Pignose Original Portable Amp

 Cheap thrills
I bought this little amp along with a tele when I was under the misconception that I was a blues man and after watching the movie "Crossroads" (the 80's Ralph Macchio effort not the Britney Spears vehicle). How embarrassing that I was using Macchio as my blues man model when there were still so many real, great, authentic blues men still alive then.

So my motivation for buying the pignose was that this little thing looked cool and very American. As it didn't actually make me sound like a better guitarist it promptly got relegated to the shelf. Occasionally I would power it up and each time I did it surprised me with how capable it did what it did. True, it's a bit of a one trick pony; it has no EQ controls, just a single volume knob. Any tone adjustments you want to make will have to be via the guitar or an effects box, however, the concept of this amp is pure simplicity so I don't like to mess with it by throwing stomp boxes into the mix. Instructions I read suggested you could change the tone by leaving the case open to some degree but I was never as happy with this sound as with the case locked shut.

I do wish the amp had some kind of pilot light LED on the front but I guess that would somewhat ruin the relic aesthetic. Still, I'm always forgetting to turn it off so I often come back to the pignose to find the batteries drained. It is strong and incredible toughly built. As such it makes a great traveling amp that you can throw in a duffle bag and forget about. At less then half volumes it useful for amplifying things other than your guitar when you're traveling. I've used it to amplify my MP3 player at BBQ's and stereoless cabins with OK results.

Conclusion; not essential but cheap fun.

 How to make a living using the Pignose
Once, many years when lunch was half a loaf of fresh bread (baguette or ficelle) and a bottle of white wine, I lived in Paris (France) and my entire income was derived from playing a beaten up Strat (I wish I still had that guitar!) through a Pignose in the Metro. The sound was perfect, the subway provided georgeous reverb, and the tone was thrilling. I played well enough that the cops didn't move me on too much, and the skinheads that surrounded me, despite my fears as I was a long-haired hippie in those halcyon days, loved my my extended version of "red house" - I dragged it out to nine or ten minutes expecting to be beaten up at the end! They over-tipped and and cheered like a football (ok soccer) crowd. Here's the secret with pignose amps, you can create all sorts of different tones by opening and closing the door at different angles, and how the speaker is pointed is crucial in a reverberent room - or hall. Sadly I have a real job now, but still play - with a much larger and more expensive amp! http://beesdeluxe.com

 Zappa Used One, You Can Too!
This little amp is a classic!! Do a google search and you'll see guitarists the likes of Frank Zappa, Johnny Winter and Ronnie Wood have all kicked out the jams on one of these little swine!
It's ultra-portable, runs on just 6 AA batteries and sounds dang good too! I've had mine now for 8 years and it's still cranking out my sloppy bar chords as strong as day number one! This is my primary practice amp, because it goes anywhere in the house I can (I had one of those mini-Marshall amps too and ended up selling it, no comparison). Whether I want to play in my bedroom, my kid's rooms, living room etc, the Pignose is there. Also, I love the tone this thing gets. Noone will mistake this for a Marshall stack. But at top volume, this tiny dude gets pretty dirty sounding. So, if you are looking for the ultimate in portable; and the ultimate in classic value.... look no further than the Pignose. Add on to cart now and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.