When we looked at Brit co Hamstead Soundworks’ original Artist 20+RT, we praised its attention to detail and “almost hi-fi clarity”, and now, the company has upgraded its Artist line with the launch of Artist 20 MKII heads and combos.

The new MKII format adds a clean gain switch to lower the preamp gain and provide increased headroom; a bright switch for extra top-end; plus a three-way voice level switch, offering three levels of boost: 2dB, 3.5dB and 5dB.

Two models are on offer: the Artist 20 MKII and the Artist 20+RT MKII, which includes the company’s signature reverb and tremolo circuits, with respective depth, tone and speed controls. Both are available as heads or combos.

Like the original, the Artist 20 MKII amps are single-channel and EL84-powered, with a switchable output from 12 to 20 watts.

The Artist 20 MKII amps are available now – prices below…

Artist 20 MKII Head RRP: £1,499
Artist 20 MKII Combo RRP: £1,699
Artist 20+RT MKII Head RRP: £1,699
Artist 20+RT MKII Combo RRP: £1,899