Aclam Go Rocky Go

The Aclam Go Rocky Go is a distortion preamp pedal that puts the Brilliant channel of a Vox Conqueror amplifier on your pedalboard. Aclam describes it as a carefully crafted replica of its own Vox Conqueror (serial number 2004) Brilliant channel, faithfully reproducing the amp's distortion and mid-range boost (M.R.B.) circuit while adding modern refinements¹. It is a solid-state, analog design in a rugged die-cast enclosure, finished with a powder-coated homage to the paint job on George Harrison's "Rocky" Fender Stratocaster².

The pedal covers four functions with two footswitches: a clean preamp in Normal mode, a higher-gain Crunch mode, the Conqueror's Distortion effect, and the M.R.B. mid-range boost. It runs on 9V to 18V DC, uses relay true bypass, and is made in Spain¹.

What the Go Rocky Go does: a Vox Conqueror preamp in a pedal

The Go Rocky Go is what players call an amp-in-a-box pedal: it recreates the preamp section of a specific amplifier so you can get that amp's character into any rig. The source amp here is unusual. The Vox Conqueror was a 30-watt solid-state amp, one of a range that also included the Supreme and Defiant, and Aclam's own history article calls it one of the first successful examples of a solid-state amplifier³. Guitar Player's reviewer Dave Hunter notes that an amp-in-a-box pedal based on a solid-state amp is a rare thing, since most such pedals chase tube amps².

Aclam recreated the Conqueror's 2-channel design by focusing on its brilliant channel exclusively⁵. The pedal reproduces the amp's distortion and M.R.B. circuits, and adds things the original did not have: a second gain stage called the crunch channel, and an output-level control for the distortion circuit, which the Conqueror lacked⁵.

The enclosure artwork is inspired by the "Rocky" Stratocaster, George Harrison's hand-painted guitar, which is where the pedal's name comes from⁶³.

The controls and footswitches

The pedal has two footswitches that control four functions through intelligent switch detection: bypass, distortion, M.R.B. and Crunch Mode¹. RockBoard's listing describes this as a multi-switch foot-controller that lets you toggle between Bypass (clean), Distortion, M.R.B., and Crunch Mode with just two footswitches⁶.

To activate the M.R.B., tap both the Distortion and Bypass footswitches simultaneously¹.

Normal, Crunch, Distortion and M.R.B.

The Go Rocky Go features two distinct clean preamp modes¹:

• Normal Mode (white LED): reproduces the clean channel of the original Vox Conqueror preamp¹. Guitar World's reviewer Trevor Curwen calls it the spanky clean tone⁷.
• Crunch Mode (blue LED): an increased gain structure with a slight overdrive¹. Premier Guitar describes the crunch channel as a second gain stage that splits the difference between the standard and distortion channels' gain profiles⁵. Curwen found it offers a degree of extra grit that can add an aggressive edge to rhythm work⁷. There is an internal trimmer to fine-tune the Crunch mode drive and dial it back if it is a little too much⁸.

The Distortion effect is the Conqueror's own fuzz-like distortion mode, controlled by the Attack-Sustain knob that ramps up the gain, with a dedicated volume knob to add a boost if needed⁷. MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley described it as "fuzzy, a little ratty and scratchy, and, well, very of its time. It sounds good."⁸. Unlike the Conqueror, the distortion circuit has its own output-level control, so you can match clean and distorted levels or push the effect louder⁵³.

The M.R.B. is a mid-range boost with three selectable frequency boosts. Curwen found them reminiscent of the vocal resonant sound of a cocked wah⁷.

Power: 9V to 18V

The unit must be powered with a 9VDC to 18VDC negative tip power supply using the standard Boss type 2.1mm connector¹. There is no battery option. Aclam recommends a current supply of at least 100 mA to leave a safety margin for the DC adapter¹, while the pedal itself draws approximately 25 mA¹.

Running it at the top of the range changes the feel: RockBoard notes the wide 9 to 18 V range allows greater headroom, more output, and more sustain when powered at higher voltage⁶.

History: tracing a Vox Conqueror

The story starts with the amp. The Vox Conqueror was used by The Beatles for recording around 1967 and 1968, and can be seen in the "Hello, Goodbye" video⁷⁹. Aclam's manual says it is well documented that they used these amps during the Magical Mystery Tour sessions and on the White Album¹.

Aclam acquired its reference Conqueror in 2017, while searching for a Vox UL730 during the R&D process for its Dr. Robert overdrive¹⁸. The company restored the amp, measured every component, and traced the circuit boards, using it as the reference for the Go Rocky Go⁸. Aclam's history article places the Conqueror as the amplifier that followed the Vox UL 730¹⁰.

The Go Rocky Go sits in Aclam's roster of Beatles gear-inspired pedals, which Dave Hunter notes also includes the Dr. Robert, a replica of the Vox UL730 amp used by the band². MusicRadar reported the pedal was available to order in March 2025⁸.

There is also a White Album Edition, a special edition inspired by the album's cover, with a clean white finish and typography from the album's inner sleeve credits³. It shares exactly the same circuit as the original Go Rocky Go; only the finish is exclusive⁹. As of October 2026, the White Album Edition is sold out on Aclam's store⁴.

What reviewers said

The Go Rocky Go drew positive notices from the major guitar press.

Premier Guitar's reviewer, September 2025⁵

Premier Guitar found the distortion sounds "snarly, nasty, and biting, but also massive" with any guitar and amp combination, delivering a wicked, room-filling punch⁵. The same reviewer noted a caveat: black-panel Fender amps are less easily flattered by the humbucker and Rocky combination, though those tones can be carved into very precise, high-mid rhythm and lead sounds⁵. They also observed that 1966 to 1968 Beatles tones may not be everyone's ideal, and though often muscular and hard-hitting, they dwell some distance from Marshall or Fender archetypes⁵.

Guitar World gave the pedal four and a half stars out of five⁷. Curwen wrote that "Aclam's Go Rocky Go can definitely zero in on some of their retro tones. But there's more to it than that," and concluded that in a world where valve amps generally rule the roost, an amp-in-a-box pedal based on a solid-state amp is a rare thing that offers the opportunity to embrace a less-traveled path of tonal colors⁷.

Guitar Player's Dave Hunter found the tones run the gamut from blocky, hard-edged and bordering-on-harsh-bright to smooth and creamy, such as with distortion engaged and the attack-sustain knob well clockwise².

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