I just took a stroll across the street to Avatar’s headquarters with the intent of getting my hands on the new Fuchs amplifiers they just got in. I heard last week that they were coming, and I got pretty excited.

Chip from Avatar is the one who tipped me off that they’d be arriving. “Dweezil Zappa’s going to be extremely stoked,” he added.

This morning I got the news that they’d arrived, so I set aside some time to go over and see what was going on with them. I found them on top of a road case in front of Chip’s office and gave them a look-see.

There were two rather small heads… smaller than a full Marshall head by a long shot. Shorter than a Mesa MarkIV head, also. They had full tube construction inside very sturdy boxes, so they weren’t light by any means. Just… compact. I liked the fit and finish right off the bat.

I thought they both had a bit of a Mesa look to them, so I grabbed a Mesa 1×12 8ohm cab off the Avatar shelves. I wanted something with a couple of humbuckers in it to use for the test also, so I snagged a Taylor T3 out of the Avatar guitar vault (also known as Jack’s office). At first I was thinking Telecaster, but then I reconsidered and brought out the T3.

Oh and by the way, being able to grab high dollar gear off Avatar’s shelves and wail away for a few minutes is really, really nice. Come by some time and see what it’s like.

Chip had the Overdrive Supreme plugged up first. These amp and effect reviews always sound really weird, but suffice it to say that the distortion and tones that came out of this little head were pretty amazing. Chip twiddled knobs and wailed and I didn’t hear a single non-stellar tone come out.

Additionally, even with only a single 1×12 speaker there was a ton of headroom to play with. Chip and I were both smiling at one another as I imagine the first two guys who tested a bazooka must have been smiling.

The Clean Machine stacked under the Overdrive Supreme was also really tasty. In fact I think for my personal style and tastes, the Clean Machine would be the choice of the two. Unless I could afford both, that is.

I gritted my teeth and asked Chip what these heads retail for. He told me.

After I was revived, I considered just grabbing the Clean Machine and dashing out the door, but everyone knows where I live. Besides, that’d probably be the end of my friendly Friday golf game with Chip, and some things don’t have a price tag. Hah! Just kidding, I can be easily bought.

Fact is, these heads are not cheap, but neither is a Ferrari. If you want the best, it’s going to cost you, and having tested these two amps I can tell you that they’re worth every penny.

So, what I’m saying is, save up your money and you just might be able to afford the Fuchs of a lifetime.