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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

This is a great amp experience, it a very good clean channel amp as is and can be greatly enhanced depending on the what ever preamp plug in you may want (ToneKing) you can get crazy gain as well with Engel or Friedman models. The power section is a great tried and true 20watt supply, the same as what Friedman uses in his 20 watt heads, like the JEL 20. Serivce is provided by the manufacturer, I think the best in the business. Endless tube preamps for flavor to play with, few options out there give this tube amp fantastic flexibility. Great price and endless options for those looking to get uncompromised tube sound without breaking the bank to buy a single flavor amp every time for your next gig.

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Verified Purchaser zZounds has verified that this reviewer purchased this specific product from us.

First off, if you don't actually have the product and are leaving a comment on a review thread... you are the worst kind of person. If American tone doesn't come in the form of an EL84, then explain a Fender Blues Junior or Pro Junior to me! Perhaps you should stop worrying about tubes, and worry about how the E.Q. is applied to those tubes. And for whoever needs to hear this... tubes don't have sound, they supply voltage. That being said... I purchased this through zZounds Pay As You Play. I wish I didn't wait as long as I did to step into the Synergy realm. I am kicking myself for that. I am however, relieved that this amp will curtail my amp swapping. For years, I have been swapping very expensive amps chasing the tone in my head that changes as my tastes in music do. This amp delivers on diversity!! I have had 2 Preamp Modules, with both being the newest Marshall modules. The JMP was ok, but the JCM is more my flavor. The Clean channel, IS WORTH THE PRICE OF ADMISSION. No Joke! My first thought with EL84's is that it might be chimey like a Vox. I did not find that to be the case. I actually bought a Tone King Imperial Preamp Pedal to go with the Synergy, just in case it was. My thought was I could get Vox and Fendery tones while creating a 5 channel monster. Since I get that American clean without the Imperial, now I am thinking that I will use that with a Wampler Pedalhead when that comes out for a quasi W/D/W rig. Anyways, the other 2 channels are obviously dependent on the preamp module you have inserted but with the JCM I have in, it is killer. Definitely plenty loud. I was riffing some early Godsmack with a heavy handed double bass drummer and had no problems with a 16ohm 1x12 cab keeping up. Don't let the 20w fool you. The best part is that at least with the module I have; there is a volume and gain knob. So I can dial in the specific tone of the amp through the module itself I want to get and then control the overall volume with the master on the the amp. There are 3 structure modes for the power amp section which fine tune the Power Amp's E.Q. and this part is more designed to adapt to the style of player you are or the genre of music you play.Mode A: Balanced negative feedback for a clear yet punchy soundMode B: Vintage style phase inverter with relaxed mids and a bright, shimmering high end.Mode C: Modern HiFi style phase inverter and low negative feedback resistor delivers a modern, tight feel with solid lows and a darker high end. I have not plugged direct from the head yet. I imagine that works brilliantly. I have connected to the software and have the latest firmware for the amp. That is simple to do. You literally plug the usb from the amp to the computer and it does everything else. I have plugged into the headphone jack and it sounds great through my headphones, however I will probably use that part maybe 3 times; throughout however long I own this amp. One of the best things about this amp that I absolutely love is the weight! At about 17lbs with a module loaded, my back no longer has to scream obscenities while dragging an expensive head all around town or through cramped hallways and stairs. This will be one of the last amps I ever buy. I can't say I won't ever buy another amp because... who could?

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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

I just wanted to say the gear expert opinion featured on this product is completely misinformed. EL84 tubes are definitely not part of the American tone. They're every bit as associated to British tone as EL34s. Any "gear expert" would know that for the American tone you always go with 6L6 tubes