Polytone Maxi Brute

Price Paid: trade used

Features: 8
this ampwasmadein 1975 in Hollywood Ca.
sofar it's has thetone I want.
2 hanel stero amp with hannel swithin
4x10" speakers
360 watts

Sound Quality: 9
great sound

Reliability: 9
it' old and still going

Customer Support: 5
I need to know more about this amp. I have found a few 2x10 versions but I can't seem to find another 4x10 like mine.If anyonehas any info
I would appriiate the help. I stumbled on it in a trade. E-mail me aelee@pdnt.com

Overall Rating: 7
great amp just wish Iknew more about it.

Submitted by roy murphy at 08/29/2003 23:17

Price Paid: US $100 used

Features: 8
High power 2X12 with true stereo or bridged mono operation. VERY LOUD. One clean channel, one overdrive channel. mechanical reverb and electronic tremolo.

Sound Quality: 10
I bought this amp used about 20 years ago with a Fender Rhodes Stage 73 (wish I still had that!!). Just had the speakers re-coned and this thing screams! Very loud, clean and accurate. I disconnected the reverb years ago when something got loose. Never liked the distortion or any of the effects, but it still cranks loud clean power. It is a great keyboard amp and I also use it with a Gibson semi-hollow and Boss Chorus when I play fingerstyle rhythm in a bossa group behing a female singer.

Reliability: 8
Never broke, but the cones were cracking and buzzing at high volumes so I just had it reconed...(Amp Lab, Redwood City, CA). The pots have gotten pretty noisy, so I have to be careful at live gigs not to wake anyone up...

Customer Support: N/A
Actually, I'm looking for a schematic for this amp if anyone knows about it.

Overall Rating: 7
Been playing >30 years...I'd get something else. I'd probably sell it to someone who really wants one of these as I guess they have some nostalgia value. (?Joe Pass???)

Submitted by Jeff Rosner at 05/20/2001 20:22

Price Paid: US $100 used

Features: 7
Very ugly 100 watt stereo guitar amp w/overdrive reverb and tremolo 2 12" speakers. Late 70's technology at it's scariest. True solid state wizardry.

Sound Quality: 8
Mostly used w/ humbuckers and external effects such as BOSS GT3. The amp stays clean right up to ten. Loud as hell. I have used it as a temporaray PA. with no problems. Being a true stereo amp you can use it for singing and playing guitar, or two guitar players at once with no cross talk in the separate channels. Does it sound like a tube amp? No it sounds like a good solid state amp should, Loud clean and fast attack to notes. The built in overdrive is okay, but tame by modern standards. The reverb is not the greatest. The tremolo goes from one speaker to the other which is very cool. since I play mostly metal style alternative grungy art stuff the distortion comes from other preamps. This is basically a loud power amp for me. did I mention it's LOUD. ungodly LOUD.

Reliability: 10
going on 25 years old and though it has been through hell and looks terrible it still has not quit on me once. I have used it outdoors and in. banged around in the van to and from gigs even once spilled a beer right on the top facing control panel. and although the back lit panel stopped working the amp still kept going.

Customer Support: 7
although polytone no longer makes this model I was able to talk to service tech in order to get replacement parts when I thought th amp was broken. it turnd out to be a loose cable inside the amp and not the chip I thought was bad. after 20+ years you have to expect somthing like that to happen.

Overall Rating: 10
I have been playing for 15 years and got this amp 6 years ago if it was lost I would definately buy it again if I could find one. I have alot of other ampsincluding a blackface fender bassman and several marshalls,but the combination of useable clean headroom combined with the true stereo capability make this amp a valued part of my collection.

Submitted by B. Hess at 08/31/2000 12:56