New Gries amp

[Gries Amps]

With the success of the Gries 5 I began to wonder if I could build an even more affordable head-only hand wired amp that would sound great with a variety of speaker cabs. I looked at the 5F1 circuit amps that were built from ’56 to ’64 due to their popularity but realized there was room for improvement. This amp had to have the same level of components and construction as the rest of the Gries line. The originals are great amps, however, I wanted something better suited to today’s player. After a lot of R&D, trying various components to find what worked and what didn’t, I’ve come up with a simple amp that is surprisingly versatile.

The new Gries Minnow has the following features:

Mercury Magnetics transformers

Hand wired turret board construction

Powered by a single 6V6 with a 5AR4 rectifier and 12AX7 pre amp tube

A simple circuit with no EQ that puts the tone in your hands

Volume and Master Volume controls

Much larger output transformer than a stock 5F1 for improved tone & efficiency

8 ohm output transformer that will handle any cab from 4 to 16 ohms

Available only as a head. Everyone knows a quality built cab with the right speaker(s) has a great impact on the overall tone of an amp rig; 1x12, 2x12, 4x12, 1x10, 2x10, 4x10 will all work with the Minnow. Run the cab you prefer, or call us for a matching, finger-jointed, solid pine cab.

The Minnow will be ready to go late February at a shipped cost of just…..$549.00!

Contact one of our dealers or visit our web site.

[Twin63]

Sounds like another winner Dave. I bet it would look really nice sitting next to my Gries 5...........guess I better start working some overtime!

[BluesForDan]

oh

my

that sounds (pun probably intended) like something I'd be verrrrrry interested in. A big iron tweed champ with volume and master. and you chose you own speaker. Pure genius.

This may be just what I needed to give me incentive to get an enclosure for my JBL D130F.

[catherinef]

Sounds Killer, Dave, Can't wait!

[gep]

I had a chance to try the Minnow prototype. Tried it with a few different cabs. What a great sounding amp. I can see it being used in many different situations. It amazes me how loud these amps can get.

GEP

[ironmace7]

Sounds great. What are the tonal differences vs. the 5 head?

[dbx]

a 3 hour tour... ;)

Good luck with the new one Dave, if it's like the 5, you'll have another winner on your hands...(I'm a MaryAnn fan myself...)

[Gries Amps]

Sounds great. What are the tonal differences vs. the 5 head?
It's similar to the 5 with the Gain up full. Let me spend some more time with the two of them & I'll report back.

[lchyi]

Wow Dave that sounds like a killer deal. Keep us updated!

[cubado]

sweet ...

LOVE my Gries ...

and local to boot !

[mainsale]

Sounds very interesting to me. Any chance of a tweed cabinet for it to match a single 15" tweed cabinet that I have?

[Gries Amps]

Any chance of a tweed cabinet?
Sorry, no. It will be available in black, blonde, red, green, or blue tolex for now.
What are the tonal differences vs. the 5 head?
I spent some time with the two amps today. Turning the Gain up in the 5 lifts the tone stack out of the circuit. With that setting, the two amps sound very similar. Voltages in the Minnow are lower. It sounds slightly darker and breaks up slightly earlier than the 5. The key word here is "slightly". Bringing the Gain down adds the tone stack back in so the 5 can get a more blackface type of clean where the Minnow stays in the tweed camp.

[farlowhigh]

Sounds like another winner, Dave!! I will definitely tell everyone I can about this new amp! So, this will be much more of a tweedy beast...it sounds intriguing as all the Gries amps I have heard were definitely in the blackface camp (with the exception of that cool trick with the Gries 5 where you can go tweed by dialing up the gain)...so this will have tweedy cleans? It sounds great and certainly a really reasonable price as usual!

I can't wait to hear more about this amp!

[Joses]

Wow, a Gries take on a tweed...sounds awesome Dave!! :D

[cubado]

I am in ...

now what color tolex? Hmmm...

What are the grille cloth choices ?

[STORM]

Awesome Dave! I Cant Wait To Check The Minnow Out Over At Alpha Audio In Mystic, CT. Also Cant Wait To See Whats Next After That!

Looks Like Another Gries Amp For Me In Red!

Cheers!:beer

[gkoelling]

Wow! I guess I need to hang in the manufacturer's area more often.

