B
I play in a Rock/Pop/Indie covers band working the Pub circuit in the North East of England.
I bought the Koch because it was a hybrid amp and I wanted to try to retain a Valve Amp sound whilst adding the reliability of solid state. My research told me that the pre-amp valve had excellent longevity. I had been using a Marshall JC200 DSL400 Combo which began a gig sounding perfect and totally died after half a set. No spare so rerouted through the PA ...in short it was a mess !!
So the Koch arrived and I plugged in my pedalboard (SKB) and guitar (Cassidy) turned everything on and started playing.
After ten minutes I was a very happy bunny indeed.
The Amplifier sounded like a valve amp...but more importantly it was very responsive...flexible to the 'n'th degree.
The controls enable you to extract pretty much any sound from bright clean to super crunchy. I love the gain control on the clean channel which allows you to flavour the clean to your taste. I like a hint of dark on the clean channel !! An added bonus was the effects loop which works so much better than my previous amp. I can now split my board putting the wah/compression/distortion overdrive through the front end and the other stuff into the loop...really really excellent.
I cannot praise the Koch too highly... it's well built, good looking, and gives you such sound versatility and so far total reliability ! I originally bought it as a backup to the Marshall (Which is now repaired) but to be honest I find myself using it for every gig.
Apart from giving me the confidence of knowing it's reliable it backs that up with a brilliant sound and you can't ask for better than that !!
And finally a side benefit is the number of conversations I've had with fellow musicians who approach me after the gigs and ask me "..hey...what's that amp? I love it!!"
I bought the Koch because it was a hybrid amp and I wanted to try to retain a Valve Amp sound whilst adding the reliability of solid state. My research told me that the pre-amp valve had excellent longevity. I had been using a Marshall JC200 DSL400 Combo which began a gig sounding perfect and totally died after half a set. No spare so rerouted through the PA ...in short it was a mess !!
So the Koch arrived and I plugged in my pedalboard (SKB) and guitar (Cassidy) turned everything on and started playing.
After ten minutes I was a very happy bunny indeed.
The Amplifier sounded like a valve amp...but more importantly it was very responsive...flexible to the 'n'th degree.
The controls enable you to extract pretty much any sound from bright clean to super crunchy. I love the gain control on the clean channel which allows you to flavour the clean to your taste. I like a hint of dark on the clean channel !! An added bonus was the effects loop which works so much better than my previous amp. I can now split my board putting the wah/compression/distortion overdrive through the front end and the other stuff into the loop...really really excellent.
I cannot praise the Koch too highly... it's well built, good looking, and gives you such sound versatility and so far total reliability ! I originally bought it as a backup to the Marshall (Which is now repaired) but to be honest I find myself using it for every gig.
Apart from giving me the confidence of knowing it's reliable it backs that up with a brilliant sound and you can't ask for better than that !!
And finally a side benefit is the number of conversations I've had with fellow musicians who approach me after the gigs and ask me "..hey...what's that amp? I love it!!"
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B
Best hybrid Amp for me
Bilbro says:
I am not a great fan of tranny amps so I was sceptical of this Hybrid amp when I first heard of it. (1 tube as a pre amp, the rest are transistors) A few You Tube reviews later I was convinced that this would do to replace my Marschall DSL 401, which had recently given up the ghost.
I was not dissapointed. This is a great little amp. And one of the best things about is that it is NOT made in China or any other country on the other side of the planet. They are from the Netherlands and if you have not visited the Koch website then I suggest that you do.
The sounds that you can get out of this little amp are amazing. Clean can be really cold, crisp and twangy, or warm and jazzy. Crunch goes from just a bit (depending on how hard you pick or pluck the string) to a nice grind and rasp. The Hot or Overdrive, ranges from ACDC to Heavy Metal ball jangling bad ass rumble mash :-). The Bass, Middle & Treble knobs really are enough to get great tones even out of a cheap guitar.
The contour switch in the down position offers a Fender type sound while in the up position you have more of a Marschall sound (more mid range boost I think)
The spring reverb for my taste can be a touch too much if you go over 50%, but some of you will obviously like and want it so.
All in all, I am chuffed with this Amp. So much in fact that I haven't bothered to get my Marschall repaired!! (No offence intended Jim, God bless you Mate)
Bilbro out
I am not a great fan of tranny amps so I was sceptical of this Hybrid amp when I first heard of it. (1 tube as a pre amp, the rest are transistors) A few You Tube reviews later I was convinced that this would do to replace my Marschall DSL 401, which had recently given up the ghost.
I was not dissapointed. This is a great little amp. And one of the best things about is that it is NOT made in China or any other country on the other side of the planet. They are from the Netherlands and if you have not visited the Koch website then I suggest that you do.
