Magnatone Varsity Reverb Point-To-Point 15W 1x12” Combo Amp – Cathedral Burgundy

Information

Brand New w/ Warranty. We are an authorized Magnatone dealer!

The Varsity Reverb Point-to-Point Collection is a limited edition of hand-built amplifiers made in the USA, featuring vintage styling and point-to-point hand wiring and limited to a quantity of 50 units worldwide. This model has 15 watts of Class A power and features 100% cotton Cathedral Black or Cathedral Burgundy covering with a hand-tooled saddle-leather handle.

What Does Josh Think?

I’m going to start this musical journey on input 2. Here is where we find our Fender-inspired tones. Don’t let the EL84 power tube complement fool you. You can coax everything from late ‘50s to mid ‘60s American tones out of this baby. With the treble and bass knobs at noon, the voicing is truly quite neutral. Start here to feel the full roundness and impact of each note.

Next, dial back both the treble and bass knobs to roll back in time and land right in the thick of the Brownface era. Pushing the amp’s volume to noon with humbuckers delivers delicious breakup. Single coils will get there too with a little extra push on the volume knob. Regardless of pickup type, you are rewarded with warm, juicy tones. Yet no lack of clarity.

Pushing the treble and bass knobs into the 2 o’clock range gives you mid ‘60s Black Panel tones with their quintessential scooped character. These settings evoke memories of vintage Deluxe Reverbs. The Varsity Reverb Point to Point is capable of remaining smooth and intact even as you push the volume. As a side note, this amp is NEVER flabby. It holds up in the bottom end in a way you would only expect from a much higher wattage amp.

Now try disengaging the negative feedback loop by pushing the NFB toggle into the + position. This will net a slight bump in gain, narrow the note attack and deliver a snappier touch. If you want a more vibrant and immediate take on the old recipe, this switch might be your new favorite find. The amp is incredibly dynamic here and your guitar’s voice has real room to shine. Slight side effect… your low strings will be begging you for some serious riffage.

Finally, let’s plug into input 1. This input brings forward the upper midrange character of the EL84’s and leans decidedly British. Starting again with treble and bass at noon, we land on tones akin to a pushed Bassman. Which is a most appropriate segue into the Marshall and Vox-styled sounds we are about to explore.

Bump up the treble knob a couple digits to dive into crisper JTM45 territory. Early Marshall with the ability to go a bit further when needed. The amp has an underlying, chewy midrange that encourages a big amp tone even as you dial the bass up or down to taste. Your guitar never sounds thin or unsupported regardless of the volume.

Which leads us to the holy grail of diamond grill cloth tones. Once again, let’s disengage the negative feedback loop. The brisker feel under your fingers and the increase in gain lands you instantly in Top Boost zone. Upper harmonics jump out with vitality and the amp really starts to snarl. All the while, the top end remains mature instead of brash. Push the treble and roll back the bass to find that raw, classic edge that sits just right in a mix.

Add in some of the amp’s lush, long pan Reverb and it’s unlikely you’ll feel the need for anything else in your signal chain. Though a footswitch is not included, the reverb is footswitchable should you find yourself in a position where you need to switch from wet to dry on the fly.

FEATURES 

• Push-Pull 15 watt amplifier powered by EL84s
• Equally at home on the stage, studio, or bedroom
• Bright and lively tone full of color and harmonics
• Dual 12AX7s in the preamp for classic American voice
• Tube-driven long pan reverb with 4 counterwound springs

TECHNICAL SPECS

Tube Complement: (2) 12AX7, 12DW7, (2) EL84, GZ34

Power Output: 15 Watts, Class A

Inputs: High And Low Sensitivity

Bass: 12 Db Range At 60 Hz

Treble: 14 Db Range At 2 Khz

Reverb: Tube Driven 4 Counterwound Springs Long Pan

Speaker: Custom Magnatone 12” Ceramic Magnet

Combo Dimensions: 22.5” x 10” x 19.5”

Combo Weight: 36 lbs.