I FINALLY Tried The Ampero 2 Stage

Hotone Ampero 2 stage has been big hype, and I finally got to try one...
Get one here! amzn.to/4b8z61U
Listen to my band: open.spotify.com/playlist/6PH...
🙌 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗢𝗡 / taylordanley
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0:00 Hotone Ampero 2 Stage
0:35 Ampero 2 Stage Unboxing and first impressions
1:50 Specs
4:45 Setup and First Tones
9:06 Setting up a metal patch
14:00 Pitch Shifting
16:27 Is the ampero 2 stage good?
** My videos may or may not contain products that were given to me with the expressed intent for me to make an unbiased review. I may also receive products at a discount in return for making a video on these products. In such cases, the opinions expressed are my own, and not the opinions of the companies providing the equipment. I try to mention this when relevant.
Links in the description may be affiliate, and I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. **

[@TaylorDanley]

Get one here! amzn.to/4b8z61U

[@toneconsultant]

I wonder how this holds up to the Mooer GE300 Iite.

[@danc3746]

What I love about your vids is that you always use a real cabinet.

[@jonsalvador5051]

Do you know if he uses another device to plug into the cab ?, between the ampero and the cab ?

[@Sage-666]

@@jonsalvador5051 some type of power amp cause modelers cant power a cab by itself

[@JamesFlorio-ti8gc]

Thank you for the demo I like it she sounds great 👍🏻

[@whj812]

Never ceases to amaze me at the tones you create!! Keep it going! Loving the Engl Tonex Captures! Cant wait to see more posts from ya!

[@TaylorDanley]

Awesome, glad you enjoy them! I'm going to be working on more captures after Namm, they've updated the program to make it less time intrusive.

[@bjquebedeaux3597]

​@@TaylorDanleyJust checked out Sacrificer! HAIL is a great song! Fucking jams dude! Yalls vocalist is a beast🤘

[@Obssy]

Awesome, I was waiting for your review of the Ampero 2 Stage. I just bought a normal Ampero and watched all your videos on it, I am quite happy with how it sounds (especially with some third party IRs), but I don't feel the need to upgrade at all. But the new one sounds great, of course🤘

[@DavidAllenMD]

guitar looks so good man and the riffs are dope

[@iimmolarious7636]

Got the first hotone ampero when it came out because of your review and after doing gigs with it and using it for many many hours in band practices I still love the ampero mp100, I can only imagine this thing does everything even better.

[@Timewalker13]

How are the transitions between clean and lead channels?

[@heavybrett-al4082]

You always have the best t shirts Taylor! Yea modelling units have jumped into the future, by 5 years over night! A company seems to bring out gold almost every year...it's hard to keep up.😂

[@retropuffer2986]

Great review. The amount of features is amazing.

[@TaylorDanley]

Yeah I'll have to dive in once I'm more familiar with it..

[@joellebrodeur1015]

I pulled the trigger on this yesterday. I also got the Mini version to mess with because my other units sucked.

[@Chris-farmer]

interesting pedal would definatly be fun learning all the parameters of effects! always kept my pedals basic, be a fun tool to have in any arsenal!

[@jessehutchings]

I recently got a GT1000Core by boss. The Stage is way newer and looks totally kitted out. I doubt you would regret getting it

[@bestboy897]

this thing sounds so good

[@stefanokrivtzoff1593]

Man this ampero is really sick!!

[@Monsoon1030]

ESS Sabre DAC’s are well known in the audiophile community as one of the major players in digital/analog conversion. They’ve been at it for a long time, and certainly know what they are doing! Sabre is a range of chips, with the high end ones being rather costly, but even the more affordable ones being super solid.

[@Zareh_Abrahamian]

Nice video Taylor. Is there any improvement in terms of CPU capacity? It was the main issue you mentioned in the Ampero II Stomp video when using dual amp chains.

