Taurus Amplification founder/designer Adam Kozakiewicz built the first Taurus-branded amps in the late ’70s. Though the Polish musician and entrepreneur detoured his energy towards pro-audio products for a number of years, bass and guitar amplification always remained his primary passion, which sparked the resurrection of the Taurus name in the early aughts. Today, the company continues to design and manufacture their wares in Sopot, Poland, including the new class-D Vandall-500 bass amp. It’s not the first class-D offering from Taurus, but the Vandall-500 is quite a different beast.
Road Ready
The moment I lifted the Vandall-500 out of its shipping container, I thought it might be one of the most solid class-D amps I have ever picked up. The Taurus is light at just a hair over 5 pounds, but not toolight to make it feel less than roadworthy. I felt like I could carry this amp into battle before I even plugged it in, and for those of us who occasionally just throw our class-D amps into gig bags or carry-ons, the importance of this feeling cannot be understated.
Thanks to the metal chassis in black and chrome, the exterior design appears to be influenced by vintage muscle cars or motorcycles. This also provides a feeling of solidity, as do the controls, which aren’t made from plastic or rubber as they are on almost every other amp in its class. It’s clear that corners were not cut in the build-quality department to keep the amp at a certain price point. Another cool aesthetic occurs when the power switch is flipped on: The front logo glows red, as does the 12AX7 tube which is displayed through a small window on the top of the amp.