ears bleed! On the Overdrive channel the sound clarity is perfect until you get above 7 or so on the volume knob (The volume knob goes from 1-10). On the Clean channel the clarity is very good all over. I haven't taken mine past 7 simply because I don't think that it necessary to. The amp is so loud when at that level that it's starts becoming HARMFUL to anyone in the room as well as the amp itself. The overdrive however, is right where most metal players want it. It can give you a little bit or it can give you a little more than you need. I usually keep my gain level at about 8 or 9 which is pretty heavy. This amp gives a lot of variety on which sounds you want to get out of it. I have played from Blues all the way to Death Metal on it. // 9

Reliability & Durability: As far as Reliabillity goes, I have never had a problem with it since I bouhgt it new. I have had this amp for quite a while and it has worked like a charm every time I played it. The durability of this amp is good. Everything is put together greatly and the craftsmanship is great as well. I would and will play gigs with just this amp because I know that it is very realiable. // 10

Impression: Overall this amp is a great choice for beginners all the way to some of the best shredders out there. The price on this amp is not bad at all! It suits every style of music I play. I mainly play: Rock, Metal, and any variation of the two. I have been playing for about a year now and I would say that I am at the intermediate level. I bought this amp coming from a Marshall MG solid state amp and WOW what a difference. If this amp was stolen or lost I would definately buy it back. I love everything about this amp except that the emblem did fall off once. I don't know if that is a normal thing with the B-52 series or if it was just carelessness when it was being shipped? I compared it to a couple of amps at the store before I bought the B-52 and the B-52 by far beat the others. I would advise anyone looking for a new amp to buy the B-52 AT-112! // 8

overall: 7.3

Reviewed by: Punk Poser, on december 26, 2007

Price paid: $ 500

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: This all tube amp features a clean and overdrive channel each with separate EQ controls. There is a master reverb and a low res knob which adjusts the low end. Both channels have separate volume knobs, and the overdrive channel features a gain knob which adjusts the amount of gain, and a very useful contour knob which adjusts the mid range of the amp. On the back of this amp is an effects loop with seperate level controls, an impedance Switch from 4 0hm, to 8 ohm, and 16 ohm, and a line out. This amp has all the basic features of most amps along with extra features such as the contour, and low res, but it is lacking in a master volume knob which would have really come in handy. Compared to the AT-212, this amp is lacking in features. // 7

Sound: For the price, this amp really delivers. The clean channel is very clean; it does not break up until the volume is at ear shattering levels. The cleans are very dark and warm and great for jazz, but they can be EQed for a brighter Fender sparkle. You can't really get a Vintage blues OD on this amp without a pedal though, but this amp is not voiced Vintage in anyway. The Overdrive channel on the amp is also very good. There is plenty of gain on tap, but if the gain is turned up all the way, it gets too fizzy. The contour knob really comes in handy. If you turn it down you can get a more scooped tone without compromising your tone in a band situation. If you turn it up, you get a nice crunch. This amp is great for hard rock. If you turn down the gain, turn up the volume, and turn up the contour you get a pretty damn good hard rock tone ala AC/DC. Other classic rock tones are not as easy to get on this amp. It is more voiced on the modern side, and on mid gain it reminds me of modern pop punk, and modern rock type tones. If you turn up the gain, you can get a nice thrash tone or a hardcore tone, but don't turn it up too much or it will fizz up. If you want a chunky extreme metal tone, you need a pedal, but my EQ pedal really suffices when trying to get more gain for a "brutal metal tone" Some cons with the overdrive channel are it is a bit muddy, the high end can be harsh, it is not as tight as I would like, and playing leads can be a bit weak on a low output guitar on this amp. Also, the speaker breakup when turning this amp up is really harsh, so I think a speaker change is a must. The other problems can be altered with a speaker change which I will undergo in the near future. This amp is pretty damn quite on all channels. // 8

Reliability & Durability: There have been a lot of claims about this amp being unreliable, and I think there might be some truth to these claims. I bought this amp off the floor, and after having it for a while, the volume started to cut out. I thought it was a tube problem, but that was not the case. I had to send it in to an authorized dealer, and wait for three weeks for them to fix it. The problem ended up being faulty wiring in the circuit board and on some jacks. I didn't have to pay anything, but it was very There have been a lot of claims about this amp being unreliable, and I think there might be some truth to these claims. I bought this amp off the floor, and after having it for a while, the volume started to cut out. I thought it was a tube problem, but that was not the case. I had to send it in to an authorized dealer, and wait for three weeks for them to fix it. The problem ended up being faulty wiring in the circuit board and on some jacks. I didn't have to pay anything, but it was very inconvenient. These amps are made in China like most other entry level tube amps, so the reliability is always an issue. // 6