The sounds that you can get out of this little amp are amazing. Clean can be really cold, crisp and twangy, or warm and jazzy. Crunch goes from just a bit (depending on how hard you pick or pluck the string) to a nice grind and rasp. The Hot or Overdrive, ranges from ACDC to Heavy Metal ball jangling bad ass rumble mash :-). The Bass, Middle & Treble knobs really are enough to get great tones even out of a cheap guitar.
The contour switch in the down position offers a Fender type sound while in the up position you have more of a Marschall sound (more mid range boost I think)
The spring reverb for my taste can be a touch too much if you go over 50%, but some of you will obviously like and want it so.
All in all, I am chuffed with this Amp. So much in fact that I haven't bothered to get my Marschall repaired!! (No offence intended Jim, God bless you Mate)
Bilbro out
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A
Sounds like full tube..
I have this amp for over one and a half years and truly amazing.
The clean channel is unbelievable, I play mainly blues with some rock days.. The clarity of the amp would stand next to full tube boutique amps.
It was recommended to me by a jazz pro player who every time we play together stays 30 min longer playing jazz on the Jupiter. I play a Strat and a Gibson 339 both sound great through this little amp.
Definitely you should check this before deciding what to get next!
The clean channel is unbelievable, I play mainly blues with some rock days.. The clarity of the amp would stand next to full tube boutique amps.
It was recommended to me by a jazz pro player who every time we play together stays 30 min longer playing jazz on the Jupiter. I play a Strat and a Gibson 339 both sound great through this little amp.
Definitely you should check this before deciding what to get next!
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k
I love this amp!
Lovely warm sound (you wouldn't think the output stage was solid state) at both low and high volumes, a great sounding reverb that you'll want to use, well laid out and easy to use (no unnecessary features!) and cool retro looks.
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Y
Great amp!
This amp is quite simply a very good buy if you need an analog amp with great tones but don?t need the hassle with tubes. The clean sound is great; warm and dynamic. The crunch sounds are really good, and you can get surprisingly much gain out of it, all the time with an open quality in the sound that is mostly common in much more expensive amps. The build quality is solid, it?s built like a tank. Works very well for blues, rockier/ bluesier jazz, classic rock and hard rock. I?ve used it with single coils and P90s, but I?m sure that it would work well with humbuckers as well. I?ve had it for over five years, and it?s still like new.
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t
Quality amp!
I love the tone and the versatility! It's obviously made with care. It's almost as if it's incapable of producing bad sounds. I sometimes even prefer just the tube distortion over my pedals.
Be aware that even with the dimmer dialed down to 1% it's still quite loud if you turn the gain and volume up into distortion. Bedroom level sure, but the bedroom hopefully has neighbors who don't mind guitar playing...
However, you can just unplug the speaker (it's safe to do so with this amp) and use the emulated speaker out (line level) into an audio interface that you can monitor with headphones.
Be aware that even with the dimmer dialed down to 1% it's still quite loud if you turn the gain and volume up into distortion. Bedroom level sure, but the bedroom hopefully has neighbors who don't mind guitar playing...
However, you can just unplug the speaker (it's safe to do so with this amp) and use the emulated speaker out (line level) into an audio interface that you can monitor with headphones.
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A
KOCH JUPITER 45
Unique sounding amp!
Personally I've always been looking for my own funk/fusion
sound ( clean with a little grit ) and DEFINITION!!
This hybrid design works for me - Tight bass with punchy sound and pedals work great both in front and in effects loop,
and I can dial in good sound at both low and high volumes.
NICE JOB KOCH !
Personally I've always been looking for my own funk/fusion
sound ( clean with a little grit ) and DEFINITION!!
This hybrid design works for me - Tight bass with punchy sound and pedals work great both in front and in effects loop,
and I can dial in good sound at both low and high volumes.
NICE JOB KOCH !
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A
I've been playing for over 30 years and I use the amp both for recording and live. In both situations it works extremely well. Not too heavy to carry around.
I like the pristine sound it delivers, though it can be as powerful as you need it to be. I'd say it's a sort of mix between a Fender Deluxe and a Marshall Bluesbreaker, though it definitely has it's own character. Very useful with pedals on the clean channel. So it's very versatile. If you play metal maybe you'd better look elsewhere. I'd recommend it to anybody looking for a powerful combo, with a sound of its own and easily transportable.
I like the pristine sound it delivers, though it can be as powerful as you need it to be. I'd say it's a sort of mix between a Fender Deluxe and a Marshall Bluesbreaker, though it definitely has it's own character. Very useful with pedals on the clean channel. So it's very versatile. If you play metal maybe you'd better look elsewhere. I'd recommend it to anybody looking for a powerful combo, with a sound of its own and easily transportable.
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