30 Pedals in 30 Days: AMT Electronics SS-30 and SS-11B Guitar Preamps

Don’t forget to check out the video at the bottom of the page. 

Even though the Iron Curtain sounds really metal, it was a name that was given to the Soviet Union’s attempts to isolate itself from the rest of the world in 1982. During this isolation, Sergei Marichev, and employee of a Russian defense enterprise, had a chance to play a MINI MOOG. Since these were impossible to buy in Russia at the time, Sergei decided to build one. That was the beginning of what would eventually become Asia Music Technology. AMT was born during the cold war era and has expanded its business to include AMT Electronics USA, which will aid in the distribution of their pedals around the world.

Let’s get to the pedals.

 

 

 

SS-11B:

1376842870_ss_11B

The SS-11B is a three-channel Modern tube guitar preamp. Although it sits on the ground, the thing looks like it belongs on a rack. Full tube-Based 4-stage overdrive channel with dual 12AH7 tubes with high-voltage anode voltage (+300V ) Seperate clean, overdrive and lead channels come with an individual gain sensitivity and output level controls for the clean and the crunch/lead channels. FX loop, which is pretty damn cool. You have two outputs. One goes straight to an amp. And, the other goes to computer, DAW, or mixer. The things built like a tank and has more knobs than

most amps.

The clean channel has a stand-alone Low, Mid, and High EQ as well as a treble shift toggle to brighten the clean or make it warmer. The Overdrive channel is the SS-11B’s shining star. Thick, saturated, but tight with a wide range of tube distortion, from light crunch to ball-to-the-wall metal. The lead channel takes the overdrive even farther and further saturates your sound. Great for chunk rhythms like Periphery or Meshuggah or skull-splitting screaming leads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SS-30-Bulava-front

SS-30 Bulava:

A JFET preamp drives this 3-channel monster. High Gain? You’d be hard pressed to find any higher. Just like the SS-11B, the SS-30 has two outputs for an amp or for recording and an FX Loop. Among all of the other EQ options, the Bulava has three switches in the center, a tone shift, a clean boost, and a bright/dull switch. Each channel has its own Master Level control, and the Clean and Crunch/Lead have their own separate 3-band EQ.

The clean, overdrive, and lead channels of the SS-30 are laid out the same as the SS-11B. The biggest differences come from the JFET preamp and the tone shift, clean boost, and bright/dull switches. Cleans have a bit more chime and the overdrive is tight, but the switches offer more versatility for a different range of sounds.

Whether you go with the SS-11B or the SS-30, you’re in for some destructive tone. If you prefer the sponginess of the tubes, then the SS-11B is your bag. If the tighter sounds of JFET be your choice, then the SS-30 might be in your future. Drop “D” and below, both of these pedals got you covered.

AMT’s beginnings read like a cold war spy novel. Ironically, what the Iron Curtain was meant to keep out of Russia ended up inspiring Sergei Marichev to start building his own pedals. The SS11-B and the SS-30 Bulava are as heavy as they come. If you’re a player that starts at Drop “D” and go down from there, you should consider these pedals should be a part of your arsenal. You know TheToneKing.com is all about heavy, and these pedals are heavy. For 30 Pedals in 30 Days, we had a chance to drop bombs.

For prices on the SS-11B, the SS-30 Bulava or any other AMT gear, check out: AMTelectronics.com

Click here to enter into TheToneKing.com’s 30 Pedals in 30 Days Randall Give-Away! 

TITLE: AMT Electronics BULAVA SS-30 and SS-11B : Demo & Review : 3P3D2013-DAY17

Official RD1C Give-Away Page: https://thetoneking.com/gear-give-away/2013-2/randall-rd1c-give-away/

 

Randall Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/randallamplifiers

Product Page: http://amtelectronicsusa.com/index.html

SS-30: http://amtelectronicsusa.com/productpagess30.html

SS-11: http://amtelectronicsusa.com/productpagess11b.html

BUY: http://amtelectronicsusa.com/productpagebuyamt.html

Unboxing Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlFMJdAvarA

Official Full-On Demo & Reviewhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6it7yZ3k18

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6it7yZ3k18′]

 

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Filed Under: FeaturedPedals3P3D-2013

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About the Author: Marc published his first novel Becoming in 2010. It’s a kick-ass book with monsters and dreams and stuff, and you should buy it. Since then, he’s written thousands of articles for TheToneKing.com, many of which have been picked up for circulation by manufacturers and other news outlets. His next book, Drugs and Pancakes, should be available early 2014 if his alcoholic editor can find time to work on it in-between destroying his liver and screaming about punctuation. He graduated from Roosevelt University with honors, which means that he’s not as dumb as he looks. He’s been playing guitar for over 25 years, which is almost twice as long as most of his students have been alive.

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