EMPIRE runs its 12AU7 at a true 250V plate, the way the old Bassman did, and puts that circuit in a compact head built to sit on top of your rig or on the studio floor. Full voltage, full headroom, the real thing in a box you can carry in one hand.
On stage, the sound guy gets a studio DI every night without touching your rig, and your amp gets a tube front end that sounds like you. Set the DI once and ride your amp level all night. In the studio, it’s a 250V tube front end and real iron in a single box on the floor, with the EQ right there under the player’s hand. One box replaces the preamp pedal, the DI, and the argument at soundcheck.
The controls face you. The glow faces the room. Four knobs and a switch on a blue panel, framed in northern ash, and two tubes burning behind you all night.
Then the signal forks
A single high-voltage 12AU7 gain stage and a Fender-voiced tone stack set the character: warm, harmonically rich, with the headroom and easy compression only real voltage delivers. From there, two outputs, each with its own voice and its own level.
- XLR DI, through the iron. A nickel-core transformer gives you an isolated, full-weight studio DI that sits in a mix straight off the stage.
- 1/4″ Amp Out, through the glass. A dedicated 12AT7 output stage drives your amp at a low, stiff impedance: tighter, punchier, and steady through a long cable and a loud room.
The EQ you already know, with the low end fixed
Bass, Mid, and Treble on a classic Fender-style stack, the one with the forgiving sweet spot. We tightened the Bass so it stays focused in a modern mix, and the Sub switch handles booming stages with a voiced shape that reins in the bloom and keeps the floor under your notes.
Built in Montreal, in northern ash
A shielded metal chassis inside, finned along the sides to keep the tubes cool, wrapped in a northern ash frame around a blue front panel. It sits on your cab or beside the console and looks right in both places. Ships with its own regulated 18V supply. Every unit is assembled and tested by hand in Montreal, Quebec, in small batches.
At a glance
- True 250V tube circuit: 12AU7 gain stage into a 12AT7 output stage
- Two independent outputs with independent levels: transformer-balanced XLR DI and 12AT7 1/4″ amp out
- Bass, Mid, Treble, plus voiced Sub switch
- Ground lift on the XLR
- Rear-facing tubes, side-vented, internally shielded
- Northern ash frame, blue front panel
- Regulated 18V supply included
- Hand-built in Montreal, limited 2026 run
Bass First. Analog Forever.
Concept renders shown; final finish may vary.
