TWO AMPS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE. SORTA.
The way this works is, there are effectively two amps in this little unit, each featuring five custom-voiced types designed with natural, organic overdrive and tube-style power amp dynamics in mind. They even let you select different output tube simulations (6V6, EL84, KT88, 6L6GC and EL34) and Class A or Class B/B topology, independently assign boosters, reverbs and speaker simulations, and select single or true dual-discrete inputs for genuine dual-path connectivity.
Each amp has five modes – Modern, Lead, Crunch, Clean and Solid – and you can use either amp independently or both at once. Yup, that means you can have simultaneous clean and dirty sounds, or different layers of overdrive, two completely different amps running at once for a wide rhythm sound, or just set it up like a conventional two-channel amp. Effects include Booster (White/Amber/Green), Reverb (Hall/Room/Plate/Spring), Noise Gate,FX Loop and Speaker Simulation. Control knobs include Amp Type, Booster, Gain, Master, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence, Reverb and Level. And around the back there’s a headphone out, footswitch connection, FX loop send and return (and it’s stereo!), two speaker outs and two line outs.
TWO TIMES FIVE EQUALS AWESOME
If you’ve played a THR amp before you’ll already know that they’re among the closest digital recreations you’ll find for boutique-style semi-dirty tones, are great for sparkling cleans, and have plenty of punch and power for distortions. What’s really revolutionary about this particular amp is the ability to blend them. It’s fun to call up two different Crunch amps and change just one element – maybe a power tube or a gain level – and create the illusion of two guitars. Or you can create a main tone with a subtle effect sound hidden underneath it. For example, the second voicing can be EQ’d differently and fed through delay for a nice dimensional solo tone. Or you can stack clean and edge-of-drive tones together for a big Stevie Ray Vaughan sound. It’s really just limited to your imagination. And it’s great that a stereo effects loop is included so you can really get the most out of your external gadgets within the context of this amp.
DUAL OF THE FATES
This is a great amp for those who have wanted to explore multi-amp rigs but didn’t have the resources. It’s not a tricky amp to learn, it doesn’t feel overly techy if you’re typically weary of digital amps, and most importantly it sounds and feels like it should.