Previously best known for their nifty little modular power amps, Canterbury-based ILP have recently entered the guitar combo market with a well designed, highly versatile 80 watt twin channel model, a sample of which has recently been going though the IN TUNE office amp torture test to see how it performed.

Our review sample was one of the first examples of this amp (number 40, judging by the serial number) to leave the ILP factory, and was purposefully left ready for action in our offices, so that anyone wandering around with a guitar in their hands would immediately 'give it a go'. This was in addition to our usual exhaustive one-person test, and was done because some of the ILP's specs imply that it could be an ideal 'jack of all trades' semi-pro combo - so we figured that giving it the widest possible usage was the fairest way to test it.

CONSTRUCTION & SPECS

Visually, the ILP is quite distinctive. It features a (sensible) kick-proof metal grille, plastic corner protectors, top mounted carrying strap and all the usual protection and cosmetic features required of a modern combo, but stands out from the crowd by having a red speaker baffle board and colour coded rotary controls. Its actual construction, however, is typical of a mid-1980s guitar combo. Weighing a fairly hefty 40lbs, it stands about average height for a typical 60/75/80 watt combo, measuring 21" (W) x 18¾" (H) x 10" (D), made of particle (chip) board which, although it isn't our favourite material for combos (although perhaps acoustically preferable to ply it can be more susceptible to impact damage), makes the ILP identical to probably 90% of today's combos.

In terms of its facilities, however, the new ILP is rather special. The back panel begins with the usual IEC mains connector but then goes on to reveal a very well thought-out and useful range of extras. These start with an output socket for an external 8 Ohm speaker and then progress through a slave power amp output (rated for 500mV low impedance) and - usefully independent - stereo effects loops; 1 for the 'clean' channel and 2 for the 'overload' channel, both using one jack per circuit, with, finally, a 5 pin DIN socket, wired to provide both channel switching and reverb control.

The front panel, likewise, shows the degree of thought which has gone into this product's design. Provided with a single jack input, you don't progress from there straight to channel 1, but first have to use a sensitivity control, which enables you to set the pre-amp's sensitivity to the ideal level for the output of your guitar. Given that today's instruments can range in output terms from a weak Tele to a super-hot Seymour Duncan humbuckered guitar or whatever, this is both a practical and sensible provision. Following this is a Normal/Bright switch, which boost 8dB at 5kHz. Channel One (the Clean option) affords four rotary controls, covering Bass, Mid, Treble and Volume. In spec, terms these offer ±15dB at 100Hz, ±12dB at 1 kHz and ±20dB at 10kHz and are well chosen (and very effective) tone factors.

Moving from Channel One to Channel Two (the latter being the Overdrive option), here the tone options are reduced to just one pot (delivering ±12dB at 10kHz), but you do have two level controls, one a pre-amp Gain pot, the other a Volume. Rounding off the ILP's controls are Reverb volume (adjusting an Accutronics/Hammond spring reverb). Master volume, and a small illuminated on/off switch. Lastly there's a socket for stereo headphones, the use of which cuts out the amp's speaker.

In terms of power, the ILP delivers a claimed 80 watts RMS into a single 12" Fane (metal domed) speaker, which lives inside a semi-sealed housing. Constructionally, the ILP seems about as well made as today's typical average-good semi-pro combo. While not exceptional in any build-quality sense, it would more than satisfactorily stand up to the hard life dished-out to most amps. On the other hand, its facilities and features place it quite usefully ahead of the 'run-of-the-mill' combo.

IN USE/HOW IT SOUNDS

There seem to be two distinctly different types of guitar combo emerging today - those (like the typical Carlsbros, Custom Sounds and Marshalls) which you can walk straight up to, plug in and get a good sound from, and those (like the Sessions, Laney AORs, V-Amps etc.) which need a little bit of thought before you can expect the best from them. In these terms the ILP is definitely in the second camp. Take any guitar, approach the ILP, and the first thing you must do is set the sensitivity control to the required level. This isn't difficult (your ears will tell you when you've got there) and although the really lazy might reckon it an additional hassle in setting this amp up, the fact that you have control over this factor is one of the best things about the ILP - letting you set the ideal amount of input sensitivity for your guitar's output level.

Having set that control, you next proceed to Channel 1 - the clean-sounding one. Here you have a vast amount of tone control on tap, enabling all our test guitars (including a Nadine Special, a Westone and a Gibson SG) to sound close to their very best, especially when set for ultraclean Country sounds, where the metal domed Fane speaker really does pump out an ear-shattering punch.

To set the best possible distorted solo sound, the ILP does demand some care, however. In essence you have three controls to play with - Sensitivity, Gain and Volume - and these need balancing together against the Master Volume control to give the best possible overdrive. When you have got that permutation right, however, the ILP produces a superb overload sound - certainly one of the best tranny amp distortions we've encountered in the past year. This was a feature which all our testers agreed on. Because so much control is on tap, almost any guitar, however weak or strong its output, can be made to sound both really 'live' and highly aggressive; but you must take your time setting the perfect sound - that's essential. If you're not careful it's very easy to swamp the ILP's second channel, either by getting too much dirt in the setting (resulting in the typical 'bad' transistorised sound) or by overloading the reverb so that it appears to have no effect at all when, in fact, it's a particularly good application of the ever-popular Accutronics spring type.

CONCLUSION

Everyone who tested this newcomer during its time in the IT office made more or less identical comments about it. We all agreed that the clean channel was brilliantly clean - positively sparkling, in fact. Moreover, the output level was on the high side for the 80 watt rating, and much of the credit on both these counts must go to Fane's excellent 12" driver.

The Overdrive channel, however, needs some getting used to. Approach it like a bull in a china shop and it's very easy to get a sound that no-one but the most crass H.M. freak would want. Take you time setting the controls, however, and the ILP can deliver a fine, smooth overload - well up with the best of today's transistor combos, and noticeably better than the majority in terms of responsiveness and 'valviness'.

Take your time in familiarising yourself with the wide range of tonal and overdrive/clean possibilities offered by this new combo and we reckon that you would find it one of the most versatile packages on the market. At RRP £245, it compares well with (say) the Carlsbro Cobra 90 Twin, the Pro-Amp Voodoo 75 and many other currently popular tranny combos of a similar power rating.

If we were in the market for a new midpower combo, we'd find the ILP very tempting indeed - especially for the hard working semi- pro who needs the maximum versatility from an amp. Check this one out - our feeling is that it has a good future.

RRP £245 Inc.VAT

More info, from ILP Electronics Ltd., (Contact Details).