This is an interesting BBC documentary about Vox Amps and about how they got started in Dartford, Kent, UK:

Part I:

Part 2:

Orange Amplification have added a new model to their “Terror” line of amplifiers, the Orange Micro Terror and PPC108 cabinet:

Orange Amplification launches at Winter NAMM the Micro Terror – their smallest Terror ever! Building on the winning recipe of the rest of the popular Terror series, the Micro Terror retains the beautiful unpretentious design, delivering a classic Orange sound way bigger than it looks, with a size and weight making it the most portable Terror yet!

The Micro Terror has a single 12AX7 pre-amp tube with 20 watts RMS of solid-state output. It is powered via a 15 volt DC supplier (international PSU included), features auxiliary input for MP3 player or CD, and can be plugged into to any speaker cabinet with 4 ohm or greater impedance (even a 4 x 12) and you will be ready to rock.

With a high tensile steel case it is built to the same rugged specifications as the other members of the Terror family and is incredibly compact and highly portable. This is a true Orange Amp classic, with masses of vintage British character, clean crunch and full-on overdrive sounds.

Matching the new Micro Terror is the launch of the new PPC108 cab, ideal for building your own mini-terror stack and a perfect partner for the Micro Terror. The scaled down cab, is available to purchase separately and its 8”speaker delivers a punchy tone and sound that has to heard to be believed. Like all Orange speaker cabs it is built to last, with rugged construction and attractive styling Orange’s Tolex and basketweave grill cloth, complete with the legendary crest and badge.

In celebration of their 50th anniversary, Marshall have introduced a new line of 1-watt amplifiers that model popular amps from each of Marshall’s 5 decades. The JTM1 is based on the popular bluesbreaker amps of the 60s. The JPM1 is based on the plexi amps from the late 60s and 70s. The JCM1 is based on the popular JCM 800 amps from the 80s. The DSL1 is based on the JCM 2000 models from the 90s. The JVM1 is based on the JVM series from the 2000s. The amps come in head or combo models.

Premier Guitar met with Marshall at the NAMM show to demo the new amps (which I think sound pretty good):

Fender have introduced a new series of amplifiers called the Pawn Shop Specials. The series currently has two models: the Excelsior and the Greta:

Meet Greta™ and Excelsior™, Fender’s new and coolly unconventional Pawn Shop Special amplifiers. The two stylish amps resemble the esoteric finds you might discover in a pawnshop or second-hand store, and make for the most distinctive addition to any musician’s collection.

Housed in the playfully diminutive form of a vintage tabletop radio, the Pawn Shop Special Greta model is quite possibly the most unusual Fender tube amp ever (in fact, you’ll be hard pressed to find the name “Fender” anywhere on it). It’s a charming two-watt tabletop beauty with a 4” Special Design speaker, old-school VU meter with “clean to overload” indicator display, simple volume and tone controls, and a 1/8” back-panel auxiliary input perfect for iPod or other media player use.

Its vintage-style enclosure has front and rear wood panels finished in bright red, gold-finished metal top and sides for increased shielding, “Greta” script badge on the front panel and tabletop feet. Under the hood and on the back panel, Greta features a single 12AT7 output tube and 12AX7 preamp tube, with a ¼” instrument jack and ¼” line out jack (for preamp use with another amplifier).

Undoubtedly one of the most distinctive tube combo amps produced in Fender history, the alluringly refined Pawn Shop Special Excelsior harbors tones from polite, to raw and raucous. Its brown textured vinyl covering, smartly stylish “E” grille design and bold crossed-swords front-panel badge convey a decidedly stately vibe with a marked air of cold-war cool.

The 13-watt Excelsior elegantly encloses a single 15” Special Design speaker, with bottom-loaded primary chassis and top-loaded control chassis for operating convenience and low noise (powered by two 6V6 output tubes and two 12AX7 preamp tubes). Distinctive features include “instrument,” “microphone” and “accordion” inputs that each have individually optimized circuitry; tremolo circuit with speed control, bright/dark tone switch (for treble or bass emphasis), volume control and ¼” internal speaker disconnect that lets the amp drive an external speaker enclosure.

For playing at home, smaller gigs and studio sessions, the Excelsior is a class act that brings a fresh and unconventional new vibe to your playing.

