The AMT Bricks B-Lead is a tube preamp in pedal form from AMT Electronics, part of the company's AMT Bricks preamps range1. AMT describes it as conveying "the dynamic and aggressive nature of Bogner Uberschall amplifiers," which places it among the high-gain lead voices in the Bricks line2. The pedal is listed as AVAILABLE NOW on AMT's product page2.
What it is and how it is built
AMT describes the circuit design as "either full tube or hybrid (tube + semiconductors)," with semiconductor components used for "efficient emulation of vacuum triode cascades"2. In practice that means the pedal can be built with tubes, or with solid-state parts doing the work of tube gain stages, depending on the implementation. The pedal is analog, with an analog preamp offering Clean, Low gain and High gain modes3.
The controls
Despite the compact design, AMT gives the B-Lead a full set of regulation knobs: Gain, Treble, Middle, Bass and Volume2. Beyond the panel knobs, the pedal carries a parametric pre and post EQ, an IR cab sim with one IR for both L/R channels per preset, and a noise gate as a global setting13.
- Gain, Treble, Middle, Bass, Volume: full knob set on the panel2
- Parametric Pre/Post EQ: adjustable EQ before and after the preamp stage3
- IR cab sim: one IR for both L/R channels per preset13
- Noise Gate: a global setting, not per-preset13
Preamp mode, drive pedal mode and CTRL connections
The B-Lead is meant to be flexible about where it sits in a rig. AMT lists the "ability to use overloaded channels in preamp mode (connected to the Amp's Return) or in the drive pedal mode (connected to the amp's Input)"2. Connected to an amp's effects return, it acts as the preamp itself; connected to the amp's input, it behaves like a drive pedal pushing the amp's own front end.
For control, the pedal has special CTRL A and CTRL B connectors. AMT states that the pedal can control other devices or be controlled by other devices through these connections2, which is how the Bricks pedals integrate into larger switching rigs.
AMT states that when other preamps in a chain are switched on, the pedals "will be switched to TRUE BYPASS mode"2. The bypass behavior is therefore tied to switching across a chain of preamps, not a standalone always-on bypass.
Where it sits in the Bricks range
The B-Lead is one of several lead-voiced preamps in the Bricks family. Others include the AMT Bricks P-Lead, the AMT Bricks M-Lead, the AMT Bricks X-Lead, the AMT Bricks D-Lead, the AMT Bricks R/S-lead and the AMT Bricks Vt-LEAD, alongside clean-voiced models such as the AMT Bricks F-Clean and bass models like the AMT Bricks A-Bass and AMT Bricks O-Bass. For more on the category, see Preamp Pedals.
AMT's product page links to a user manual covering the X-Lead, X-Clean and Bricks pedals in English1.
Videos
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Questions
Can the AMT Bricks B-Lead be used as a drive pedal?
Yes. AMT says the pedal's overloaded channels can be used in preamp mode, connected to the amp's effects return, or in drive pedal mode, connected to the amp's input. That makes it usable either as the front end of an amp or as an overdrive in front of a conventional amplifier.
Does the AMT Bricks B-Lead have true bypass?
AMT states that when other preamps in a chain are switched on, the B-Lead and its companions switch to TRUE BYPASS mode. In other words, the bypass behaviour is tied to how the pedals in the chain are switched rather than being a simple always-true-bypass design.
What do the CTRL A and CTRL B connectors do?
The B-Lead has special CTRL A and CTRL B connectors. According to AMT, the pedal can control other devices or be controlled by other devices through these connections, so it can be integrated into a larger switching setup alongside other gear.
Is the AMT B-Lead a real tube circuit?
AMT describes the circuit as either full tube or hybrid, meaning tube plus semiconductors, with semiconductor components used to emulate vacuum triode cascades efficiently. So the design can include real tubes, but it does not depend on them alone.
Does the AMT Bricks B-Lead have a noise gate?
Yes. The B-Lead includes a noise gate as a global setting, listed by AMT alongside the pedal's other features such as the analog preamp and the parametric pre and post EQ.
Sources (3)
- AMT Bricks B-Lead, AMT Electronics
- AMT B-lead, AMT Electronics, 2026
- MT Bricks B-Lead tube preamp DEMO (no talking), Media center of AMT Electronics
