Mojave Ampworks Coyote 112 Combo

Power Dampening from 12 watts to 1 watt. Two inputs high sensitivity and low sensitivity. Two preamp channels-bass and treble. One tone control. Mid cut and emphasis. 3 12AX7 preamp tubes and 2 EL84 power tubes. Heavy duty cabinet. Scumback 12" speaker. Power and standby switches. This amp is not a little bedroom amp. It is heavy as hell and built to last. It is also quite loud. You would be suprised how loud it is at 1 watt power dampening with the the bass and treble preamps set at 12 o'clock. It will shake all of the windows in a two story house from the basement with everything full bore.

Great blues and rock tones. Clean is good, but not crystal. My Boogie F-30 is much better clean. This amp has a unique voice and responds to single coils and humbuckers, allowing the guitar itself to shine through the amp. The amp is VERY quiet. If you are playing single coils and have it all set full bore, there is no hum. It's amazing. The mid emphasis and cut switch really changes the tone. You can get good country picking tones as well, but I am not a country player so check other reviews. The tone is very unique, and you can even get a bit of a reverb effect with certain settings. The massive heavy cabinet and the Scumback Speaker probably have something to do with that effect. I have never heard an amp with quite this sound. No high gain overdrive or endless sustain. This amp is best for blues, rock, and southern rock slide tones.

No failures.

E-mailed Mojave for tube recommendations and got a detailed response the same day. Says it all.

Very unique tone. This is an amp you keep and give to your kids. I am very happy with the amp and it has really helped my playing. I am getting more control of my tone and my fretting hand is not so lazy. You hear your mistakes loud and clear through this thing. I was looking for a high quality tube amp with a different tone than what you normally hear, and I found it. I also considered the Carr Mercury, Bad Cat Mini Cat II, and the EmerySOund Microbaby. I may still end up with a Microbaby because it is less powerful. You could gig this amp no problem.

For a comprehensive description of the Coyote's layout, see Nick's review below. My Coyote is a 2005 model, and has Mojave's new Power Dampening feature, which allows the player to dial in the power from the full 12 watts down to 1 watt. At 1 watt, the Coyote achieves useable home-volume levels - without degradation of the tone. The simplicity of the control layout makes dialing in sounds, or making adjustments on the fly, a breeze. An amp for players, as opposed to tweakers. On the designer's recommendation, I ordered my Coyote with the AlNiCo speaker option.

The Power Dampening, variable wattage feature works fantastically well. Germany actually has designated "quiet hours" in residential neighborhoods. I live in the end unit of a triplex, but I cannot crank the amp at any time; accordingly, the PD feature is terrific.
With the PD set to minimum, about 1 watt, I was rewarded with all of the amp?s cranked sweetness at a very modest volume. I experienced none of the loss of tone typical with attenuation or, God forbid, master-volume controls. Granted, at 1 watt the amp is pushing no air, and the aspect of speaker distortion or sweetening is not in effect, but nonetheless a very satisfying power tube distortion is available.

Naturally, I did open the Coyote up all the way for a trial. The low end achieved by the amp/speaker combination is amazing for a 12 watt, 1x12 combo! In fact, the amp has abundant low end, but little top end or sparkle, a dark-voiced amp for sure, hence, no ice pick tones from my tele. At 12 watts, the AlNiCo speaker responds with a rich, articulate roar. This is the quietest amp I?ve ever heard in a
dimed-control situation, testament to it?s great design.

Single channel, vintage-voiced amps like the Coyote are often labeled ?one trick ponies?. I do not find that to be the case with this amp at all. The two guitar inputs allow the player to choose between low and high sensitivity. While both inputs produce equivalent volume levels, the high sensitivity input effectively boosts the pickup?s
signal, with a corresponding increase in the amp?s gain. The additional midrange damp/boost switch yields two more voices. As with any quality tube amp, the Coyote cleans up beautifully when the guitar?s volume control is rolled back, great for a tele player! The clean tone is sweet-voiced as well, quite a bonus.

The Coyote takes stomp boxes very well indeed, but I hesitate to put any kind of dirt box in front of this amp; the amp?s tube overdrive is so vastly superior to any outboard device ? sweet, sweet sustain.

I am no EE, so cannot comment authoritatively on the amp's construction. However, Vic Mason has an excellent reputation in this regard, and I'm not remotely worried about the Coyote's reliability. Additionally, I have only just received the amp, so cannot offer any valid input here.

