Grid 1

Transition to new Internet Provider

2011-12-12T09:57:00.000-08:00

We wanted to apologize for anyone trying to access the Grid 1 website the weekend of December 9th through December 12th. We needed to switch to a new web hosting company as our previous hosting service was not able to scale with the traffic we have been getting. We had a number of days where our site crashed and was offline for a few hours. After several attempts to correct the issues we decided it would be best to switch providers. Everything should be back up and running and we hope the site is faster and available 24/7. We appreciate the support and want to welcome all of our new visitors.

We are working on two new products and will be posting more details just after the holidays. The Pedal Jeanie products are in stock and shipping to all of our dealers across the US. We are negotiating some exciting distribution deals that will make our products even more available in 2012. Thank you for stopping by.

Pedal Jeanie Jr - Now Shipping!

2011-07-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

Although the blog posts have been slow in coming, we have not slowed down at Grid 1. We have been busy building more products and accessories for our customers. The latest addition is the Pedal Jeanie Jr. It has all the same power as the Pedal Jeanie but takes up less room on stage with its smaller form factor. We have been getting lots of phone calls about both Pedal Jeanie products over the last few weeks and are trying to accommodate everyone. We do not have as many dealers signed up as we would like, but those that are on board are selling through the Pedal Jeanie pedalboards quickly.

We have been focused on building enough inventory to keep up with the demand. Our inventory is growing on a daily basis and we are moving our warehouse to a larger space to provide more storage and faster fulfillment.

The next goal is increasing our dealer base. We have good representation in Northern California, and are looking to expand across the country. We are asking all of our loyal customers and followers to help us spread the word. We will be busy this next month opening more retail stores to make it easier to buy our products across the US.

We have lots of accessories in stock as well. The Pedal Jeanie Car Charger is available and a must have for that last minute charge while driving to a gig. Hard cases are available now via our partner Case Xtreme. These cases are super lightweight, very durable, and flight approved. We even added a metal loop to accommodate a padlock for added protection when flying with your Pedal Jeanie. Soft padded shoulder bags are on the way but will not arrive until the end of August. The battery expander is designed and tested, but we are still trying to nail down the proper case for transporting it. Should have it ready to go soon.

Thank you to all of our new customers and the many artists who are helping us spread the word about our professional battery powered audio products. More coming soon...

Pedal Jeanie Launch at NAMM 2011

2011-01-10T09:08:00.000-08:00

The Pedal Jeanie™ was born by talking to musicians about products that could enhance their playing experience if it were battery-powered. We asked many guitar players and bass players if there was a battery-powered accessory that might prove useful to them. Tal Morris a good friend and an amazing guitar player asked if we could build a battery-powered pedalboard to avoid the AC problems frequently encountered at gigs. After researching the current pedalboards in the market we saw a few things that could be improved on. Few of them had the ability to keep the top of the pedalboard clean, and none of them had "built-in" battery-power. We decided to design a pedalboard that would include everything a musician needed to install and power their pedals right out of the box.

The Pedal Jeanie™ has a patent pending design and features 8 independent 9v connections, 1 independent 12v connection, and 1 independent 18v connection. All these DC connections are built-in underneath the pedalboard. The matrix design on the top of the Pedal Jeanie™ makes it easy to tie down or use pedal tape to hold up to 10 pedals. All the DC power connections can be run through the holes on top of the chassis to the built-in DC connections underneath. Each DC connection accepts a standard 5.5mm x 2.1mm barrel cable (10 cables included in the box). Every connection is independently circuit protected and has a fault indicator LED to make it easy to find a shorted pedal or hook-up problem.Once all the pedals are installed there is a master stomp style power switch that turns on the pedalboard providing power to all the pedals instantaneously.

The Pedal Jeanie™ has a master battery-level LED on top of the chassis. The LED will glow green, then orange, and will finally glow red to alert the user to charge the pedalboard. The Pedal Jeanie™ will run for up to 50 hours (approx) with 10 pedals, so users should easily get a week of playing before needing to charge the pedalboard. The image on the left is a Pedal Jeanie™ loaded with 8 pedals (sent in by Tal Morris).

In closing we would like to thank Bill and Pat Bartolini for giving us the opportunity to show our products on their booth at NAMM 2011 in Ahaheim. The Bartolini booth is in Hall B, booth #5872. The Pedal Jeanie™ and G1 will be on display.

