Tone King unveil the low-wattage, vintage-styled Gremlin amplifier

Tone King has released The Gremlin, a new low-wattage head designed to replicate the sounds of an old black-panel Fender amp cranked to full, without peeling paint off the walls.

The amplifier head is rated at five watts, and sports two inputs, one for each channel: Lead and Rhythm. The Rhythm channel has more “bell-like highs” and higher headroom, while the Lead channel has a tweed-style overdrive.

Inside the amp are two 12AX7 preamp tubes and a single 5881 power amp tube. On its face are the two inputs and two controls: tone and volume. The two inputs could also be changed between with an ABY for on-the-fly channel-switching.

There’s also a built-in Ironman II attenuator, allowing you to distort the amp’s power section at a reasonable volume. This also offers a “reactive load” to keep the amp’s feel consistent no matter the volume.

Aesthetically, the amp has some very 1950s-throwback looks, with a choice of brown, beige, blue or red tolex to complete the look. This choice of colours is nothing new for Tone King – the brand offers a similar range of colours across most of its amplifiers.

Despite its low wattage, Tone King notes that the amp has plenty of volume when opened up full – enough to keep up with a drummer in some situations.

The Gremlin Head lists for $1095. Find out more at toneking.com.