Hotone Nano Legacy British Invasion Amplifier

With dimensions of just 128 x 75 x 59.5mm and weighing in at only 440 grams, the Hotone British Invasion has got to be the smallest five watt amp on the market. And yet it’s pretty big on features - for example, the automatically switching ohms from the speaker out jack, meaning that four, eight, or 16-ohm speaker boxes can be attached with no switching or modification. This is a feature that many larger amps would well benefit from.

In addition to this, the rear panel also features a line out for recording or headphone use, an 18V adaptor jack, the almost-obligatory auxiliary input for connecting a music device such as an iPod, and – wait for it – even an effects loop. The front panel is straightforward: an input jack, gain, bass, middle, treble, and volume controls, and a power switch are al on board.

In addition to the British Invasion model that aims to emulate the sound of a Vox AC30, Hotone have released the Heart Attack (based on a Mesa Boogie Rectifier), Mojo Diamond (based on a Fender Tweed), Purple Wind (based on a Plexi Super Lead), and Thunder Bass (based on the Amped SVT) models. Each can be coupled with the optional Nano Legacy Cabinet which weighs in at just 1700 grams with dimensions of 203 x 170 x 130mm.

At the RRP of around $150 for each amp and $95 for the cabinet, this is a fun product, small in both stature and price, big in features. It’s a win for any guitarist with a penchant for the unique, or anyone who wants their action figures to have a fully functioning guitar amp. Surely the war on small amplification has just been won.

Originally published in X-Press Magazine