Grid 1 Launches the G1 BPT212 at The Namm Show 2010

We were just a speck in the sea of companies showing their musical products and services at the 2010 Namm Show in Anaheim, so everyday we had to figure out how to let the world know we were there. Our booth location was in a corner of the main hall, but blocked by a huge 2 story booth so it took an extra effort to get the attention of Namm attendees. We had help from Tommy Rox, Blake Aaron and Miles Schon who each played outside our booth to attract attention (huge thanks guys!). Many people who passed by our booth would slow down to hear the music, then admire the hardwood cabinets, stop to watch a video demo that showed the amp being played in remote locations, and finally realize it was a battery powered tube amplifier. Moments later they would ask to play the amp. The most fulfilling experience was when people played the G1 amplifier. Everyone who took time to play the amp in our sound room was blown away by the tone and dynamics the G1 has. The battery power was a bonus. They simply thought the G1 was one of the best amps they had ever heard. Many visitors had seen our ad in Guitar Player Magazine and after playing the amp they would say "you guys were telling the truth". Warm, fat tone, amazing dynamics, and it gets really loud. There were a couple times I had to excuse myself from the sound room as the volume was more than I could bear. Everyone commented on the tubes and were curious why they sounded so good. They were amazed how a hybrid amp could sound and react so much like a tube amp. We explained that it took two years to design, create, and voice the preamp. The 1U4 battery powered tubes have not been used in instrument amplification and they have a very unique tonal quality. One that tends to growl and pop as the string is hit harder, but cleans up really smooth when played lightly. This is true in the clean and overdrive channels. Many loved how they could roll their volume down on the guitar when the overdrive gain was maxed, and the tone cleaned right up. The tubes in the G1 run very cool and will probably outlast most major components in the amp. We are offering a 3 year warranty on the electronics, speakers and the tubes. We think we might be the first company to give a 3 year warranty on tubes. The beauty of the G1 amp is you get the tone of a boutique tube amp, but do not have to worry about replacing a quad of output tubes.

The Namm Show was a perfect venue to launch the world's first battery-powered tube 60 watt guitar amp. We turned a lot of heads when we brought two G1 amps in front of the convention center as the show was ending and had Miles Schon and Blake Aaron jam on them while attendees walked by in amazement. We had the amps positioned near the walkway with the power cords laid on the sidewalk for all to see. They were playing very loud and people could see that the amps were not plugged in. We will be posting video up on youtube of these performances, so you can see the crowd reactions as they played the battery powered G1 amps. One of our favorite treats was a late night BBQ outside the Breedlove RV where they were serving attendees hotlinks, sausages, and beer, while different musicians were playing acoustic guitar and singing. We brought over a G1 amp and Ben Lacy (google him... he is amazing) played a Breedlove electric guitar through our G1 amp and amazed everyone at the after hour party with his guitar renditions of Stevie Wonder, The Who, Steely Dan, and others. The G1 amp we brought over had been played all day during the convention, then another hour on the walkway outside, and then another 30 minute set by Ben Lacy. We were waiting for the battery to finally give up, but it kept on ticking. We might be conservative with our 4 to 6 hour battery rating, as this amp played well over 8 hours that evening. I want to give a special thanks to Breedlove (crazy Pete, Michelle, Brendon, and all those names I can't remember) for their incredible hospitality. We were the little start-up trying to launch a new product and they gave us all kinds of love, food, support, and friendship. For this we are very grateful! We learned a lot from Breedlove and want to be sure we do our part to acknowledge their company for all they gave us at Namm 2010! We appreciate all of you who visited our booth at the Namm Show and are excited to ship our first batch of amplifiers to our new customers. We will also be opening up some local dealers over the next few weeks so more people have a chance to experience the G1 for themselves. We will be posting lots of video clips and photos over the next few weeks so stay tuned!