Manual & large pictures: http://www.mindprint.de/cms.php?scr=products&mode=1&r=p&pr_kat=5&pr_id=10&aktiv=n#

-What Technology? (analog, digital, tube...)
Analogue, tube & transistors.

- What available effects, or type of effects, are there?
Preamp, semi-parametric 3 band EQ with parametric mids, compressor, tube saturation.

- What connection types are there?
Line in & out on jack + XLR.
Mic in on XLR with Phantom power switch on the back.
Instrument in on the front panel.

- Is it rackable, or in rack form?
Regular 19" unit.

- Is the general configuration/setup simple?
Yes, straightforward, plenty of switches in case you ever need them...high-pass filter etc.

- Can you easily get a good sound?
Kind of, yes. ;-)

- Is the manual clear and sufficient?...
Never had it.

- Is the sound of your instruments or your microphones faithfully reproduced?
Is the pre-amp transparent or does it color the sound?

This is not very transparent, but then again it's got a tube in the front window so do you really want it to be transparent?

This is no high-end piece of gear and i think it was kind of expensive given the sound, but is there much to complain about? I'm not sure. It's a very decent piece of kit. With the optional digital out it becomes quite interesting, but that is extra...and i think it should have been included for that money (almost £400 i think).

Don't expect this to make your mic sound fantastic, it won't. Sounds ok on a bass guitar, though.
Does the compressor work wonders? Not really, but it's quite powerful so one can't complain.

It does its job.

Manual: http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/emi/english/port/PSR90E.pdf

- What type of keyboard (synth, piano...)? How many octaves?
This is a 5 octave electronic keyboard, not a synth nor a piano. Not even close.
The touch is like most synths: ok, but no dynamic touch or after touch here. This is an extremely basic machine with crap sounds and it was probably extremely overpriced when it came out around 1982. However, if you stick it through some good effects, i'm sure you can use it quite adequately.

- What connection types are there? (audio, MIDI...)?
RCA stereo out, some sort of effects loops out & in (still stereo RCA) but i've never used that...MIDI in & out...exp pedal and footswith. Power is a separate adaptor.
The keyboard comes with a plastic & metal stand that fits on it and lets you have sheet music to read while you're playing, as seen on the photo here. You can take this off.

- How many different sounds and/or styles available? Can they be edited?
Not a lot. Check the manual but we're talking about 24-36 here.
You can't edit the sounds other than add chorus, reverb, portamento.

The rhythms are the only reason one would want to buy this, along with the fact that this is a very simple drum machine with some fairly decent sounds, surprisingly enough.
The rhythms are cheesy & fun, it's great, you can have a looot of fun with this. Plug it into an expander (i used my Roland GR-30 MIDI guitar expander with no probs) and you can actually have a good time, but i'm not sure you can do much with this thing apart from that.

- Is there an effects section?
Nope

- What are the features/characteristics of the sequencer?
4 tracks, you can save to cartridge if you find any on the second hand market (good luck) or to cassette or minidisc. Those of you who have had a Sinclair ZX Spectrum or a Commodore 64 will know what it's like.

- Is the general configuration/setup simple?
Oh yeah!

- Is the sound or effects editing easy?
The what?

- Is the manual clear and sufficient?...
Yep.

Made in Mexico. It has 21 frets with two single coil configuration. The bridge is a fixed stock Fender bridge. One control for volume and one control for tone. Has a three-way selector switch. Not sure what the neck is made of, but it doesn't feel like an expensive wood. The action is OK, mine needs a good set up.

The neck is OK. It doesn't play well since the strings are old and it is time to have it set up. With the double cutaways, it is easy to access the top notes. Unfortunately, with only 21 frets, you don't get much range. Being a smaller scale and what I consider a beginner guitar, this one is very light. It's your typical strat style design in a smaller, more 60's or 70's design. When this guitar was younger, it actually sounded decent, especially through a Fender Twin. It needs some TLC now, but I am unsure if that will even make it better for me than my beginner Ibanez. There simply aren't enough frets, and the guitar needs to be bigger for a bigger sound.

This guitar can do in a pinch if I break a string on my main guitar. Not exactly a metal guitar or even a shred guitar. It's nice for smooth, slow solos. It's also easier on the hands as it is a smaller scale, but that doesn't really help one's development and hand strength. I used to plug straight into whatever amp I was using at the time. Since I don't use this guitar much, it doesn't get plugged in to my current setup much. Like I said, it's not that great for metal or hard rock. But it can work for that jangly 60's and even 70's sound. I guess you could play Santana, or David Gilmour with it. There is a cool sustained harmonic that automatically appears when you play the 5th fret of the 3rd string, without having to pinch the string or purposefully attempt to create a harmonic. It is probably the coolest signature of this guitar. This is good, because I don't feel it has too many other cool features.

