Raven RG60 Amplifier Review & Field Test: The Worst Amp Ever, or A Hidden Gem?

[@owynmerrilin]

I'm honestly shocked to learn about the reputation of these things. I've had one since high school, and I got it because it sounded so much better than other amps in the price range. I seem to remember the reception online being relatively positive at the time, too. One thing I'm curious about: are the switches in that foot switch momentary or latching? I remember trying to get the matching switch and guitar center just not carrying it, and there was no documentation about what exactly it needed even in the manual. I kind of doubt they ever actually made a matching switch, but I'd love to get something compatible.

[@BigJakeMusic]

Yep, online this amp has become a meme of “amateurs” or “noobs”, a la Line 6 Spider(which also has an unfairly poor reputation)! Each button “clicks” down and activates either the opposite channel or reverb on/off. The Peavey 2 button footswitch will do the trick! I’ll put a link to it in the description.

[@owynmerrilin]

@@BigJakeMusic Thanks!

[@endezeichengrimm]

I saw an advertisement for these in an old guitar magazine. That's what brought me here.

[@BigJakeMusic]

These are a lot better than their reputation suggests!

[@maxxschneider5534]

Im an amateur guitar builder and a friend gave me his RG60 . So it was the first amp I plugged into. I couldnt believe what I was hearing. Was it my guitar or the amp? 2 SD overdrive pups. This amp makes my homemade guitar sound great. It has pretty good tone and killer overdrive. I love mine except for a few minor tweaks like the reverb and tuner. Id sell my Line6 before the Raven. Its a killer amp. Id like to know who designed an engineered this amp. Because it's the first solid state amp I've heard that actually sounds great. Good video.

[@maxxschneider5534]

This is my homemade baritone thru the RG60. The thing with this amp is that it was very toney. Excuse my sloppy playing. But this amp makes my guitar sound incredible. kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIfGfoGVgZiDrck

[@concealedfornow3342]

Impressive that you got that whole intro in a single take

[@KenTeel]

Thanks for doing the review. The history of these amps, was interesting. I have a couple of these amps. One of them, the RG20 (20 Watts) I used all summer long, in lounge in Reno, playing jazz. The thing worked flawlessly. It's really a nice little amp. Most of these modern amps, use op-amps (analog integrated circuits) for the preamp section, then boost the voltage with some discrete (individual) transistors, then send it out through a couple of high current transistors on the output. The RG 60 probably works this way. For the RG 20 they don't even need to have any individual (discrete) transistors. They can do it all with a few integrated circuits (even the output section.) The integrated circuit parts of these amps are standardized. The people that design audio amp integrated circuits know what they are doing and these devices are very good at clean sound and good frequency response. So, amp designers can plug these into the circuit with some support external resistors and capacitors, and they know that it'll sound good. This modular (integrated circuits) way of building, at least the preamp section, is very common. There are probably no surpises in the circuity. They are probably just a good solid common design. I've had flawless performance with mine. I'd easily buy another one if they were still selling them. By the way, the tuner on that amp does not require a battery. You turn on the amp, and if I remember right, there is a little switch right next to the LED characters, that turns on the tuner. It's a very handy feature to have. If you need to impress your friends with brand names, then don't buy an off brand or house brand amp. But if you're secure enough in yourself and your playing, venture into some of the off or house brands. You'll find some good value. PS: If you're not using distortion, you certainly don't need a tube amp. Clean can be accomplished very effectively with solid state amps. (PS: I will say one thing about younger players: They are not a bamboozled by brand name prestige as my baby boomer peers. There is more knowledge now with people sharing information on the internet. Younger people struggle with this economy, so they look for value products. And, now a days, cheap Chinese labor has made good gear, affordable. It all adds up to young people not being so brand oriented. I like that. A good amp is a good amp whether it says Sears (or Amazon) on the label or Fender)

[@horizonchaser6030]

Very cool. I have the same amp. I don't play well enough to buy a "You Need This" amp. Funny thing. I Bought it new in the Mid 2000's. Like most who pick up a guitar I quit. I kept the amp despite most saying it was garbage. I never developed the ear to know to hate the amp. Anyway dusting off my gear rebooting learning to play. The Raven will be in my Rig lol. Thanks for the review!! BTW not learning to gig.😅 Just for my sanity in this World.

