The World's Most Customisable Valve Amp? | Synergy Amps Modular SYN30 & SYN50

[@nickfowler602]

lee should make an overdrive pedal and name it "the captains crunch."

[@foggyblues13]

lol

[@davemutter8716]

Yes!

[@PangolinRoundabout]

Bruh.

[@LukeDickins0n]

im adding a comment just to boost this comment

[@spleantrampoline]

Did he make this yet?

[@FloridaManRacer]

SHOCKED that Lee saw Damage Plan. Even MORE Shocked that he lived to tell the tale lol

[@Pauld62]

Bea has just seemed to level up his playing style across all styles all at the same time, and the captains playing seems to just keep improving too.

[@CorbCorbin]

I did laugh when Lee mentioned him playing a Mick-ish lick, then Bea did it again and put some Pete on it. 😆

[@mdragon99]

Its been fun watching these videos over the years and hear them grow

[@RobertSaxy]

@@mdragon99 I agree but I’ve only been watching for a few months and over the past few months they have gotten way better, all of them, it’s especially true though during the last 2-3 months. Maybe it’s because their playing more during the pandemic, maybe as a form of therapy to deal with the plague

[@StephenMarkTurner]

I recently watched an old video, Lee was pretty clunky, big difference now

[@IamMusicNerd]

This is one of the best sounding demos I’ve ever heard. I’m sold. Synergy 50 and 4 modules ordered. So excited!

[@jaktje]

And? What are your thoughts on it? :)

[@ArminFPV]

Has anyone ever mentioned how much freaking weight Bea has lost over time? Congrats man - sick!

[@AllanGildea]

The man is looking healthy handsome and jovial.

[@CaptainKirk007]

Yeah he looks like the wolfmother dude now.

[@olavjorvik94]

I see you don’t read comments😂 about 2-3 guys say it every video he’s in, last 3 years😂 But yes, well done, Bea!👍🏼 Best guitarist on all of youtube, I think.

[@FungusLabel]

@@olavjorvik94 Yeah, at this point its weird, at least I would feel uncomfortable if I saw same comment under all my videos :D

[@pickerpelletier1]

Yeah but his tone is still fat! 😏

[@NathanMichalik]

I switched to the rack synergy stuff about a year ago and love it to death. I was switching giant Amp heads every couple years and never got happy with just one flavor of tone. This stuff was exactly what I wanted. In terms of the Vai module being dark, the bass knob is very overpowering. It must be a linear taper pot or something because all of the range is basically between 1 and 3. My favorite module is easily the SLO but the plexi is also crazy versatile. My biggest complaint is the lack of clean tones. The Vai and OS are really the only good sounding super clean tones imo.

[@shreddz]

RIP Dime, that story really hit me. Lucky to have seen him in '96.

[@ledhendrix5054]

I saw Pantera at Londons Brixton Academy in the 90s , best gig I've ever been too , first time I ever stage dived. It was more like a riot in the crowd , never ever forget it.

[@andrewfuentes1632]

Rabea, it’s Matt Pike you were thinking of. He plays Soldanos in the band High on Fire, he as well plays Orange in the band Sleep

[@globlogabgalab4278]

He also used to play laney in the early days of sleep

[@ryanpetrak]

he’s also the greatest metal guitarist of all time next to tony iommi

[@reallyeffingcooltechnodude]

He doesn't own any shirts.

[@whiteninja2006]

@@globlogabgalab4278 and Green/Matamp amps

[@rexantares689]

You're kidding! I was just looking at Synergy stuff today... I would like to file a formal complaint against your Psychic Marketing department for invasion of privacy and brainwaves. In all seriousness, every upload from you lot instantly makes my day that much better!

[@pasdiane]

👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿 for Capt ascending lick!!!

[@JuddOakes]

I remember back in the day when Salvation Mods did a bunch of stuff on the ol MTS preamp modules. I had an RM20 back in the day. Glad to see these are seeing the light of day again.

