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Download Example 1
Clean1 - Neck Pickup, Reverb at 11 o'clock, Gain at 2 o'clock
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Download Example 2
Clean2 - Bridge Pickup, Reverb at 9 o'clock, Gain at 12 o'clock
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Download Example 3
Overdrive3 - Bridge Pickup, Reverb off, Gain at 2 o'clock |
| All samples recorded with a Gibson SG and a Shure SM57.
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Thanks to the battery-powered wireless age
and growing popularity of hybrid vehicles,
mining of lithium has become a booming
worldwide industry. Lithium, the lightest of
all metals, is also used in medical equipment,
fireworks, nuclear weapons, aircraft, and, at
last, battery-powered, tube-equipped guitar
amplifiers. Grid 1’s debut amp, the G1, is a
revolutionary device. Based out of Vallejo,
California, the company hopes to bring good
guitar tone to areas unreachable by extension
cords. In the G1, one could argue that
they’ve started with one of the most difficult
challenges—building a loud, battery-powered
amp with a tube preamp.
The Big Picture
The G1 is a surprisingly lightweight (40
pounds), two-channel 2x12 combo with a
preamp that uses a pair of unusual, mid-
20th century 1U4 portable-radio tubes. The
60-watt, class D digital power section is fed
by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that
will retain its charge for more four hours.
This relatively small, lightweight battery rests
in the bottom of the cabinet, nearly invisible,
and it can accept anywhere from 90 to 240
volts—which means you could charge it anywhere
in the world without hassle. A small
LED on the battery changes color to indicate
whether it’s charged or charging. The same
idea applies to the power jewel light on the
front panel.
The standard G1 comes with beige Tolex,
brown piping, and tweed grille cloth. The
amp looks sharp, though on the unit I tested,
the piping was loose on a few cabinet corners.
For guitarists who enjoy custom gear,
Grid 1 offers a variety of grille cloths, as well
as hardwood cabinet upgrades that include
beautifully stained maple, elm, bamboo,
birch, and mahogany. The amp’s lack of
speaker output jacks means you’ll have to do
a bit of rewiring to use your favorite extension
cabinets. But here’s a handy feature: The
G1 includes an effects loop, and its Send jack
doubles as a direct out. This allows you to
mate the distinctive 1U4 preamp tubes with
an external tube power amp of your choice.
The Tones
Volume-wise, the Grid 1 was able to amplify
my Gibson SG loud enough for small- to
medium-sized venues—and with very little
noise. The open-back cabinet comes loaded
with two Eminence Red Coat neodymium
speakers, and the included two-button
footswitch allows you to toggle between
the clean and overdrive channels, as well as
switch the G1’s analog, solid-state reverb
circuit on or off. I was only moderately
impressed with the reverb tone, which tends
to sound brittle and unnatural. However,
each channel features an independent reverb
level so you can set up contrasting sounds—
like a thick, clean ’verb and a barely wet
overdrive—and switch between them.