[@rishiraj1205]

Hey Taylor! Awesome video!! Was womdering what rig do you use for that moving camera setup?

[@Donato8nacho]

The sneeze rules!!!

[@anirbanplayguitar]

Hiii love your videos 😇 please explain how to use the preamp on this unit 😢

[@AV-cx7ob]

Amazing licks / playing!

[@tuesdayzrain]

I just bought one! It's amazing!😎🤘

[@davidwoods358]

All the new modellers have gotten so damn good. I like everything about this Ampero Stage. They've packed a ton of features into a decent sized unit, not too big and not too small. I, for one, am glad it doesn't have a built in exp pedal.

[@jessehutchings]

Exactly, nobody needs an exp pedal built on. That just takes up unnecessary space when portability is one of the key features of using a modeler

[@getshwiftygaming447]

@@jessehutchings I have to disagree with you entirely. The NUX MG30 and MG300 both have a built in expression pedal and they are very portable.

[@questionmark5463]

@@getshwiftygaming447 I do think that this unit is targeted towards players who want to integrate it with other gear they already own. Also.. players are picky about expression pedals and usually, the integrated ones usually aren't great in terms of feel. It's nice that adding a pedal is left as an option.

[@getshwiftygaming447]

@@questionmark5463 I completely understand that point of view it's just nice to have that expression pedal built in just for the sake of having more options in a single unit while traveling. Personally it doesn't really matter either way for me but I feel like a single unit with an expression pedal built in slightly more convenient for travel purposes.

[@queeffersthrlnd1620]

What is a good one under or around 300? There are so many option so can’t decide like the donner arena 2000, Mooer ge200, valeton gp200jr

[@torchlord11]

Ha! The real cab sounds amazing. I'm not through the whole video yet but are you running the ampero to the effects return of a tube amp or into a solid-state amp?

[@schlagdog]

Have you ever made an impulse response of your pedal poweramp/cab/mic ? Then when you are doing these demos you can load your cab sound right into the unit? You can make one with the axefx3 in about 15 seconds.

[@williamsoule4905]

awesome bro

[@zipporaid]

My helix lt is starting to act up, about to clean up the switches and sell her off for one of these

[@renatopaffetti211]

Hi I heve unit but I couldn't use my phone or tablet to control it by Bluetooth. Could you plese suggest me the procedure? I tried many times... thanks

[@Demonik44]

Have you tried the best budget ir / amp. cab modler on the market ; the m vave cube

[@baolbardotbulsara]

Hey! Nice review! I'm wondering if I could use it as a vocal/guitar pedalboard. Does it come with vocal harmonies by "reading" the guitar chords...? Can't find this info anywhere, even wrote directly to Hotone... Thank you!

[@KaiDown]

that sneeze jumpscare nearly killed me

[@johnmolloy7340]

Nice video Sir. What Jackson are you playing?

[@ParanormalResponse]

Did you use the cab IR through your cab? It sounded good.

[@rosthariton7930]

The box looks just like the one for Quad Cortex. Did they just change it for Hotone?

[@TVoltG]

5 scenes may have sold me. I gotta get one..

[@steveclark9934]

Yay it finally arrived 😊

[@TaylorDanley]

🥳

[@northlane349]

hey taylor can you tell me where you got the stand for that ampero 2

[@DANCEDWAT]

I liked this video because my Mum's Cabinet was mentioned. Underrated.

[@TaylorDanley]

Shout out to all the moms 💪

[@g.e.a.2569]

Can you make a vs with this model against the flamma fx200?

[@paulomiguel_]

Great video as always. Is the dsp better/higher than the hx stomp?

[@TaylorDanley]

My assumption is yes, but I haven't really tested it in depth yet. The ampero 2 stomp was on par with it, so I assume this is as good if not better. TBD.

[@dvdpz89]

What power amp were you using?

