HawkeyeKane
1089 posts
Jul 24, 2012
12:44 PM
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I swung into my usual local music store today after getting a call from the owner to come try out a new small amp they had in stock. Turned out to be a portable little suitcase amp now available from Luna Guitars that they're marketing for their ukeleles called the UK-5.
Luna Guitars UK-5 Ukelele Suitcase Amp
It's slightly smaller and lighter than the Pignose 7-100, and it has a 4" speaker instead of a 5". But the size difference is made up for in other areas. First, it can be powered by an A/C adapter, but it also runs on a single 9V battery instead of the six AA's that the Pignose requires. It also has a tone control in addition to the volume knob. It has a 1/4" headphone jack as well. And like the Pignose, it opens up to reveal the battery compartment, and a small storage compartment for the A/C adapter or other small items....like maybe....a small mic?
Only mic I had on me when I tried it was my Akai DM13, which is probably my most ballsy mic. But I have to say, I'm FAR more impressed with the tones I got from the Luna amp than any tone I've gotten out of a Pignose. The tone control gave me an edge I've never gotten out of this type of amp before. It's a new product and apparently, demand for them is high. They're retailing in the neighborhood of $80 to $110. But if you have a shop near you who deals in Luna, I definitely recommend you go give one a try. You won't be sorry.
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Hawkeye Kane
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isaacullah
2093 posts
Jul 24, 2012
1:23 PM
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Neat! Looks really cool. After trying A LOT of battery amps out (including owning one of those little pignoses for a few years), I have settled on the Pyp PB-1:
It has waaaaay better tone than the pignose, and also, unlike both the piggy and this amp here, it has an onboard 12v rechargeable sealed lead acid battery, which allows for much longer run times, and much higher wattage than with AA's or 9volts. The PB-1 runs at 10 watts for hours and hours... Sadly, they've been out of production for a little while now. I got mine off craigslist for $40, though...
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=========== I S A A C ===========
View my videos on YouTube!
Check out my songs on Soundcloud!
Visit my reverb nation page!
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HawkeyeKane
1091 posts
Jul 24, 2012
2:54 PM
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@isaac
That's awesome!!! I may start looking for lunchboxes at Goodwill and yardsales to put amps in!
And just a side note to all....the Hawaiian graphics in the picture are just stickers that come with the amp. Owner's discretion on those.
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Hawkeye Kane
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FreeWilly
293 posts
Jul 24, 2012
3:14 PM
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They are not available in Europe, or so it seems. They look sweet. Never quite understood how the piggie doesn't have headphone jacks...
How cool would one look with one of those slim-cases in matching colors and this baby. Fwiew. That's busking with a huge head-start.
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Noodles
149 posts
Jul 25, 2012
12:12 AM
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Pyp PB-1
I can't believe they built an amp into a plumbing fitting. What's next?
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Steamrollin Stan
493 posts
Jul 25, 2012
4:35 AM
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I put smokey amp inside vintage toaster, rattles somewhat but sounds ok.......i think.
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isaacullah
2095 posts
Jul 25, 2012
9:44 AM
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@Noodles: Yeah, I get A LOT of comments and stares when I play out on the street with that thing! But that's a GOOD thing for a busker! :) I know it sounds weird to say this, but that plumbing fixture actually has really good acoustics! Lol!
@HawkEye: Also look for cool cigar boxes. You can usually go down to a cigar joint or a smoke shop and buy boxes for $5-10... I know a lot of folks in the Cigar Box Guitar world are building amps inside cigar boxes too these days... They typically use the "ruby" schematic, or they buy one of those 5 watt kits from velleman...
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=========== I S A A C ===========
View my videos on YouTube!
Check out my songs on Soundcloud!
Visit my reverb nation page!
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HawkeyeKane
1093 posts
Jul 25, 2012
1:57 PM
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@isaac
I have a couple cigar boxes, one being an actual humidor. To me though, cigar boxes are kinda thin and not really a look I wanna pursue.
When I hit thrift stores, yard sales, and flea markets, I'm always on the lookout for things that I know I can build amps into or mics out of. I still have the iMic bug nipping at me. Only two things I've found thus far for that are a wooden candlestick holder, and a plastic Evan Williams half-pint bottle. What I have in mind for the bottle should be fun. I wanna insulate everything I wire up inside of it, and then fill the rest of the bottle with a kind of silicone gel I've seen in craft stores for making little underwater models, and dye the gel a nice whiskey amber color. :-)
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Hawkeye Kane
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lumpy wafflesquirt
599 posts
Jul 26, 2012
9:16 AM
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Amp in a plumbing fitting? ...
You need a Lumpophone to go with that :^)
http://youtu.be/NC58YDH689M
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"Come on Brackett let's get changed"
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Gig74
120 posts
Jul 26, 2012
12:19 PM
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@FreeWilly
Looks like GAK in the UK has them or will do soon check the link. They look pretty cool, too much temptation :o)
http://www.gak.co.uk/en/luna-ukulele-suitcase-amp/59618
cheers
Greg
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Living the dream and learning the blues one little trouble at a time.
Last Edited by on Jul 26, 2012 12:20 PM
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FreeWilly
296 posts
Jul 26, 2012
1:20 PM
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Hey thanks Greg.
