The AMT Electronics BC-1 Bass Crunch is a bass preamp and overdrive effect pedal that packs a full signal chain into a single stompbox: an analog preamp, a compressor, a parametric EQ, an IR cabinet simulator, a noise gate, and a delay or reverb that can be set per preset1. AMT describes it as a two-channel JFET bass guitar preamp, meaning the gain stages use JFET transistors rather than digital modeling2. RockBoard's PedalPedia lists the circuit type as analog3.
What is in the signal chain
The BC-1's blocks, as AMT lists them on the product page, run roughly like this:
- Analog Preamp with Clean, Low gain and High gain modes1
- Compressor4
- Parametric Pre/Post EQ, placeable before or after the preamp stage5
- Power Amp with 9 types4
- IR cabsim, with one IR for both L/R channels per preset1
- Delay or Reverb, selectable per preset4
A Noise Gate is also on board, described by AMT as a global setting, so it applies across the pedal rather than per preset1.
One control worth knowing about before you dial in a tone is the Freq. notch switch. AMT describes it as a rejecter filter with cutout frequencies of 500Hz, 330Hz and 230Hz, aimed at taming problem spots in a bass signal2.
Recording direct from the Cab Sim output
A headline feature AMT emphasizes is that the Cab Sim output can feed a computer directly. The media center page is titled "AMT Electronics BC-1 'Bass Crunch': Direct to computer via Cab Sim output," and the same capability is described on the pedal's own product page1. For a player without an amp in the room, that means the IR-simulated cabinet tone can be recorded straight into an interface, with the preamp, EQ and gate already applied.
How it fits among AMT's preamps
The BC-1 is the bass-oriented entry in AMT's line of preamp pedals. Guitar-focused siblings in the same family include the AMT Electronics S2, P2 and B1, and the Preamp F1. For players browsing by effect type, the BC-1 sits among preamp pedals and bass pedals, and its gate, compressor and delay or reverb blocks overlap with what compressor pedals, noise gate pedals, delay pedals and reverb pedals do individually234.
AMT's own media center has carried the BC-1 since at least 2015, when it published the same feature set, including the Noise Gate, the Parametric Pre/Post EQ and the Clean / Low gain / High gain preamp modes6. The pedal is listed as available now on AMT's product page2.
Videos
AMT Electronics
Brett Kingman
Brett Kingman
Questions
Does the AMT BC-1 Bass Crunch have a noise gate?
Yes. AMT Electronics lists a Noise Gate on the BC-1 Bass Crunch, and it is described as a global setting, meaning it applies across the pedal rather than being set separately for each preset. That makes it a single adjustment that governs the whole pedal, useful for taming hiss on high-gain settings.
Does the BC-1 Bass Crunch have a built-in cabinet simulator?
Yes. The BC-1 carries an IR cabinet simulator, with one impulse response serving both the left and right channels of each preset. AMT also points to the Cab Sim output as a way to connect the pedal directly to a computer, so the simulated cabinet tone can be recorded without a microphone or an amp.
Can the BC-1 Bass Crunch run delay or reverb?
It can run one or the other. AMT lists a Delay or Reverb effect that is selectable per preset, so a preset can carry a delay or a reverb, not both at once. The IR cabinet simulation is also set per preset.
What gain modes does the BC-1 analog preamp have?
The analog preamp section offers three modes: Clean, Low gain and High gain. The pedal is built around a two-channel JFET circuit, so the preamp and the overdrive character come from analog circuitry rather than digital modeling.
Does the BC-1 Bass Crunch have an EQ?
Yes. AMT lists a Parametric Pre/Post EQ, a parametric equalizer that can be placed before or after the preamp stage in the signal chain. The pedal also has a Freq. notch switch, a rejecter filter with cutout frequencies of 500Hz, 330Hz and 230Hz.
Sources (6)
- AMT Electronics BC-1 ‘Bass Crunch’: Direct to computer via Cab Sim output., Media center of AMT Electronics
- AMT BC-1, AMT Electronics, 2026
- BC-1 by AMT Electronics, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- AMT Electronics BC-1 Bass Crunch, Media center of AMT Electronics
- AMT BC-1 Bass Crunch: LEHMANN SCREAMING BASS, Media center of AMT Electronics
- AMT BC-1, AMT Electronics media center, 2015-07-02
