One of the most asked for products by Krank users has been the Jr. version of Dimebag Darrell’s mighty Krankenstein+ amp and the mini versions certainly capture it’s big brother’s tone! Using the same tone circuit that was developed with Dime, the Krankenstein Jr. offers all of his signature sound at lower wattages, making it a great choice for that awesome high gain sound at lower volumes for the home or studio yet still being powerful enough for a club gig. Features include a 3-band eq, parametric mid-sweep, gain, footswitchable Dime and Kleen channels, tube driven active effects loop, ohm selector and voltage selector for worldwide use.
These amps are excellent studio amps as well as being ideal for band rehearsal and club gigging. The matching 1×12 cabs and great for practice as well as miking up nicely in the studio, giving you great separation without the phasing that can accompany miking a 4×12. Also another great choice to match with the 50W head is the Rev SST cab, giving you a high quality gigging rig at an affordable price!!!
- Two channel, footswitchable 50W head
- Preamp three 12AX7 tubes, power section two Sovtek 5881 tubes
- Krank channel: sweep control, 3 band eq, gain, master, Kleen channel: volume, 2 band eq
- Active effects loop, 8 and 16 ohm selector, worldwide voltage use, footswitch included
50 watt:
20 watt:
VIDEO SAMPLES:
Rich Ward of Fozzy/Stuck Mojo at the Krank booth at the 2010 NAMM Show on the Krankenstein Jr.
Jeff Duncan and Phil Sandoval of Armored Saint on the Krankenstein Jrs. full stacks at their NAMM 2010 Krank booth performance
GEAR USED: Chadwick, Nineteen80, Rev Cab, Nineteen80 cab, Rev 2×12 cab
This 28-year-old Nashville native has over a decade’s worth of...
How come the Krankenstein Jr. doesn’t have a standby switch? I am currently scraping up the money to buy one, is the Camo option still free? Can’t wait to get my old Fender combo sold so I can buy this thing!
The Jr amps don’t have a standby switch because they’re fixed bias and basically don’t need one! Seeing as it wasn’t necessary we opted to put in more functionality… :) And yes the camo is still currently a free option!
Here’s a question for owners of this amp…..Can you get a good classic rock tone out of it? A good cover-all classic rock tone; chunky, fuzzy, thin lizzyish sounds? Can it get Skynyrdy?
Yep you can deff get a classic tone out of it…it’s got a lot of versatility so you can back the gain down to have that classic rock tone you’re talking about as well as the cajones to roll up the gain and head to the metal zone…you’ll dig it!
do you guys sell the krankenstein jr’s in half and full stacks or do u have to buy everything seperate?just wondering if its cheaper to buy it in a half or full stack
Everything is sold separately so you can decide what all works best for you!
Do these heads have matching cabs to go with them?
i ask this because i never seem to find them on the website nor music store websites.
Basically the Jr. cabs are the match to both the Krankenstein Jr. and Rev Jr. Pro….
OK, here’s my situation: I’ve been running one of those marshall micro stacks but I need something louder and definitely better quality. I know I want to go with Krank. But I need to know if the Krankenstein Jr. is loud enough for a full band practice session\smaller gigs. Or if I should just save up the scratch for a Krankensein stack. If anyone can cure my ignorance it’d be appreciated.
Hey Chuck the 50W is deff the deal for what you want to do and is certainly loud enough for rehearsal and small gigs. It’s a real deal tube amp and will pretty much destroy the Marshall hahaha… Now as to whether or not you should save up for the big Krankenstein+ half stack is really up to you as that’s the big boy for sure… But if you get the Krankenstein Jr. you will deff not be disappointed!
I have recently brought and received a krankenstein jr 20 watt head and 1×12 cab…sounds awesome!! and looks amazing all in chrome grill.
only slight problem i have is if i turn the effects boost on to get the high volume it makes a really high pitched squeal but doesn’t do it with the boost off – however its not very loud with it off. any ideas what this may be? it does it without the guitar plugged in too.
Thanks, Andy.
Hmm Andy sounds like you should probably give our tech dept a quick shout, maybe a microphonic tube in the loop… Anyway send an e-mail to tech@krankamps.com!
Thankyou for the reply. After reading an instruction manual online i found the cure to be by looping the send and return with a guitar lead, is this okay to do?. I have a boss noise suppressor with a boss tuner running ‘inline’ from my guitar to the input on the front of the amp, is it okay to have the pedals set up this way or should i put them through the effects loop on the back? if so how do i do this?, i also have a THD hotplate attentuator which starts to make things a little confusing, i would also recommend the THD hotplate to anyone who wants the full sound out of their amp at low volumes – great piece of kit.
