Little open-back tube combo amps for Jazz

[Hammertone]

The discussion of the potentially wonderful new Ampeg combos got me thinking about really good newer amps for jazz, based on
- all tube
- open-back combo
- reasonably light and compact.

So FWIW, YMMV, FWTSAM and so on, here's what I'd do if I was in the market:
I'd buy any of the following USED:
- Koch Studiotone 1x12 combo (20 watts)
- Koch Studiotone XL 1x12 combo (20/40 watts)
- Koch Twintone or Twintone II 1x12 combo (25/50 watts)

Come to think of it, that's exactly what I will be doing come January.

I have no affiliation with Koch. I've just played a lot of their amps and am an opinionated curmudgeon. I think these are great jazz amps, extremely well-built, quite light and compact, but quite unfashionable among the cork-sniffers do to their lack of mojo-juice. Dolph Koch doesn't use mojo-juice, for better or for worse. All meaning that they are huge bang/buck on the USED market in the USA, because of their relative lack of share-of-mind. Gorgeous cleans, and if you want to do some head-banging, they also have as much distortion as you could ever want/need.

They use conventional tubes and are sort of halfway between booteek silliness and factory production mediocrity (Fender reissue amps) in terms of build quality. Made in Holland, not China.

What else is out there in this category that is good for JAZZ?

[Tom Karol]

The smaller Rivera's are certainly worth considering.

[AlohaJoe]

Originally Posted by Hammertone

I've just played a lot of their amps and am an opinionated curmudgeon.

Being an opinionated curmudgeon myself, I value that opinion... I'll have to check those out! Thanks.

[Jazzman301]

I am pretty sure Jimmy Bruno was endorsing the Twintone model a few years ago...Definately suitable jazz tones to be had. Hammer I dig your attitude man. Fender is NOT the only game in town for tube driven jazz tones.

'Mike

[jdaguitar2]

I will cast my vote for the Fender Champion 600 amplifier. I like this amp because it allows the player to "play" the amp. Crank the volume to 12 and this amp will respond to the slightest in right hand dynamics. It is also makes the guitar volume control much more relevant and useful. With a Low and High gain input and a single volume knob this combo is very simple; it also features a 1/4" speaker out for use with an external cab/speaker.

The only disadvantage is the 5w power output. So unless you play with a quiet group you may find the amp to be under powered, especially with its stock 6" speaker. But with a single 6V6 and a single 12AX7 tube maintenance is easy. Try one out, they are a fun amp to play. I have been using one since 2007 and really like it although I am looking into a Princeton Reverb currently as it has more volume.

[marcwhy]

I have amps by Jack Anderson in Washington; great guy, great amps.

Marc

[bluefonia]

The discussion of the potentially wonderful new Ampeg combos got me thinking about really good newer amps for jazz, based on
- all tube
- open-back combo
- reasonably light and compact.

So FWIW, YMMV, FWTSAM and so on, here's what I'd do if I was in the market:
I'd buy any of the following USED:
- Koch Studiotone 1x12 combo (20 watts)
- Koch Studiotone XL 1x12 combo (20/40 watts)
- Koch Twintone or Twintone II 1x12 combo (25/50 watts)

Come to think of it, that's exactly what I will be doing come January.

Though this tread is a bit old I think I´ll chime in here.
I have a Koch Studiotone. This is a great sounding and very versatile amp that has some nice tricks up in the sleeve too: Direct out for PA, record out w/speaker simulation, headphone out for silent practice, 3 different midtone/ 2 treble voicings.
I´ve played jazz through this amp the last 3-4 years using a Tele and an Ibanez Artcore AS83 guitar.

My Tele sounds awsome with the Studiotone, - which also responds very good to different settings on the guitars tone- and volumecontrols. (The Tele is a custombuild w/Callaham hardware and pu´s from a small german PU-builder, - a really nice instrument.)
Honestly the Ibanez is not the best sounding (jazz)guitar, but never the less I have managed to get a good sound from that combo too.

Within the next months I´m getting an Eastman AR403 or 503 so maybe I should record some soundfiles and share with you guys.

[dmorash]

I have a Port City 12 which I've been using a lot lately. Reminds me a little of the Koch in the sense that it's a little off the beaten path. 12 watts but a very loud 12 watts (I play in a guitar, stand up bass, and vocal trio so I'm not competing with drums, but honestly I think it would still cut it). No reverb though but damn it, it sounds good even without it. Very easy to carry as well.

if you can find these used they are very capable.

