Designed for electric guitar players, the
BOSS NEXTONE Artist is a guitar amplifier intended to give you the feel of tubes without the weight or fussiness that come along with valve technology. Four tube-based Class AB power amp sections have been modeled for this amp. They are switchable on the front panel. 6V6, 6L6, EL84, and EL34 output tube sections have all been emulated down to the circuit path of the I/O, ensuring an authentic tube feel.
The amp itself pushes 80W of power through a custom 1x12" speaker, giving you two-channel operation. Not only can you select between clean and lead tones, you can also hit the Boost and Tone switches for extra crunch and high-end. Effects such as reverb and delay are built into the amplifier, though more effects are achievable by connecting the amp to Nextone Editor software. The ability to fine-tune tube bias, power-amp sag, equalization, and other settings are possible via the Nextone Editor.
A panoply of I/O options can be found on the rear of the amplifier, including a line out, a record/headphone out, three speaker outs, an effects loop, and a USB connection for reamping and for recording directly to computers. Two footswitch inputs are on hand to help you put footswitches under foot. One receives a TRS input for controlling channel select and boost, while the other allows you to control the onboard delay. Footswitches are available separately, while a power cable is included.
Key Features at a Glance
- Authentic Tube Logic tone
- 4 analog Class-AB power amp circuits, selectable from the panel: 6V6, 6L6, EL84, and EL34
- Streamlined combo design with 80 watts of power and custom 12" speaker
- Clean and lead channels with standard and custom mode options
- Dynamic, responsive power control for cranked-up sound and response at reduced volumes
- Nextone Editor (Mac/Windows) for customizing internal amp parameters, including tone stack type, EQ, sag, bias, effects, system settings, and much more
- Boost and Tone switches for adding crunch or sparkle
- Built-in delay, tremolo, and reverb effects, plus loop for patching in external effects
- 3 external speaker jacks (one at 8 Ohms and two at 16 Ohms)
- Line, USB, and phones/recording outputs, with three Air Feel miked cab settings selectable from the Nextone Editor
- Support for direct recording and reamping via USB
Cranked Sound and Feel at Lower Levels
With any tube amp, you may want to push the output stage so the amp feels more responsive. Unfortunately, this means turning up the level, which is often frowned upon by sound engineers, bandmates, and neighbors. The Nextone series delivers the complex distortion characteristics of output tubes as they interact with the output transformer and speaker, providing a rich, dynamically responsive sound. With Nextone's adjustable power control, you can always experience this cranked-amp tone while matching the volume to any situation, be it home, studio, or stage.
Onboard Effects and Switchable Effects Loop
With its built-in delay, reverb, and tremolo effects, Nextone brings versatility and convenience to gigging guitarists. Using the Nextone Editor, the delay section can be assigned to analog, tape, or SDE-3000 delay types, or to a tremolo effect. The reverb can be assigned to plate, spring, or hall types. Furthermore, each effect type offers a deep set of parameters for dialing in an appropriate tone. The amp also includes a loop for integrating your own effects, with series/parallel operation, loop position, and more selectable via the Nextone Editor.
Custom Tone
With a quick button press, you can switch the amp into custom mode. This provides factory-tweaked variations of the standard clean and lead channels. The custom mode channels can be fine-tuned to your liking with the Nextone Editor. Set a channel's tone stack to American or British types, shape the overall tone with a channel EQ, and tweak the playing response by adjusting bias, sag, and more. The Tone switch can be assigned to two different types, and the Boost switch can be set for different characters, or can be assigned to a compressor. A system-wide EQ is available too, enabling you to define the tonal balance of the entire amp. With 99 different user setups available, you're able to customize Nextone's sound for every gig you play.
