it’s in these rowdier surroundings that the
Little Smasher shines. Even with less aggressive gain settings you can get great sustain
out of single-coils and humbuckers. I got
some of my favorite tones by maximizing
the bass and treble controls to + 15 dB. This
effectively creates a scooped-mid profile
that works very well with a heavy gain setting. This EQ setting also enabled me to
clean up my tone by rolling back the guitar’s volume—a much more effective way to
dial in more chiming tones than trying to
coax it from the amp alone, especially with
a humbucking Les Paul.
The search for a cleaner sound from the
amp meant rolling the gain back to the 8
o’clock position. This was clean enough,
but rather quiet. And unfortunately, the
overdrive tones you get between clean and
full-blown overdrive tend to have a distinctly solid-state sterility—a common affliction
for many amps of this type.
I also tested the Little Smasher with
a closed back 2x12, which resulted in a
more compressed overall tone that was a
better match for the Diago. Pedals worked
more effectively with the Little Smasher in
this context too—bettering the Celestion-
equipped 4x12 and it’s darker voice as a
best mate for the Diago and a more pedal-
oriented rig. Overdrives could still drive
the Little Smasher to a crunchiness that
bordered on clipping, especially at higher
gain settings.
The Verdict
Diago’s Little Smasher is an achievement
in amplifier portability with some pretty
decent tones, including some crunchy
sounds that will make you believe you’re
using something much bigger. While few
players will end up using the Smasher as
their main amplifier, save for the confines
of very small clubs and coffee houses, it’s a
fantastic backup amp, a practice workhorse,
and a potentially cool recording tool. With
a street price of about $190, Diago falls
about in the middle of the pack of the mini
amp category, though its robust design
suggests that it may be among the most
bulletproof mini amps out there. If you’re
just looking for a small amp on the cheap,
any number of solid-state combos can do
the trick. But if portability is at a premium,
or you’re a player that does a lot of fly-in
shows where back line is a guessing game,
the Little Smasher is an inexpensive and
sweet-sounding bit of insurance.
RATINGS
Pros: Portable and rugged. Nice high-gain tones.
Diago Little Smasher, $190 street, diago.co.uk
Cons: Can sound sterile at slightly overdriven levels.
Tones
Ease of Use
Build
Value
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