Euphonic Audio iAmp 600

Very early model, one of the first made, in fact. I play mostly classic rock (e.g. Dead, Credence, etc.) and this amp is very clean, which is what I want. I use a Modulus Quantum 6. I run the amp into an Epifani T212 and it's a perfect match. Having the built-in tuner is very cool and allows me to use the amp in a two-space rack.

This is the best sounding solid state bass amp I've ever owned. With the Modulus, it sounds transparent and wide-range. It bassically lets the sound of the instrument come through with very little coloration.

So far, so good. It survived a rather rough shipping experience and performs like a champ.

A bit haughty but professional. Don't even think about asking them about other gear because theirs is the beginning and end of the story. Guess it's good to be confident. Hey, they make a great amp. Why not?

I think it's a great amp for players who work in small to medium sized clubs who favor high-end basses and do not desire coloration in their amp. It's also easy to load in/out and can be used alone in a two-space rack. A real winner, in my book!

Whoever designed this amp did a lot of playing. All of the features are set up so modifications follow the signal path, from the input to the output. Very nice. The faceplate also houses a DI input, effects level controls (for series and parallel effects), as well as a Sabine(tm) tuner. In back are two 1/4" line outs with level control, two speakon connectors, a line in, and two sets of effects send/return inputs, tuner out and a mute footswitch input. When I am using this with the Chapman Stick (www.stick.com), I run a second preamp (Rane AP-13) to process a second signal whose output goes into the iAmp 600's line in.

The iAmp 600 helped me get away from electric bass and go straight to Stick playing because it was the first amp I found that adequately addressed a bass instrument played with a tapping style. With my bass, the quality of sound was so much better than anything I had heard my instrument through. With the Stick, the sounds are very clean, an absolutely awesome reproduction. Because the tone controls are highly figurable, I can queue up tones that range from funk, upright, straight to something that sounds like a sine wave that you'd hear on a Maria Carey or Boyz II Men CD, that big solid low sound. Unfortunatley, my B-15N distorts before the iAmp 600, so I had to order new cabinets at the time of this review. This is the only solid state amp I have ever played that sounds better than a tube amp. You won't believe it!

I have only owned the iAmp 600 for one month now and it is the only amp I use in my rig. After this expense, I can not afford a backup, yet, but seriously doubt I would need one any time soon. This looks like a well built unit, although I think they could have done a better job on the painting of the unit (plus I would have rather had a black face option).

Because I have not had it long enough, I will not give an opinion on the reliability, but it's worked great for every gig I've played.

Euphonic Audio is a small company, and because it is a small company, you get big time support. Calls are handled immediately, and I have never heard anything from them I did not expect to hear ... other than the time Larry Ullman said the specs on one of their products was wrong because they had modified it - the specs were improved drastically. That's the kind of customer support I expect to find. Top notch and not so 'professional' that they thumb their noses at you like some other vendors.

If you ask anyone who plays a Chapman Stick or any other tapping instrument, they'll definitely tell you the difficulties they have run into finding amps to address their requirements. After spending thousands of dollars finding my way to the iAmp 600, I'm done shopping. Based on the strength of the iAmp, I ordered EA cabinets. The product is just that good. I bought mine used, and I feel sorry for the guy who sold it to me. If you're looking for highly customizable tonal features, solid, clean tone down to a low B, you would make a mistake not looking at this amp. For a Chapman Stick or any electric bass, the iAmp 600, reprents the end of road. The only thing I did not like about this product was that I never heard about it until I happened on their website. I'm sure this will change, but it is difficult to try something you do not know exists.