Universal Pedal Platform (tube powered FRFR?)

DrewJD82

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I thought this was pretty interesting when I saw it pop up a few days ago-


IMG_0924.webp


Introducing the all-new, all-tube SG-22 Universal Pedal Platform Amplifier. Conceived by Synyster Gates and developed in collaboration with his long-time friend and engineer, Don Morris, the SG-22 incorporates innovative features designed to maximize the potential of your pedalboard or rack effects system in a clean, user-friendly format.

• A clean, transparent high-headroom preamp section that accepts all types of pedals,
faithfully reproducing every nuance of your sound.
• A post-preamp effects loop that can be switched to “line level” for rack effect systems, or “instrument level” for pedals and pedalboard systems.
• Two independent on-board pedal power supplies to power most any type of effects pedal: 9 volt DC up to 0.9 amps, and 18 volt DC up to 0.9 amps.
• The sleek, ultra portable integrated head and speaker cabinet system designed by Synyster Gates makes it easy to organize your effects systems, and easy to use in any playing environment.
• The SG-22 speaker cabinet features a compact, finely tuned open-back design that affords a large, full sound, and is loaded with a Celestion V-Type 12” speaker.
• Latches on the speaker cabinet allows use as a separate head/cabinet pair, or latched
together as a combo. Casters make transporting the SG-22 effortless.

Knowing that Gates is an avid Fractal fan, I’m assuming this is a monitoring solution in lieu of an FRFR cab. Pretty cool that it’s got power for pedals included on the head. I’m definitely curious to see how these get used in the wild. Definitely cheaper than buying a HIwatt head, which is exactly how Gilmour has used HiWatts for decades.
 
Love the looks of it!

When I first saw it I thought it was. Slipknot amp or something. :rofl

Not a bad price point at all, if it does what it says (and came in black) then I might even jump on it since my whole deal is “I want tubes pushing a speaker”
 
A bit from Gates-

A NOTE FROM SYN:

An important note about the SG-22: It is a Pedal Platform Amplifier (PPA). This means it is intended to be used with your favorite distortion and overdrive pedals to achieve the distorted gain stages that most players desire.

I decided to create a PPA rather than a traditional high-gain amplifier because of its versatility. The clean tones are designed for maximum transparency, allowing the character of your distortion pedals to truly shine. That said, the cleans ended up sounding incredible on their own—a result I’m especially proud of.

I used the SG-22 in tandem with my signature distortion pedal, the Original Syn (COMING SOON), for most of my rhythm and lead tones on LIBAD, along with a wide array of overdrives and modulations to craft the album’s unique soundscapes. It proved to be an outstanding foundation that exceeded all my expectations.

More details on the Original Syn to come very soon. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy building your own distinctive soundscapes—the possibilities are truly endless.

Much love,

Syn
 
Call me a skeptic, but I would not be surprised if this is almost the same thing as a Deluxe Reverb, just less scooped mids.
 
Call me a skeptic, but I would not be surprised if this is almost the same thing as a Deluxe Reverb, just less scooped mids.

It does have the effects loop, which isn't really needed if the amp is clean, but most players these days think everything should have loops. Lots and lots of loops dammit!

I have added a switch to lift the ground on a Fender mid pot/resistor to get a flat pre-amp, but this takes the entire tone stack out. Even better, a tweed Bassman with the mids cranked to 12 and the B and T at 0 is pretty flat. You still can adjust the tone stack somewhat by reducing mids or adding bass and treble, oand the presence still works as does blending the bright and normal channels. Once I got a 90's Bassman RI, that's what I have used for a tube pedal platform.
 
"Making history as the first-ever amplifier authenticated on the blockchain, the SG-22 brings its authenticity into the digital age."

What the fuck does this even mean? Are they taking Gibson's "play authentic" to a new level of stupidity where you need private key encryption/authentication to use a fucking tube amp?
 
The fact that most well liked pedal platform amps tend to be Fender-based. For good reason even.

I don’t know about that, a lot of players will tell you a Plexi is the best pedal platform you can get. Others love Vox for pedals. Others like something flatter with less character than any of the above. There are also some who can’t stand blackface Fenders for pedal platforms. There are a lot of different camps
 
Call me a skeptic, but I would not be surprised if this is almost the same thing as a Deluxe Reverb, just less scooped mids.

Well, you can't turn a Deluxe Reverb up past 3 without it breaking up, which seems to be the exact thing this amp doesn't do.
 
Well, you can't turn a Deluxe Reverb up past 3 without it breaking up, which seems to be the exact thing this amp doesn't do.
That's just a crappy volume taper. There's no guarantee this amp won't do that at a typical 5‐7 setting. I don't know why they would advertise a 22W amp as "high headroom".
 
That's just a crappy volume taper. There's no guarantee this amp won't do that at a typical 5‐7 setting. I don't know why they would advertise a 22W amp as "high headroom".

I mean, it'd be pretty daft to advertise something as a clean pedal platform with high headroom and it entirely lacked high headroom. There's not a single other appealing feature of this thing aside from the point of being a clean pedal platform. I'd imagine they'd expand the line to higher wattage if they started selling. We're back to the 'the average guitarist isn't gigging" and "more people live in apartments than houses where they can't blare amps" side of things.
 
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