Johnson Standard 30 Watt Amp Reviews 
2 / 5 based on 1 reviewsI bought this amplifier from Sears for $149.99 + tax. It was my first guitar amp.
The amp is very powerful for 30 watts. I can't turn the volume all the way up cause its just too loud in the house. It has a line output on the back, so i can plug it in my computer and record little snippets and listen to them through the amp. The treble and middle controls work fairly well. Also has a pedal input so you can play with a guitar + pedal, and play with a clean guitar at the same time.
Oh, where to start!? Howabout the overdrive knob...it just simply doesn't work. I turn it up and up and up and there's no distortion. The only way that I can get distortion is if i turn it up all the way and even then it's really bad and low. I have no idea if it was defected from the factory, but i certainly know that i didn't do anything. The bass knob also isn't great. It works a little, but after about halfway, no more bass comes out. There is a headphone input which also doesn't work for some reason. I've tried about 6 different headphones, and none of them worked. After about a year of playing, the sound is really faded out.
The construction is great. Solid build, with steel caps at the corners, it doesn't look like it'll break anytime soon. I've had it for about a year and, even though i didn't really treat it badly, there still isn't even a scratch on it.
This is a good amp for beginners, but nothing more. I suggest playing on this amp for 8 months - 1 year of playing guitar and then upgrading. Make sure you, unlike me, test it out first at the store and MAKE SURE all the knobs work, especially overdrive (gain, distortion). While it's a nice little amp, and it may be a good amp, i think that the one i got is defected or something. If you haven't picked up a guitar yet, and are planning to, then try this amp. If you've been playing for at least 4 months, don't bother.
Chuck rated this unit
on
2002-09-27.