[@majkon93]

I think Salvation Mods is still kicking O.o

[@nmc9x23]

The Synergy amps are built as good as all of the Boutique products, hence the cost. I have the Syn50 head & the Syn30 combo. Whereas a modeler gives you a similar tone, the Synergy products replicate the tone and most importantly the feel of the parent amplifiers.

[@Reckeeto]

Interesting view, I have gone the modelling route (which my back is thankful for) and I must say once you get into the Helix/Kemper level of kit I tend not to notice an issue in terms of “feel”, to me they sound just the same as if you mic up the real amps. As an owner have you gone all in and bought a wide range of modules or just stuck to 2-3? If you’ve stuck with 2-3 could I respectfully ask if you’ve noticed any advantage over just buying the amps they’re based on as I would imagine they’re similar cost? Having said that I’ve immediately thought MIDI integration on a plexi module is probably worth it’s weight in gold...

[@robertogrady2798]

Valve-power, module-based modelling... a pro-cover band, session-gtarist dream. Thanks for the plain language demo 👍

[@Erik_Nordlund]

If you tend to buy a bunch of “amp in a box” pedals, this is the best upgrade you can make.

[@donaldfewell8908]

Thanks! i'll check it out!

[@Watergrovey]

Reminds me of those car stereos you took out so they wouldn’t steal it.

[@angus68655]

I had one of those but couldn't be bothered taking it out so it stayed in the car anyway. 😂😂

[@SC-hb8sr]

“You did not just do that! That is a Blaupunkt! You owe me a Blaupunkt!”

[@Claimjumper55]

I love the Synergy stuff. I run the Syn-1 into a Fryette Power Station 2 into a Mesa Recto 2x12 cab most of the time. I also run it into fx returns of various amps. I have the Soldano SLO, Diezel VH4, Bogner Uberschall, Friedman BE/BB and Fryette Deliverance modules. They're all great but the Soldano is my favorite so far.

[@hyperbolekid]

Just curious if you still use the synergy stuff? My concern was resale value once promotion for it fades and the only people to sell modules to wld be people who have synergy amps/racks.

[@Claimjumper55]

@@hyperbolekid I'm still using mine a lot. I have no intentions of selling.

[@robertscharlow]

Love seeing Bea on this! What a lovely surprise.

[@rednettle]

Such a great player isn't he

[@xthexadvantagex]

These two together are my favorite.

[@paulsguitarstudio126]

Working on building my Synergy system rig for a few months I can say after using it, it is just the best, all tube, videos don't do them justice. No they are not the same and they certainly all have different feels and touch. I dig the Synergy stuff, best thing for guitar since I have been playing. I love how you can slowly buy your rig piece by piece and changing out an amp is just a simple buy. It's cool stuff, try it you'll realize how good it is.

[@craighayes3316]

The Rab is looking good for the weight loss! Well done lad, well done.

[@mdenison2567]

the burl / burst top on that BEA ml3 is frigging GAWGEOUS

[@TheAquaponic1]

So glad to see Rabea doing these. And listening to Pete chiming in from the gallery is awesome. Rabea FTW.

[@KashNickels]

Synergy is a word I’d use for you two’s energy

[@samuelhenandez8032]

this videos make my quarantine time a lot better, thanks a lot guys

[@khuongdtx]

Lee's playing has massively improved!!

[@gunnerkicks6590]

It's because he wears lipstick now

[@DroneCorpse]

@@gunnerkicks6590 maybe it was CHAP stick?

[@Benjymon123]

I am excited beyond words for a future where we can build custom amps like we build custom PCs. Imagine the possibilities!

[@jaythorne6400]

Rebea's hair needs it's own series on Anderton's. It's just as epic as the rest of Rebea.

[@michaelwintz1896]

Captain your playing has improved tremendously in the last couple years!

[@alanparkinson4568]

Lee and Rabea's unintentional but in harmony 'Uuuum' at 19:00 😆

[@TraneFrancks]

Lee, the pedalboard back-to-front signal chain is all about most guitarists being right-handed, with the cable exiting the guitar on the right side. Having the pedals with the instrument input on the right side helps to ensure cables don't have to cross in front of the player to get to the other side.

