The TC Electronic Ampworx 550 is an amp-in-a-box preamp pedal from TC Electronic, announced in August 2023 as part of the Ampworx series. It models the Peavey 5150, the high-gain amplifier associated with Eddie Van Halen, packing that amp's preamp section into a pedal that can feed a power amp, a recording interface or a PA1.
What it does
The 550 gives you the front end of a 5150-style high-gain amp without the amp. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio described it as one of three Ampworx preamp pedals representing "respectively the Peavey 5150 (an Eddie Van Halen's favorite), a Dual Rectifier, and a Marshall 800 amps"1. The 550 is the 5150 of the three, sitting alongside the Ampworx Dual Wreck Preamp and the Ampworx JIMS 800 Preamp in the series1.
Channels and controls
The pedal runs two channels with distinct controls for normal and high gain settings, each with its own tone-shaping, and you switch between them with the right footswitch1. That means you can set up a rhythm voice and a lead voice independently and jump between them mid-song, rather than riding one gain control.
Outputs for recording and silent practice
Where a straight amp-in-a-box pedal usually ends at a 1/4-inch output, the 550 adds two extras1:
- A dedicated DI output, which De Gregorio describes as "for effortless integration with DAWs, studio setups, and PA systems"1
- A headphone output "for private monitoring"1
The DI output means the pedal can stand in for a mic'd cabinet on a stage or in a studio, and the headphone output lets you play silently at home with no interface or speaker involved1.
Where it sits in the Ampworx range
The Ampworx series covers several amp voicings. If the 550's 5150-style gain is more than you need, the same series includes the Combo Deluxe '65, the JIMS 45 and the DC30 Preamp, each modeling a different amplifier character1.
Videos
EytschPi42
Jake Leigh Guitar
Death Metal Devin (DMD)
Sources (1)
- TC Electronic Ampworx 550, Jims 800, And Dual Wreck, Delicious Audio, 2023-08-09
