AMT Bass ZEALOT BZ-300

The AMT Bass ZEALOT BZ-300 is a bass preamp and effects unit from AMT Electronics, built around an amp-style feature set rather than a single overdrive or tone-shaping pedal. It combines an analog preamp stage with digital-style extras such as speaker simulation and time-based effects, aimed at bass players who want a complete front end for a pedalboard, a rig without a bass head, or a direct recording chain¹.

What it does

The front end is an analog preamp with three modes: Clean, Low gain and High gain¹. That gives a bass player a clean foundation tone and two driven options in one unit, covering everything from an untouched signal to a growling overdriven sound without swapping pedals.

After the preamp, the BZ-300 models the back end of an amp rig. It offers a Power Amp section with 9 types to choose from¹, followed by an IR cabsim, short for impulse response cabinet simulation, which shapes the tone the way a bass cabinet and microphone would. One IR is loaded for both the left and right channels of each preset¹².

Built-in dynamics and effects

The unit carries a compressor for evening out dynamics and a Noise Gate that works as a global setting, meaning it applies across the unit rather than being set per preset¹. Each preset can also carry a Delay or a Reverb effect, selectable per preset², so a player can add space or echo to individual sounds on a bass pedalboard setup without a separate delay or reverb box.

For players comparing it with simpler single-purpose units in AMT's range, such as the dedicated preamp pedals in the preamp pedals category, the BZ-300's distinguishing feature is that it bundles the whole signal chain: preamp, power amp voicing, speaker simulation, dynamics and a time effect in one unit¹².

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