[@NINEWALKING]

BTW Captain for the right hand people your guitar cable goes to the right side and it is logical that on the pedals you have an input on the left side so you do not trip over the cables. :)

[@markhodgkisson6060]

And mY you both make many more....Rabea may prefer heavier and a more distorted sound but he has a beautiful emotive style and I much prefer when he plays a cleaner tone. That's just my preference and so much more musicality than other players who've been on here who prefer a louder more distorted sound. Let's this not be the last....Pete and Rabea all the way....great video again gents

[@SDisonYT]

Just fyi, the reason pedal boards go from right to left, was because when the first pedals started coming out, they realized that the majority of players were right handed, and so their guitar cords were to the right of the player. So rather than crossing the cord over to the left for the input, they just made the input on the right and the output on the left, for less cords getting in the way of the player’s feet. And pretty much every pedal maker since has copied that layout. (And all left handed players just had to deal with it)

[@EspeciallyCrunchy]

August is one my favorite Clapton albums, out of everything he's done from the 60s onwards....I draw a parallel to how well Johnny Guitar Watson and Freddie King were able to transition into the 70s so well, where most other blues artists COMPLETELY failed. Clapton (and Winwood) for whatever reason, just had a style that was able to translate to a decade that was REALLY difficult for legacy artists at the time. August has such a "lift" about it....there's something so fun about that record. And dont get me started on the drum mix...it's to die for.

[@trevormosher1678]

I saw Steve Vai do a clinic at Sweetwater's GearFest in 2019 when he just started using the Synergy stuff. It was rack mount modules and he was using his and he also had Plexi module, plus another I don't recall. Dave Friedman was also there dialing them in for him.

[@disco4535]

I love Bea's playing

[@imgonnagetbanned]

A Silver Sky!! Been a minute since we've seen one of those in the wild

[@frankcifarelli3473]

The doom/sludge guitarist they were referring to might be Matt Pike, who uses an SLO when he plays in High on Fire (but uses an Orange when he plays in Sleep).

[@smileystevens3060]

I think that it's pretty cool that you can change out the components of it to make like another amp all together....🤟🎶🤟

[@rednettle]

Bea's ending run at in the start of the vid was monster - loved the SLO module too, sounded great #bootanclan

[@guitarsimon1]

To be fair if all the modules are going through the same cab they are going to sound the same, the speaker and cab have a massive influence on the sound (evidenced by your great speaker vid the other day 👍)

[@AlexSpetz]

Great to see you guys together again!

[@Eventual420]

The stereo power amp days may be behind us, but all of those would permit players to run two different speakers. So if you had a few stereo power amps, you could have 6 different speakers. In that case you could audition a preamp through a variety of output sections. The benefit of those old stereo power amps was you could have 2 distinct 6L6 sections, 2 EL34 sections, 2 EL84 sections... and when you have control of the output you have distinctly different results. Marshall, Mesa, Peavey, VHT, Engl, Synergy all made stereo power amps. Variety is a spice of life.

[@noslang5539]

Excellent demo !! Thanks. Yes this concept and sound are amazing although it should really be less expensive for non-professional musicians we are :-) ...and proposes EL34 tubes option on both heads !!

[@NathanMichalik]

For real. I would rather see their 30 watt combo way more affordable. The pre-amp only interfaces (SYN-1 and SYN-2) should be half the price they are. I do think it's all very much worth the asking price, but it's going to be a limited market when the buy in is so high. $300-400 a module seems absolutely fair though.

[@brettwarren2092]

Captain, please do more of these gear reviews with Rebea! It's so good to have him playing and commenting!!!

[@silverstaralchemist]

Recently saw Opeth using Synergy amps with a Friedman module on a rig rundown! So looks like they're slowly becoming more common on the touring scene! Edit: Rabea mentioned this after I commented! Haha

[@robertscharlow]

Sweet Angus-esque licks, Lee.

[@SteveKay77]

Just bought the SYN50 and 2x12 cab from your site!!

