Whoever shot this photo knows what he likes.

I’ve been down a dark rabbit hole called Wizard lately. I keep pulling up YouTube clips of these amps because I keep hearing that something I really like, which is that Marshally upper-mid thing with extra Hiwatt-ish shimmer. I’ve heard it different places – in a few Marshalls and in several really good “boutique” amps, notably, in my experience, Reinhardt, Sommatone, Fuchs and now Wizard.

Many of the Wizard clips sound good, but the one I keep coming back to is the top one of the two vids below. Do you hear it?

Note that the Wizard Metal amp is no longer made, having been replaced by the Wizard Modern Classic. And though I am no Wizard expert, it seems that Wizards have changed over the years and can even have changes within the same model (e.g., different output trannies).

Incidentally, a guy named Rick St. Pierre owns, designs and builds Wizards, and is the guitar tech for the Young bros of AC/DC fame and also supports Dusty Hill of ZZ Top.

Before listening to the vids, here is what was listed in the page on the Metal:

> The Wizard Metal has the footswitching capability to take you from crystal clean to high gain while retaining its ability to satisfy a wide range of vintage and blues requirements.

> A Bright control is incorporated to enhance an already very aggressive tone section. The output stage is loud and tight with extended bottom end response.

> Lead Gain, Lead Master, Rhythm with Pull Boost, Bright, Treble, Middle, Bass and Presence controls.

> EL34 or 5881 powered 50, 4T50 and 100 watt models. Also available in a 2×12″ combo.

Oh yeah: The rabbit hole is dark because I can’t afford a Wizard!
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> For this vid, the amp’s owner wrote: “Lead ch, bass Boost off, low vol.” Killer! Wish I knew what the power tubes were….

> For this vid the poster wrote, “This is my Wizard stack. Its a ’93 Metal with some tweaks for me by Rick St Pierre.”