Pretty much a perfect demonstration of a guitar amp: both channels, all the guitars...with and without pedals...rhythm tones...leads...it's all there. Thank you, Shawn.
I love this amp. I live in a terraced cottage with neighbours directly either side. I can play clean with the Ironman II power attenuator set at 0, have the volume low and get fantastic rich clean tones with superb note definition. Or I can turn the attenuator on full, wind up the volume, connect to the lead channel and get fabulous distortion without making so much noise I risk upsetting the neighbors and without any pedal required. I was initially sceptical thinking maybe this amp is going to be an expensive mistake that really doesn't improve much on my Blackstar HT5 because that's a good amp and has served me well, but this is on a different level of rich sonic goodness.
@@paulcowart3174 I found that every brand 12ax7 preamp tube has a different voice so you might try some vintage tubes still available . Tungsram 12ax7 never has a bad note and the highs have a really nicer tone than others and breaks up correctly ! RCA long black plate 12ax7 colors the sound more wonderfully than any others but does not crunch but the is beyond words ! Phillips 12ax7 long plate has big gain going and a solid bottom end and no shrill highs but rocks with great powerful crunch tones ! Yugo 12ax7 is similar to Phillips but has more gain but use in heads only as they go microphonic quickly in combos ! A New Sensor Tungsol 12ax7 is new production tube that rocks with crunchy breakup well indeed ! Sylvania long black plate 12ax7 has unmistakable Richie Blackmore lead tones also like Ten Years After lead tones as it is different in a good way with sustain ! I collected $700 worth of 12ax7 tubes and the different brands sound quite different but my favorite tube overall is the Tungsram never a bad note is its nick name for good reason with silky highs and crunchy chords ! Good luck i wish i could afford the amp you have now lol !
@@ijamsum Very very cool Yes I will pick up some quality nos pre amp tubes Thanks Fortunately I have the cash from a house sale and down sizing of gear or I would be in the same boat The Gremlin is the first high dollar amp or even new amp I've ever bought except for a Fender Tonemaster in the 90's Thanks again
The fact that this amp is rated at 5 Watts and not 8 Watts as repeatedly mistakenly asserted above and throughout the video makes the amp even more impressive.
that's unfair... u make everything sound killer man!!! great tone, great playing! that dim arpeggio on 1:11 is so tasteful! i'm coming back to your videos for these little snippets!! thumbs up!
duderdudeedoo1984 yes I have one,it got delivered yesterday. And tbh I think I will get an overdrive pedal. It can do the overdrive sounds on its own,but the volume needs to be cranked a bit. The lower attenuator settings doesn’t do the overdrive sounds very well.
Hey I wanted to say great demo. Definitely answered a lot of questions about the amp and I’ll be ordering one soon. What tube should I use to keep it cleaner when turned up?
Well, I would reach out to Joe Morgan himself for advice. The V1 tube position is very important. He'll know better than I. Thanks so much for watching and for the kind words.
Thanks! For the first solo with the Collings, I used a Rockett Pedals Majestic OD. For the second solo with the LSL strat, I used a Rockett Pedals Lenny clean boost into a Majestic OD.
Some serious tones again Shawn, very nice! A quick question. Out of the three (Majestic, Animal, Caliber) which one do you think comes out as the most "transparent" one? You seem to dig the Majestic a lot. :)
Thanks very much Alex! Yeah the Gremlin is a killer pedal platform amp for sure! As far as the pedal question goes, truth be told, none of those 3 pedals is really what I would consider "transparent" but between the 3 the .45 Cal would be the more transparent.
Thanks Shawn! Yes, I currently have the GTO which is more on the transparent side, but looking for something with a Marshall flavour as well. Will definetely give the 45cal a try. :)
At 5 to 8 watts is this amp loud enuff? Not for live (you get a mic), but for general practice sessions with a full band? Say another guitar player, Keys, drums etc.? Will this little guy cut thru?
