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Tone King Gremlin 5-watt 1x12" Tube Combo Amp with Attenuator - Brown and Beige Demo

5-watt 2-channel All-tube 1x12" Guitar Combo Amplifier with Onboard Power Attenuator - Brown and Beige
5 Write review Item ID: GremlinCBrnd1

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Tone King Gremlin 5-watt 1x12" Tube Combo Amp with Attenuator - Brown and Beige
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Vintage Tone with Modern Control

Whether you play onstage or at home, the Tone King Gremlin 5-watt 1 x 12" tube amp will supply you with the juiced-up sounds of Blackface- and tweed-era guitar amplifiers in a convenient, compact combo. With two inputs and controls for Volume and Tone, the Gremlin couldn't be easier to use. The Rhythm channel is a higher-headroom tone that brings to mind the clean American sound of the '60s. The Lead input takes you to the warm and compressed drive of some of the best tweed tones out there. And Tone King's own Ironman power attenuator is waiting onboard to bring those cranked-amp tones to a bedroom-friendly level. If your tonal tastes demand gritty and raw American tones, you'll fill your need with the Tone King Gremlin.

Related Videos: Gremlin 5-watt 1x12" Tube Combo Amp with Attenuator - Brown and Beige

Tweed and Blackface tones on demand

With such a straightforward control layout, it's amazing how many tones you can pull from this punchy combo. If you want a cleaner tone, the Rhythm channel will deliver the chime and sparkle you need. Do you like pushing your amp harder? Plug into the Lead channel for the unmistakable throaty drive of a cranked tweed combo. And best of all, throw an optional A/B/Y switch into the mix, and you'll be switching channels and even jumping them together on the fly. This flexibility has made the Gremlin popular among many guitarists at Sweetwater.

Built-in attenuator

To get the most out of this Tone King Gremlin, you need to give the surprisingly loud 5-watt power section enough of a kick to get the tubes working hard. Thankfully, you'll find Tone King's popular Ironman attenuator built in, offering you the power-tube grit you want at the perfect volume for the stage, the studio, or even the living room. And best of all, the attenuator's reactive load ensures your Gremlin will react and feel the same all the way through its entire range.

Compact in size, not tone

One of the greatest benefits of adding a Gremlin to your amp arsenal is the ability to fit it easily into your car's trunk, onto a cramped stage, or out of the way in your home. And you'll never sacrifice your larger-than-expected tone, thanks to a specially designed cabinet and 12" speaker that sing with the low-end punch and top-end clarity of a much larger tube amp.

Tone King Gremlin 5-watt 1 x 12" Combo Guitar Amp Features:

  • Compact tube combo with American-style tones
  • Rhythm and Lead inputs offer differing levels of headroom and gain
  • Tones range from Blackface cleans to tweed-era grind
  • Switch between or jump the channels with an optional A/B/Y footswitch
  • Onboard Ironman power attenuator achieves cranked-amp tones at whisper-quiet levels
  • Custom-voiced cabinet and 12" speaker offer a much larger voice than expected

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At Sweetwater, we're so picky that what we call a "demo" is actually better than what most music retailers sell as "new" gear! Our gear hasn't endured hundreds of people a week plunking away at all the keyboards, fumbling through Stairway to Heaven on every guitar or playing with every fader and knob on a mixer or control surface.

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Tech Specs

  • Type: Tube
  • Number of Channels: 2
  • Total Power: 5W, built-in variable attenuator
  • Speaker Size: 1 x 12" Celestion 870 speaker
  • Preamp Tubes: 2 x 12AX7
  • Power Tubes: 1 x KT66
  • EQ: Tone control
  • Inputs: 1 x 1/4" (rhythm), 1 x 1/4" (lead)
  • Outputs: 1 x 1/4" (line out)
  • Footswitch I/O: 1 x 1/4" (channel, tremolo)
  • Footswitch Included: No
  • Bias Type: Cathode Biased
  • Construction Material: Baltic Birch cab with brown and beige finish
  • Power Source: Standard IEC AC cable
  • Height: 17.5"
  • Width: 19"
  • Depth: 8.75"
  • Weight: 29 lbs.
  • Manufacturer Part Number: Gremlin - Brown/Beige

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Customer Reviews

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Gremlin is more than a one-trick-pony

I use this amp with an a/b pedal to alternate inputs, and I can't believe the range of sounds you can get. It is loud enough to practice with a drummer and the attenuators makes it great for home use. It is my favorite amp.
by Sweetwater Customer on

