Toma Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Hi there. Looking for a good guitar amp for playing jazz. The guitar I would plug into it would be L5 and PRS Hollowbody. I already got a recommendation to check Fender, especially '57 Twin Amp or '57 Deluxe Amp. Good, warm clean sound is what I am after the most, with maybe the slightest possible taste of overdrive if really needed. Any experiences or good advices.. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanC Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Not sure that we are looking for the exact same sound but I also have an L5 and a PRS HB2. For a number of years I used a Twin Reverb (not a '57 Twin) when I played in rock & blues bands. These days I try to play jazz and I'm using a Fender Pro Reverb (40 watts) which is very heavy in weight and nearly as heavy as a twin. The other amp I really like is a Fender Deluxe reverb which is a reissue of the 1965 model . Great jazz sound and light in weight. Sound is warm, smooth and clean. Both are great amps. I've not played one but my jazz guitar teacher who played as a professional jazz guitarist for many years reckons that a Polytone amp is the way to go. I've just never been able to find one to buy!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 With my L-5 I never got the sound I was looking for through a tube amp (the clean warm Freddie Green sound). I farted around for years playing it through the rock & roll tube amps I already had and was never completely satisfied with the sound. When I got SERIOUS about playing jazz, I knew I had to seek out that "perfect" amp. After doing the local pawn shop tour, stopping by GC and a couple of mom & pop shops to test drive a buttload of amps, I came to the conclusion that solid state was the way to go. I bought a Roland Cube 30 and have been completely satisfied with it. I use it with a 20-piece big band, a sextet, and as my practice amp. It's small, lightweight, loud, cheap (<$250), and versatile. Channel switching, amp modelling, reverb/delay, chorus/phasor/flanger/tremolo, and built-in tuner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 I believe you might want to look into a Carr Mercury or a Bogner Shiva. Both are great amps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 ... The Deluxe Reverb is one of those "super" amps that does lots of stuff well and is pretty easy to haul, too. I stupidly traded mine for one with 16 quadrillion more watts and decibels that I then never needed. OTOH, I think that depending on some other factors, as in "price," there are lots of options. Frankly I'd not care to cough up much more than $50 on either guitar or amp that I didn't have a chance to use a bit - even if it cost me a long weekend to travel... m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 As has been mentioned: Deluxe Reverb, Twin Reverb, Twin Reverb-15 (15" inch speaker version), Roland Cube 30, 60, or 80, Roland Jazz Chorus 60 or 120...depending on your needs. And, a Jazz "standard" for years...the Polytone! OR...take a look, here: http://www.jazzguitarfaq.com/FAQ00012.htm CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpdeluxe Posted January 31, 2010 Share Posted January 31, 2010 Try a Fender Jazzmaster Ultralight, if you're able to find one. Twenty-six lb, 250 watts, 1-12: all the clean power you'll ever need, with chorus, delay and reverb besides. I have two other Fenders that I like a lot: a Blues Jr NOS that goes to church with me (the tweed looks great with my blonde 335), and my latest, a Band-Master VM I got for a good price last year plugged into a Weber California Ceramic 15 in a Weber cabinet. This last may be the ultimate jazzer, but the others are much easier to cart around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toma Posted January 31, 2010 Author Share Posted January 31, 2010 Thank you all for the good ideas you have shared. I am convinced I can now continue from here... and will keep you posted as soon as something happens.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 It could probably help when you write how you want to use it... a practice amp? Rehearsal? (Size of the band) Small club gigs... In a small club a Roland Cube 30 could be enough... Polytone was mentioned... The Evans RE150 could be worth looking into... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzGtr Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 I too had this problem. The Fender Blues Jr. is an inexpensive favorite amongst the L5 owners, including myself. The problem with most tube amps is related to not having enough clear "headroom" before the amps starts to break up and distort. When you add distortion to a L5 you get the feedback issues. Very nasty! Some L5 owners have decided to go with a solid state amplifer like the Rolands and Fenders. For me, I love tube amps. I can't imagine playing thru a solid state amp and being happy. I tried too many times. Tube amps gives me the three dimensional space between me, the guitar and the amp. I solved the problem by purchasing a Fuch TDS 100 amp. It's a pricey amp, but my guitar collection costs 5 times more. And frankly I never been more happier playing Jazz to Rock and everything in between with my guitars. www.fuchsaudiotechnology.com Jazz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 JazzGtr.... I really agree with your note on perhaps going "solid state." I still have a big old tube amp that I got close to 40 years ago that is wonderful - if you don't mind hauling 90 pounds around and having to be careful where you sit even with a solidbody guitar. <grin> So... I have a little Kustom 30-watt acoustic amp, 10-inch speaker, that does quite well with a 175 or an EA or even a soundhole magnetic pickup on a 12-string. Is it "best?" I think not, but it has a lot going for it, especially with a "multi-effects" pedal that I use just enough to thicken the sound a bit. The combination strength and weakness is a little dial to drop whatever frequency brings feedback with acoustic guitars. It does that fairly well. It only weighs some 30 pounds and, with the rest of the required electrical stuff, is moved quite nicely on a suitcase "carrier" with wheels. Any amp is a compromise. Period. That's likely especially true if you're over 30 <grin> and have to carry stuff. I also have a theory that what we think we hear is not what our listeners think they hear. Rooms absorb or reflect different stuff, etc. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncannyXman Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 I have to say, that with size comes tone it seems with tube amps. I play through a Fender Super amp, and I can get so much more warmth out of it than I can out of a single 12" like the Deluxe. I didn't notice how much portability was an issue (mine weighs in at around 60 lbs.) Just my $0.02. