Seriously. What’s with all the amplifier manufacturers in the United Kingdom? Why are there so many? Why do they all seem so cool? Why are they making it so difficult for me to choose the all-tube amplifier I will end up buying? I don’t know the answers to these questions I but I do know that Hayden Amplifiers are now on my list. Damn them and their Mini MoFo Head (15W).
I was tempted to throw in some cursing there, but figured the amplifier’s name covered all the swearing this article needs.
The Mini MoFo head (15W) is a pretty cool looking amplifier. That’s partly because of the Magic Eye valve, but not entirely because of it. The amplifier just has a cool look to it. I love the metal grill and I of course love the blackness of the amp. It looks perfect. And it’s 15 watts, so it’s already meeting all of my personal amplifier criteria. So, what are the specs? List!
- 15 watts
- Gain, bass, treble, middle and master knobs
- 2 x EL84 output tubes
- ECC83 preamp tube
- 1 x 8 ohm and 1 x 16 ohm speaker outputs
- Stage/Studio mode switch
Wondering what the Stage/Studio mode switch is all about? Well that’s just a handy little feature that lets you switch between 15 watts (stage mode) and 2 watts (studio mode). Studio mode is going to be perfect for the bedroom guitar player. Wait! I’m a bedroom guitar player. How cool is that? Very. It’s very cool.
There’s no effect loop on this amplifier head, but I’m OK with that. The key feature obviously needs to be the sound. What’s the tone like? Well judging by the official Hayden Amplifiers video for the Mini MoFo head, the tone is pretty damn good. Guitarist Magazine also made a video. It impresses me even more (listen to those overdriven/distorted tones). Then, Rob Chapman made an extensive video for the Mini MoFo head (plus a couple of others). Even better! I’m seriously impressed with these amplifiers. I just hope they’re affordable here in Australia. They better be. Or I’ll be using MoFo for a different reason all-together.
Disclaimer: I’ve not played through this head. I have not experienced the sound or tone of this head other than through video. That doesn’t matter. It looks awesome, it’s obviously played by winners and I want one.