Sounds gnarly man! I'm on the hunt for an apartment friendly tube amp that will allow me to bask in some clean tones and good cranked overdriven tones. The search has led me to this amp, Marshall JTM1 and vintage Fender Vibro Champs. This seems to be a great cross of blackface and tweed action. Would you recommend this as a good at home amp, or any other options? Thanks!
shawn may i ask if you have any experience with the tone king falcon? how would you compare the gremlin with falcon? Its my dream amp but i cant afford one yet :/
thanks for the great demo. superb as always. quick question. when you opened it up near the end the noise level really jumped disproportionatly. is it really that noisy or was that something in the recording?
Yes, when you turn a non-master volume amp all the way up, for the most part, it's going to generate a certain amount of noise. I was also sitting right next to the amp so the field hum from the pickups in my guitar was certainly magnified at that level. Thanks for watching and for the question!
Thanks! I'm using D'addario NYXL 10-46 strings and the break angle at the bridge to the tailpiece is pretty steep. I've got it set up so that the strings are almost touching the back of the bridge. The action as standard from the factory.
Shawn Tubbs thanks for the reply. This NAAM 2020 video of Tone King eluded to some new products coming out this year. Gremlin comes in a head with different tubes, colors, etc. I might hold off to see what’s coming.
I've seen people with mixed reviews on this thing. Some people are slamming it because of the plastic build? Can someone who has played through it or owns it attest to its quality? It sound great in the video but I have yet to play it personally.
OMG... that amp sounds amazing... but I need to hear it played through by a human being, your playing is totally skewing the demo! (😉lol.. great, great playing)
I realize UA-cam commerce calls for product placement and monetization, but as soon as I see the phrase "overdrive pedal," we're not hearing an amp demo anymore. We're hearing a transistor distortion box.
Avi El-Kiss Not sure I agree with that. I don’t know how that whole Premiere Builders Guild thing went down, I just know Mark Bartel gave up Tone King Amps, Dennis Fano gave up Fano Guitars and I don’t think Two Rock is owned by the same people anymore. :(. I wish someone would explain it.
@@ShawnTubbs No, it's just that I can't recall ever hearing any reviewer say that an amp doesn't take pedals really well. (I watch too many gear reviews.) My comment certainly isn't a knock on you, btw.
@@mikeaustin4138 There aren't too many tube-driven amps out there that aren't designed to take pedals these days. I wasn't at all offended Mike. I was just curious. Thanks for being willing to take the time to have a discussion with me. It means a lot!
H&K Tubemeister sounds awful with pedals due to the fact it lets too much high frequencies above 6 kHz. VOX AC amps are not that universal as pedal platform, works only with some.
Pretty much a perfect demonstration of a guitar amp: both channels, all the guitars...with and without pedals...rhythm tones...leads...it's all there. Thank you, Shawn.
I love this amp.
I live in a terraced cottage with neighbours directly either side. I can play clean with the Ironman II power attenuator set at 0, have the volume low and get fantastic rich clean tones with superb note definition. Or I can turn the attenuator on full, wind up the volume, connect to the lead channel and get fabulous distortion without making so much noise I risk upsetting the neighbors and without any pedal required.
I was initially sceptical thinking maybe this amp is going to be an expensive mistake that really doesn't improve much on my Blackstar HT5 because that's a good amp and has served me well, but this is on a different level of rich sonic goodness.
Just purchased this amp after watching this demo, great work! Really showed off it’s capabilities and help me make my decision today
Yes myself as well but I got the head version with a couple upgrades Getting next week from Sweetwater
@@paulcowart3174 I found that every brand 12ax7 preamp tube has a different voice so you might try some vintage tubes still available . Tungsram 12ax7 never has a bad note and the highs have a really nicer tone than others and breaks up correctly !
RCA long black plate 12ax7 colors the sound more wonderfully than any others but does not crunch but the is beyond words !
Phillips 12ax7 long plate has big gain going and a solid bottom end and no shrill highs but rocks with great powerful crunch tones !
Yugo 12ax7 is similar to Phillips but has more gain but use in heads only as they go microphonic quickly in combos !
