Magnatone has announced a new iteration of guitar icon Slash’s signature amp head, the SL-100 – a recovered, dark take on the same model, dubbed the Blackout Edition.
The Blackout gets its name from the black cotton croc covering used on the cabinetry, which continues a reptilian theme started by its predecessor, the Limited Edition SL-100, finished in anaconda green covering.
The firm’s US tube amp builds are renowned for their volume and punchy clarity and the SL-100 has certainly been no exception.
“It’s a monster,” notes the firm. “The most powerful Magnatone to date, delivering enough unbelievable tone, gain and headroom to fill a stadium.”
“I’ve become a big fan of the Magnatone sound,” adds Slash. “And it’s been an honor to help design a 100-watt amp with them. I think we put the Magnatone tone and clarity together with some raw power and crunch. The combination is aggressive and sweet simultaneously, it’s pretty awesome.”
Under the hood, or rather the cotton croc, the Blackout Edition SL-100 remains unchanged.
Obviously, before the shock announcement that Slash was collaborating with Magnatone came late last year [yes, we’re easily startled – Ed], the guitar icon was renowned for his association with Marshall Amplification.
As such, it makes sense then that the SL-100 draws on elements of Magnatone’s own British-flavored Super Fifty-Nine M-80.
That head’s name and design is the US firm’s take on the classic Marshall 1959 Super Lead (one of the so-called Plexi builds, favored by everyone from Eddie Van Halen to Angus Young and Jimi Hendrix).
The SL-100 combines that vintage-style circuit (activated with the Lo switch) with a new Hi gain channel, inspired by the later Marshall JCM800 tones that defined Slash’s early Guns N’ Roses output.
In keeping with the classic British spec, there are four EL34 power tubes and four 12AX7 preamp tubes. The two channels have independent gain controls, a shared four-band EQ and a tube-buffered effects loop, plus a master volume control and two inputs.
There’s no official word on the Blackout’s pricing yet. However, we’re hoping it will shave something off the chunky $4,899 charged for the original Limited Edition SL-100.
The Magnatone SL-100 Blackout Edition is reportedly available for pre-order, but we’ve yet to see it surface via retailers just yet – so, in the meantime, keep your eyes on the Magnatone site for more information.
