Horn Speaker and Amplifier
Please call 773.489.4830 or email info@specimenproducts.com to discuss details and make arrangements for your commission.
Have you ever wanted your Twin Reverb to break up the same way a little Tweed Champ does? Do you wish your small combo amp had usable stage volume? It seems like an impossibility, but with the Specimen Horn Amp you can bridge these gaps and bring the delicious sound quality of a single power tube into an arena previously reserved for higher power push-pull amps.
- Circuit
Single-ended
- Tubes
12AX7 pre-amp, 6V6 single-ended output, Silicon Rectifier in Full Wave Bridge
- Controls
Volume knob
- Power
8 watts, Class A
- Speaker
8" Custom-made speaker
- Other Features
1/8" thick phenolic terminal board with nickel-plated turrets
Aluminum and phenolic chassis panels
All chassis-mounted tube sockets, 1/4" input jack, potentiometers, and switches
Finger-joined pine cabinet with cellulose nitrate lacquer finish
This amplifier was under development for quite a while. After a variety of encouraging experiments with small prototypes employing tiny drivers, the design was enlarged to accommodate a six-inch driver loading a 24-inch horn. The results are astonishing. Not only is the Horn Amplifier perfect for guitar, but also for difficult to amplify instruments such as the harmonica, banjo, and violin. They are more manageable, clear, and can attain higher volume without the associated feedback.
The circuit is Specimen’s standard 8-watt Petimor model rearranged into the cube-like base. A six-inch, full-range speaker faces upward and loads a 24-inch octagonal horn made from specially impregnated cellulose finished with nitrate.
If you have never before heard the microscopic detail lurking within your archtop acoustic guitar, the Horn Amp is your sonic magnifying glass. When playing through it, tiny sounds become naked. There is a rapid sound delivery and a touch sensitivity that lends itself beautifully to the string. Broad, loud chords are delivered with defined clarity.
This unit is available as a combo amp or simply as a speaker unit to be used with your own power source.
“I must congratulate and thank you again. I have had the amp going almost everyday. It is truly amazing. The tone I get can not be matched by any of my other amps. The sound comes out of the horn smooth, warm and rounded which is perfect for my harmonica playing. I seem to have more control over sound shaping than with any other amp. I can keep it smooth or break it up any time I want without adjusting the volume level. It takes the bottom end to a new level as well.”
—Morry Sochat, owner
