So I didn’t become a music man amp fan until about a year ago. I always thought they were dumb (solid state preamp!?!? Kidding me?!?). Like an idiot. Finally I played one and was blown away. Great amps. Every bit as good as a fender blackface in terms of tone.
So I wish I had bought one back in the day when they went for $300 or less
Now I see them going for $600 plus.
I ran across a model I’d never seen before. The music man 212 75 A 2x12 combo with two channels one channel has reverb and phaser. It sounds killer. But I can’t figure out if it’s worth the $500 they’re asking. With pro super and deluxe reverbs (even master volume models) going for $1000 plus. And reissue fenders going for $500 on a deluxe if you’re super lucky.
This seems a decent deal as it had some pretty decent speakers in it.
How are these non HD versions different from the 65 and 130 (besides the obvious wattage or speaker and cabinet options). Again it’s just a 212 75. There was no “hd “ on the amp.
Also it should be noted that the bright modes were a good deal louder than normal modes. (Each channel has a bright normal switch) it also has a 3 way standby switch for 2 different modes (I think) high/low modes? And it definitely had the solid state preamp and tube power amp.
Anyone ever try to mod these for a tube gain stage? Or maybe a tube reverb gain and tecovery? I think the main weakness is the reverb when comparing to blackface style fenders. It’s definitey useable but just doesn’t have “it” and honestly very few amps do have that reverb. So you can’t hold it against em.
I’d really like to have a power amp in on this amp. Just so I could switch between my high voltage jcm 800 tube preamp pedal and the regular music man preamp. I would have bought it today if it had that feature
Sorry for long post. Let me know what you guys think! I love this small forum community you got goin on. Hipefully I’ll become an owner soon!
Music Man 75 112
I would say $500 is reasonable...maybe even "cheap" if it is in good shape. What else can you get for $500? Offer $400 and be prepared to walk away...if you can.
I looked at the schematic, and the two channels don't appear to be foot-switchable. The foot-switch is just for turning on/off the reverb and phasor. Maybe with a Fender A-B switch or other A-B selector you can send the pedal to Channel 1 and the clean signal to Channel two...or just switch the pedal off.
Good luck
500 is ok-ish
Hi there,
Imho, 500 is not bad. If it was a 112-75 it would be a no-brainer. The Twin sized MM combos are worth less today than the smaller ones 'because size' as the kids say. You can play pretty much any OD or preamp pedal with these as the front end can take an enormous amount of signal. I agree with RD112 above - offer 400, maybe you can get it for 450 which sounds more reasonable in my book. Of course we are now into condition, does it have the cover, the casters, the original footswitch and so on. The reverb should be plenty clear and lush on this model, it may just need a bit of maintenance to get it back in business. The 75 is of the premium amp range with the long tank.
I guess my advise is: Ask yourself if you can live with a 2x12 combo.
Cheers,
Lars Verholt