Bringing together a diverse range of professional tone tools for the very first time, the Waza Tube Amp Expander elevates the tube amp experience to a new level of versatility for stage performing and studio recording. This amazing device does it all—it’s a variable reactive load box, active analog power stage, mic’d cab emulator, IR loader, and recording interface, all in one integrated unit that’s road-ready and easy to use.
Backed by our advanced Tube Logic approach, you’re able to crank your amp to its sweet spot and play at any volume while faithfully retaining the core tone and feel you love. And with extensive connectivity, built-in BOSS effects, 10 fully customisable rig setups, and deep real-time control, you have unparalleled creative command for any scenario. Packed to the max with breakthrough BOSS innovations, the Waza Tube Amp Expander is an essential companion for every tube amp player.
As a tube amp owner, you know that it sounds and feels best when it’s cranked up loud and really cooking. But if you’re like most of us, it’s a rare pleasure to be able to open up the volume enough to unlock that full expressive potential. Load boxes and volume attenuators driven by a tube amp’s speaker output have attempted to solve this nagging volume issue for years. But while they do lower the volume and provide workable results, they typically introduce artifacts that change the tone, dynamic response, and distortion character, leaving you with an unsatisfying experience.
The Waza Tube Amp Expander’s advanced reactive load section completely eliminates these artifacts, allowing you to experience your amp’s true cranked-up sound and interactive feel while controlling the volume to suit any situation. A key feature is the Resonance-Z and Presence-Z panel controls, which optimise the all-important impedance interaction with your amp’s output transformer. Selecting from sixteen different settings, you can make your amp behave and respond exactly as if it were connected to your favourite speaker cab. Any tube guitar amp up to 150 watts is supported, from vintage combos to modern high-gain heads.
With its built-in effects engine and external effects loop, the Waza Tube Amp Expander brings a wealth of sonic enhancements to your tube amp, particularly if it’s a vintage model with no effects loop. Onboard DSP delivers premium sound quality and true stereo operation with class-leading 32-bit AD/DA, 32-bit floating-point processing, and 96 kHz sampling rate. Compressor, delay, and reverb effects are on hand, with loads of customisable settings via dedicated editor software. Four different EQs are available for strategically shaping your tone at multiple points in the signal path, and it’s even possible to use one of the EQs as a switchable boost for solos. The external loop offers selectable series or parallel operation, plus support for both line-level devices and standard stompbox effects.
Features
- First-of-its-kind tube amp command centre, built with Waza expertise and the Tube Logic design approach
- Advanced variable reactive load circuit with discrete analog components supports tube amps up to 150 watts
- User-adjustable impedance tuning correctly matches the reactive load to your amp, retaining its natural tone, dynamic feel, and distortion characteristics
- 10 recallable rig settings for storing favourite setups
- Deep real-time performance control via GA-FC/FS-series footswitches and MIDI I/O
- Built-in 100-watt Class AB power amplifier with discrete analog design and seamless volume control
- Powerful DSP section with 32-bit AD/DA, 32-bit floating-point processing, and 96 kHz sampling rate
- Customisable stereo effects with premium tone quality: compressor, delay, reverb, and four EQs
- Twenty-two mic’d cabinet emulations with five selectable close-mic types and three room-mic options, plus four slots for loading user speaker IRs
- External effects loop with selectable series/parallel operation and control jack for switching amp channels
- Parallel speaker outputs for connecting up to two cabs for gigging
- Balanced XLR line outputs (mono and L/R stereo) for connecting to FOH console, stage monitors, and recording devices
- Headphones output for quiet practice with cranked-up amp tones
- Dedicated editor software (Mac/Windows)
- USB for direct audio recording and editor communication