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Got my 80th birthday coming up in a month and I'd like to get myself a nice present so I'm leaning heavily toward a Bud 6. I really like my Evans RE200 but it's bigger and weighs 27lbs and I'm old and the Bud weighs 13lbs. Not gigging much anymore but the Bud would be nice for a solo assisted living gig and will also let me Bluetooth a few tracks or invite a singer if need be and they seem to sound great and are pretty much bullet proof. I really hate to part with the Evans as they've always been 'top of the heap' in my book (I was a dealer in the 80s when they were mostly for pedal steel) but I can't really justify both so struggling a little with the decision. Would like to hear from anyone who has a Bud 6 (or even a Blu), especially being used with an Ibanez GB10 and/or electric nylon string. Convince me.......
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04-24-2025 04:18 PM
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I can tell you my experience with the Blu and I can compare it to the DV Mark Little Jazz (15lbs).
The Blu is a little louder. The Blu's sound strikes me as "PA-like", which means, to me, a little icy or sterile. The LJ sounds warmer. I like the LJ a bit better for single note work than chords.
I did extensive comparisons, adjusting EQ and trying them out at different gigs. But, I play a semi, not an archtop. And, I have some hearing impairment. So, my results may not generalize.
That said, the LJ sounds better and the volume difference isn't that large. I had the Blu volume maxed-out for a big band rehearsal. It worked, but it had nothing in reserve. I've played the same band rehearsal with the LJ, also at or near max volume. It worked too. Neither one was as good as my JC55 in that situation.
I also tried the larger DV Mark Jazz 12. A bit louder than the LJ. It didn't sound any better than the LJ, so I stuck with the LJ. But, I don't play solo guitar where more bass might be helpful.
All that said, if I needed to amplify guitar and voice and I wanted to go with a very lightweight rig, I'd consider the Bud. I'd also consider a bunch of other options.
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I say get a Bud 6 and celebrate but not with a Bud but a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
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Haven’t tried the Bud, but been happily gigging with the Blu Six, including an outdoor street jazz festival on an archtop and on a solid body through a pedal board for a solo set in an auditorium for an audience of 120 people.
It’s very light to carry and louder than it looks, with a 5-band EQ, reverb, a switchable tweeter, an FX loop, Bluetooth auxiliary for backing tracks, etc., headphone out and extension speaker out.
Also use it at home for practice. Works very well with acoustics, both steel and nylon, even run my Roland piano through it on occasion. There’s a lot of great choices for combo amps, but it’s the only amp that I really need.
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It's getting hotter, and my preference for summer adult beverages is Shiner Ruby Redbird. Probably not available at either of the above locations, though.
I have no experience with any Henriksen amps, so I'm no help with that. But just to add to RP's opinion above, the Little Jazz can be used with bluetooth, with another gizmo. Bluetooth receiver/transmitters are widely available, swithable between receive and transmit as needed, for very little money. It's easy to connect one to the aux input with the invariably included short 3.5mm cable. But if you need two inputs, the LJ has only one. You could add a mixer of some kind, but that's probably more than you want to deal with. Lots of people do like the Bud and Blu, and if you have the money, one might be worthwhile. AFAIK the Bud has no bluetooth or aux input, just two standard inputs, FWIW. Get something you like. I'm not quite to 80 yet, but I'm rushing toward it at the speed of life. Be there soon, but no idea what I might want for that birthday. Waking up would be good.
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Shiner Blonde is a go-to favorite of mine. The ruby redbird is also very delicious.
Originally Posted by sgosnell
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The Henriksen Bud Six is an excellent match to your stated objectives. I have it and a DVM Little Jazz. I like them both; got the LJ first. The one thing I'll say about the LJ is that it is permanently voiced. It has limited EQ, but it's only going to sound like a Little Jazz, partly because of its speaker (which is not a simple unbolt-and-replace). Out of the box, LJ is intrinsically warmer than the Bud or Blu Henriksen. But the Bud is versatile and if you want it to sound more like a Little Jazz''s voice, switch off the tweeter and use the 5-band EQ to get you there. Henriksen's Eminence speaker is more neutral.
