Minion

Minion is the definitive answer to the age old problem of insanely loud tube guitar amps and irritated sound guys and neighbors!  No longer do we need to sacrifice tone because cranking an amp up to its proper level is simply unfeasible, and no longer does entertaining the idea of a small 1w amp mean accepting that the overall sound of the amp will be lifeless and disappointing.  

Minion was designed specifically to pack every last bit of beautiful tone into the quietest package possible, and ensure that it was housed in a chassis that would be useful for live and studio alike.  The result is a truly boutique stereo amp that has the punch and clarity that, in many cases, will beat out the tone of most high quality guitar amps on the market today!

How is this possible?  Because triode preamp tubes, especially when setup in single ended applications, just sound phenomenal.  They have a response and sensitivity that is euphonic, rich in harmonics, and impressively articulate, but for them to be used in a poweramp application properly, the design must embrace the low volume paradigm fully and structure the circuit in a way that maximizes everything triodes have to offer.  Thus, this amp, even when running at full volume, is at a manageable volume, and yet sounds amazing both in the room and when mic'd up, for it has been tuned to work in exactly those applications.

GAIN

This is the basic control for both volume and gain, offering a wide range of cleans up to a significant amount of crunch.

ENGAGE

Each channel is equipped with the ability to be muted when desired, an immensely helpful option to have.

HIGH CUT

When engaged, the highs are tamed in order to tame single ended guitars that might be a little harsh, especially at higher gain settings.

LOW CUT

As gain is added, it can often become essential to cut out the very low frequencies in the guitar signal in order to tighten up the overall response.  Much like the HIGH CUT, this is most helpful in higher gain settings.

TUBES

In the Minion, each channel uses two 12a_7 tubes, but which 12a_7 tube arrangement you use is completely open.  

- 12ax7's offer the most overall gain, least headroom, but smoothest and most beautiful breakup and distortion.  Vox and Marshall fans will love this tube in the Minion.

- 12au7's offer the least gain, most headroom, and a very clean sound overall.

- 12ay7's combine the feel of the 12ax7 but with a touch of the 12au7 brilliance.   

- 12at7's do not break up well, but they are easily the most robust of the 12a_7 tubes.  A bit darker and beefier than the rest, these tubes have medium gain but will cause the Minion to be louder that any other tube.  Fender fans often gravitate to these tubes on the output especially.

The Minion ships with a pair of 12ax7's in each channel as this combination is the most popular, but feel free to try out a variety of combinations and find your favorite combination!  No re-bias necessary!