First Impressions
The Rock Star Amped is another pearl symmetric in the SPI lineup but unclear how it differentiates itself to make it a must have.
Tamer Elbaga (Lefty)
Style: Tweener
RPM: 365 rpm
PAP: 5 & 3/8 up
Average Speed: 18.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: low
Axis rotation: medium/high
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 5 x 45
Bryan Hoffman (Righty)
Style: Stroker
RPM: 280 rpm
PAP: 4 1/2 & 1 1/2 up
Average Speed: 18.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: high
Axis rotation: medium
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 4.75 x 45
Tyler Church (Righty)
Style: Power Player
RPM: 425 rpm
PAP: 5 1/2 & 1/2 up
Average Speed: 19 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: med
Axis rotation: medium
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 5 x 45
“Keep in mind that coverstock accounts for 70% of ball reaction, but the core creates the dynamic shape of the reaction. Your driller will alter the shape to suit your game.”
Pattern
THS: 44ft, 25.8ml, 12:1 ratio
Sport: Kegel Kode 41ft, 24ml, 3.6:1
Specs
The Roto Grip Rock Star Amped uses the Rocker + AI asymmetric core inside the new NanoStar Pearl Reactive coverstock.
15 pound = RG of 2.48, diff of .050
14 pound = RG of 2.50, diff of .046
Coverstock finish: Power Edge
Power Player’s Perspective
We had an interesting look with the Rock Star Amped. All 3 of us saw some variation of shape, I’ll start with that. Firstly the ball looks to use a stable core meaning it has good balance front and back of the lane, meaning it’s meant to compliment a cover that creates a control shape. The OG Rock Star is evidence of that. Add the pearl nanostar cover and you kind of still get a control shape but a cleaner look through the midlane. This is where it gets confusing, not sure if that’s good or bad yet but we’ll come back to that. As you watch Tyler with his slightly rev dominant style, it started a bit smoother, similar to the 900 Global Ember we recently tested. But then it started to become really fast off the dry as he continued testing. Then the ball became really tricky on our house shot. It read so hard it would go high and our lanes always plays tricky if you get outside. So it felt a bit of a trap where you can’t miss out but you can’t miss in either. The confusing part was how quickly it transitioned from a seemingly control ball to skid flip in a few frames.
Tweener’s Take
Now for me, it never really looked skid flip and the reference again was the Ember which I really liked. It has matched my game quite well. It seems like what I would want the Amped to be. Clean but good control while still having consistent reliable punch. Control is important from the left side, pearl or not. I tested it on the Kegel Kode 41ft sport pattern, same as I did the Equinox. I’ll say the Amped was a better match up given the 24ml pattern. I did see control for sure and while it seemed reasonable, I did wish I had a bit more punch off the end of the pattern. However, what I saw is what I expected for the Amped which was a smooth shape of the Rock Star with just a cleaner look in the mids. You’ll see that while I didn’t get a ton of consistent drive, I did have very good control and carry nonetheless. Anytime I got it to 10 at the breakpoint, it just didn’t make much of a move back so I kept it tight. So it was one of those balls where I had more miss room in than out.
Stroker’s Stance
Bryan really liked the Amped. He was on the house shot like Tyler. He felt it was a very good step down when your stronger pieces start quitting. He was able to play close to the 3rd arrow and get a very nice strong move back. He had no problem opening up and watching this one bend back. He didn’t have to worry about the ball quitting when getting it out. Missing in wasn’t as bad as it was for Tyler with his higher tilt so there was more miss room in general. On this particular test on the house shot, he felt very comfortable with this ball and not trapped like many other mid late balls.
Bottom Line
Alright, so I’m struggling a bit to say for sure the shape of the Amped. What I see is that with a medium to normal volume it will have a smooth balanced motion across the lane with some decent length you would expect from a compounded finish. When the pattern dries up a bit, it looks like it has the ability to be sharp off the pattern. This is clearly a mid late ball which gives you another option in the SPI family.
Thanks for watching.