Mode Switching: The Heart of Hotwire.
To understand Mode Switching, you have to first understand that the tone of any great tube amplifier is the result of distinctive tube types, specific preamp circuitry, rectifier design, power amp circuitry, speaker voicing and physical cabinet structure all converging into a single and soulful piece of gear. When any link in this well-proven chain is compromised, the resulting tone is equally compromised without exception.
Hotwire's patent pending Mode Switching technology electronically rewires the entire analog circuit path, changing the character of its preamp and power amp sections and re-voicing the speaker to actualize the recreation of classic (and through its extensive editing options, customized) amplification. Because Mode Switching physically changes the fundamental analog circuitry of the amp itself, each of Hotwire's twelve basic Modes is inspiring and real—from the expressive pluck and growl of Class A, '60s era classic tube combos, to the power and grit of Class AB American monsters. In between, you'll find everything from sparkling hi-fi to dynamic crunch tones, all responding to the slightest nuance of the player's touch. Hotwire delivers the rich body and natural tone demanded by the finest electric and acoustic instruments.
Shedding the Weight: A Bold New Power Section Design Focused on Tone
The power section of any tube guitar amp consists of a power supply and a power amplifier. They serve different purposes, yet work together and interactively to create the amplifier's signature tonal character and dynamic response.
Traditionally, tube amplifier power sections have required massive iron power and output transformers. While they're bulky and heavy, they provide the coveted "sag and bloom" that play a primary part in the feel of a great tube amp. These characteristics are critical to the nature of what guitar players simply refer to as "the tube sound." Because the analog components found in traditional designs are inherently imperfect, they dynamically sag and limit range as a player digs in, resulting in natural compression that gives the amp its distinct character.
Greg's driving vision was to design a power section like nothing before. It had to deliver uncompromised, soulful tone, while also providing something every guitar player has dreamed of since lugging a tube guitar amp up a flight of stairs: light weight. It's here that Greg faced one of the primary challenges to delivering on the lofty goals of Hotwire.
Greg's solution was to create the first modern, lightweight, switching power supply with the classic, purposeful "limitations" of a well-designed tube amp power supply – call it recreating imperfection if you like – and couple it with a discrete MOSFET power amplifier, the first of its kind created specifically for guitar applications.
Thanks to the engineering wizardry of Cal Perkins, Hotwire's MOSFET power amp design steps completely around the pitfalls of common bipolar or "chip-based" power amplifiers by incorporating premium discrete, hand-matched output devices in a proprietary high voltage, low feedback design. It shares all of a real tube amp's critical elements of tone recreation, performing faithfully and accurately at peak power levels, while retaining the feedback stability critical for exceptional tone and feel.
Classic Class A or AB, At Any Output Level You Want
Greg's smart power design opened new doors to creating classic tube tone more accurately. After all, one of the deciding factors in a tube amp's tone is the amount of output power being delivered to the speaker. A low-watt, single ended Class A amplifier delivers a distinctive, "greasy" overdrive and super-sensitive response to the player's attack on the strings. Slip in a higher output power amplifier design and it's simply not the same amp. The same holds true for every classic amp, big or small.
Hotwire provides eight power output levels to perfectly pair the power amplifier's headroom and overall output level with the desired preamp circuit configuration. Dial in from 1 to 120 watts to balance the accurate interplay between preamp, power amp and speaker and you've got more flexibility than any guitar amp has ever offered before.