Zinky Smokey Mini Guitar Amp - Red Sparkle

Be careful with the speaker, other than that this thing is pretty bulletproof. Lower parts count than the next-simplest fuzz pedal on the market (for the layman, this means barely any parts to break- at all). Strurdy construction, excellent tone for what it is. Out of the box and jacked straight in, you can get close to that 'Spirit in the Sky' 60's fuzz sound when you dime up the guitar, though the unit itself isn't really mic-able. It shines however as a preamp or no-knob fuzz pedal, giving something of the sound of board-distortion when used early in your signal/pedal chain. This thing will also light up a 10" speaker when used as a mini-head, albeit the battery will not last long. Hence, handy for some studio tricks. I wouldn't use it much as a portable mini-amp aside quiet practice or novelty situations. However, if you need something tiny and mobile for wrenching on gear and testing/proofing work to make sure a sound device or electric instrument is outputting a clear signal, this is a handy unit. I use mine as a preamp or a head sometimes, but I have most used it to check my soldering work out when doing maintenance work, upgrades, or fixes on stringed instruments and pedals, especially when I have had to do tech work at a gig, or when working mobile without my shop amp. If you buy it for the novelty alone, it shouldn't disappoint- and any modders out there might enjoy it for a component piece or pedal/dirty preamp platform. Never underestimate the power of the Smokey, or it's LM386 IC chip. Would easily purchase another. This little thing goes everywhere with me.

I am amazed! I didn't think it would be as nice when I ordered. It looks like something cheaply made. I was pleasently surprised. This thing is tough and doesn't sound too bad for it's size. This wouldn't entertain a large crowd, but it's perfect for practice. The battery would be a pain to replace, but it stays weather resistant fairly well. The only thing I have to remember is to keep an adapter for my headphones handy. It has two 1/4" jacks that aren't common to small 1/8" ear-bud connection wires. It would help if it had a clip on the back to attach onto your belt also. Well worth the price. I would recommend it over carrying a combo amp for personal practice. (it doesn't disturb the neighbors)

1st Amazon came through again;Yet to disapoint.Usually I don't comment but just received our Zinky today was actually a Christmas gift we (well I) wanted to try this thing to make sure it wasn't a dud on arrival.Now this Zinky just hook it straight up out of the package this thing has outstanding sound unbelievable sound even came with a Duracell battery,The only thing I had to do was hook in the cable whitch it dont use any power til you plug the cable into it would recomend this item to any guitar player We bought it to practice with cause we are beginners I think it would be great for professionals.Hey just buy one to play with you wont be disappointed!!!!!

For some reason I was expecting an amp around 10 or 12 inches high, but it's actually about the size of a computer mouse, perfect for tucking into a pocket or a gig bag. It's also delightfully purple and sparkly. My daughter, who's a girly girl, should love it! There's a battery and cord included too, which is nice--no scrambling around on Christmas morning looking for batteries, etc., when she wants to crank up her new electric guitar.I'll add a note about the sound quality when we've had a chance to check it out.

Limited but best designed electronic gadget of the 20th century. Bought one of these nearly 25 years ago still works great. Not particularly good for tuning or even playing but great line amplifier. Hope the original designer is still around and made good money from this near perfect design. It originally came in cigarette box.

After having to replace a dead 9 volt battery the unit worked fine. I took off one star because the cost of the battery @ $5 the company should have covered the cost of a replacement battery and not the customer.

Makes a great travel amp and has a cool sound to it. Run it in a chain and see what flavors it adds to your mix. The only thing I wish it had was an adapter port for power because it can eat the batteries.

Great little practice amp! Super simple, just plug in and play! Doesn't sound half bad either. Will power external.speakers, but I haven't personally tried that yet.