Sound City 70s 120 R 120W Tube Head – Used
This 72/73 120R is a perfect amp for anyone looking for a Hiwatt-style sound on a budget. Pumping out 120w of glorious clean head room through a sextet of EL-34 tubes, this is a perfect higher wattage pedal platform (and takes fuzz amazingly well).
In the late 60’s early 70’s, Sound City amps were built by Dallas-Arbiter in England. They had to compete with the likes of Marshall, Orange, Hiwatt, and Laney, but they held their own and had some very unique preamp circuits/EQ sections.
This one features an active EQ that has a tremendous effect on the amplifiers volume as well as built in reverb. The EQ section also has a very wide sweep, so there is a lot of tonal options on tap. The reverb on these are well-known for being very light, but having the option is nice (though most would probably opt to use a pedal reverb instead).
This amp is very clean. If you are looking for an amp to drive and break up naturally then this amp probably isn’t for you. If you are looking for something that has a ton of head room and can be played clean at loud volumes along with a drummer, this might be the amp for you. These have a history and characteristic of needed a little more warm-up/stand-by time than you average newer tube amp, but your patience will certainly be rewarded. Vintage, in great condition, hand-wired, made in England, and all for around $1,000; this Sound City 120R is a great piece to add to a collection or use as an every day face-melter.