I love the look of these new amps, and they’re priced right with the Excelsior having a street price of $299 and the Greta having a street price of $199. Premier Guitar is at the NAMM show and was able to get this demo video of the amps:

The Machete combo amp is an interesting new amp from Fender:

Fender proudly introduces the all-new Machete combo amp. With tremendous versatility and performance-oriented features, this high-end, sonically powerful combo is an essential companion for the discerning musician.

The 50-watt, dual-channel Machete combo boasts a completely new high-gain channel, an extremely clear-sounding clean channel that can be pushed into aggressive rhythm guitar territory, and onboard digital reverb. Its heavily robust enclosure construction and single 12” Celestion® speaker deliver full, rich and pummeling response, with midrange notch control, adjustable speaker damping for finely tuned performance, XLR output with switchable speaker muting and cabinet emulation, and push-pull pots for bright boost and gain boost on the rhythm channel.

Serious guitarists and amp connoisseurs who are both meticulous and adventurous about even the finest details of their sound will find the Machete a formidable new member of their arsenal. The turbo-charged combo’s distinctive cosmetics include vinyl covering with inlaid white piping and gray vinyl “steering wheel grip” accents, new Black Silver Strand grille cloth, heavily knurled chrome knobs and all-new corners and hardware. Four-button footswitch and fitted cover included.

For more information, and to locate a dealer near you, go to www.fender.com.

Fuchs Audio Technology have announced a new addition to their Casino line of amplifiers: the 4-watt 4-Aces amplifier. I had a chance to hear other amps in the Casino line at the Nashville Amp Show last fall, and they sounded terrific. (It didn’t hurt that Anthony Stauffer was the one playing through them.) I’m a bit of a low-watt amp junkie, so I’m really intrigued by this model. The 4-Aces amp features 2 6SN7 octal preamp tubes, an aluminum chassis, back-lit logo, 24-bit digital reverb, an effects loop, separate gain controls for each channel, separate tone controls, and a footswitch.

Fender’s new Super Champ Head and Enclosure looks intriguing:

Fender is proud to introduce the all-new members of the popular Super Champ series. The new Super Champ X2, Super Champ X2 Head, and SC112 Enclosure bring exciting, brand new modeling and user-friendly features, providing great tone for blues, rock, country and more.

Made in Ensenada, Mexico, the ultra functional Super Champ X2 combo amplifier combines 15 watts of rich dual-6V6 tube amplification with a Fender Special Design 10” speaker for dynamic combo amp tone. This simple, easy-to-use platform includes two switchable channels and several modern extras, such as a voicing knob for selection of 16 different amp types (Tweed, Blackface, British, Metal and more), 15 effects with level control, dual-channel switching (footswitch optional), tap tempo control for precise delay time or modulation speed adjustment, ¼” line output and USB output for speaker-emulated digital recording. For extra versatility, players can add-on the Fender FUSE™ software (available as a free download), for customization of amp voicing and effects defaults, effects parameters deep editing, and online access to free Fender community content.

The Super Champ X2 Head offers great, low-power tube sound in compact design that presents the same great features as its 15-watt, dual-channel combo sibling. It’s designed for use with the new SC112 Enclosure, or other 8-ohm speaker enclosure.

The new SC112 Enclosure mates perfectly with the Super Champ X2 Head or other quality amplifiers. Also made in Ensenada, Mexico, it is compact and rugged, rated at 80 watts RMS (at 8 ohms), and features a single 12” Celestion® G12P-80 speaker for tight, defined tone and a closed-back design for increased bass response.

I owned the previous Super Champ model but sold it for something different. I’m looking forward to checking out these new models to see how they’ve improved upon the concept.

Fender have announced a new line of Eric Clapton Signature Amplifiers. The new line currently features three tweed models: the EC Vibro-Champ, the EC Tremolux, and the EC Twinolux. All three models are hand-made in Fender’s Corona, CA manufacturing plant.

The EC Vibro-Champ model is based on the late ’50s model Champ and puts out 5 watts of power. It has an 8-inch speaker and 6V6 output tubes. Also included is a power attenuator so you can adjust the output power.

