Faced with two Voodoos and a Demon, Gary Cooper donned guitar and the 'ear-plugs of invisibility' to do battle with three new high-power combos from Pro-Amp.

Sometimes, however hard you try to keep impartial, you find yourself developing an affinity for one maker's range of amps. It happens by degrees as, with each succeeding product they release, you realise that something very special is happening - you're witnessing the creation of a product line that can constantly impress, deliver that bit more than most.

The other side of that coin, however, is that you run the risk of a massive let-down. Suppose a maker whose products have always impressed you suddenly gets it horribly wrong? You know it could happen one day, and each time you review a new product of theirs you wonder if this is the time.

So it is with Pro-Amp, one of a half-dozen or so amp makers whose products always seem to get the formula right. But this time, instead of being faced with one new product, I had three to contend with - two brand new 75 watt rated combos, the Voodoos, and an old friend, the Demon 45, recently fitted with a long hoped-for reverb section.

Facing the complete newcomers first, I turned to the Voodoos, jacked-in my guitar and turned up the level.

PRO-AMP VOODOO 1x12 75 WATT COMBO (WITH REVERB)

RRP £249 inc. VAT.

The name Voodoo suggests something heavy, sinister maybe, and endowed with dark and mysterious powers. It would be pretty wet if this combo was kitted-out with pink vinyl covering and gold filigree speaker grilles, and (thankfully!) it isn't. In fact it looks very much the part - relentlessly black-robed, and spared Pro-Amp's traditional silver woven grille cloth in favour of a boot-proof metal speaker grille-plate.

Open-backed, the Voodoo reveals a single Celestion G12 K-85, a 12" 85 watt rated speaker. The mains lead is captive and there is a permanently fixed two-way footswitch which governs reverb on/off and channel select.

Changed from Pro-Amp's normal fitment are the control knobs which you find round at the front. These are now more conventional-looking than the silver pointered type used on older models, but are easier to grip. The facilities on the black coloured panel are quite straightforward, comprising a single jack input, bright switch, pre-amp and master volume pots for the 'clean' channel, ditto for the 'overdrive' channel, then treble, middle and bass controls plus a reverb depth control. Mains on/off is an internally illuminated rocker switch.

Hoping for the best, yet fearing the worst, I plugged in the current love of my life, a 1984-spec Gibson SG (which, incidentally, I bought back in the Autumn and which has done more to revive my faith in American guitars than I ever imagined possible). I wellied-up the Voodoo and hit a chord...

Turn that thing down! The sound pressure level, even with the Voodoo's master vol. on about 4, was ear-damaging - yes, even on the clean channel, and in a decent sized room with high ceilings! Once again, it looks like a British speaker maker (Celestion in this case) has managed to combine a more typically American efficiency in transforming amp output into loudness, with that unmistakable 'British overload' sound.

Impressively, the Voodoo's clean channel really is - clean, I mean. Push the pre-amp gain up and hit a fat chord, and it'll rasp beautifully (and not just on a Gibson, but on my Tokai 'you know what' replica, too). But, if you want the sound clean then it delivers that remarkably well - terms like 'crystal', 'glass' and 'pure' coming to mind. Given a bit more time, I wouldn't have minded getting a Country music orientated player's view on this channel, but, to me, it sounded well up to a Fender amp's clarity - which is a pretty remarkable achievement.

Pro-Amp's usual ability to extract a superb distortion sound from transistors (albeit that they're MOS-FETS) comes into play on channel 2. The sheer smoothness of the overdrive is uncanny, and (especially with the excellent reverb wound in) the sort of lead sounds you can get are really only to be bettered by a valve amp of the finest class (and, of course, Pro-Amp offer those too, in their hybrid Viper range). Tonal variety, as I've already implied in my comments on the 'clean' channel, is brilliant at the top and yet capable of a sweet, richer sound when you use a neck pickup and play around with the amp's middle and bass controls. Do, however, see my comments on the 2x10" version, which follow this review.

So there we are. I hoped for a combo ideal for classic Rock overdriven guitar sounds, and, while everything you could ask for is there in that respect, the Voodoo has a surprise up its transformers by also offering a fabulous clean sound. I find it hard to imagine the guitarist (with the possible exception of valve amp devotees) who won't be satisfied by this excellent new unit - unless, of course, he'd prefer the 2x10" version, which I sampled next.