New Products Coming Soon!

2010-09-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

We have been busy designing a few new products based on customer feedback and suggestions. An obvious addition is a battery powered bass amp. This is a bigger effort than first meets the eye, as bass players require more power, and that equates to bigger batteries. We think we have a solution that will keep options open, costs down, and still deliver high output with great tube tone. We are currently working on our bass amp prototype. We will post the features and specs as soon as it is dialed in.

Another product everyone has been asking about is a battery powered PA. We call it the one man band system. It will have inputs for acoustic guitar, electric guitar, microphone, iPod/CD, built in effects, and the ability to chain multiple systems together. It will also have a tube preamp to give the amp our trademark battery powered tube tone.

Some customers have been asking for more power and the ability to use extension cabs. To accommodate we are designing a head unit of the G1. It will have 200 watts and the ability to drive multiple extension cabinets. It will accept 4ohms to 16 ohms. This head will be AC only to start with the potential to add battery power in the future. Same great dynamic tube tone as the G1 with lots more power and flexibility.

We have been getting good reviews on the G1 and look forward to releasing more battery powered products that will help us complete our mission to "Unplug the Band"!

Grid 1 Customer Testimonial

2010-04-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

One of our first customers (Thomas Edwards) who bought a G1 via our website was kind enough to send us a video testimonial about why he decided to purchase the G1 and what he likes about the amp. Thomas found our website after seeing our Namm Show Ad in Guitar Player Magazine. He filled out the online form on our "Buy" page and selected the cabinet wood, grill, chassis, and padded cover. We then called him and discussed his order to be sure it was what he wanted. He told us he was just about to purchase a boutique amp but was concerned with the weight. He said he liked the audio clips he heard on our website, but wanted to be sure the amp would have the tone and functionality he was looking for. We told him he would have 30 days to try it out to be sure it was what he wanted. He received his amp just after we returned from the Namm Show and we were as excited as he was to find out what he thought about the amp. Everyone who has played the G1 has loved the tone, dynamics and feature set. Since he was our first customer that purchased via our website without ever playing the amp we were anxious to hear what he thought. Well 30 days passed and he said he liked the amp and wanted to keep it. He said his friends were very intrigued by the amps ability to run on battery power and get as loud as it does. He told us his musician friends call it the "magic box".

We wanted to take a moment to thank Thomas for being a great customer and for sending us his video testimonial. The video is very real, and demonstrates his true enjoyment of owning one of the first 60 watt battery powered tube guitar amps in the market. From everyone here at Grid 1 Audio LLC... "Thank you Thomas"!

New "Direct Buy" Pricing at Grid 1

2010-04-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

Since our launch at the Namm Show the only negative feedback we have had has been regarding the PRICE! We knew the price was high, but we also knew we built an amplifier that will last a lifetime. We wanted to deliver the best sounding, highest quality, tube guitar amp that would run on a battery for well over 4 hours. We did that. Our problem was trying to keep enough margin on the price so we could sell the amp via music stores and distributors. In doing so, the retail price was just too high for the G1 to have a chance in the market, especially given the current state of the economy. We are offering the G1 as low as $1799 for a beige tolex version. The premium hardwood and guitar match options start at $2395. This is a big change from the original $3995 retail price we announced at the Namm Show in January 2010. We hope this new pricing will get more people excited about owning this amazing 60 watt, battery powered, tube guitar amplifier.

Everyone who has listened to, or played the G1 has given it nothing but rave reviews. This amplifier deserves to be played and we want to do our part to make sure it is as affordable as we can possibly make it. The only way to accomplish this is to sell it direct to the public. The difficulty in selling direct is getting it in front of people so they can hear how good it sounds. We hope by offering a 30 day money back guarantee that our customers will have a chance to play it to be sure it is everything we say it is. We offer many custom options and some gorgeous green cabinet options. We even offer to match the color of your guitar. The G1 is handmade in the USA and is the first battery powered tube guitar amp in the market. We have sold this amp to a number of customers who have been spreading the word about how beautiful it sounds. We will be posting some video testimonials and more pictures over the next few weeks.

We hope our new pricing model will help you afford a G1, so you can experience the freedom to play this amazing amp anywhere. Thank you for all the support, and please help us spread the word!

Grid 1 Launches the G1 BPT212 at The Namm Show 2010

2010-01-22T17:27:00.000-08:00

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!