This amp looks perfect for recording & small gigs. :AOK

[Gries Amps]

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l108/Griesamps/IMG_2361.jpghttp://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l108/Griesamps/IMG_2363.jpg

[turtleheadblues]

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l108/Griesamps/IMG_2361.jpghttp://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l108/Griesamps/IMG_2363.jpg

WOW those great Dave ! thanks so much for honoring us with the dealerlship. I cant decide what color to order. Hmmmmm.

[turtleheadblues]

Should also mention that we are now taking orders on the new Gries Minnow. At this point you can get in early and pick tolex color!

And with every amp sale a portion of the proceeds will go directly to Bob Sweet.

[philbarnes]

What is the impedance of the speaker output?

[Gries Amps]

It's 8 ohms but you can use any speaker load from 4 to 16 ohms, which is just about anything.

[turtleheadblues]

It's 8 ohms but you can use any speaker load from 4 to 16 ohms, which is just about anything.

Dave, do you have any or are you going to have any clips of this mini monster?

[gkoelling]

It's 8 ohms but you can use any speaker load from 4 to 16 ohms, which is just about anything.

Now, how cool is that?

[bbarnard]

Sorry, no. It will be available in black, blonde, red, green, or blue tolex for now.

I spent some time with the two amps today. Turning the Gain up in the 5 lifts the tone stack out of the circuit. With that setting, the two amps sound very similar. Voltages in the Minnow are lower. It sounds slightly darker and breaks up slightly earlier than the 5. The key word here is "slightly". Bringing the Gain down adds the tone stack back in so the 5 can get a more blackface type of clean where the Minnow stays in the tweed camp.

So could you put a 12AY7 in it to make it a slightly cleaner tweed clean sound?

[Gries Amps]

So could you put a 12AY7 in it to make it a slightly cleaner tweed clean sound?
Hi Bill. Good suggestion. I don't have any 12AY7s here to try, though. It will have to wait until the next tube order.

[gkoelling]

I wonder if a 5751 would work too?

[bbarnard]

Hi Bill. Good suggestion. I don't have any 12AY7s here to try, though. It will have to wait until the next tube order.


I have some. I'd only charge you $549 to test it for you. :rotflmao

[Red Jumpsuit]

I want to sell my Bumbox Lead 1 to try one of these

[gkoelling]

I want to sell my Bumbox Lead 1 to try one of these

Go for it! :dude

[Gries Amps]

So could you put a 12AY7 in it to make it a slightly cleaner tweed clean sound?
I finally had a chance to try a 12AY7. It is cleaner but won't overdrive the amp as hard when turned up.

[gkoelling]

^^^ That's cool. With a simple tube swap you can give the amp an attitude adjustment. Different flavors for different situations.

[HurricaneJesus]

Dammit, now I want one....

[bbarnard]

Looks like from the website there is another new one in the works:

Coming in May - A new 8 watt single-ended amp with reverb. Features:
REVERB
8 watts with a 6L6, 5 watts with a 6V6
Volume, Bright Switch, Treble, Midrange, Bass
Footswitchable Gain
Master
Did I say REVERB?
Oversized output transformer
1x12 combo
Stay tuned for more info


I believe it will be called the Sea Horse (judging from the two "missing" amps in the photo concerning the announcement). Also he's revoicing the 18. Wish he'd do the new one as a head.

[Twin63]

Dave's done it now....he's going to force me to get a 2nd job! Looking forward to these!:AOK

[HurricaneJesus]

Hmmmm, that might actually be the ticket....gonna start saving now.
Any idea on the price? An external speaker out?
Is there a pre-order situation?

[gep]

Just recently saw the Seahorse. Did not get to hear it but it sure looked sweet. Hopefully I will have a chance to play it soon.

gep

[krisharmony]

Any soundclips with the Minnow? I really want one of these along with a 5e3 Deluxe and a Bassman. I think that would cover all the bases I'd ever need.

[SoulCharter]

Any soundclips with the Minnow? I really want one of these along with a 5e3 Deluxe and a Bassman. I think that would cover all the bases I'd ever need.


Yes. I know its four yrs later , but I can't find any Vids or clips of this little fish........http://img.thegearpage.net/board/images/icons/icon14.gif