Yeah- I like how the older amps had multiple inputs so the whole band could play through one amp!  :lmao:

I guess they wised up and figured out that selling three or four amps with one input was more profitable than selling one with three or four inputs! 

Checked out your vid- cool old amp! 

Here's some pics of mine....

It still has the original two-prong cord. I'm going to replace it with a grounded cord soon.

I think they are GREAT! Mine pleases me to no end. 

Regardless how the tones it can generate appeal to you personally, they are superior quality design and build. Top notch construction and components.

From what I understand, they were designed to compete directly with the Fender Twin which was considered the amp to beat at that time. So if you like the sound of a great Fender amp, you will probably like the sound of this great Yamaha amp. It is very versatile and has no tubes to replace like the Twin.

I believe that the "golden era" of solid state amps was from the late 70's to early 80's. From that point forward, with a few specialized exceptions, the solid state amp industry went down hill from there, tone wise. Could have something to do with analog circuits vs digital circuits- or maybe there's just more money in building tube amps. Think of all the amp techs and tube manufacturers that would be put out of work if suddenly everybody decided solid state amps were better. Solid state amps are more difficult to service too should something ever go wrong. Ever studied the schematics for a Lab Series amp? Mind-boggling.

Solid state amps CAN sound GREAT and in many cases, better than their tube counterparts but to do this cost a lot of money and therefore the cost of these great-sounding solid state amps became prohibitive. The best solid state amps from this era were very expensive, maybe as much or more than the Fender Twin they were trying to beat. If they weren't going to sound a lot better than a tube amp, why pay so much? My guess is that the price was supported by hype and expectation of the technology, which, while great, didn't prove to be quite the boon in value vs tone that the marketers had propagated. However, what that means for us who know the score is that many of the very excellent, high-quality, great-sounding old amps from the golden era that used to cost a small fortune can now be had for relative peanuts! Try to find a good condition Twin from this era for under a couple hundred! Won't happen unless you are incredibly lucky! But you can buy these great old solid state amps all day long for next to nothing. I got my G100 head for $100 and it is in great shape!  :dbtu:

The solid state Gibson Lab Series and Randall RG series (the "red stripes") are also some of the best solid state amps from around that time (Randall used to work for Fender before he split off and started his own company). Got my eye on a Randall Commander right now.

Rolland's JC-120 is great and so is some of the old stuff made by Sunn (the Beta Lead esp- but rare).

I've also always thought Peavey made some great sounding solid state amps too- from the 70's and all the way up to today.

I got one too! The head version. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!!!!  <3)

New to the forums- I've always appreciated solid state amps if for no other reasons that they are cheaper and more reliable. I own a Peavy Express and Rage 158, Trace Elliot Super Tramp, Lab Series L5, Yamaha G100 II head- all solid state. Had a David Eden bass head solid state too that sounded great.

My latest find is a funky late 70's Stage 65 by Univox. Not a top-shelf amp by any means at the time but the cleans are surprisingly good. I put a WGS Reaper in it and it really blossomed!

Here's a video of me reviewing it: http://youtu.be/uAq5mzFLtMQ

Let me know what you think. I may be able to pick up a 2x12 combo on the cheap here soon too.