Tungsten Amplification Mosaic Combo

I bought this amp used for $650, which is what a new one costs. In a nutshell, this is the best amp I ever owned. I've been playing for about 22 years.

It has 2 inputs, a volume knob with an on off switch, a light, a little 8 inch speaker, and a nice looking cab with a handle. That's it, except for a few tons of some kind of magic mojo. For the life of me, I can't figure out why this thing sounds so incredible.

It sounds breathtaking. Phenomenal. Fantastic. Amazing. Mind blowing. Saturated with tone. Beyond description. It sounds as good, no wait - even better than sex feels. I'm not kidding.

Every time I play, I compare it to getting a hole in one, winning the lottery, meeting the perfect woman and having her fall all over you - all at once.

It goes from clean to crunchy faster than you can say "clean to crunchy." The tiny little 8 inch speaker must have a big ego, because even though I've always played through 12s and 15s, this little guy is more responsive and more ballsy than the big guys.

I tried this at a friend's house and knew right away that I would buy it no matter what he wanted for it. I could have bought a new one for the same price, but I knew that no other amp in the world could cook up tone like this little lunchbox size tone machine. I God was going to buy an amp, he'd buy mine.

After 3 weeks, I have no idea as to its reliabilty. Its a simple 5F1 design and looks well built. If it breaks, I'll get it fixed.

It was built right from the get go, so no worries about customer support.

I don't understand what there is about this amp, but the HC drop down boxes only go up to 10, and this little tone lunch box deserves more. I'll keep it forever.

This is a well done reproduction of the Fender Narrow Panel Champ 5F1 circuit made between 1955 and 1964. It has a beefier output transformer and a 12 inch speaker. It has high and low gain inputs, and the volume knob controls both volume and gain. It is as simple as an amp can be, and its simplicity gives it a charismatic character. It has a specially designed, Weber-built T12Q speaker (discussed below) and takes a 6V6 or 6L6 power tube, any preamp tube, and several types of rectifiers. Its output is between 5 and 9 watts depending on tube combinations.

Its strength is combining the natural, uncorrupted sound of your guitar with the harmonics of power tube saturation at lower volume levels, which makes it perfect for playing at home, jamming, and recording. It breaks up in the most perfect way, and produces an even and natural sounding power tube saturation or overdrive. By varying the volume levels and changing the string attack, this amp generates a healthy variety of juicy, dirty tones. It???s great for rock, equally great for blues, and yet, produces clean tones with an impressive, ringing quality.

The cabinet is made of clear (no knot) pine, which is tough to find. The tweed is perfectly applied with immaculate seams, corners, and diagonals, and the lacquer gives it a quality, vintage appearance. Even at low volumes, you can feel the cabinet resonate if put your feet on it as you play (Yep - it doubles as a footstool), and the resonance contributes to the overall tone.

One of its best features is that it amplifies your playing dynamics, so that your guitar becomes really responsive to your string attack. With the volume set to the edge of its breakup point (about 6 or so with single coils), a soft touch gives clean, harmonically rich, balanced chords, a harder attack puts some grit on the lower notes, and a really hard attack gives sweet, overdriven crunch with some compression, so that single notes are thick, juicy and dirty. The better your control over playing dynamics, the better it responds. Changing the guitar volume or tone knobs by just one number makes a noticeable difference too.

I play mostly classic rock and blues and use no effects (not even reverb). I use guitars with humbuckers and single coils and with either, the sound quality is amazing. I sit back, put my feet on it like a footstool, and hypnotize myself for hours at a time. For perspective, consider this: To avoid distraction, I once gave my credit card to my sweetie and sent her shoe shopping, and this is something that I have never even thought of doing with any other amp.

Ive been playing for 38 years, and was playing the pricer Victoria version of this amp (the Victoria 5112). The Mosaic Plus surpasses the Victoria 5112 for three reasons.

First, the Mosaic Plus is super quiet for a tweed, whereas the Victoria 5112 is noisy (lots of hiss, pops, crackles). Second, the Weber-built T12Q that Adam Palow of Tungsten Amps designed has some sort of magic that makes it seem almost alive, and in compassion, the Italian made P12N reissue in the Victoria seems lifeless and is nothing like the good old, American made Jensens. Third, the Mosaic allows some tube substitution, which makes it easier to find good NOS tubes, and also allows more control over tone and responsiveness.

The Fender 5F1 is the most classic, time proven circuit ever made, and even with the original cheap 1950s components can last 50-plus years. The Mosaic Plus has precision components and with its excellent workmanship, is truly a lifetime amp.

I ordered this amp from Gruhn Guitars in Nashville (in December, 2007 for $850) but spoke with Adam Palow of Tungsten a few times before and after I bought it. He is passionate about amps and speakers, and gave me a lot of useful information. He seems like an honest guy who will stand behind his word and his amps, and this seems far better than a fancy warranty from a large company.

