The $75 Guitar Amp used by Zappa, Clapton, Beatles & Rolling Stones | Pignose 7-100

The legendary Pignose 7-100 battery powered amplifier has been a secret recording tool used on countless rock albums. Users include Eric Clapton, The Beatles, Warren Zevon, Keith Richards, Frank Zappa and many more. It's also a popular amp for Harmonica players.
The case of the Pignose amp opens so that you can install the batteries (and even store a guitar cable) but this also allows you to "eq" the amp a bit to make the sound even more focused with a midrange that sits really well in a recording where you need to fight for sonic space against a bass player and drummer.
Hi, I'm Jeff Starr, a filmmaker who also loves guitars and gear.
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Gear Used (click links to check prices):
Pignose 7-100 Amp: amzn.to/2kae8uU
Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus Power Supply: amzn.to/1YyVV4u
Fender Stratocaster: amzn.to/29zse2t
Bass: Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass, Fretless amzn.to/1T1Eirb
Drums: EZ Drummer, the easiest way to add drums to your recordings: amzn.to/1mosti3
Shure Sm57 Microphone amzn.to/2jqaZSv
Recording mixed in LogicX.
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[@JeffStarr]

If you are looking to purchase music gear please contact Joe Schafer at Sweetwater. Joe is awesome and has helped me out a lot when researching gear and making my purchase decisions. Please let him know that I (Jeff Starr) sent you his way. www.sweetwater.com/joe_schafer

[@chrisjaybecker]

Let us not forget noted blues guitar phenom Eugene 'Lightnin Boy' Martone, who was rumored to use a Pignose during his travels with mentor Willie Brown. ;-)

[@PaulThomas-ex6ko]

Today I bought new batteries and put the pignose in a metal bucket. Holy shit!!

[@DirtyMike702]

I love what you did with the mix going back and forth between full band and guitar isolated.

[@nickf9392]

You forgot Terry Kath of Chicago....he was a co-owner of Pignose and used one on his recordings and took one on the road when touring as well.

[@andydunn5673]

I got this little fella for Blues harp and I absolutely love it

[@JeffStarr]

Yes! These are great for blues harp. I should have mentioned that. :)

[@andydunn5673]

@@JeffStarr well we have now 👍

[@kickinvideo333]

Chicago's Terry Kath was co-founder of Pignose and recorded this amp on many Chicago LPs. He had Pignose stickers all over his main telecaster. Co-founder Richard Edlund (Star Wars iv, v vi; Raiders of the Lost Ark) designed & built the Pignose prototypes.

[@raceface_m2579]

I didn’t want this video jam to end.

[@JeffStarr]

Thanks! It's always really nice when someone compliments my guitar playing. You made my day!

[@brendankiernan4596]

Cool man! Thanks for taking my suggestion! It didn’t disappoint. I might be moving overseas, and I’m trying to see if it’s the one amp I can get away with having. Honestly, it may be more useful than my Micro Cube when it comes to recording!

[@JeffStarr]

The Boss Katana series might be your perfect small travel amp that you can also record with. For traveling it's nice because you can record silently via USB. The Pignose is special for the one thing it does well.

[@travislee9662]

Had one about 20 years ago as my first amp not really made for metal but good for blues and classic rock sounds. I would put it in a large boot shoebox with a whole cut in it running a Sure SM57 into an old Tascam 4 track. Cheap iso cab recording and pretty good sounds. A wah with the toe down treble in front of the Pignose was also a nice boost. Unfortunately it met its demise due to an accident with a very large screwdriver...a full glass spill of the vodka and orange juice kind during a party. It was never the same lol

[@imannonymous7707]

ya mine had an unfourtanate demise too lol those were the days

[@eroc4686]

Did the amp get a buzz at least? (Pun very much intended)

[@travislee9662]

E Roc yeah it buzzed but in the wrong way more of a short circuit fizzle lol

[@TheOneAboveAll]

Michael Schenker used one too on the Lights out and Obsession albums

[@Carter-X]

Sold ! That sounded amazing Great playing dude.

[@-Pol-]

I favour the pignose over my Vox DA5 and Microcube. Their built in effects are superfluous once you have your own pedal preferences and amp modelling is just a distraction AFAIC. The Pignose has it's own sound - I've seen it described as a fuzz/overdrive with a speaker

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

That sound brought a smile to my face, a sound you just can't feel with the new Generation of modelled bluetooth boxes. Groovy tune too, cool!

[@not12b4got]

There sure are a lot of posts of people saying how terrible the sound is, however there literally is no amp that replicates the specific tone it generates hence the reason the pros have used it. I’ve have one of the originals and still use it from time to time, I break it out from time and newbies alway are impressed by the little guy…no other manufacturer of micro amp has even come close to the sound these put out.

[@taimeuppe6174]

I had bought one of those when it first came out. It was a great practice amp.

[@davidlalremruata]

I like the music you make so much I gotta give you three👍👍👍

[@danielgrijalva1435]

I got everything I needed from that video review. thank you and great job.

[@JeffStarr]

Glad it was helpful!

[@imannonymous7707]

i blew one up once...they r ok.... nice demo

[@phildale8451]

The ultimate blues amp. Nice video.

[@JeffStarr]

Also great for blues harmonica.

