NA MRH159 Brown Sound Guitar Amplifier

2 in 1!

For me the first convincingly sounding, reacting and behaving Plexi simulation, which I've heard within the last 22 years.

In fact this plugin are 2 amps in one, a regular 1959 Super Lead and a EVH modded Brown Sound Plexi, which is some sort of beefed up Plexi with more, slightly fatter punch, gain and - most important - even inceased harmonics reproduction. Also important for this sound is the Variac, which reduces power voltage and therefore also internal voltage. The result is more saturation but less headroom.

One of the advantages of the EVH mod for me is, that the modded SLP still sounds like a real Plexi and not already like a JCM800, which happens with some other mods.

The 6CA7 power amp tubes sound - more or less - like a hybrid between an EL34 and an 6L6, which means, that this amp on the one hand definitely sounds like a (very good) Plexi but also has some more, very musically sounding upper mid and treble transparency as well as a more intense bass than you might expect from a typical EL34 Plexi. Even a little bit similar to a modded Bassman or JTM45, so the Standard voicing is - in my opinion - the perfect amp for Classic Blues Rock to Hard Rock. The Brown Sound Mod also adds some mids and is the better choice for heavier, fuller bodied late 70's, early 80's tube overdrive tones, although also the Brown Sound Mod doesn't change the amp to a modern high-gain amp.

The special G12M / D120 cabinet is an interesting thing, especially for the Brown Sound mod, but I personally also would have liked an additional G12M or G12H 412 cabinet for the standard amp, maybe instead of the Soldano or of one of the V30 cabinets. On the other hand you anyway can load external cabinet IR's and even mix them, so this is not really a big disadvantage.

One thing I've noticed is that - especially in Standard mode - this plugin reacts much more sensitive to guitar, pickups, pick attack than most other amp simulations, but also to the used cabinet IR's. Very similar to the real amp, but without it's wall breaking loudness.

Especially the linked channels allow a very intense control over gain and tone, but therefore not all possible settings automatically sound right or great, also because this amp (simulation) reacts very interactively with all the rest of the used gear. On the other hand you have an excellent control over bass, mid, treble and - of course - gain.

So once you have learned how to tame and adjust this sonic beast properly, this plugin can give you these absolutely awesome, outstanding, iconic tones, which you hardly will get from any other amp (simulation) and which we all know from a lot of legendary recordings, extremely well.

My personal - in this quality long overdue - guitar plugin of the year! (Or rather of the decade?;-)).

Thank you very much, Mr. Nembrini.