AMT Electronics F-1 preamp pedal

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Drew_TNBDDrew_TNBD Frets: 22445
Okay, so it only just arrived... but I think this has solved my issues with the EVH5150III 50-watt.

The pedal has a channel loop, so it basically A/B's between its internal Fender style amp, and whatever you put into the channel loop. It mutes the channel loop when you're switched to the built in preamp, so you don't get a load of noise bleeding out of your high-gain EVH channel, which I discovered increased tap dancing last night when using two amps at once with a Lehle switcher!

So yeah... band practice tonight. Gonna try it out at volume. It sounds pretty nice in my bedroom I have to say. I've never used an actual Fender Deluxe Reverb or anything, so I can't really say whether it is an accurate Fender tone. But it sounds quite clear, and crisp, with lots of low-end available. I had to roll off the lows to get the tone that I like, as well as the mids. It's VERY loud. The gain staging is going to be the main thing, but it does add a master volume to the whole setup.

I'm impressed with it, but definitely need to give it more than a 20minute test run.

http://amtelectronics.com/products/legend-amps-1-channel-jfet/amt-electronics-f1-legend-amps-jfet-guitar-preamp/
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Comments

  • Drew_TNBDDrew_TNBD Frets: 22445
    @Digitalscream - I know you were interested in this Lee ;)
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  • Excellent! I'm just glad that we finally seem to have found you a solution :)
    <space for hire>
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  • Drew_TNBDDrew_TNBD Frets: 22445
    Aye, and this seems way more viable than the GSP method we came up with! It's not very noisy either, and I can power it from my Visual Sound 1spot. Happy to report that the switching is instantaneous (or imperceptible I should say) and doesn't cut off the immediate attack of notes. Also now having some crazy ideas about using the FX loop (not the channel loop) for noise-gate+delay+reverb pedals, because that would give me the post-amp distortion effects I've been waiting for a while.

    Thinking possibly about investing in something like the Eventide H9, but not 100% sure yet.
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  • Drew_TNBDDrew_TNBD Frets: 22445
    edited December 2013
    Very quick and dirty demo:
    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/630473/GearDemos/AMT F1/F1QuickDemo1.mp3

    As you can hear, it doesn't really distort like a valve amp. All the gain tones are from the EVH, or a tubescreamer pedal. But despite that, what you get is a pretty lush tons of headroom clean tone, which is what I wanted. The EQ is very powerful; it really cuts what you want it to.
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  • digitalscreamdigitalscream Frets: 26464
    edited December 2013
    Drew_fx said:
    Very quick and dirty demo:
    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/630473/GearDemos/AMT F1/F1QuickDemo.mp3

    As you can hear, it doesn't really distort like a valve amp. What you get is a pretty lush tons of headroom clean tone. The EQ is very powerful; it really cuts what you want it to.
    Actually, I think that does distort like a valve amp - a vintage valve amp. It just so happens that I don't like that sort of clipping ;)

    That pretty much mirrors my experience with the clean channel on my AMT C-2. I'll be getting a P-2 as well for Christmas thanks to my folks, so (with an A-B loop pedal) that should give me a great 3-channel preamp setup directly on the board, along with the possibility of keeping some effects for the clean/rhythm channels and some for the lead channel only. Not sure if I'll go that far, mind.
    <space for hire>
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  • Fingers crossed dude.  Hope it works out.  I wasn't really aware of the extra loops in the F1, I just assumed it was like the 2 channel pedals without a gain channel.  It is definitely much more versatile this way though.  Good to know!

    In fact, if it does work well it could make my own 5150 GAS cheaper as the 50 watt EVH and Peavey 6505+ could became options.  And in the interim it could give my Ironheart a nicer clean tone.  Hmm!

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  • Drew_TNBDDrew_TNBD Frets: 22445
    Yeah dude the F1 and V1 has the channel loop. I did get in touch with AMT to ask if they planned to include that feature in other products, and the answer was no. The rest of their preamp pedals go between the Fender clean channel and then whatever gain channel it is modelling. Which is fine, but it makes it a bit more difficult to interface with a real amp.
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  • Drew_fx said:
    Yeah dude the F1 and V1 has the channel loop. I did get in touch with AMT to ask if they planned to include that feature in other products, and the answer was no. The rest of their preamp pedals go between the Fender clean channel and then whatever gain channel it is modelling. Which is fine, but it makes it a bit more difficult to interface with a real amp.
    In fairness, the other products are a bit more complex as it is - I can imagine that trying to fit two separate channels, a preamp loop and/or a post-preamp effects loop in there might require some sort of TARDIS-like technology.
    <space for hire>
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  • Drew_TNBDDrew_TNBD Frets: 22445
    Well they're for different people at the end of the day. I reckon the other pedals are more aimed at people wanting to replace their valve amps, like you said earlier, having a three channel setup at the touch of a foot. Not sure what of the other models I would've gone for had it had this feature anyway; given that I was exclusively looking for clean tones.
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  • I've got to say...given that they have the F1 with the channel loop, it would make sense if they also made pedals with combinations of the other preamp circuits - for example, the JCM800 (from the M-2, for crunch) and the Cornford (C-2, for lead). That way, you could properly have 3 channels in two pedals.