[@alexweisbeek5335]

-there used to be a question here- Was too quick with the question! Exactly the video I needed. Anyone know more modellers that can jack no IR and XLR with IR (in the same pricerange)?

[@tikr11]

Can someone enlighten me what the background track starting at 6:51 is. Got somehow stuck in my head. Thank you.

[@leondantas]

thanks for the review. For the older ampero II stomp users the major problem with this new unit is that a lot of its features were missed promised updates for the II Stomp. Those "future updates" were never delivered. Ampero II Stomp are waiting for scenes and gapless transitions effects for more than an year now. The terrible stomp mode switch that terrifies everybody that use the unit to play live are also a promised fix. Both units share the same DSP power but Hotone support was really bad and never delivered what is being promised.

[@foxhoundz07]

It's so funny that you didn't edit out the sneeze part HAHAHA!!!

[@unstable.musician]

Is that Black Dahlia I hear at 16:40 ? Amazing product and tones all around ❤

[@TaylorDanley]

No that's from a song called hail by my band Sacrificer, but also yes, a lot of BDM influence lol.

[@rondroider8904]

Finally!!

[@elsantish]

Hi Taylor. Between the Hotone II Stage and the Headrush Core, which one do you recommend based on your experience? I play Rock/Metal/Heavy Metal. I used to have to carry one of my boogie Mini/Dual/Triple head to every show but now I'd like a good sound in a compact pedalboard that I can carry in my backpack. I would also like to have some alternative sound output.

[@arkenautgundlach2498]

Not getting very good crunch like that out of the one I just bought. Any suggestions? Running Shecter Damien c-7 FR into a powered speaker. No effects loop. Wt? Just any pointers would be nice. So I am going to do exactly what is done here and comment. Otherwise I am sending this back and aiming at a Amp 1 Iridium. Thnx for any comment if any. I might run it FX loop into Hughes and Kettner tubemeister 18 or sell it all and get a kemper IDK yet. I think this thing has promise. (Excuse possible TMI.) I got auditions.

[@DISSONVNT]

I'd love to know how this compares to the QC and other modellers

[@TaylorDanley]

WE WILL DO THAT FOR SURE CHAMP

[@deandar93]

Can we model our own amp and pedals in it?

[@jessehutchings]

This looks really cool. I just bought a GT1000Core by BOSS. It's a very basic UI system like a Nokia black dot matrix screen but it works and sounds great. I feel a little left out of the cool kids club with these flashy high res color LCDs and more current UI software but ultimately function and usability is what really matters for guitarists.

[@mevlutmertcil6105]

boss gx100 is the updated version with new UI.

[@user-zr5xy5pv8w]

How does it compare to hx stomp?

[@user-xj5dj5lp3y]

Are the distortion the same as the mini

[@inourvendetta1]

How does it stack up against the St. Rock Amperium?

[@shredmaster1049]

You should compare this to the mini/OG ampero

[@joaberios]

13:23. There are some birds inside this thing.

[@russellmalig4164]

Now I'm unsure if I should acquire an Ampero stage or a Line 6 Helix LT.

[@peterschermers]

I just got rid of my LT because it was way too heavy to drag around and bought a Stage instead 😉 Midi Out is not working on the Stage yet, but it’ll probably be fixed in a future update. And the touch screen is so much easier to use compared to the display of the LT

[@Kyle7K]

From a strictly sound quality perspective, is it worth the upgrade from the Ampero Stomp II? It has some nice physical features that would be super nice especially on a stage, but with my current lack of involvement with a band which I'm not sure I want to change, I'm mostly curious if there's anything different in the sound that may be beneficial for a desktop studio musician like myself. Thank you for your work.

[@TaylorDanley]

Take this with a grain of salt because I haven't dove in deep yet, but I think it's pretty much the same as the stomp, and I think that any sound upgrades (for any unit really) in the future will less and less of a noticeable improvement. The real improvements are going to be in user friendly features, like the blue tooth control, the wi-fi updates... and then there's of course the big one, if they decide to add in some sort of profiling or capturing feature.

