Six of the best 'amp in a box' pedals

The stack of pedals designed to sound like classic amps has grown ever higher. Here's our pick of pedals that deserve a Tolex finish...

#1: Catalinabread Wiio

Capturing the brutal delivery of a 70s Hiwatt in a pedal seems like a tall order, but this pedal’s huge sound will come as a surprise.

It sounds best through an amp that can deliver some guts, too, of course – just don’t go expecting any sort of compressed, easy ride. Imagine being punched in the face with notes and enjoying it: you like that, don’t you?

This is based on a multi-stage valve amp, albeit using JFET transistors instead of valves.

There’s a multi- position ‘pre-gain’ switch to take you from cleans through to full-on saturation, plus powerful three-band EQ and an additional boost section with its own gain and master controls. Use it in front of an amp, or direct to a mixer thanks to the balanced XLR out with cabinet emulation.

4 out of 5

Read our full Electro-Harmonix EHX Tortion review

BUY: Electro-Harmonix EHX Tortion currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | Gear4Music | DV247
US: Sweetwater | Full Compass

There are plenty of Fender and Marshall amp-emulating pedals out there, so how about the sound of the fabled Soldano SLO100 into your own amp, with a separate clean boost section to boot?

It delivers edge and girth aplenty to go from classic-rock rhythms to huge, soaring leads. If 60s/70s rock tones are too classic for you, and metal’s too modern, you’ll like this a lot.

BUY: Wampler Slostortion currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Gear4Music
US: Sweetwater

Unlike all the other pedals on this page, this one uses digital technology to derive its sounds, based on a ’59 Fender Bassman (there’s also a ’65 Deluxe Reverb model).

It does a decent job of making any amp sound like the fabled tweed amp at home/ practice volumes, but is outshone by quality analogue pedals through high-end amps at gig volumes.

BUY: Boss FBM-1 currently available from:
UK: Gear4Music
US: Sweetwater | Full Compass

With a one-watt output stage, you could say that this pedal is an amp. It’s certainly a preamp: three independent channels covering clean to full-on gain tones, plus a switchable loop section.

You can connect direct to a guitar amp, and/or send a speaker- simulated signal straight to a live or recording desk. As with most Randall amps, hard rock and metal are well served by the RG13.

BUY: Randall RG13 currently available from:
UK: Thomann | DV247

Big ambition here with the promise of three different ‘amps’ used together in parallel.

You can have any combination of vintage overdrive, classic fuzz and the three-mode distortion section, plus three-band EQ and high/lo-pass filter options.

It’s all-analogue, with germanium diodes, FET distortion and LED clipping playing their parts in shaping the tones. Serious flexibility.

4.5 out of 5

Read our full Empress Effects Multidrive review

BUY: Empress Effects Multidrive currently available from:
UK: Thomann