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Download Example 1
Gain 7 o'clock, Volume 2 o'clock, Master volume 3 o'clock. Rickenbacker 330.
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Download Example 2
Gain 9 o'clock, Volume 3 o'clock, Master Volume 10 o'clock. Gibson Les Paul.
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Download Example 3
Gain 2 o'clock, Volume 2 o'clock, Master Volume 4 o'clock. Gibson Les Paul.
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Whether it’s the ongoing fascination with
home recording, the relative ease of building
a simple low-watt amplifier circuit, or
just the need to rock without waking the
neighbors, the small amp industry keeps
growing. These days, the market ranges
from budget to boutique. But by percentage,
most of these amps are exceedingly
simple and built around control sets that
can be as basic as a single volume knob.
When Jeff Bober started EAST Amplification,
he saw the opportunity to do something
much more than crank out another no-frills
low-watt amp. His work at Budda Amplifiers
made him an expert at applying more
modern tone circuits to classic-voiced 6V6,
6L6, and EL84 amps. He also recognized what
a full-featured low-watt amp with greater
tone shaping capability could mean to players
in recording situations. (Full disclosure: Bober
writes our monthly Ask Amp Man column,
but we submit his products to the same scrutiny
as those from any other manufacturer.)
One of the results of his vision, the new EAST
Amplification Studio2, is impressive. Because
the Studio2 does more than just sound like
a little amp making a big sound—it pulls off
the illusion of a big amp making a big sound.
It’s an ingenious bit of aural deception that
could indeed make the Studio2 an invaluable
recording session fixture.
Built to Dial up Big
The 2-watt Studio2 is built around a circuit
that’s quite unique among low-wattage
amps. There’s a fairly standard set of three
12AX7 tubes in the preamp section, as well
as a 5U4 rectifier tube. The power output
section, however, is built around two
12AT7s (a low-noise tube that’s often used
in high-end studio preamps, among other
applications) in a push/pull configuration.
This unique type of output stage builds in a
bit more headroom than the typical single-ended
output stage of most low-power
amplifiers, making it easier for the amp to
more faithfully replicate the tone and feel
of much larger amplifiers. The rear panel
also contains a passive effects loop and a
variable line output. The amp also has a
unique built-in load that enables it to be
run sans speaker cabinet for recording or
for use as a preamp whose signal can then
be sent to a larger amp when 2 watts simply
aren’t enough. The optional solid-pine
open-back 1x10 cabinet we tested the unit
with features a 75-watt Eminence Ragin’
Cajun speaker. (Bober informs us that the
cab is now shipping with the new proprietary
EAST 10" speaker.)
The head’s front-mounted control panel
offers several clues to the flexible nature
of the amp’s circuit. The leftmost control is
a Gain knob that enables saturation of the
regular Volume section of the circuit (which
is the next control over). An EQ section
with High, Middle, and Bass knobs follows,
and then Presence and Master controls.
Though it’s plain that the Studio2 is built
for business, it’s a good-looking amplifier,
too. It’s dressed up in a quasi-paisley/
yin-yang patterned vinyl covering, and the
cab also has a cool sparkle grill cloth that’s
reminiscent of the earliest Ampeg stacks.
The inside of the amplifier is immaculate
and looks more like a super high-end home
audio component than a guitar amplifier.
Bigger Than the Sum of Its Parts
To get to know the Studio2, I switched
between a ’90s Les Paul Studio, a Fender
Stratocaster with a Seymour Duncan mini
humbucker in the bridge position, and an
’86 Fender “E” Series Stratocaster. Trying
to dial up a tone somewhere between
clean and gritty, I set the Gain at 2 o’
clock, Volume at 12 o’clock, and Master to
3 o’clock. In this configuration, the Studio2
loved the cutting qualities of my Strat’s
Firebird-style mini humbucker, and my single-
note leads were slicing, well defined,
and harmonically even. At the same settings,
the ’86 Stratocaster’s bridge pickup
coaxed a rich, treble-heavy snap out of the
Studio2—evoking and inviting a satisfying
stab at the funky opening to Jimi’s “You
Got Me Floating.” The Studio2 really came
alive when my Les Paul’s bridge pickup hit
the front end. While whole chords were
a bit muddy—even with a kick in the treble and midrange—lead
tones brimmed with attitude, exhibiting a girth and crispness reminiscent
of Jimmy Page’s Led Zeppelin II sounds or Paul Kossoff’s
dry, husky Marshall tones. And when I laid into a full-step bend
with a little finger vibrato, the Les Paul and Studio2 sustained as if
I were letting a faucet run.
Dialing up the Master and Gain on the amp gave me predictably
more aggressive results with the wide-open Les Paul. But when I
rolled off the volume on the mini humbucker-equipped Strat, the
Studio2 took on the clear, airy chime of a Fender Princeton or
Champ. Dialing the Strat’s volume back up to almost 10 found the
Studio2 blooming into beautiful, compressed AC15 territory—perfect
for some Revolver-era George Harrison-style playing.
Backing the Gain and Volume down to 9:30, moving the Master
between 12 and 2 o’clock, and mixing in a little more bass,
midrange, and presence turned the Studio2 into a sweet Keith
Richards-/Black Crowes-style chord machine. I tuned the Les
Paul to open-G and ran through a sequence of stabbing riffs and
discovered that this rhythm-rocking zone is one of the Studio2’s
secret strengths. Big chords blooming with harmonics and sympathetic
overtones rang in beautiful detail and leapt out of the
Studio2 with an enveloping quality that made the amp feel way
bigger than its actual decibel output.
The Verdict
Just as Jeff Bober intended, the Studio2 is as versatile a low-wattage
amp as you’re likely to find. About the only thing it’s
missing is the headroom for hot, clean country picking or loud
’n’ clear jangle—though you can achieve a serviceably clean tone
with crafty manipulation of your guitar’s volume knob. But clean is
not what the Studio2 does best. And whether it’s conjuring midrangey,
Vox-style snarl or the hot-and-gritty sound of a humbucker
driving a ’60s plexi Marshall, the Studio2 can serve up the goods
in full harmonic splendor without deafening half the populace.
As it’s name suggests, the Studio2 is a perfect little monster for
recording. The big sounds it produces at lower decibels expand
microphone and recording space options. And the way it can
effectively become a crackling, kicking baby Marshall stack at
a third of the volume is nothing short of amplifier alchemy. The
amp’s personality varies significantly, depending on the pickups
driving it. For me, a humbucker-equipped Les Paul with tone and
volume controls wide open seemed to be the Studio2’s most
natural mate. But with so much tone massaging capability, you’re
certain to find startling, amazing, and very useful tones no matter
what guitar you call your main squeeze.
Buy if...
you’re tired of wrestling with
a stack in the studio or need
high-gain tones on a small stage.
Skip if...
you need super-clean tones
at high volume.
Rating...