IME the Bud 6 interprets a wider range of pickups than the Little Jazz (or an old Polytone). And it is set up for voice with independent channels/EQs. Seems a good move for the OP, to me. Unless Mr. Ellis wants to spring for a Bud 10!
Happy 80th, Skip!
Phil
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You’re a year ahead of me in age, Skip. But I got smart a bit before you
. I bought a Blu 6 about 3 years ago and gig with it regularly. It’s surprisingly versatile and not at all dry or sterile with my archtops. It lets them sound like themselves, and they’re all quite different (but are all 7s). The 16” laminated box with set Benedetto lays down a bit of thunk in a classic thicker top CES tone. With the coil tap grounded, it has a brighter tone that sings through the Blu. It’s an Ibanez AF207, so it’s very similar to your GB10.
The 16” carved box with set 14 pole HW KA is a woodier CES tone with less thunk, and the 17” with KA floater is in the L-5C school. The Blu lets each be itself. I don’t have a guitar with nylon strings. But I use a Roland synthesizer through the Blu on small gigs and it handles everything from sampled classical guitar to vibes to B3 to sax very very well.
I bought a new Evans 150W 12” and then a 200W version, using both happily for a few years (back in the ‘90s IIRC). Both had the same uncolored, accurate ability to amplify a guitar with no changes to its tone except volume. I think the Blu is every bit as good, and it’s as loud as the 150. I always thought that the 200W Evans was “more louder” than the 150 than it should have been for a 50W rated output increase (which was only a 33% increase and should have added only a dB or so at the top).
I used the Blu Tuesday with the AF at a local club with a very large interior, playing with a tenor, an alto, keys, bass, drums, and congas. It had plenty of juice, even with the coil tap on for some pop and fusion tunes. I love my Blu 6 and don’t miss my Evans or Boogie or Vibrolux etc at all. I still have a Twin and a Princeton, but I haven’t taken either out of the house in a very long time. I either use the Blu or a small head (BAM200 or DV Mark EG250 these days) and a Toob for most of my gigs.
The Bluetooth works great too. I don’t see how you could go wrong with a Bud or Blu.
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Happy 80th, Skip!
Enjoy your new amp, whatever it may be!
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Skip, you are turning 80. Enjoy life, it is later than you think.
If you want to try the Henriksen, buy one. If you do not like it (unlikely), it will resell quite easily with little loss to you.
I have a Bud 6 and a Blu 10. Both are far more versatile than the Polytones and Acoustic Image amps that I used in the past.
IMO, a Henriksen and a Quilter are all the amps that a guitarist of advancing years needs in the toolbox.
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Henriksen has a 30-day trial period. If you don't like it, you can return it for a full refund.
Also, there's a few youtube channels that have a link for a 5% discount. I believe Rich Severson's channel and Nathan Borton's channel have a discount code.
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Absolutely! My “big” amp is a Quilter OD202 head, for which I have both a 10” and a 12” Block Dock. In the 12, it’s the equal of my original “before there were Marks” Boogie and weighs about 22 pounds. In the 10, which won’t take the full power output, it’s a 19 pound Vibrolux. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Along with a Bud or Blu, I truly don’t need anything else. If $ is a serious consideration, a BAM200 or similar class D head on a Toob Metro is less than half the cost of a Blu 6 and sounds as good if you don’t want reverb or a tweeter. But the little Henriksens are absolute jewels that look and feel as sophisticated as they sound.
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You've got 4 years on me, Skip, but like nevershould I opted for lighter weight amps some years ago. I had the original Bud 6, weighing close to 20 pounds, and sold it to a very young friend and bought the newer model when it came out. I was very happy to save 7 pounds or so. But I'm in an apartment in NYC, and get around via public transportation. When I used to haul a 3/4 bass viol through the transit system, it was a major endeavor, getting it over the turnstiles and through the enclosures designed to fit one person.
I also now have 6" and 8" Toob Metros, which lighten the load further. But the Bud is indispensable for me, with two independent channels, since I usually add vocals with guitar. I'm appreciative of the bluetooth, too, which the original didn't have, having instead a separate 1/8' jack for adding an external sound source.
