Unhappy with current guitar headphone amps, one young man proves simple is better. The Whisper Amp is a simple and durable headphone amplifier for electric and bass guitars. Unhappy with his own personal practice amplifier, Nate Tite set out to make something simple and useful — Oh, and it just happens to be gorgeous as well.
Drawing on modern design cues, Tite found that stripping down the idea of a traditional headphone practice amp could reveal a more elegant result. “I’ve played with various headphone guitar amps before and, honestly, they sound fantastic,” Tite says, “but I find I only use a few of their features overall and, because of their plastic casing and dials, I’m always apprehensive to throw them in my gig bag.” Tite’s design features an all aluminum enclosure with only two jacks visible — input and output. “Power is handled by the guitar plug,” Tite explains, “When the plug is inserted, a blue power LED illuminates the acrylic plate all the way around the Whisper Amp.” It definitely looks striking. Tite explains that the Whisper Amp is a clean-tone analog amplifier perfect for practicing musicians both students and seasoned players alike. He states that volume and tone are handled by the dials already found on a player’s guitar which keeps the Whisper Amp simple, elegant, and durable. When asked about battery life, Tite explains, “The original Whisper Amp prototype was built over a month ago and I’ve been playing with it on and off since then; I have yet to change the 9V battery!”
Tite posted a picture of the Whisper Amp prototype on Reddit a few weeks ago and the feedback was extremely positive. “I thought that if I liked this device, maybe other people would as well,” says Tite, “I was happy to produce a few for the Reddit community but I wasn’t prepared for such enthusiasm. It’s incredible!” Under the advice of several Reddit community members, Tite started a Kickstarter campaign with the goal of producing approximately 200 Whisper Amps. Three days after launch, Tite is nearly 90% funded. “I’m still in shock,” Tite exclaims, “I cannot get over how enthusiastic people are regarding the Whisper Amp and I’m also deeply gracious for the hospitality I’ve experienced!” Tite says that though he is definitely nervous about producing all of the Whisper Amps, he has a few wild cards up his sleeve. “I have several contacts in the manufacturing and logistics business because of my stint on the Discovery Channel’s Pitchmen series a few years ago,” says Tite, “I’ve learned a lot from each of them and feel confident that I can make this happen!”
If you would like more information about the Whisper Amp project, or if you would like to schedule an interview with Nate, please visit www.whisperamp.com.
Contact:
Nate Tite
Email: nate.tite@icloud.com
Website: www.whisperamp.com