The phones are ringing...

2009-12-29T16:28:00.000-08:00

It wasn't long after our ad in Guitar Player Magazine reached its subscibers, that the phones started ringing! We have been getting lots of calls from guitar players, trade magazines, audiophiles, and technicians, inquiring about the new battery powered tube guitar amplifier. Some are confused asking if the amp is an "all tube" design, so we thought it would be good to post a blog to clarify how the G1 amp works. We are saying "battery powered tube" as we use tubes that were used in battery powered radios back in the 40's and 50's. These tubes were also used extensively in the military for battery powered radio communication. The beauty of these tubes is they require very little power to turn on, thus we get extended battery life. The tubes run very cool. We engineered the amp so it can use a number of different battery powered tubes without any major modifications. These tubes did require a bit of engineering and voicing to get rid of unwanted microphonics and dial in the tone, but we think after you hear this amp, you will agree it sounds great, and more importantly... it sounds unique! The tube pre-amp gives the amp all of its tone, both clean and overdrive. After dialing in the tube tone we had to build a power source that would deliver lots of power while using a small amount of current. We decided on Class D amp chips to provide the power as they had lots of power, but very low idle current. They are also very efficient and do not require heat sinks, which also save power. Heat = wasted energy, thus a shorter battery life. The G1 battery powered tube guitar amp is using the best of old and new technology to deliver a leap forward in guitar amp design. This ultra-modern amplifier is the first of its kind, and it will surely open the door for many great products to follow. Stay tuned.

The World's First Battery-Powered Tube 60 Watt Guitar Amp

2009-12-09T20:41:00.000-08:00

Wow.. a few years ago we were sitting in a jacuzzi brainstorming about cool inventions and before we knew it we were figuring out if it would be possible to build a tube guitar amp that could run on battery power. We did not want it to be a low output, poor quality product. We wanted to build a high output, high quality battery powered tube amp that would run for well over 4 hours on a single charge. That was one good brainstorming session as we have not stopped working towards that goal since the day we decided it could be done. This is not to say we haven't hit our share of bumps in the road. We had to find the right tubes, the best batteries (lithium), design a killer pre-amp, and design a super efficient power amp. Creating the amp was the fun part. Tackling microphonics, noise, power consumption, and perfecting the tone was an exciting challenge. Sourcing all the supplies in the USA was a huge endeavor, but we knew we wanted to build this amp locally, so we did not give up even when it seemed like it may not be do-able. Well we did it. We built 2 prototype G1 BPT212 amplifiers, the first was in a black MDF cabinet with an all aluminum chassis and no labels. We shopped it around to potential investors and it sounded so good we were able to raise some cash to build a much better looking G1. The second was a beautiful blonde bamboo cabinet with a gold chassis. Still no labels, but we added a few more features and the bamboo looked and sounded gorgeous. With that we went looking for more money to build our 6 production systems and pay our way to the Namm Show. Well raising money proved to be more of a challenge than building the amplifier, but we were determined to launch the amp at the Namm Show, so we marched on.

Here we are about 1 month away from the Namm Show and we are scrambling to get everything ready for primetime. We have 6 demo systems to bring to the show. We are ordering 25 ea. long lead time parts so we are ready to build systems as the orders come in. We have a full page ad coming out in Guitar Player Magazine, and negotiated to get a booth (4198) on the main floor at the Namm Show. We spent many late nights building our website and would like to give a huge thank you to Chris at Glitch Design for his amazing work on the site. We spent time recording some location videos with Miles Schon and Tommy Rox through a cheap digital video camera, so people could see and hear the G1 in action. We also recorded a bunch of sound clips through different guitars and different amp settings, so people can hear how flexible the amp is. In case you were wondering who is shredding on the guitar tracks, it is Tal Morris currently with Credence Clearwater Revisited. Tal is amazing! We have been blessed to have friends and family invest in our idea and help us make it a reality. We want to thank everyone who has helped us build the world's first battery-powered tube guitar amplifier. We could not have done it with out your help.

If you are reading this blog then you have probably already visited our website. We would love to hear from you, as we continue to work towards our goal to "unplug the band". Everyone who purchases a G1 amplifier from us will become part of our family and will help us grow to deliver high output battery-powered instrument amplifiers for everyone in the band. Thank you for stopping by.