Product: Pignose Piggy-In-A-Box Head
Price Paid: 129.00 (Can (tax in))
Submitted
04/23/2006
at
08:16am
by
Matt V
Features
:
7
New (2006) amp/overdrive stompbox. It has a guitar input, a 5 watt speaker out, a preamp out, a footswitch for bypass (when used as a preamp/stopbox)or speaker mute when driving a speaker. A single knob on top adjusts volume and simultaneously adds fuzz. The knob is also a pull switch that adds high frequency to the sound. Runs on 6 AAA batteries. I bought this to use as a cheap and quiet (Ha ha) practice amp that i could also bring camping or busking. I had no intention of using it as a gigging amp or as a stompbox or effect. The rating reflects price and desired use. My only major beefs are the footswitch is too close to the knob so gigging with this would be hazardous to the units health, and the knob will easily pull off (see reliability.)
Sound Quality
:
10
I'm going to divide this section into 3 parts. Piggy as an amp driving a speaker, Piggy as a stompbox, Piggy as a preamp into a mixer for headphone practice.
Piggy driving speakers:
So far I have used this unit to drive a 1 x 12 cab with a celestion 70/80 speaker, a homemade cab with two 6" drivers in it that I took out of an old cerwin vega stereo speaker, and the 4 x 10 cabinet of my music man amp. I made the little cab specifically for this little box. If you are looking for clean sounds look elsewhere. If you are looking for 70's style overdrive or 60's style fuzz you've come to the right place.
Thru the 1 x 12 it almost keeps up with a Traynor YCV40. It's rediculously loud. I have to use an attenuator to practice quietly with it. thru the 2 x 6 cab it is quieter (but my wife still complains)and it gets really fuzzy. I love it. It's almost american woman tone/ ZZtop at the crunchiest. Great for soloing, almost useless for chords. No need to buy a germanium fuzz pedal anymore. thru the 4 x 10 it cleans up a bit and is not as loud as thru the 1 x 12 (I don't know why?) One issue is the pull knob does almost nothing when playing thru a cab only.
Piggy as a stompbox
It gets really really loud (tonnes of boost here)and crunchy as hell. Super for dirty blues and classic rock. Only problem is that i'll never use it in a live setting becaue I'll likely kick the pig's nose clean off.
Piggy as a preamp
Not it's srong suit. it has far too much bass, and just sounds like noise, not good OD at all thru the board into headphones. I've yet to try it thru PA speakers.
One last thing that I have discovered is that it can function as a speaker driver and a stompbox simultaneously. I let the pig drive the 4 x 10 cab of my musicman amp and the musicman drive the 1 x 12. Switched off i get the cleaner sound of the music man and swithced on all hell breaks loose. Amazing for a unit costing $85.00 USD This is probably not designed to be your everyday guitar tone, but for the moment it's becomming mine. I'm gushing I'll stop.
Reliability
:
5
Its a made in china thing so cheap construction and parts are expected. Plastic shaft on pot etc. At the price it's pretty much a disposable item if it breaks. I wish the designers had put the knob at the top of the box, and the footsitch at the bottom, and used a set screw to fasten the knob onto the shaft. I worry the leatherette covering will get scuffed up in a big hurry.
The batteries seem to last a very long time. I'm at about ten hours plus on my first set and they're still going.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
no opinion. Good website though
Overall Rating
:
8
I've started playing electric bass 19 years ago and switched to acoustic guitar about 12 years ago. 3 years ago i got seriously into playing electric. Of course I had dabbled before then. I mainly play blues and classic rock, a little Neil Young, some country... I love this little box. I'll keep it until it dies. i'm a typical electric guitarist on the eternal quest for tone, and I have a serious case of G.A.S. (gear aquisition syndrome.) This amp is really great at what it does - fuzz. I'm learning that it is better to have one great tone out of an amp rather than a whole bunch of medioker ones, and this falls into the former category. if i worked in a music store i'd suggest this as a first amp for all new wannabe rock guitarists.
