Clark Amplification Lil' Bit

Mine is a 2008 version that I bought new. It is 5W through a 12" Weber Alnico speaker. Two inputs (hi & lo) and a volume knob. That's all there is and that's all it needs. There is a cool switch in the back to allow for more gain. This is especially useful at lower volumes.

Michael Clark does the Fender tweed reproductions better than anyone else. I am a fan of the tweed and Tele combination and mostly play my Tele Dlx or G&L ASAT Bluesboy through it using the hi input. It also shines with Strats and sometimes I'll use it with a Michael Tuttle Custom 54 Strat. Surprisingly, at least to me, it also does well with humbuckers and sounds great with the PRS Custom 22 & my 1970 LP Custom. The amp is wonderfully responsive to pick attack and to the volume and tone controls on your guitar. Most any guitar can be dialed in with this amp. The 12" speaker gives adequate bottom end.

No problems with the amp itself. Mine arrived with a noisy rectifier tube but Clark Amps replaced it right away and this was not the fault of the amp itself. The amp is built solidly and the hand wiring looks great. I foresee no problems.

I spoke mainly with Jonas who did a great job of troubleshooting the problem mainly via email and voicemail. Once we got to the bottom of the rectifier tube issue, they sent me a new tube immediately. They even sent me a NOS tube for the replacement. Nice.

I've been playing for 31 years and split my playing time between electric and acoustic music. This is a great studio or practice amp. With 5W you're not going to be using it for live gigs unless the venue is small or you have no drummer or you mic the amp. I love the thing around the house. I mostly don't use effects, but occasionally will use an HBE analog delay. The amp breaks up smoothly and predictably. It's not the cheapest 5W tweed replica out there but it is the best.

Custom ordered 5F1 tweed Champ chassis housed in a larger 5E3 tweed Deluxe style cabinet. The speaker is a WeberVST 12A100T (P12R with ribbed cone). NOS USA tubes, custom transformers, Jensen paper and foil caps, etc. It basically doesn't have any features other than it turns on, gets loud, and sounds damn good.

Has an authentic old school vibe. I've played a bunch of the old small tweeds over the years (Champs, Princetons, Harvards). Somehow this newer Clark seems just as old in most respects. The sound is right but, more importantly, the feel is right. If you like the old small tweeds, you know what I'm getting at.

This amp gets a pretty good workout everyday, usually with a Klon pounding the front end. Been well over a year with no problems whatsoever. Nine years or so left on the warranty.

Great people. Been dealing with them for a long time now.

Wouldn't change a thing, definetly my current favorite Clark amp. The Lil'Bit gets significantly more play time than my larger Clarks, mainly for practical reasons. But I really enjoy it for the small vintage tweed vibe that it captures so incredibly well. Fun little amp.

Brand-new 2003 Lil Bit I ordered in a custom green-stained tweed. I call it the Lil Hulk. This is not a multifeatured amp. You plug in your guitar. You turn it on. You adjust volume (more on that later). Two inputs (normal and bright). If wounderful simplicity is a feature, I'd giver a 10. But today's modern kid players wouldn't consider this featured-packed. Rated at 3 watts, which makes it perfect for home and studio. Ear-saving tone monster.

Have so far used this little miracle with: Tom Anderson Hollow T refitted with Kinman Tele pups; Tuner Model T with Turner horseshoe pup; Sadowsky Classic Strat; 1974 Fender Strat with Harmonic Design single coils and Z90 in bridge; Heritage 150CM with high-end Heritage humbuckers; JET Earlewood refitted with Voodoo humbuckers; Paradox Mtn. Strat (swamp ash body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard) fitted with Kinman Woodstock single coils; ZVex Drip with Hot Rails. I think that gives this amp a diverse enough bunch of pups for a fair test.

This amp speaks like an angel that can't help but tell the truth. It is very sensitive to the tone and volume controls on the guitar. By playing with the very interactive volume control on the amp you will find the perfect sweet spot for every guitar you own -- and you will find a sweet spot. The Lil Bit will also show you which guitars are true tone machines and where the weaknesses are in each instrument. I'll never buy another guitar (and right now I've got just under 20) without bringing the Lil Bit along. It will expose a dead or dull guitar. It will make a truly great guitar blossom.

Clean and dirty tones are more a function of the pups you use with this amp, though once you got in the 9 - 12 zone on the Lil Bit you get some beautiful overdrive. My amp's sweetest, loudest spot is at 10; between 10 and 12 seems to actually decrease a tad and nice, thick distortion becomes the rule.