Many thanks, Andy
Yeah man give that a whirl and see how that goes. And no you should be fine having the tuner up front!
do you think that this amp will crush any 50 watt marshall head? or 100 watt?
If you’re looking for that high gain sound it will deff smoke the Marshall as it will “go there” so to speak gain-wise where the Marshall won’t. I wouldn’t say it would be as loud as a 100W amp tho…
thanks I’ve been looking at these amps for a long time and it won’t be long til i get my pull!
Man – Rich Ward’s sound with the Krankenstein Jr. is brutal. Is he using anything in front of the amp in the NAMM video clip?
Thanks, Rob.
No not really, it’s just the Krankenstein Jr. tho he did kick on a Sparkle Drive here and there…! Same with the Armored Saint guys, just right into the amp…
can you turn on the boost with any of the jr’s with the footswitch?
No that function isn’t footswitchable…
Hello. I was wondering if you can use 6550 power tubes on the 50 watt Krankenstein Jr.
Thanks
No the transformers aren’t big enough to support those tubes…
Hi, to change the pre amp and power amp tubes in the Krankenstein JR 50W, all I have to do is just replace them with any 3 new 12AX7 an a matched pair of 5881 tubes and turn the amp on? Thanks!
Yep that’s the deal!
will the 50 push two 120 rms cabs
It might push 2 lower wattage cabs effectively. I know it’s great with our SST cab that’s rated at 480 W so give it a whirl!
Why doesn’t Krank fit the 1×12 Rev. Jr cabinets with Lil’Texas speakers for the Krankenstein Jr line? Since they’re both similar in tone (the Texas Heat and Lil’Texas speakers), the Krankenstein tone would be preserved even in the Jr models.
We simply liked the Legend V-12 better when paired with either Jr head. Remember the Texas Heat is rated at 150W so to get that cone to break up takes some wattage and the legend, tho rated high itself, breaks better in this instance….
Looking for an amp that’ll give a heavy distortion (Dual Rectifier) & a nice clean (Fender Deluxe) sound using a Vintage Strat. I do mostly classic rock & blues. Wondering if the Jr. will get me there?
Yeah the Jr.s would deff get you there…go with the Rev jr. Pro in this instance!
i have the 20 watt head, can i use this with a 4×12 cabinet?
thanks
Absolutely you can use it with a 4×12!
hey first off the amps are so sick, i think you guys really keep outdoing everything else on the market out there.You wouldnt happen to be considering or (possibly might be able to do a custom thing?) for a 2×12 cab?
Thanks man! we used to do a 2×12 but honestly they just didn’t sell that well so we discontinued them. And now guys seem to really like the 1×12s as you can have two and essentially have the 2×12 BUT you can also separate them where one is in front as a personal monitor, one behind (Michael Wilton from Queensryche uses one as a stage monitor)…one on either side of the stage…in recording you can mike both up for different amps of mics…way more versatile!
will this amp be able to get that crisp tight Metallica-like clean tone?
This amp has a great clean tone to it tho it would be different from the typical Metallica clean tone. They use Roland JC’s usually in the studio so it’s a completely different amp. BUT I can say the Krankenstein Jr. will have a very good and useable clean tone so it would be a great “high gain/clean all in one amp” amp!
I am definitly intrested in the 50 wattt version of this amp but i dont know what type of cab I should use i play in my basement alone most of the time but on the weekends i lay with a band so what would be the best cab for me? (it dosent have to be Krank and not too expensive please.)
Well unfortunately as per your q we’re not in the biz of giving our competitors biz BUT you’re in luck here in that we have a less expensive Krank cab in the SST that is a killer fit for the Krankenstein jr. 50W. It streets at $699 and is wired at 4 ohms so you can really maximize head’s wattage. Another option that is less expensive and just kills too is getting to of the Jr. 1×12 cabs. They street at $279 each and in all honesty the full stack will be more than plenty to keep up with a band, especially in a basement rehearsal space. My own band uses them for rehearsal and we play LOUD so that might be a good option too!
How much do these amps weigh?
Around 25 lbs….
Where can i find exact dimensions and weights?
The heads are 15 1/2″ x 7 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ and the weights are 25 lbs for the 20W, 28 lbs for the 50W…
Can i use 4 1×12s on the 50 watt krankenstien or is better to just buy a 4×12?
