# School me on solid state



## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

So I've been thinking about picking up an SS amp for clean, jazzy business. I know next to nothing about them and don't want to start from a place of ignorance. I know that I can't afford a Henriksen or a Polytone and that I don't want/need effects. Where would you start? What do you look for?


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Roland is a good starting point.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

I spend a fair amount of time looking at the Jazz Guitar Forum. 
There is more than a lifetime's worth of reading about amps in that forum.
Any vintage, size, cost, nationality, etc that you can name.

Drive yourself crazy!:
The Jazz Guitar Forum


I bought a DV Mark Little Jazz about 1 1/2 years ago as it was popular and a somewhat reasonable cost. It's popularity has been holding up through time in the Jazz Guitar forum linked above.
This is one of my own threads that you might enjoy:
DV Mark Little Jazz compared to Henriksen The Blu
Admittedly, I'm still VERY curious about "The Blu"

I have also used old Fender Champs 30s, a Quilter head, etc.

I am trying to learn to play a few jazz chords and progressions and I love the jazz guitar tone. Please don't think I'm an accomplished player.

*What is your budget?
*
I'll be following the thread with interest.


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

I have also used old Fender Champs 30s, a Quilter head, etc.

It was actually a Quilter head that got me thinking about this. I demo'd a 101 mini at a shop and was flabbergasted. 

I am trying to learn to play a few jazz chords and progressions and I love the jazz guitar tone. Please don't think I'm an accomplished player.

I can play through standards and various progressions but I'm hardly accomplished either lol

*What is your budget?
*
I don't see spending more than 400 or 500 at this point.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

jimmythegeek said:


> *What is your budget?
> *
> I don't see spending more than 400 or 500 at this point.


Are you OK with buying used?


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

For a long time I used SS bass amps for clean tones, even with 15" speakers, mostly Yamaha, Fender, and Yorkville. Right now my only SS guitar amp is a Traynor DG30 with an Eminence Cannabis Rex speaker, a surprisingly warm and flat (response) sounding amp. I wouldn't choose it over my tube amp but it ain't half bad.


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## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

Had great results with Acoustic for my bass sound in the solid state amps, wonder how they would be for jazz and guitar ?

Seen lots of the guitar heads and combo for dirt cheap if you don't mind use equipment.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Saw a video of Lenny Breau jamming at Tal Farlow's home. They were both plugged into a Fender Twin. (The low point of the video was their scorn of Jimi Hendrix. Snobs.) Later that night they played a club. Don't recall seeing what they played thru there. Sounded the same.

I am guessing from the video that I would need to spend all my time learning to play jazz, and spend no time on amps. Maybe any clean amp will do, just dial down the treble to suit??? $400 to $500 seems like the perfect budget to me. 

Please don't consider me an accomplished player. I have learned the Mickey Baker chords.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

Mooh said:


> For a long time I used SS bass amps for clean tones, even with 15" speakers, mostly Yamaha, Fender, and Yorkville. Right now my only SS guitar amp is a Traynor DG30 with an Eminence Cannabis Rex speaker, a surprisingly warm and flat (response) sounding amp. I wouldn't choose it over my tube amp but it ain't half bad.


Plus one for the Traynor DG series. I had a DG60 that I loaned to a friend to use in the back line for a bar jam. A lot of players were surprised when they found out it was SS.


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## Cardamonfrost (Dec 12, 2018)

If you think LB and TF are snobs about Hendrix, you should look for the vid with Buddy Rich talking about country music.

To the OP, Personally I would look for a JC90 (loud, heavy, clean, total jazz) or I found the Modern Cube series on the clean channel to be a very convincing clone (I have a cube 30 and the Clean channel is nice). If you want to get a bit further out, the orange tolex Cube 60 with reverb was the amp that Ed Bickert played through a lot of his career. The ones I had (cube 60) were all nice, but heavy and loud. There were smaller versions, but I never played any of them. Be prepared for heartache if you decide to replace the speaker on a vintage Cube - no modern speaker will fit that I know of without modifications to the baffle and possibly location.

You could also try a Yamaha G100 or G112.

C


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Cardamonfrost said:


> Buddy Rich talking about country music.
> C


Seen it. Lol. OMGosh!


