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For many years I played my old 62 Strat and a Fender Twin, just the standard picking and strumming with bands and by myself. After marriage, kids, high stress jobs I kind of quit playing and gave my adult son my Strat and my Twin (he loves them both.) I have now retired, and I am taking up solo fingerstyle jazz playing (have to retrain these old fingers!) and have a nice archtop electric and I bought a Boss Katana MKII amp. I have found that I do more futizing around with all the modeling on it, trying to find the right tones to load into it to get that solo fingerstyle jazz sound I want, than I do playing.
I want to sell this Katana MKII and get an amp that is really designed for the kind of music I want to play without having to search a gazillion tones online to try (and try to remember how to use the software to use them.) I've been looking at reviews and I am not sure what to get. I see great reviews of the Henrickson Bud 6, and I like the size, and I'm not afraid to spend the money on it (or the Blu, not sure I need two channels, never used a second channel.) I don't anticipate playing in huge arenas, etc. - any public performances are very likely to be small venues.
I'd appreciate suggestions from all of you. Is the Henrickson Bud 6 or Blu 6 the obvious way to go or are there other options I should consider?
(Oh, also I noticed some amps like the Bud 6 have XLR inputs, which I've never seen on an amp before; is there a brand or style of XLR to 1/4 phono cables best for this?)
Thanks!
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05-26-2025 05:08 PM
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The Hendriksen amps are great amps. I have a Blu (10" version). It sounds very good. However, my favorite amp with my archtop is a Louis Electric Columbia (it's basically a Princeton with a 12" speaker and a few upgrades).
Tim Lerch is one of my favorite finger style jazz players. He uses many different amps (Henriksen, Quilter, etc.) but has stated that if he's going in the studio, he uses a Princeton. Check out a Princeton with a 12" speaker and see how you like it.
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A few things might help for better suggestions. Is there a player and/or album you really like when it comes to fingerstyle tone (e.g. Joe Pass) or is it about getting a nice acoustic sound like the guitar unplugged? What guitar are you using? And, do you like to tone you get when you plug the archtop into the twin (at your son's place)? If he does not live nearby, could try it out at the local guitar center. Might be better to get some more data before diving into an amp that you can't play ahead of time.
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Thanks - just did a quick search (SO much more variety in amps than back in the 70s when I started playing!) and there are a LOT of Princeton variations: reverb, tube, SS, etc. Is there a specific model I should look at?
Originally Posted by Freddels
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I have done hundreds of well paid solo jazz guitar gigs with both a Henriksen Bud 6 and a Henriksen Blu 6 using solid body guitars, laminated archtop guitars, carved archtops with a built in pickup and carved archtops with a floating pickup.
The Henriksen is a great choice for us older cats (I am going to turn 68 this year) for whom light weight is a necessity. The input plug on these amps can take an XLR or a standard 1/4 inch plug, so it will work with whatever guitar cable you like.
The second channel on the Bud can come in handy if you want to be able to have someone sit in just by plugging into your amp. Plus the Bud has a wider range of tone options than the Blu.
IMO, the Bud 6 is the amp you want.
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My son unfortunately is across country from me. I'm currently using a Hagstrom Viking Deluxe but I have a custom Fibonacci Joya archtop on the way. Originally Posted by Spook410
Martin Taylor is a favorite, in fact I'm learning in some online lessons from him (he plays the Joya which he helped design.) Fan of some of the standards, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, the usual suspects. The style I'm learning (which I've wanted to learn for decades but retirement has given me the time to learn) will be solo fingerstyle jazz. That warm, smooth, solo fingerstyle sound.
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The Bud/Blu has a distinctive tone that many love but some dislike, so it's not necessarily the obvious choice. You should be sure you like that particular sound before you commit to it - there are plenty of examples online to hear. The DV Mark Little Jazz is a lot less divisive, a lot cheaper and just as suitable for that sort of use.
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Interesting; what is the divisive nature of the Bud? Originally Posted by bleakanddivine
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I do like tube amps but I also have solid state too. If you can find a local music store that has some different amps, try them out. Originally Posted by docdaddy
Fender has the relatively new solid state Princeton Tone Master (but they're not inexpensive-about the price of a Blu 6). Most of the newer Princetons have reverb.
