Jimmy Page has just announced his next venture with his boutique amp firm, Sundragon – the company he founded in 2017 with former Marshall/Vox executive VP and Park Amps chief Mitch Colby, and noted producer and guitar collector Perry Margouleff.
It’s the launch of the Nymph tube amp: described as a smaller, single eight-inch combo with two 12AX7s, “that you can switch from 1-watt to ¼-watt,” and that is capable of handling a Gibson EDS-1275 SG Double-Neck.
As Page describes in a new social media post, it was all about embracing a smaller footprint without sacrificing the specs and quality.
“The idea came to us that we should create a new amp that embodies the sonic qualities I cherish in my favorite amplifiers, but in a smaller package,” he writes.
“One that would be suitable for playing at home, at levels that wouldn’t disturb the neighbors, while retaining the tonal characteristics of the larger amps I love. This would prove to be the greatest challenge Mitch and Perry had faced to date with Sundragon. It was no simple task, as certain elements of larger amplifiers are notoriously difficult to scale down.”
Page adds that once they accomplished the task at hand, they added a new feature that they hadn't employed previously – a direct post-speaker line output that, as Page puts it, “means the amp can go from your bedroom to Madison Square Garden without missing a beat.”
He also recalls seeing – and trying out – the prototype, which completely blew him away. “It was in November of last year that I first saw the prototype. I had just performed the Rumble at the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame using a Super Dragon, and had returned to the dressing room when Mitch appeared with the prototype Nymph,” he says. “Despite the excitement and focus that comes with just having played, I was keen to try the amp out with my double-neck Gibson.
“I put it through its paces, searching for familiar tones with the 6-string neck, and smiled. Then came the ultimate test: would this amp be able to stand up to the challenge of reproducing the increased output of the 12-string guitar? To my amazement, not only did it reproduce the 12-string sounds – it did so with flying colors. I just threw my hands up.
“I’ve got to tell you, that amplifier is absolutely extraordinary!” he adds.
While no details of price or retail options have been released at the time of writing, Page aficionados and tone seekers can check out the brand-new offering on the official Sundragon website.
