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ericthegreat « small but great sound »
Published on 01/12/12 at 20:48This is a 5 watt tube amp without any frills like tone or gain, just simply a power switch, volume knob, and a 1/4" standard guitar input. Any tone shaping can be done with effects equipment, but not in a loop, prior to the gain/volume stage.
UTILIZATION
This amp really opens up the louder you put it. There really aren't any choices, such as through using different settings, to get a good sound because there are no amplifier settings: simply on/off and whatever volume level you dial up. That being said, this amplifier sounds pretty good, especially in a bedroom or for a home studio environment.
SOUNDS
There is a lot of versatility in that there isn't anything to fiddle with this amp - just whatever effects equipment that gets set up in front of it. So, this amplifier is capable of producing many different tones that all encompass the type of "tube warmth" that us guitar players seem to strive for. This could be the clean kind of tones, the ultra-clean tones used in New Wave (like the Cars) or lots of heavy metal distortion from a pedal for thrash and hardcore music. The higher the volume knob is set, the more the tube is driven, the warmer the tone. Fortunately, with only 5 watts, it doesn't take a whole lot of volume to start driving the tube.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a neat little practice amp, even if it is kind of expensive since it doesn't come with any type of tone shaping controls at all. Still, nice, clean tones are easily delivered from this amp, making it a great combo for someone who just "has to have" tube warmth in their bedroom rig. I ended up passing on this amp, but did go back and forth for a long time, agonizing over whether I'd pick one up or not. I've played a couple different ones for a couple different hours; I would suggest being able to play one the one that you intend to purchase, because they don't all sound the same.
UTILIZATION
This amp really opens up the louder you put it. There really aren't any choices, such as through using different settings, to get a good sound because there are no amplifier settings: simply on/off and whatever volume level you dial up. That being said, this amplifier sounds pretty good, especially in a bedroom or for a home studio environment.
SOUNDS
There is a lot of versatility in that there isn't anything to fiddle with this amp - just whatever effects equipment that gets set up in front of it. So, this amplifier is capable of producing many different tones that all encompass the type of "tube warmth" that us guitar players seem to strive for. This could be the clean kind of tones, the ultra-clean tones used in New Wave (like the Cars) or lots of heavy metal distortion from a pedal for thrash and hardcore music. The higher the volume knob is set, the more the tube is driven, the warmer the tone. Fortunately, with only 5 watts, it doesn't take a whole lot of volume to start driving the tube.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a neat little practice amp, even if it is kind of expensive since it doesn't come with any type of tone shaping controls at all. Still, nice, clean tones are easily delivered from this amp, making it a great combo for someone who just "has to have" tube warmth in their bedroom rig. I ended up passing on this amp, but did go back and forth for a long time, agonizing over whether I'd pick one up or not. I've played a couple different ones for a couple different hours; I would suggest being able to play one the one that you intend to purchase, because they don't all sound the same.