I suspect you'll be very happy with the abilities of a Bud 6. Congratulations! (Which is to say, go ahead and buy it)
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Buy it
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I also have one and love it. They are a freak of nature. Huge tone out of a small box. I find if you put them on a foot stool they sound even better. A no brainer buy. You will love it. Happy Birthday buddy !!! I will be 71 in June and hope to still be playing at 80.
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Or for a very different experience, try an Athletic Brewing Co "Run Wild" IPA. Originally Posted by deacon Mark
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If worried about the size and/or output of the Blu/Bud 6, what has been the experience using an extension cab? Is it even needed, does it give extra volume? Does it fill out the sound? Etc….
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Interestingly, I always thought of the Bud 6 as a "Head" with the added advantage of a small built-in speaker. Originally Posted by Campbell_jazz
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The internal Eminence Beta 6.5" speaker has moderate sensitivity (94 dB with 1W input at 1 meter) . My Blu 6 is noticeably louder driving my RE 10 with a Jet Tornado Neo, which is only 3 dB more sensitive. But I think the cabinet also adds sensitivity. A larger internal volume in a cabinet well suited to the Thiele-Small parameters of a driver will produce more sound with deeper, fuller bass (all other things being equal). My RevSound 8" cab is also a bit louder than the internal speaker in the Blu, but it's not as dramatic as the RE. Originally Posted by Campbell_jazz
If I need an extension speaker on a gig and want to take the Blu (e.g. in a restaurant where I have to stick my amp / speaker under a table or bench), I'll take one of my Toobs. My 10 is just about as loud as the RE 10, and I'm pretty sure it also has a Jet neo in it. The SICA 6.5" driver in the Metro BG+ is "only" rated at 91 dB (1W @ 1 meter). So it won't add any to the overall SPL if usd as a second speaker, although positioned well it does increase dispersion and the sound is more evenly heard throughout the venue.
Adding an identical extension cab will only increase the SPL by 3 dB at the most. You get better dispersion and coverage with a pair, but the 3 dB is barely noticeable. The Six extension cab is currently $800, which is far more than it's worth to me. You could buy 2 Toobs and a fine meal for 2 with an excellent bottle of wine instead.
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About extension speakers: My experience is that very few people use them, and there's a reason. They simply don't add much volume. +3 dB is barely audible, not worth hauling the extra cab. If there's a sensitivity and/or impedance mismatch, they may be even counterproductive. Positioning also matters, as it, compounded with the venue's walls and corners, impacts on the phasing and interference of different frequencies. IMHO, a 6.5" speaker sounds best alone. It also has a very broad projection. 1x12 vs 2x12 is a different story, but 2x12 cabs are getting rare and 4x12 are becoming relics.
I bet some people will disagree and others may be keen to correct me on theory level. I'll be all ears.
PS: Skip, congratulations on the approaching milestone! I'm a year and a half behind. Incredible that I've been reading your contributions for over 15 years now. Thanks!Last edited by Gitterbug; 04-26-2025 at 03:56 PM.
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One thing I have found that does increase the volume significantly is using two speakers in parallel. I regularly use my Vibrolux Reverb cabinet with various heads, and it raises the volume to unbearable bedroom levels with the volume on the head unchanged from what was a very comfortable level with one 8 ohm speaker. I have Cannabis Rex speakers in the VR, and while the speakers are larger than the one in my Toob Metro, they're the same size as my RE Stealth 10, and the volume difference is almost the same with that as with the Toob. Cutting the impedance in half, down to 4 ohms, matters.
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FWIW, see this post: An Old Man's New Semi-Modular Rig - 1st Impressions
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FWIW, I got an email from Henriksen yesterday or the day before that they're having a sale on Buds and Blus. I deleted it without reading it carefuly, but IIRC they're offering $100 or $200 off (depending on the model) until tomorrow. Anyone interested should call them today to find out the details.
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It's $100 off the Blu models and $200 off the Bud models. Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
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