What’s handmade, black and gold, and has the potential to catapult you into tonal heaven without breaking the bank and more importantly busting your eardrums? Simple: The soon-to-be-released Reason Amps Bambino! This article is the first news glimpse of this brand-new 7 Watt amp from the Reason guys that has all the tonal goodness you expect from a Reason amp but at volume level that won’t make your ears bleed, and almost as importantly, is easily within the financial reach of most cash-strapped gear sluts.
When I first reviewed the Reason SM25 and the Reason SM40, I knew that what I was hearing was something special. These amps weren’t clone designs, and didn’t sound like anything that I had played before. Yes, they were based on classic 6V6 and EL84 power tubes, but the thing with those amps was that the power handling was magic, and either of these amps sounded way louder than you would expect with low to medium wattage amplifiers. Make no bones about it, what Obeid Kahn has figured out in the power transformer section of his amps is totally proprietary and SICK! Even as well as I’ve gotten to know Anthony and Obeid, that’s a subject they hold close to their chests.
So imagine my excitement when they shared with me several months ago that they were coming out with a brand-new low wattage amp. I wasn’t allowed to say anything about it at the time because Obeid was still working out the design, and hadn’t decided on the power tube he was going to use. All they would tell me was that it would be a sub-$700 amp that would have all the tonal goodness you’d expect from a Reason amplifier. Yeah, really definitive… ☺
But as luck would have it, I happened to give the Reason guys a call to see how they were doing, and much to my extreme pleasure, Anthony mentioned that they were almost ready to release the new amp, and that they were calling it the Bambino. After Anthony described the amp’s features, I started salivating. I LOVE LOW-WATTAGE AMPS! And this amp’s features totally kick the shit out of a lot of the low-wattage amps on the market, boutique and production alike. So let’s go over the features, shall we?
Reason Bambino Specs
Preamp Tubes: Three 12AX7’s
Power Tubes : Two 6AQ5’s in a push-pull configuration.
Output Power: 7 Watts, switchable to 1 Watt
Channels:
Normal – British cleans to Vox-like top-end. Includes a “thick” setting via pull-switch to get thick “Beano-like” grind.
Bright – Very American, SoCal type of bright and scooped tone, with smooth overdrive when pushed. Bass knob scoops the mids when you dime it, and the pull switch will add extra shimmer to the top end.
StackModeTM – As with all amps in the Reason Amps family, the Bambino also sports StackMode, which runs Channel 1 into Channel 2 plus an extra gain stage in a series. Want to get over-the-top grind? StackMode is it!
Sounds basic enough, but wait! There’s more!
Built-in Speaker Load Box Simulated Line Output with Level Control – The line output is not just another line output. It starts with a fully inductive speaker impedance simulator, which then goes onto a complex frequency shaping network that simulates the sound of a classic 2×12 speaker cabinet. The fully balanced TRS ¼” connection allows for connection to any recording devices or slave amplifiers. Can you say “re-amp” anyone? ☺ You can also use this output to perform true silent recording. Of course, nothing beats a speaker moving air, but when you need a straight guitar sound to record, now you have it.
Separate Headphone Output – Want to practice and not wake up the significant other? No problem, mahn!
If you’ve followed this blog for awhile, you know how much I love Reason Amps! They don’t pay me anything for telling their story – all you have to do is play a Reason Amp and you’ll be hooked! And at the price-point that the Bambino is coming in at, there is NO reason (excuse the pun) that you shouldn’t seriously consider this amp when it’s ready for shipping!
Not Your Daddy’s Oldsmobile
It would be so easy to dismiss this amp as yet another boutique amp. But you’d be wrong. One of the reasons I dig Reason amps so much is because they have a sound all their own. It’s also the reason I dig Aracom Amps so much. Manufacturers like these don’t settle for making copies of classic designs. They’re true innovators, taking the classic designs, improving on them, and adding their own special touches. The net result is that you get amps that have tones that are uniquely theirs.
And on top of that, Obeid Kahn is one of the leading amp designers around, the meticulous care and innovative spirit he has put into his designs is evident in the amps he has produced over the years, and with Reason Amps, that skill and innovation are at their paramount. These amps are special!
Stay tuned for more! I hope to get a test amp when they have one available! But for now, check out the Reason Amps site for any updates.
Guitar Gear 
I dunno dude. Sounds very cool, but a hundred bucks a watt for a 7 watt amp head seems like a lot to me. Doesn’t seem that useful for live performing either, unless it’s a very small club venue. Plus I still gotta buy a speaker cab. I love Reason amps, but it seems like a lot for a low volume practice application.
“Sounds very cool, but a hundred bucks a watt for a 7 watt amp head seems like a lot to me.”
Well, it’s not just a 7 watt amp.
It is a 7 watt amp with a 1 watt setting, three channels, a sophisticated line out, head phone out with level control, a finger jointed Baltic Birch cabinet, and is hand made, in the USA.
