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Thanking those who helped me choose this amp and hoping to help others in their choice, I write a few observations, some not too much, others really subjective:
- the timbre is very variable with the position
- in all positions, more or less, it favors the fundamental note over the harmonics
- after various tests I am now holding it half a meter from a wall, raised by 20 cm, oriented away from the wall but not perpendicularly and tilted slightly upwards; but I also got a good sound by holding it at head height or pointing it towards the ceiling (in this case with the bass turned up a lot)
- the volume is definitely sufficient for our guitar/accordion duo, but, with the tones I prefer (see below), perhaps not for noisy groups
- the tone adjustments are from 0 and up: they add
- raising the mids adds a lot of overall volume and a certain hiss (apart from this hiss by raising the mids it is a very quiet amp)
- raising the mids also changes the timbre radically arriving at a sound that I would define compressed and boxy (and yes, it is not my favorite sound...)
- raising the bass produces very rounded bass; soon they become excessive and boomy (this effect varies a lot from position to position)
- raising the treble changes less (compared to the previous ones): both the harmonics and the presence increase a little; they remain round and without harshness for a long range
- with the placement I chose, with my tastes, with my way of playing (mainly chord-melody played softly with the fingers), with my guitars (Epi Joe Pass with splitted pup, Epi Regent, Eastman ar503, Epi Es175 with Gibson 57 pup, all with Thomastik JS-112 or 113) I keep the bass at h9, the mids at h7 and the highs at h12
- the dynamics are excellent: it expresses and returns the differences in volume and touch of the notes very well
- not being a modeler it has no noticeable latency
- from the two previous observations and from the roundness of the highs emerges what makes me love this amplifier: a feeling of immediate perception of what my fingers are doing, a beautiful expressiveness and a round and sweet sound.
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11-02-2024 06:53 AM
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.. Hi, I have the DV 12, I like it a lot too, but lately the henriksen 10 has really attracted me! It seems like the best! But I'm afraid of losing the warm timbres of the DV Mark Jazz 12. We'll see..
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Yes, position makes a definite difference in the sound. I prefer having the amp a few inches from a wall or other baffle, usually within a foot or so, but it does vary in different rooms. I also prefer having it tilted, using a wedge. I have a folding wedge from Guitar Center that works well for me. Others prefer having it flat on the floor. It's a subjective decision, I can only say what I personally prefer. I tend to keep the tone controls at or near 12 o'clock, because that's what sounds best to me, but it's easy to rotate them. I find that tilting the amp reduces the bass response to some degree, so I don't need to roll it back as I might if it were flat on the floor, which increases the bass coupling. Others have different preferences, and that's their business. I will say that my Little Jazz isn't getting a lot of play at home lately, because I prefer the sound of my Quilter Soundblock US through my Vibrolux Reverb used as a cabinet. The two 10" speakers in parallel give a very attractive sound.
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Thanks for the detailed review.
I keep the bass at 9 (thinking clock face), mids at 12 and treble at 11. Sometimes I roll the bass down further. Reverb at 9.
I prefer it flat on the floor. I keep it a few feet from a wall (it's ported in the back).
For a while I took it even to big band rehearsals and the few gigs the big band got. But, I eventually came to believe that I wasn't getting a good sound for comping at the volume I was using. I wish I could explain it better, but chords just sounded a little edgy and harsh. I switched to a JC55 (for even the quiet gigs) which seems to work better for that.
All that said, when I get invited to a quiet jam and for practice it's the amp I use.
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Very glad to have bought the DV Mark Little Jazz in 2019. If it weren't for this forum, it wouldn't have hit my radar screen.
I bought it for its size and weight and took it with me to the Port Townsend Jazz Workshop. It was super convenient when hiking across campus with my guitar in a Reunion Blues soft-shell case on my back, and the Little Jazz in one hand. I still had a hand free to drink coffee (that's vital in our neck of the woods). In the practice room with horns, drums, and piano, the DV held its own. In an auditorium, the tech plugged it into the sound system and it sounded very clear, according to Anat Cohen, who coached our combo.
Since that time, it has been my grab-and-go amp for jam sessions. My settings vary based on the guitar I'm playing and other instruments in the room. In the pic below, you can see the settings from a jam last week, where I played my Sadowsky Frank Vignola with one other guitarist, who played a Sadowsky SS-15. I prefer a full/dark tone, so I believe these settings say as much about at the Sadowsky's capabilities as it does about the amp.
