But the five remaining knobs (Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble and Master) are instantly familiar. There’s also a continuous Output level control, whose function can be switched across the Bias Mini’s four outputs (Speaker Out, Line Out, FX Send and Headphone output).

The detented, eight‑position preset selector manages access to the unit’s twin eight‑slot preset banks (giving the Mini 16 presets in total, compared with the Bias Head’s 25). Its diminutive silver and black, 1U half‑rack fascia carries seven silver knobs (the Bias Rack has 14), a stereo headphone mini‑jack and a quarter‑inch TS jack mono instrument input, and the whole ensemble has more the appearance of a preamp than a full guitar amp - yet there’s a beefy 300W (into 4Ω) Class‑D power amp in this box. The 2.36kg Bias Mini Guitar is well named, as it packs the same emulation engine and USB/wireless connectivity found in the Bias Amp and Bias Head into a smaller, yet simple‑to‑operate form factor. It’s only a year and a half since I reviewed Positive Grid’s 600W Bias Head modelling guitar amp and Bias Amp Professional amp‑design software, but the design team certainly haven’t been resting on their laurels - 2018 has seen the release not only of the Bias Mini Guitar and Bias Amp Pro 2, but also of Bias Amp Bass and Bias Amp 2 Mobile.

Ever wanted to tailor your own software amp in a plug‑in, and pack the result into a box to take on stage with a real speaker?

How to bias guitar amp