The Best $650 Guitar Amp Ever? (Iridium / Headrush)

Can the Strymon Iridium paired with a Headrush FRFR-108 cab replace a traditional guitar amp? Can it really create sweet sweet Fender, Vox and Marshall tones? Let's find out!

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The gear used in this video (with Amazon and Sweetwater affiliate links, see disclaimers below):

Chapman BEA ML3 Baritone Guitar

TC Electronic PolyTune Tuner

PedalTrain Classic PRO pedalboard

Strymon Compadre Compressor

Strymon Iridium

Headrush FRFR-108 Speaker Cabinet

Morley Volume Pedal

EHX Grand Canyon Delay

Focusrite Clarett 8Pre USB

iZotope Ozone 9 Advanced

Video Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:38 Headrush FRFR-108
1:22 Fender Sounds
2:14 No Latency Sound
3:05 Add Compressor
3:36 Add Delay
4:28 Mic VS Direct Tone
5:23 Vox Sounds
6:35 Marshall Sounds

Chords of Orion - Ambient guitar is life

Bill Vencil - Guitars

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure:

Sweetwater Affiliate Disclosure:

[bennettshapiro]

Thank you for demoing this with a microphone. For some reason, most of the people reviewing the Headrush cab are scared to do it with a microphone. Sounded great. It’s appreciated.

[vincentjackson]

This was seriously epic.
The problem nowadays, is similar to multiFX pedals, option paralysis!
So many options.
This was seriously lush though.
Loved it. Cheers mate!

[samaitcheson]

Wow! That Marshall model on the neck single coil sounded huge! Ordered my Headrush today. Thanks Bill!

[zeronoshoten]

This is just what I needed to see! Thinking of doing this with the ACS1

[DKH]

I've got the iridium on my pedalboard going out to my mixer, going out to my monitor speakers. I also got a bunch of synthesizers and a sampler hooked up to the mixer. Everything is synced up with midi. I can loop the guitar in time and mix the signal in with the other signals and I can record in my mixer with one click. Really nice workflow to make entire songs and record even without a computer.

[Boots]

Love the Iridium, too, it sounds so great and natural. Actually it‘s even a stereo amp, so you can run a stereo Volante into the breakup amp sounds and run fully stereo with the delays. Or plug it afterwards, if you like this more. Sounds incredible. The foot switch allows for 4 presets and the dialed in sound, so it‘s really flexible.

[TimO-wtsz]

Wow BIll thanks for this video it's been on my radar for a while answered my stereo questions to your the man as usual my friend great alternative you mentioned some time ago you did a performance with your head rush units before and liked them .again thanks Bill Tim from London 🇨🇦

[AmbientMusicStudio]

I've been thinking about this exact setup. Having an amp-like sound in the room is very inspiring, even though I am very happy with the sound Iridium direct to the computer for recording.

[CraigCrider]

Even with headphones, I could not discern a difference between the mic'd sound and the IR in the DAW. Very interesting.

[TaylorMadeKuntry]

Ran across your page about along ago I’ve gotten every answer I looks for from signal chains which helped me are my pod go signal chains and snap shots all the way to this headrush video helped me a lot

[SEVNTIGERS]

Great review Bill 👍🏼 always appreciate the honest, thoughtful time you put into your videos .

[catalinagalan]

I have been researching about amps and mics and how to record my guitar in the best way possible at home. This seems like it would do the job better than whatever mic and real amp I could afford to record in my living room (not the greatest sounding space).

[clbazar]

I’d love 2 of these with my Humboldt Simplifier, which I prefer to the Iridium, but I know plenty of people who prefer the iridium. Either way, the Headrush Speakers sound like a great solution for a highly portable stereo rig that you can still send a stereo signal to the foh PA.

[colinmorgan]

Good idea. I have the Two Notes Le-Clean (Fender, Mesa) tube preamp, Joyo AceTone pedal (Vox) and EHX English Muffn' (Marshall) valve pedal with the Two Notes Torpedo C.A.B and power amp with speakers. Also loads of pedals. It's very flexible, you can go straight into your audio interface or a PA too.

[jamescassidy]

Great stuff as always Bill - thinking of getting 2 x HeadRush after seeing this! Still craving Orion Kafka!!

[ibalrog]

Sounds good! I've been thinking about going in the modeler-and-FRFR direction lately. It's 2021, and trying to push the sounds I want through someone else's compromise amp/cab design isn't really appealing anymore.

[JOKR_HA]

Very nice! Would a Quilter Superblock also work with the Headrush FRFR-108 in place of the Iridium?

[JeffHendricks]

I've been using an older modeling pedal into a Jazz Chorus (instead of an FRFR) for over a decade. Back then, that was considered "cutting edge." There's so many options now, it's crazy.

[Tomtoms-tomtoms]

Brilliant demo, Ive been using a line6 helix into the headrush and it’s fantastic, but, i was missing my pedals.. the Iridium looks VERY tempting nowv🤔

[ahj-volt]

Just ordered 2 headrush 108's. Can wait to try them out on a soundcraft ui 24!🤟