We have a 22 watt model coming out this fall, that you can gig with. But this amp was designed for recording and playing at home.
Sure, it may be expensive for some, but trust me, we’re not getting rich on this model!
Take care, amigo
A
[…] freakin’ ass, and the head sells for $895! Then, there’s the upcoming release of the Reason Bambino. This is a 7 Watt amp that will sport that distinctive Reason sound. This head costs $699! […]
Consider this: 1 Watt of power is equivalent to standing next to a jackhammer. People talk about wattage without really understanding amplification and power production. I’m not sure I completely understand it, but how that 7 Watts is processed is actually more important than its rating. You’d be surprised at how “loud” 7 Watts can get. 🙂
[…] won’t go in-depth into the features since I covered those in my recent pre-release announcement, but the Bambino is simply a miniaturized version of the Reason family of amps, sporting three […]
just wanted to say i have purchased the bambino and this thing rocks!!!!!!! well worth the money. it has awsome tone without making my ears bleed. if you want it loud, it will get loud. but more importantly it retains the tone that guitarists are longing for at low volumes. i use this at church at low volumes, mic it and run it through my iems and it sounds awsome. oh yeah it is so light weight you can carry it with your little finger (the head). thinking hard of buying another for a stereo rig.
So cool, dude! Yeah, it is my go-to amp for my church gig as well. Makes it so easy for my sound guys to balance my guitar tone in the mix! Thanks for sharing!
just had to say some more about the bambino!!! it has been a couple of weeks since i plugged this thing in and tried it out. this thing is just awsome! our sound guy is a great guitarist as well and he just loves it. this amp takes pedals great. i run a ernie ball volume on the front end and then a wah pedal by real mccoy customs, box of rock, pickle vibe lovepedal, babyface trem lovepedal, fulltone ocd, reverb and a dd20 delay. all this goes in the front end of the bambino head through a bogner 1/12 cube. this is a small package that packs some real heat. the overdrive pedals are really not necessary, i am just a pedal freak. the amp itself has great overdrive but cleans up nicely and sounds real voxy when you roll back the volume. wow, didn’t mean to ramble on so much, but this thing sounds great and best of all it doesn’t break your back!!!
Todd Lykins…………Todd Lykins Band
Todd, ramble on as much as you want! I really love this amp as well. The DI being balanced is such a god-send because you don’t have to use a DI to match the line impedance. The Bambino just reeks of versatility, and the tone is so good!
You should hear Reason’s bigger amps. They are absolutely spectacular in tone as well! I love the SM40 and SM25. Freakin’ great amps!
has anyone heard of when the channel selector switch will be available?
The footswitch? You should give Anthony a call. But I believe it’s a standard two-button footswitch that you can actually purchase from a store, if you don’t want to wait – confirm this with Anthony first though…
That footswitch makes a WORLD of difference with that amp!
Just purchased my first set of Lollar pickups for my 94 Tele. Wow! What a major difference in tone. These things rock. Not too hot and not too weak. These babies let the true tone of your guitar come through, and when you have a great amp like the Bambino, it makes all the difference in the world!
Very cool!!! I’ve been considering getting a set of Lollars for my Strat. Now you’ve got me gassing again! 🙂
hey hey, Mr. Goofy Dog. have decided that the bambino is awsome at low levels but a little too clean. if you crank it just a bit it is perfect but alas, still just a little too loud. so i am presently using a box of rock and an OCD. the box of rock is a little noisy but a great pedal. the OCD is great pedal but i need a boost. what kind of pedals do you think would do this thing justice? a friend of mine has a King of Tone that sounds nice but it is a long wait to get one.
thanks, Todd.
I can only speak for what I’ve got, but the Tone Freak Effects Abunai 2 and the KASHA Overdrive are the pedals I use with this amp. They keep the tone natural. The Abunai 2 has a fantastic clipping circuit, while the KASHA acts as more booster than overdrive and also a voicing box – super sweet tones!
My advice with the Bambino for low volumes is to use StackMode so you you can control the overall volume with the StackMode volume. That’ll help control it as well, plus get you into some nice pre-amp tube grind.
thanks mon,
i will try out the stackmode a little more. i have been playing it on the bright channel. it sounds awsome on the bright channel just a little loud for our room by the time i get it where i like it.
thanks, Todd.
And note that you can dial in varying amounts of Normal and Bright Volumes. To use it effectively, use the EQ on the Bright channel to dial in the overall EQ. Keep your Normal channel EQ at 12 o’clock. Then play with the amount of each channel you want to dial in for StackMode, then set StackMode to your desired volume.
I normally use the Normal channel, and keep it pretty clean (up to about 12 o’clock), then when I want more gain and overdrive, I engage StackMode, but set the volume to just a bit louder than the Normal channel.