[@andertons]

Congratulations on your new gear day! 😉

[@SteveKay77]

@@andertons thank you!!

[@jonathanstubbsguitar5340]

Got one a few months ago , you are going to love it!

[@dracul74]

I have a bunch of the modules that I use with my fender BassBreaker... also use them through my torpedo live... love them.

[@StephenMarkTurner]

Pete Thorn's demo of the Synergy with the Fryette preamp REALLY caught my ear.

[@shawndouglass2939]

Captain keeps getting Better, Awesome

[@CodyStClair-hq7oz]

Lee knowing Damageplan has blown my mind lol

[@CodyStClair-hq7oz]

@Jew Adolf an awesome band that only had one album

[@Ron_Padgett]

Great demo. I want this with the Bogner Uberschall module

[@BrandonBames]

"Fluffing" means something different in the US apparently.

[@sgtmac62]

Hehehe....

[@cgripp256]

Indeed

[@samuelxavier2473]

I'm positive the guys know the other - US - meaning. :D

[@andybecker5001]

Modules are like Pokémon. Gotta catch them all!

[@GeorgeBratley]

These are a great concept, but I do think they need to bring the price down in the head form factor for it to be really worth it - especially when you can get an arguably much much more versatile Kemper for less money if you need the ability to switch amp sounds. I think what Rabea says about the rack units as a touring option are really the best market for this technology.

[@BenFentem]

The Silver Sky suits you Captain!

[@daltonwilliams2386]

A friend of mine had a Seymour Duncan amp with interchangeable valve modules. It was in the repair shop more than on stage and on several gigs, we had to barrow a head from another band mid show.

[@moonsuga]

Awesome story about Dime!

[@andertons]

It shocked us all hearing that Lee has seen Dime in the flesh... 🤯

[@russellzauner]

Me: are these Friedman amps then Captain: *well no, but actually yes*

[@rileyioacura]

I think it’s Peter arens who designed the ampete 88s and ampete one and two amps that helps with all the designs and collaborations with the company’s involvement with the preamps.. he also heads Tone King and helped with the updates to the soldano amps and I think Boutique Amp Distribution is the owner of the synergy brand and concept now.. if you need to find out about it then @Eytschpi42 on KZbin would be the best channel to go to as he knows the B.A.D people and the ones behind everything and Arvi who owns boutique Amps Distribution is such a cool guy!!

[@trevorD1156]

Yea I'm with Bea, the syn 30 is the way to go. Then I can run it into the different power sections I have. I'd guess most people interested in these have a couple tube amps already.

[@billyellow4849]

I'm guessing a pedal has input on the right because a RH guitar has the jack on the right side and you don't want the lead crossing over in front of your legs...

[@stanislavmigra]

yes

[@baimun]

Lee... Pedalboards go Right to Left because they're typically in front of right handed players, so the cable is plugged into the guitar on the right side of the player, cable lands on the floor, and then runs R to L across the line.

[@grimreaper-qh2zn]

Love the colour of the John Mayer PRS Lee is using.

[@owensagness43]

It's not a game cartridge - it's a GAIN cartridge :-) Would be nice if they had Fuchs for Dumble style. Could pair this with XTOMP pedals and have super versatility. Unfortunately this may be very well be like DAT - a great idea that is launched way too late. Not sure this will have legs compared to Kemper, Fractal, etc.

[@BigMateo24]

This concept has been around for 20 years and it's still kicking. It's been killed off a couple of times, yet it finds a way back. This time they have some major support behind it.

[@pickerpelletier1]

They do have the OS for Dumble style now, about to grab one soon!

[@russellzauner]

Steve Vai is playing pretty clean in his new video where he demonstrates "joint shifting".

[@drscott7359]

Love my synergy , and ya can get pricey. I have the uberschall and engl savage and both super high gain, but they sound totally different. I integrate with a helix.

[@nivedan8]

I had the same face you had rabea when Lee mentioned watching damage plan live 😂😂😂

[@thomasstretton8574]

Will we ever see the ‘sound like’ series return? I loved watching those episodes

[@stevebees3992]

Seymour Duncan did the Convertible amp in the 80's that had inter-changeable preamp modules.

