Award Session Blues Baby 22: an old ‘80s classic updated
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Session Blues Baby 22 in reclaimed birch ply cabinet. · Source: http://www.award-session.com/bluesbaby-complete.html
Session Blues Baby 22 · Source: http://www.award-session.com/bluesbaby-complete.html
Session were famous in the ‘80s for making great-sounding transistor guitar amps. Now they have just released the Blues Baby 22 and 45 models which are, allegedly, more refined and available with lots of different options as of February this year.
As a teenager in the 1980s, I owned an Award Sessionette 75 which was 75 watts, had a spring reverb and two channels that were foot switchable. It sounded great and was easy for me to lug around on the Tube for rehearsals and gigs. It also never suffered from dodgy valves and I didn’t need to service it frequently.
The company were really popular in the 80s and then the valve amps started to get cheaper and they just seemed to disappear. Well now they are back and have announced two new models: the Blues Baby 22 and 45. As the name suggests, they are 22 Watts or 45 Watts. The ‘bigger’ version should have enough power for gigging musicians.
Their designer Stewart Ward has said he can make a transistor amp that’s as good as any valve amp while also being more reliable. I have to admit he knows his stuff and having owned one of his amps myself I will say they aren’t what you’d expect from a ‘transistor amp’, being neither cold nor clinical sounding. The Blues Baby has been in development for a few years and I have been watching its progress very closely. Now they are officially released and available direct from the company website.
Tonally, I think they have a lot to offer, and as many bass players will tell you, there is nothing wrong with solid state amplifiers, which also require a lot less servicing and maintenance. You can custom configure the models with different cabinets and speaker combinations as well. Or you can just buy the amp chassis and build your own enclosure.
RRP GBP Blues Baby 22 GBP £199 or Blues Baby 45 GBP £249 for chassis
Combo starting from Blues Baby 22 GBP £399 or Blues Baby 45 GBP £449
Session Blues Baby options and specifications
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One response to “Award Session Blues Baby 22: an old ‘80s classic updated ”
tell me about these amps please
and how I may get one here
in Los Angeles.