Marshall has announced new pedals that cover all the bases of Marshall sound: The 1959, DSL, JCM800, JCM900, and JVM.

Pricing in the US is $149 each.

If you're looking to get some Marshall sound, but don't want to move around a heavy 4x12 stack and tube head - this might be an option for you!

https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/guitar-pedals/marshall-amp-in-a-box-pedals-namm-2025

Orange has released three "baby" amps: Dual Baby, Gain Baby, and Tour Baby as well as a 40w combo single channel amp, the O Tone 40.  While the Baby series are all variants of a 100w two channel head, the O Tone 40 is a single channel 1x12 combo.  All four of these offerings sound, quite frankly, incredible.

MSRP is 499 euro each for the Baby amps and 599 euru for the O Tone 40.

More info from Gear News: https://www.gearnews.com/orange-baby-amps-guitar/

I have decided to close the SSGuitar.com web store.  For those that did business with me - thank you!  I may do another Kickstarter project for SSGuitar, but running the store really isn't in the cards at this time.

Thanks again, and enjoy the site.

I am closing the SSGuitar store but have shared my project on OSHPark so folks can still purchase legit boards.  I do not get any kickback from this, you are only paying OSHPark for these boards - but these are exactly the same as the production boards I sold.

https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/DLReeaHK

Vintage has released the Retro 15 and 25 modeling amplifiers.  These amplifiers come with all your expected amp models on tap, as well as some basic effects and even a drum machine on the 25.

MSRP starts at $150 USD

https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/amps/vintage-retro-amp-modelers

Mooer has released their new rechargeable amplifier, the Mooer Hornet 15w Li.  This amplifier features a 6.5" guitar speaker, 15w RMS of power, and a 4,000mah li-ion rechargeable battery.  This amp features 9 preamp models, 5 effects, 3 band EQ, bluetooth input connectivity, and headphone jack as well as an onboard tuner.

Currently these are selling for $109 USD at various online retailers.

https://www.gearnews.com/mooer-hornet-15w-li/

Lichtlaerm has released it's new pedalboard amp - PandorA.  Providing 30 watts at 16 ohms, and a claimed impressive 60 watts at 8 ohms, the PandorA features simple level, depth, and presence controls.  This is meant to be fed by an equalizer, preamp, or "amp in a box" pedal, or from a lineout on another amplifier.  Pretty great tones to be had here, mostly because rather than just a simple "flat" amplifier, they have adjusted the input impedance and EQ curve to match quality analog guitar gear.  Great job guys!

MSRP is 199 british GDP, or $219 USD.

https://www.gearnews.com/lichtlaerm-audio-pandora/

Chipamp.com used to be "the place" to get chip amp boards.  They have since gone out of business though, but Brian Bell (aka BrianGT) has provided Gerber files for the LM1875 and LM3886 amp boards as well as the excellent snubber PSU board designed for powering up to two LM3886.  And I found the old LM1875 manual from when I helped him test it.

Fender has released the Mustang Micro Plus, a new update on the existing Mustang Micro.  The upgrade brings you 25 amp models, up from 12 on the regular Mustang Micro.  It also has an OLED screen, making adjustments of the amp models and effects a much easier affair than on the older model.  Charging is handled with a modern USB C port, which is nice since you will be doing this every 6 hours of play time.  Honestly, the battery life is the only thing bringing me down on this and who knows, maybe it wouldn't be that much of a problem.

The Mustang Micro Plus is selling for $149 USD.

https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/fender-mustang-micro-plus

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Boss is looking to grab the attention of traveling guitarists as well with the new Boos Katana Mini X.  While the Fender Mustang Micro Plus requires headphones, Boss's Katana Mini X is more of a standard traveling amplifier with it's own speakers on board.  Unlike most amps this size, it features a wooden cabinet construction with a custom 5" speaker and 10 watts of power.  All features are controlled with analog switches and dials - no menu diving here!  With it's USB C rechargeable battery it provides up to 10 hours of play time and weighs in at 6 lbs.

MSRP for the Katana Mini X is $149 USD.

https://www.gearnews.com/boss-katana-mini-x-mini-practice-amp/

With a 65 foot range, 8 hour battery life, USB C charging, and a price of only $45 USD - this might be a great option for those on a budget!

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/mooer-air-p05-wireless-system

Well, it's always better to have Mooer options, right?  Jokes aside, this little amp does look pretty interesting and has a similar feature set as Positive Grid's lineup.  This little guy packs 10 watts of power, USB C charging for it's 3,000mah battery, 52 amp models, 49 effects including an 80 second looper, and it only weighs about 4 lbs.  Is the quality as good as the Spark series?  We won't know for a while yet until more people get these into their hands.

MSRP is $179 USD, currently selling for $159 on Amazon.

https://www.gearnews.com/mooer-sd10i/

Positive Grid's new Spark 2 has 25% more volume than the original, double the processing power, and more features - like a looper!

