Amp in a box

A pedal built to reproduce a complete amplifier and speaker sound rather than one effect, so a clean pedalboard or a backline amp can be made to sound like something else.

Internally these pedals usually mimic a preamp's gain structure and tone stack, and many add a speaker simulation or a cabinet filter so they can go straight to a PA or an interface. They often sit at the end of the chain and behave like a preamp rather than a stomp, and some are designed to drive a power amp input directly. The appeal is portability: one small box replaces a heavy amp for a session or a fly date.

Example: a player who needs a cranked American combo sound at a quiet gig will put such a pedal last and run it into the venue's PA.

Amp in a box

See also