Only had the amp a short time, so can't say specfically on this one yet, but I do have two other Clarks, a Tyger and a Hampton, which are remarkably built (as is this Lil Bit). I don't anticipate any problems with this. Clark in general gets a very high rating for reliability. This "10" is for Clark products. Will adjust if there are any issues with the Lil Bit.

I've had great support from Bob and Perfect Note (you'll order yours through him if you're so inspired -- and damn if you shouldn't be), Mike, and Teresa. Very knowledgeable. Very caring. Very responsive.

I've been playing for five years. I've got two great Alessandro heads; a Tone King Imperial; a 1950 Gretsch 8 watt combo; Clark Lil Bit, Hampton, and Tyger; 2 vintage Hiwatt Custom 50s; Brown Soun Tone Tubby cabinet; Marshall Cab with pre-Rola Greenbacks; Bogner 2X12; Custom cab with Fane AXA 10s; too many guitars to mention here. Have owned a bunch of other stuff I've sold off.

Nothing compares with my three Clarks. Nothing. And when I can't crank by Hampton or Tyger, my Lil Bit gives me comfort. If you record at home, play clubs where you can mike your amp and send out to a PA, or just want to practice and give your ears a rest from excessive volume but not great tone, you must have a Lil Bit.

This amp, as the other reviewers have pointed out, is not one you buy for features. It is one you buy to get a brand new "Fender Tweed Champ", and maybe even a bit better. One channel, two inputs, one knob (on/off/volume), a fuse, a lamp, tubes and a speaker. Hand wired with NOS or like original components. A 9 because it's not "very versatile".....it's not supposed to be.

I use it with any guitar. It's a "Fender" amp, so its sound was originally intended to go with those guitars, but it sounds great with LPs and Gretsches and Rics too. You can get beautiful clean tones through it....not heavy on the bass but it's only an 8" speaker in a very small cab, so what would you expect? And some amps put out TOO MUCH bass for me anyway (my Vibrolux.....turn the bass to 0 and it's still too bassie). And it's overdrive sounds are very sweet and harmonic, especially with humbuckers. With a tremelo pedal and a little reverb it really comes to life.

It's hand made, so you can look at it as delicate, or built to last. I'm betting the latter. I've swapped tubes, but only because I like to experiment with different tubes (NOS only.....they DO make a difference....that Vibrolux I mentioned above...it's the "Custom Reissue.....talk about snap crackle and pop from the tremelo/reverb circuits....I put in NOS preamp tubes, according to Mike Kropotkin's recommendations on his web site, and the Rice Krispy effects went TOTALLY away!!! Groove Tubes are, to me, not worth the $ saved...NOS all the way)
Sorry, this is a Clark review, isn't it? I think it's tuff, just like the original Champs

Bob at the Perfect Note was helpful. I find that Michael Clark is difficult to get in touch with and does not return emails. I had a few questions about the amp after I got it; Bob responded, Michael did not. I had hoped to get a cover for it, but have never heard back from either on that question.

I am VERY pleased with the amp itself. It sounds, looks, smells (yeah, smells, so?!?!), works wonderfully, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Would I buy another? I dunno; probably, although I have a silverface VibroChamp that is almost as nice and has the vibrato, and a blackface Princeton Reverb that has both reverb and vibrato, and is REALLY sweet too. I like the size and simplicity of the Li'l Bit, and am very happy with it, though. Michael Clark makes WONDERFUL amps, as Guitar Player and Noel Gallagher and others have said. You can't go wrong if this is what you're looking for. I just feel a bit let down about the customer indifference....maybe it's because it's the least expensive amp, or I'm not a famous player and never will be. But objectively, it is a fantastic little amp.

First of all, I am giving this amp a 10, not because of the features it has. This amp is a replica of a 50's tweed Fender Champ amp. To add new features, or to change specifications, in my opinion, detracts from, the purpose of making an amp like this to begin with.
That said, this amp is so beautifully made, that it could be considered art. Perfect finger joined pine cabinet (what a wonderful smell!) Correct colored laquered tweed, point to point wiring, NOS tubes, capacitors, wiring, one Weber VST 8" speaker.
Amp is rated at 3 watts which make it perfect for recording and practice. I have also found an additional use. This is the first amp I have played my electric acoustic through, that sounds like preserves the acoustic guitars sound. So... I have brought it to a couple of small coffee house gigs (where volume is not a concern).
I mainly play blues these days, and the amp is perfect for that. Original Champs are one of the most recorded amps ever, and I do not doubt, that when coupled with various effects, you could get any number of cool tones out of the amp. I myself favor just the pure overdrive with the amps volume set to 8-9.

