Gem Head combo (Canadian made)

[sheendigs]

Hi Guys
Look at this small little amp by a Canadian company..
It gives 4 watts..

www.mackamps.com/gem-head-combo/

The Gem features a NOS 6AC10 preamp tube.


Learn why Mack is using a NOS tube in the Gem.

The 6AC10 is a TRIPLE triode tube - a single bottle encapsulates the guts of three tube sections. As a point of reference, good old 12AX7s are dual triodes.

The three tube sections in the Gem's 6AC10 provide a TON of preamp flexibility:

Low gain mode. Two of the sections are paralled and cascaded into the third. Result? Characteristic Mack warmth and touch sensitivity with extra gain from the third stage.
High gain mode. Flip the Preamp switch and the three triode sections are cascaded one into the other. This produces high gain rock tones unlike any other Mack amp.
Power amp AND preamp distortion. We love power tube distortion so the Gem's preamp slams the EL84 with authority. However, three triode sections allow us to create preamp distortion too. Turn up the gain control, adjust the volume control and you can dial in preamp distortion or power amp distortion or BOTH - at any volume level. Talk about versatility!

Have a glimpse at the video..interesting!

Have fun
Sheendigs

[rjdupe]

Hi,
Thanks for bringing this little amp to our attention. I don't know
whether I will be on my own by saying I did not like the sound. I don't know whether it was the way it was set up or being played, but the sound seemed very thin. I think the problem might be that most of the demo was in distortion mode. I am probably old fashioned but I would like to have heard its clean capabilities; the amp is also quite expensive.

All the best to all,

Robert

[Charlie Hall]

I thought it sounded pretty good. The demo of clean tones seemed to be with the Strat switch set to 2 or 4, which is always going to sound a bit thinner.
I don't like the idea of using a 6AC10 valve, Fender used them in one of their models a long time ago and I heard since then that they were hard to find. I would have thought it would make more sense to use 2 X ECC83/12AX7 even if it meant wasting one half of a valve.
Regards,
Charlie

[amphead]

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick note regarding 6AC10s: they were mainly used in TVs back in the day. Since they are not a widely used tube, there are actually thousands of them out there and they are easily available from vendors like www.thetubestore.com , etc.

Plus, they are inexpensive - less cost than a 12AX7 and you get a third triode!

Cheers!

Don Mackrill
www.MackAmps.com

[Charlie Hall]

Hi Don,
Welcome to the site and thanks for posting. Thanks also for the info about the 6CA10 valves (tubes). It is reassuring to know that these valves (tubes) are still available from somewhere. I like the sound of the amp, and the speaker choice is probably a very good sounding one.
I have seen your name before, did you run a music shop or chain of shops in the UK?
Feel free to advertise your products here in the For Sale section and keep us posted with any news in the general section if it makes more sense to post there instead, or even try picking our brains for new ideas, technical or non-technical, if you want!
Regards,
Charlie

[amphead]

Thanks Charlie. I'm happy to be a part of the group.

Although our names are identical, I am not the Don Mackrill of "Don Mackrill's Music Stop" a music store in North London. I reside in Toronto and our amps are made locally. I've email chatted with the London DM a few times - nice guy and has a long and interesting musical and music industry related history. Coincidentally, back in the early 60's he and a partner founded a guitar amp company called Impact Amplification. Small world as they say! www.donmack.com/About.htm

I appreciate the invite to post amps for sale and I will definitely take you up on the offer to 'pick the brains' of the group!!!

All the best!
Don Mackrill
www.MackAmps.com

[Charlie Hall]

Hi Don,
I remember the Impact amps. At the time they were being made next to a shop called Pan Music in Wardour Street London, this was in the late 60s. I believe Eric Clapton has used one of those amps.
Regards,
Charlie