My RG120 is Japanese made. It has 24 frets with dual humbuckers. The bridge is a stock Ibanez bridge with tremolo unit. The amp has volume and tone selectors. It has a three way pickup selector switch. Not sure what wood the neck is made of, but it is your typical fast ibanez neck. It is thin, normal width and has small to medium size frets.

The neck, as with many Ibanez's has a very nice and fast feel. Because it is a twenty-four fret neck, I can easily get to that wonderful high E either by bending up to it, or by simply striking the 24th fret on the 1st string. Give it some wild vibrato and Yngwie would be proud! Cutaways are well cut such that it makes it even easier to access the top notes. The guitar is very light and is easy to move around with. With mine in black, it is very conservative and professional, yet the design still screams "rock star !" Controls are simple and spartan. I usually put the tone all the way. Volume knob depends on where I am in the song. I select the top (low end) pickup mode for smooth solos, and the bottom (high end/treble) pickup mode for rhythm playing and for screaming solos and finger-tapping. I do not use the middle pickup mode.

This guitar, even at entry level, is shred all the way. Just perfect for me. When I go play a Jackson or even a Fender stratocaster, which I used to play, I am out of my element. That is how much I like the way Ibanez's play. If I buy an upgrade guitar, it will most likely be an Ibanez. (I've already got my eye on one.) I play mine through several pedals, including a Zoom multi-effect. I play through a Hartke half stalk, a Fender stage 185, a Crate gx30m, and a Fender Frontman, as well as a combination of these. Even though this is a double humbucker shred guitar, I feel it plays clean sounds / jazz and blues well, at least in my style. The wonderful clean sounds from my Fender amps also help. This guitar is great for heavy music as well as soloing. Get it set up, and you understand why the Satriani's of the world can solo for so long! The only drawback of lower action is the fret buzz, but that may be my guitar repairman's fault, not the guitar.

This amp is solid state all the way. Not sure of the wattage, but I would say, judging from the volume, that it is about 30-40 watts. This amp has two channels, drive and clean. The drive channel has gain, shape and volume controls. The clean channel has master volume, treble, bass, and mid knobs. It also has a reverb knob that controls both channels. There is a manual channel switching switch if you don't have a foot-switch, which I don't. There are rate and depth knobs for chorus as well as a manual switch to engage it. Finally, there is a speaker out, headphone out, as well as foot-switch input.

This is your standard combo amp. The setup/configuration is simple enough that you don't need a manual in my opinion. I bought this thing used, so I don't have one anyway. Though I am not sure about the wattage, the amp is sufficient for rehearsals and even from small venues. It can also drive a 4ohm cab fairly nicely ! You have to tweak the amp a little bit because of the mediocre tones that come from it (see next section.) But pedals can help.

I bought this amp to rehearse and play on stage that upcoming Sunday because it was cheaper to buy it than rent an amp for a weekend. It does the job and has done so for more than a year. It's just that I've since bought better amps, so she might get sold soon. Both the stock clean and distortion channels are OK. The clean is passable, but the less than exemplary built-in chorus effect does not improve the tone any. The distortion is also passable. Kind of boxy sounding, but some people like that. I think it has it's place. The good news for me is that the distortion with gain all the way has enough sustain that I can keep up with our other guitarist and his much more expensive Fender Hot Rod Deville when we do "call and answer" solos. I play through a beginner Ibanez and many pedals, including a Zoom multi-effect. If I put the Zoom on the Fender Twin setting through the clean channel of this amp, you can close your eyes and think you have a Twin right beside you! That's a pretty good thing. The amp takes pedal distortion OK as well, especially put through a 4 speaker cabinet....you've got a stage ready rig for not much dough !

This is the classic tube amp of the ages. I am not sure of the wattage on this model. However, from the volume, I am pretty sure it is at least 60-80 watts per channel, of which this amp has two. With the clean or overdrive channel volume at 2, this amp is already plenty loud enough.
There are two sets of stereo inputs. One set of two is for switching channel mode. And this amp came with the channel switching foot-switch included, which is great. The other set of two is for parallel channel mode. It defaults to the clean channel, and you can pull the volume knob of the distortion channel to switch to it. I guess this is useful if you don't have a foot-switch. On the back there is a foot-switch output, effects loop (preamp out and power amp in), power amp thru output, two extension speaker outputs, one for series and one for parallel. There is also an impedance selector which allows you to select between 4,8 and 16 ohms, which is very cool and makes the amp very versatile. On the front, the clean channel has knobs for volume, treble with boost (by pulling the knob), mid and bass. The distortion channel has gain, treble with boost, mid with boost, and base with boost. It also has a wonderful presence knob and a volume knob. (The one that can be pulled out to select the distortion channel.) Finally, there is a reverb knob that controls both channels.

