“Its sound kicks the ass of amps three times its size”: Slash’s latest Magnatone Lil’ Viper 8-watt combo can go toe-to-toe with the big boys

NAMM 2026: The Lil’ Viper makes its debut at NAMM 2026 with Slash’s continued partnership with Magnatone resulting in a portable 8-watt combo that the legendary Guns N' Roses guitarist says “kicks the ass of amps three times its size”.

Established in 1937 in LA, California, Magnatone is famous for inventing the stereo pitch-shifting vibrato effect using a non-moving part. The boutique amplifier manufacturer has worked with legendary artists over the years, including Buddy Holly, Jeff Beck and Slash of Guns N’ Roses fame.

The Lil’ Viper is the latest amp coming to Magnatone’s Slash Collection and developed with Top Hat himself to produce a remarkably powerful 8-watt amp in a lightweight, portable combo design.

Magnatone says the Lil’ Viper will be perfect for home, studio and of course, backstage use.

Obeid Khan, Magnatone’s Chief Engineer, collaborated with the GnR star to create this super portable amp for practice and show prep. “The Lil’ Viper is Magnatone’s smallest, most portable offering in the Slash line-up,” says Khan. “Slash wanted a big-sounding backstage solution so we worked together to literally create a big amp… in a little box.”

Slash adds, “I’m not exaggerating when I say this is the most kick ass amp of its size I’ve ever heard. Its sound actually kicks the ass of amps three times its size.”

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The Lil’ Viper is made in the USA, as with all of Magnatone’s amplifiers and it features a single 12AX7 preamp tube and a pair of NOS 6AQ5 power tubes for 8 watts of push-pull Class AB output through a custom Magnatone 8” ceramic magnet speaker.

Its High/Low gain switch allows players to choose Low Gain for a classic, slightly broken up gain structure or switch over to High Gain which is a modified type of saturation tone.

At Slash’s request, the Lil’ Viper was kitted out with a speaker-emulated 1/4” headphone output to mimic the internal speaker while allowing players to access full control of the amp’s features. A 1/8” line input allows backing tracks to be played with ease.

For someone as stylish as Slash, the Lil’ Viper also needs to look the part, so Magnatone has dressed the cabinet in Slash’s signature Purple Python cosmetic which has a super cool snakeskin effect, while the Magnatone logo has a backlight to stand out in dark pubs and clubs and gold accented hardware provides a premium finishing touch.

The Lil’ Viper is available exclusively through Purple Python and costs $1,899. If you’re attending NAMM 2026 be sure to swing be Booth #5237 in Hall D to see it in action.