Heavy Metal Thunder
With my Les Paul tuned up and ready to roll, I plugged into the Ultra channel and reset the
controls to noon. In this configuration, the Ultra sounded very reminiscent of an old Fender
Champ, with a somewhat honky midrange that barked with a vintage feel and impressive detail.
The Texture seemed like it was designed for this channel, as it
had a much more perceptible effect there than on the Clean channel.
Moving from far left to far right rolled off more high end,
but seemed to add more midrange, as well. A dedicated midrange
knob would have been a nice addition to really dial in the tone at
this point, but getting great tones with the amp’s minimal controls
was a snap regardless.
The Special 6 Ultra was certainly capable of producing more
than just Champ-like classic-rock tones. After maxing the Ultra
control and activating the boost function, I was startled at the
immense amount of liquid gain pouring out of the amp’s speakers. I
unleashed ’80s hard-rock tones with ease, though I had to keep the
Ultra below 3 o’clock to keep the tones warm. Higher Ultra settings
resulted in an almost solid-state-like high end that was less pleasant
to my ears but that some players might like for metal riffing.
The Verdict
The Special 6 Ultra crams a whole lot of tone and flexibility in
a compact, affordable amp. There were moments where I felt a
Midrange control and footswitchable channels would have been
handy, but additional bells and whistles would take away from the
Special 6 line’s core ideal—simplicity reigns supreme. The fact that
VHT has promoted the amp as mod-friendly is a nice tip of the hat
to the DIY community, and they deserve props for that. And it’s
quite refreshing to see a major amplifier company pay special attention
to the growing modding community that shows their love of
guitar gear through their soldering irons and inquisitive attitudes.
But as a standalone unit, the Special 6 Ultra excels. With killer,
easy-to-dial-in tones and a price that’s less than many high-end
pedals, it won’t be surprising if this amp becomes ubiquitous in
studios and on stages everywhere.
Watch the video review:
Buy if...
versatile, low-wattage tube amps
are your thing.
Skip if...
you need more power and footswitchable
channels.
Rating...
Street $279 (head), $259 (2x12 cab) - VHT Amplification - vhtamp.com
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