As I mentioned above, this amp has a great bluesy tone, at low volumes. I can practice all night, and not have ringing ears the next morning. My favorite guitar through this amp is my Gibson '54 reissue goldtop. The P90's sound wonderful, full, with plenty of singing sustain. My Tele and Strats also sound great. The amp does seem to favor single coils over humbuckers, which shouldn't surprise anyone, since it is based off the original Fender design.
Amp itself is very quiet, and begins to break up around 5-6 on the volume control. By the time you hit 8-9 you are in blues heaven! I have never been a big fan of pedals, and this amp does not need any. By setting the volume on the amp, then using your guitars volume control, you can go from rhythm to lead distortion levels quite nicely. I wouldn't classify the distortion as brutal at all, very sweet, and singing.

Never had any problems. Just get a second set of tubes, and you should be all set. This amp is built to stay in the family for several generations!

I wish I could rate this higher than 10! This is really a two part operation... Bob at the Perfect Note, handles the retail transaction. And Michael Clark builds the amps by himself. Bob is a great guy to deal with, he is patient, helpful, and you can tell by his follow ups that he is a man with a lot of passion for selling quality musical equipment. I purchased this amp from the original buyer who was moving up to a larger Clark amp, and Bob handled all of the details of our transaction.
As for Michael, after the amp arrived, I called to order a second set of tubes for the amp, and he was very helpful. When one of the tubes he sent out was over heating (heck it was made back in the 50's!), he quickly sent out a couple more to try. I have not had any major troubles, but am certain that if I needed help he would make sure I was taken care of.

Before buying this amp, I was considering the purchase of an Tweed Fender Champ from I believe '59 or '60. Boy am I glad that I went with the Clark! It has all of the tone, none of the problems, and with proper care should be with me until I leave this earth!
I love the amp so much that I have an order in for a Tyger amp which at 30 watts will be my main gigging amp when it arrives.
If it were lost or stolen I would probably break down in tears. Insurance would cover the replacement cost, but the wait on one of Michaels amps is currently 9 months - a year. But I would take my place at the end of the line and place another order.
I currently gig with a Matchless DC/30 which will be going on mothballs once my Tyger arrives. I usually play my '54 reissue Les Paul or '52 reissue Tele when playing out.

This amp does not have many features, except AMAZING TONE. The Lil Bit is a straightforward amp with one volume knob which also turns the amp on and off. The Lil Bit is a single ended Class A Cathode biased amp housed in a finger jointed solid pine cabinet that puts out a sweet 3 watts through a 4 Ohm MojoTone AlNiCo Speaker. The amp has a tube compliment of 1 6V6, 1 12AX7, and 1 5Y3 tube rectifier.

Amazing! My Grosh Retro Classic with Fralins sounds killer through this amp! Everything sounds great, but positions 2 and 4 are where this combination really shines. I play classic rock and blues and this amp is well suited for both styles. I do use a Klon Centaur Overdrive Pedal to get a little more grit from the amp, but the TONE is already coming from the amp. This amp will deliver the goods at low volumes. Perfect for the house, apartment, and studio. The amp breaks up at around 4-5 on the 12 position volume knob (depends on pickups, setup). The distortion is sweet and defined. Clean tone is 3D. Tone is definetely classic Tweed Fender.

Not Applicable. Have had the amp for only 3 months, however, I play 2-3 hours a day, 6-7 nights a week, and have had no problems thus far. Judging from the top notch workmanship and quality components, I do not foresee any problems with reliability.

Bob (The Perfect Note) and Michael Clark are real friendly guys who go out of there way to make sure you get what you want. I have dealt with Bob on a number of occasions and have always been extremely satisified with the way he has helped/treated me. These gentlemen stand behind their product, so I have no doubt that they would work with me.

If this amp were lost or stolen, I would definitely buy another Clark Lil Bit. I can get the tone I desire at low volumes without the risk of getting evicted or getting tinnitus. It is easy to transport, doesn't take up much space, and most importantly of all, makes me want to play. In my opinion, this is the way to go if that Fender Tweed Champ sound is what you desire. Enough said.