| There has been a trend for manufacturers to produce low wattage
tube amps in a very compact package. Everyone from Marshall to Egnater
is doing it. They all have one thing in common…the ability to achieve power
compression at a “civilized” volume. This makes for a great studio rig
and Plexi lover’s dream.
A little while ago a nice gent by the name of Don Mackrill
had an idea to start an amp company that offered boutique tone and features
at a reasonable price. My first encounter with them was through the HS18
at a trade show some years ago. Today, he offers several models in many
different configurations. The newest to the line is the Gem.
The Gem enters the “micro head” race at a mesmerizing compact
size...it literally fits in the palm of my hand. It offers minimalist controls
yet it has tons of tones and timbres in its oh-so-cute package. At first
glance, the retro looking chassis and construction is handsome and very
stunning. The amp controls start with a pre-amp button that gives you a
series-parallel mode selection, which allows you to pick how you want to
“hit” the front end of the amp. It’s ideal for dialing in the amount of
“pre-crunch” you want to get. Next are a volume, tone and gain control.
It isn’t much at first glance but there are a multitude of sounds here.
The gain isn’t going to satisfy a fire breathing “gainiac” but there is
enough crunch to get into the early, classic AC/DC, ZZ Top and Rolling
Stones tones. The amp also features a power attenuator that drops the power
down from 4 watts to 0.4 watts. The result is pretty dramatic and it works
well for real world applications in studios.
For an open-ended amp of this size, words couldn’t describe
the playful joy that we had crash testing it on Don Mackrill’s last visit.
My own personal crash test included putting my fave pedals from Solid Gold
Soundlabs and Wampler Pedals. The Super Duper Drive turned this little
amp into a fire-breathing dragon with a hungover Godzilla attitude. The
Wampler Pinnacle and Analog Echo pedals had me doing my best pre-Sammy
Hagar Van Halen covers for the customers that were watching… a couple even
threw a few pennies at me.
Considering that this little sweetheart of an amp came in
during our post Christmas zaniness and the fact that I’ve been proudly
(…and agonizingly) free from my caffeine addiction for what would’ve been
2 ½ weeks, The Mack Gem certainly put a big ol’ smile on my face!
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