The so-called boutique industry is fortunately full of many individuals with superior customer service skills; Vic is no exception to this rule. He's very proud of his amps, and stands behind them. I found him extremely responsive when I was considering purchase and emailed questions to him. He has stayed in contact after delivery, and I have no doubt that he will continue to provide top-drawer customer service. Kudos!

I have been playing for 30 years. Over this time I have owned many, many amplifiers - Ampeg V4, Fender Super Reverb, Princeton Reverb, Vibrolux Reverb, Blues DeVille, Yamaha T50, VHT Pittbull 45, plexi clones; these are the ones I liked and used for a time - I owned and discarded a lot of others. The Coyote is as good as any of them, and delivers the tones I'm currently interested in producing in spades. A definite keeper. On the down side, this amp is not inexpensive. However, if you like Vox/Marsahll tones in a small club or recording amp, I highly recommend considering this one.

This is an update on my previous review.

I have spent a lot of time playing through my Coyote this past year and the more I use it, the more I love it! I was a bit pre-mature in my first review, I hadn't spent enough time with the amp and hadn't yet discovered it's 'sweet spot'. This amp is by far the best amp I have ever owned. It's tone is better than any amp I have ever heard. I play in Nashville and I get compliments on my tone quite frequently.

I have a nice little collection of amps, but they are all collecting dust because the Coyote is the only amp I want to play!

I just got this amp a few days ago and spent the weekend using it at a venue that holds about 1200 people [it was miked, of course].

This amp has a simple layout, which I like. I was apprehensive about the fact that it doesn't have a master volume control, but it doesn't need one. I liked the tone right away and found 'my' tone almost immediately. Plug in and play.

My only complaint about the amp's features is that the control panel is upside down. I assume it was originally made for a 'head' and Mojave uses the same panel on it's combos. Problem is, when you stand in front of the amp and look down at it, all the writing is upside down. It's not a big deal, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

I use a Strat with a Seymour Duncan 'Hot Rails' at the bridge and Fender 'Noiseless' at neck and middle. The Coyote LOVES the 'Hot Rails'! I ran my guitar through a Keeley modded 'Baked Tube Screamer' and it sounded fantastic. I was catching some nice, tight 'chunky' tones which were complimented with very controllable feedback whenever I wanted it. Very nice tone for rock and blues. When I used my single coils, it had a nice amount of breakup that cleaned up partially when I rolled off the volume. I was unable to get a strong, clean low end tone out of the amp. It falls a little flat on the low end, to my disappointment. I have a Dr. Z Maz Jr. to compare it to, and the low end is much better on the Z. However, I was quite pleased over all and will use the Coyote as my main amp. I especially like the punch it has and the fact that you can turn it up enough to get some natural distortion without getting too loud. That is the beauty of 12 watts, and that is why I chose the Coyote.

Victor Mason is a fantastic craftsman. This is the best built, best looking amp I have ever seen. I have had it less than a week, but I have never seen an amp built like this. I have talked to Victor on the phone and have found him to be a pleasant fellow who really loves what he does. I have every confidence that this amp will out last me and be passed down to my grandkids.

I assume that Victor would respond instantly to any problem or complaint, based on my experience talking with him.

Overall, I love the amp. I would not recommend it to someone who wants a very clean amp, but if you want some nice, natural tube breakup, this amp is worth considering. I paid $2100.00 for it and have gotten my money's worth.

The Mojave Amp Works OCoyoteO Review
by Nick Champlin

The Coyote
13+ watts, EL84/ECC83 circuit
Unit came in single 12 combo w/ Celestion G12H30 Anniversary Model speaker. Also available in amp head cab and 2x12 combo

I tested the amp with the following guitars:
Single coils
O58 Strat - maple neck (all original)
J. Black Masterbuilt Strat w/ rosewood fretbrd
O56 Tele - maple neck (all original)
Custom Shop Relic custom built O61 Tele w/ rosewood fretbrd
O56 Les Paul Jr (all original)

Humbuckers
O59 Les Paul Historic RI
O59 ES335 (all original)

Speaker configurations
single Celestion G12H30 Anniversary Model in combo
O68 Marshall 412 w/ G12H30 (all original)
2 / T.531 Blue VOX Alnicos in O62 AC30 cab (all original)
2 / T.531 Silver VOX Alnicos in O64 AC30 cab (all original)


