Alex, On the Skank…

What are you thoughts on that amp paired with a small 1x12 cabinet loaded with the alnico red fang 12” driver?

I’m very particular on tone in general…I would be looking for is that very clear and harmonically-rich clean one, that drives very smoothly into a creamy type of overdrive without getting stupidly loud. I.E., I can practice in the house or take it into the club and get really nice tone at low and more robust volumes keeping in mind I’m not into loud, loud guitar amps…PA’s take care of that for me (or anyone else, for that matter) just fine.

In addition, I would want it to take the effects inline well (i.e. guitar into wah into your overdrive pedal, once it’s back into production, into chorus then reverb then delay….then amp).

Given the fact that I do play guitar at church, etc. from time to time, I’d want to build my own housing cabinet (or have one built) for the amp itself to protect it from prying hands, children running around, etc. Would like your thoughts… Jay

 

Jay,

The Skank is exactly as you hope for. You describe it precisely. I could not do it better myself.

The Skank is a Master Volume amp so think of Soldano or a higher gain amp with rich smooth preamp overdrive, not the harsher power amp overdrive you would find on a vintage style Marshall, etc. The Gain knob is simply the volume of the preamp and the Master Volume knob is the power amp volume. Think of it as two amps in one, with both pre and power amps controllable to your preference. The amount of gain is fully under your control.

In fact, if you turn down the Master Volume completely and turn up the Gain and use the Line Out, you can drive another amp with the Skank preamp alone. It will act as a tube driven guitar pedal. The preamp is very similar to what is found in a high gain amp. The difference is and why the Skank is small, is in the power amp section, because that is the part of it which is small. So think of the Skank as a Soldano with a small power section. Instead of 50 watts, you have 8 watts.

Now this is not to say the Skank is a one dimensional high gain amp. It is not. Just think at the myriad of tonal possibilities in terms of where you set the Gain and Master Volume ratio. I happened to find this ration in a certain position for my own style of playing. I call this my starter position. Your favorite position may be different, depending on your playing style and the type of music genre you play.

Also, don't forget the Power Level Switch, which cuts the gain effectively in half, taming the Skank preamp greatly and turning it into a Fender-style lower gain amp.

Also, in terms of creating a different mood to the tone. The Mood Switch in the back will give you either a hard biting sound or a smooth softer tone.Your choice.

Don't ever think of the Skank as a dinky little low gain tube amp. Or similar to one of these small vintage reissue amps that most companies make. There currently are and have been many of those on the market. The Skank is not one of these. The Skank is a much more complex and much more versatile amp. Also there have been many small amps with awful raspy overdrive sounds, regardless of the distortion being from tubes, they have been awful and embarrassing. These amps really have no gain, just a raspy voice. Not very musical.

The Skank has a huge, thick and very warm fat tone, virtually identical to something like a Soldano. I only use Soldano as a reference point, not that this amp was designed to be a Soldano. Just think of big and fat, and something like a Soldano comes to mind, for me at least. What I am trying to say is that this is one very versatile amp, going from clean to high gain and everything in between. You don't need to be a shredder to use this amp. It can do it if you want but actually it really shines at lower gain settings for a juicy sound.

In short, its a big amp with a big sound with a little power section. Just what all of us need. Even for those who play professionally in a band situation will need a smaller amp at home or for rehearsals or recording.

Any speaker size or cabinet configuration you choose, will work fantastic with this amp. I heard it with a 4x12 cap and it blew me away. I will also have to make cabinets available for the Skank as things start rolling with this amp. I am thinking of single 12", 10" and even 8" speaker cabs. I particularly envision an 8" cabinet, similar to the speaker in the vintage Champ amps. It would make for a cute stack and very portable. How about a separate case for the 8" cab as well? That would be handy.

I am enamored with the naked look and simplicity of the open tube design. I designed the case to fit it perfectly and protected better than any cabinet.

However Ludwik has also brought up his objection to this open design and I will let you guys comment and debate what you think. For one thing, with a wood cabinet the foam padded case would be useless.    Alex