Customer Reviews

Tech 21 PW-60/112 60W, 1x12 powered cabinet with Celestion speaker

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off, that is not a guitar amp. It is a neutral, linear amplifier (like a PA system). I use it as the power amplifier for my stack of effects and amp modeling rack devices. (Boss GT-Pro, Tech 21 PSA 1.1, Line 6 M-13 in different combinations.) When I dial in a Fender Twin model, it sounds like a Fender Twin. Feed it a Vox AC30 model and it sounds like a Vox AC30. In short it takes whatever signal you can create and makes it louder without adding any of it's own coloration.

So whether you're like me and believe that amp modeling has already come of age and can give you results that are distinguishable from, but not worse than, and as often as not, better than, an original amp, or are a purist with an exotic tube pre-amp, this makes an excellent noise. It would also, I imagine, make a good portable sound reinforcement solution when your venue has a questionable PA. Or perhaps you've got a lovely 5W amp that makes a sound you can't reproduce on your enormous Marshall stack. Mike up your tiny magic box and feed it to one or more of these. Even more exotic games are possible. Try feeding a speaker level signal through a level converter to one or more of these. Something might blow up during your experimentation (and please avoid electrocuting yourself by fiddling with hot speaker level signals). You just might find a cheaper way to build a wall of sound.

The PW-60 does have a few irritating features for me. The inputs, outputs, and controls all reside in the back of the cabinet which I find awkward to work with. But I'm using just one as my studio amplifier. The placement makes sense if you're setting up a four by four wall of them on stage, in which case top mounted connectors and controls would be unusable and front mounted would be ugly.

The PW-60 is well constructed and feels like it would survive life on the road (especially since it's solid state with no delicate tubes and sockets to get jiggled). It's plenty loud, enough so, I think, to handle most bar and club venues.

I suppose you could classify this as a niche product, but with more amateurs (and pros) creating their noises with little boxes of clever analog or digital circuits, a good many people could use one of these. They just may not know it yet.

I use a Line 6 POD X3 live for amp modelling and effects when in the studio and playing live. I have always run the X3L into a Marshall amp and something just wasn't right. The Tech 21 Power Engine is the perfect match for the X3L and provides all the volume I need without altering the tone. Being in Australia I need 240v 50Hz but could only get a 117v 60Hz. I use a step down transformer and works great - no hum, buzz or heating issues. Thinking of getting a second one!

This is built for people using effects processors that have a built in pre-amp. I was using a Fender Princeton Chorus prior to this and really wanted my amp to sound like my headphones when they're plugged into the processor. This does it! There is a minor, very minor, amount of modeling done by the amp via a Level, Mid, Low, and High knobs on the back but the difference when you change those is so minor that it's silly to even mention.

Additionally, this sucker is loud! I mean loud! It's only one speaker but it blows me away and I have to turn it down quite a bit to not overpower everyone else!

If you are using an effects processor and want that headphones-esque sound, buy this. It is worth every penny. Especially, since it is so low cost! You will not be disappointed.

So far so good. Just arrived today and I'm thrilled. I am a tube snob. I've had a few Fender tube amps including a Twin, a 5150 and a line 6 Duoverb. I loved them all except the line 6 it was just ok. This little power engine accompanied with an AMT B1 preamp and Boss FDR!( for clean) can keep up with all of them. Before I bought this amp I was using an Atomic reactor 112-50. The Atomic sounded great but the amp portion is cheaply made in China and it recently blew up. This amp sounds as good and better in some areas( with an acoustic guitar) than any of the others. I would by another on e.

I'm using this with a Line 6 POD HD Guitar Desktop Multi-Effects. I have no complaints about the build, quality, the volume, etc. It's a fantastic device. Considering it only has a single 12" speaker it can produce incredible volume without getting distorted or breaking up. They did a fantastic job with the build, and it looks perfect. I also love that you can chain more than one together in series, making for a very simple setup.

My only complaint with this is that it colors the sound. The whole point of this product is that it's supposed to be neutral, like a studio monitor. I suppose that would be a little much to ask for given the price, since powered studio monitors get very expensive. But Tech 21 specifically advertises that this is neutral, and it's not. It sounds like a guitar amp, not a monitor. It also adds a ton of warm midrange. Dialing the 'mid' eq back a bit does not fix it, it just scoops the heck out of the mids and makes it sound brittle. I don't know if the sound is because of the "guitar-centric" Celestion speaker, or if it's something else.

That aside, I have no issue getting good sounds out of it, it's just that it sounds nothing like when I use the Pod HD with studio headphones or monitors. I had originally considered buying a keyboard amp to use with the Line 6, but the price (and simplicity) of this device attracted me. I may still end up doing that, since this doesn't reproduce the signal as it's advertised to. Or I may just try using a different speaker with it instead of the Celestion.

If it was truly neutral, I'd give it five stars.

:: EDIT 12/4/11 ::

I have since replaced the Celestion Seventy80 with a Beyma 12GA50, which is a full-range speaker. This is the speaker that should have been included. The sound is not 100% accurate (a feat that would be impossible with a single speaker and an open back cabinet anyway), but it's darn close. Unfortunately it also increased the total price by about 50%.

Given that I had to replace the speaker with one that cost $160, bringing the total price to about $480, I will not be changing my rating; that aside I am very satisfied with the end result. The next least expensive option would be a floor monitor or PA monitor, which is going to be significantly more expensive, so this is still the cheapest, easiest option for live playing out of a modeling device such as the Line 6 Pod HD, or any other modeling system.

Just be forewarned that you are not buying a full-range monitor when you get the PE 60, despite how it's advertised. If you don't mind replacing the speaker, however, it's one of the best options out there.