NAMM 2025: Earlier this month, MXR caused a stir when it all-but-confirmed it would be reviving the Rockman – the legendary headphone amp designed by Tom Scholz, which helped define the sounds of 1980s rock.
Now, with NAMM officially underway, MXR has lifted the curtain on its Rockman X100 Analog Tone Processor – a compact stompbox that hopes to channel the OG unit’s unmistakable tone into a pedalboard-friendly form factor for the first time.
News of the Rockman’s imminent return was met with much fanfare. After all, no other headphone amps were able to influence and shape the sound of 1980s rock guitar in the way Scholz’s revered gadget did.
First developed at the onset of the decade, the Rockman – created by Scholz of Boston fame – revolutionized the process of recording guitars directly into a mixing board, and was hailed for its unique sonic character.
Defined by its crystal cleans, harmonics, nuanced modulation and gritty drive tones, the Rockman was quickly picked up by a swathe of big-name players who put it to work on countless big hits.
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While Scholz himself famously used it on numerous Boston cuts, the Rockman has also been utilized over the years by Phil Collen, Steve Clark, Joe Satriani, John Mayer and more.
“It was more than just a headphone amp,” asserts MXR. “With recording console connectivity and several tone tweaking features and built-in effects, the X100 became the secret weapon in the studio that would go on to define the polished, chorus-laden sound of 1980s arena rock.
“The MXR Rockman X100 Analog Tone Processor revives the signature sonic character of that headphone amp in stompbox form. Aided by veteran MXR engineer and SR&D alum Bob Cedro, the MXR design team captured the same crystalline cleans, crunchy harmonics, and shimmering modulation as the original.”
To do so, the Rockman features the same complex compression circuit found in the original, as well as four presets selectable via a mode button for a quartet of tones. These span crystal clear cleans to high-energy overdrive “perfect for easy, fluid lead tones”.
Under the hood, it also comes equipped with a MN3007 bucket brigade chip – again, the same that can be found in the original – while Input Gain and Volume sliders are in place for tone tweaking.
Some modern upgrades can be found, too, chiefly in the expanded connectivity: an off-board switch can be linked to the MXR for Mode switch – saving you from bending down and manually switching the Mode mid-song – as well as stereo configuration for varied and spacious chorus effects.
“The MXR Rockman X100 Analog Tone Processor brings the same rig-in-a-box tones that the original did – but this time, it’ll fit right onto your pedalboard,” MXR adds. “There’s never been a better way to capture the big tones and texture of the arena rock era.”
The Rockman X100 Analog Tone Processor is available now for $229.
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