20 Years Later: Finally Trying the Koch Studiotone for the First Time!

IN MEMORIAM: DOLF KOCH (1948 - 2024)
Between the filming and uploading of this video, we received the sad news about the sudden passing of Dolf Koch, founder of Koch Amplification.
He passed away on October 31st 2024 at the age of 76.
Our deepest condolences go out to Dolfs family and friends.
-----

It’s been 20 years since the first Koch Studiotone was introduced. Since then, several versions of this modern classic have been released, each praised for its versatile tones and overall sound quality—played on stages and recorded in studios around the world.

Today, Vincent admits he’s never actually tried the Studiotone himself. In this video, he finally puts the 20-watt 1x12" combo through its paces and shares his firsthand impressions.

Although edited for length, this video captures Vincent's genuine first encounter with the Studiotone and his honest reactions to its capabilities. Let's dive in!

----
Video time stamps:

00:00 Intro and video background
00:30 Front panel overview
00:51 Mics and back panel features
01:39 Clean settings and sounds with Telecaster
02:21 Overdrive sounds with Telecaster
03:13 More overdrive with Telecaster
03:47 Audio mix: what are we listening to here?
04:47 Exploring “OD+” boosted overdrive
05:31 Differences between “OD+” settings
06:49 Exploring mid knob effect
07:23 Exploring “Mid shift” toggle?
07:49 Checking out the reverb
08:45 Maximum amount of gain with Telecaster
09:34 Tele conclusion; switching guitars
09:52 Gibson ES-345 “bright” switch setting
10:32 Clean sounds on the ES-345
10:42 Overdriven Gibson ES-345
12:49 “OD+” boosted drive with ES-345
13:48 Exploring mid frequencies with the Gibson
14:45 Interaction treble knob and bright switch
15:50 Thoughts on treble/ bright relationship
16:36 Signing off - thank you!

This video was made by The Music Alliance, distributor for Koch Amplifiers.
For more info on Koch and the Studiotone: please visit:
https://www.koch-amps.com/guitar-comb...