Jazz guitar amp

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 3 Feb 2013 12:58 am

I know I have a a bunch of projects going on at the same time (a good thing and very theraputic)

However, I replied to a thread regarding the Evans E120 as I have one and it is a very nice clean jazz sounbing amp but am currecntly using ut with my Guyatone D-8.

I use to have a Polytone (pricy and lousy service)but understand there may be other SS Jazz amps that are light weight and sound decent with a guitar such a my Gretsch Electromatic with flatwound strings. Understand where I am agoing here, not looking for bite just a mellow tone that can handle that low e string.

OK, 4:00 am and I couldn't sleep so I got this off my chest now back to bed

Lenny

Lenny

Stephen Abruzzo · Post by **Stephen Abruzzo** » 3 Feb 2013 6:03 am

Roland 80XL as it has a dedicated JC CLEAN setting with a BRIGHT switch. Highly regarded by many.

Eric Philippsen · Post by **Eric Philippsen** » 3 Feb 2013 6:18 am

Hey, Len,

First, let me thank you again for the Furlong cabinet. I put a Tonic preamp in it and it's great.

6-string jazz? Well, my playing is pretty evenly split between pedal steel and 6-string jazz work. Has been for decades Two different camps, two different musician worlds, and two different gig types. I collect and, of course, play archtops. The former activity is a sickness and the latter is great fun and a pleasure.

Jazz amps? Lawd, I could go on and on. Polytones? Heck, there's a Mini-Brute II within arm's reach of me now that I use here in our living room for practice. And I'm picking up two more of them from my amp guru tomorrow!

Regardless, let me stop going on and get to the point. That is, for the last 5+ years I have gigged exclusively with Acoustic Image amp with a Raezers Edge cabinet. They're great for recording, too, and I did a demo session Weds night with it. Engineers love 'em. Yes, I know exactly what with mean about power requirements and flat-wounds. That's not a problem with an AI. Put another way, the amp has no problem "interpreting" major sevenths which really is a problem with so many other amps. It's warm sounding and coupled with the RE cabinet it's, well, just plain the ticket. Lightweight, too.

Christopher Woitach · Post by **Christopher Woitach** » 3 Feb 2013 9:11 am

I agree with combination if Acoustic Image amp and Raezer's Edge cabinet. I've used them for years with great results. The last few years I've been using a Genz-Benz Compak 300 - just as nice, better reverb, 19 lbs.

Michael Pierce · Post by **Michael Pierce** » 4 Feb 2013 9:48 am

Another vote for the Acoustic Image Clarus (I have the Series III) -- I had Rick Johnson build a 10" cabinet for me. Great sound and very portable.

Another one to consider is the Quilter MicroPro 200 series. I had the opportunity to test drive one with a couple of my archtops, and it produces a very warm but clean sound. Solid state and very light.

http://www.quilterlabs.com/products/micropro-200.php

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 4 Feb 2013 10:09 am

I saw a jazz guitar player in KCMO who got a nice tone from an LTD.

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 4 Feb 2013 10:15 am

Hey guys:

I acquired a Fender Jazz King from a friend and it wil be for home use only so I'm sure it will handle my needs. I understand the Jazz King is a smaller version watt wise than the Steel King.

Cool!

Lenny

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 4 Feb 2013 7:20 pm

I love my Acoustic Image amps, I have a Coda R Combo, and an SLR head. I've had a couple of the newer series III's, but I like the older ones best. I haven't used the AI's much though since I got my Cube 80's, I'm liking what I'm hearing from them.

I may have to try one of those Genz Benz Compak's, I have a GB Shuttle 6.0 bass amp that I really like.

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 4 Feb 2013 7:38 pm

Hey Darvin: I have a lot of gear but would never be able to keep up with you

I have a Genz Benz a Shenendoa 100 acoustic amp that sounds really nice with an acoustic guitar so I know they make nice gear.

Little by little I get closer to the tones I always wanted, or maybe I am playing a bit better and not blaming the gear as much.

Lenny

Eric Philippsen · Post by **Eric Philippsen** » 5 Feb 2013 4:30 am

The other night I got together with a buddy and we did some jazz guitar duets. It was a lot of fun. Both of us plugged our 175's into a stock, early 70's Princeton Reverb. Wow, what a super warm tone!

However, it's been my experience that a gigging jazz guitar amp should ideally have an appreciable amount of power. Yes, I know that many 6-string jazz players use and are very happy with amps of less than 100 watts. However, on gigs you're generally playing louder and that can test an amp's abilities.

Again, to me it's an amp's ability to clearly present 1st or 2nd position Major 7th chords that is crucial. With those two common chord grips many amps have problems sounding or "interpreting" together the root and major seventh tones of that chord. A very annoying oscillation can occur in a lot of amps that, as someone told me, has to do with an amp's reproduction of notes' third-order harmonics - or something to that effect.

So, the first thing I do when playing through an unfamiliar amp in a jazz setting is to strum some Major 7th's. What the amp does with those tells me a lot.

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 5 Feb 2013 6:02 am

Hey Len, I don't have nearly as much equipment as I had 2 or 3 years ago. I don't play much anymore and have moved on to other interests, like setting up a small farm for retirement. I still have a lot of stuff I never use that I need to sell.

Chris Brooks · Post by **Chris Brooks** » 5 Feb 2013 6:16 am

Hi Lenny,

I use my Peavey Nashville 112 for pedal steel and for my (rare) jazz guitar gigs. I like it for guitar.

Chris

Tom Campbell · Post by **Tom Campbell** » 5 Feb 2013 8:08 am

Take a look at this site. A fellow at our steel guitar club played through one...he was playing a 6 sting Fender Telecaster and it sounded like a "Big Box" jazz guitar.
http://www.jazzkatamps.com/

Dave Sky · Post by **Dave Sky** » 11 Feb 2013 9:50 pm

I use an Ibanez WT 80. It is 80 watts of clean power, no distortion! It has a 15 inch speaker and it is voiced for jazz. It is dead quiet even with single coils. Great if you are playing around fluorescent lighting. It has a tone control to fine tune the sound after using the bass, mid and treble controls. Also has a volume control for the aux in.

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 12 Feb 2013 6:29 am

Here's a video of me using my Heritage Eagle and a Cube 80XL. The pickup on the Heritage is a little brighter than most jazz pickups, but sounds good nonetheless. I'm not much of a Jazz player (or any kind of player for that matter) but I have fun playing around with these old classics.

http://s135.beta.photobucket.com/user/d ... d.mp4.html