Review

Like Goodfellas’ Tommy D, this amp’s a scaled-down psychopath, packing 15-watt, five-valve grunt in a mean-looking steel chassis, and sweetening the deal with such gig-friendly trimmings as tone- tailoring US/UK inputs and an additional gain stage activated via footswitch.

The PCB format and Chinese origin don’t scream ‘investment!’ like the Orange, but the price ain’t so crippling either. The Mini-MoFo feels like a live weapon, rather than a studio luxury. Built like a tank, with chunky dials, it gives comprehensive command over your tone, even if that tone isn’t the strongest in the test.

There’s a tendency to play woolly, old-school blues with valve amps, but the MoFo has more attitude: plug into the ‘US’ input (for more edge than the bassier ‘UK’), crank the Presence and Gain, cut the Mid, and you’ve got the most convincing metal voice in the test, with the ‘Mini-MoFo’ boost best applied to solos. That said, when you’re stroking through clean chords, there’s better here.

In use

(Click here for demo recording settings)

Next: Hayden Mini-MoFo verdict