Review: Honeyboy Amps Mini-Twin speaker cabinets
Towering amp stacks are rapidly going the way of the dodo, but players with pedalboard amps and micro-heads are looking for compact and lightweight speaker solutions. Honeyboy might just have the answer.
Low-wattage amps have become a common sight at gigs, but they can suffer sonically when the cabinet size is restricted and there’s perhaps only a single eight-inch speaker onboard. And for the thousands of players using lunchbox heads or pedalboard amps, it makes sense to pair them up with a speaker cab that’s simpatico with the ‘downsize’ concept, but doesn’t compromise tone.
This is where Andy Smith of Honeyboy Amps comes in, with a pair of cute new Mini-Twin cabinets in 2×6” and 2×8” configurations. Both are loaded with Jensen speakers – the former combining a P6V with a C6V and the latter a P8V and a C8V. The prefixes P and C designate alnico and ceramic magnets respectively.
The cabs are constructed from solid oak, although sapele will soon be an option. The baffle boards are cut from plywood, which is 9mm thick in the 2×6 and 12mm thick in the 2×8. We love the reptilian look on amps and cabs – providing it’s not real alligator or snakeskin, of course – and here a vivid green Black Mamba covering combines with black speaker cloth and corner protectors on the 2×6, with the 2×8’s glossier Burgundy Gator vinyl paired with wheat/gold sparkle cloth and bronze hammertone corners.
Honeyboy has opted for 50s tweed-style handles in faux leather, while the 2×8 arrives in closed-back configuration with a removable centre panel. Both units are compact, lightweight and have the speakers wired in series for an eight-ohm load. Parallel wiring is an option for amps requiring four ohms.
In use
When the 2×6 is unboxed, it’s easy to think you’ve been sent an amp head by mistake, but the Honeyboy is way too light for that. Connecting it to a vintage tweed Deluxe, the 6” speakers handle the power with ease – unsurprisingly since the cab is rated at 40-watts. But more importantly, it doesn’t sound boxy or constrained by its size.
The treble is slightly rolled off and the bass is tight rather than deep, but there’s still plenty of frequency range and we particularly like the throaty quality we hear in the mids.
The larger 2×8 sounds brighter and a little deeper, and we detect less midrange colouration. Like the 2×6, we find it sounds better standing upright than sideways, and given the alnico/ceramic blend, you can choose which drivers you prefer on top. Removing the 2×8’s centre panel around the back, we find the tone opens up and becomes more room-filling. Things also sound a bit livelier – at the expense of some low-end tightness – but on balance we prefer it.
Both of these cabinets fill a niche, are impressively made and sound very good indeed. They’re even small enough to throw a washbag and a change of clothes inside, and fly with as carry-on luggage.
Key Features
Mini-Twin 2×6: 9/10 (Editor’s Choice)
- PRICE £360
- DESCRIPTION 2×6” open-back solid oak speaker cabinet, made in the UK
- POWER RATING 40W
- SPEAKERS Jensen P6V & C6V
- DIMENSIONS 430 x 220 x 230mm
- WEIGHT 6kg/13.2lb
- OPTIONS Numerous custom finishes available, see website for details
- CONTACT honeyboyamps.com
- VERDICT Unexpectedly loud and balanced, with pleasing midrange colouration and extreme portability
Mini-Twin 2×8: 9/10 (Editor’s Choice)
- PRICE £394
- DESCRIPTION 2×8” open back solid oak speaker cabinet, made in the UK
- POWER RATING 50W
- SPEAKER Jensen P8V & C8V
- DIMENSIONS 520 x 280 x 230mm
- WEIGHT 8kg/17.6lb
- OPTIONS Numerous custom finishes available, see website for details
- VERDICT Balanced full-frequency tone with open/closed back options and impressive power handling
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