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 My big tube amp is around 90 pounds. I'm in pretty good shape for a 64-year-old who mostly flies a computer or a guitar. It's got wheels, but in this part of the country... No thanks for about 4-5 months on ice and snow. Even 35 or so can be a bit dicey for balance on icy steps and such. I've shattered my left leg once from a slip. That's enuf. In fact, that's why even 30 years ago I dumped the Fender Leslie. Two roughly 90-pound pieces, plus a PA, plus guitar, plus the "stuff" for a gig as I saw it then, and I started to figure I was being paid as a stevedore instead of a picker. Funny thing is that nobody noticed the difference or particularly cared. A pretty decent area jazz guitar duo sees each picker carrying less weight than I do. One's about my age, the other's been playing pro off 'n' on since WWII. Also, except for recording or rooms with a lotta work on acoustics, there's a tendency to lose various "pieces" of an audio spectrum. If "we" are run through a PA, some of the character of the amp is lost regardless. I dunno. Maybe I'm just gettin' old and lazy, but... I love some amps and their sound, but... some rooms absorb, some reflect... some'll do a bit of both. I've personally concluded that in a small venue, I've enough horsepower with the little machine. If I need the big one, fine... just not when there are snowdrifts to bust through, and this time of year where I live, it ain't likely to be needed. (Some 7,000 miles of electric wire just got destroyed by last week's storms. That slows down the saloon music biz. I'm not arguing... Heck, I refused to even look at most acoustic amps 'cuz of 8-inch speakers. I just picked up a 15-inch cab I wanna mess with a bit. But... m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 I can't imagine a DRRI not being about perfect for jazz. 22 tube watts, uber clean, and Fender reverb. I'm gigging a 30 watt Mesa (miked) with a classic rock band and killing people..... A Twin is Super clean, but to what level? It's like, FOREVER.............. I'd take the Deluxe Reverb Re Issue anyday....... Best of luck....... Murphster...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 Murph... Yupper on the DR... I'd gladly trade the solid state back for a DR - and heck, probably even the big whomper for one - the reverse of what I did years and years ago... Actually the big combo is wonderful - it's just not practical for what I'm doin', and it ain't something I wanna haul in winter for several reasons. Too soon oldt, too late schmardt. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 I guess maybe I'm the biggest "Gibson Snob" around here. I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE TO PLAY A GIBSON GUITAR THROUGH A FENDER AMP. You'd have to pry my L-5 from my cold dead hands before you'd see me plug it in to a Fender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KL Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 I guess maybe I'm the biggest "Gibson Snob" around here. I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE TO PLAY A GIBSON GUITAR THROUGH A FENDER AMP. You'd have to pry my L-5 from my cold dead hands before you'd see me plug it in to a Fender. Ha ha . . . fair enough, but I have to say that my Gibson LP's played through various Fender amps I have sounds GREAT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 I guess maybe I'm the biggest "Gibson Snob" around here. I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE TO PLAY A GIBSON GUITAR THROUGH A FENDER AMP. You'd have to pry my L-5 from my cold dead hands before you'd see me plug it in to a Fender. And, WHY is that? Care to elaborate? CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncannyXman Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 A little snobbery is not so bad, but I play an Epi Sheraton *blushes* through my Fender Super and the sparkling cleans, and I mean beautiful sparkling clean and the Fender reverb really are perfectly suited for that guitar. As I mentioned before, the amp size really adds a nice woody, mellow tone for me (mostly neck pickup rolled off to between 5-7). And if we're talking about Gibson's through Fender amps, The Kings, (B.B. & Freddie) both played through Fenders (Super Reverbs and Twin Reverb, I think). Again, just my $0.02. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzGtr Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 The true answer to the question, like Milod stated, our ears don't care about he amps name, but we do like L5Larry stated as well. If we played in a dark room, our ears, not our eyes, would be the judge as to what sounds good or bad. The environment that we play in makes up 90% of what we hear, good or bad. For example, I have a home studio that was professionally measured and treated with expensive accoustic stuff. Great room to record in. But it's a terrible room to practice in. In fact, the best place for me to practice in is my bedroom simply because of the mix of hard and soft surfaces that absords, reflex sound. So I would conditionally answer the post's question by stating that it depends on the environment you are expecting to play the amp most of the time. I can take my Fender Blues Jr. into all of the rooms in my house and play my L5, but I would end up changing the EQ in every room to get the right sound. This is where a particular amp will show it's limitation. Is there really one amp for all guitars, for all playing environments? Perhaps not. It's a compromise. Live with it! Jazz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeladdie Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 If you like the Polytone amps but can't find one, I can recommend the Henriksen Jazz Amp. 120 watts into a 10" Eminence Beta 10A, weighs 23 lbs, line out and reverb, and a jack for an extension speaker (which ups the wattage to 160). The neat thing is instead of a standard tone stack it has a graphic equalizer so you can customize your sound to the room you're playing in. Take a look at the website www.jazzamp.com and be prepared to be pleasantly surprised! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 120 watts into a... As a working jazz guitarist, I can not think of a single reason, under any circumstance, in which you would need a 120 watt amp to play jazz guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Larry... To build biceps? m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanC Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 I play Gibson Guitars because I really like them for a whole host of reasons. I was raised on Les Pauls and just got used to playing Gibsons. But equally I really like Fender amps. I've used them for a long long time. I don't see a problem in playing what you like most. Gibson guitars through Fender amps. Sounds perfect!!!! I do have a couple of Mesa's and a Traynor but the Fender amps with Gibsons can be a great combination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncannyXman Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Yeah, 120 watts, wow... my Fender Super only pushes out 60 watts and if I dime the bass and mid and set the treble on 8, it'll peel your skin off. I've played through a Marshall Bluesbreaker (fantastic amp) and a Mesa Mark IV, but I wouldn't trade away my Fender for cleans and smooth creamy tones for anything. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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