Supro and Tyler Bryant have collaborated on a new signature Black Magick tube amp, packing 35-watts of Class A power and a whole lot of headroom into a 1x12 combo.
This is a cool amp. But then it is a Supro amp, and they are always cool. They’ve got the legacy, the kudos that comes with being a key element in Jimmy Page’s electric guitar tone during the early days of Led Zeppelin.
And they’ve got the look, too, with the Tyler Bryant Black Magick resplendent in that Black Scandia tolex that looks the bee’s knees with that silver grille clothe and Supro badge. It is, of course, what’s inside and ultimately how it sounds. We’ll let Bryant introduce his guitar amp.
“So this amp, it breaks up in the perfect place,” he says. It’s got more room if you need to push it and need more of a statement but you can also take it to a jam where everyone’s being kind and respectful and fit right in… or you can be down right rude with it.”
A pair of “military grade” Sovtek 5881 power tubes do the heavy lifting as far the output is concerned. In the preamp there are four 12AX7s and a single 12AT7. The amp features two channels, with Channel I having been fitted with the “bright cap” mod for “extra sparkle” on the top-end.
There are two 1/4” inputs for each channel. Tube-driven spring reverb is on-hand to serve both channels with a splash of ambience, while tremolo adds movement. The control panel is located on the top of the amp and is reassuringly simple and two the point.
There are individual volume controls for each channel, treble and bass serves both channels, Verb controls the reverb intensity, Speed and Depth controls the tremolo, and there is a master volume, too. That might come in handy because this thing will get loud.
Bryant says he got turned onto the Black Magick after touring with them night after night. But he wanted it louder, with more headroom, and, if possible, a bigger bass response.
“I incorporated it into my live rig and it started out as one of a couple of amps I was using, and then I started to rely on it a little bit more night after night,” he says. “I loved it in about every situation. It was great in the studio, great in clubs, it was great in large rooms. But I did find myself occasionally [wanting] a little bit more. So I called Supro and said, ‘Hey I’m really digging this amp, is there anyway we can just give it a little more horsepower?’”
So they did. Those extra 10-watts should give it a bit more kick than the usual 25-watts of the stock Black Magick lineup. Inside the cabinet you will find a Celestion-built Supro the BD12 12” driver.
There is an input for Supro’s two-button footswitch (sold separately) and there are 16-ohm, two 8-ohm and two 4-ohm speaker outputs for expanding your rig.
Priced $1,699, the Tyler Bryant Black Magick is available now. See Supro for more details.
