The AMT Bricks M-Lead is a tube preamp pedal from AMT Electronics, part of the maker's AMT Bricks series of preamp pedals1. AMT describes it as emulating the Marshall JCM800, which the maker calls the "forefather" of the majority of amplifiers created for heavy styles1. It is currently listed as available1.
What it does to your signal
The M-Lead runs its tube at what AMT calls a really high anode voltage of +250 to 300 V1. That matters to players because many compact tube pedals run their tubes at far lower voltages; AMT's point is that the tube here operates closer to how it would inside a conventional amplifier. Depending on the number of amplification stages, the pedals in the series are built either entirely on vacuum triodes or on the maker's hybrid Tube + Semiconductors technology1.
AMT also fits the M-Lead with a Noise Gate as a global setting2.
The controls
Despite the compact design, AMT gives the pedal the full set of regulation knobs1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sets the amount of preamp gain |
| Treble | High-frequency EQ |
| Middle | Midrange EQ |
| Bass | Low-frequency EQ |
| Volume | Output level |
Two ways to use it
AMT describes two connection modes for the overloaded channels1:
- Preamp mode: connected to the amp's Return, so the M-Lead replaces the amplifier's own preamp section.
- Drive pedal mode: connected to the amp's Input, so it works as an overdrive in front of the amp.
The pedal also has special CTRL A and CTRL B connectors for controlling other devices or being controlled by them; as AMT puts it, "The pedal can control other devices or be controlled by other devices"1.
AMT states that when Bricks preamps are connected in a serial chain, turning on any preamp in the chain switches all the other connected preamps to true bypass1. If you run the M-Lead alongside other Bricks preamps such as the AMT Bricks Vt-LEAD, the switching between them is handled by that chain behavior.
Size and versions
AMT describes the pedal as having small dimensions, summed up on the product page as "Snickers size"1. The series also includes an M-Lead Plus version, which AMT lists as a guitar preamplifier adding an IR cabsim with one IR for both L/R channels per preset3. For more on where this pedal sits among the maker's preamps, see the preamp pedals type page and the AMT M-LEAD page.
Manual and demo
AMT publishes the English user's manual for the Bricks lead preamps as a PDF on its website32. The maker's media center also hosts a demo video, "AMT Bricks M-Lead + Vt-Lead tube preamps DEMO (no talking)", dated 29/05/2019, which plays through the M-Lead and the Vt-Lead tube preamps without narration2.
Videos
Vladislav Valitsky
Questions
What tubes does the AMT Bricks M-Lead use?
AMT says the preamp can be equipped with a tube of one of the following types: AMT-12AX7WS, 12AX7 or ECC83, or another 12AX7-compatible tube. That means a player can swap in any standard 12AX7-family tube to shape the feel of the preamp, and replacement tubes are easy to find since the 12AX7 and ECC83 are the same tube type under different names.
Can the AMT Bricks M-Lead be used as a drive pedal?
Yes. AMT describes two ways to use it: in preamp mode, connected to the amp's Return, where it takes the place of the amp's own preamp section, or in drive pedal mode, connected to the amp's Input, where it acts as an overdrive in front of a normal amplifier. The pedal also has CTRL A and CTRL B connectors, so it can control other devices or be controlled by them.
Is the AMT Bricks M-Lead true bypass?
AMT states that when several Bricks preamps are connected in a serial chain, turning on any preamp in the chain switches all the other connected preamps to true bypass. So the M-Lead is true bypass in that switching scheme, meaning it is fully out of the signal path while another preamp in the chain is active.
How big is the AMT Bricks M-Lead?
AMT describes the pedal as having small dimensions, which the maker sums up as Snickers size, meaning roughly the size of a candy bar. Despite that compact design, it carries the full set of regulation knobs: Gain, Treble, Middle, Bass and Volume.
Where can I find the AMT Bricks manual?
AMT publishes the English user's manual for the Bricks lead preamps on its website as a PDF at amtelectronics.com/new/manuals/AMT_X-LEAD_X-CLEAN_AMT-Bricks_(ENG).pdf. The same manual link appears on both the M-Lead and M-Lead Plus product pages on AMT's media center.
Sources (3)
- AMT M-lead, AMT Electronics, 2026
- AMT Bricks M-Lead, AMT Electronics, 2019-05-29
- AMT Bricks M-Lead Plus, AMT Electronics