The EC Tremolux model is based on the late ’50s Deluxe amps and puts out about 12 watts of power. It has a 12-inch speaker and 6V6 output tubes. With the Tremolux model, you can disconnect the internal speakers and use an external speaker cabinet. Like the Vibro-Champ, the Tremolux model also features a power attenuator.

The EC Twinolux model is based the late ’50s Twin amps and puts out about 40 watts of power. It has two 12-inch speakers and 6L6 output tubes. Like the other two models, the Twinolux features a power attenuator; additionally, you can turn off one speaker to lower the output volume further.

This is a short video of Buddy Guy testing out the new Twinolux model:

PRS Guitars have announced a new line of SE-series amplifiers that will be shipping later this year. The new line includes three amps: the PRS SE 20, the PRS SE 30, and the PRS SE 50:

Modeled after the acclaimed PRS SE line of guitars, this new amp line continues the concept of providing affordable musical instruments and equipment without sacrificing tone, usability, or quality. The lineup, scheduled to start shipping in the fall of 2011, includes the PRS SE 20 featuring 6V6 tubes, PRS SE 30 featuring 5881’s, and PRS SE 50 featuring EL34’s– all of which are offered as closed back 1×12 combos or as heads. The clean and lead channel gain stages are driven by 12AX7 preamp tubes. Loop, verb, and phase inverter utilize 12AT7s. These are all tube amps with all pots, jacks, and switches chassis mounted and tube sockets board mounted, offering incredible quality and value. A PRS SE 2×12 cabinet is available as well. All the amps in this family feature two channels with separate EQ, an effects loop, and reverb (all newer features for PRS –introduced on the 2 Channel “H” and “C”). Each amp also boasts custom wound transformers, 0.090 aluminum chassis, high-end “on-on-on” selector switches, only the best NNS tubes, custom-voiced speakers, custom knobs, and more.

I’ve owned several of the Korean-made PRS SE guitars, and they were all very well-made for the price point. I would expect the amps to be of the same quality. Elderly Instruments has some preliminary pricing for the amps on their website, although I don’t know if the final pricing has been determined yet.

Below is a demo video of the PRS SE 20. This video highlights the flexibility of the clean channel. Hopefully, there will be some more demos soon highlighting more features of the amps. For now, check out the demo below:

This past weekend I attended the Nashville Amp Expo. It was a great time checking out a bunch of new gear and chatting about guitars with some great people, including Anthony Stauffer of StevieSnacks.com. He and I spent a good amount of time speaking with Sam Timberlake, creator of the Samamp line of amps.

I first heard about Samamp through Anthony’s demo of the VAC 23 and have been curious to learn more about them ever since. Sam has developed a system of using appliance lights to lower the wattage of his amps without negatively affecting the tone like other attenuation methods. He calls this feature Variable Amplitude Clipping (VAC). By using this feature he is able to provide multiple wattage options in one amp. For example, the VAC 23 amp has the following wattage options: 3, 5, 11, 18, and 23. These power options make the amp suitable for both home hobbyists and gigging musicians.

I was really looking forward to hearing this amp in person. However, when I visited Sam’s room at the show, I saw that he has released a new model called the VAC 40 Series II, which builds upon the VAC 23. As its name implies, the VAC 40 can go up to 40 watts, but it can also go down to 4 watts. Like the VAC 23, the VAC 40 clean tone is similar to Fender amps. In addition to the clean channel, the VAC 40 adds a second, gain channel. The gain channel is really smooth. Sam has developed a foot pedal to use with the amp to switch channels that also has a configurable volume roll-back knob for use with the gain channel, so you effectively get two levels of gain out of the gain channel.

Check out Anthony’s review of the VAC 40 for a little more detail about the features of the amp. Additionally, in his review he has posted a video that I shot of him playing through the amp. Note that the video was shot using his iPhone, so the sound quality suffers a little, and I’m apparently a shaky camera operator.

I really liked the Samamp VAC 40 Series II amp. The amp is really versatile, and the features are well thought-out. If you’re looking for a hand-made boutique amp, then I recommend checking out the Samamp line of amps. The VAC 40 starts out at about $1600, so they aren’t the cheapest amps around, but they are very well-made and sound great.