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

KapnKrunch said:


> Saw a video of Lenny Breau jamming at Tal Farlow's home. They were both plugged into a Fender Twin. The low point of the video was their scorn of Jimi Hendrix. Snobs. Later that night they played a club. Don't recall seeing what they played thru there. Sounded the same.
> 
> I am guessing from the video that I would need to spend all my time learning to play jazz, and spend no time on amps. Maybe any clean amp will do, just dial down the treble to suit??? $400 to $500 seems like the perfect budget to me.
> 
> Please don't consider me an accomplished player. I have learned the Mickey Baker chords.


I don't even see where they talked let alone scorned Hendrix?


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Guncho said:


> I don't even see where they talked let alone scorned Hendrix?


Are you referring to the entire documentary or the clip I posted?


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

The clip.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

SS is technology, not voicing. The chosen amp must consider voicing at least as much as tech.

There are good blues/rock SS amps, there are good jazz SS amps, there are good metal SS amps (at least by some people's evaluation). And SS amps can run from a couple hundred bucks to a couple thousand. But I think you already know this. 

Most important, IMO, is to pick the genre and price point and then go playing some to see what you like. For the type of stuff I play, I wouldn't shy away from a Roland, Boss or Quilter, if I was looking to go that way. YMMV.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Guncho said:


> The clip.


EDIT: applied parathesis to original post to indicate the comment as a pointless aside. Supposed to be talking about their amp.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

High/Deaf said:


> Boss


Katana is an option. The older 1 X 12 , 50 watt versions are on sale locally for $250.oo
This is through a Katana 50





The new Fender "Tone Master" SS Deluxes and Twins are gaining interest...but cost more than the OP's budget

The list is endless.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

greco said:


> *Katana is an option.* The older 1 X 12 , 50 watt versions are on sale locally for $250.oo
> 
> The new Fender "Tone Master" SS Deluxes and Twins are gaining interest...but more that the OP's budget
> 
> The list is endless.


Yep, that's the one I was thinking of. Decent SS amp, especially for the money.

Although I did have one bad experience, just last Sunday. Went out to an open jam at a pub. The only backline stage-right was a Kat 50. No problem, I've played through one in the store and it was OK. All I needed was a clean channel as I had my little pedal board with about 4 different flavors of gain on it. Of course, I'm in a hurry, because my drummer brings two sticks and my bass player brings a bass with no pedals, so they're both standing there, ready to go and waiting for me to set up.

Plugged in and it was set to a high gain sound. So based on distant memory, I rotated the voicing switch all the way back just to get going (the stage was dark, the controls on that amp are totally in the wrong place, and I didn't have my glasses). Played the first song with some of the worst tone I've had in recent recollection. Then I remembered the Kat has an acoustic setting in the first position. Moved the voicing knob one step forward and was rewarded with an immediate improvement in tone.


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## RustyCanuck (Jan 20, 2012)

Would an older USA made Peavey Bandit be an option? I have a Bandit 75 from the late 80s and it has a nice clean sound to my ear and they are readily available and cheap. I paid well under $100 for mine with the pedal. Cruising the jazz forum mentioned above the Bandit does get some love, might be a consideration without breaking the bank.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

RustyCanuck said:


> an older USA made Peavey Bandit


These have a bit of a cult following. 

What does your Peavey Bandit weigh?


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Cardamonfrost said:


> ... You could also try a Yamaha G100 or G112.
> 
> C


+1 for the Yamaha G- series. I have a G30-112 from the seventies that is super clean with a killer reverb; and years ago, a friend had a G100-212 mkII that also had great clean tones They can usually be had at reasonable prices.


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## RustyCanuck (Jan 20, 2012)

greco said:


> These have a bit of a cult following.
> 
> What does your Peavey Bandit weigh?


I'm not too sure on that, less than 40 lbs for sure.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

greco said:


> Katana is an option. The older 1 X 12 , 50 watt versions are on sale locally for $250.oo
> This is through a Katana 50
> 
> 
> ...


How much of that great sound is the amp and how much the guitar.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

KapnKrunch said:


> How much of that great sound is the amp and how much the guitar.


Mainly fingers... IMHO


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

If one is playing jazz, with a focus on clean tone, then I would think that pretty much any solid-state amp with sufficient power to provide a clean sound at respectable volumes, would be suitable. Perhaps more crucial would be the flexibility of the on-board EQ, the particular speaker/s, and the quality of the reverb.

