A great Amp designed by George
Alessandro. Mr. Alessandro heads Houndog Corporation: he was hounded
by Gibson a while back, (yes...that Gibson), about a product from
one of their more obscure lines. They began a lawsuit to cause him
to cease and desist from calling his gear "Hounddog Amps". Well,
here's a neat little version of that Amp, (which used to be called
a Hounddog). The "Beagle" is likely best suited to small, and moderate
sized clubs, and studio duties. A slightly different flavor Alessandro
Amp, was used a great deal on the "Marching to Mars" album.
Since there's no master volume control, we stayed with this smaller
power section: a pair of el-84s. There are also some non-standard
tubes: like an octal preamp tube, and choke, and a number of "high
fidelity" options, gold plated connections we received; by not bargaining
for lower prices, pestering, or trying to hurry the designer along
during the waiting period of manufacture. We suspect our patient
respect may have resulted in some upgrades of the standard innards.
Alessandro Amps are available with a deep variety of upgrades too.
Some will make your head spin kids: most are not for little puppies,
we're talkin' big dog stuff here: exotic woods,
finishes, solid Copper, or Silver chassis, and more. In addition
to high quality sound, Alessandro covers the concept of fine crafstmanship:
his is not a cookie cutter mentality.
This Amp's chassis is flipped over with the tubes pointing up, all
the goodies are housed in a beautifully made Oak box. The word "cabinet"
wants to come out here, as box just doesn't do it, for this substantial,
and handsome container.
The front panel is rather plain. The place where the golden, rainbow-shaped
Hounddog logo used go, is now "unadorned". The controls on the front
panel consist of four unmarked dials: Volume, Treble, Midrange,
and Bass, featuring chicken-head knobs; plus input, on/off, and
standby functions. The first time you use the Amp, you can feel,
and hear your way to your favorite settings in a few minutes...it
only takes a couple of seconds; each time, after that.
Mr. Alessandro describes the tone of this Amp as a cross between
"a Classic Vox AC-30", his "Redbone", and a "Trainwreck". (You're
not bragging if you can do what you say you can do). The Beagle
has a great clarity, and full body at the same time: the sound seems
to penetrate everywhere. Like commercials for some bug spray, where
the product chases the bugs through complex, subterranean tunnels.
The projection of the Beagle has some of that quality, but not because
it's shrill. There's no auditory search, and destroy your hearing,
vibe here. Imagine the point where "jangle" meets "knock", in a
clear, full voice! The Amp feels responsive to your picking technique
as well. (Very subjective judgements yes, but this was how we felt).
Acknowledged: It's easier to experience, than to prove. The tone
controls allow for wild tonal variations. These tone controls cover
what you'd usually expect, plus what Mid-boost, Deep, Edge, and
Mid-cut type switches do, that are found on some Amps.
It's a toss-up for a single word, or thumbnail impression here.
Unique, exotic, uncommon all come to mind, along with a variety
of great tone colorations. George Alessandro is a guy with his own
design approach, and a maker of fine Amps. When describing his work;
he talks from the gut, he's connected to it. You can sense his passion:
not like a man selling refrigerators to pay his rent. Want a great
tone that won't sound just like the other kids? Put a test ride
of his Beagle, and other Amps high on your to-do list. The Beagle
is now available with a bigger, "Tell the World" power section too.
AAAhhhhhoooooooooo!!!
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