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Mine is black!
(Limited run, I guess... the online shop I bought it from had both, white and black).
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DV Mark amps are great at so many levels, weight, tone, and price, just to mention three. I first saw Jack Wilkins (RIP) playing through one (Jazz 12) and I thought it was a Henriksen. When he told me it was a $400 amp, I couldn't believe it, then he said pick it up, and I was even more baffled. Within a year I purchased the "Silver Gen" which is their version of a Silverface Fender, with 50 watts and a 12" Neodymium speaker. This amp was later reissued as
"The Guitar Friend", but is now discontinued and I wouldn't trade it for a Princeton for it if I was offered. Later on I've seen guitarist/educator Alessio Menconi on Youtube using one too, and sounding like he was playing through a Twin Reverb. I haven't played the smaller ones, but I'm sure they sound great.
Cheers,
Arnie..
Last edited by arnie65; 11-15-2024 at 09:59 PM.
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I would have bought a black model if it had been available back then, purely for the superior dirt/grime hiding ability. White always shows dirt and scuffs more than black. I highly suspect that the color has little to do with tone, though.
But white was the only color available when I bought mine. I deal with it. 
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Are Little Jazzes still available?
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Guitar Center shows them as available. Inflation has occurred, and they're now $400.
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I have a DV Mark Little Jazz and a Henriksen Bud 6, and I like them both. While the Bud is both more powerful and more versatile, I sometimes prefer the warmer more compressed sound (to my ears) of the LJ for low volume archtop jazz guitar. Both are sensitive to placement/positioning; both sound considerably more expansive with an extension speaker.
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I have a Jazz 12, now nine years old. I am completely satisfied and I always recommend them.
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Haven’t had a chance to try one yet but I will, if/when I see one in the wild.
For any open-back combo or cabinet, wall proximity, angle with the floor or height from the floor are crucial and make all the difference in the world.
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The LJ has a port in the back. I sounds better in front, but I've had it in front of me on a very crowded bandstand and I was able to play, although it sounds like a cocked wah or something like that.
I paid $350 for mine several years ago. I saw it considerably cheaper a time or two.
It sounds great. I use it regularly in my rehearsal room, on small gigs and for most jams. For medium size gigs, I get a little unhappy with the sound of chords -- a little harsh, so I usually take a JC55 instead.
For loud gigs, I go into the LJ, then into a mixer and then into a powered speaker. A hassle, but it sounds great at any volume I'd ever want to play at. And, I can use the LJ as a monitor if needed. I usually have the LJ speaker off, though, but I put it next to my chair, which allows me to use the LJ EQ and reverb without going to the mixer. And, it provides a backup if one breaks.
If I were starting from scratch, I'd consider the LJ and a small powered speaker. Use the LJ or both. That would cover a lot of possible venues. I'd also have the mixer, but that's because I usually have a mic for announcements and sometimes vocals. The powered speaker would need a mic/line switch, or equivalent function.
A little more to carry and set up, but each piece would be under 20 lbs.
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just used a little jazz at a jam session
we played Killer joe pretty
emphatically with Tpt and Sax
pno , bass and drums hitting quite hard
it kept up and sounded really good
cranked
(and on the softer stuff , standards etc)
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Those Little Jazz amps are pretty incredible, especially for the money. I paid $199 at a Guitar Center blowout last year. I took awhile to come, but I wish I bought two, because two would probably be enough for any gig, and anyway, stereo!
I still prefer my tube amp- which cost me $2500! Or my vintage DR, which I wouldn't want to pay for now. So not a very fair comparison.
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I think the Silver Gen/Guitar Friend was, basically, a Jazz 12 with an added distorsion channel...
Originally Posted by arnie65
DV Mark amps are great at so many levels, weight, tone, and price, just to mention three. I first saw Jack Wilkins (RIP) playing through one (Jazz 12) and I thought it was a Henriksen. When he told me it was a $400 amp, I couldn't believe it, then he said pick it up, and I was even more baffled. Within a year I purchased the "Silver Gen" which is their version of a Silverface Fender, with 50 watts and a 12" Neodymium speaker. This amp was later reissued as
"The Guitar Friend", but is now discontinued and I wouldn't trade it for a Princeton for it if I was offered. Later on I've seen guitarist/educator Alessio Menconi on Youtube using one too, and sounding like he was playing through a Twin Reverb. I haven't played the smaller ones, but I'm sure they sound great.
Cheers,
Arnie..
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