Best solid state amp. Simply the best!

[rpjazzguitar]

Here are my quick takes on the ones I've used.

1. AER 60. Sounds very good but I've only heard it in small gigs. One player I know gets a terrific sound by using it to feed a powered speaker.

2. Little Jazz. Sounds very good to me for solos, not quite so good for chords. Will not keep up with a loud band.

But, I use it as part of my "loud rig". That's Guitar > ME80 > LJ > Mixer > Powered_speaker. The LJ gives a little more control over the tone and volume right where I'm sitting, adds a bit of reverb and can be used as a monitor if needed. Also, if the powered speaker dies suddenly, the LJ can be pressed into service as an amp. The LJ has XLR out and a speaker kill switch.

3. Jazz 12. This is the LJ's electronics with a bigger speaker. It's a little louder than the LJ but didn't really sound better. It's much bulkier than the LJ, which was the deciding factor for me. Others might prefer it.

4. Roland JC55. An old one. A little icy sounding, but can be tamed. Loud enough for big band. The hiss doesn't bother me, but that could be a high frequency hearing problem. Nobody has ever complained about it. Weighs somewhere around 26lbs, which isn't too heavy, yet.

5. Quilter. I've heard two, I don't know the model names. Both sounded trebly or spiky or whatever you call that kind of edgy tone. Matter of taste. Never played through one.

6. Katana 50. Used one once at a jam. Didn't even have a chance to dial it in. Still, it sounded okay, maybe better than that.

7. Original Zeta LB. My take was that it was awful. Others, including players I admire, swear by it.

8. Crate GFX15. These sell for about $30 used. Sound great. It's the practice amp in my living room.

9. Bose S1. I've posted a lot about my attempts to use it as my amp. I ended up returning it. Sometimes it sounded good, but when it didn't, I had too much trouble dialing in a better sound. I think if the app gave real access to multiband EQ it might have been great.

8. Everse 8. Had all the EQ options I wished the S1 had, but it just didn't sound warm, no matter what I did. To be fair, I never tried the parametric EQ.

9. JBL Line Array, the one with 7 inputs. Ran guitar > ME80 > LJ > JBL. As good as any guitar sound I ever got. I don't think it would have sounded nearly as good if I had to lift it. It's heavy.

10. My purchasing advice: there's no guarantee that you're going to like what others like, even what a lot of others like. Every player is unique. Different picks, strings, pickups, setup variables, playing style etc etc etc.

And, if you could control all of that, IME even the same exact stuff doesn't necessarily sound the same from one set of a gig to the next. That could be the crowd changing or it could be my ears getting accustomed to whatever sound I'm getting.

So, if you can't test them yourself, limit yourself to brands with good reputations for reliability and buy with a return privilege. I think it's just about impossible to tell, from an in-store tryout, how you're going to like after a month.

And don't forget, better players than me love the Lunchbox, but I couldn't stand it -- and I'm not that picky, I don't think.

[Christian Miller]

Tone Master Deluxe


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[sgcim]

AI Corus, but where do you get it repaired?

[Unclegrumpy]

Jon shipped a Mambo 10 to me in Oregon. He can do the same for you. About the same $ as a Henriksen. NFI of course.

[arnie65]

This for me, the Ethos Clean II is the best solid state amp. Around the mid 2000's, Robbie from Custom Tones Inc launched his company and offered a preamp pedal, (later an amp) that would revolutionized the D-style pedal world. This creation had a lot of controls to craft your tone regardless the guitar you use. Many players bonded with it, some did not; but everyone agreed that the clean side of the pedal was stellar, and many kept the pedal just for the clean side. Pristine cleans, with five EQ controls and switches to conjure up any tone. In addition, a killer speaker simulation output, or regular output, both that can go out to a PA, recording device etc. There were several iterations of this pedal, and this one is called the "Ethos Clean II". It weights less than 3 lbs, and measures 4 1/2" X 2 3/4". This one has a built-in power section that puts out 30 watts @ 8ohms, so you can also use it as an amp and feed a speaker cab etc.. I use it in different ways depending on the gig, but my favorite is powering a very light speaker speaker cab I have with a neodymium speaker, it's the ultimate amp for the minimalist, and the tone rivals many tube and solid state amps outhere. I just can't think of anything as good or more versatile, with such a small footprint, and great tone. I've tried the Milkman, the Dream 65, and the Iridium, as well as many small amps, but nothing (for me) rivals this. You can even order it as a preamp, or a full amp, and add the features you want (as offered). Below is a sample of this amp, played by Mason Rasavi.

Cheers,
Arnie..

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

This for me, the Ethos Clean II is the best solid state amp.

That really is a wonderful device, and it makes that beautiful playing even nicer to hear.

I’m definitely interested in these. With the 30W amp onboard, they should be great with Toobs and other small, high quality speakers at a combined price no higher than a Bud even with a good pedal for the ODS effect (eg Wampler Dual Fusion, Smokin’ Amp Company Zensation etc). But most of the Ethos devices in that style (Clean II, III etc) are unavailable right now.

[jads57]

I guess it all comes down to personal taste. I overall prefer the Fender Camp Blackface Clean tones overall to the direct .P.A. Clean Hi Fi tones for my taste.
I’ve found the Quilter Aviator and TB 202 to be the most versatile amps for almost any guitar Archtop both with floater and Laminate with Humbuckers, Solid Bodies, Flat Top, etc.
Remember it has a Hi Cut knob to tame the spikes highs!

One thing that also really helps is using an Xotic Clean Boost pedal. You add warmth and can dial in different frequencies as well. But even without the pedal I’ve found it sounds just fine.
I also think unless you’re actually playing gigs, it’s hard to know what works best to cut through the mix.

[Stringswinger]

I guess it all comes down to personal taste..

When it comes to guitars and amps, this is always true.

[jads57]

Well it’s also what gives you the tone in your head, as well as the ones on the records we all grew up with

[arnie65]

That really is a wonderful device, and it makes that beautiful playing even nicer to hear.

I’m definitely interested in these. With the 30W amp onboard, they should be great with Toobs and other small, high quality speakers at a combined price no higher than a Bud even with a good pedal for the ODS effect (eg Wampler Dual Fusion, Smokin’ Amp Company Zensation etc). But most of the Ethos devices in that style (Clean II, III etc) are unavailable right now.

You can order the pedal as a preamp or as a full amp from Customtones Inc, Robbie is still making them, they say sold out, but you can still place an order.


Arnie...