Is this a "squawk box"?

[bickle]

Is this the sort of thing I always hear about being used as a guitar amp? Weirdly, it's been relisted for more than before, but it's still cheap...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... &rd=1&rd=1

[inverseroom]

No, it looks like this--this here's mine...

[bickle]

That thing looks awesome - although it does look pretty similar to the link I sent...maybe this is just a more modern version? I would imagine it's probably solid state...

[kickoldman]

Can you describe what you like about this? I have a few low watt amps that I like, but none distort very much. I'm also a film nerd, so I just need a small push in the right direction to want one of these things.

[Jeff White]

The inside of mine (still needs to be modded for guitar.. I know I know...):





It came with RCA tubes in it.

Jeff

[A-Barr]

It came with RCA tubes in it.

Mine too but they were made in Mexico!

As to what folks like about it, it just distorts and compresses like crazy, honestly more than any Marshall I've played, kind of like a cranked Marshall with a fuzz face in front of it or something, and at about 5 watts and a 4 inch speaker, it is much easier to deal with.

The headphone out jack is actually a 4 ohm speaker out so you can use it with a bigger cab, which is also nice.

I find the tone to be a little dark on mine, but that's what you get with no tone knob, I also had to go through mine and line all the metal-on-metal connections with closed-cell weatherstripping to stop it from rattling so much. Cool little amp though, would take it over a vintage champ anyday, not bad for $70!

[ubertar]

I like playing bass through mine. I wouldn't say it compares to a vintage champ though-- I've got a '57 tweed and there's so much more detail. But it breaks up real nice.

[inverseroom]

Yeah, the point of these is that they're tight little tube amps...the one in the auction listed there is probably solid state, and unlikely to really sound good with guitar.

[grahamed]

that one on eBay might not sound like a creamy valve amp, but I have something similar - looks more like Inverse Room's but it's solid state - and it does a great garagey whiney fuzzy Count Five type of guitar sound.

and think of other stuff you can run through it - synths, wurlitzer, backing vocals...