Modern Art

In a celebration of great British amp building, Hamstead Soundworks releases a single-channel masterpiece to follow up its Artist 20RT – home-grown tone at its best

- Nick Guppy

Based in the electric guitar hotspot of South Cambridgeshire, Hamstead Soundworks has steadily been gaining worldwide recognition for its superb handmade amps and pedals over the last few years, ever since the launch of the Artist 20RT, a single-channel boutique design. The brand has its own cult following and a select user list, including James Bay and Carl Verheyen, alongside hardworking session pros such as Adam Goldsmith and Neil Cowlan. Now, a new amp in the catalogue promises to take the Hamstead sound to new heights: the Artist 60+RT.

This latest addition certainly stays true to the Hamstead ethos, with superb build quality using top-grade materials. The cabinet dimensions are slightly taller and deeper than average, but slim plywood panels and an aluminium chassis balance the visuals, while helping to keep the head quite portable. The Artist’s understated, almost minimalist styling is underscored with exceptional attention to detail that holds up under the closest scrutiny. The blonde vinyl on our sample is perfectly cut and glued, with subtle black piping accents, while the combination of chickenhead knobs, chrome LED bezels and brushed silver control panel is more in keeping with top-end hi-fi gear.

Underneath the Artist 60’s handsome exterior, the electronics are equally impressive, with a high-grade fibreglass PCB for the small components, custombuilt transformers and meticulous handwiring to valve bases, pots and switchgear. The hand soldering is cleaner than almost every other amp we’ve looked at, giving off an overall vibe of impeccable quality and military spec reliability that comes from designer Peter Hamstead’s background in radar and avionics.