OVERALL
The Coyote is a very uniquely designed low wattage amp with a lot of punch. This is certainly no bedroom amp. Because of it?s versatility and loudness it is easy to try and compare it with 30 and 50 watters, and forget that this is just a 13 watt amp. I found Voxes, Marshalls and even a few Fenders hiding inside this amp. Depending on the orientation of your own ears you will either hear more Marshall or more Vox as you dial in. The amp displays various tonal pallettes depending on the different guitars and speakers we used. I felt that the amp performed best overall as a combo through a pair of Vox/Celestion G12 Alnicos leaning towards more of a Vox characteristic. As a head I liked the the amp better through my O68 Marshall 412/G12H30s and in this configuration the amp wants to sound more Marshall-like. Both the 212 open-back combo and the 412 cab configurations significantly improved the Coyote?s ability to express itself tonally and spread out it?s sound. I felt that the single Celestion G12H30 Anniversary Model in the combo was limiting and fairly dark. The high output humbuckers did not do as well as the Fenders with this single speaker. More about that later.

THE LAYOUT
The first thing you?ll notice is the absence of a Volume control on the panel. I?ve never seen an amp designed like the Coyote. But once I became acclimated to the controls I loved it. In the minimalism of the Coyote?s design lies the perfect array of simple options for the quick adjustments needed in a performing amp. In combo form the panel sits in the top of the cab in a notch towards the rear just like an old Fender Tweed or Vox AC30. From the rear of the amp, here?s the Layout left to right:

PILOT LIGHT - red
POWER SWITCH - toggle
STANDBY SWITCH - toggle
TONE CONTROL - chicken head knob - decrease highs rotating clockwise
BASS CONTROL - chicken head knob - This is a BASS volume knob
TREBLE CONTROL - chicken head knob - This is a TREBLE volume knob
MID CUT SWITCH - toggle - In OONO position Mids are reduced
LOW INPUT - less gain to preamp
HIGH INPUT - more gain to preamp
Underneath the chassis in the rear of the amp are two speaker jacks; one for an 8ohm and one for a 16ohm load.

DIALING IN
By automatic habit I plugged into the High Input, assuming that the Low In was just a quieter version an probably useless. Boy was I wrong. While the Low Input had less gain it was by no means a lower volume, mousey version of the High input. I found many of my favorite tones in the Low Input. Since the Volume is actually set by the BASS and TREBLE controls and they dial in the overdrive as they are rolled up, this leaves the Hi and LO inputs as two true gain level options with the HI input providing the thicker overdrive and the LO providing a Vintage OD. To my delight, the LO input was about as loud as the HI and just offered a less aggressive gain structure. For example, in the LO input, using my CS O61 Tele, with both the BASS & TREBLE volumes set at 12 o?clock, I discovered some of my favorite Vox Vintage Rock tones. By beginning to separate the BASS & TREBLE controls and play with the Mid Cut switch a bit, you can experiment and actually find some Black Face Pro Reverb and Tweed Deluxe type sounds. In this general vicinity the Humbuckers on the Les Paul and the ES335 were gorgeous sounding. From this point, as you roll the BASS & TREBLE controls clockwise from 12 o?clock you begin to lose the Fender tones and move into Marshall territory. At about 75% of the BASS & TREBLE volumes I detected JTM45s and late era Plexi-type tones when using the Coyote with my 412 cab. From that point, rolling up to 100% my Tele actually starts to sounding like Alvin Lee or early Clapton with a ES335. The real ES335 just nails it. Through the AC30 cab with 2 Alnicos the Lo input provides wonderful vintage tones and the Mid Cut in this configuration is very noticeable, allowing the humbuckers to become much more articulate when engaged in the Cut position.

Moving to the Hi input I found the Coyote produces much thicker and darker tones. You?re definitely out of Vox territory and into Marshall world and the amp actually starts kicking you like a mini Super Lead with it?s hardened edge. Bear in mind that this is an EL84 circuit attempting to produce Marshall-like tones. So when you hear these sounds produced by the actual loud Marshalls it?s easy to forget that you?re dealing with a very low wattage amp that can?t produce the SPLs that a 50 or 100 watt Marshall can. In spite of the fact that the Coyote isn?t going to move the air that the big boys can, it does a good job of providing these tones at lower levels. This is why I recommend using it w/ a 412 cab if you want the Marshall sounds in a live band situation. You need the 412 to get the amp out in front of the mix and spread the sound out. This will only work in a relativel small venue (approximately 100 - 150 people) at moderate levels mind you; but it?s amazing that a 13 watt amp can compete in this environment at all. And the Coyote does an excellent job of it. The Les Paul I used had high output DiMarzio pups and and needed the Mid Cut set to the In position and the BASS volume set about 3 steps lower than the TREBLE volume, to thin out some of the grind in favor of articulation.

ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS
TONE CONTROL - This control is out of the circuit turned all the way to the left. It works very gradually as you rotate clockwise and I usually did not engage it except when using Strats.

STRATS - The Strats liked the Coyote with a bit more mustard on the controls and dialed into the higher gain levels. Bear in mind that the 2 Strats we used both had vintage type low output pups. But it was with the single coil Fenders that I really noticed the classic vintage Marshall tones. With the TREBLE volume up full and the BASS around 75% the Strat pulled a nice JTM45 out of the Lo input and a hard driven 50w Plexi out of the Hi input. I had a lot of fun with my Strat in all 5 pup positions and the bridge position was very pleasantly punchy and full.

DRIVE PEDALS - The only Drive device I tried was a Crowther HotCake since this pedal was

I was sent this amp by the manufacturer to review so I only had it for about two weeks. However, this amp is built like a tank with no expense spared in using the best components. I think you could easily haul this amp to a gig w/o worrying about a failure. Of course, you may want to have a B/U in case someone steals it.

MOJAVE Amp Works is a division of the Plexi Palace. I have a couple JMI AC30s from them and once your a customer you're family!

See above.

This is one of a series of brand new amps (2001) from Mojave Ampworks http://www.mojaveampworks.com/. Since the model I am reviewing is a prototype, there will be additional appointments that are not currently on this amp. Those appointments are purely cosmetic from what I understand.

The amp is a 15 watt 1x12 combo utilizing 2 EL-84 power tubes and a Celestion 30 watt speaker. There is only one channel, unless you count a low and high input as separate channels (I don't). However, with a Y-cord, you can bridge the two inputs together. There is no FX loop, or headphone jack and only 3 knobs (Bass, Treble and Tone). What is unique about the bass and treble knobs are they are actually bass and treble volume knobs, which is a first for me. The tone knob is really a tone cut, similar to that on a Vox AC-30. Additionally there is a mid-cut switch that takes a bit of the mids out and gives particular guitars better clarity and maybe a bit less bass.

Surprisingly, this amp is one of the most versatile amps I've ever used. Though it is simple, the controls interact very well with each other and can bring the amp from one of the most beautiful, sparkling clean tones to a roar with just a twist of a knob. Since there is no channel switching you will need to rely on the volume control of your guitar to roll back and clean up the sound, which worked brilliantly on each guitar I tried it on.

I play a variety of styles, but most of my playing is in the rock genre. The guitars I used through the Coyote so far are a '73 Les Paul Goldtop with mid-60's patent # humbuckers, a Don Grosh Retro Classic Strat, Fender Nashville Deluxe Tele, Dano Baritone and a custom Warmoth Strat with Burns Trisonic pickups. Every guitar exhibited a differet tone from this amp. There wasn't a single guitar that sounded the same, but the true character of the guitars really came through.

For a 15 watt amp, this thing screams. The construction of the cabinet is built as an open back so the tone really opens up as it gets louder. What is most amazing about the sound is that it is totally ballanced and never harsh. You can stand in front of it with it full up and it won't tear your ears off (very unlike a Fender Twin or Marshall of just about any type). The amp is just full and lush with a character somewhere between a Vox and a Marshall, but really voiced in a unique way. I believe that this amp will be used a lot in studio recordings since it sounds so good even at lower volumes. You don't have to crank it to get the gain going, but it definately gets fuller as it gets louder. What I like the best about it is the ability to mix in a bit more treble volume for clarity while keeping the bass volume up a bit higher. It's very unique.

The amp is built completely by hand with absoultely beautiful workmanship. All point-to-point wiring as well, no circuit boards at all. It's built like a tank and I can imagine it would hold up very well, but since I've had it for a short period of time there is no way I can say for sure. The amp did rattle a bit when I first got it, but later I found that the on/off switch was rattled a bit loose in shipping. Once it was tightened up, the amp was rock solid.

I've dealt with Victor Mason on a variety of purchases (both a '63 Vox AC-30 and a '73 Marshall Superlead). He and his business are of the highest caliber, and he is one of very few people who will take the time to plug in and play his amps over the phone for you if you want to hear what you're buying. Besides that, he's a super player and he knows his tone!

I've been playing for 20 years and I've never encountered an amp like this. I've owned just about every type of tube amp there is and I would buy one of these in an instant. In fact, I'll probably end up selling my Superlead to afford the purchase of the Coyote.