Boss has revealed its premier Nextone guitar amp model; the Special. The 1 x 12 combo is powered with the company's Tube Logic that seeks to capture the organic nature of vintage and contemporary high-end tube amps and combine it with huge versatility in character and tonal control.
The Nextone Special features the debut of Boss’s custom Waza B12W 12-inch speaker – Boss claims it combines the acclaimed 1960s 'blue bell' speakers with modern power handling.
In addition to the Nextone signature power amp design with selectable EL84, EL34, 6V6, and 6L6 class AB circuits, the Special features enhanced reactive drive circuitry to refine the interaction between this power section and the speaker.
The Nextone Special's voicing controls then allow players to fine-tune the response as required with even further edibility possible via the Nextone Editor software for Mac and Windows.
The Nextone Special features two independent channels with in-depth tone-shaping controls.There's a choice between clean and lead voicings, select British or American tone stacks, and shape the power section.
Power Control also allows you to select between five levels to match whatever headroom situation you're in.
An Extra Headroom switch on the clean channel enables extra punch and players can even set switchable solo levels for clean and lead sounds.
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The Nextone Special feature onboard boost, delay, tremolo and reverb effects if you want to leave your pedalboard at home. There are also three Tone Setting memories for players to save favourite channel setups for instant recall.
Around the back of the Nextone Special are inputs for the Boss GA-FC foot controller, standard BOSS footswitches, and MIDI. There’s also an effects loop, XLR and 1/4-inch line outputs.
There's even three selectable mic’d cab IR voicings with Air Feel for sending to the PA and USB for recording. Headphone output is also available for silent practice.
The Nextone is available in December for $899.99. More at boss.info
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Rob is the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, so spends most of his waking hours (and beyond) thinking about and trying the latest gear while making sure our reviews team is giving you thorough and honest tests of it. He's worked for guitar mags and sites as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years but still winces at the thought of restringing anything with a Floyd Rose.
“A sophisticated, detailed design that produces highly expressive tones with immersive depth and dimension”: Boss unveils the Katana-Mini X, a portable $149 10W amp with FX, tuner and Bluetooth
“These amplifiers set a new standard in high-performance amplification”: Blackstar unveils the St James 100, its state-of-the-art flagship tube amp and “world’s lightest” in its class – featuring switchable power tubes, CabRig tech and more