This amp was bought used, so there is no manual. The general configuration, in my opinion is self explanatory as long as you play with the knobs and inputs long enough. This thing is known for the tone that comes out of it, and it has a wide array of wonderful sounds that I keep discovering from additional use! With this being a vintage tube amp and being considered a vintage "red knob" model, I try not to use this as much. Just power it up from time to time to keep the tubes working or if I need it to impress at an audition. I also plan on using it more primarily for recording. If I am playing stadiums, I guess I can afford to play with this loud, tone-full baby on stage more often to get more volume and that wonderful tube sound!

This is considered a blues/jazz amp, styles which I incorporate into my playing. It is not really a heavy metal amp, but it takes pedals pretty well. However, I frankly don't remember the distortion channel being that good when I first played this amp in the nineties. But I played it recently, and I don't know if it aged gracefully, but I'll put that 2nd channel against many high gain amps today. With the gain at lower levels, you get a nice tube overdrive from this beauty. Set the gain on 10, and you have a great 70's or 80's heavy metal tone, in my opinion. To get thrash metal, death metal, or nu-metal, you will need a pedal. But like I said, this amp takes pedals well. I put a digitech death metal pedal through the clean channel, and it went from pristine heaven to absolute palm muting hell ! Speaking of the clean channel, I agree with many that it is the best in the business. I've played "boutique" amps that cost 3 times more, and their clean sound didn't sound any better. This baby has always been known and liked by me for it's beautiful "glassy" clean sound. It's got the right amount of shimmer and a wonderful thumping low end bass range. I love it, and there's probably nothing about this amp I hate, as far as tones!

This is a solid state amp. Mine is a black-face metal grill, so it doesn't say what the wattage is. But it is reportedly 15 watts, not 38 watts, and I think that is more accurate. There is one input. Also has an output for an 8 ohm minimum extension speaker as well as for headphones. It has two channels, including a clean channel with normal volume knob. The drive channel has drive volume and gain controls. Treble, mid, and bass knobs control both channels. The amp also has a drive select button to switch between channels. No foot-switch capability. All controls are on the front of the amp.

Being a practice amp, the configuration of the controls is very simple. I bought it used, so it didn't come with a manual. I don't believe it's necessary to have one, though. As with all my amps, my baseline setting is treble 10, mid 0 and bass 2. And with just this setting, I can get great sounds, especially on the drive channel. (See sounds section.)

The drive channel definitely suits my preferences for distortion ! (See settings from previous section.) With my baseline settings, the drive channel, has this raunchy, growly, powerful distortion with a wonderful presence to it ! The clean channel is OK. It's probably the worst Fender clean I have played, but that doesn't make it bad compared to other amps' clean channels. And the clean channel takes pedals quite well, so I can live with that, especially with the awesome drive channel ! I play a beginner Ibanez electric through a couple of pedals, specifically a zoom 505 multi effects pedal. When I set the Zoom to the Fender Twin setting, this baby's clean channel sounds awfully close to a fender twin. So I love the sounds that come out of both channels: the drive by itself, and the the clean with pedals through it.

This is a hybrid amplifier head. It is best described as a half solid state, with a 12aX7 tube for a tube amp feel. It is rated at 60W, and I would say that rating is accurate based on the volume. One input with two channels. One is a clean channel with volume, bass and treble. It also has a cool knob called "crunch". Distortion/overdrive channel has gain, volume, bass, mid and treble. There is also a reverb knob that controls both channels. There is a manual channel switch button, but there is no foot-switch included. There is a footswitch jack in the back, so there must be one you can buy. In the front, there are headphone and cd jacks. To conclude the back, there are effects send and return, as well as a minimum 4 ohm speaker output.

This head is fairly straightforward. It’s you basic 2 channel head with clean and overdrive. I put both channels on bass 2,mid 0, and treble 10, and it sounds decent, To get more thump out of the matching 4x8 speaker cab, I sometimes turn the bass up to 6 or 7, and it sounds pretty good. I don’t think the head comes with a manual, but because of it’s simplicity, I don’t feel that it really is necessary. I use this amp for rehearsals and the stage, but now I use it to practice with because it’s kind of cumbersome for rehearsal and the cab gets put in a box when I play on stage with it, which I think renders it useless.

By themselves, both channels sound OK, at best, in my opinion. The clean does not shimmer enough for my needs and the 2nd channel is a mediocre overdrive, and definitely not a distortion channel. The good news is that this amp appears to take pedals well, I don’t know if the 12ax7 tube has anything to do with it. I play my beginner level Ibanez through several effects, including a Zoom 505 multi-effect, and I can get a world of sounds and tones that mimic many guitar stars, past and present. See previous sections to see my settings for treble, bass and mid. Because it takes pedals well, I have many favorite sounds. I don’t know what to make of the crunch knob on the clean channel. It can provide a nice tube type breakup at lower volumes and pure overdrive at higher, and sounds good on its own. But when I introduce pedals, especially distortion/sustain on top of it, it sounds very muddy and TOO crunchy. So while it’s a great volume boost, it’s not a great lead boost.