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I did a quick search on the forum and there is a number of threads about the Little Jazz, but nothing showed up about the DV Mark heads: the Little 250 (GH or M version) and the MICRO 50.
Does anybody have any experience with these amp heads? They seem like nice lightweight amp heads with lots of power, especially combined with a lightweight 1x12 cab (Neodymium speaker!)
Although I am still very much in love with my Twin Reverb, I am also orientating myself in this direction. Especially the option to adjust your speaker to the type of gig seems practical (1x10" closed back, 1x12"open back, 2x12, etc.): just own 1 amp with several cabs and take the one that fits that night's gig. Care to share any experiences? Thanks!
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07-24-2017 10:18 AM
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I have the micro 50. I use is every day with a 1x12 Celestion Vintage30 powered box.
In two words: No treble.
In more words: Lacks treble big time, sounds like a bass amp. The EQ is pretty useless (wrong frequencies, sounds like a bass amp, like I said before) the drive channel is a bad joke, the reverb ok but has some chorus in it.
I have a Boss GT-1 that makes the sound (amazing), so the DV is basically a power amp only, 300€ is way too much for that.
Can't say anything about the 250, but I cannot recommend the 50. One exception comes to my mind, if you l crave for a low treble, dark sounding amp for jazz guitar it possibly could do the job.
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Aai, that is disappointing to hear....
Originally Posted by DonEsteban
I saw these clips on youtube and those sounded quite good to me (the clean sounds that is):
and this one (from about 1m42s):
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Yes I know these clips, clever made... in parts why I bought the amp.
When he plays this "Wave" fragment, there's no treble at all, I mean the sparkle, the shimmering... but you don't realize, because you don't expect it from a 175, that's why you hear it only if you pay close attention. Then later in the Chicken fragment, close the eyes and concentrate on the guitar sound. Like it? I don't.
Don't be distracted by his playing and even less by his grimacing BTW...Last edited by DonEsteban; 07-24-2017 at 11:32 AM.
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I have, after going through several valve amps on route to a traditional jazz sound with mellow warmth, the Micro 50 which was chosen after reading many good reviews on this site. Like all gear it depends on the sound you are looking for and the guitar / pups you are using as to which amp is going to suit you. If you are using a solid body and looking for "Garry Moore" or Raunchy Rock then the Micro 50 will not do. It is essentially a clean amp which I think is fantastic for Jazz that I have to have the treble turned well down. When I sold my ES175 Premium recently the guy buying it played Rockabilly and thought my amp set up superb and said that he would replicate it if he could afford to, by now he may have done so. The Micro 50 is capable of many good sounds but it will depend on the player, the guitar, the pups, and of course the speakers. Ah yes the speakers..........I could not make up my mind using the sound samples on speaker websites but decided after advice from other forum members to consider 10" Lil Buddy or 12" Cannabis Rex. Well there was only one answer, I purchased both speakers and made 2 cabs from Birch 18mm ply. The 12" one was first, with a removable closed back and 2 x 2" ports in the front.....close but not right so after discovering one of the secrets of the "Polytone" sound was speaker cabs being stuffed with insulation I moved on. The next job was to make the 10" cab and do a 2nd mod to the 12". Both cabs now have 2 x smaller ports to the rear, still with removable backs and acoustic foam lined interiors. The 12" is best with the closed back and the 10" with open back. Both are good but the 12" has the edge however the amp has 2 speaker outputs for stereo so I tried both speakers and WOW! The sound was stunning which could not more Jazz like.........nailed it! No more sound searching. That's my experience but as I first said we all play and look for something that is what we like, there is no right or wrong so take all advice as a guide and find your right. It's a personal thing. Good luck. Graham
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I can't agree with Don Esteban about the Micro50. It has lots of treble, and I have to turn it down some, even though I like a rather bright tone. Perhaps it's because we're using different speaker cabs. I'm using a RE Stealth 10ER, with the tweeter turned all the way to minimum. I also play it through a RE 6/8, and it's even brighter than the Stealth 10ER. The Micro50 does have a lot of bass, and I usually turn that down just a little. I tried the Quilter 101 Reverb with these cabs, and didn't like it. The Micro50 is much, much better. I also have an AI Clarus, which sounds good, but I've put it back in the closet, and mostly only use the Micro50. I also have a Little Jazz, which sounds pretty similar to the Micro50 but with less treble through the same cabinets. IMO the Micro50 makes a great jazz head. The crunch channel is ok, I guess, but I rarely use it.