    Hell, even if they built a pedal with crunch and drive channels from the same amp, it'd be great.
    <space for hire>
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  • Drew_TNBDDrew_TNBD Frets: 22445
    That is a good idea.
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  • ThePrettyDamnedThePrettyDamned Frets: 7472
    edited December 2013
    Nice one mate, love the look of these pedals.

    I know of at least 1 person who uses the p2 direct into the power amp of a 6505 head so he has true clean and he can't tell the difference between the pedal and the valve preamp in the amp! Edit: would make a good direct to pa backup too, though some seem to sound better into an appropriate amp.

    How do you use yours, line in or fx loop? Also, what is the pedal loop for? #noob
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  • Drew_TNBDDrew_TNBD Frets: 22445
    I'm gonna do a video this weekend to demonstrate the setup, but essentially....

    Last pedal in my chain (reverb in the case) hits the input of the F-1. Then:

    F1 channel send - EVH preamp input
    F1 channel return - EVH fx loop send
    F1 output - EVH fx loop return

    Pressing the switch on the F1 unit goes between the EVH preamp and the F1 Fender preamp. So with the EVH I only use channel two and channel 3, thus avoiding the dumb ass volume discrepancy of these amps all together.

    I also have the option of putting an effect into the F1 FX Loop Send/Return jacks... which will basically put any effect I like *after* the preamp stages. I also have the option of putting a noise-gate in between the EVH fx loop send and the F1 channel return, thus having noise-gate on my distortion sounds ONLY.

    It is a pretty flexible system actually, and I've got my head around it quite quickly.
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  • Drew_TNBDDrew_TNBD Frets: 22445
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    This is the kind of thing I want to do. The Metal Zone, EQ, and LS-2 are just there for sizing. But if I had a gate, delay, and reverb, all plumbed into the FX loop on the AMT unit, that would basically be the most complete rig I've had in years!
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  • Thanks for the clarification.  That's a really nice set up, I remember mentioning these preamp pedals earlier but had no idea about the loop! So it bypasses the pedal completely, giving you proper 5150 tone, then a nice fendery clean.  Very cool.

    The only thing I'd add (I know, I'm asking for the moon on a stick...) would be an extra loop on the pedal for dedicated, 'clean only' effects - typically, chorus or modulated delay for me, which are almost always on for cleans but never for crunch.  But like I said, it'd remove tap dancing but require a larger box.
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  • Drew_TNBDDrew_TNBD Frets: 22445
    Well it does have the loop, but you cannot assign it to just one channel, which is a bit of a shame, as I would've rather had that, than the choice between series or parallel. But hey, can't win them all!
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  • That sounds like an awesome solution, way less faff than some of the othe discussed. I wonder if you could build/get built a pedal that'd just change between 2/3 on the amp, seems a bit of waste of space when you're not using will the buttons.
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  • ThePrettyDamnedThePrettyDamned Frets: 7472
    edited December 2013
    Just listened to the demo.  Well, I'll be damned if that doesn't sound like a great amp.  The overdrive on it is not awful - it's not the kind I'd go for, but you could probably use it for other genres like britpop or...Some other shit.  :) I'm assuming the drive sounds are the 5150 rather than the boss metal zone? ;)

    It has a huge bass to it - something I find immensely useful when playing clean.  Lovely. 
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  • Drew_TNBDDrew_TNBD Frets: 22445
    Well, just got back from practice. Have to say... not 100% convinced. It sounded GREAT at bedroom levels, but getting the levels right at rehearsal was a pain in the ass. I noticed the noise floor a bit more at those levels too, and there is a bit of bleed between the two preamps, meaning when you're on the Fender pedal preamp, but the amp is set to high-gain... you get some of the high-gain signal coming through the amp. Again... not ideal, because it kind of ruins the pristine tone.

    I wasn't the only one who noticed too. The rest of the band - who usually never make comments about my tone - all said that it sounded weird. Drummer used the word 'fuzzy' even. I was also getting quite a bit of feedback, which I normally *never* experience. I think this is all related to gain staging. But I had the pedal set to unity (IE: volume coming out was the same as the volume of the amp with the pedal not in the chain)

    I've got 30 days to decide. So not going to immediately send it back. But need to put it through its paces some more. I am pretty sure I didn't configure anything wrong. It's fairly simple to understand.
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  • I skim read the manual earlier, there are some switches on the inside relating to the effects loop.  Have you checked they're set up right?
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