The AMT E1 is a JFET guitar preamp pedal from AMT Electronics, part of the company's Legend Amp Series. It emulates the Lead channel of the ENGL Fireball amplifier, and AMT positions it for players after a heavy, yet "juicy" sound with resilient mids, the character the maker says ENGL amps are famous for1. The pedal is listed as available now1.
The controls
The E1 keeps its front panel simple. AMT lists five knobs: LEVEL, GAIN, LOW, MID, and HIGH1. The LEVEL control sets the pedal's output level, GAIN sets how much preamp drive is applied, and LOW, MID and HIGH shape the bass, midrange and treble of the emulated Lead channel. AMT's media center also lists a Parametric Pre/Post EQ among the E1's features in its demo material3.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| LEVEL | Sets the pedal's output level |
| GAIN | Sets the amount of preamp drive |
| LOW | Bass EQ |
| MID | Midrange EQ |
| HIGH | Treble EQ |
Outputs and how to use it
The E1 has two signal outputs, and which one you use depends on where the pedal sits in your setup1:
- DIRECT AMPLIFIER OUT: for feeding a guitar amplifier, as you would any drive or preamp pedal in front of an amp.
- CAB SIMULATION OUT: for going straight into a mixer or a studio input, where a speaker-simulated signal is what the downstream gear expects.
AMT positions the E1 as a preamp in pedal form, describing the Legend Amp Series as pedals that "provide excellent dynamics," with the E1 aimed at players of heavy, "juicy" sound with resilient mids1. When bypassed, its passive true bypass circuitry keeps the guitar signal from passing through the pedal's circuit, so it can sit in a pedal chain without loading the signal when off1.
Bypass, power and the noise gate
The Legend Amp Series preamps use passive true bypass circuitry, so AMT says there is no loss of guitar signal in the pedal chain when the pedal is bypassed1. For power, the E1 runs from a 9V battery or adapter, and AMT recommends its own DC 12V/1.25A adapter or a DC 9V/0.85A adapter. Current consumption from a 9V power unit is less than 6mA, dropping to 4mA in power saving mode1.
The E1 also includes a noise gate as a global setting, a feature AMT lists on the pedal's media center pages and on the Legend Series Metal page covering the B1, E1 and P1 together45.
The E1 sits in AMT's Legend series alongside siblings such as the AMT B1, AMT M1, AMT P1, AMT P2, AMT S1 and AMT R1, each emulating a different amplifier's character. AMT's media center video gallery has grouped the Legend Amp Series pedals, including the E1, in comparison material2.
For more on the category, see Preamp Pedals.
Videos
Brett Kingman
Brett Kingman
Ola Englund
Questions
Is the AMT E1 true bypass?
Yes. AMT Electronics says the preamps in the Legend Amp Series pedals use passive true bypass circuitry, so there is no loss of guitar signal in the pedal chain when the E1 is bypassed.
Does the AMT E1 take a 9V battery?
The E1 can run from a 9V battery or adapter. AMT recommends either an AMT Electronics DC 12V/1.25A adapter or a DC 9V/0.85A adapter. Current draw from a 9V power unit is less than 6mA, dropping to 4mA in power saving mode.
What amp does the AMT E1 emulate?
The E1 emulates the Lead channel of the ENGL Fireball amplifier. AMT describes the pedal as aimed at players who want a heavy yet juicy sound with resilient mids, the character the company associates with ENGL amps.
What is the difference between the Direct Amplifier Out and the Cab Simulation Out on the AMT E1?
The E1 has two signal outputs. The DIRECT AMPLIFIER OUT is for feeding a guitar amplifier, while the CAB SIMULATION OUT is for going into a mixer or a studio setup, where a speaker-simulated signal is what you want.
Does the AMT E1 have a noise gate?
Yes. The E1 includes a noise gate as a global setting, listed among the pedal's features on AMT Electronics' product pages.
Sources (5)
- AMT E1 | AMT Electronics official website, AMT Electronics, 2026
- AMT E1 - Media center of AMT Electronics, AMT Electronics (media.amtelectronics.com), 2016-10-19
- AMT Electronics: E1 to amp (Laney VC50 power amp input) with Stef-T7, Media center of AMT Electronics
- AMT Electronics Legend series, Media center of AMT Electronics
- AMT Legend Series, Media center of AMT Electronics
