Reason
Valve amplifiers rule! But may be a bit old fashioned these days. To even try out an alternative to those old, loved valves the requirements has been as follows: The sound and feel has to be all correct—in other words it should sound and feel the same as playing a really good energy consuming valve amplifier. So why not simply make a valve amplifier and stay happy with that? Why reinvent the wheel? Well, there are already so so many good tube amplifiers available which means Himmelstrutz Elektro Art does not need to reinvent; in our modern times it should be possible to use something else other than these old valves (which also requires large transformers, valves, sockets etc). All of us can think about reducing the energy to be consumed, sometimes perhaps even wasted, preferably without missing out on other good things—why not also in a smaller format! Because of these simple reasons you have now arrived here to join the revolution: Himmelstrutz 8!
2 x HIMMELSTRUTZ 8 LIVE
POWER SUPPLY COMPETITION
8 COMPARED TO OLD MARSHALL
Himmelstrutz 8
WHAT’S 8?
Himmelstrutz 8 is a slick, portable, 100% complete & competent guitar / bass amplifier—designed and assembled in Sweden assisted by an all discrete Class A preamp (with a serial effects loop) and a discrete Class A / B Mosfet power amplifier of 8 watts @ 8 ohms—which makes this little rock n' roll pony surprisingly LOUD (without being Class D)!
VALVE AMPLIFIERS THE ONLY ROAD FOREVER?
Mike & Dan Demo
2 WATTS
PLATFORM
Himmelstrutz 8 is THE perfect complement / a great pedal platform for any of the Himmelstrutz pedals available Most likely also suitable for many other well designed pedals out there…
8 VS MARSHALL ORIGIN 20
Himmelstrutz 8 will be made in 25 units—signed directly to the owner. They will all be made one by one by the original Elektro Art Director / designer in Sweden (one person) in the same order as they are ordered. Himmelstrutz Elektro Art always strives for keeping the production time short / keeping down the waiting time from when the order is made until delivery—and the DAMNED shipping cost is ZERO!
LOUDNESS
If you think Himmelstrutz 8 is loud at Medium or Max Volume—even if it’s just 8 watts—it’s also a good complement / a great pedal platform for any of the Himmelstrutz pedals available! Most likely also suitable for other well designed pedals in this world.
Gibson Les Paul. Himmelstrutz 8 Amplifier (TC HOF Mini in effects loop). Celestion 2 x 1 x 12” Modern Greenback. iPhone recording.
More samples to come…
THE SAGA OF 8
It started in 1997, with Spicehead 12 (pictured left below), an all discrete 12 watts valve / solid state hybrid amplifier.
The Spicehead 12 was interesting and sounded good but for different reasons never finalized so here we go now, just about 25 years later—this time 100% solid state (=no valves), still discrete and this time athlete & complete—this is IT (8)!
LOOK CUTE SOUND HUGE!
HISTORY PRESENT FUTURE
Himmelstrutz 8 backbone
Size / Weight / Heat—Sound / Feel / Beat!
Them good old valve amplifiers have been popular among musicians for about 7 decades and still are. The reasons for this are many; but in particular because of the sound, the feel and also the looks!
There's been many times when these good old valves (old fashioned) have been challenged to be replaced by more modern gadgets based upon solid state technology = transistor solutions or integrated circuits. A few times it's been not all bad, but most of the times we have heard / felt something important and deep is missing: the sparkle, the glass, the tactile dynamics so typical in them musical valves which for sure are tough to replace or even to compete with!
No way! In 2022 Himmelstrutz Elektro Art decided to give it a go and started with this remarkable amplifier project which came to be Himmelstrutz 8, an 8 watt guitar / bass amplifier, this time—again!—to be compared to and compete with the great valve amplifiers! Now as a very SMALL and handy unit which is also GREAT as it saves a lot of energy for our world—read below—while still behaving well & delivering the wanted tone & feel we need and recognize from the old fashioned classic valve amplifiers!
Is this even possible?
That’s a question for you…
First Units Progress
LOW POWER AND THE GLORY
Himmelstrutz 8, that party animal!
Trailblazing Auto Standby
As Himmelstrutz 8 is a complete guitar / bass amplifier (preamp + power amp) it means voltage & current is needed to drive the speakers (=power) which makes you hear the sound. The possibility to drive these speakers, which in Himmelstrutz 8 is performed by an all discrete Class A / B Mosfet power amplifier means some **idle power / heat / waste is also generated—Himmelstrutz 8, a Hellraiser!
** To minimize this idle power, for the environment / to save energy as good as we can Himmelstrutz 8 has an all original Himmelstrutz Auto Standby function which makes this gangsta automatically get into Standby mode = asleep / switched off / no waste / no heat if the performer don’t play the instrument for about 90 seconds. This way the amplifier will get cold / quiet also if the performer (probably you) fall asleep or slip away for 3 years of Holidays In The Sun!
Himmelstrutz 8 on a pedal board (power supply below)
8 on your pedalboard
If you plan to place Himmelstrutz 8 on your pedalboard and want to use a suitable power supply we have 3 neat suggestions for you.
1. CIOKS DC7 (has 24V DC/2A)
2. EVENTIDE POWERMAX (has 24V DC/2A)
3. STRYMON ZUMA (has 24V DC/1.5A)
You also need 2 wires to make the connections (centre plus) from the power supply to Himmelstrutz 8, for example:
A. Cioks L0110
B. Cioks 2030
Himmelstrutz 8 will be made in 25 units—signed directly to the owner. They will all be made one by one by the original Elektro Art Director / designer in Sweden (one person) in the same order as they are ordered. Himmelstrutz Elektro Art always strives for keeping the production time short / keeping down the waiting time from when the order is made until delivery—and the shipping cost is ZERO!
POWER CONSUMPTION/SAVE MOTHER EARTH!