Impression: This amp really delivers a convincing tube tone for the price. It was my first tube amp, and a great upgrade from the Roland products I used before. Great clean and overdive channel with plenty of versatility is what you get with this amp. I have been playing for three years, and a number of different styles. It does me good for all the styles of music I play (or at least attempt to). While the tone is not perfect, particularly the distorted one, you get what you pay for. If this amp were stolen, I would probably just save up for something even better. All that aside, this was my favorite amp in the price range, and I enjoy the tones and versatility this amp has to offer. // 8

overall: 9

Reviewed by: Mark G, on october 26, 2007

Price paid: $ 400

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: My B-52 was made in 2005, which is after the B-52 ventilator problems. B-52 became known for durability issues because of overheating problems. These however were solved around 2003 I believe, and all amplifiers before that time could be replaced free of charge. The B-52 AT-112 is an all tube high gain amplifier aimed at the medium to higher end guitarist. It is an entry level tube amplifier designed for metal and hardrock, without comprimising the cleans. I play mostly metal and metalcore, however, I do venture into the realms of rock and jazz/blues every now and then. The versatility of this amplifier is pretty amazing, especially for it's price. Most amplifiers focus on one specific area: Mesas are for metal, Fenders are for cleans. The B-52 AT-112 can do both very well. In fact, I prefered the sound of my B-52 over that of a Mesa Dual Rectifier I tried. The B-52 sounded a bit tighter in the low end, and had much better cleans. The B-52 AT-112 has two channels: clean and overdrive. You can Switch between this channel on the amp itself, but it is much easier to do so with the footswitch that comes standard with the amplifier. The amp comes with an effects loop with independent volume controls, as well as a line out with independent volume control. This means that you have 3 different volume knobs if you use the effects loop. You can determine the volume as it enters and exits the effects loop, as well as the strength of the signal as it goes to the internal speaker. This makes for a lot of extra versatility. Tube amps are very loud, and this amplifier is no different. However, if you simpl connect the effect loop in and out with a cable, you will be able to turn down the volume there making the volume knob on the front much less sensitive, allowing you to dial in more accurately. This amp has three extra features most amplifiers do not have: independant middle and contour controls, Low resonance control, reverb. The middle and contour controls allow for extra versatility and ease when it comes to dialing your metal tone. The both do more or less the same thing, but you can roughly get the middle range to where you want it with the middle and then adjust the contour to change between classic rock and metal sound. The low resonance adds extra punch to the low end. If you turn this down, it will sound like an open back cabinet. If you turn this up, your B-52 AT-112 will produce a more punchy closed back cabinet sound. This makes for a lot more versatility. The reverb does it's job very well, although I don't use it very much. // 9

Sound: I'm using this amplifier with my Schecter C1 Classic with EMG 81/85 pickups. I play mostly metal, which is why I chose to buy this high gain amplifier. When I initially started playing through this amplifier, I was shocked by the amount of extra hiss and noise. However, the problem out to be the electrics in my house. It wasn't the amplifiers fault! When I later moved to another residence the B-52 was silent as could be even when using the overdrive channel boosted with an OD. Like I said before, this amp is very versatile. It can do everything from Country to Metalcore very well, especially considering it only cost me 400 dollars. Like all tube amps, the B-52 AT 112 sounds best when you can crank the volume. This is in fact necessary if you want to play the higher gain metalcore. I don't usually get the chance to crank my B-52 so I bought a DigiTech Bad Monkey OD to get that cranked sound at low volumes. It works like a dream. The clean channel remains clean even at very high volumes with my EMG81/85. It isn't until I push the amp to hearing damage levels that I begin to notice some distortion of the clean channel. This is very good especially because EMGs are very high output pickups. The distortion on its own is very impressive and easily capable of classic metal in the realm of pantera, Misfits, Megadeth and helloween. You do have to crank this amplifier to boost the gain enough for metalcore such as Trivium, Avenged Sevenfold and As Blood runs Black. An OD pedal solved this for me. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Like I said, this B-52 AT 112 was produced after the issues with the ventilator were resolved and I have had no problems with it. Even if I did have a problem, the warranty would cover it for a few years so I could just exchange my B-52 for the newer problem free model. It has never broken down, and I don't expect it to anywhere near in the future. I would never play without a backup amplifier however, simply because it doesn't take all that much for a tube to pop. This isn't the amplifiers fault, but the tubes. // 9

Impression: I play metal and metalcore mostly, and this amp is the perfect match for me. It was extremely affordable and delivered everything I needed. I have been playing for 2 years now, and I am still very much satisfied with my purchase. If it were stolen, I would just buy it again. Nothing comes even close in the 500 dollar range. The nearest contender would probably be a Peavey Valveking, but the distortion on the valveking is inferior in every way. The only thing I would have liked to see on this amp that isn't there is the rectifier settings the AT 212 does have. I feel that the AT 112 should have had these as well. The bottom line is: If you play metal, and you want a tube amp for less than $800, give the B-52 AT 112 a serious consideration. You will not regret it. // 9

Comments

[FUkeYoUArshole]

I am planning on getting a tube amp combo 5o watts or higher and wondering what is the best one in this price range. I was thinking about getting this one can some one help me out. I play lots of metal, southern metal, and Hard rock Thanx

[jdcjd]

Hi. I JUST bought a B-52 AT-212 and I am having an issue with the REVERB channel. It works perfectly when the footswitch is NOT plugged in, but when it is - it cuts out completely! Can anyone offer me ANY ideas of what I can do? Is it the footswitch, is it something worse? I got this secondhand - but the guy I bought it from SWEARS it was just bought about 6 months ago brand new (so OCT 2007). Any ideas/help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks

[fleh]

maybe its broken...

[dranz1212]

Im so buying this amp.

[watfoolplsno]

This Amp is pretty versatile although it does have its problems. It's a steal though at $550 so I think it's more than worth it. There's a review with a song recorded with the amp at http://nolimitsmusic.kerpal.net/2008/06/the-b-52-at-112-chea p-tube-powered-great-hi-gain-and-clean-tones/