[@bradm5746]

@@TaylorDanley is there any actual sound quality difference between it and the ampero one? i know about the effects limitations of the older unit, but does this one, just straight amp sounds, sound better?

[@shahriar_cma]

How good it sounds as compared to Headrush core?

[@danpena7922]

What power amp pedal did you use?

[@hanspietervansteincallenfe6655]

Nice review. What power amp pedal are you using to power your cab?

[@TaylorDanley]

It's called a higher power from This Heavy Earth Effects

[@steveparkhillfitness]

so basically, wait for the stomp to get cheaper since this is out now? if the tones are the same, that seems like its going to be the better deal

[@daveklein6585]

Was lookin forward to your review of this thing.. Got mine a week ago.. Really blown away by it.. It's got everything the Stomp II has and alot more... and seemingly sounds a bit "better", "heavier", "more full"... in the tone.. might be placebo,.. but overall, this thing is absolutely siiick.. Didn't notice that there wasn't the option to switch off cabs per outputs, which is kind of surprising,.. I know the Stomp II could do that... but maybe it's in the menus somewhere, or they'll add it in a firmware update.. Regardless, thing sounds absolutely brutal!!!.. Mesa MK IV Lead, ENGLE Saga 2, Dizzle VH+S, Soloist 100 Lead HQ amps are crushing!!!... Also put my Lichtlearm Gehenna in the effects loop and put it at the front of the effects chain,.... absolutely nuts..

[@TheGhostOfGideon]

does it have a tone capture? i like lamb of god, metallica,panterA TONES

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

Ever done a direct comparison between the Solar Chug and Lichtlaerm Gehenna when used as a preamp?

[@TaylorDanley]

I don't think so.. but I also don't have a Gehenna anymore, I raffled off to a Patron 😢 Maybe I'll get another one here soon.

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

@@TaylorDanley Guess you preferred the Chug then? I'm trying to decide between them for an ampless pedalboard setup as my preamp and found you'd covered them both. So I was hoping you'd compare them and their sounds and flexibility. So if you do get another Gehenna, I'd be very interested in a comparison. I know the Chug is basically the pedal form of the Satan amp and I like how versatile that amp is. But I've seen a few people who don't seem that keen on the Chug (not sure if its the pedal itself they don't like or Ola). There is a couple of vids on here comparing them, but they don't seem to be great at dialling in different kinds of sounds.

[@justinellis9465]

What poweramp are you using?

[@LucasLeCompteMusic]

It looks pretty dank and a lot better than the Harley Benton GitFX Pro I got a few years ago lol.

[@TaylorDanley]

Yeah Hotone makes cool stuff!

[@ZacharyMoonshine]

I have been eyeballing that MOOER GE300 but this actually looks cooler and sounds pretty damn good! How does it compare in your opinion?

[@toneconsultant]

That was my same question. I have the MooerGE300 Lite. I bought it only to test modeling and planned to sell it after testing. To my surprise, I still have it. It's impressive, but this does looks close. I'll have to watch the whole review when I get a chance.

[@emmancastillo8679]

I had both the Mooer GE300 and the Ampero Stomp 2 (lil bro of this one) and ended up selling the Mooer cuz the Ampero just sounded way better.

[@sbroadbentphoto]

Had the ge300 for a couple of years. Loved the usability of the unit and enjoyed making presets on it without the software. However it had some weird things going on with buzzes and dropouts. The main issue with the ge300 was that the edge of breakup drives has an underlying fizz. I had to use an OD pedal in the fx loop to get the creamy OD I craved. I now have the stomp 2 which was just updated to work exactly like the stage. I don’t need the external OD anymore as its internal ones are very nice.

[@jeansawiska]

Great review, how it compares vs the amperium live?