PRO-AMP VOODOO 75 WATT 2X10" COMBO (WITH REVERB)

RRP £269 inc. VAT

Devotees of single 12" versus twin 10" speakers will argue till dawn about the respective merits of their favourite speaker sizes - and I'm not too sure that it matters a hang what any reviewer happens to think, given that an amp manufacturer has taken the sensible step of offering both camps their options. Still, in case the argument's new to you, let me report that, essentially, the 2x10" equipped Voodoo is the same amp as the 1x12" model, apart from the fact that it is, of course, physically wider and carries two Celestion G10-50s; a longstanding favourite speaker of theirs, and one which I've personally developed a lot of admiration for.

Much as you might imagine, the basic constituents of the sound from the two Voodoo types are pretty similar, regardless of which speaker you choose. The amp's no noisier, everything works as well, but this sound does seem to be noticeably more 'open' and 'alive', to my ears, at least. It's perceptibly louder, too.

On the clean channel, the 10" model is, if anything, even more sparkling and champagne-like, with a slicing top which demands you keep the amp below ear-level! Some players might argue that the 10" drivers don't deliver quite the gutsy bass of the 12" speaker, but a lot will depend on what sort of guitar you use and what your style is like.

Both amps will run into very usable feedback-laced distortion and sustain, but (just maybe) it seems to be easier to achieve with the 2x10" version. What really matters is that you have the choice, and words alone won't convince you one way or the other. If my money was on the line I'd probably buy the 2x10" model and have done with it - but I wouldn't want to get into a fight with you if you argued that the 1x12" Voodoo sounded meatier to you.

Either way, both Pro-Amp Voodoos are surely among the most versatile of combos on the market right now - with sounds ranging from a blisteringly fierce heavy metal attack to an icy clarity.

Ideal uses for the Pro-Amp Voodoos would be in pubs and clubs, where pretty high volume levels were needed along with a versatility of sound and excellent portability. Possibly the 2x10" speakered model would suit the all-rounder the more, the 1x12" type just having an edge for out-and-out ballsier Rock playing. The choice is yours - either way you should be happy with a Voodoo.

PRO-AMP DEMON 45 (WITH REVERB)

RRP £179 inc. VAT

Quite a few IT readers will already be familiar with Pro-Amp's Demon range, which begins with the fire-breathing little 15 watt model - one of the heaviest-sounding practise amps yet devised.

The 45 watt version (which has been around for a few months now) takes the basic no-nonsense brain-blasting potential of the 15 watt model and boosts the output level, pumping it, again, through a Celestion G10-50 10" driver.

In a sense the Demon 45 is a natural halfway house between the muscle-bound Demon 15 and the new 75 watt Voodoo - although not entirely so, as the Voodoos are capable of a much subtler performance. The Demon, on the other hand, is far more of a head-banger's special, whereas the Voodoo would suit a more versatile performer.

Now, the Demon 45 has been granted the one blessing which it lacked (yearned for, even) - reverb, and, even though it pushes the price up a bit, it's a fine application of a traditional spring-line system which few soloists, particularly, would want to be without once they'd heard the two versions side by side.

Small, light in weight, chunky, with a sloped front and a metal grille over the Celestion, the Demon 45 is about as simple an amp as you can get. Just a single jack input is provided, with pre and master volume controls, followed by treble, middle, bass and reverb controls and a line-out jack socket.

As with the non-reverb Demon, this model screams and shrieks like a demented fiend if you wind it up. I tried my sample with a range of guitars, from my Gibson SG through a Tokai, Cimar2100, Westone Thunder I and so on, and found it widely tolerant of varying pickup output levels, with more than enough gain there to get almost anything screaming away on metal power chords and sustaining solos.

What is really impressive is that the little Demon (it is in a very small package) packs such a punch. The spread of sound pressure level, of course, doesn't match that of the bigger, beefier Voodoo, but if s still very loud indeed and could be used in clubs, pubs, demo studios, as well as for neighbour-blasting on a Sunday evening.

Having said that it suits aggressive Rock guitar styles, I wouldn't want you to assume that the Demon 45 isn't versatile in its tone departments - in fact all the controls do their bit very well, and the range of Rock guitar sounds is highly impressive. For the right player, the Demon 45 with reverb is a veritable storehouse of dynamic guitar sounds. If subtlety is your scene, then it may not be the ideal amp for you - but it's as near perfect as you'll get if heavy Rock guitar is your aim and you're a bit stuck for cash, or just need an amp which is physically small for transport reasons.

Yet another natural-born success from Pro-Amp, the reverb-equipped Demon 45 confirmed my view that this British maker is destined for increasingly great things. As the range gets bigger they seem to have that uncanny skill of stepping from bright idea to bright idea. If the Demon 45 sounds like your sort of amp then I can't imagine that you'd ever grow tired of it.

More details on Pro-Amp from distributors Rosetti and Co., (Contact Details).