Here's the manufacture link:

Port City Twelve | Port City Amplification

[Hammertone]

Originally Posted by bluefonia

Though this tread is a bit old I think I´ll chime in here.
I have a Koch Studiotone. This is a great sounding and very versatile amp that has some nice tricks up in the sleeve too: Direct out for PA, record out w/speaker simulation, headphone out for silent practice, 3 different midtone/ 2 treble voicings.
I´ve played jazz through this amp the last 3-4 years using a Tele and an Ibanez Artcore AS83 guitar.

My Tele sounds awsome with the Studiotone, - which also responds very good to different settings on the guitars tone- and volumecontrols. (The Tele is a custombuild w/Callaham hardware and pu´s from a small german PU-builder, - a really nice instrument.)
Honestly the Ibanez is not the best sounding (jazz)guitar, but never the less I have managed to get a good sound from that combo too.
Within the next months I´m getting an Eastman AR403 or 503 so maybe I should record some soundfiles and share with you guys.

I came back from NAMM with a Studiotone XL. I like it for its size and power - small enough to carry on the front seat of my car (@19.68" w x 11" d x 18.5" h), with spring reverb, enough power for club gigs, and nifty channel switching so I can play with as much distortion as I want without the hassle of pedals. Unlike the Twintone II (and now Twintone III) the tone stack applies to both channels (presumably to keep the size of the amp down) so, other than adjusting the relative volume levels between the clean channel, the gain channel, and the gain+boost channel, there is no option for changing the tone between channels while playing live - I guess that's why it's called a Studiotone.

I had a Twintone II that was the same size, configured more for live playing for that reason. That amp has been discontinued and now there's a Twintone III, still 50 watts but in a slightly larger cabinet. The prototype was at NAMM.

Dolph Koch is an old-school guy - he doesn't have a clue about marketing, so his focus is very much only on performance. He could care less about mojo, vibe-juice and point-to-point cork-sniffing. Europe may be different, but this is not the best way to navigate today's North American guitar amp marketplace. The amps are not well-known here, where image is a huge component of amp sales for companies like Carr, Divided by 13, Swart, 65, Budda, Tone King and so forth, and contributes to their significantly higher retail prices.

[bmw2002]

In this thread's earlier iteration, Tom Karol mentioned the small Rivera combos as being worthy of consideration. I was wondering if anyone has tried out the Rivera Clubster 25 1x10 small combo? I've been looking for something equivalent to the Evans RE200 or the Henriksen 110, but in a tube model -- in other words, a small portable amp that sounds great with an archtop. (I'm intrigued by the fact that the Clubster has an actual Accutronics tank as I prefer the sound of non-digital spring reverb.)

This video also helped spur my interest. Thanks.

Rivera Clubster 25 1x10 played by Mitch Holder - YouTube

[bluefonia]

Dolph Koch is an old-school guy - he doesn't have a clue about marketing, so his focus is very much only on performance. He could care less about mojo, vibe-juice and point-to-point cork-sniffing. Europe may be different, but this is not the best way to navigate today's North American guitar amp marketplace. The amps are not well-known here, where image is a huge component of amp sales for companies like Carr, Divided by 13, Swart, 65, Budda, Tone King and so forth, and contributes to their significantly higher retail prices.

You are right about Koch, - they do not do heavy marketing. Therefore Koch is not a big selling name in EU either.

[Hammertone]

Originally Posted by dmorash

...Port City 12...No reverb though but damn it, it sounds good even without it. Very easy to carry as well.
Port City Twelve | Port City Amplification

Their Pearl 1x12 combo looks neat.

[Keira Witherkay]

Funny i should find this thread cos today i spent some time with my archtop and tele and my collection of amps and the one that offered best tone for both archtop and tele was a custom build 15w all tube point to point wired amp much like a princeton reverb as in it's built to that circuit but output valves are el 84 's with tube/ spring reverb and trem and with a fender 12 inch instead of 10 inch of princeton and also in an open back cab , so everything original post mentioned , all tube , open back combo which is easy to transport . At 15w all tube it's loud enough for most gigs but i just carry a mic with me to gigs in case i need to mic it for extra volume but great tone on both archtop and tele american standard . So yes tube amps really do work for jazz :-) if they light enough . I'm one happy tube amp user but i have a collection of solid state amps too , so with both tube and ss it's the best of all worlds

[tubeswell]

PR is small and sounds like magic for jazz.

