Seven new electric and bass amplifiers: August 2019
Our favourite new amp and speaker announcements, releases and rumours of the past month.
Every month, we compile a list of announcements, releases, and rumours from amp and speaker makers big and small. Here are our favourites from the past month.
Blackstar HT Club 40 Kentucky Special
Blackstar’s new American-inspired tube combo features two 6L6 valves and a 12-inch Eminence Screamin’ Eagle speaker. It also has built-in attenuation, so you can take it from 40 watts to four watts without compromising tone. Rounding out its features are two footswitchable channels and four footswitchable voices.
EHX 70s Dirt Road Special
EHX’s 70s Dirt Road Special was reissued at this year’s Summer NAMM. This compact solid-state, 40-watt amp features a single 12-inch driver and is voiced for organic overdrive and gritty crunch. This iteration also includes four reverbs taken from the brand’s Holy Grail Max reverb pedal: spring, plate, hall and reverse.
EVH 5150III
Featuring three channels with three distinct voices – pristine cleans, tightened crunch and cutting leads – the 5150III is designed for modern British tones. The amp’s channels are also shaped by a combination of seven JJ ECC83 preamp tubes and two JJ EL34 power tubes as well as a comprehensive set of controls. In terms of speakers, the 5150III features either one- or two 12-inch EVH Celestions, depending on your choice of a 1×12 or 2×12 configuration.
Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb
The new Tone Master Deluxe Reverb switches out the original’s circuitry and 22-watt output for some modern appointments. These include a 100-watt digital power amp and a single Jensen N-12K neodymium speaker. The speaker was selected for “pronounced sparkle and clarity”, while the power amp is said to produce the headroom and dynamic range of the original Deluxe Reverbs.
Kemper Profiler Stage
Kemper’s Profiling amp has been the industry standard for digital modelling amplifiers since its 2012 release. Now, the company has unveiled a floorboard version, Profiler Stage, which contains all the Profiling tech to make it a floor-based multi-effects and modelling-amp powerhouse.
3rd Power Clean Sink
If you’re looking for a grab-and-go clean tone amp, 3rd Power’s Clean Sink ought to do the job. This 1×12 combo, derived from the clean channel of last year’s Kitchen Sink, features two blendable voices: AC and American. The former is British-leaning and can be toggled between Normal and Top Boost modes. An all-tube spring reverb rounds out this amp’s features.
Line 6 Spider V 240HC MkII
The most feature-packed of Line 6’s new Spider V range, this amp is a 240-watt head with two four-inch drivers, XLR direct stereo outputs and a USB audio interface. Match it with the 412 MkII speaker cabinet – which handles up to 320 watts – to unleash its true potential onstage, or tap on its dedicated 50-watt amp and in-built speakers for quiet practice. Like its smaller siblings, the 240HC MkII also provides access to over 200 emulations of amps, cabinets and effects, as well as 128 presets.
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