Origin Effects captures the legendary Magnatone 200 amp sound in a pedal with its new MAGMA57

The hallowed tones of iconic vintage gear being captured in an effects pedal for new players to enjoy is always good news, and when it's done by one of the UK's finest it's even better. The UK's Origin Effects have turned their discerning eyes and ears towards capturing the essence of Magnatone's 200 Series guitar amps and the result is the new MAGMA57 Amp Vibrato & Drive.

The name references the pitch bending vibrato-equipped 213, 260 and stereo 460 amps Magnatone issued in 1957. The 'Vibrato Vastness' feature would help to separate the models from anything else in the market at the time. 

The MAGMA57 offers this "lush, shimmering vibrato" with a smooth, clear overdrive tone to the pedalboard, together with "everything from warm, jazzy clean tones to full-on swirling psychedelia."

Bring Origin's superlative tour-grade metal build quality to the table and it sounds like a compelling package.

The Vibe switch activates the vibrato effect on and off, turning the MAGMA57's  jewel light white and it will then pulse at the selected vibrato speed. As well as speed, vibrato intensity has its own dedicated control. 

The Drive is akin to the volume control on a vintage non-master-volume guitar amp. Origin advise setting it low for clean sounds and up for gain. The Tone provides brightness while the Multi control applies a preset multiplier to the speed of the vibrato.

The Blend switched on the MAGMA57 offer three different types of modulation and a Post-Drive EQ has a trio of presets tailored to different kinds of amps; Blackface, Plexi, and flat-response. Players can then fine-tune the top-end with the ADJ trimmer.

The Origin Effects MAGMA57 Amp Vibrato & Drive Amp Vibrato & Drive is available now and is priced at £385 / $459. More info at origineffects.com