Pricing and availability
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Average Price: $3,000
High-end/Boutique
$300
$801+
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Budget
Standard
High-end
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Description
The Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier delivers a powerful and versatile tone, ideal for guitarists seeking a robust sound. This all-tube amplifier head is crafted with meticulous attention to detail, ensuring both reliability and superior audio quality. With its hand-wired design, the Meat Smoke offers a rich, dynamic range that can easily shift from smooth cleans to gritty, overdriven tones, making it a favorite among players who appreciate versatility and depth.
The amplifier is equipped with two channels, allowing for seamless transitions between clean and overdriven sounds. Its intuitive controls include a three-band EQ, volume, and gain knobs, enabling precise tonal sculpting. The high-gain channel is particularly notable for its ability to maintain clarity even at higher volumes, a testament to Verellen's commitment to quality craftsmanship.
Designed for musicians who demand both character and functionality, the Meat Smoke Amplifier is more than just a piece of equipment—it's a key component in shaping your unique sound. Whether you're playing in a small venue or a large concert hall, this amp head ensures your performance is heard loud and clear.
Key Features:
- All-tube amplifier head for authentic sound
- Hand-wired design for reliability and superior tone
- Two channels for clean and overdriven sounds
- Three-band EQ for precise tonal control
- High-gain channel maintains clarity at high volumes
- Ideal for versatile music genres and performance settings
Product specs
| Brand | Verellen |
| Model | Meatsmoke 2-Channel 300-Watt Guitar / Bass Amp Head |
| Finish | Various |
| Year | 2007 - 2020 |
| Made In | United States |
| Categories | Bass Heads, Guitar Heads |
| Electronics | Tube |
| Impedance | 16 ohms, 4 ohms, 8 ohms |
| Number of Channels | 2 Channels |
| Number of Inputs | 1 Input |
| Output Power (Watts) | 300 |
| Power Tube Type | 6550 |
| Reverb | None |
FAQs
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Is the Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier suitable for both guitar and bass?
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Yes, the Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier is designed to work well with both guitar and bass, providing powerful and versatile tones for both instruments.
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What kind of power tubes does the Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier use?
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The Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier uses 6550 power tubes, known for their high power output and robust tone, ideal for achieving a powerful sound.
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How many channels does the Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier have?
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The Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier features two channels, allowing for versatile sound shaping and the ability to switch between different tones.
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Does the Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier include built-in reverb?
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No, the Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier does not include built-in reverb, focusing instead on delivering pure, powerful tones.
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What are the impedance options available on the Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier?
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The Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier offers impedance settings of 16 ohms, 8 ohms, and 4 ohms, providing flexibility for different speaker cabinet configurations.
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How much power does the Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier deliver?
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The Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier delivers a substantial 300 watts of power, making it suitable for both live performances and studio use.
Videos
Chicago Music Exchange
Verellen Meat Smoke 300W Bass Amp Head | CME Gear Demo | Marc Najjar
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier.
Build quality
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The Meatsmoke's Hammond 1650W output transformer weighs 28lbs and costs $500, contributing to its substantial weight and size.
Source
Comparisons
User experience
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A user noted the amp was "pure thunder" with warm, thick tones but resold it due to its excessive size and weight.
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Users adjusting from other amps find the Meatsmoke's tone stack requires recalibrated intuitions, particularly with interactive mid and treble controls affecting overall sound.
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Use cases and applications
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Musicians have successfully paired the Meatsmoke with an Orange Rockerverb for recording, noting it complements other high-gain amps well.
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For heavily distorted guitar sounds, some users activate the treble boost switch and slightly increase treble, highlighting its flexibility for specific tonal preferences.
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Mods and upgrades
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One owner modified their Meatsmoke to have six output tubes instead of four, using a kit directly from Ben Verellen.
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5.0 out of 5
Based on 1 Review and 5 Ratings
63
Quite Possibly the best bass amp every made
I've played just about every large tube bass amp on this planet and can say that this amp smokes nearly all of them. Not only is this amp a sensational bass amp, but it excels as a great guitar amp as well.
To sum up the sound, Think Mesa 400+ meets an SVT. There are only 3 knobs for EQ, but the controls are very dynamic and give a great amount of control over the amp. The clean channel stays very clean, but once turned up can give a nice drive. I can get a nice Chris Squire tone with this amp and my Rickenbacker easy. The clean channel takes pedals great and sounds terrific with anything I push through it.
