It may be a weekend, but nevertheless, Dan is out in the shop hammering out (almost literally) the new box design for the GNO-100. The new enclosures feature routed edges on hefty 3/4″ plywood, heavy duty recessed handles, black anodized corner brackets, and natural black hemp canvas.
Environmental responsibility is a big priority for us and our enclosure design reflects those values. The hemp covering was chosen over the standard vinyl Tolex covering both for it’s natural composition and for it’s durability. Cannabis Sativa has been well known as a useful and enjoyable plant for hundreds of years. In fact, according to HempTraders.com “Materials made from hemp have been discovered in tombs dating back to 8,000 B.C.E. Christopher Columbus sailed to America on ships rigged with hemp. Hemp was grown extensively in colonial America by numerous farmers including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag from hemp.”
Besides a certain fondness for Cannabis Sativa products, we chose hemp for its ability to be produced more sustainably than other fibers. “Hemp is an extremely fast growing crop, producing more fiber yield per acre than any other source. Hemp can produce 250% more fiber than cotton and 600% more fiber than flax using the same amount of land. The amount of land needed for obtaining equal yields of fiber place hemp at an advantage over other fibers.” (HempTraders.com)
“Hemp fiber is one of the strongest and most durable of all natural textile fibers. Products made from hemp will outlast their competition by many years. Not only is hemp strong, but it also holds its shape, stretching less than any other natural fiber.” (HempTraders.com)
The foundation of our environmental strategy is longevity. A Gnome Amplifier is meant to last a lifetime, or two, rather then ending up in a junkyard or basement like most electronic equipment today. This prevents a replacement product from being manufactured and reduces waste from unusable products. We also chose hardware for durability and designed, tested, and re-designed our power supply to last more than four times longer than the standard lifespan. The 4 x 6L6 tube power amp was also designed to lengthen tube life so you can play longer, spend less on tubes, and reduce your consumption of expendables.
The boxes for the new Gnome 100-watt tube guitar amp prototypes are greater, greener and a few are available to purchase at a discount for anyone interested in trying them out. Contact us for more info.