It's coming closer and closer..
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Kvetch
5 posts
Jul 27, 2012
1:35 PM
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I have a good idea of some modifications I'd like to do to this amp. Anyone have any idea what impedence the internal speaker is? How would one measure this if it not printed on the speaker somewhere?
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Kvetch
6 posts
Jul 29, 2012
5:06 AM
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Hawkeye, is this amp not quite transparent when it comes to tone? I watched videos on youtube of people playing Ukes through it and it seems a very clean amplified tone that doesnt colour the sound of the instrument.
The Pignose on the other hand overdrives into crunchy distortion and such. Im interested how the 2 compare for harp
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Kvetch
7 posts
Aug 06, 2012
4:39 AM
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Anybody tried this yet? I really need to find out what Ohm rating the internal speaker is for mod ideas too. Cant seem to find a manual online or anything.
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FreeWilly
297 posts
Aug 06, 2012
8:42 AM
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I was looking for those clips with people playing this amp on youtube. Can't find it..
First hit was this - rather epic - clip. OT, but I LOL'd beyond belief :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAg5KjnAhuU
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HawkeyeKane
1107 posts
Aug 06, 2012
5:01 PM
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@Kvetch
I don't know any of the specs yet, sorry. I'm planning to drop by the shop some time soon though. I'll see if they have a manual I can look at and let you know what I find out.
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Hawkeye Kane
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Buzadero
997 posts
Aug 06, 2012
5:40 PM
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http://www.bluesluggage.com/
The venerable Champ circuit, tubed.
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~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
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HawkeyeKane
1111 posts
Aug 07, 2012
11:17 AM
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Kvetch, the speaker in the UK-5 is a 5" 8-ohm. I misjudged the size when I looked at it.
In terms of the crunch, you can definitely get some out of it with adjustments to the volume and tone knobs. No overdrive switch, but it'll still scream like a bitch.
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Hawkeye Kane
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timeistight
772 posts
Aug 07, 2012
12:46 PM
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"The venerable Champ circuit, tubed."
What does that mean?
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HawkeyeKane
1112 posts
Aug 07, 2012
1:15 PM
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Call me crazy, but didn't the Champ have a different rectifier than the Sonny Boy?
And on top of that....that script and name are AWFULLY close to mimicking Sonny Jr. Not bashing it....just ironic and suspect to me.
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Hawkeye Kane
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MJ
442 posts
Aug 07, 2012
1:27 PM
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The Champ has the same tube compliment as the SonnyBoy.
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geordiebluesman
608 posts
Aug 08, 2012
1:11 AM
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Hey Freewilly thanks for that link i had a right good laugh watching that, pure geek genius.
The thing that made me proper piss myself laughing was a comment underneath which said,"This is what happens when the World Of Warcraft servers go down, bloody comic genius!
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chromaticblues
1290 posts
Aug 08, 2012
4:39 AM
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If it sounds half as good as it looks it would certainly be worth $100!
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HawkeyeKane
1115 posts
Aug 08, 2012
8:00 AM
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@MJ
So...then what's the diff between a 5Y3GT and a WY3GT?
Weberkits 5F1 Layout
Weberkits 5F1 Schematic
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Hawkeye Kane
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timeistight
773 posts
Aug 08, 2012
8:19 AM
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The WY3GT is Weber's solid-state copper-cap rectifier. I don't think Fender Champs ever used a solid-state rectifier.
Last Edited by on Aug 08, 2012 8:23 AM
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MJ
443 posts
Aug 08, 2012
8:21 AM
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It is the copper cap version of the 5y3gt. I'm not sure what it has to do with the Sonny Boy luggage amp, as the Sonny Boy is made with a 5y3. Other than the difference of a solid state rectifier with a wy3gt being used the rest of the circuit could well be the same as a Champ.
Last Edited by on Aug 08, 2012 8:25 AM
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HawkeyeKane
1116 posts
Aug 08, 2012
8:29 AM
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I just kinda assumed that Weber would clone their kits directly from the original, and I remembered when looking at their 5F1 schematic that the rectifier was a designation that looked odd to me, so that's why I raised the question. That kinda sucks on Weber's part IMO.
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Hawkeye Kane
Last Edited by on Aug 08, 2012 8:33 AM
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HawkeyeKane
1117 posts
Aug 08, 2012
10:36 AM
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@MJ
I realize it's no big headache to switch the nature of a rectifier, and I could understand it if the recttube in the original production amp was out of production and harder to come by like the 6X4, but in my eyes, if someone's gonna make a clone kit they should get it as close as humanly possible to the original. A SS rectifier in an amp that was rectified by a valve just seems like a corner-cutter to me.
Mojo's Champ kit isn't SS rectified, and neither is the Sonny Boy...
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Hawkeye Kane
Last Edited by on Aug 08, 2012 10:38 AM
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MJ
445 posts
Aug 08, 2012
10:44 AM
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Hawkeye, It is only a ss type tube (the copper cap) The wiring and circuit are the same as a champ. You could plug a copper cap (WY3GT) into a champ if you so desired. They are just offering an option, and trying to sell copper caps. Not much different than using an 12AT7 or 12AX7 in the preamp. Variety is spicy.
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