[eddy b.]

Gotta say I LOVE my 15year old Ampeg Jet 15 watts class A weighs maybe 20 lbs. one volume one tone two inputs a perfect amp for tube tone deliciousness...paid $650 for it worth every penny!

[bborzell]

Originally Posted by tubeswell

PR is small and sounds like magic for jazz.

Yep. The OP opening comment about Fender Reissue mediocrity was a bit off putting, if not not simply simplistic. My 65 Princeton Reissue sounds better than anything else I have played through. Makes sense though, otherwise I would have bought whatever sounded better (although, in service of full disclosure, Fender gave me a new PR as settlement for a warranty issue with a Tacoma mandolin).

[PTChristopher]

I guess it is fashionable to dislike anything that is modern, available, and non-exclusive. But I love the Princeton Reverb Re-Issue (PRRI).

I have several amps, including my 1981 home-built point-to-point 6L6 based super-clean-headroom amp. Cube 80X, etc.

But the modern PRRI with a Weber speaker (the one everyone recommends), and late breakup tubes just sounds great. Lots of everything.

I added a midrange control to mine in the classic PR spot (in the back using the external speaker hole). But after putting in the Weber speaker, I end up with the midrange right were it would be in the stock setup anyway.

Chris

[hallpass]

I have and like the PRRI. I did put an loud/efficient and light 12" speaker into mine (Eminence Lil Texas) which makes it louder than stock for sure.

[arnie65]

I'm extremely happy with my Headstrong Lil' King, light, portable and reminiscing of the Fender Twin (big heavy tone). I had mine built with 6L6 tubes.





cheers
Arnie..

[Hammertone]

Originally Posted by bborzell

Yep. The OP opening comment about Fender Reissue mediocrity was a bit off putting, if not not simply simplistic. My 65 Princeton Reissue sounds better than anything else I have played through. ...[ ]...

I didn't comment on sound, but on build quality, having taken apart some of these amps. The Fender reissues sound great.

[Cane Burl]

Originally Posted by jdaguitar2

I will cast my vote for the Fender Champion 600 amplifier. I like this amp because it allows the player to "play" the amp. Crank the volume to 12 and this amp will respond to the slightest in right hand dynamics. It is also makes the guitar volume control much more relevant and useful. With a Low and High gain input and a single volume knob this combo is very simple; it also features a 1/4" speaker out for use with an external cab/speaker.

The only disadvantage is the 5w power output. So unless you play with a quiet group you may find the amp to be under powered, especially with its stock 6" speaker. But with a single 6V6 and a single 12AX7 tube maintenance is easy. Try one out, they are a fun amp to play. I have been using one since 2007 and really like it although I am looking into a Princeton Reverb currently as it has more volume.

+1 on the Champion 600

[bborzell]

Originally Posted by Hammertone

I didn't comment on sound, but on build quality, having taken apart some of these amps. The Fender reissues sound great.

Fair enough. I would add that the folklore about the quality of early Fenders just might be skewed a bit in that many who sing the praises of older amps are looking at those that have survived to this day and see them as evidence that older amps were better made. It's kind of a self selecting population in that the ones that bit the dust or otherwise were generally problematic are no longer with us.

[pingu]

Blues junior .....

[hallpass]

Originally Posted by bborzell

Fair enough. I would add that the folklore about the quality of early Fenders just might be skewed a bit in that many who sing the praises of older amps are looking at those that have survived to this day and see them as evidence that older amps were better made. It's kind of a self selecting population in that the ones that bit the dust or otherwise were generally problematic are no longer with us.

I agree. Also in regard to the PCB in the reissues... The Deluxe Reverb RI has been out a while and that uses PCB construction...and it seems like to me it's been pretty reliable to most. Basically, PCB or point to point can be good or bad, depending upon the way in which it is done. Neither is inherently good nor bad on their own. I personally own both a PCB Fender and a PTP Fender. I found an interesting article about PCB construction here: The Truth About Printed Circuit Boards.