Duesenberg have impressed us time and time again with their incredible attention to detail and unbelievable build quality. Now after making guitars and pedals they are turning their head towards the amp world with the Berlin Head in this very cool Rusty Steel Finish.
Single Channel With Boost:
While listening to this amplifier you may think of it as a two channel design but actually it is a single channel with its own dedicated boost function. This means that your tone doesn't change drastically when engaging the boost function as it uses the same tone stack and preamp.
In clean mode you have access to beautiful midrange punchy tones similar to classic British amps especially when you near the breakup point. This channel is controlled using a simple 3 band EQ with a single volume control and don't worry you have a lot of clean headroom with this amp so you can crank this up live and still sound clean.
Switching over to the boost channel you have a whole bunch of options. For starters on the front you have Gain, Contour and Level controls to build your tone. The gain and level controls act as you might expect so you can get the exact amount of gain and volume you want no matter where the clean volume is set. The contour control acts a bit like a sweeping EQ that can take you from darker rhythm tones to quite bright leads that will help you cut through a mix.
Two Boost Modes:
One of the things that is really interesting about the Duesenberg Berlin is that it has two different boost modes. In low gain you will get anything from a slightly dirty clean to a beautiful classic crunch perfect for rock and blues. Turn it on to the high gain mode and this amp really lets loose with a tight...high gain sound that will please hard rockers everywhere.
Just select which of these two modes you want at the back of the amp and the footswitch will take you between that and your clean tone. While the options on the front of the amp may be simple the amount of tones available is amazing.
45w Of Valve Power
While this may not sound like a lot in a world of 120w amps but the Berlin is still extremely loud even at just 45w. You can easily fill a decent sized venue with the clean channel alone on this amp that when you add in the power of the gain channel you will be fine for any gig.
Handmade In Germany:
Just like all of Duesenberg's gear this amplifier is handmade in Germany to their highest standards. No circuit board wiring here as everything is handwired together point to point like the amps of years gone by. At the end of the day this means a more reliable amp for you with that special touch of knowing just how much work went in to putting this together.
Here's what Duesenberg say about the Berlin:
The BERLIN is the new Duesenberg guitar amplifier and which will give you the ultimate in tone and power for any stage. The frame of this amp is made from wood which is then painted with a thin layer of metal particles. The metal coat is then processed and aged by hand, giving it the distinctive rusty patina which makes each build completely unique.
Inside, there is a 7025 High Grade combined with a 12AX7 for the preamp and two 6L6WGC tubes for the power amp. These are pushing all the raw tone straight to the speaker. We started with a clean channel and ended up with a great, bright and dynamic tone with straight forward Treble, Mid, Bass and Volume controls.
The internal boost section allows you to extend the clean channel. It boosts your clean signal without changing the overall texture of your tone. Additionally, the boost section can be fine tuned with Gain, Level and Contour controls.
The boost can be engaged by either using the switch on the front panel, or by using the included footpedal. You can choose if you want the overall boost to be "Hi-" or "Low-Gain" by preselecting your desired level at the back. This switch does not only set the headroom for your gain dial, it also changes the whole character of your boosted tone.
Of course you also get a passive serial effects loop, all the outputs you need (4/8/16 Ohm), a jack to plug in the included footpedal for your boost channel and a high quality Custom Duesenberg Softcover for both the amp and the cabinet.
Handwired in Germany.
Specifications:
- Type : Single Channel + Boost Section
- Power: 45 Watts
- Tubes: 2 x 6L6WGC-STR
- 1 x 7025 High Grade
- 1 x 12AX7
- Features:
- Custom wound transformers (made in Germany)
- Cascading gain structure
- High dynamic clean channel, adjustable in Volume, Bass, Mid & Treble
- Boost section extends clean channel, adjustable in Gain, Contour & Level
- Two preselectable Boost gain levels on the rear pannel (hi/low gain)
- Effects loop: Passive, serial
- Outputs: 4/8/16 Ohms
- Dimensions: 52.5 x 23 x 21 cm
- ACCESSORIES
- Switch : Footswitch for boost (included)