One strategy to use is to simply look up the gear of a player whose sound you like and would love to be able to work with.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

greco said:


> Mainly fingers... IMHO


Mainly fingers, indeed. Your amp and guitar can colour or distort what comes off your strings, but they can't create goodness if it's not there in the first place.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

mhammer said:


> Perhaps more crucial would be the flexibility of the on-board EQ, the particular speaker/s, and the quality of the reverb.


Most of the jazz guitarists I'm seeing these days at our local jazz venue are bringing fairly decent sized pedal boards with delay(s), OD, possibly EQ, reverb(s), etc, etc. 

The amps they use are over the map....Zt Lunchbox and ZT Club, Deluxe Reverb, Henriksen The Bud & The Blu, etc.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I find what runs in common of a great many jazz players is that they want an amp that's small and light.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

mhammer said:


> I find what runs in common of a great many jazz players is that they want an amp that's small and light.


So true! 

There is a long threads in the jazz guitar forum about trying to get all the Class D watts one can manage and a speaker cab to TOTAL no more than 10 lbs or so....LOL 











The TOOB speakers are from Helsinki, Finland


_ "Its a TC Bam 200 into a Toob 6.5BG speaker cab
loaded with an Eminance Alphalite 6A neo speaker

It's plenty loud enough and puts out a nice clean robust sound
I can punch through those fff moments
and keep up with excitable drummers on funky things too
Ive had it for a couple of weeks now , used it in a
couple of different band setups and I can confirm that
my quest is over !!

Note the whole rig weighs in at 6.5 lbs

yes you read that right ........... 6.5 lbs !

(for reference a Henriksen Blu Six weighs in at 12lbs)

It's so liberating being able to put my guitar bag
and amp bag with spares , leads etc over my shoulder ...
with little or no effort and just walk out like a horn player

no effort man , I love this rig"_


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

RustyCanuck said:


> Would an older USA made Peavey Bandit be an option?
> 
> I taught drums at a shop that used one to amplify the elctronic kit. It was a wonderfully neutral sounding thing with great bass response.
> 
> The tone I'm chasing is Jim Hall on a budget. The classic recordings are a Gibson with the 10 and 12 inch speakers. The later ones are Polytones and Henriksens. None of the above are readily available used or remotely within my price range lol. I have been contemplating the Katana as the 50w version is fairly inexpensive new and would have decent JC120, Tweed (to get close to Hall) and Blackface (Bill Frisell) voicings to mess with. The orange Cube a la Bickert is also hugely appealing. I always thought those were keyboard amps.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

RustyCanuck said:


> Would an older USA made Peavey Bandit be an option? I have a Bandit 75 from the late 80s and it has a nice clean sound to my ear and they are readily available and cheap. I paid well under $100 for mine with the pedal. Cruising the jazz forum mentioned above the Bandit does get some love, might be a consideration without breaking the bank.


I have an '87 Bandit 65 and the cleans are pretty pristine indeed. Large tank Reverb is super sweet as well. Pretty warm amp as well.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

@jimmythegeek


> The tone I'm chasing is Jim Hall on a budget. The classic recordings are a Gibson with the 10 and 12 inch speakers. The later ones are Polytones and Henriksens. None of the above are readily available used or remotely within my price range lol. I have been contemplating the Katana as the 50w version is fairly inexpensive new and would have decent JC120, Tweed (to get close to Hall) and Blackface (Bill Frisell) voicings to mess with. The orange Cube a la Bickert is also hugely appealing. I always thought those were keyboard amps.


Unfortunately, I have not listened to a lot of Jim Hall. I'm quite sure I read that he (eventually) liked to use some chorus...Correct?

The tone I enjoy is fairly "plain Jane" jazz tone. Buying specific picks and flatwound strings have helped me with "the chase" for sure.

Polytones come up on Kijiji every now and again. Although, as you wrote, less and less as time passes. My friend @GTmaker has two Polytones... one is from Folkway Music and the other was bought from a GC forum member (IIRC).

I tried to buy a used Henriksen "The Bud" from a Kijiji seller in Sarnia this past summer but he wanted almost full price for it. There were/are some ZT amps for sale in Toronto (Kijiji) recently.

I had an orange Cube at one time ...I found the speaker to be horrible. As @Cardamonfrost mentioned earlier, changing the speaker was a royal pain. I tried and gave up.

