The Beatles had their Vox AC30s, Jimi had his Plexis, Metallica used Mesas, everyone plays Fenders, and bassists are all backed up by the mighty Ampeg SVT at some point. If you play guitar or bass, you’re well aware of these iconic amplifiers and their effect on music. But this is not about any of those. Welcome to the present and future of amplification.

Amplifier designers have been hard at work in the last couple of decades, breaking new ground on tone and crafting amplifiers that are changing the way we play and interact with our gear. This article is about these new amplifiers — the ones you don’t read about as often, but you’ll find at every guitarist’s or bassist’s house. These are not your grandfather’s amps. But they’re the ones he’d play if he was picking up a guitar today.

Line 6 AxSys 212
The idea of having the tones of a vault full of great amplifiers emanating from a single combo at low volume levels is commonplace today. But when Line 6 released the AxSys 212 modeling combo guitar amplifier in the mid 1990s, it was inconceivable. As the first modeling amplifier and the precursor to their revolutionary POD, the AxSys literally changed the world of guitar. For the first time, players could show up at the gig with every tone they would need built right into their amp, along with all their favorite effects.

Modeling has advanced in mind-bending ways since the AxSys 212 hit the scene. Today, you’ll find powerhouses like Line 6’s Spider V series, Firehawk 1500, and DT modeling tube amps in the original’s stead.

Orange Tiny Terror
Like the Line 6 AXSys 212, Orange’s compact powerhouse, the Tiny Terror, was born from a need for convenience. But instead of cramming a digital amp with a plethora of other amps’ tones, Orange crammed 15 watts of all-tube tone into an amp head about the size and weight of a lunchbox. Not only were the ferocious little amp heads enormously popular, but every other amplifier company quickly released their own “lunchbox” amp heads to try to keep pace.

For reasons that remain a mystery, Orange discontinued the original Tiny Terror in 2016 — but not before releasing a line of amps in its direct lineage, such as the Dual Terror, Dark Terror, and the Signature #4 Jim Root (Slipknot) Terror. While there are always rumblings of the original’s return, these newer models offer similar character while adding their own sonic and feature-rich tweaks.

EHX 44 Magnum
If Orange’s Terror series amps still aren’t compact or convenient enough for your needs, you may want to take a look at Electro-Harmonix’s 44 Magnum power amplifier. It’s 44 watts of guitar-amp-like power shoved into a standard overdrive pedal.

With the demands of travel and players moving toward more involved pedal-based tones, there is a definite rise in powerful and compact power amps with less emphasis on tube-snobbery than ever before. But it was EHX’s 44 Magnum that started the whole thing. Simply place it on your board at the end of the rest of your pedal chain, and run it right to your cabinet. You’ll be amazed at how great and tube-like it is. In fact, as you crank the volume, you’ll find the 44 Magnum breaking up and compressing just like guitarists love. If you’re a player who needs convenience and gets your sounds from a pedalboard, you simply must check out the EHX 44 Magnum.

44 Magnum Power Amp used on bass, Rhodes, and guitar cabinet

Дарглас микротреќи 900
Given bassists’ proclivities toward embracing technology, there may have been more advancements in bass amplifiers than in electric guitar amps! Enter Darkglass Electronics and the Microtubes 900 bass head.

If you listen to modern music, you’ve undoubtedly heard Darkglass products in use. Their preamp pedals, overdrives, and amps are becoming a defining standard in today’s bass tone. And at the head of it all is their 900-watt, 6.5-pound amplifier head, the Microtubes 900. Bassists are able to blend the precision and immediacy of a Class D power amplifier with the Microtubes engine that imparts grind, compression, and harmonics to the tone while remaining tight and defined.

Class D bass amps are all the rage nowadays for their immense power and portability. You’ll find fine examples by Gallien-Krueger, Fender, Aguilar, Ampeg, and more. But if you’re looking for the sound that’s turning the bass world on its head, you should check out the Darkglass Microtubes 900.

We know these aren’t the classic amps we’re all used to reading about. And there is obviously no denying those old-school legends. But time, tone, and technology marches on. Over the last few decades, these four amplifiers are responsible for changing players’ rigs and tones more than just about any other amps out there. And guess what? The evolution keeps going! While we celebrate these modern classics, it won’t be long before there’s a whole new list of popular and controversial amps changing the industry yet again.

Претходна:Presonus AUDIOBOXUSB96

Следно:Изотопски бленда Уредување

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