If you don't plan on gigging, you probably don't need to worry about the weight of it since you won't need to move it often.
You just have to try out a few to see what you like.
Your current amp might be fine for now until you get your chops back.
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Pretty much committed to a new amp now as I agreed to sell my current one to a friend. Originally Posted by Freddels
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If you like Martin Taylor, you probably like a bright, clear sound. Another option would be a Toob Metro paired with something like a Quilter Superblock US or TC Electronic BAM 200.
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Martin Taylor is certainly a nice tone example.. Originally Posted by docdaddy
In the acoustic spectrum there's AER, Schertler, or even an EV Everse8 or Bose S1. I do like Schertler gear as it supports acoustic archtop, flat tops, and pretty much anything else. But I bought mine back when the prices used to be more reasonable. In today's market I would certainly be looking at the Henriksen gear especially if guitar is all it has to do.
And it's too bad you can't try your Fibonacci through your old twin. Would be a nice warm tone with that Armstrong humbucker I think.
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For you Bud 6 users, have you figured out a way to use the external speaker jack, while defeating the built in speaker? IOW, using the bud strictly as a head with a different speaker? Am I missing something?
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If I remember correctly, you run a dummy cable or plug into the headphone outlet (to defeat the main speaker). At the same time, you run a cable to your extension cab. Then the bud will function as a head. Originally Posted by Woody Sound
Do consult the owner’s manual as I also recall there were some cautions.Last edited by Campbell_jazz; 05-26-2025 at 11:39 PM.
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Personally I would just get a DV Mark Little Jazz. As you develop you might want to get into a more expensive amp, but there’s no need for that until you hone in on what you want. For now, just focus on the music.
I use mine happily, and I have 5 primo vintage and new tube amps as well.
For the price you can’t go wrong.
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I have both the Henriksen Bud 6 and the DV Mark Little Jazz. The LJ is a very nice, intrinsically warm-sound seductive amp. But it is also, despite its EQ, much more of a one-note device than the Henriksen. The Henriksen Bud and Blu can be twiddled to sound a lot like the LJ, but the LJ cannot be cajoled into the very wide range of tones available from the Henriksen. Now, this doesn't make one right and one wrong. If I only cared about the narrow-range tone of the LJ, it'd be just fine and the price is grand. But the Henriksen amps are clearly more transparent and tweakable than the LJ, to complement a wider range of guitars and styles of playing. I have several amps, including Mesa Blue Angel and Fender DRRI using tubes / valves. If I had to keep just one, it would be my Bud 6 for its ability to let the player nail the widest range of styles. Since I don't have to limit myself to just one, I like the Little Jazz in my voicing inventory and it is inexpensive enough. However, the more I play and explore the Henriksen, the less I play the Little Jazz.
Phil
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Martin Taylor used Peterson back in the day. (80s?)
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It's strange - people's outer ears and inner ear canals can be different shapes and maybe lead to other people hearing things completely differently to ourselves, but I feel the complete opposite to this. For me, the Blu could never sound like the LJ. I don't particularly like the Blu tone. It's often described as warm, but I would say dark and cold, characterless, one-dimensional. It has a distinctive mid-range nasal honk to it, a boxiness that I find unpleasant. It can be tamed a bit with the EQ but this leaves an anaemic hollowed-out tone and with a heavy discount on the volume. It's almost useable with a Joyo Am Sound in front of it but for the price it shouldn't need that sort of correction. Originally Posted by 213Cobra
The LJ has a genuinely warm, smoky, rich, nuanced, balanced tone.
I would just say, maybe more than most gear, don't buy the Blu/Bud unless you've done your listening due diligence.
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That variable is so often not taken into account. Originally Posted by bleakanddivine
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The Little Jazz sounds really good and is as simple as it gets.
Better sounding than LJ (IMO) and still just as simple, but larger: Fender Princeton Reverb (either the tube “Reissue” version or the digital modeling “Tonemaster” version.
