Slash’s new signature Magnatone tube amp has been revealed, with retailers on both sides of the pond now taking pre-orders.
At £/$4,899 street, the Magnatone Slash SL-100 ain’t cheap, but there is a lot of amplifier here to get excited about, and right here we are going to get excited about it, even if fiscal reality means we’re more budget guitar amp than boutique.
The news that Slash had hooked up with Magnatone, and would be augmenting his backline with a newly designed signature head and cabinet, was unquestionably one of the gear stories of the year, albeit less sensational than first thought, with Slash releasing a statement to clarify that the collab would not mean an end to his long-standing relationship with Marshall amps.
Indeed, the Magnatone Slash SL-100 looks to draw more than a little inspiration from classic Marshall designs. The first thing you might notice is the green snakeskin Tolex covering, which is such a Slash touch you don’t need to see the Skully illustration on the control panel to tell whose amp this is. The second thing would be that gold metal control panel and red jewel power lamp – which has a certain je ne sais quoi about it.
Let’s look at the specs. Well, it’s a 100-watt tube amp head, based off a Super Fifty-Nine M-80, which means that is voiced with a British accent. Under the hood it is packing a quartet of EL34 power tubes, with another quartet of 12AX7s in the preamp.
All this presented across a single channel, but one with two gain settings, one Hi for giving you that mid ‘80s super-juicy Jubilee-esque tone, one Lo for getting your vintage ‘60s Super Lead kicks.
The gain mode is selected via a slider switch, or alternatively via a footswitch, with each mode controlled by its own dedicated gain knob.
Elsewhere on that control panel you’ll find Presence, Bass, Middle and Treble dials, and the all-important master volume.
There are two 1/4” inputs, one Hi, one Lo, and around the back of the amp you’ll find a tube-buffered effects loop, a pair of 1/4” speaker outputs, and a switch for matching the SL-100 with four, eight and 16-ohm speakers. There is also a 1/4” compensated line out for sending a signal direct – though this must be used with the speaker connected.
Speaking of which, there is a matching straight-back 4x12 cab, loaded with Celestion Vintage 30s, and constructed of the same Baltic birch used for the head. It’s yours for £,$2,699.
The SL-100 is yet to feature on the Magnatone website but both Sweetwater and Andertons are carrying them, and are open for orders should your amp budget stretch that far.
