Port City Amplification Grandville & Merino Amps

We’re switching things up a little bit today, bring you some amplifier flavor from an excellent local North Carolina company. Come along as we take a look at not one but TWO amazing amps from Port City Amplification: the 30W Grandville Rhett Shull Signature and the 20W Merino Combo. Our pal Carl Perkins was kind enough to lend both of these amps and a killer cabinet to us to check out, and we fell in love instantly with these marvelous creations. Both of these amps have a unique tone and sonic flavor, so let’s get right to it and check ’em out…

Grandville:

“Roughly 3 years ago we floated the idea to Rhett Shull about an amp collaboration. He said he would think about it. It was only when Rhett played an early 50’s Gibson amp earlier this year during a session that he reached out to get the ball rolling. That amp was the inspiration and starting point for the prototype amp. After 9 months of work we created what would eventually become a completely unique amp. An amp that delivered the quality of tone, features and aesthetic that Rhett demanded.

With a simple set of interactive treble and bass controls with a single volume knob players are able to sculpt a wide array of tones. The Grandville using all octal preamp tubes provides a lush, warm yet unique tone. Using premium components each Grandville is hand made outside of Asheville, NC. Whether it’s being used at bedroom volumes or on stage the Grandville is more than capable of delivering great tone. Guitarists that use effect pedals to achieve an overdriven tone will be amazed at how the Grandville brings the best out from their pedals.”

As you’ll see in the demo, the cabinet that matches this head is big, but it sounds phenomenal. Many speakers were tested during the development of the Grandville, with a 10” Jensen Jet Tornado and 12” WGS G12-CS winning the battle in the end. This mixed-size cab isn’t something you see everyday, and we’re absolutely here for it…

Features:

Volume, Treble and Bass controls

Foot switchable tremolo (Switch on front panel as well.)

Fast and slow tremolo switch (On Front Panel)

TAD matched 6L6’s

6SJ7 – Preamp (2) 6SL7 – Tremolo

6SL7 – Phase Inverter

5U4GB – Rectifier

USA made Hammond Transformers (Power, chokes (2) and output transformers.)

External speaker jack

30 Watts Output

4 / 8 / 16 Ohm Impedance Switch

Head Dimensions 20” W // 8.5″ D // 9.875″ T

Combo Dimensions 21” W // 9″ D // 23″ T

Export voltages available (120v is standard.)

Black lacquered tweed, gold logo and piping with black grill cloth

Footswitch included

Merino:

“The 20-watt Merino recalls beloved tweed tones, providing a versatile platform for a wide variety of playing styles. The Merino is our modified take on an often overlooked classic design, the Harvard 5F10. This combo is cleaner at high volumes than most small tweed-style amps, yet once it reaches the threshold of overdrive, it has more drive on tap than you’d expect. With a very useful and simple set of volume and tone controls, your ideal sound can be achieved in seconds, allowing you to get back to playing music. The Merino is also a fantastic pedal platform.”

Features:

Master Tone and Volume Controls

Bright Switch

2 – TAD 6V6GT Power Tubes

2 – JJ ECC83 Preamp Tubes

5Y3 Rectifier Tube

USA Classic Tone Transformers

20 Watt Output

2 / 4 / 8 Ohm Impedance Switch

Weight: 33 lbs

20″W // 17.5″H // 10″D

Both of these amps are warm and wonderful-sounding, each with its own individual qualities and tones. Port City amps are hand crafted by Daniel Klein right outside of Asheville, NC, along with cabinets and pedals – click here to visit their website for more info! Be sure to check out our demos for both of these beautiful amplifiers, and watch Rhett Shull run through the process of his signature Grandville coming to life below – cheers!

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Watch Rhett Shull take his signature Grandville Amp for a spin: