A Guitar Amp in the Palm of Your Hand

Baby blue and beautiful, Zachary Vex's $460 Nano Head brings portability somewhere it's rarely expected: tube amplification. Offering a 1/2 watt of power, just plug in your axe, plug in your speakers, and yes, you're live. It even operates from a 12v lead-acid battery. Zachary talks a lot o' jargon, but promises you'll be stunned by its apparent volume:

This amp is voiced to deliver classic rock tone, with a very high level of crunch available if it's wanted. Just crank the volume knob around to the level of distortion you desire, from a very quiet (one tenth watt) clean mode to a micro-Marshall (TM) blast when cranked up. I am making myself a little ill (gag!) trying to describe the tone of my Nano, using the same tired old phrases that all the amp and distortion box makers use, but I think it's true... it does a great job of emulating big amps at very reasonable volumes, which makes it exceptionally nice for recording.

For shame, this box is of no use to me: whatever prior understanding you may have of musical incompetence, it is no preparation whatsoever for hearing my abysmal strumming. If you're looking for a portable way to steal the souls of farty speakers in gloomy Irish pubs, however, here is your Stormbringer.

Product Page [Z.Vex Amps via The Red Ferret Journal]

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