The next few pages are a full rundown of what I have in my hands right now: an amplifier from the company Elmwood, the Stinger model to be specific. Among all the options in our guitar signal chain, there is one very important link, the amplifier, along with the guitar, of course, the pedals, the pick, the cables, and so on. But the amp is a key player in our own sound, and when I have a piece like this in front of me, the looks alone are enough to make me curious how it will sound: burgundy Tolex, “Vox”-style knobs, closed-back cabinet, a single input and a label that reads “equipped with Jensen.” Let's start tearing into each of the amp's details.
Construction
Let's first talk a bit about the company, since I always think the track record of the company that makes a product gives us clues about how it sounds. Elmwood is a Swedish company known for building high-end amplifiers with very warm tones.
The amp's construction is something that really caught my attention. It is one of its strong points, so to speak. It feels as though it was conceived as an indestructible piece, with a solid, robust look, yet without losing any of the details that make it a high-end amp. That said, I have to admit it has me completely baffled, since in many cases just looking at an amp gives me an idea of “what it's going to sound like,” but this time, I'm completely knocked out.
The amp is a small combo, which means we can carry it around with complete peace of mind, without our backs suffering the consequences. As I said earlier, it's a closed-back cabinet, which gives us a hint that it aims for a very focused sound with plenty of punch, emphasizing the extremes (lows and highs). This will also help with compression, and given that it's a small combo, you'll get even more of it. The Tolex covering the whole amp, as we said at the beginning, is burgundy, which lends it a touch of distinction.
Looking at the details as closely as possible, we see that all the edges of the amp are covered with corner protectors, except for the two upper front corners, which are folded with the utmost care. There is also a handle on top, which is more than enough, since the amp's weight doesn't call for side handles. The grille is an interesting one: although the unit is aimed at the “high end,” the grille is gold metal, which gives an “aggressive” feel, and of course the brand logo sits at the top of it in pearl white.
On the front panel we find a single input; two switches, one for on/off and one for standby; and eight knobs, giving us the following options: volume and gain for channel 1, volume and gain for channel 2, and treble, mid and bass shared by both channels; plus a treble cut knob; three switches, which let us select which of the two channels we want to use; and a treble boost for channel 1, another for channel 2, and an LED that shows which channel is in use. We can also switch between two power-stage options, “modern” or “vintage,” which gives us either more output (modern) or perhaps a creamier sound (vintage). On the back we find five speaker outputs (one 16-ohm, two 8-ohm and two 4-ohm), the effects loop send and return, which also gives us a control to choose how much signal is sent, as well as the option of using it as a solo/boost. Next we find the footswitch input, which is simply a stereo jack input and therefore perfect for use when we have a switch-type channel change on a MIDI pedalboard. Curiously, we can see the grilles of a CPU-style fan, which kicks in when the amp's temperature starts to rise.
Internally, we know the amp comes fitted, as we said at the start, with a 12” Jensen speaker.
Sound
Having listed all the little details the amp holds, let's go on to describe each of the sounds, since there are several. As we said at the beginning, it's a two-channel amp, through which we can reach almost every register an amp can offer, from warm cleans to powerful overdrive, stopping short of metal, though I don't think that's what this amp is about. Let's check what's inside and what it sounds like. In the preamp, it gives us three ECC83 tubes, which makes the clean channel sound warm and full of harmonics. It also has to be said that it isn't known for a crystalline “Fender”-style sound, with little “bells” ringing every time we play a note. Let's say the sound is a bit darker. Even so, the manufacturer gives us a switch to lift those sparkly highs (higher frequencies) that we might miss, and they do indeed get a lift, but that doesn't mean our sound becomes glassy. The EL84 power tubes the amp uses probably have something to do with all this. On the second channel we can get overdriven sounds of various flavors, but what struck me most was the amp's “creaminess.” I have to say it saturates easily, so you don't need to turn the gain up very much to get overdrive.
Let's say we get that saturated sound with enough grit but without being overly aggressive. It reminds me of a very American, “boutique” sound, though it's curious that the power tubes are EL84s. Likewise, exactly the same thing happens as on channel 1, where we can opt for a bright switch, and as in the previous case, we have an option to lift the higher frequencies. In short, channel two gives us a very creamy crunch sound and can take us to a lead sound where the tone is extremely singing. I should say that the amp strikes me as especially designed for pop/rock/fusion-rock sounds. Of course it can be used for other styles, but in those it will feel like a fish in water, and we could even go one step further and say that although it works for all kinds of guitars, it will be perfect for lead guitar.
I ran the tests with a few guitars to find out how the amp responds. I mainly plugged in a Strat, a Les Paul and a 335, and I can say the amp sounds great with the Strat, getting that “quacky” sound out of the single-coil pickups. With the 335 the amp sounds even better: since it's so creamy, and the 335 allows it, you can get all the cream you want. But the Les Paul is the one you can really go to town with, since the amp will feel right at home. Plug it in and it gives you a warm, round sound, and so on. Perfect for this type of guitar with a set neck.
Conclusion
The Elmwood Stinger is a top-tier amp that gives us options ranging from cleans, on the funkier side, to very easily recognizable lead sounds, with crunch in between to enjoy our rhythm playing. It's a great amp, the perfect size to haul around, and it has enough power to respond in any situation.