A New Sensor Tungsol 12ax7 is new production tube that rocks with crunchy breakup well indeed !
Sylvania long black plate 12ax7 has unmistakable Richie Blackmore lead tones also like Ten Years After lead tones as it is different in a good way with sustain !
I collected $700 worth of 12ax7 tubes and the different brands sound quite different but my favorite tube overall is the Tungsram never a bad note is its nick name for good reason with silky highs and crunchy chords !
Good luck i wish i could afford the amp you have now lol !
@@ijamsum Very very cool Yes I will pick up some quality nos pre amp tubes Thanks Fortunately I have the cash from a house sale and down sizing of gear or I would be in the same boat The Gremlin is the first high dollar amp or even new amp I've ever bought except for a Fender Tonemaster in the 90's Thanks again
have you tried it at bedroom levels?
Just received mine in the brown and cream shade from Sweetwater. Outstanding tone and a beautiful look !!
Thank you for a great presentation and keeping this amp clean for your demo. Appreciate your time.
I believe my choice has been made after your excellent demonstration. A brown and cream colored Gremlin looks to be in my very near future.
Excellent demo. See many gremlin reviews. This probably the best
That thing sounds killer. 06:26 THE TONE!
Sounds great I really like the way you use sort of "outside the scale" notes when you're improvising.... fantastic playing
At this point I can safely thumbs up each new video at the 0:01 mark.
The fact that this amp is rated at 5 Watts and not 8 Watts as repeatedly mistakenly asserted above and throughout the video makes the amp even more impressive.
Shawn, your demo's are the best! Thank you
Lovin this Amp. Like the 8 watt 12 inch speaker combo. Love my Champ but the the 8 inch speaker can be a little boxy at times. May need this : )
Wow, superb playing and sounds. Looks like a perfect studioamp.
I played one the other day. Concerned about reliability. You’re playing is so great I love the non breaken up tones too
What sparked your concern?
@@duderdudeedoo1984 a lot of online threads about them having tons of issues plus half the ones at GC are not working
that's unfair... u make everything sound killer man!!! great tone, great playing! that dim arpeggio on 1:11 is so tasteful! i'm coming back to your videos for these little snippets!! thumbs up!
"Responds to pedals like a Champ". No pun intended 😀
I just ordered one on Sunday !!! Great demo SHAWN !!!
How do you like yours six months laters ?
Fantastic sounding amp and GREAT review as usual! Keep em coming.
Thanks so much Tom!
Jon Kabbash first comment awwww yeah....you sound spectacular Shawn...YOU are the Tone King
Thanks Jon!!
Killer as always...well done!! Cant wait to hear your new sounds on the new CU project! ( Hope this clip is a sneak sample...)
Fantastic playing Shawn, fantastic....
Fantastic amp and you are a wonderful guitarist. Cheers from Canada
Thanks very much!!
Sounds fantastic. Looking for a bedroom / home amp - this could be it.
Subscribed for the beautiful demo.
Thanks very much!!
Great demo and playing.
Really great review, definitely a sleeper video! Deserves a lot more attention.
Thanks very much!
Damn this amp doesn’t even need an overdrive pedal.
I ordered one today and will be selling my overdrives.
Have you played the amp yet?
duderdudeedoo1984 yes I have one,it got delivered yesterday.
And tbh I think I will get an overdrive pedal.
It can do the overdrive sounds on its own,but the volume needs to be cranked a bit.
The lower attenuator settings doesn’t do the overdrive sounds very well.
The head version just came out but it runs 5881 tubes like the Falcon Grande Wanna hear it w 4/10s
@@markweaver8529
貴重なレビューです
"Shawn Tubbs: tone/groove gremlin!"
Sick playing!
This amp doesn't seem to fart out at all.. Huge plus..
Hey I wanted to say great demo. Definitely answered a lot of questions about the amp and I’ll be ordering one soon. What tube should I use to keep it cleaner when turned up?
Well, I would reach out to Joe Morgan himself for advice. The V1 tube position is very important. He'll know better than I. Thanks so much for watching and for the kind words.