Great amp

Bought this amp for home use, attenuates down from 5 amps which keeps the volume nice. Has 2 inputs that give vastly different sound, the lead is packed with distortion and the rhythm is pretty clean….you d want to buy an a/b switcher so you can switch between them. Surprisingly big in size, I've owned other 5w tube combos that were much smaller. Overall I have no complaints (so far), great low wattage amp built and handwired here in the USA.
by Tim from SC on
Music background: Home guitar hacker

Excellent Amp for Home Use

The Tone King Gremlin is the most home friendly amp I have ever owned. While it is missing some features that would be nice to have, especially for the price, the tone is fantastic and it is impossible to overstate how accessible this amp is for home use. NOTE: I currently only own guitars with humbuckers (Gibson SG and Gibson ES-335), so all of my observations fall under that type of use.

The Rhythm channel has a nice round tone. With the volume between 1 and 3, it has a fair amount of volume and headroom to use it as a clean pedal platform. My favorite setting for my small space is the attenuator at -8 dB, volume at 4, and tone at about 6.5. Even attenuated, it has plenty of volume and beautiful cleans with a light picking hand, but responds with some dirt when you dig in.

The Lead channel has a much more focused tone and breaks up almost immediately. With humbuckers you will reach pretty heavy overdrive by 3 on the volume knob. However, even with both the volume and tone knobs set to 9 (the max setting), the amp/speaker never give out and fall into fuzz territory. That fuzz tone may be desirable for some, but it's a reason I've avoided the Fender Champ as a low watt amp in the past. My favorite setting on the Lead channel is the attenuator at -8 dB, volume at 3 and tone at about 7.5. It produces a nicely overdriven tone, with the option to clean up by pulling the guitar volume back a bit.

Pros

* 5-watts feels like the perfect power rating for home use and is still capable of getting quite loud without attenuation
* Relatively small footprint
* 12-inch speaker, and cabinet design, help it sound like a bigger amp than it is
* The built-in Ironman II attenuator provides a lot of very usable options for controlling volume without sacrificing tone (at least on the -0 to -16 dB settings)
* Very different, but great, tones out of both channels
* Simple volume + tone controls mean less fiddling and more playing

Cons

* Expensive. Though, when you consider it has a mini Ironman II built-in, the price seems a bit more reasonable for a boutique amp. Certainly a better value than the Fender Custom 57 Champ.
* No built-in reverb, or effects loop, which limits tonal options since the amp overdrives so easily. Any reverb pushed through the amp's natural overdrive will get an unpleasant ring going. The manual suggests swapping the 12AX7 tube in V1 for a 5751, or a number of other options, to add some head room. I haven't tried that myself as I feel like I get enough volume and headroom out of the Rhythm channel before it starts to break up.
* Two channels, but no button, or footswitch, to change between them. Changing channels requires swapping the cable between the inputs, or incorporating something like an external A/B/Y switch.

Summary

This amp probably wouldn't work very well for most live band situations, but it is the best all-tube at home option I've ever experienced, and I've owned a lot of amps over the years. It could be cheaper, it could have more features, but it's a pretty special amp just the way it is. I am very happy with my purchase.
by Josh Heilman from Des Moines, IA on

Remlin

Bought this without ever hearing one. Nice little amp that does everything advertised. Loud enough when you need it, quiet enough to,keep,you,r neighbors happy. Quality build. They don"t tell,you but the single KT66 tube can be swapped with other stubs..6l6. KT 88 etc. the only hit Imgive it is it can sound boxy. A bigger cab would help but a touch of reverb give it some depth. cool,amp!
by Tom from Ohio on
Music background: Hanging around since the 50’s

Gremlin Rocks

This is the best sounding amp I've ever owned. It gives Blackface and Tweed tone all day and it is silky smooth. Looks good too. In the studio this amp is perfect. It proves you don't need a lot of knobs to turn to get great sounds. Simplicity is the beauty here. I just can't say enough good things about it. I rated it at only 4 stars because mine did not come with a power cord or owner's manual. Even though I paid for a new amp but I have the feeling this was a demo that was re-packed and they forgot to put the power cord and manual in the box.
by Jeff from NW Indiana on
Music background: 40years, rock and blues
See also: Combo Amps, Tone King, Tone King Guitar Combo Amps
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