I'm not into writing reviews about my guitar stuff, but this is an exceptional amp that easily deserves deserves the 10s I've given it. This amp offers straightforward, well done simplicity at a reasonable price. It is a great amp, quiet or dimed. Ive owned a few small tweeds over the years (2 tweed Champs, a tweed Princeton, a Harvard, and some modern reproductions). Somehow this newer Mosaic Plus seems to have a more authentic, old school vibe, and a charismatic character. The sound is right but, equally important, the feel is right. If you like the old small tweeds, you know what I mean.

built 2006 versatility:built for harp, but is fine with guitar. I wouldn't really call it versatile, it is for blues harp. one channel, two inputs. it has one control, on/volume. it has direct out. I don't really wish it had any other features, I like it's simplicity. I use it with my blues band in rehersal studio, I will be using it on gigs. this is a tube amp, much like a tweed champ, with a few changes for harp use.

This is a harp amp, so I am using it with various microphones. works very well with custon turner mic which has controlled magnetic element. Also works well with shure ceramic. It totally suits my music style, it really has that blues harp tone, by the bucketfull. It is not noisy at all, you can turn it up to about 8-9, depending on what mic(goes to 12). after that you will just feedback, the common problem for all harp players no matter what amp you use. This one is more resistant to feedback than most othere I have experienced.Now here is the good part. The tone. Without a doubt the best harp tone I have ever achieved. This is the big deal, the tone. That fat, growling, wailing, greasy blues tone. Not really much variety, you just want what this amps got.

I haven't had it long enough to know, but it is built with top notch components by a guy who knows his stuff.

Extremely personal service, we communicated back and forth to get the details I wanted. Prompt and friendly customer service. This is a custom made amp. I have not yet had any repair issues, but tungsten has done other service for me and they are professional and technically skilled.

I have been a musician, guitar, harp and hammond organ for 40 years.I have more tube amps than I care to name, all good, desireable amps.I would definately replace it. I love the tone, the portability and the simplicity. I also really like the look. I don't hate anything about the amp, but all harp players hate feedback. Comparisons were tweed deluxe, tweed 3-10 bandmaster, tweed bassman, two different 18watt gds, the tungsten is superior in tone, by a long way, but the other amps are really guitar amps. I will use the tungsten and mic it if necessary, for the tone I want.

I got the Mosaic to use as a practice amp, and now I am putting it into my live setup. I play a custom Cripe with Super 2's, and the overdriven growl of the Mosiac is just the perfect distorted tone I have been looking for. What Palow has done is nothing short of amazing. Being in Chicago, I get the best of the best in blues, and this baby can stand the test. Now if I could only get my harp player to give it back!

I A-B switch it. When practicing, the clean tones are sweet. I love the overdriven sound, and that's what I use in my live setup.

Never had an issue, and the craftsmanship is top notch. Me like-eee.

Never had to call customer support.

I have played 'em all, and this is the best small combo I have ever heard. I recommend this amp, and Tungsten, to all of my blues brothers in Chicago.

This amp is basically a Tweed Champ in design. It is a 1x8" combo amp. It has a volume know which acts as an on/off switch. It uses a weber signature series alnico speaker with a tweed covered all pine cabinet. I play harmonica through it and it has absolutely the perfect sound for blowin' harp. I just sold my princeton because I am going to use this amp for my gigs now. It has a line out so I can run it to a PA or I just mic it. I have had other tweed champ replicas and none of them have had this honk. The layout on the inside is phenomenal also. Adam does a very meticulous job of making all the leads straight and all the components uniform and neetly soldered. It is made with G10 Garrolite board so you won't run into tweed disease or any of the other quirks which happen with fiber boards. This review is going to be glowing because I haven't run into an amp that has sounded this good before or a more cooperative, conscientious builder before this. Trust me I have been through a lot of amps and builders so this isn't based on limited experience. I have quite a few guitar players who have played this also and loved the tone.

There are two inputs on this amp. One will give you a nice dark bassy honk and the other gives you a cleaner lead sound. It doesn't have a tone knob to mess with so you are pretty much left to deciding how much you want to distort the sound by volume. As you turn the knob up it goes from nice and clean to a nice controlled growl that isn't "too much". The doesn't hum much at all and much less than most that I have had in the past. I plan to use this amp for all the recording I do in the near future.

This amp has gone to quite a few gigs with me as well as jams and I haven't ever had a problem with it at all. If I did I have no doubt that Adam would make it right.

I haven't needed it repaired but I have no doubt that they will take care of it unless it is obvious negligence on your part.

I have been playing harp for quite a few years and have tried lots of equipment before finding out my tone was the most important to worry about. After that most stuff sounds decent but this amp sounds good enough I wanted to write a review on it so others could get a chance to experience an amp this good.

http://www.tungstenamp.com