The (version 1) Katana 50 combos presently on sale locally at Sherwood Music are $249.00 or similar.

Sorry for rambling on....

Good Luck with your search.
Please let us know what you decide to buy.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

First of all, aiming for a Jim Hall tone is admirable. Very admirable.
Second, listening to a live recording of him now, my sense is that choice of speaker will be paramount, and choice of amp secondary, maybe even tertiary, after pickup selection and string choice. It's a warm, warm tone, and the resonances the speaker demonstrates within the cab seem to be a big part of it.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Kerry Brown said:


> Plus one for the Traynor DG series. I had a DG60 that I loaned to a friend to use in the back line for a bar jam. A lot of players were surprised when they found out it was SS.



Yeah the DG series were really good.

I would pick one up if I wanted a SS amp (that being said, I am sold on two or more speakers now and they never made a 2x12 Dynagain).


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## Merlin (Feb 23, 2009)

My roundup of the SS amps I’ve tried for getting a jazz sound:

Acoustic Image - great amp which I used for guitar and bass with a Neo 112 cab. Should have kept the amp and found a cab I liked better.

ZT Lunchbox - super compact, surprisingly powerful. Bottom end is lacking, though it can sound great mic’d.

ZT Club 12 - great sound, fairly light. Wish I’d hung onto that one.

Yamaha G100 112 III - great sounds, very flexible para EQ. HEAVY!

Peavey Bandit - great cleans, lots of volume, but too damn heavy.

Roland Super Cube 60 - the sound is there, weight is OK. Mine had scratchy pots, which made me eventually move it.

Roland Cube 8ox - good sounds, very flexible with footswitches. Weight was OK. I probably would still have it, but I got a great deal on a Katana 50.

Yorkville EXM70 - actually a portable PA, I used it with a Boss GT-1 processor. Lacked a bit of bottom end. I still use it for backing tracks.

Boss Katana 50 - my current amp. Good cleans, nice weight. I like the little prop underneath to tilt the amp up a bit. Has enough power to play clean lines with a big band.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Just a sidenote about Yamaha G100 amps. There are several series. I have a G100 head. It has reverb, tremolo, distortion, and a "preset volume" option, but no semiparametric midrange control.


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

greco said:


> @jimmythegeek
> 
> Unfortunately, I have not listened to a lot of Jim Hall. I'm quite sure I read that he (eventually) liked to use some chorus...Correct?
> 
> Chorus came in later in his career. He used a Boss stomp sparingly from time to time. He also used the harmonizing function on a Whammy pedal occasionally.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Merlin said:


> My roundup of the SS amps I’ve tried for getting a jazz sound:


I was hoping we we hear from you in this thread. 

At this point in time...
Which amp(s) would you choose for UNDER ~$5oo.oo (new or used)?

AND

Which amp(s) would you choose for OVER ~$5oo.oo (new or used)?
(for my curiosity)


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Jazz tone? SS?

What about straight into the board?


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

mhammer said:


> First of all, aiming for a Jim Hall tone is admirable. Very admirable.
> Second, listening to a live recording of him now, my sense is that choice of speaker will be paramount, and choice of amp secondary, maybe even tertiary, after pickup selection and string choice. It's a warm, warm tone, and the resonances the speaker demonstrates within the cab seem to be a big part of it.


I have had sinilar thoughts. My reasoning behind lookong for solid state was that it would be the cheapest, most effective way to get a flat, clean tone that can be tinkered with.

Strings will have to be flat wound and a different guitar will also be necessary (I'm just debating whether to augment the collection or replace my beloved 2550). The pickup journey fascinates me as he has used PAFs on most of my favourite, classic recordings. Once he switched from a 175 to the D'Aquisto I'm not sure how permanent any pickup was. When he left the D'aquisto behind he simply had Sadowsky clone the guitar for him but the Sadowsky has a chrome cover on the pickup and the D'Aquisto didn't. It's unclear whether ir not he changed pickups or just the aesthetics. 

I have some cab theories but those are probably:

A. Completely wrong
B. Better suited to another thread


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

jimmythegeek said:


> I have some cab theories but those are probably:
> 
> A. Completely wrong
> B. Better suited to another thread


Please tell us. It would be great to have the theories as part of this thread IMO.
There are many interesting SS amp heads to consider when buying, along with most combos having an option for another added/different speaker. 
Discussing cabs is a logical extension (pun is intended).