[@angrybalkon1471]

Man, Ampero and Amperium are different manufacturers and they are absolutely different. Ampero has more options and more functions, it's more useful more universal and comfortable for live shows. And it has more different effects and pedals inside. But in my opinion Amperium sounds are killing. Amps and IRs sound really fantastic. Also I have FM3 and I often make comparisons between them. Certainly FM3 more settings. But in a pure amp comparison they are parity. Ampero not in this boat, IMHO

[@jeansawiska]

@@angrybalkon1471 I’m with you with the amperium, bought one like a month ago, i’m still impresssed lol

[@johnnymanolly]

Bless you! 😂

[@onuremek2975]

Is there any sound difference between ampero 2 stomp and ampero 2 stage?

[@joellebrodeur1015]

No. Same processor.

[@Moreno280161]

I can't find the Tremolo effect, not the vibrato effect, but tremolo

[@datalanda.s5539]

Yeah surely rocks. But can it match Neural quad cortex?

[@deadlift65]

I don't know, but it costs less than half

[@datalanda.s5539]

@@deadlift65 ı have the QC. Yes you do have good point.

[@LeviJules]

Hmmm… I’m considering this over a Helix now. I’m sure the price is right. Plus I just need something for practice more than anything so we aren’t lugging shit around.

[@reverendtos4271]

I'd recommend that. I already sold my HX. For other generes I couldn't say, but this craps all over the HX when it comes to metal amp models

[@gabrielstevens41]

Same. I have a Helix LT and was looking at a stomp for a small board for gigs but this just seems to shit all over the stomp for the money

[@SuperCMO79]

@Taylor Danley Real Cab sounds Real Saucy! Obvious question and obvious because that kelly looks really comfortable sitting. Lol ..I'm right handed and always preferred highly classical position and it frankly pisses me off lol because of how comfortable everyone makes the other way look. So how comfortable is that Jackson kelly to rip on? :)

[@TaylorDanley]

One of my favorites. My X series Kelly was the benchmark for guitar setups forever, and this one is no different. Despite its somewhat bulky appearance, it plays insanely fast and alick

[@singlepanic]

2:37 bless you! In my first lang it's "будь здоров!" which literally means "stay/be healthy". Big hi from Russia:)

[@TaylorDanley]

Thank you, I appreciate that!

[@Motorestore]

Great product with one little problem, kemper player

[@jeradshipley2181]

It’s kinda odd how I can’t find one on Guitar Center’s website! But I can find it on Amazon?

[@TaylorDanley]

A lot of these small overseas companies distribute through Amazon because the minimum quantities and overall cost is cheaper that way.

[@jeradshipley2181]

@@TaylorDanley I bought it and I don’t regret it in the slightest! It’s so fun to start from scratch and try to create something dope and usable! The foot switch is a must as well with this pedal! Two questions: can you do a more in depth video on using this pedal? I love your approach to gear. Also can you do a in depth review on your Peavey 60w Tube amp?!?

[@xxxxx7876]

Hey Taylor, question for you, 1) Do you get to keep the modelers sent to for review or do you have to return them? 2) Out of the many modelers you have reviewed in the last +12 months which ones stood out to you as being pretty good to use for gigging, busking, home use, just a great all around unit besides the expensive ones (Fender Tone Master, Neural DSP, Helix etc.. )?? If you had to gig with one which of cheaper ones would you use? Sorry for the long winded question. Inexpensive ones being units like Ampero2, Headrush Core and a few others which I can’t think at this time.

[@TaylorDanley]

Usually I keep them, depends on the deal with the manufacturer. I’d say the Fender TMP and Headrush are real standouts, but also I really like the mooer and Hotone stuff as well. They all have pros and cons just depends what features you want. They all sound good.

[@user-xk8xr8gs4f]

Sounds thin with the internal IR........thanks for the review

[@DeadMansHand1977]

Sorry, but the detune funktion is not for down tuning like Digitech Droptune, its like you mentioned before chorus like sounds...

