[fatherjones]

I'm new here, and I've just become a convert to Esquire-hood -- loving my new 50's Esquire. (Which sounded so surprisingly good, and just felt so right that I had to snap it up and bought it in a decision making process that took less than five seconds. I picked it up said, "What's this stupid one-pickup guitar? Hmm... looks like a Tele...nice ash grain...oooh nice feeling neck....HOLY MOLY what TWANG! Ring it up.)

Anyway, I see nobody has discovered the Ampeg Jet J-20 which has been out for over a year now. I don't know why nobody seems to know about them, except that one is never advertised anywhere. These are blue diamond tolex covered 'retro' amps being newly manufactured in Korea for Ampeg.

Ho-hum, you might say.

Except -- these are point to point (eyelet board), tube pre, power and rectifier, alnico 12" speaker, solid pine box, bias tremolo (best kind), and one volume, one tone. They're cheap too at $799.

Now, as with my Esquire, I've found yet another example of less being so much more.

The Jet J-20 has top quality components (o.k. so it doesn't have Mercury transformers or Weber speakers). It is made the old fashioned way by human beings with wire and soldering irons. It has four knobs, and you only really use two of them. The volume and tone knobs actually offer a range of tones. The thing actually sounds SHOCKINGLY good.

It is now the best amp I have ever owned. And allow me to list that group:

- 1972 Champ
- 1967 Bandmaster
- 1964 Blackface (White knob) Princeton (Awesome)
- Boogie Subway Rocket Reverb (Awesome)
- Boogie .22 Studio+
- Fender Supersonic
- Deluxe Reverb Reissue ('65)
- Traynor Y2A Bass Mate (66?) (Awesome)
- Port City 12 (Awesome)

Yes -- this sucker sounds so good I can't believe it.

So, though I've spent thousands and owned most major types of high end guitars and some very cherry amps -- allow me to describe my current set up:

Esquire (MIM, 50's, Blonde Ash, stock pickup), Xotic AC Boost, Holy Grail Plus Reverb, Ampeg Jet J-20.