The Hotone Ampero II Stage 🎸 might show up in pedalboard conversations, but calling it just a guitar pedal is selling it short. This thing is a full multi-instrument rig designed for songwriters, performers, and producers who want one box that does it all.
It comes loaded with effects and presets not just for electric guitar ⚡️, but also acoustic 🌿, bass 🎶, vocals 🎤 and even keys 🎹. You can plug in through quarter-inch, XLR, USB, or MIDI, and then send your sound out via stereo quarter-inch or XLR outs — which means it’s just as comfortable in the studio as it is on stage. The five-inch touchscreen 🖥️ makes editing fast and intuitive, and the eight glowing footswitches 🌈 make it super easy to navigate live. Add in the looper, metronome, and patch system, and you’ve got a serious creative hub in one neat package.
Some of the things we loved straight away:
✨ 460+ effects, 90+ amps, 68 cabinets, and a huge range of pedal models
✨ Tone Catch tech, which lets you literally capture the sound of your fave amp or pedal and store it inside
✨ 20 Celestion IRs already built in, with another 50 slots to add your own
✨ 60-second stereo looper with half-speed and reverse modes
✨ 100 rhythm styles to jam with or build ideas around
✨ Scene mode, letting you create five variations of a single patch and flick between them seamlessly
The presets alone are worth diving into. Right out of the box, you’ll find tones inspired by legends like Cream, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Black Sabbath 🤘. Some favourites were:
🎵 “Hot Rod” – perfect for searing blues with just the right grit
🎵 “Basic Clean” – tight, articulate, and full of clarity for rhythm work
🎵 “Landscape” – those lush cinematic chords that sound huge on guitar, synths, or even experimental vocals
What makes it so addictive is how easy it is to tweak. Building patches feels less like programming and more like playing around. You can move effects around, assign footswitches however you like, and then save whole sets for live gigs.
And this isn’t just a live rig. It doubles as an 8×8 USB audio interface 🎧, with sample rates up to 192kHz, so you can record straight into your DAW with pro quality. Bluetooth 📲 adds even more flexibility — stream backing tracks from your phone, tweak settings on the fly, or hook up Bluetooth MIDI for extra control.
Players who’ve tried it rave about how modern the OS feels compared to the competition. The touchscreen makes navigation simple, IR management is a breeze, and the whole thing feels way less fiddly than some higher-priced options. Sure, there are little quirks (like Tap Tempo not syncing across Scenes perfectly) and some wish the firmware support was snappier, but the consensus is clear: for the price, it’s a killer piece of gear.
The Ampero II Stage is more than just a pedal. It’s a tone machine, a songwriting tool, a stage companion, and a studio interface rolled into one. Whether you’re writing at home 🏡, rehearsing with the band 🎵, streaming online 📡, or stepping out under the stage lights 🔥, this box is built to make life easier and a lot more fun.
