What was your first guitar amp?

Ooo, my arch nemesis. A Yamaha solid state amp from the late 70s. I tried every stomp box known to man - all 4 of them in 79 - and they still sounded like poo. Has a built-in distortion...err, hiss generator that drove me nuts since I couldn’t sound like Kansas or Led Zeppelin. That’s back in the day when NO ONE shared the secrets of amazing guitar tone, so it took me another 10 years before I started to sound pretty good.

I’ve got a pic of this somewhere...

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I have to laugh, because I think my brother still has his. As I remember it still sounds exactly as you describe!
 
My first amp was a small student model with some "off-brand" name I do not remember. My next amp was a Peavey Deuce 2x12" combo. Yes, it was a long time ago.
 
It came with a plywood SG copy.

Pe2j2Kl.jpg

(*Notice the non intonation bridge)


The action was so high on the guitar and the amp sounded like a Partridge Family Band reject, so bad I never learned more than 2-3 songs and gave it up until a decade later, when I was able to buy a real guitar & amp.

I'm having flashbacks with the SG copy. Mine was supposedly made by Wurlitzer, but I've never found a pic that was close to what I had, so I have major doubts about that claim and besides there were no letters, numbers, or any identifying marks on this guitar. Like yours, the action was a mile high, not too different from the acoustic I had at the time, and not really knowing any better, that's the way I learn to play it. My next electric was a Series 10...well, it was an improvement...sorta, and the SG became my "slide" guitar. I wound up trading the SG for a chipboard case and I know I came out ahead on that deal.
 
In about 1975 I was about 16 years old. My 1st amp was a Peavey 150 watt solid state head and 8x10 cab that I put on layaway and paid for with $2.55/hour part-time jobs. I don't remember the model but it had fuzz, distortion, reverb, and about drove my parents and neighbors insane. I blew my brains out and damaged my left ear a little. I was the loudest and most obnoxious kid on my block and quite possibly, the state. I couldn't play anything but some power and open chords and there were no lessons. No youtoob, no dvds, no decent and knowledgeable humans. But we did have 8-track tapes and vinyl. Nowadays these little chickadees have phones with tuners and vast repositories of musical knowledge available.
Still; I would not trade the experiences of living through the 70s and 80s. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

I’ve loved that song since it came out. Still listen to it at least once a month in the car or music room.
 
Yamaha THR10 - great, wanted a valve amp, so
Vox AC4-12 - great, wanted more so upgraded to a blue and fancy valves, but wanted more flexibility so,
Egnater Tweaker 15 - great but added fancy valves, but too damn loud unless house to self so,
Boss Katana 100 - great & cheap, but ironically the one thing it couldnt do was voxy cleans so,

Now line6 powercab with HX Stomp, can do all above & more, and in a happy place
 
A 15 watt solid state bass amp from a starter pack

Sounded terrible

As a kid I was fortunate to have access to a rehearsal space and loads of different gear. I think I kept running a guitar into some old bass amps until I tried either a marshall jcm or a H&K halfstack and I realised I needed a real guitar amp.

I miss those days, there was a lot of cool gear hanging around to try and I just never did, because I didn't know any better. These days I'd kill to use some of that stuff. I recall I bypassed some old marshalls and other nice tube rigs for a line 6 flextone combo because I was impressed with how many noises it made. Haha.
 
My first amp is embarrassing compared to a lot of the people here. Maybe not quite as bad as the Gorilla (although I can't say for definite as I never owned one) but was still not a great or 'vintage' amp. My first was a Park (by Marshall) G10 which I still have somewhere in storage but hasn't been used for nearly 30yrs...

That was effectively replaced by a Marshall TSL602. That amp was great but at a time of need, I had to sell that and my first guitar - a vintage Epiphone Les Paul Custom - it head the Gibson Headstock and the diamond inlay too - and that was a beast!! A friend of mine had a proper Gibson Les Paul Custom but both he and I agreed that my Epiphone was much better - easier to play and sustained for days. If I had the chance to buy both my old Epiphone and TSL 602 amp back, I wouldn't hesitate. Even though I now own several PRS (inc a 594) and a Marshall JVM410 that are 'better'. Obviously my 594 (closest to the Epi LP) is significantly better and the JVM410 is more powerful (100w vs 60w) with better speakers and even more versatility thanks to its 4 channels and 3 different variation for each (4x3=12 different options) compared the 3 channel TSL602 but the guitar in particular has sentimental value as it was my first Guitar.

Anyway, that's a bit of a digression in hope that you forget what my first amp was... :D
 
First amp was a generic little box, can't even remember what it was. First "real" amp (real to me at least) was my 1986 Peavy Stereo Chorus 400. Bought new on good-ole-fashioned layaway and still have it today.

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Very similar to my '75 Classic 50 2x12. IIRC, the Classic had reverb, but no chorus/vibrato effects. 6L6 tubes. Could just about hear myself think in a crowded room. :)
 
Well, I used a Targus guitar amp for my bass for a while, but the first amp I bought for a guitar was a little Peavey Chorus. I never really liked it but it was the right price point so I kept it for a few years until I got a Mesa Boogie Mark III, which I still use 30 years later.

Well kind of similar! Peavey stereo chorus and then Mesa 22. I still have it 25 years later.

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Mine was a Mesa Studio Caliber DC-2
I bought it off of my guitar teacher at the time
I’ve stuck with Mesa ever since

I still have mine. Such a cool wee amp!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/jE88tUL54oisAynA8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CwGXuDt2nhEEEyy39

The Backstage 30 was my Dad’s which I borrowed, after he bought his “jazz box”.

My first real amp was the Stereo Chorus. Heavy and not really what I was looking for!

I traded it for the Mesa (still heavy, but what I was looking for), which I’ve used since.
 
My first was a fender amp that was turned into a head a d a music man 4x12 cab.

I answered an ad in the paper advertising amp. The guy took the grill off of the cab to show me the speakers. I was hooked.

Went back to buy it and decided to show my buddy the speakers. Instead of using a key to pry grill off I used my large lock blade knife and proceeded to drop it. It stuck through the grill clothe on the bottom corner and everybody looked at each other in silence.

It did not poke a speaker but it was a very embarrassing moment for me.
 
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