In 2022 Himmelstrutz Elektro Art dived into the amplifier world and made a quite different amp named ”8”. This was an analog & complete guitar amplifier of 8 watts @ 8 Ω with Bass, Mid, Treble & Volume controls with a serial effects loop—in a classic ”MXR” sized pedal format! That's it and this was probably the most real amplifier around at this time (sound- and feel-wise), suitable for very inspiring recordings and extreme practicing; imagine that old king Marshall Plexi but smaller, a short description would be it has clean, sparkling sounds on lower volumes and roaring, sustaining sounds @ higher volumes which cut through so well in any musical mix. Simply irresistible.
What we didn’t know by then was that some dudes need more than 8 watts & one more important function in an amp while still being analog and thereby the Gnome (current working name) project started.
This amp is of the same size as the great little 8 / = 115 x 62 x 55 millimeters, still an analog solid state beast in the physical form of a tiny pedal. And this our new model can handle effect pedals even better than the 8, if even possible, and also a switchable DIRT (overdrive) channel has been added, in form of one knob named “DIRT” in case you don’t have a great sounding overdrive pedal in your pocket. This means GNOME is easy to use—only 5 knobs instead of 18 or 30 and 1 switch instead of so many more. Less is!
Just as 8 this amp is built with an all discrete Class A pre amplifier (with a serial effects loop) and a Mosfet power amp delivering 25 to 30 watts @ 8 Ω which makes this rock n' roll filthy animal LOUD. It’s time to rethink the old fashioned Valve Empire and take a huge step forward!
The GNOME is designed and assembled in Sweden—the foundation of all Himmelstrutz products—by the same guy who started this company in 2004.
Himmelstrutz Gnome is THE perfect complement / a great pedal platform for any of the Himmelstrutz pedals available. May also be suitable for other well designed pedals out there; though remember no chain is stronger than its weakest link, meaning a bad sounding pedal, which is easy to find in the huge available pedal jungle, will make even a good sounding amplifier sound bad!
Them good old valve amplifiers have been popular among musicians for about 7 decades and still are. The reasons for this are many; but in particular because of the sound, the feel and also the looks!
There's been many times when these good old valves (old fashioned) have been challenged to be replaced by more modern gadgets based upon solid state technology = transistor solutions or integrated circuits. A few times it's been not all bad, but most of the times we have heard / felt something important and deep is missing: the sparkle, the glass, the tactile dynamics so typical in them musical valves which for sure is tough to replace or even to compete with!
No way! In 2022 Himmelstrutz Elektro Art decided to give it a go and started with a remarkable amplifier project which came to be the Himmelstrutz 8, an 8 watt guitar / bass amplifier, this time—again!—to be compared to and compete with the great valve amplifiers!
What we didn’t know, while developing Himmelstrutz 8, was that some users needed even more power (+ more functions but still preferred a 100% analog amp and still simple) and thereby the Gnome project was started…
As Himmelstrutz 8 is a complete guitar / bass amplifier (preamp + power amp) it means voltage & current is needed to drive the speakers (=power) which makes you hear the sound. The possibility to drive these speakers, which in Himmelstrutz 8 is performed by an all discrete Class A / B Mosfet power amplifier means some **idle power / heat / waste is also generated—Himmelstrutz 8, a Hellraiser!
** To minimize this idle power, for the environment / to save energy as good as we can Himmelstrutz 8 has an all original Himmelstrutz Auto Standby function which makes this gangsta automatically get into Standby mode = asleep / switched off / no waste / no heat if the performer don’t play the instrument for about 90 seconds. This way the amplifier will get cold / quiet also if the performer (probably you) fall asleep or slip away for 3 years of Holidays In The Sun!
If you plan to place Himmelstrutz Gnome on your pedalboard and want to use a suitable pedal board power supply we have 3 neat suggestions for you.
1. CIOKS DC7 (has 24V DC/2A)
2. EVENTIDE POWERMAX (has 24V DC/2A)
3. STRYMON ZUMA (has 24V DC/1.5A)
You also need 2 wires to make the connections (centre plus) from the power supply to Himmelstrutz 8, for example:
A. Cioks L0110
B. Cioks 2030
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