I just wish it had a FX loop for my pedal effects !
I hate the tone going from the FX into the input because the tone suffers from EQ imbalance !
a 20 watt version of this little rocket would really put some dance in my pants.
Check out the Imperial MKII or the Falcon Grande!
Love the track!
absolutely killer lick at 1:21. goddamnit... one more thing i have to lift.
Great groove and tone on the minute and a half intro. Were you using any pedals and if so what?
Thanks! For the first solo with the Collings, I used a Rockett Pedals Majestic OD. For the second solo with the LSL strat, I used a Rockett Pedals Lenny clean boost into a Majestic OD.
Some serious tones again Shawn, very nice! A quick question. Out of the three (Majestic, Animal, Caliber) which one do you think comes out as the most "transparent" one? You seem to dig the Majestic a lot. :)
Thanks very much Alex! Yeah the Gremlin is a killer pedal platform amp for sure! As far as the pedal question goes, truth be told, none of those 3 pedals is really what I would consider "transparent" but between the 3 the .45 Cal would be the more transparent.
Thanks Shawn! Yes, I currently have the GTO which is more on the transparent side, but looking for something with a Marshall flavour as well. Will definetely give the 45cal a try. :)
At 5 to 8 watts is this amp loud enuff? Not for live (you get a mic), but for general practice sessions with a full band? Say another guitar player, Keys, drums etc.? Will this little guy cut thru?
Sounds gnarly man! I'm on the hunt for an apartment friendly tube amp that will allow me to bask in some clean tones and good cranked overdriven tones. The search has led me to this amp, Marshall JTM1 and vintage Fender Vibro Champs. This seems to be a great cross of blackface and tweed action. Would you recommend this as a good at home amp, or any other options? Thanks!
All of those amps are great options. I'm actually a fan of the REVV D20 as well. It's a 20 6v6 powered all- tube amp. I use mine all of the time.
@@ShawnTubbs Right on man, I'll check that one out too! Thanks for the suggestion!
Great great playing:D!!!
Great demo, amp sounds killer. But isn't it 5 watts and not 8 watts as you say in the description?
It's rated at 5 watts. When I first received the amp I was under the impression it was an 8-watt amp. Thanks for watching!
It's got a nice Tweed like tone!
shawn may i ask if you have any experience with the tone king falcon? how would you compare the gremlin with falcon? Its my dream amp but i cant afford one yet :/
I don't have experience with the Falcon but I will be doing a demo of the Falcon Grande soon.
Ha ha yeah had to sell my house LoL so I just ordered one 😂
Shawn, thanks for another great demo!
What reverb pedal are you using in this video? Thanks
Great amp👍😀
Would've been great to have a dB level meter in the room to see how loud it was
Is it the amp or Shawn that is the Tone King?
Oh yeah!
thanks for the great demo. superb as always. quick question. when you opened it up near the end the noise level really jumped disproportionatly. is it really that noisy or was that something in the recording?
Yes, when you turn a non-master volume amp all the way up, for the most part, it's going to generate a certain amount of noise. I was also sitting right next to the amp so the field hum from the pickups in my guitar was certainly magnified at that level. Thanks for watching and for the question!
Hey Shawn: Nice ripping on the I35LC. I own one, too. Your strings look super slinky. How's it set up, strings and tailpiece height? Thanks.
Thanks! I'm using D'addario NYXL 10-46 strings and the break angle at the bridge to the tailpiece is pretty steep. I've got it set up so that the strings are almost touching the back of the bridge. The action as standard from the factory.
Speaking of a champ lol. It has two knobs like a champ. It does sound great though.
Cool amp. Seems to me a perfect Country Amp. Blues. Sweeeet big sound. I still prefer Fenders. Just sayin'. Have a Great day1 Cheers!!
How loud does the clean tone get before it starts to break up?
I’m just here for 1:21 - 1:26 and I have no idea what happened there.
Like The sound like the playing
So - did Pete Thorn give you the phone number of his hair dresser? Great playing (as always)!
haha. thanks so much!
Soo... when’s your solo album coming out? And following tour?
