The Effects
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Brit 900
- The successor to the 800 series was the 900 series. This amp had basically the same
power amp but a new preamp with more tone shaping, more gain, and a solid-state clipping
circuit that gave it a raspier sound. This amp was designed to get more of it’s distortion from
the preamp than the earlier models but you can still keep the drive low and turn up the Master
for more power amp distortion.
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Brown
- Based on a modified British style head with plenty of gain and lots of mids and highs.
This type captures the sound of Eddie’s early work. Crank the Master and bring the drive up
until you reach sonic nirvana.
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Boutique 1
- A medium-gain, thick, yet crisp, sound with a fair amount of power amp
breakup. Based on a now-defunct amplifier that was renowned for it’s liquid tone and endless
sustain. This amp had very unique tone controls and as a result a distinctive voice with a bell-
like quality. The preamp gain is fairly low so crank the Master to get that gutsy crunch. Good
for rhythm work in a sparse situation where fullness of tone is required.
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Boutique 2
- Same as Boutique 1 but with more gain and a bit more high-frequency emphasis.
The lead version of Boutique 1.
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HiPower I
- A medium-gain, full sound based on a famous “High Wattage” amp. These amps
had a unique tone-stack and industrial quality output transformers with tremendous frequency
response. Chimey with a bit of power amp breakup. Plug in your Tele and crank out some Baba
O'Reilly.
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HiPower II
- Like HiPower I but using the “Brilliant” channel.
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USA Clean
- A somewhat neutral clean sound that can pushed into gentle clipping. Based on
a classic California amp’s clean channel this type has a full tone with a gentle midrange dip.
The power amp is punchy and clean but can be driven into light distortion if desired. Sounds
best with the drive turned up fairly high.
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USA Rhy 1
- Crunchy California rhythm sound. Effective for solo use too with the gain turned
up.
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USA Rhy 2
- Similar to USA Rhy 1 but with the “mid-boost” engaged. This effectively
removes the midrange dip from the tone stack and gives a more focused sound and a bit more
gain.
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USA Lead 1
- A tight, focused, hi-gain sound great for fusion and rock leads. Based on a
modern Californian lead amp that set the standard for hi-gain lead tones. With the tone-stack
before the preamp tubes this type has a more liquid response than the British types where the
tone-stack is after the preamp. For the classic California lead sound turn the drive up and back
of the Master a bit so that most of the distortion is coming from the preamp.
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USA Lead 2
- Similar to USA Lead I but with the “treble shift” engaged. This shifts the
response of the treble control lower and gives a slightly different character to the tone. There is
also a “treble peaker” on the input stage which slightly boosts the high frequencies giving this
type a little more “cut”.
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Recto 1
- Based on a diamond-plated monster that redefined hard rock and “nu-metal” this
type is characterized by a big bottom and some top-end sizzle. The tone-stack location is after
the preamp which is quite a departure from the earlier Californian amplifiers.
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Recto 2
- Similar to Recto I but with a slightly different input frequency shaping circuit.
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Solo 100
- Based on a high-gain hot-rod with a chrome chassis, this amp is noted for it’s
snarling lead sound. Also great for aggressive rhythm work, this type “chugs” nicely without
getting muddy. Pair it with one of the 4x12 cabinet simulations for modern rock tones.