[@BigJakeMusic]

I think it's a great amp and doesn't deserve the hatred, regardless of the level of the player! Congrats on picking up the guitar again :)

[@leodanryan966]

It's a good sound on overdrive, and for $20, it's a steal. If you just hook up a milti-effects pedal like a Zoom GX-1 Four you have a great amp.

[@BigJakeMusic]

I have run my entire pedalboard through this thing at multiple gigs and it sounds amazing! It’s absolutely perfect for smaller gigs and venues, and more than enough for playing at home. I guess it became trendy to hate these amps, because I don’t see the issue! Gotta love a reliable, awesome sounding analog amp! I do hate the reverb though. It’s sort of like a limp noodle! 😂

[@derekdbroyles]

I got a 212 for 80 bucks. Best money I have ever spent. The gain circuit is out of famous Randall century 200. I have many randalls and tube amps and I paid way to much for. I have pq3 pq4 blue mxr with plenty of backups. i laughed at this when it came. Stupid me!> Now after opening it up the cleans are same EQ as ROLAND JAZZ and the gain circuit is Randall. all you need it overdrive noise gate. PQ3 or PQ4 and reverb pedal.

[@user-nd1yj8ht9l]

Hey bro we you sure it's the same as the Randall's??

[@jhguitarfreak2172]

The reverb "tank" is inside the head, located somewhat near to the reverb knob actually. It's a little plastic deal with two springs. You can test it by turning the reverb up and giving the amp a good whack or jostle.

[@sinsofthemartyr]

I had the 100 watt head verson for a day i got used was the second amp head i ever got and didnt think to look at the internals b4 starting it up. I turned it on and it started smoking so i set it out in the rain... Great for dimebag tones until that.

[@dethsyndrome]

What a mighty quest you had. Glory to the crusader!

[@BigJakeMusic]

Haha, thanks!

[@JonJon-ou4jd]

I remember when they first came out I just started learning and it was on sale for 100 bucks had the rg20 shit it was good for 100 bucks especially back than for learner

[@BigJakeMusic]

These are great for as cheaply as they can be found now! They don’t deserve all the hatred.

[@Vazaqin]

i see one of these on the market place for $50..debating on pulling the trigger

[@BigJakeMusic]

Do it!

[@wyohorseman9948]

There's an rh100 which is the head with a cabinet for 200 bucks or spending the extra 300 for a Marshall half stack

[@Moremetal..]

I picked up a RG 60 for $30 CAD, made it into a head, just wish it had a Line out/Headphone out...

[@dandalrymple3689]

Sounds great on stage!

[@dustinjohnson9373]

I've been playing shows for years now if I'm just being honest you can gig with anything with a decent clean sound so don't be ashamed of having cheap gear better gear comes from time and experience you'll find a sound you like after that it doesn't matter what the brand is

[@motorcyclemark2889]

In another 3 months I can get myself the katana mk 2 100 on time payments for now I'm making do with a pos line six I hate its tone

[@BigJakeMusic]

I have a Line 6 Spider Valve that I actually love. The presets are pretty horrible but if you make your own presets they can have a very good tone! If you are certain you want a new amp I HIGHLY recommend the Peavey Bandit 112. It sounds like a Marshall stack and gets LOUD. I recommend the older used ones, like the silver stripe, red stripe, or teal stripe(pre-transtube). They have a million miles of clean headroom, great spring reverb, and a killer overdrive channel for anything from AC/DC crunch to Metallica thrash. Locally I am finding them for around $100. But you can buy a brand new one on Zzounds. It’s a bit more expensive but it’s an incredible amp. Be advised that they are a little bit heavy, but it’s all analog, so that artificial sound that can be found with digital preamps is gone!

[@RByrne]

Far from the worst amp ever. Id give that honour to the Fender Frontman.

[@BigJakeMusic]

Maybe the 10G, but the older, bigger ones are pretty nice, especially the 65R and 212R. I have a 212R that I use regularly. It’s sort of like a solid-state Twin! I’m not a fan of the Frontman DSP models though.

[@Heka41]

Had you been drinking before you filmed this?

[@BigJakeMusic]

Haha, nope! Is my conclusion that insane? 😂

[@randyschock7374]

Put a vintage 30 in it, and it'll sound 100x better.