Introducing the NEW Mack Gem Budget Boutique amp!
Gem - a tiny jewel that produces HUGE tone...
Check out the NEW Gem!
All clips were played by Richard Smyth through a Mack 1X10 OB open back, speaker cabinet stuffed with an Eminence Ragin Cajun speaker (stay tuned for details!).
If the clips sound distorted (NOT good guitar amp distortion!), please
update your version of Flash.
The Doron Zor clip was recorded with a Gem head, 1x10 OB cab and a Sennheiser 906 mic. Delay was added by plugging a pedal into the amp.
| Guitar |
Power - 4 or 0.4 watt |
Gain - High or Normal |
Tone
(Click Here) |
| Strat |
4 |
High |
Distortion |
| Strat |
4 |
Normal |
Crunch |
| Strat |
4 |
Normal |
Clean |
| Strat |
0.4 |
High and Normal |
Clean, Crunch, Distortion |
| LP |
0.4 |
High |
Distortion |
| LP |
4 |
High |
Distortion |
| LP |
4 and 0.4 |
High |
Distortion |
| LP with pedal |
0.4 |
High |
Distortion |
Bad Memory!
Note that during the clips I refer to the low-power output as 1/4 watt. That's simply a dumb memory lapse! The low power output is 4/10ths of a watt or 0.4 watts as noted in the above table.
Mack Gem Recording Notes
Volume
Recording the volume range that the Gem produces was difficult. When you listen to the clips pay attention to the narrative. The low volumes were EXTREMELY low - often the acoustic sound of the guitar was as loud - if not louder - than the volume coming from the amp.
The Gem really is capable of producing cranked tone at whisper volume levels!
The Gem's extreme volume range forced us to turn up the recording console preamps when recording low volume clips to preserve an acceptable signal to noise ratio.
That means that the apparent volume difference between loud and quiet volumes in the clips is not as much as it is when you are sitting in front of the Gem.
Recording Set Up
The Gem was recorded using Shure SM-57 and AKG 414 mics. They were placed about 2" from the spreaker grill both slightly off center.
As with all Mack sound clips no EQ, compression or effects of any kind were used.