Compact high performance guitar amplifier.
Line 6 aimed to redefine home guitar amps by merging high fidelity instruments with consumer electronics, delivering an immersive music experience for both players and listeners. The core challenge: design an intuitive, connected, and emotionally resonant amp that elevates daily creativity and aesthetic integration.
“With every collaboration, the RKS team has shared our spirit of innovation, brought an intuitive and valuable framework to the discussion and offered a very thorough understanding of the customer, market and channels. They’re passionate, highly organized and deliver results that have been more than I expected.”
We immersed ourselves in both musician and lifestyle environments, mapping daily habits, aesthetic preferences, and emotional needs. Leveraging our Psycho‑Aesthetics® framework, we positioned AMPLIFi in the enriched quadrant, blending self expression, sonic empowerment, and intuitive interactivity. This enabled a solution that resonates on both functional and emotional levels
Ethnographic insights on tone matching latency, space constraints, and listening contexts
Emotional positioning defined for comfort, competence, and creativity
Competitive benchmarking across guitar amps and connected audio
How We Used Psycho-Aesthetics™ to Identify Unique Opportunities in the Project.
Using our proprietary Psycho-Aesthetics® 2.0 framework, we conducted in-depth interviews and ethnographic observation in diverse lab settings. We identified key emotional and usability pain points — such as intimidation with complex interfaces, workspace clutter, and trust in precision. These insights guided both the form and interface strategy, ensuring approachability and confidence in operation.
RKS translated research insights into a refined design language that balanced performance, clarity, and emotional resonance. Our team explored multiple form factors with a focus on reducing visual clutter, improving workspace integration, and creating a product that evokes confidence. The result was a compact, approachable form that communicates precision and ease of use, key emotional drivers identified during research. Every design element, from button placement to CMF, was intentionally crafted to align with lab culture, reinforce brand perception, and elevate the everyday lab experience.
AMPLIFi marries instrument grade design cues, knobs, venting, rugged textures, with polished consumer finishes so it blends effortlessly with modern interiors. The compact form factor houses a five speaker stereo system and intuitive controls, creating an aesthetic balance that’s equally compelling in a studio, den, or living room
CAD models with refined proportions and ergonomic controls
Physical prototypes for fit, feel, and acoustic validation
Material and finish libraries tuned for both performance and home aesthetics
Our team designed a seamless UI journey, from onboard tone matching to firmware updates, supporting AMPLIFi’s cloud connected features. Intuitive workflows guide users through tone capture, Bluetooth streaming, and profile sharing, enabling lightning fast use from first plug in to performance.
UI wireframes for on device menus and mobile companion app
Firmware interaction flows: pairing, tone matching, profile management
Onboarding cues and visual feedback for latency, EQ, and Bluetooth status
We integrated advanced functionality, tone matching, Bluetooth audio, five speaker stereo playback into a precision crafted mechanical and electronics architecture. Rapid prototyping informed sensor placement, thermal management, speaker tuning, and structural durability testing.
Functional prototypes with real time tone matching capability
Mechanical and electrical CAD layouts for Latency free performance
Acoustic verifications and EMI/thermal compliance testing
AMPLIFi exemplifies RKS’s prowess in transforming niche gear into mass market innovation. By fusing musician first research, emotionally aligned design, and next gen engineering, we built an amp that’s performance ready and lifestyle compatible. It’s a benchmark for connected musical instruments, instantly playable, sonically rich, and visually elevated.
Status: Launched globally, bestseller at Guitar Center (record breaking first order)
Market Impact:
“Largest order in Guitar Center history,” sold out within two weeks
Acquisition by Yamaha, validating design and market success
Established Line 6 as a leader in smart, home friendly gear
Strategy
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