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

The amp I miss the most is my first *good* amp, a Roland JC-77. 2x10, enough power to hold up with clean volume, and a distortion feature that provided no end of hilarity. Traded it 30 years ago for an ES-335 Dot that I still have.

I don't gig anymore, and rarely play, but *my* jazz sound involves a 15" speaker. I think I hear a rounding of the attack simply because the bigger mass and surface area does not respond as crisply as a smaller speaker would. At least that is what I have convinced myself is going on.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Paul M said:


> ...*my* jazz sound involves a 15" speaker.


So we have you to thank for advising Polytone!


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Paul M said:


> The amp I miss the most is my first *good* amp, a Roland JC-77. 2x10, enough power to hold up with clean volume, and a distortion feature that provided no end of hilarity. Traded it 30 years ago for an ES-335 Dot that I still have.


Wow, you killed it on that trade. Congratulations. Shoulda probably gone to jail for that kind of theft.  You musta caught the JC popularity right at it's peak.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

jimmythegeek said:


> I have had sinilar thoughts. My reasoning behind lookong for solid state was that it would be the cheapest, most effective way to get a flat, clean tone that can be tinkered with.


Truth be told, you probably don't want a flat tone. Clean, sure, but not flat. 

Guitar amps have a voicing that isn't flat, but rather it's flattering to an electric guitar's own sound and bandwidth. A guitar amp is an intrinsic part of the overall electric guitar sound and not just a reproduction device.

Plug your electric straight into a console/PA, an acoustic or keyboard amp or an FRFR if you want to hear 'flat' without guitar amp voicing. This is not a sound most people are going for, except as a special effect (IME).


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## Merlin (Feb 23, 2009)

greco said:


> I was hoping we we hear from you in this thread.
> 
> At this point in time...
> Which amp(s) would you choose for UNDER ~$5oo.oo (new or used)?
> ...


Under $500 - Katana 100 112.

Over $500 - Henriksen or Acoustic Image w/a Raezers Edge cab


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## Cardamonfrost (Dec 12, 2018)

Everyone has a different idea of what jazz tone is. And thanks to modern players, it is getting expanded - modulation, distortion, etc. My last 2 deluxe reverbs got sold to jazz students at UofT. One of my good friends was a 100% scholarship in jazz performing arts at UofT for guitar (the only person they took) and he uses a stock Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and a Tele with bucker in the neck (think Ed Bickert).

Mhammer nailed it I think. Find someone you are really digging and start emulating their sound. You will likely find that its all in the technique and you will end up where you end up in terms of style and tone.

I think if I was going back to jazz ( I massively underestimated the amount of shedding required, and how few of my friends wanted to play that style) I would likely go cube 30 for gigging (less than 500) and dual twin reverbs in stereo (more than 500) a-la Bill Frisel for my home studio. You know 'in a perfect world' setup.

C


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

greco said:


> Please tell us. It would be great to have the theories as part of this thread IMO.
> There are many interesting SS amp heads to consider when buying, along with most combos having an option for another added/different speaker.
> Discussing cabs is a logical extension (pun is intended).


For whatever reason I have always had great luck with cubic cabs. I played drums in a band with a guy that had an Avatar cube with an Eminence Tonker Lite in it. The sound was fantastic and sounded far bigger than the 1X12 that it was. The closed back also provided ample low end thump. Currently I play through an 80s Doyle cab that is essentially a cube and is loaded with an EV12L and find that it has similar characteristics.

Interestingly, both DV and Henriksen make jazz voiced SS amps that are basically tiny cubes with increeibly efficient speakers and somr ports.

The idea of getting a nice SS head with a decent EQ and experimenting with small, cubic cabs of varying materials is appealing. The resonance of pine could add some interesting overtones...


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

High/Deaf said:


> Truth be told, you probably don't want a flat tone. Clean, sure, but not flat.
> 
> Guitar amps have a voicing that isn't flat, but rather it's flattering to an electric guitar's own sound and bandwidth. A guitar amp is an intrinsic part of the overall electric guitar sound and not just a reproduction device.
> 
> Plug your electric straight into a console/PA, an acoustic or keyboard amp or an FRFR if you want to hear 'flat' without guitar amp voicing. This is not a sound most people are going for, except as a special effect (IME).