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They still seem interesting, the right cab seems crucial. I will just have to try it out to find out.
Thanks for the input everybody!
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I have none experience with this amp but I know that the fanboys of the Vintage 30 speakers are hard rockers. Famous for their spiky midrange.
I would try first the favourite of many jazzers: Eminence Beta 12A. Warm, efficient – and reasonably priced.
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I checked out DV Mark Micro on Musicians Friend and saw that they have 4 new versions expected to arrive soon:
- a "Jazz" version (only one without a "LEAD" channel)
- an "M" version
- a "II" version
- a "Ciro Manna" version.
I assume these have different preamp voicing. Jazz version sounds interesting.
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I wonder if the lack of treble is due to the cabinet? My Micro50 has a very nice range of tone adjustment. I can pretty much dial in whatever I want on the clean channel. Originally Posted by DonEsteban
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Evidently the II and "Jazz" versions include an effects loop but OMIT the XLR output. Doesn't seem to be a direct line out for recording direct to the board. The features list on Musicians Friend says XLR Out but the photos do not show the XLR output. Originally Posted by maggles55
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Originally Posted by DonEsteban
So an amp from a company who made its Mark as a Bass company their amps have no treble.
Very interesting. I still have my MarkBass head from my bass days and they are great bass amp, I wondered if they changed enough when they started the DV guitar amps guess not. That's sad I had high hopes for them.
Last edited by docbop; 07-28-2017 at 06:53 PM.
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Treble is just fine on the DV Mark Micro50. I have one, use it every day for practice, recording, and the tonal range is excellent. Originally Posted by docbop
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I think the Little Jazz and the Micro50 are very similar in sound. The only real difference I can see is that the Micro50 has a crunch channel, otherwise they sound almost identical through the same cabinet. Bireli Lagrene has endorsed the DV Mark line for awhile now, and he seems to get plenty of treble. I doubt that he uses either of those models, though.
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Kind of impressive to me that they can take the Micro 50 and just REMOVE some significant features: the crunch channel, the XLR output, and just add an effects loop, and the price is unchanged! Originally Posted by sgosnell
Keeping my Micro50 for now. No advantage, and some loss, with moving to the jazz.
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I had a Little Jazz before I bought the Micro50. The LJ is a combo, not just a head, and no effects loop, but it does have an XLR output. It's the Micro50 with no crunch channel but with a speaker & cabinet. I use the LJ when my priority is portability, the Micro50/RE Stealth 10 when the priority is tone and volume. But to be honest, in a stage situation with other players, there really isn't much difference in the sound anyway. The LJ gets plenty loud enough for me. During a jam at a bar, I don't think I've ever turned it up to 50% volume, and the guitar volume was at about 50%. I bought the Micro50 because I wanted something to use with the Stealth10, and I do use those, but I can easily get by with the LJ if necessary.
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Thanks everybody for the input.
After reading your comments here I've checked Youtube and there are so many more videos available now compared to when I bought the amp. There where only the official and semi official DV Mark videos out there as far as I remember.
My micro50 definitely doesn't sound like any of these amps I've seen and heard on the Tube.
So I might have a faulty unit or (I was a really early adopter) possibly do have a version 0.1 and they changed the circuit and now there is a 1.1 or so....
I contacted the dealer where I bought it and wait for his response at this moment.
Thanks again!
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