NAMM 2023: Fender reveals The Riff – a portable bluetooth speaker and compact amplifier

NAMM 2023: Fender has unveiled a new home listening device, The Riff, which also doubles up as a practice guitar amplifier.

• READ MORE: NAMM 2023: ESP reveals new signature guitars for Bill Kelliher, Gary Holt, Nergal and more

The Riff is a portable bluetooth speaker, which also has inputs for guitar or bass, and a 1/8” aux cable. It hosts four speakers and two bass radiators (60-watt, Class-D) and is just 12” x 8” in size.

It uses USB-C charging and has a lithium-ion battery, providing 30 hours of battery life. Its top panel, which is made with maplewood, hosts touch controls for volume, bass and treble using three sliders within the grooves of the wood, meaning you can adjust each level for not only plug and play guitar practice, but also for music playback too. The slider design was built to recreate the feeling of sliding your fingers across a fretboard, according to the Fender Audio website.

Further tools for The Riff can be accessed using the Fender Control app, which provides the ability to adjust the EQ and volume, or to control the guitar/music mix when practising. Although there is little control for tone, Fender Audio has confirmed that The Riff can be connected with the Mustang Micro headphone amp via cable, which will allow for access to effects and amp emulations.

Take a closer look in the video below:

The Riff is also said to offer auto-tone room correction via the app, and there’s a party mode enabling the connection of up to 100 speakers. There’s also a carry strap and it is water resistant, so it should be safe to use outdoors.

The Riff is priced at $469, and you can find out more at FenderAudio.com.