Interesting question…the visual of four 1×12s would deff be unique! Truthfully for that amp you could go either way. With four 1×12 cabs it would be running at 4 ohms and while the head itself doesn’t have a 4 ohm switch having it in the 8 ohm position will still be effective. I think perhaps the 4×12 may have an overall tighter sound seeing as it’s one structural box BUT you can’t run half of it on one side of the stage and the other on the other side now could you haha! There’s a give and take to both sides here…
Hi, i have fell in love with this amp and my birthday is coming up in september, however the problem is i live in the UK, is there any way to have this shipped to the UK or is there a dealer over here. I have my heart set on this lol. If it is shipped only what price would it be for a half stack (presuming it works in as a half stack).
Hey Mike we’re currently in talks with a new company to distribute our products in the UK, until then you can certainly order it direct from us here in the U.S….for inquiries on that send us an e-mail at sales@krankamps.com
hey just got my krankenstein jr. 50w and it really is the best amp I’m very happy. I got it from beyond eleven and was wondering why some amps say dime channel and some say stein? mine says stein and being a big dime fan was just wondering if that was a option or if you guys just make a certain amount. anyways I have two 4×12 cabs that are 8 ohms can I plug them in and what would I set the ohm selector on? thank you so much and this amp is really badass thanks
Actually very keen perception on that! Basically we had a first version that was a misprint from the screener that was quickly fixed! As far as your setting for the cabs just set it on the 8 ohm setting and you will be fine as there’s no 4 ohm setting on the amp…
thanks bro.
is the 20W version different from the 50W in any significant way ? I’m talking ’bout sound, tone, gain.
The main difference is volume, other than that they’re the same amp…
Just got mine today! And let me tell ya, this thing fucking rocks. Anybody thats on the fence about this need not worry.
How do I distinguish a 20W head from a 50W head? There are no distinguishing marks on the amp and the box it came in did not have the model name on it. I am asking because I have purchased a Krankenstein Jr 20W head but it is so loud I was wondering of the store sent me a 50w head by mistake. This thing sounds amazing and it is f*$%#%g loud.
Typically there’s a “50″ on the grill of the 50W heads but an easy way to tell is look at the transformers. On the 50W version one of them is almost as tall as the top of the headbox while the 20W is much smaller… But remember too when mentioning how loud it is even 20 tube watts will rock your ass off!
You mentioned to Chuck that the 50W is loud enough for rehearsal and small gigs… how about the 20W, or would that be pushing it?
Have you ever tried using celestion speakers in your cabs? Also what’s the difference between the krankenstein jr and the rev pro jr (sound-wise)?
Thanks in advance!
Hey Gus we have tried the current Celestion speakers and while they sound good they don’t sound great like their early 70’s and 80’s speakers. And to tell you the truth the Eminence we use simply sound better overall, not to mention they’re an American made product. Some people are stuck in using Celestions and really it’s all subjective so hey that’s all good! But know there are equivalent Eminence speakers to the Celestions that sound better and cost less…
As far the difference between those two heads basically the Krankenstein Jr. has a little more gain more like it’s big brother. Both are great heads tho and are very versatile, you can’t go wrong with either!
got two questions for you guys about the 50 head 1.will it plugg into any regular 4×12 cabinet 2. will it give me heavy distortion or will and engl head be better?
Bro I work for Krank, of course ours will be better than Engl!!! HAHA! No in all honesty the Krankenstein Jr. 50W has tons of gain for heavy distortion, will sound clear and best of all would be a lot cheaper than an Engl yet have all the same quality. I see you’re in the UK, if you need sales assistance getting one shoot us an e-mail at sales@krankamps.com and we’ll help you out!
I have the 50w Pro and just picked up an old Madison 4×12 loaded with Celestion Seventy 80s and I’m here to tell ya, it’s rockin’.
ive been trying to find the price of a krank kranksnstein jr in the uk and i cant find one so whats the average price for a krankenstein jr head and two jr cabs and where can i get them in the uk
We’re in between distros in the UK at the moment, probably why you’ve had a hard time finding one. At this point we’d be happy to sell to you direct from the US, the price on the 20W version would be $659, the 50W $769. Contact sales@krankamps.com
Thinking about getting a Rev JR 50 or Stein 50. I have one of the old Krank 2 12 cabinets. Will either of those heads work out OK with that cabinet?
Thanks
Yeah man either would work great with the 2×12!!!
I don’t own a Krank (yet) but I just happened to stumble upon these comments and I am surprised at the helpful service and responses from the Krank staff.
Hey Randy we try to help as much as we can man!!!!
Hey man, gotta say I love this little feature almost as I love your amps!
I’m rebuiidling my rig because I want to start building my tone and don’t want to wake the neighbors. Would the 20w Krankenstein Jr. pair up well with a Celestion Vintage 30 in an isolation cabinet?
Oh yeah man no problem, it would sound great thru that!