Roadrunner
Power User
While going through the endless tunnel of gear acquisition / setups for downsizing my rig, I was looking for a more portable amplification solution which I can pair with my Matrix NL212.
In general, I use a Matrix GT1000FX 1U housed in a 2U space rack which is great, powerful and light but….I wanted it to be smaller and lighter….you know, getting lazy.
I wanted a pedal form factor amp but the options are mostly either mono (I want stereo), quite big vs. a pedal or expensive and after all, I wasn’t looking to totally replace my GT1000, just to have a lighter options for small gigs.
I found out Harley Benton makes something which could fit my needs:
Custom Line Thunder 99 – Pedal form factor 2x50w (@4Ω) stereo power amp.
Only 85$ (exclude shipping).
Anyhow I went and ordered one, for what it cost, who cares right…?
I decided to put it into the battle immediately and gigged it yesterday (AC/DC tribute) in a small club hooked in stereo to my NL212.
It's unbelievable!
1st, this tiny thing is loud enough, seriously! 2nd, its sound good enough, I couldn't notice something different compared to the GT1000 beside maybe that it sounded just a tiny touch more bass but all in all, it did the job well!
FM3 volume @ 75%, Thunder 99 @ 60-70%, was a blast!
Now the drawback, there is only one, it’s the power supply, which is massive, big compared to the pedal but….there are always some compromises and for me it was a well-accepted rather than carry the 2U rack with the Matrix amp.
I highly recommend it if you are into a small cheap amp solution.
In general, I use a Matrix GT1000FX 1U housed in a 2U space rack which is great, powerful and light but….I wanted it to be smaller and lighter….you know, getting lazy.
I wanted a pedal form factor amp but the options are mostly either mono (I want stereo), quite big vs. a pedal or expensive and after all, I wasn’t looking to totally replace my GT1000, just to have a lighter options for small gigs.
I found out Harley Benton makes something which could fit my needs:
Custom Line Thunder 99 – Pedal form factor 2x50w (@4Ω) stereo power amp.
Only 85$ (exclude shipping).
Anyhow I went and ordered one, for what it cost, who cares right…?
I decided to put it into the battle immediately and gigged it yesterday (AC/DC tribute) in a small club hooked in stereo to my NL212.
It's unbelievable!
1st, this tiny thing is loud enough, seriously! 2nd, its sound good enough, I couldn't notice something different compared to the GT1000 beside maybe that it sounded just a tiny touch more bass but all in all, it did the job well!
FM3 volume @ 75%, Thunder 99 @ 60-70%, was a blast!
Now the drawback, there is only one, it’s the power supply, which is massive, big compared to the pedal but….there are always some compromises and for me it was a well-accepted rather than carry the 2U rack with the Matrix amp.
I highly recommend it if you are into a small cheap amp solution.