MSRP is $299 USD

https://www.gearnews.com/positive-grid-spark-2/

This summer Laney released the Lionheart Foundry series.  A trio of 60w amps.  The LF60-112, LFSUPER60-112, and LFSUPER60-212.  All three sound great in the video clips I have listened to, and while I tend to shy away from the term "tube sound", I do agree that these sound pretty fantastic.

From Guitar World: "The LF60-112 ($429/£279) is the most affordable of the trio, offering the core spec for minimum outlay. Next up is the LFSUPER60-112 ($539/£349), which adds tremolo and chorus effects, with controls for Rate and Depth. Most intriguing, however, is the LFSUPER60-212 ($699/£429) – a vertical 2x12 combo."

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/laney-lionheart-foundry

Blackstar's Debut lineup has been quite impressive, and their new little amplifier is no exception.  The Debut 30E sports a 10 inch speaker and 30 watts of power.  Small enough to practice at home, large enough to practice with the band.  The official demo shows plenty of beautiful cleans, old school overdrive, punk rock distortion, and even some fairly thrashy tones.


MSRP is $209 USD

https://www.musicradar.com/news/blackstar-launches-the-tape-echo-equipped-debut-30e-practice-amp

Last month Quilter released the DirectAmp.  This is a new take on their existing SuperBlock amps, this time incorporating Fender, Vox, and Marshall sounds into one box - but not including a power amp, this is a preamp only.  The video linked in this review does show some decent tones, but I'm not sold yet and really want to get my hands on it myself.  Take a look yourself, what do you think?

MSRP is $399 USD and has stereo XLR output, headphone output, effects channel, and bluetooth input.

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/quilter-direct-amp

Blackstar has decided to bring the volume up and release 100w versions of the Debut 50R.  That's right, not one but two versions.  The Debut 100R comes in 1x12 and 2x12 configurations.  Honestly, the 100R 1x12 is basically identical to the 50R except it has double the wattage.  This isn't really that helpful though as to get twice as loud requires 10x the wattage.  Bringing the power up to 100w really only adds about 3db of volume overall.  If you want this amp in a 1x12, just buy the 50R and save $100.

The big story here is the 2x12.  If you have been itching for that huge 2x12 sound, you can finally have it!  The bigger story, it's only an additional $20 over the 1x12 variant!

Sweetwater is currently selling the 1x12 100R for $379 USD and the 2x12 100R for $399 USD.  For reference, the 50R 1x12 is currently selling for $279 USD.

https://www.gearnews.com/blackstar-debut-100r-perfect-balance-for-pedals/

Laney is claiming that the new Lionheart and Ironheart Loudpedals provide 60 watts of power in a solid state pedalboard amp platform.  This certainly isn't a new concept as similar ideas have been done multiple times by many companies.  That said, this one sounds legit and I love the layout of the controls.  I also really appreciate that they include a reverb built in as this is super handy and cleans up the pedalboard nicely by not requiring an additional unit.

I do wonder how similar the circuitry is to the Laney LF60 combo amp that sells for $449 and has a 12" speaker.  The controls are almost identical and the sound seems pretty similar to me.

Pricing is listed as 399 GBP.  Sweetwater is currently selling them in the US for $499 USD.

https://www.musicradar.com/news/laney-martin-miller-tom-quayle-ironheart-lionheart-loudpedal-guitar-amplifiers

Last month Boss released the new Gen 3 version of the ever-popular Katana amp series.  Consisting of general model updates, this seems like a decent amp still but nothing to toss your old Gen 2 model out for.

https://www.gearnews.com/boss-katana-gen-3-amp-series-enhanced-tube-logic-tone/

Boss has expanded it's famous Katana line of amps to include a new headphone amp that fits easily into your pants pocket, enter the Katana:Go.  This is an interesting take on the headphone amp market and something that stands along with Fender's Mustang Micro amplifier in that it is a digital amplifier with multiple models, effects, and features.  One of the neat features with the Katana:Go is the app that you can use in Android or iOS to modify settings and saved presets.  You can also use this little guy as a USB C recording interface.

MSRP is $119 USD and they are available now.

https://www.musicradar.com/news/boss-katana-go-amp

There was a whole lot of stuff at NAMM, but most of it had to due with guitars, tube amps, or digital amps.  We did get a little bit focused on solid state gear though!

Blackstar has updated their ID:Core amps with the new v4 series. The new updates include: USB C connection, power reduction feature, and "other minor improvements to models".  While the power reduction is nice, the biggest thing for me here is the USB C hookup - finally!
 
Pricing is 219, 249, and 279 British pounds for the ID:Core 10, 20, and 40 respectively.

https://www.gearnews.com/blackstar-idcore-v4-revamped-and-now-with-new-1-watt-mode/

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Vox has updated their AmPlug series with the new AmPlug 3 range of headphone amps.  These new Amplug models have minor enhancements to each model and Vox has also adjusted the on-board effects to take advantage of "wide stereo" sound.

Pricing looks to be same as before, $49.99 USD.

https://www.gearnews.com/vox-amplug-3-7-new-revamped-headphone-amps/