Back in the glorious ’80s, tons of players were going with rackmounted preamps and processors for their tones, and they needed occasionally massive power amps from folks like VHT (now Fryette) or Mesa/Boogie to amplify those sounds.
Back in the glorious ’80s, tons of players were going with rackmounted preamps and processors for their tones, and they needed occasionally massive power amps from folks like VHT (now Fryette) or Mesa/Boogie to amplify those sounds. In the modern era of lightweight digital modelers, many guitarists are shying away from heavy tube power amps, opting for compact, digital class-D power solutions. That’s where the folks at Seymour Duncan come in, with two elegant ways to take modelers, pedals, and preamps and make them louder.
The PowerStage 700 ($699 street) is a sleek, beautiful piece that is awesomely easy to use. It features discrete stereo ins and outs, pumps out 350 watts per side at 8Ω (700 watts per side at 4Ω), and has a simple but powerful 3-band EQ for quick adjustments to compensate for different rooms or different instruments. It also has a pair of speaker simulated XLR outs, providing even greater routing flexibility onstage or in the studio.
They really nailed the form factor with the PowerStage 700. Every detail reeks of quality and durability. And, at 6.3 lbs, it has just enough heft to inspire confidence, but not so much that you can’t throw it in a backpack or a gig bag. The knobs are smooth and the jacks are snug. I plugged in a Kemper Profiler and went through some sounds. The 700 reproduced them with depth and body and lots of volume. I didn’t find the tones to be appreciably different or better than those same profiles going through the Kemper’s built-in power amp, but