Ugly Amps Ugly 18 Amplifier Video Review!

Specifications

Head:

2 EL84 power tubes,
2 12AX7 preamp tubes,
4 and 8 ohm outputs and a line out jack,
Two channels, a third channel is possible via plexi style jump

Cab:

Features

From http://www.uglyamps.com

We are always working to develop lasting relationships with guitar players everywhere!

Review

I first heard the name “Ugly Amps” at the 2008 LA Amp Show  (our coverage available HERE). I was immediately drawn to the name, I mean who in their right mind refers to their own product as “Ugly?” And that is when I was first introduced to Steve Oboyle and his range of amps. One of the most interesting things you will learn about Steve is that he is in fact not a guitar player, but a drummer! He is also a rather modest guy as he does have more than a few licks up his sleeve. There was a good amount of buzz surrounding Ugly Amps at the show so I knew I had to get a sample up here in San Francisco to give it a proper run through.

The Ugly 18 is a simple amp to be sure, with only three knobs: Bright volume, Normal volume, and Tone (but only for the Normal channel). The interesting thing to note about the Tone knob is it can actually make the Normal channel sound brighter than the channel bearing that name.  For a rich, fat clean tone all one needs to do is plug in direct and set the volume to about 12 Noon. Beyond 12 o’clock the amp starts to provide some smooth break up as you dig into it. For blues I would recommend you set the volume to about 3 o’clock and just ride the volume knob accordingly.

The Bright and Normal channels are different enough that it leaves you wishing you could switch between them. However, I found the Bright channel to have a little more edge than it’s Normal counterpart. The Bright channel was quicker to distort, but, at lower volumes, produced a lovely jangle than made the Custom Shop Wildwood 10 Strat sound like a million bucks. The Les Paul was able to coax a warm, round tone out of the amp that was just down right smoky, even with the relatively bright Burst Bucker pickups. The Les Paul did not even cause the amp to break up at 12 o’clock, while plugged into the Normal Channel, the tone was full and complex, but not over driven. To get into the break up zone, the Normal volume needed to be set to 2 or 3 o’clock, and then the Les Paul could push it into that sweet growl.  

I can say without any hint of a lie, that I was not expecting the roar that came from this little box. When I first plugged in the “Y” cable that Steve sent with the amp and turned both volumes all the way up I was in awe – this amp screams! The Les Paul VOS proved to be the most apt at pulling all the available gain out of the amp. The best tonal comparison would be to AC/DC or ZZ Top, a rich biting tone that is not nasty or brittle, but warm and fat. The bridged Ugly 18 could get you through any number of classic rock tones and if you wanted to throw a boost or distortion pedal at it, you could easily take the amp right into modern territory.

This would be the perfect amp for a small club or recording, even though it is huge for 18 watts. Though, it might not be your first choice for the arena tour you have planned this summer, it is a very very loud 18 watts to be sure. I decided to plug the head into my Marshall 4 x 12 at my flat to see how it would sound and I couldn’t turn the volume past 12 o'clock without fear of eviction! Yet, when we were shooting the review in the studio, with the channels bridged, and the volume full up, the amp was not blowing me back out of the room. What makes the Ugly 18 such a pleasure to play, was that it had both impact and punch, and can be turned all the way up to get that amazing tube distortion, but it was not going to be contributing to any permanent hearing damage.

So how does it take pedals you ask? I decided to see how a few of my favorite stomp boxes would sound through the Ugly 18, and I must say that I am a wee bit of a pedal whore. I started with a Robert Keeley Fuzz head and a Tom Anderson Classic T plugged into the normal channel set at 12 Noon, and was pleasantly surprised with just how big the sound was. Some amps are better at coping with pedals than others; some impart their own color to the pedal’s tone, and some even squash the pedals tone altogether. The Ugly 18 allowed the Fuzz Head to impart it’s own tone through the speakers, and not just sound like a fuzzy version of the Ugly 18. I won’t say it’s transparent, because all of the 18’s warmth was present, but I really felt like this was the first time I had really heard this pedal’s true voice.

The Fulltone GT500 was a real surprise as well; it took this amp to a whole different level. The GT500 is an amazing distortion pedal to begin with (you can find a review of it HERE), and the Ugly 18 only helps to cement that statement. The pedal is capable of some serious gain, and it has treble, mid, and bass controls available (I like to cut the mids for a nice scooped tone), so you can really dial in the sound your looking for. This pedal sounded HUGE through the Ugly 18, I still can’t get my head around the fact that this is an open back, 2 x 10 cab! The low end for that cab was comparable to a sealed back 2 x 12 – no shit, it sounded THAT big.

Let’s talk about reverb for a quick second; this amp does not carry the option. I was talking to Steve Oboyle (the man behind Ugly Amps) about it and he had this to say:

“…to be honest it’s kinda difficult to add to such a simple amp. I am working on a foldback design that would not invade the signal path.”

But after hearing the Strat through this amp, I was left wondering if there was really any need for reverb at all? The amp is punchy and dynamic to say the least and after playing it for a few hours I can say that I didn’t really miss it. But, me being me, I just really had to hear what a little reverb would do to this amp.  Just what flavor should I use? I decided to hook up my trusty EHX Holy Grail reverb pedal as opposed to a Fender reverb, with the thinking that the amp is of such a compact size why would I want to add on another box that is bigger than the head itself! I made the required electrical connections (I wish the EHX ran on 9V!), I plugged back in, and was pleased to no end! The reverb really works well with this amp, the tone of the Ugly 18 sounds right at home bathing in a good amount of reverb. I can certainly live with the need to add a reverb pedal to keep the tone of this amp intact. With a reverb in line the 18 becomes a monster of a blues amp.

The Final Word

I have said it before and I will say it again many times - we are in a golden age for guitars and amplifiers, and the Ugly 18 is proof positive of that statement. The Ugly 18 is one of the best sounding amps I have heard, and that is not an exaggeration. The amp allows the guitar’s voice to come through in a way that sounds very warm and very fat . The tone of this amp will satisfy any purist and the addition of a few choice pedals will even make the shredders happy.  The quality of this amp is very easy to see, but you have to hear it to believe it; so be sure to check out the video review to really get an idea of just how awesome and versatile this amp is.

A high quality tone machine that is handmade in the United States, and all for a reasonable price… in these difficult times, could one ask for more?

Highly, Highly recommended.

And what was the first thing out of everyone’s mouth when they saw this Ugly 18 for the first time?

“Ugly? Ain’t nothing ugly about that!”