CRIMSONTONE
SE MINI AMP
BY JORDAN WAGNER
Decades ago, practice amps were effec- tively no-frills versions of their big-
ger brothers. Even so, those little amps of
yesteryear became something magical in the
studio. From Jimmy Page and his Supro to
Joe Walsh and his Fender Champ, getting
big sounds from little amps became the stuff
of legend and a go-to approach for record-
ing. Crimsontone Amplifiers embraces this
philosophy in a big way—only two of the
seven amps the company offers are 20 watts
or more. Their newest amp—the 4-watt SE
Mini—is a testament to the power of small
and a cool nod to the role of low-wattage
amps in the history of rock ’n’ roll.
In the Court of the Crimson
At just 7. 5 pounds, the SE Mini certainly
lives up to its name. The cabinet is covered
in a tough red tweed fabric, and it features a
sporty aluminum handle for easy transporting
to the studio—or a gig in the park for that
matter. Crimsontone didn’t design the SE
Mini with gimmicks in mind either, which
is evident in the simple feature set. It has
just four controls—Gain, Tone, and Master
knobs, along with a tiny Gain Boost switch.
Gain Boost
Master Volume
