“The sound of a thousand hits”: The Rockman amp shaped the sound of 1980s rock – now MXR is bringing it back in a new pedal form

NAMM 2025: In perhaps the biggest gear release tease of the year so far, MXR has confirmed it will be reviving the cult classic Rockman headphone amp in a new pedalboard-friendly form factor later this month.

The news was officially announced in a not-so-cryptic Instagram post from MXR, which gave fans an early look at the forthcoming stompbox. There was no direct mention of the word “Rockman”, but commenters – having been shown the unit’s unmistakable blue slider-equipped control panel and iconic font – were quick to put two and two together.

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