Opinions on Ampeg Jets from the 1960s

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Nightclub Dwight

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Does anyone have any experience with the Ampeg Jets that were made in the 1960s? I'm considering one, but I've never really played an old Ampeg. I have a decent compliment of Fender, Marshall, Vox and Valco amps, but no Ampegs. I'd love to hear your opinions. Also, anything in particular to look out for?
 

MickM

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I had one in the early 80's all original (from 1st owner) before I knew anything about tube amps. Being my only amp I used it for everything including college/frat parties. The other guitar player had a SF Princeton reverb so they were fairly matched volume wise. The drummer was a Kieth Moon wannabe so we would have to occasionally bean him with a beer can when he would get out of hand.
It had a decent amount of headroom but by the middle of the nite we were done with our "jazz" numbers and everything was WFO and headroom was not called for. I was playing my best guitar to date, an Ibanez LP copy that the previous owner installed grovers and a super distortion bridge PU. I also replaced one tone pot with a 9v pre-amp kit which was pretty trick at the time.
Wish I could say what single coils sounded like but didn't have any to try. One thing I can say is I would buy another if I had the chance but a few years later a friend had a Reverberocket which was like the Jet on rocket fuel. That's the Ampeg I'd really like to find now.
Wish I had more but there're a few guys here that have them and a search might pop 'em up.https://www.tdpri.com/search/104324590/?q=ampeg+jet&o=relevance&c[node]=96
 

Nightclub Dwight

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Most of what I hear about old Ampegs is about the Reverbrockets. My brother used an old Reverbrocket in a recording studio and said it was almost a magical amp. But I have heard less about the Jets hence my thread asking this question.

Thank you for your input @MickM and @Timbresmith1.

I'm hoping @Peegoo chimes in. He knows everything.
 

kennl

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my favorite amp
early 1960's Jets had octal preamp tubes and a 6V6 power section
those have a creamy crunch sound like a Valco or tweed Deluxe, and break up early
mid-1960's models had 12AX7 preamp tubes and 7591 power tubes, and have more headroom
the problematic Jets are from the later years, when Ampeg was owned by Magnavox who used that model to exhaust their supply of "compaction" TV tubes
the 6BK11 preamp tubes used in those amps have not been produced since the 1960's, and remaining NOS samples are expensive
my newer Jet (J-12D) had that circuit, and the preamp tubes were failing
I had a tech mod it to the circa 1961 specs (J-12). 5 tubes and sockets, a few resistors and capacitors were required
the Reverberocket has a larger cabinet, dual channels, tremolo (with speed and intensity controls) and reverb
if you compare the Jet to a tweed Deluxe, the Reverberocket sounds bigger and cleaner with a warmer midrange that a black panel Fender
 

eichaan

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I had a Jet in 1993, but like Mick M, I didn't really know what to do with it--I just assumed that "tube" would mean "loud distortion" but the distortion on my little Peavey was easier to manage. I think it LOOKED amazing, and I would love to try one again now that I actually understand tone.
 

slider313

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Great amps and really their own thing compared to other brands. The Jet's cabinet is small but houses a 12" speaker. The tone is the same as most of the early to mid 60's Ampeg line: very mid focused with plenty of harmonic overtones. This translates to not as scooped, or clean, as a Fender of similar wattage. Swapping speakers can be a chore due to the size of the cabinet and you will have to remove the chassis to get the speaker out. I feel old Ampeg's are the best bargains in the vintage market.
 

red57strat

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I've had a '62 Jet with 6V6 power tubes and a Weber alnico magnet speaker and a '63 Jet with 7591 power tubes and the original Jensen ceramic magnet speaker. I preferred the '62, but it could've been the speaker.
 

JL_LI

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I remember Jets from my garage band days. I had a Reverberocket which was loud enough for the church basement but barely loud enough for the girls’ gym. I needed a Gemini VI but got a Gemini II so I could plug in a mic too. I never thought of a Jet as collectible or desirable. It seemed to be in the same class as a Champ but those are collectible now. So what do I know? If I could go back to the ‘60s, I’d gather up all my old gear and lock it in a vault. That’s what I’d do.
 

Jim622

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A jet was my first amp and like was said, I really didn't know what I had. I do remember the tremolo was just an on off switch with no way of controlling the speed, which I found useless. I now wish I kept it.
 

Paul G.

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One of my first amps was an Ampeg "EchoJet", which was a Jet, but you could hook alligator clips to the speaker of another amp and use it as a standalone reverb unit. There was no reverb available on the amp.

As a reverb unit for a Gretsch amp, it was fine. As a guitar amp, I remember thinking it sounded kinda dull. It was not exciting like all of my friend's Fender amps. It was not particularly loud, either.
 

Bob M

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About 5 years ago I used a ‘66 Jet and a ‘65 Reverberocket for gigs. Both amps had 7591 power tubes and the 6BK11 preamp tubes. The Reverberocket sounded great without any pedals. Plenty of headroom and just a hint of breakup. The Jet I always felt needed a little help tone wise. I used an EQ pedal and reverb and delay and it was really good for practice or small gigs. I got scared at the cost to retube and felt that reworking the amps to accommodate more traditional tubes would disturb the character of the amps so I sold them. But when I was using them I really thought they sounded great. A Jet is much stouter than either a Champ or Princeton (IMHO) and can be had for a fraction of the cost of vintage Fenders.
 

Marc Morfei

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I’ve heard Ampegs are heavy. Is that true? They pop up around here used on CL once in a while, but they always seem to be priced kind of expensive and I never feel like dealing with the tech on vintage stuff, so I never bite.
 

spupilup

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I’ve got a ‘68 Reverbojet. I think it was the first year of the more modern look. It’s 18 watts with a 12”. I love it and it really gets that late ‘60’s early ‘70’s Rolling Stones tone effortlessly. It had been gone over by our local amp guru right before I bought it. A pretty amazing piece of 53 year old gear for not a lot of money.
 

middy

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Check out the Dr Z Jetta. It’s somewhat of a Jet clone with a simplified handwired circuit, an effects loop, and a post phase inverter master volume. 30 watts and 35 lbs combo with a G12H30, it s brilliant amp!
 
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