Koch THE LITTLE GRISTLE COMBO 12 - BSTOCK

A Signature Combo Inspired by the Golden Age of Tweed

The Koch The Little Gristle was born from a collaboration between Koch Guitar Amplifiers and American guitarist Greg Koch. Behind its evocative tweed finishing lies a modern interpretation of the small American combos of the late 1950s: direct, warm and, above all, highly responsive to your playing.

This model captures the spirit of the Greg Combo in a more compact format that is easier to use on a daily basis. With its 12-inch loudspeaker, it nevertheless retains enough breadth to deliver solid lows, expressive mids and open highs, whether at home, in rehearsal or in the studio.

An Expressive Guitar Amp for Players Who Love Dynamic Playing

The Little Gristle is aimed at guitarists who are primarily looking for a genuine connection between their fingers, pick and loudspeaker. It is equally suited to experienced musicians seeking the immediate response of a tube amp and vintage-tone enthusiasts looking for a compact, intuitive and versatile combo.

With its selectable 4- or 12-watt power output, it is particularly well suited to playing at home, recording, rehearsals at moderate volume and small venues. Its character naturally responds to blues, country, classic rock, roots, jazz, rockabilly and Americana styles. It can also serve as an excellent pedal platform thanks to its dynamic clean tone.

The guitarist can shape the sonic character without changing the settings: a gentle attack retains greater clarity, while a more assertive playing style brings out a rich, natural crunch. This sensitivity makes the amp particularly inspiring for working on dynamics and controlling the guitar's volume.

Simple Controls, a Power Soak and a Direct Output for Recording

True to the approach of vintage amps, the Koch The Little Gristle favors a clear interface. Its single channel is controlled by the Gristle control for gain, Tone for the overall color and More for volume. This configuration lets you move from a spacious clean tone to biting vintage saturation in just a few adjustments.

The Extra switch adds extra gain to dirty up the sound and give it more bite under your fingers. The built-in spring reverb adds classic depth, ideal for widening a clean tone, adding dimension to a slow blues or enriching country phrases.

Particularly practical for silent practice and recording, the Power Soak lets you adapt the use of the loudspeaker. The amp also features a Recording Out output with loudspeaker simulation and a switchable cabinet filter. This makes it possible to send a signal directly to a recording console while preserving a coherent and usable reproduction.

Tweed Tube Tone: Clear, Punchy and Naturally Compressed

Equipped with 12AX7 and EL34 tubes, the Little Gristle delivers a generous, articulate and organic tube voice. Its single channel provides open clean tones when the gain remains moderate, with a strong midrange presence and precise attack. As the Gristle control is increased, the amp gradually develops into a grainy crunch, rich in harmonics and never artificial.

Its character recalls the response of historic tweed combos: slight natural compression, rounded lows and a top end that remains lively enough to bring out the nuances of your playing. Rather than offering an ultra-dense modern saturation, it favors a musical vintage overdrive that responds sensitively to your touch and the guitar's volume.

This sonic personality pairs particularly well with single-coil guitars, Telecaster-style instruments and P90 pickups, while retaining enough headroom and body to accommodate a humbucker-equipped guitar. The Koch VG12-60 loudspeaker completes the package with balanced projection and definition suited to both clean tones and more incisive sounds.

Technical specifications

Type	Class A all-tube guitar combo	Extra selector	gain boost
Channel	one channel	Line input	0 dBV
Power	4 watts or 12 watts	Loudspeaker outputs	4, 8 and 16 Ohm
Power selector	12 watts / Standby / 4 watts	Dimensions	540 x 460 x 250 mm
Tubes	12AX7 / EL34	Weight	16 kg
Loudspeaker	Koch VG12-60	Finishing	tweed
Controls	Gristle, Tone, More and Reverb	Warranty	6 months