This tiny guitar amp is the most unhinged distortion pedal I’ve ever used
It's loud, brash, and unlike anything else. | Photo: Terrence O'Brien / The VergeIs Amp Crash a guitar amp or a guitar pedal? Yes.
Death By Audio's latest is, in fact, both. While it's in a guitar pedal enclosure, Amp Crash is actually a tiny 3-watt amp hooked up to a 2-inch speaker. You can even connect an external speaker if you want. This isn't a digital re-creation of a classic Fender or Marshall like you might get from a Universal Audio amp sim pedal or a Neural DSP Cortex. This is an actual amp with an original design that moves air.
The tone you get out of this tiny thing is, unsurprisingly, harsh and boxy. But that's not a criticism. Guitarists like Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Jack White, and Dan Aue ...