The OD channel is intense and may not work for every ones needs for bass (I still prefer to run pedals into the clean channel for my dirt) ,but with some tweaking can sound great for bass. I see it more as a added feature. However, for guitar the dirt channel absolutely slays. I can get amazing overdrive or distorted guitar tones with this amp. Dirt pedals though the OD channel also sound great with the OD gain at lower volumes.
But what really takes the cake for me is how fucking great the master volume works. This amp sounds good at almost any volume the master vol it is set at. No insane volume spikes with this master vol, just a gradual increase in volume. Exactly how a master volume should work. Its gotta be some kinda alchemy.
Ben Verellen is a super cool dude and can specialize your order when you call or order online. I had Ben add a FX loop and add a switch on the back to knock the amp down to 100watts. With the combination of the 100 watt switch and the great master vol, I kid you not, I could easily play coffee shops with this head. And because of this I am able to practice with this head without blowing up the neighborhood so to speak.
Now nothing is perfect in life there are some cons to this head. It is very heavy head to carry around. Not SVT heavy, but a little bit heavier then a V4. The other draw back I found is that if you were like me and got a 200watt model it can have a hard time keeping up with heavy bands at times without being pushed super hard or turning up the gain. Though there are ways around that ( graphic EQ boosted level, or slaving into another amp)
The only other thing that could be alarming, but isn't really a con is how bright this amp can be. This amp is super bright if you crank the treble. In a shootout between a SVT VR, Orange AD 200 MK3 and my old 400+ this amp was the brightest by far. But like I said earlier the tone controls are very dynamic. So all you got to do is turn the treble down a bit if there is too much clank.
Before this amp my main stays were a Mesa Boogie 400+ and Peavey F800B. This amp smokes the shit out of both of those. It dominates in how much control it has over both EQ and volume. The only real downside I've experienced was the lack of the extra 100watts. But since the amp comes as a standard 300watt amp this is a no brainier. If you play quieter music like myself you might want it an extra 100 watts less. If your looking to destroy go full 300. If I could do it all over again I'd go full 300 watts just because the master vol is that good. The 100watt switch is extra cash money$$$ ,but well worth it if you are looking to forge an all purpose amp. The only other amps that come close to this are vintage SVT Blue line, Thunderfunk..,and maybe a SVT 2. But those all have their limitations (mainly they are only LOUD). If you are thinking about pulling the trigger on one of these amps just do it. You will not regret it. They are built very very well, easy to service, and will probably be sought after for times to come.
Artist usage
Add artist
At 1:29 in this rig rundown video Sullivan says, "Yeah the Meat Smoke is 300W...it's also a very, very, dark tone amp." For live and studio use, Sullivan’s main amplifiers of choice are 300-watt Verellen Meat Smoke and a 100-watt Verellen Loucks tube heads.
This photo from a 2013 Premier Guitar article shows Brian Cook's amp setup, which includes a Verellen Meat Smoke amplifier.
Shriner used the Meat Smoke live in 2019, as shown in an Instagram post (pictured on the left)
In the Gear Masters Episode 248 on YouTube, Scott Lucas of Local H discusses using the Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier, describing it as one of his favorite amps.
Amedeo Pace of Blonde Redhead is seen using the Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier with his Marshall Cabinet during the band's live performance at the Rock en Seine Festival in Paris, August 2011, as captured in a YouTube video by Georges Dumas.
In this YouTube video at 17:46 (also throughout the whole live show) the Verelinn Meatsmoke Amplifier Head can be seen behind Dylan Desmond.
Compared to most of the companies on this list, Verellen is fairly new to the game. They make a variety of hand-made tube amplifiers, but the Meat Smoke model is their crown jewel. It’s an absolute beast, packing 300 watts of all-tube power for bass and guitar, along with two channels for clean and roaring, gut-punching overdrive. The Sword bassist Bryan Richie is a convert, and uses one through an Ampeg 8×10 cabinet.
Around 40 seconds on the video clip you can see the amp, plus the bassist used to make the pedals of the brand.
In this photo Morgan shows the Verellen Meat Smoke amp that he uses when playing with Good Tiger
In Pallbearer's Rig Rundown video, Joe talks about his Meat Smoke:
"I finally just told myself I was like, instead of playing roulette with vintage amps, they would always break when we were on tour, and I needed something I could rely on. And I was just like 'this is just the best amp that is out there right now'. [...] I'm sure I'll go out and buy other amps, but it does everything I need it to."
Clayton Anderson has evolved his amp rig over four LPs, moving from Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifiers to Oranges, and more recently incorporating a Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier and a Matamp for recording. This setup was highlighted in an Instagram post by Beastwarsband during their NZ tour.
Album Usage
The Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
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Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Verellen Meat Smoke Amplifier, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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