The Lekato Amp Studio EP-01 is a digital guitar amp simulation pedal featuring nine simulations, or ‘models’, of classic amplifiers.I am no stranger to digital guitar modelling with experience dating back to the Line 6 POD and POD HD series, and more recently, Line 6 Helix, Neural DSP software suites and Neural Profiling Amp software. I am also a traditional valve amp user and have hands-on experience with several of the amplifiers this effects unit is attempting to emulate.In terms of construction, it is approximately the footprint size of a Boss guitar pedal, with a metal enclosure, bypass footswitch and six plastic control knobs. The pedal has ¼” in and out jacks and power input options of both 9v DC and USB-C (>300mA). There is no battery option although one could, conceivably, run this off a USB-C power bank. The metal enclosure feels good quality and for my limited time in usage I had no issue with the footswitch. The input and output jacks are good and secure. The control knobs also seem of good quality overall, all this particular unit had some issues with selecting the first three amp models, which for some reason had less definition in the selector switch and a less well defined ‘click’ compared to the rest of the control knob’s range. This made it difficult to precisely select the desired amplifier model on the first three models.It is important to understand the exact capabilities of this unit, which may not be immediately obvious at first glance. This unit is capable of modelling nine guitar amplifiers but does not model the speaker cabinet in conjunction. Therefore for proper use, and as the manual reads, ‘a plump and natural timbre’, the unit must be paired with either a real guitar amplifier and speaker cabinet via effects loop-in to power section, or alternatively by using an external ‘cabinet impulse response’ (IR) unit which could be a separate pedal or a perhaps a loaded IR on your computer. I elected to use a ‘M-VAVE IR LOADER’ pedal, which is a cheap, user-programmable IR loader stompbox to pair with preamps and distortion units on a pedalboard. I loaded York Audio IRs with the classic setup of a Mesa Boogie 2x12 running Celestion Vintage 30s. My output speakers were IK Media Micro Studio Monitors. I plugged in an Epiphone SG with Rolling Mill humbucking pickups.The Lekato Amp Studio’s manual indicates the featured models as being inspired by the following amps:Fender Deluxe ReverbFender Tweed DeluxeBogner [Ecstasy] BlueBad Cat Hot Cat 30Friedman BrowneyeMarshall JCM800ENGL Powerball IIMesa/Boogie Dual RectifierSoldano SLOThe two Fender-inspired clean models produced a classic, lush scooped clean sound. On higher gain settings, there was the ‘pushed Fender’ breakup sound which sustained well. The Bogner Ecstasy Blue captured the lively character of this ‘modded Marshall’ amplifier, and I found was comparable to my Bogner Ecstasy Blue analogue effects pedal with a good, singing sustain suitable for lead work. The Bad Cat model was not to my taste, and I expect many users will skip over this one for other mid-gain options available in the unit. The Friedman model was crunchy and delivered the early Van Halen ‘brown sound’, though the gain range of this model was somewhat disappointing as the original unit can be pushed into hotter territory. The JCM800 was perhaps the most convincing model on this unit, and delivered the a solid high-gain British bark that could be dialed back for more Plexi style tones. The ENGL Powerball model was a convincing emulation of the amplifier itself, but I felt this would have benefitted from a midrange push and bass cut with a Tubescreamer to achieve the kind of sound synonymous with ENGL players. The Dual Rectifier was, surprisingly, not the scooped and fizzy sound commonly found in simulations of this iconic amplifier, but had a solid midrange which was versatile for both modern and classic metal tones. One could coax the ‘Black Album’ sound by scooping the midrange and pushing bass and treble, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Finally, the Soldano SLO added another 80s hot rod classic to the mix and easily produced the addictive George Lynch sound.What remains uncertain about the amp models featured is if the unit is modelling both the ‘preamp’ and ‘power-amp’ tube sections of any given unit, or simply the pre-amp. I would suspect that each model is broadly capturing both the pre and power sections with the power sections at an arbitrary figure for each. In comparison to other units which allow users to separately dial in the preamp and power amp levels on a model, this is a rather simplistic approach that may not satisfy some users who are looking to achieve, for example, a cranked Marshall JCM800 on a low preamp gain setting, or a Mesa Boogie just ticking over at studio levels.I found that the simple 3 band EQ worked fairly well but had limited range, which meant the final output sound is highly dependant on the speaker cabinet or IR sim used which can greatly impact the tone, especially with the levels of bass and presence. This unit would benefit from a midange ‘tone’ knob to better shape the midrange frequencies, after all, the guitar being midrange instrument.All in all, I was impressed by the clean and mid-range gain sound available on this unit for its price range, but I felt that the high gain sounds would not satisfy users who would want a tighter or more modern sound that would normally be achieved by some of these amplifiers in conjunction with other effects, such as an overdrive / boost and noise gate. On the topic of noise, I also found that the unit generated some background noise when not playing, which is to be expected however the necessary addition of another noise gate pedal would put off some players as a matter of convenience in comparison to an all-in-one effects unit.This leads me back to the question of this unit’s capabilities, and perhaps, who is it aimed at? There are now many units available that incorporate amp modelling, speaker modelling, multi-effect simulations of different pedals for drive, reverb, delay, modulation etc. Many players may question the potential latency created of stacking multiple digital effects in a signal chain, as well as the space needed on a pedalboard to separate these items. Furthermore, anyone with a simple audio interface and a computer may now enjoy free amp profiling software such as Neural Amp Modeller, which exceeds anything commercially available in terms of modelling accuracy. In my view the best potential user of this pedal would be an owner of a solid state guitar amp with an effects loop IN, who would like to sample different classic amplifier sounds at a small expense and without a complicated interface. In this use-case, the Lekato is well placed to give a straightforward modelling setup and it would be hard to coax a bad sound out of it. For more experienced players deeper into the guitar gear black hole, there will be much to be desired.For a ‘version 2’ of this unit, I would recommend the integration of user-programmable cabinet IR sims, a simple noise gate and 3.5mm audio OUT for headphone practice. This would make a more rounded product that can operate independently from other guitar equipment, and would be a sensible first purchase for a new guitarist to get into the world of modelling without being overwhelmed by the options available.