Pignose 7-200 HOG-20 Amplifier

Wouldn't you know it. I bought one of these amps for the times I wanted to play in a jam when all the mics were in use, so I was looking for an amp I didn't have to plug into an electric outlet. So now, I put it in my car along with my harmonicas, microphone and cables when I go out to play and since then I haven't needed to use it. The construction quality is very good, all the switches and controls seem robust. Anyhow I have played it at home and it does what it is supposed to do. It works, sounds good and looks cool. Maybe this week I'll get a chance to test it in the real world. I've used it with a Shaker Madcat mic and Danelectro reverb and it sounds "BAD". Can't wait to wail on it at my weekly jam. Update May 9,2011 I'm still using this amp lots and lots at weekly open mics and ocassionaly at small outdoor events. I have zero complaints and am happy with it.

This amp has a sound that rivals larger wattage and far more expensive models, yet it is small enough to be truly portable, (and it does come with rechargable batteries). True, other models offer more distortion, but if that is what you are after, a little amp is not what you are want anyway. There are many practice amps put there, but I have never heard one with sound that comes close to this Both my Gisbon SG and Washburn J-6 sound great with this tiny amp. I tend to play blues and jazz, and after almost two years, this little amp still impresses me with the richness and fullness of it sound. If I did not know what it was, I would think I had plugged my guitars into a much larger and more powerful amp. I also like the simplicity of this unit. No long row of nobs to mess with means that you can plug in, adjust the volume, tone and squelch, and you are playing.

Revised review: Replacement amp worked fine for a few, intermittent gigs. Then, yesterday, after being on charge for a while, ran for like two seconds. Charged overnight, plugged it in again, and wouldn't even run on the charger. Produced a whooping, oscillating noise in this case. Nice concept, but the build quality is garbage. Nice design and sound. 5 stars there. 0 stars for quality. Amp works for a while, then cuts out with a quiet "thump." Wait a while, it works again for a while, then dies again. Easy replacement process with Amazon, but things ought to work properly. Might have gotten 3 stars, but the charger circuitry is brain-dead, and the instructions note that if you leave it plugged in, it may over-charge and shorten the battery life. Really? For two bucks more they could have added the same sort of circuit that works on "normal" battery chargers to prevent over-charging. Also, the "squeal" function really doesn't do anything, and could have been left out.

I bought this for one specific purpose as I have two other combo amps. I often practice on my back deck where I don't have an electrical outlet in close proximity and even if I did I wouldn't want to drag a 60# box back and forth. In that context I'm not concerned about ultimate volume or even perfect tone control. It's pretty much about convenience and based upon my criteria this little amp is a winner. The positives are pretty clear; a single charge lasts for about 6 hours of playing time (Pignose claims 6 - 8 and I've found that to be pretty accurate) and the volume level is sufficient for practice or solo play, but isn't going to compete with a conventional amp regardless of power rating. Unlike the original Pignose, the "20" has some rudimentary tone contouring controls that give you some options, but essentially it's a slightly warm clean amp that you can fuzz up a little. Buskers working inside will more than likely find it sufficient, but outdoors a noisy street corner might be a little more problematic. Regardless, the ability to pick up a little box and plug in wherever is tremendously liberating and makes a Strat/LP/335 as travel worthy as an acoustic guitar. I can move from blues to jazz without skipping a beat, but as a performance tool it's much more limited. These are US designed but built and assembled in China. The overall construction quality looks robust, the controls don't feel cheap and it clearly looks like a product from the 60/70's; pretty cool with the brown grained vinyl covering. The only real downside to the amp is if you want to run it off AC you get some confusing instructions. Essentially you're only supposed to run the amp off the charged batteries (lots of multiple warnings about keeping the batteries charged up) and IF the batteries start to run down during a set you can plug in the charger and run the amp off the AC current, BUT WHEN FINISHED TURN OFF THE AMP AND LET IT RECHARGE. The problem is apparently the charging circuit doesn't allow the batteries to reach full charge and then dissipate excess juice when the amp is turned on. Not a problem for me, but might be if you're trying to use this as a full time playing amp. For me it's 5 stars and well worth the $116 I paid for it. If the AC operation or the sonic limitations are a problem for your use you may want to consider other options.

First let me say that the sound, portability, and design simplicity all get 5 starts. My unit arrive with a defective battery installation. (One battery was lose, its red lead was off and not crimped enough to stay connected, and the wood bracket was screwed in improperly, with the screws missing the wood just enough to split the wood.) But the 1 missing star is for the Amazon link. Having figured out the problems, I decided to go online and do an exchange. To my surprise the Amazon link simply said , "Hazardous material, cannot return". There was no link to chat or call, or e-mail on this page, so I repaired the unit (removed, then mounted the battery properly, crimped the red connector so it would hold properly, and drilled new holes in the wooded bracket and reinstalled it. If you are reading this and considering this purchase via Amazon, you may want to make sure you know where the Amazon "Contact" page is located, as I am sure they are willing advise you in some way. PS: love the sound of the unit.