[@aristocaster]

Good, I was going to point out the same thing , that was the first amp with modules. Combo or head models.

[@roebuckmckinney]

Also Randall in the early 2000's. I've got one of the combos.

[@aapddd]

Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits also used a SLO on the album 'on every street' and he used it live extensively. Talk about versatility !

[@Doug5524]

Just the best videos so good to see Bea here more please

[@garethlewis1279]

Isn't Rabeas initial synergy set up the exact same as Mikael Akerfeldt's live rig? Dirty Shirley and Soldano?

[@MaestroJericho]

so DS crunch and SLO lead channels basically?

[@garethlewis1279]

@@MaestroJericho there's a video where Mikael is interviewed about it... But he was sick... They talk to Fredrick for a lot longer. That guy is a proper guitar nerd 😂

[@davidburke2132]

Guitarists predominantly (to a ridiculous degree) play right handed. Pedals go in front of you. Guitar cable leaves a right handed guitar at the right side of your body. Of course the signal chain in pedals goes right to left, otherwise you’d have the guitar cable coming back across you to go to the first pedal and it would i) need to be longer for no sensible reason (and all the knock-on implications of that); and ii) you’d be in much bigger danger of tripping over your own guitar cable or it just inconveniencing you by getting in the way. 🤷🏼‍♂️ I can see Lee’s never really thought about this over his cornflakes! 😝

[@alistairmcintosh9215]

Had the privilege of meeting Dimebag a couple of times....back when he was still "Diamond". Seemed a nice guy.

[@JPIndustrie]

Honest consumer feedback: its all a question of longevity... and that can mean a number of things such as support for future modules, resale, etc... thats why it never took off the 2-3x they've tried this.

[@Claimjumper55]

I think it will fly this time, especially since the actual amp builders are involved, and it's pretty cool that they designed the system to be backward compatible with the older modules.

[@NathanMichalik]

It's a valid point, but there is already such a huge line up of modules available this time that it's somewhat easy to know if the product is for you. I would still LOVE a Mesa, Lee Jackson, and EVH module at some point, but I don't think that the lack of those takes away the value of the ecosystem for me. I think there's enough variety this time around.

[@OriginalDarkMark]

What someone needs to invent, is a combo amp that has enough space inside for a socially distanced gig, with good air extraction and a bar, that’s easy to carry but doesn’t sacrifice quality and tone. Preferably with a decent, footswitchable reverb.

[@MrFuzzBen]

Really like the look of some of the tele style Chapmans. Just hate reverse headstocks. Wish they offered some non reverse.

[@justie1220]

Same!!!

[@naylor2006]

Yeah don’t know what it is, that guitar is beautiful but I can’t stand the upside down, just looks wrong.....It’s a Chapman thing, pretty sure they are all the wrong way up

[@BigMateo24]

@@naylor2006 I don't mind the looks of a reverse headstock so much, but functionally I find them more of an inconvenience having the tuners on the opposite side. My hand doesn't want to twist that way.

[@s9plus20]

Nice Jam ! Sounding great !

[@kylecosentino2271]

True Innovation this is genius

[@jergervasi3331]

Pedalboards go right to left because most guitarists are right-handed, so their cable doesn't have to cross in front of them. BTW, kudos on using your Time Machine to grab 70's Neal Schon to demo this stuff.

[@jonathanstubbsguitar5340]

Killswitch engage used SLO 100 on end of heartache ! Also unearth used them back in the day, Van Halen based the 5150 on it also after using it on FUCK

[@paperoverflow]

I'd love to have the syn50 and get into synergy, but it's expensive (but probably worth it). I own a RM100 which is super heavy and loud and several modules... That's why the syn50 would be great, but it's even more expensive than my head ^^

[@imacashew.]

I would get a couple modules to run in the loop of my hotrod deVille 🤘🏻😎

[@AstralTales]

The input on the pedals goes from right to left because the jack on the guitar is on the right.

