gabriel

Growing up behind the Iron Curtain was a major inconvenience for aspiring rockers and tone-seekers alike. The flood of innovative electrified equipment in the west, and the records that musicians made with it, were subject to strict import regulations and therefore difficult to access. Maybe that’s why Gabriel Bucataru, who moved to the United States from Romania in early 2000, has unleashed such a raw, spirited line of rock-oriented amplifiers. His latest is the Stinger, a point-to-point, seven-watt beast with switchable EL84 and 6V6 power tubes for instant metaphorical leaps across the Atlantic. The Stinger’s unique visuals and funky vibe make it a conspicuous new participant in the low-wattage boutique combo category, and we were eager to discover whether this wasp is docile or primed to attack.

A Bee in Your Bonnet
Like its bigger brothers the V18 and V33, one of the Stinger’s defining features is a black and yellow color scheme, which varies slightly in this case by the addition of a finely applied blond tolex that covers the hand-jointed Baltic birch cabinet. Top it off with a woven natural fiber grill and pulsating green Magic Eye VU Meter, and these elements result in a surprisingly fresh vintage look that is bound to draw double takes on any stage. The main control plate is an uncluttered, user-friendly array of knobs with an irreverent design sensibility. The Stinger offers Hi and Lo inputs labeled Intrusion, a Volume control labeled Rock, a Tone knob labeled Thump, an Accent control that juices the preamp gain, and the Yank/Brit switch for on-the-fly power tube selection.