Small practice amps have been around for longer than we care to remember, but until Yamaha completely reinvented this popular product group, few were worth listening to. Read our full Boss Nextone Special review Sadly, Yamaha hasn’t chosen to update this innovative product since its introduction seven years ago, but hats off to Boss for taking the original idea and running with it. If all this sounds a little familiar, cast your mind back a few years to Yamaha’s ground-breaking THR100HD head and matching cab that was specifically developed to look, sound and behave just like a tube amp (two actually). Clearly, it’s a thinly disguised Celestion Alnico Blue ‘inspired-by’ replica but it’s great to have it onboard. So obsessive is Boss about classic tube-like performance, where most modeling amps have a flat response speaker fitted, it has specified a characterful Waza Craft B12W for vintage ‘blue bell’ tones. It also looks just like a good two channel tube amp should and, although you can shape sounds with the Nextone Editor software, all the tone shaping tools you will ever really need are readily accessible on the extensive front panel and optional footswitch. Where the JC-120 is all about pristine, ice-pick tones, the Nextone Special lives and breathes vacuum tube warmth.Ī little like the Blackstar Silverline Head that’s also in this guide, its party trick is its four power amp circuits that emulate 6V6, 6L6, E元4, EL84 vacuum tubes, not just in sound but in player dynamics too. This amp is so completely different to Roland’s Jazz Chorus-120, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same stable. The THR10II is extremely intuitive to use, and ships with enough amp sims and effects to keep your playing fresh for years to come. It’s great value, looks fabulous and sounds as good as it looks. The Boss will be too big and too expensive for players who just want a straightforward amp they can use at home, so it’s the toaster-sized Yamaha THR10II (opens in new tab) that’s the real winner here. Unlike some modeling amps it’s not loaded with a crazy number of features, but all the necessary ones are there, plus it has those four power amp circuits for subtle tone shaping. It’s perfect if you’re looking for a dependable, versatile gigging and recording amp that sounds indistinguishable from a great quality tube amp. Instead, its stablemate, the Boss Nextone Special (opens in new tab) gets our vote. However, brilliant though it is, compared with today’s modeling amps its signature clean tone seems too niche. We’d love to recommend what many consider the most iconic solid state amp of all time, the Roland Jazz Chorus-120 (opens in new tab). Best solid state amps: Guitar World recommends
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January 2023
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