[@uneditedlife2208]

Really nice amp. Don’t forget Terry Kath though, he was pretty closely affiliated with Pignose, often appearing in some of their advertisements, and had many pignose decals on his super-recognizable Telecaster. It’s a really cool guitar, check it out. Really nice vid though 👍

[@davidlalremruata]

Thanks for a great n informative review

[@JeffStarr]

Thanks for watching. I hope it was helpful.

[@eroc4686]

It sounds very crunchy

[@AndrewKahnn]

Nice demo and playing!

[@JeffStarr]

Thanks for listening

[@barkabark]

Great video!

[@JeffStarr]

Thanks! For the price it's a really fun tool.

[@spacejockey4746]

I bought mine for $70 in 2007, and they never went over $80 until 2020 or 2021. Now, in 2022, the 7-100 has ‘magically’ become $123.69 at Guitar Center/Musicians Friend and Sweetwater.

[@xRickAstleyx]

almost like things change in the economy over the course of a decade and a half

[@Robbzterrs]

I heard " hi! My name is death star ". But I'm also high as fuck

[@iamnowone.6669]

Might have to play my Sitar through one of these systems. I doubt anyone out there plays a SITAR , so anyway Regards. Sitars through a Pig Nose.

[@leeroden7900]

I have one of the original American ones. They sound way better than the ones that came after they started making them in China (or Korea - I cant remember where it was).

[@jeff0566jsm]

Lee Roden no,no,no, there all made the exact same way it’s all in your head bro...sorry

[@leeroden7900]

@@jeff0566jsm uh, no, the components are different "sorry bro"

[@ald7248]

The China vs USA thing doesn't really cause the difference. It's the substitution of silicon transistors in place of the original germanium ones. And, yes, the germanium ones really were better...

[@leeroden7900]

@@ald7248 like I said, the components are different...

[@joeblow593]

The pignose rules.

[@JeffStarr]

Totally.

[@nicoguarini28]

Pretty cool tones.What band is it that your playing to?

[@justinpurba]

1:43 ... Pig color,.... LOL!!! But seriously, thats a nice amp :)

[@twenty3electronics]

$140 in 2021, how’s that for inflation?

[@paulwhitelaw7131]

sounds like one of those generic beginner amps. these days there's just no reason to spend money on something so bad. you could pick up a Fender or vox cheap modelling amp with a few different very usable sounds & Fx for $75. it's definitely a GAS / in your head thing if anyone says it's sounds good.

[@JeffStarr]

Yes, there really is zero reason to purchase this as a beginner amp. As a fun goof around toy? Sure. I could see this still being useful as a busker if you want to wear the amp along with your guitar so you can walk around. But the 6 AA batteries isn’t that practical anymore (I guess you could use rechargeable ones) but my biggest complaint is how difficult it is to remove the batteries. The clip they have installed requires the jaws of life to pry them free. I do actually like the sound and it’s super focused mid range honk but there are countless other ways to create a similar tone.

[@Da_Publick]

Try it without a 'mic in the grill,' or an interface. It's five watts and five inches, it's not going to sound like a Plexi. 😂

[@smkh2890]

I tried to buy one when I was working in Saudi Arabia.

[@paulwhitelaw7131]

haha infidel music with an 'unclean' amp. they'll chop your hands off

[@tonedover]

dude, i dont like leaving critical notes, but you barely played it and in my headphones your backing track drowned it out...

[@JeffStarr]

Thank you for taking the time to leave me feedback. I appreciate the comment and will keep it in mind for future videos I make. Was it helpful when I removed the backing track and let you hear the amp in isolation?

[@KingfisherLtd]

Hi. It sounds cool. Is it possible to use an AC adapter instead of batteries?

[@rickadams2381]

Yes

[@KingfisherLtd]

Oh yes. He already has said that. I missed it

[@eelnai2503]

Put the baritone through it! Mostly kidding...

[@JeffStarr]

Dusty Gackleford yes! I dig this idea.

[@joehahn8817]

Sounded like boxed dookie...

[@supernoobsmith5718]

Mine stop working for no reason. Junk. Not the same as old.

[@JeffStarr]

That’s a huge bummer! How old was your Pignose before it stopped working?

[@supernoobsmith5718]

notbadfilms - I didnt care much for it. Too raspy and harsh. Didnt find a use for it. Too limiting to be used for home practice.

[@supernoobsmith5718]

notbadfilms - I had it for about a year.....with VERY little use. Then I go to use it one day, and nothing.

[@williamyanosko4010]

@@supernoobsmith5718 check the terminals where the batteries hook up, any amt of corrosion on them will kill the circuit, clean them up new batteries and I bet it will work...AA batteries will vent gas over time and corrode,had it happen to a pocket pod, cleaned it and it was good to go..

[@JackOperaMan]

It’s made in China now. I would buy one if they brought it back to USA-made, but the quality just isn’t there. I love the old Chicago stuff with Terry Kath, and it would be great to have a Pignose. Really too bad. Wish someone would fix this.

[@brownie4032]

It sounds terrible

[@sid35gb]

His sounds broken mine doesn’t sound like that.

[@markvigil8667]

irritating!

[@arseniclullaby87]

NO ONE EVER USED THAT

[@sid35gb]

Search Frank Zappa Black Napkins 1976 on KZbin.

[@spacejockey4746]

$125 amp now.

[@Da_Publick]

Try $140 because it's the 'Zappa amp.' You might find it for $79 used, though.

[@Da_Publick]

Now it's $140 for being the 'Zappa amp,' or some-such. You might find it used for $79, though.