Also better sounding than the LJ, more options as far as controls and sounds go and larger, but still fairly simple and compact (about the same size as a Princeton): Quilter Aviator Cub.
About the same size as the LJ, more sound options (but not hard to dial in), and way cheaper than all of the above: Fender Champion 25 (or the older Champion 20).
Henriksens are cool as well. “Divisive”? No. They’re very popular and are practically ubiquitous on pro bandstands. But like anything else, some people like ‘em and some prefer other things, plus they’re expensive.
I had a Champion 20 and a Princeton Reverb for many years, then sold the PR and got a Quilter (which is lighter and louder than the PR), FWIW. If the C20 ever dies I’d probably replace it with a LJ.
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Divisive is perhaps the wrong word. My impression is that opinions may be less polarised about the LJ than they are about the Bud/Blu. Though they are both highly thought of by a majority. Originally Posted by docdaddy
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I love my Blu 6 and use it for trio dates (with bass and drums) in smaller venues and for all my solo restaurant gigs because the jazz tone and the sensitivity to playing are excellent (and not just because I'm old, although that's part of it). I play both fingerstyle and plectrum on archtop 7s, and the blu 6 is more than up to the task. I don't think it sounds cold, clinical, dull, or any of the other adjectives applied by those who don't like it. I wonder if many of those who think the Blu and Bud 6 sound bad don't realize that they can turn off the tweeter for a more traditional electric jazz tone. Also, the EQ is very effective, and minor changes in pot settings make noticeable differences in tone. The way that the EQ section is designed does affect volume, and cutting a band signficantly does audibly reduce SPL. But I can dial in a wide variety of tones without difficulty.
Just insert a 1/4" plug into the headphone jack on the Henriksen and it becomes a head. Although I think Henriksen says it's OK to run it without a load, I'm not 100% confident it will be fine. So I don't do this until I've connected an external cabinet to it, and I don't turn it on until both plugs (the headphone jack and the external cab) are inserted. I've only done this to try it out and to play with different speakers. It's never been necessary on a gig because the little 6 holds its own very well, even letting the low A 7th string sound great. You could put a decent sized (like 5W) 8 Ohm resistor on the plug to protect against accidentally running into an unloaded output. Yes, I know it's probably fine - but many early amps would blow without a load on the output, and I've never forgotten the sinking feeling that accompanies an amp that's smokin' the wrong way
I've had and gigged with both the Little Jazz and the Jazz 12, and they're also excellent. But the tone is a bit "flabbier" from the DV Marks than it is from the Blu / Bud, and the Henriksens are much louder. I have an excellent SF Princeton Reverb that sounds every bit as good (if not a little fatter) than the Blu 6, but I don't think it's enough of a difference to warrant dragging even that 35 pound box around.
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I wonder if that would completely eliminate the internal speaker's load, making a single 8 Ohm external speaker the total load. Originally Posted by Campbell_jazz
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Forums are not a representative sample of overall use and opinion of gear. In the real world, people don't spend nearly as much time and energy debating this stuff or on minute comparisons of broadly similar equipment. But forums are where the obsessive come to obsess. Originally Posted by bleakanddivine
Last edited by John A.; 05-27-2025 at 11:25 PM.
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Yep. You have described most of us (though your typo could be construed as describing those of us who often overeat Originally Posted by John A.
).
My experience with tube amps informs me that they are heavy and require more maintenance than a solid state amp. I have found that Princeton Reverbs are not loud enough at high volumes (they break up, which is fine for Rock and Blues, but for Jazz and Country/Western, they are underpowered). A Deluxe Reverb is better, but here too I have found that they can be underpowered. I do understand that for a lot of cats, their volume needs are such that a Princeton or Deluxe is fine. The beauty of a Henriksen or Quilter amp is that they can cover any gig you will ever have with light weight and reliability (and great tone), I have read that the DV Marks can be underpowered and so far, I have not owned any of them.
At this point, My Bud 6 and Quilter Mach 3 combo have me pretty well covered for any genre of music and any venue. And so those are the amps that I recommend to others.
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