NAMM 2020: BluGuitar unveils the portable, mighty and potentially game-changing AMP X pedalboard amplifier

(Image credit: BluGuitar)

NAMM 2020: The evolution of the guitar amplifier in the last 20 years has been mind-blowing, but has Thomas Blug delivered the ultimate future-forward amp solution with the BluGuitar AMP X?

The AMP X builds on the all analog Nanotube guitar amp design behind the BluGuitar AMP1 Mercury and AMP1 Iridium, and is capable of housing your entire rig in one pedalboard-sized unit... And what a rig.

BluGuitar's trademarked Neural Analog Amp tech gives the AMP X the capability "to edit and save analogue circuit parameters at a component level." As BluGuitar describes it, this is like a virtual soldering iron at your disposal, and it means the AMP 1 can be programmed to recreate any quality valve amp you can think of "in full analogue original quality" and store them.

You can then do likewise with effects pedals and speakers, with all kinds of dynamic IR captures to store in the presets. If you need more there is a huge online library of BlugPrints to download.

The AMP X has a Dynamic IR stereo speaker emulation/recording output, two speaker outputs, line output, headphone jack, effects loop, MIDI In/Out, and two expression-pedal inputs (Image credit: BluGuitar)

Indeed, there is so much going on with the BluGuitar AMP X that it is quite overwhelming but the front panel and pedal format is reassuringly amp-like – analogue, much like guitarists. The big hurdle will be getting over the option paralysis to find what you want for your tone. But as all you tone-seekers know, that's part of the fun.

Under the hood, the AMP X is powered by the 100-watt Nanotube X power amp. The AMP X ships with both BluGuitar AMP1 Iridium and Mercury Editions already programmed. Its suit of onboard analogue effects include compressor, boost, overdrive, fuzz, and tremolo. Digital effects include chorus, phaser, flanger, univibe, delay, and reverb.

That's a lot of amp, and weighing just 5lbs you can throw it in a backpack and head to the show. You can't do that with a Twin.

Price TBC. See BluGuitar for more details.

Check out our NAMM 2020 hub for more hot gear news from Anaheim.

Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.