The Little Chopper is the foundation stone of the Audio Kitchen product range. It has become renowned for its articulate clarity, even when heavily over-driven, and its tonal footprint has informed every subsequent design. It was conceived as an amplifier which would be inspiring to play across the whole of its tonal spectrum, and consequently make ‘getting a sound’ in the studio as simple as possible. ‘Inspiration’ and ‘Scope for exploration’ are both spurs that have surfaced again and again in discussions about what leads us to make our amplifiers sound the way they do. Firstly an amplifier should inspire you; secondly it should present you with the possibility of hearing yourself in a new light whenever you plug in; even with the same instrument. Subtle changes in how you attack the strings, different combinations of volume, tone and pick-up settings can all send you along new paths before you even need to touch a control on the amp. If those two qualities are the result, the contributory elements are manifold. The Little Chopper has been the test-bed for lots of changes and ideas over the years, always in the pursuit of more inspirational performance. We audition capacitors in blind tests, we have been through many different potentiometer types and track materials, we audition prototype output transformers exhaustively until we find ‘The One’, we obsess over which way every wire goes into each amplifier; the list goes on. The question: ‘What does the Little Chopper sound like?’ is not easy to answer. The circuit was not based on any specific design; rather its evolution was informed by the sounds of amps we had admired. The outcome is an amplifier whose sound is transparent and nuanced, and whose disposition allows you to assert your character rather than vice versa. CURRENT WAIT TIME: 12+ WEEKS 7 Watt single-ended class A guitar amplifier Nominal Output Impedance: 8 OhmECC81 and ECC83 preamp valves, EL84 output valve Controls: Bright Switch, Hi/ Lo gain input selector switchGain, Bottom, Middle, Top, Stack, Power (EL84 headroom control)Off/ Standby/ On switch Mains Power Requirement:240V @ 50HZ, 200mA Voltage switch fitted as standard switchable to 115V @ 60Hz, 400mA Dimensions Approx Excluding Handle and Feet:320mm x 210mm x 205mm (W x D x H)12 1/2″ x 8″x 8″ (W x D x H) Weight: 10KG (22lb)
