Analog Outfitters The Scanner Reverb & Vibrato Unit

Hailing from Champaign, Illinois, Analog Outfitters began as an amp repair company before branching out with their own line of guitar amps. Highly rated by pro guitarists including Wilco’s Nels Cline, their quirky line of heads and combos is big on vintage values and boutique appeal, all tube and no frills. Their biggest distinguishing feature is the use of reclaimed parts from vintage Hammond organs, principally the transformers and casework, making each amp a unique piece of ‘upcycled’ history. Though it’s as big as a 100W head, the Scanner is not an amp but a stand-alone vibrato and reverb effect, built around a reclaimed Hammond vibrato scanner and spring reverb tank. While the latter is a familiar feature of guitar amps, the vibrato scanner is rather more unusual. Developed by Hammond in the 1930s as a means to add pitch variation to their tonewheel organs, the scanner is, like the instrument it was part of, entirely analogue and electromechanical in operation, and pretty darn ing