Amp It Up – Page 2 – HomeToneBlog.com

27th November 202527th November 2025

First Impressions: Blackstar Debut 100RH Amp Head

I recently bought a Blackstar Debut 100RH amp head.

This is going to be an additional pedal platform amp. Read on for my first impressions.

7th October 20256th October 2025

#TweedTone: Is A 5e3 Tweed Deluxe Valve Amp Right For You In 2025?

Last week, I published an updated Tweed Amp Rig price comparison, looking at how much it would cost (here in the UK) to build a Tweed Deluxe rig for home use in 2025.

There was one answer that was too long to fit in that blog post: is it worth you spending that amount of money on a Tweed Deluxe rig for home use?

Today, I’m going to try and answer that question.

30th September 202529th September 2025

#TweedTone: The Cost Of A Tweed Deluxe Amp In September 2025

Back in September 2023, in a blog post called “You’ve Got To Be A Huge Fan Of Tweed Tone To Get A Real Fender Tweed Deluxe Amp In 2023“, I looked at the costs of buying a real 5e3 Tweed Deluxe amp here in the UK.

Two years later, I’m wondering: what has changed? How has the price changed … and how have my feelings on the price changed?

13th August 202512th August 2025

First Impressions: Origin Effects Deluxe55 Tweed Recreation

Back in June, I bought a Deluxe55 amp-in-a-box pedal by Origin Effects.

This is a photo of my pedalboard.

There are 3 pedals on the board. From left to right, they are:

- Origin Effects Deluxe55
- Lazy J Cruiser Deuce
- Arc Effects Klone v2 — Origin Effects Deluxe55, Lazy J Cruiser Deuce and Arc Effects Klone v2 on my pedalboard.

What do I think of it? Here are my first impressions.

3rd June 20252nd June 2025

First Impressions: Tone King Imperial MKII Synergy Preamp Module #TweedTone

Synergy have just released the Tone King Imperial MKII preamp module.

This is a photo of the Imperial MKII preamp module in a (dusty!) Synergy SYN-1 housing.

On the left of the module, there are two rows of three pots, one row per channel.

The top row of three controls are for the Lead channel (the tweed-voiced overdrive channel). They are labelled Volume, Tone, and Mid Bite.

The bottom three controls are for the Rhythm channel (the blackface-voiced clean channel). They are labelled Volume, Bass and Treble.

Next to them are two large, fixed stepped controls. These are the Attenuation controls, one for each channel.

There's a mini toggle switch nestled in between the two large controls. This enables a high-frequency cut.

On the right, there are two more toggle switches, to switch on the built-in, valve-driven tremolo. Next to them are two more pots, for controlling the speed and depth of the tremolo circuit.

I found one in stock here in the UK the day after launch, and ordered it straight away.

Now that it’s here in a very dusty Hermit’s Cave, what do I think of it? Here are my (very positive) first impressions.

31st May 2025

New Arrivals: May 2025

They say buses come in threes. After a quiet couple of months, I’ve had three new (to me) tweed-tone preamps all arrive within 48 hours of each other.

Sadly, I won’t be keeping them all …

26th March 202525th March 2025

#PlexiTone: Synergy Plexi Module + Axe-FX 3 For Reference Marshall Plexi Tones

After last week’s success with my Synergy BMan module, I decided to see if the same approach would work with my Synergy Plexi module and the Axe-FX 3.

This is a bit more of a quick and dirty effort. But hopefully you’ll agree that the results are, at the least, very promising.

18th March 202516th March 2025

#TweedTone: Dialling In A 5F6 Bassman Reference Tone For 2025

Recently, I posted about my latest attempt at creating a reference tone for my 5e3 Tweed Deluxe reissue amp. I’m still wrestling with creating a similar 5e3 reference tone purely in the Axe-FX 3. Sadly, I’m nowhere near ready to write up my promised comparison of the two.

I decided to take a break from that, and work on another reference tone that I’m going to need for future #TweedTone blog posts: capturing the mighty 5F6 Tweed Bassman sound.

Here’s how I got on. There’s audio demos to listen to, and a full breakdown of the signal chain that I used, with plenty of photos / screenshots to show you everything.

4th February 20252nd February 2025

#TweedTone: Dialling In A 5e3 Tweed Deluxe Reference Tone For 2025

New year, new (and hopefully improved!) reference tone from my Fender 57 Custom Deluxe amp.

All made possible thanks to a late 2024 freebie from Origin Effects … and me figuring out how I’d been using my Fryette Power Station PS-100 wrong …

15th January 202510th January 2025

Quick Listen: Plexi-Style Amp with a Les Paul

Quick Listen is where I capture and share guitar tones that I’ve dialled in. No exploration; little discussion – just a quick audio demo or two along with a documented signal chain.

Today, I’ve dusted off the plexi-style amp that I bought back in 2019, and paired it with a Gibson Les Paul and Celestion Creamback impulse responses. Have a listen.