NAMM 2014: Fender Pawn Shop Vaporizer Video Demo - An Amp Inspired By '50s B Movies

An amp that purrs, zaps, and does various other cool stuff!   23-Jan-14

Everytime Fender Pawn Shop release an amplifier, you know it's at least going look cool in your living room - there's a pretty high chance it's going to sound good too.

The new Fender Pawn Shop Vaporizer is a basic tube combo with a couple of clever twists, and as per usual with the Fender Pawn Shop range - it is one very eyecatching little cat.

The 12 watt Fender Vaporizer has two 12AX7s in the preamp stage, with two EL84s powering the show. It also features a twin set of custom designed 10-inch speakers, just to complete an eccentric spec.

It comes in three classic colours, if you're into your surf rock then you'll probably be into the Vaporizer.

The best thing? Well the MSRP is $399, which is a lot less than we were expecting when he heard the amp in action. It kicks out a beautiful clean tone, and a really messed up distortion tone that sounds like it came straight from a late 1950s garage rock compilation record.

There's a couple of features you might miss at first glance. By turning the volume knob down to zero, and turning the reverb knob up to max, you get a strange swampy sound - something that doesn't strike us as being a tone you would use all too regularly, but that'd be great to throw in to the odd song (emphasis on the word 'odd')!

The amp also comes with a footswitch, by engaging the switch you are effectivlely turning the volume and tone knobs up to 10, you can hear what this sounds like in the video above.

Is there anything you'd like us to check out and film at this year's NAMM show? Let us know on Twitter - @SonicAmped.

Written by Richard Beech - @RichTheJourno.
Filmed by Rob Hicks, presented by Richard Beech.
Product demonstration by Rick Heins - Fender Amplification Product Manager.