The Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp is an Acorn Amplifiers preamp pedal, currently around $179. Close alternatives include the Peavey Bandit Supreme Teal Stripe Preamp and the Wampler Belle. It pairs well with the Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere MKII The Analog Leslie Simulator and the Suhr Woodshed.

Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp

Acorn Amplifiers · pedal

The Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp reimagines the company's original Solid State Amp/Preamp pedal, itself built around the same TDA-series class-AB power amp circuitry found in the vintage Peavey Decade, an unassuming solid-state practice amp that gained cult status as Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme's self-described secret weapon. Where the original pedal included two output jacks and a toggle to use it as either a standalone 10-watt amplifier or a pedalboard preamp, this slimmed-down preamp-only version drops the power amp stage entirely for a smaller, more pedalboard-friendly enclosure at a lower price, running on 9 to 18 volts DC with true bypass switching and foot-switchable Normal and Saturated channels replicating the Decade's wiry cleans and tightly coiled, aggressive gain.

What stands out

  • “Where the original pedal included two output jacks and a toggle to use it as either a standalone 10-watt amplifier or a pedalboard preamp, this slimmed-down preamp-only version drops the power amp stage entirely for a smaller, more pedalboa…”

    — from the listing

  • “the acorn amplifiers solid state preamp reimagines the company”

    — from the listing

  • “In a chain the preamp version functions purely as a tone-shaping stage feeding into a standard amp,”

    — from the community notes

  • “s tight”

    — from the community notes

  • “The standout caveat is that, , this preamp-only version requires a separate amplifier to actually produce sound,”

    — from the community notes

  • wiry
  • solid state
  • aggressive
  • stage
  • tight
  • gain
  • clean
$179View on Reverb

Price updated Oct 24, 2026

Genres the Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp is commonly used in

  • Rock

Pedals that stack with the Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp

Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere MKII The Analog Leslie Simulator

pedal

24% match

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Keep Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere MKII The Analog Leslie Simulator after Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp in the signal chain, clear of Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp's own gain stage

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Suhr Woodshed

Suhr

20% match
$200via Reverb

fills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → warm)

Run the Woodshed's smooth, American-voiced compression before the Acorn preamp's own wiry, tight stage drive kicks in.

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Greer Mizuki blue

Greer

19% match
$199via Reverb

fills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → warm)

Run Greer Mizuki blue after it and the bright edge settles into something more warm

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Walrus Audio Fable

Walrus Audio

18% match
$239.99via Reverb

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Walrus Audio Fable's smooth voice goes after Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp's own aggressive character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

Comes later in the signal chain

One Control Lingonberry Overdrive

One Control

17% match
$144.99via Reverb

fills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → warm)

The Lingonberry's musical, responsive overdrive rounds off the Acorn preamp's wiry, tight edge with something more vocal.

Comes earlier in the signal chain

T-Rex Junior Roomate

T Rex

15% match
$108.38via Reverb

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

T-Rex Junior Roomate's warm voice goes after Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp's own aggressive character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

Comes later in the signal chain

SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive

Solidgoldfx

tonal match
$152.15via Reverb

Comes earlier in the signal chain

SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive leans smooth right where the bright tone needs it

Dunlop Blue Hippo Optical Tremolo

Dunlop

tonal match

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Run Dunlop Blue Hippo Optical Tremolo after it and the bright edge settles into something more warm

Cheaper alternatives

Boss BD-2 Blues Driver

Boss

48% similarity
$99.99via Reverb

Shared character: bright, gain, full

EarthQuaker Devices Special Cranker

EarthQuaker Devices

46% similarity
$99via Reverb

Shared character: bright, stage

Black Country Customs Monolith

Black Country Customs

46% similarity
$119via Reverb

Shared character: gain, aggressive playing, clean

Fulltone Fulldrive 2 MOSFET

Fulltone

46% similarity
$69via Reverb

Shared character: gain, clean, full

MXR Super Badass Distortion

MXR

45% similarity
$99via Reverb

Shared character: bright, gain, aggressive playing

ProCo RAT 2

Proco

45% similarity
$86.97via Reverb

Shared character: bright, aggressive playing, full

Boutique & premium upgrades

Wampler Paisley Drive Deluxe

Wampler

51% similarity
$259.97via Reverb

Shared character: bright, gain, aggressive playing

Blackstar HT-Metal

Blackstar

46% similarity
$257.97via Reverb

Shared character: solid state, aggressive playing

Strymon Riverside

Strymon

44% similarity
$299via Reverb

Shared character: gain, full, stage

Pete Cornish SS-3

Pete Cornish

44% similarity
$899via Reverb

Shared character: bright, gain

Amptweaker Big Rock Pro

Amptweaker

90% similarity
$299via Reverb

similar tone character

Similar character

Peavey Bandit Supreme Teal Stripe Preamp

Peavey

54% similarity
$165.95via Reverb

Shared character: solid state, gain, aggressive playing

Wampler Belle

Wampler

49% similarity

Shared character: original, full, stage

Boss BD-2W Blues Driver Waza Craft

Boss

49% similarity
$165.55via Reverb

Shared character: bright, gain

Keeley Red Dirt Overdrive

Keeley

47% similarity

Shared character: aggressive playing, full, stage

Bixonic Expandora

Bixonic

45% similarity

Shared character: aggressive playing

Revv G3 (Purple Channel Distortion)

Revv

45% similarity
$229via Reverb

Shared character: gain, full

See all alternatives to the Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp (cheaper + boutique) →

Questions people ask

What are good alternatives to the Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp?+

The closest matches in character are the Peavey Bandit Supreme Teal Stripe Preamp, the Wampler Belle, the Boss BD-2W Blues Driver Waza Craft. Budget picks: Boss BD-2 Blues Driver, EarthQuaker Devices Special Cranker, Black Country Customs Monolith. Boutique upgrades: Wampler Paisley Drive Deluxe, Blackstar HT-Metal, Strymon Riverside.

What pairs well with the Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp?+

Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere MKII The Analog Leslie Simulator, Suhr Woodshed, Greer Mizuki blue — Keep Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere MKII The Analog Leslie Simulator after Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp in the signal chain, clear of Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp's own gain stage.

How much does the Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp cost?+

Around $179 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).

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