"Flat" is probably not the right word. "Neutral" might be closer but still not right. For example, I love the Deluxe Reverb but the scooped mids aren't what I'm looking for (years ago I was all ready to buy one until I A/B'd it with a Hot Rod DeVille. The more present, but not necessarily prominent, mids sold me on the HRD). Perhaps "an amp with a very flexible EQ" is more in line with what I mean.


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## Merlin (Feb 23, 2009)

Milkman said:


> Jazz tone? SS?
> 
> What about straight into the board?


I’ve used a Joyo American and then gone into the board. Plenty of tone shaping and speaker sim out.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

For me, this has been a very enjoyable and educational thread. Thanks to all the contributors. 


Cardamonfrost said:


> dual twin reverbs in stereo


Are the new Tone Master Twins appealing to you?


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

colchar said:


> Yeah the DG series were really good.
> 
> I would pick one up if I wanted a SS amp (that being said, I am sold on two or more speakers now and they never made a 2x12 Dynagain).


I like the speaker defeat switch on the back which let me put the amp on a 2 x12 cab when I had the cab. I prefer 2 speakers.


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## Cardamonfrost (Dec 12, 2018)

greco said:


> For me, this has been a very enjoyable and educational thread. Thanks to all the contributors.
> 
> Are the new Tone Master Twins appealing to you?


I haven't used one, however, I have a Fender Rumble Bass amp which is the same idea. The direct out, the light weight and the classic sound is very nice. I suspect the TM series will be great for some users. However, I think they are going to have a hard time making the tube vibrato sound right.

C


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Some of the medium-priced solid-state Fenders and Peaveys have a stereo chorus, which can sound nice with a clean guitar.


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## Chitmo (Sep 2, 2013)




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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

High/Deaf said:


> Wow, you killed it on that trade. Congratulations. Shoulda probably gone to jail for that kind of theft.  You musta caught the JC popularity right at it's peak.


The ES-335 was rough, so it was closer to fair at the time. The punk sticker shadows are still there DECADES later. It took a complete re-fret and some fingerboard planing to get things straight, but no regrets.

Well, some regret. I really did like that amp.


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

greco said:


> So we have you to thank for advising Polytone!


Polytone never grabbed me. My main amp is a Victoria Victorilux w/ 1×15", 2×6L6, cathode bias, and onboard rev & trem. Any hollowbody into that sounds like me.

I also use a Trinty 5E3. I'll add rev & trem pedals.

I really should type in past tense, though.....I haven't plugged into an amp in just about one year. F'n tinnitus!


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

RustyCanuck said:


> Would an older USA made Peavey Bandit be an option? I have a Bandit 75 from the late 80s and it has a nice clean sound to my ear and they are readily available and cheap. I paid well under $100 for mine with the pedal. Cruising the jazz forum mentioned above the Bandit does get some love, might be a consideration without breaking the bank.


I have one of the original Peavey Bandits from about 78, it's 50 watts with switchable channels.

Great clean sound and The reverb is cool.

Never thought of it as jazz amp cause I don't know how to play jazz?


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

Chitmo said:


> View attachment 285488


I generally agree but I'd like the cleanest of the clean in this case. When tubes are involved I want to make them break up as quickly as possible and then add unholy amounts of fuzz. It just won't fit the bill here (though Sonny Sharrock made great records with a Big Muff as his go to...)


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

jimmythegeek said:


> ... I'd like the cleanest of the clean in this case.


Are you any closer to a decision regarding which SS amp(s) you want to audition/look for?


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

greco said:


> Are you any closer to a decision regarding which SS amp(s) you want to audition/look for?


Yes and no. I am keen to try a Roland Blues Cube, a Boss Katana, the DV Little Jazz and any of the Quilter heads. What I got from this thread is that, much like tube amps, there really isn't a right or wrong answer if your ears are happy. I've also come to the conclusion that the 2550 is probably for sale...


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

We constructed a tube radio in Electronics in high school. Calculators were just coming out at the time.

I don't really *get* how transistors differ from tubes -- gating by current rather than voltage? What does this mean? -- and why they have such a challenge being sweet like tubes. Please explain…


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

jimmythegeek said:


> Yes and no. I am keen to try a Roland Blues Cube, a Boss Katana, the DV Little Jazz and any of the Quilter heads. What I got from this thread is that, much like tube amps, there really isn't a right or wrong answer if your ears are happy. I've also come to the conclusion that the 2550 is probably for sale...