I’m torn between this amp and The Princeton Reverb. 99% home use. I wish it had reverb built in.
Yeah that can be a deal breaker for sure if you're into verbs. The Princeton Reverb is a great amp.
Shawn Tubbs thanks for the reply. This NAAM 2020 video of Tone King eluded to some new products coming out this year. Gremlin comes in a head with different tubes, colors, etc. I might hold off to see what’s coming.
Shawn ua-cam.com/video/IG_diMSSRmo/v-deo.html
Beware Fender's cheap caps and other parts With lots of play they need maintenance quickly Fortunately I'm not a big reverb fan
@@MrDavid997 Yes just ordered the head
I know this is sacrilegious, but how do you think this would take a BE-OD pedal?
Not sacrilegious at all. I would think it would be fine with all overdrive pedals.
I've seen people with mixed reviews on this thing. Some people are slamming it because of the plastic build? Can someone who has played through it or owns it attest to its quality? It sound great in the video but I have yet to play it personally.
Plastic build?
Plastic build?
It’s not plastic.
I want one
I bought one of these, but mine has a fault and it doesn’t sound like this.
How does it compare to the Laney Lionheart?
Smoking licks!
Wonder how the Magnatone Starlite would compare to the Gremlin? Similar price and wattage.
Sorry, I don't have any direct experience with the Starlite.
Gremlin or falcon grande? Which one would you suggests for home use.
They both have the TK Reactive Load attenuation. The FG has a more versatile tone stack than the Gremlin.
OMG... that amp sounds amazing... but I need to hear it played through by a human being, your playing is totally skewing the demo! (😉lol.. great, great playing)
I was gonna say LOL. It makes such a difference when the player demoing the amp can actually play!
I realize UA-cam commerce calls for product placement and monetization, but as soon as I see the phrase "overdrive pedal," we're not hearing an amp demo anymore. We're hearing a transistor distortion box.
Yeah but no longer designed or built by Mark Bartel 8-(
The Gremlin was designed by Mark. The Tone King legacy is in good hands.
Avi El-Kiss Not sure I agree with that. I don’t know how that whole Premiere Builders Guild thing went down, I just know Mark Bartel gave up Tone King Amps, Dennis Fano gave up Fano Guitars and I don’t think Two Rock is owned by the same people anymore. :(. I wish someone would explain it.
why no tube fx loop?
Does it deliver blackface clean tones in bedroom levels?
Yes it will at bedroom levels.
it sounds supernatural but you didn't play the Santana solo? Unacceptable.
I just placed an order from one in Canada same color as this one scheduled to arrive Late Q1/ Early Q2 2022! You can thank Biden for that! 🤪
Has any reviewer ever reviewed an amp that *doesn't* take pedals really well?
Are you looking for an amp that doesn't take pedals really well?
@@ShawnTubbs No, it's just that I can't recall ever hearing any reviewer say that an amp doesn't take pedals really well. (I watch too many gear reviews.) My comment certainly isn't a knock on you, btw.
@@mikeaustin4138 There aren't too many tube-driven amps out there that aren't designed to take pedals these days. I wasn't at all offended Mike. I was just curious. Thanks for being willing to take the time to have a discussion with me. It means a lot!
H&K Tubemeister sounds awful with pedals due to the fact it lets too much high frequencies above 6 kHz. VOX AC amps are not that universal as pedal platform, works only with some.
How do i A/B the Channels???
You would have to purchase an A/B switcher. There are several options.
@@ShawnTubbs Thank You Shawn. Can you recommend anything in particular???
@@BARKINGattheMOON100 They're all kind of the same really. MXR makes a good one and so does JHS. Morley makes one that would be fine.
@@ShawnTubbs 👍👍👍
woah.. what does a guy need to do to get this good? play all the time I suppose..
1:18
Check this amp out, or I'll hit you with a humbucker!!!!
Shawn, thanks for another great demo!
What reverb pedal are you using in this video? Thanks
Thanks very much. It's actually a slapback delay that I added in Pro Tools.