[@questlive2338]

Pretty sure that is 99% same box as the Cortex

[@peterschermers]

PLEASE BE AWARE BEFORE BUYING A HOTONE AMPERO II STAGE: 1. MIDI OUT is not working (yet). I contacted Hotone about this but they can't confirm if this 'feature' will be fixed anywhere in 2024. 2. You cannot RENAME Scenes to 'Intro', 'Chorus' etc. It will just be 'Scene 1', 'Scene 2', etc. Just so you know.

[@dresdensinn6669]

Uhh...it's called the "Stage" because it's not just a on "stage" guitar processor but it's also a vocal and/or synth/keyboard processor all at the same time right? That's why it's $700!

[@RiloRox]

Thats the exact same packaging the quad cortex has haha like they just ripped it off 1:1😅

[@REIRBL]

👍👍👍👍

[@johanjotun1647]

everyone wanted to compare this and the mooer in the comments on that vid, the first IR on this vid was far better... to the point where I find it imposs to think it's due to the device, A head to head would be sweet.

[@tim_shipp]

Nice….package, hotone. 😂

[@Anonymous-si6py]

Taylor, I love your vids but.... I don't play what you play 🥺

[@therollband1290]

Ho tone or hot tone? Hot one?

[@ChakraOver9k]

Both

[@peeweesermon2231]

Sounds badass. They'll always be Hoe-Tone to me...

[@jeffbateman2339]

I love your channel… Great quality, great content… But PLEASE do some occasional clean tones. You always immediately try to dial in the heaviest metal tone you can find, which I understand is your preference, but the rest of us have no idea how the products sound for a variety of music. I’m sure I’ll get slammed for this….

[@TaylorDanley]

NEVER... Just kidding.. I do it sometimes. I like a good clean ambient tone on occasion, theyr're just usually towards the end of the videos because most people want the chugga chugga

[@Gate11Studio]

What does your mom's cabinet sound like? 😂

[@_SALIBAN_]

Я правильно понял, что на нем нельзя просто отключить эмуляцию кабинета в настройках, не меняя схему??? Если это так, это полный бред.

[@gaddebeli]

Wow, compared to your real speaker and mic, built in speaker sims sounds like cr*p, at least in this example. Is this another unit that has great modeling of everything except speakers? Hopefully they don't take a million years to fix it, like it took L6 for Helix. Or, maybe it just needs more tweaking.

[@TaylorDanley]

In fairness, If I was listening with the cab IR, I probably would dial it a bit differently, but cab simulation on any modeler is kind of meh in my opinion. They all have IR loaders though for the most part, so you can just load up your own Cab IR and have something you like.

[@RicHSAD2]

Looked like the one of the Celestion cab IR that are bundled with the unit. I personally don't like Celestion IRs as I find that they sound thin/shrill, which is exactly what the recording showed. Imo, the built-in cabs in the Ampero II sound better than the Celestion IR, but I personally use York Audio IRs.

[@daveklein6585]

@@RicHSAD2 Totally agree.. Celestion IR's are missing the grunt of the tone.. I use the Ownhammer IR's and they sound massive.

[@shovington67]

When will they finally just make a FX only unit with a looper and two expression pedals. No amp modelling or other stuff. Strictly aimed at guys who have an amp and cabinet.

[@TaylorDanley]

You don't have to use the amp and cab simulation, you could use the effects only if you want, and even 4 cable it. You'll get more mileage with your effects if you don't since the amps will eat up your processing resources.

[@madsam7582]

Why do people doing "to camera" have mutiny cameras?? Nobody is interested in the SIDE of anyones head! 😒

[@surfrasta_vibes445]

almost impossible to hear your explaintion using that room mic, bummer

[@jesterraj]

@700 bucks better i buy a Helix.

[@donniejean]

Blah blah blah *buys it now*

[@balmain2496]

Can you gift me this? 😊