Great Grab-and-Go Amplifiers
by Scott Terry
I have been hearing a lot in the gear community lately about a couple of new little amplifiers that have been turning some heads. I oftentimes dismiss such flavors of the month, especially if they come with boasts of great tone at unbelievably low prices. However, I made it a point to check out both of these little gems for this edition of Maximum Tone and was pleasantly surprised.
Epiphone Valve Junior
Boutique amplifiers just became within the price range of every guitar player. Give this amp a listen and your jaw will drop. This little, low-watt powerhouse rivals $800 snob boxes with no problem. The Valve Junior combo is vintage tone and crunch in an impressively affordable package. Perfect for recording, live, mic'd use, and for practice when space is limited but sacrificing tone isn't an option.
The Valve Junior uses true vintage design philosophies to achieve incredible tone, warmth and responsiveness. Add that to Epiphone's ongoing mission to deliver the best value in fine instruments and you've got an unbeatable combination. And don't let the 5 watts fool you. The Valve Junior is LOUD.
One knob delivers Class A output through a single-ended circuit that responds to your playing the way a compact amp is supposed to respond. Class A amplification delivers constant power from the tube, creating more responsiveness and volume. Keep it at about 3 and you'll get punchy, clear tone that makes the strings of your guitar feel like they know what you're going to play before you even hit them. The response is quick and lively. Turn it up to 10 and you get a classic crunch that's gusty without saturating the harmonics.
Single-ended amplifiers sound "full," providing rich, luscious overall tonal coloration with enough clarity to bring out the nuances of your guitar and playing. Part of what we perceive as "volume" is how much of the tonal spectrum is making it through to the ear. A fuller delivery of the harmonics being produced provides more meaningful volume. At lower wattages they are coveted for a natural breakup. When turned to higher volumes, they result in a creamy distortion that makes modern gain sound sterile and flat.
High-quality metalwork, a detachable power cable, a rugged 8" Weber speaker and a lot of attention to detail make the Valve Junior a serious piece of gear! The Valve Junior also comes in a head-only version. A five-year warranty backs up Epiphone's commitment to quality.
Crate PowerBlock CPB150
Another Crate first in guitar amplification, this is a 150-watt RMS stereo guitar amp in an amazingly compact package. If you have a modeling guitar preamp or processor, you can use the PowerBlock to amplify your programmed tones for a gig. The PowerBlock runs in stereo or mono, so you can use it to run to a single 8-ohm enclosure or two 4-ohm enclosures (in stereo). Crate even makes the perfect companion cabinet, the GT112SL, for this expressed purpose. If you want to use your pedalboard and need a great, distortable single-channel amp to power it, the PowerBlock gets it done. And you can use the PowerBlock with the headphone jack for silent rehearsal.
If you want to plug in a CD player or drum machine, the PowerBlock features RCA inputs on the back. The balanced line out has a level control to DI your sound to the "house" in a live situation. The single triangular blue LED indicates that the PowerBlock is on. The included padded gig bag allows you to carry it or hang it from the shoulder strap, depending on the other gear you are taking with you. The switch-mode supply and Class D power section provide lightweight, excellve Junior also comes in a head-only version. A five-year warranty backs up Epiphone's commitment to quality.
Crate PowerBlock CPB150
Another Crate first in guitar amplification, this is a 150-watt RMS stereo guitar amp in an amazingly compact package. If you have a modeling guitar preamp or processor, you can use the PowerBlock to amplify your programmed tones for a gig. The PowerBlock runs in stereo or mono, so you can use it to run to a single 8-ohm enclosure or two 4-ohm enclosures (in stereo). Crate even makes the perfect companion cabinet, the GT112SL, for this expressed purpose. If you want to use your pedalboard and need a great, distortable single-channel amp to power it, the PowerBlock gets it done. And you can use the PowerBlock with the headphone jack for silent rehearsal.
If you want to plug in a CD player or drum machine, the PowerBlock features RCA inputs on the back. The balanced line out has a level control to DI your sound to the "house" in a live situation. The single triangular blue LED indicates that the PowerBlock is on. The included padded gig bag allows you to carry it or hang it from the shoulder strap, depending on the other gear you are taking with you. The switch-mode supply and Class D power section provide lightweight, excellent tone and great power. The anodized aluminum housing assures cooling to the unit while it is in use. Once again, Crate brings us a really cool new product designed by players, for players.
