"Nano" amp - anyone know anything about these?

[KeithDavies 100]

Curious about this, that I've just seen on ebay here in the UK. Says it has no power supply, which may not be an issue if I know what to use. I'd also need to find out the right impedance speakers to use. Wondered if anyone on here might have any knowledge or experience, or whether any of our amp guys could deduce anything from the pics? Cute little thing!

Mini Tube / Valve Guitar Amp Head Nano Amplifier | eBay

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[Leonardocoate]

that's cool and not too heavy

 

[scottrollick]

I've seen these selling at my local Music Go Round, but I haven't tried them. I want to say there are a few of them, slightly different sizes/shapes and colors. Curious...more novelty than practical, but I agree they're cute.

 

[Blrfl]

Can't say I'd look forward to having to de-solder and re-solder the wires from the pins if one of the tubes ever needed replacement.

Now these Nanos, on the other hand, are a hoot:

 

[telleutelleme]

I bought this one off flea-bay.

Messed with it for a couple days. Into my Super Champ X2 Cab and there it sits. Been meaning to put in my pedal board and see what it does. I think it was $45.00 on sale. Impression? Ranks with the Pignose.

 

[Peegoo]

@KeithDavies 100

Back about 10 years ago when ZVex released their Nano head (very similar), a bunch of these little copycats flooded the market. Many were from China, and there were some suppliers selling DIY kits.

That is a Classic Tone USA (Chicago) transformer on there, and Triode Inc. was the sole distributor of that brand for many years. Triode also sold other amplifier parts as well as complete diy kits, so that's where I'd start my search for where this charming little box came from.

 

[SixStringSlinger]

@KeithDavies 100

Back about 10 years ago when ZVex released their Nano head (very similar), a bunch of these little copycats flooded the market. Many were from China, and there were some suppliers selling DIY kits.

That is a Classic Tone USA (Chicago) transformer on there, and Triode Inc. was the sole distributor of that brand for many years. Triode also sold other amplifier parts as well as complete diy kits, so that's where I'd start my search for where this charming little box came from.

I remember a review of the ZVex saying it puts out “one furious watt”.

 

[JustABluesGuy]

Interesting. I love low watt tube amps and have a few of them. This one doesn’t look very user serviceable though. Are the tube’s pins “soldered” to wires?

What are those tubes? I’m having trouble judging the scale, but they look smaller than normal preamp tubes.

Looks like a fun low watter, but possibly a “disposable” one if you can’t do your own repairs.

 

[JustABluesGuy]

Can't say I'd look forward to having to de-solder and re-solder the wires from the pins if one of the tubes ever needed replacement.

Now these Nanos, on the other hand, are a hoot:
View attachment 1119470

Are those tube or SS?

 

[KeithDavies 100]

@KeithDavies 100

Back about 10 years ago when ZVex released their Nano head (very similar), a bunch of these little copycats flooded the market. Many were from China, and there were some suppliers selling DIY kits.

That is a Classic Tone USA (Chicago) transformer on there, and Triode Inc. was the sole distributor of that brand for many years. Triode also sold other amplifier parts as well as complete diy kits, so that's where I'd start my search for where this charming little box came from.

Thanks, Peegoo.

The possibililty that the valves are soldered in place rules it out for me, I think. Having done a bit of research, I see there are a few 1-2W valve amps out there. They're broadly the same price as bigger amps, which I suppose makes some sense because much of the technology is the same and they perhaps have less economy of scale benefits.

I'm still struggling to get my head round using a 1W amplifier. Silly, really. It's taken all this time to learn that a 100W is way too much, 50W is more than I can really use, a 30W is more than I need, even a 20W can't be cranked at home... and finally we're down to 1W. It's only taken me 40 years to work it out!

 

[KeithDavies 100]

Can't say I'd look forward to having to de-solder and re-solder the wires from the pins if one of the tubes ever needed replacement.

Now these Nanos, on the other hand, are a hoot:
View attachment 1119470

Well, that's an interesting option. They cost nothing - you could buy the whole range new for the price of a small used valve amp!

 

[Tim S]

Well, that's an interesting option. They cost nothing - you could buy the whole range new for the price of a small used valve amp!

You can. I did. The 5 high gain models have no clean to them, but they bring a grin every time l plug into one. The remaining “classic” 5 all sound better than they should for the price. The real sleeper is the Thunder Bass model (SVT tone) — a guitar sounds pretty good thru it (think Marshall cleans)

 

[KeithDavies 100]

You can. I did. The 5 high gain models have no clean to them, but they bring a grin every time l plug into one. The remaining “classic” 5 all sound better than they should for the price. The real sleeper is the Thunder Bass model (SVT tone) — a guitar sounds pretty good thru it (think Marshall cleans)

What speakers do you run them through? Do you get something specifically for them, or just run them through a normal cab?

 

[Tim S]

What speakers do you run them through? Do you get something specifically for them, or just run them through a normal cab?

It depends on my mood, desired sound level or which cab is on the same floor. ;-) They also have a headphone jack and an FX loop so they can accept a Send from any amp into their Receive jack. It can be a headphone amp for any amp that has a loop. (or you can Send their preamp into the Return of a 100w amp, if you have one hand)

But as for cabs, whatever you have handy will do — 4 ohms to 16 ohms or speakerless (no load required). I’ve used a Vox 1x8, various 1x10s and 1x12s and even a 2x12 cab (w/ heavy magnet Celestions). Buy a pair and have a stereo rig for home.

5 solid state watts won’t overcome most drummers, but it’s loud enough to annoy everyone in the house or motivate your neighbor to knock on your door.

 

[Blrfl]

Are those tube or SS?

Solid-state. But who cares?

 

[JustABluesGuy]

Solid-state. But who cares?