I'll throw this into the overall mix. I had forgotten about it.
DV Mark Micro 50 Jazz Amp Head - Guitar Amps - Amps - Guitars & Amps | Cosmo Music


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

There is a used JC-120 available through L&M for $699. The amp is at the Waterloo store.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Lots of good suggestions throughout this thread, but I would like to join with others who answered Roland, and in particular the Jazz Chorus amps.
I have a JC-60.
As I recently posted on another thread, for years it was my main amp.
I don't use it as much as I don't normally need a 60 watt amp at home, and I'm preferring smaller amps overall--although I do have the JC-60 set up where I can plug it in & play it.
Last time I played it I remembered why I used this map so much--and why I love it.

the distortion on it is not that great--so I never use it.
but the Chorus is real good, and the reverb is good.

I don't play jazz much, but like a clean tone for some other things.
and for the hard rock I mostly played back then it works well with pedals.

I remember many times showing up to a jam with it and people expressing doubt, but after plugging in my Iceman & a Boss DS-1 (Also sometimes insulted & doubted) and playing, even if my playing didn't astound them, they loved my tone and sometimes they asked to try it out themselves.

So they are more versatile than many give them credit for.


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

greco said:


> I'll throw this into the overall mix. I had forgotten about it.
> DV Mark Micro 50 Jazz Amp Head - Guitar Amps - Amps - Guitars & Amps | Cosmo Music


Oh dear.....heads are very appealing..


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

jimmythegeek said:


> Oh dear.....heads are very appealing..


I know that it isn't close to Cobourg, but have you been to Cosmo Music?
You might want to phone ahead to see what the have in stock and then A<>B (B<>C<>D, etc... LOL) some amps in their small individual test "rooms". 
Just going to Cosmo is a fun experience!


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

jimmythegeek said:


> Oh dear.....heads are very appealing..



Well of course, what guy doesn't like head?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

It was just sitting there, _*begging *_to be used/said, wasn't it?


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

mhammer said:


> It was just sitting there, _*begging *_to be used/said, wasn't it?


I did walk into that one


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

greco said:


> I know that it isn't close to Cobourg, but have you been to Cosmo Music?
> You might want to phone ahead to see what the have in stock and then A<>B (B<>C<>D, etc... LOL) some amps in their small individual test "rooms".
> Just going to Cosmo is a fun experience!


I have never been to Cosmo but I've been keen to visit. I'm up in Peterborough now so it's a bit further but the distance isn't awful. They have a couple of hollowbodies that caught my eye too (the Artcore Expressionist with the aged hardware and relic'd too looks cheesy but sounds amazing. Played one at tye local LandM through a Fishman acoustic amp it still just sang!) so I could make the trip worthwhile.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

I wondered if Cosmo Music had a store front?

I have ordered stuff through Amazon from them. Bought 180 tear drop heavy teardrop picks, 9 sets Ernie 9 Reinforced Slinky's and they sent me a torque! All discontinued so I guess we both won?


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

Polytone Mini Brute III amp | Amps & Pedals | Peterborough | Kijiji

This came up and complicated things. I was hoping for a headphone jack for Mrs.thegeek's sake but the reviews are fairly good. Thoughts?


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

jimmythegeek said:


> Polytone Mini Brute III amp | Amps & Pedals | Peterborough | Kijiji
> 
> This came up and complicated things. I was hoping for a headphone jack for Mrs.thegeek's sake but the reviews are fairly good. Thoughts?


I think this is a pic of the original...









Interesting amp for sure! It seems to have been heavily modded through time.
Creative handle replacement is noted.

If it is not too far from you, why not take it for a test drive. You never know, it could be a great sounding amp. 
To me, the price seems a bit "unrealistic" and the EQ is very limited.
Also, you would have to supply the reverb, etc.

If nothing else, it could be a fun way of spending some time.

Good Luck!

Please keep us updated.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

Im all for getting a $100 Peavey and messing around with the tone controls for a bit. I have 5 1980s Peavey amps (50 to 160 watts), all bought pretty cheap. All can be made to sound clean with good jazz or country tones, or nastier than anything you can imagine. Carefully setting the controls is key. 
A Bandit is great but a Peavey Studio Pro 40 or 50 is smaller and lighter but still uses a 12 inch speaker and has a similar preamp as a Bandit.


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