DigiTech Unveils "Johnson Millennium" Guitar Amplifier

January 16, 1997 -- DigiTech proudly unveils its first guitar amplifier at the 1997 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. Dubbed the "Johnson Millennium", the product pushes the envelope of guitar amplification to the next level by combining a powerful 150 watt stereo amplifier (75 watts per side), two 12-inch speakers and an on-board programmable multi-effects processor.

Featuring dual inputs for normal and bright, the Johnson Millennium combo amplifier's front-end features two 12AX7 tubes to provide the warmth and clarity that only tubes can offer. Featuring six different possible amp voicings--American Stack, British Stack, American Combo, British Combo, "Johnson" and Custom Distortion--the amplifier can simulate virtually any amplifier on the market, as well as create tones all its own.

The Johnson Millennium offers a wide palette of distortions. Selectable tube voicings include Warm Clean, Bright Clean, Dirty Tube and Saturated Tube, while solid-state distortions include Overdrive, Heavy Sustain, Fuzz and Grunge. Tube and solid-state distortions are parallel and may be used simultaneously if desired for an incredible array of tones.

All of the traditional amplifier controls are provided on the Johnson Millennium, including Input Level, Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble, Level, Contour and Master Volume. Rear connections include Mono Effects Send, Mono Effects Return, Speaker Outputs (4), Preamp Out/Power Amp In (2) and MIDI In, Out/Thru. There are also input jacks for DigiTech's FS-300 footswitch, Control One foot controller and two separate expression pedals.

The flexibility of the Johnson Millennium's effects section is unparalleled by any other guitar amplifier in history. Based on the DSP operating system of DigiTech's new 2112 Studio Guitar System, the preamp's parameter controls are located on the front panel, giving users instant control over the principal aspects of their sound. A large, custom LCD display and backlit buttons additionally add to the user-friendliness of the system. Thanks to two proprietary S-DISC(tm) II processing chips, the Johnson Millennium provides seamless program changing, allowing delays and reverbs to fully decay even after the program has been changed.

Aside from the tube and solid-state distortions, effects include Compression and Analog Wah (both via the 12AX7 tubes), Digital EQ, Noise Gates, Reverbs, Choruses, Flangers, Intelligent and Smooth Pitch Shifters, Detuners, Smooth Whammy, Phasers, Tremolos, Auto Panners. Rotary Speaker Emulation, Cabinet Emulation and more.

The Johnson Millennium's preamp also features full MIDI implementation, dynamic modifiers and a chromatic tuner. Using 20bit, 128x oversampled digital conversion, the amplifier's DSP section offers nothing short of full-bandwidth, studio-quality digital effects with a Signal-to-Noise Ratio greater than 98dB (A-weighted, ref=max signal, 22kHz measurement bandwidth).

Even the cabinet itself is manufactured with the finest materials and covered with a space-age material that actually binds the joints creating amazing tonal resonance. Weighing 57 pounds, the amplifier's dimensions are 18.5" H x 29" W x 11.5'' D.

For more information, visit their web site at www.digitech.com.