[@Yupppi]

Those look kinda like arcade game cards with how big they are. But the connectors are so much like NES and SNES. But think about if the pedalboards went from left to right and you'd always trip over your guitar cord. Like playing an original fuzz face. That's what guitarists really hate. Van Halen used SLO100 on For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. 5150 isn't really SLO100 according to Friedman and Soldano, but Rectifier is an unshameful copy aside the power section. The biggest question when I looked these up on Anderton's site was if you get none of the modules or all of them when you buy the desktop box or the rack mount one. Like £800 for the rack shell is a ton, but £800 for all the modules sounds very cheap. In the specs there was no mention about the modules.

[@deanmlshredder]

I wasn't convinced with the Steve Vai module until "Erotic Nightmares" I think they nailed that sound. And I'm not sure how they sounded in the room but the only ones thay sounded similar to me really were the two plexi clones. Which tells me they must be doing something right. Lol. That vh4 module was monstrous.

[@CorbCorbin]

Is it possible to use these preamps in other amps besides the Synergy? Such as in the effects loop? Guess it only works within the Syn-1 Housing module? It’s a cool idea once one has the full rig, and then can buy $300 interchangeable preamps. I suppose that’s the extra one pays for something like the Kingsley Preamp pedals, which may be considered pretty expensive, but can be used in any effects loop. Effectively giving a solid state some sweet valve headroom. I mean does one need either the combo or housing module, then the Synergy preamp? I’m just wondering how much it would cost to get started without buying a combo amp. Module + Preamp + Cabinet (or line in)

[@JimijaymesProductions]

you could ge tthe syn1 and then one module or the syn2 and two modules and the syn 2 has so many features such as emulated xlr outs (with cab bypass for using your own cab sim)., I'd say thats the best bang for you buck.

[@xthexadvantagex]

Yes you can

[@calebo29536]

Nice vid! My question is, are you guys planning to do a video on changing the speakers in a hot rod deluxe iv? I’m planning on getting my first tube amp and was wondering if this would be a good purchase for giging and home use? Thanks

[@JimsMusicJourney]

I guess if you aren’t a metal guitarist the high gain might sound the same. But I definitely hear a difference between the high gain modules.

[@CaptainCreepyCrawley]

Micheal Akerfeldt from Opeth uses the synergy SLO module.

[@Badonkadonker]

All the gear from these dudes (amp + cab + modules) = 6900 GBP. Give or take 7k. Go for it fellas!!!!

[@MrPinkStrat]

I was hoping they would have the FRYETTE Module

[@BigMateo24]

Fryette builds the power amps.

[@MrPinkStrat]

@@BigMateo24 but their module is the one i like it's more a Southern rock sound not as heavy as the others

[@JimijaymesProductions]

I think Rebea is right here the best value for money is the rack stuff, mainly because you can go stereo for under 3k you can have 4 amps in a stereo rig even less if you use a different stereo power amps, thats kind of insane tbh considering how much the amps these modules come from cost.

[@ledhendrix5054]

I'm pretty sure that Synergy Have a Steve Vai Pre-Amp , and Steve uses it , and it's the first signature Amp that the company has made. It came out just after Steve's new PIA Guitar.

[@vincezab1]

The Andertons website shows the various models (30w, 50w, presamp) with a module installed. Do they all come with one module or does the price not include a starter module? In other words, will it work right out of the box or does one need to buy a module?

[@Piplodocus]

With that face for the VH4 and the general love for the Diezel pedal, I don't know why the Captain doesn't stock Diezel amps. Not that bothered though cuz I just a bought another a fortnight ago, so I can't buy a 3rd Diezel til about 2030! 😂 I would have bought it from Andertons if you'd been a dealer though. Can buy a VH4/Hagen/Herbert for similar money and I love all the channels. Would be cool to be able to buy new alternative channels for a few hundred quid. But then you never have the full package where the power amp is that specific amp from input to cab. Cool stuff though.

[@AnkurWow]

Rabea’s playing is a perfect cross between Pete’s and Rob’s.

[@xthexadvantagex]

Better than both