Henriksen Blu-10 demo

[omphalopsychos]

Which quilter did you play Mark? I think the 101 was painful to play. The attack feels very stiff for lack of a better word. The sbus and Mach 3 are an upgrade. I dislike how sensitive the eq is. I think the milkman pedal amps are very good for jazz.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Which quilter did you play Mark? I think the 101 was painful to play. The attack feels very stiff for lack of a better word. The sbus and Mach 3 are an upgrade. I dislike how sensitive the eq is. I think the milkman pedal amps are very good for jazz.

. It was the 202 I think. Been a few years now, but pretty sure that was it. The 101 seems way underpowered.

[yebdox]

Thanks man, but to make your matters more difficult, I have to tell you that if all the modern solid state amps I’ve tried the quilter was the absolute worst. Especially playing live and pushing volume against drums and horns it has a harsh quality I couldn’t stand. The Henriksen has my vote today. Which Clarus didn’t you like? They’re not all the same. Did you ever try a Walter Woods?

That is an unfortunate offering, Mark! I was hoping the Quilter OD202 (?) might be the solution I was looking for, as people rarely cite the Henriksen's for their emulation of blackface tones. Have never looked at the Walter Woods.

I had tried a late model (at the time.... around 2010 or '11) Clarus with the downfacing woofer. Michael Biller of Sound Island was a friend before he passed and thought I should try one of his. I twisted that tone stack into every conceivable variation and could not get past an unpleasant mid range that was completely uninspiring, but reference tones for me would be Wes, Kreisberg, Benson, Van Ruller, Van Iterson.... in that range.

I have an Allen Old Flame that is dead quiet and sounds great through a 2 x12, so I may be left with trying a Bud Six and using the external speaker out with a larger cab when needed. I'd still like to try a Quilter just to see, but again, requires a purchase with the possibility of a return. Never a perfect solution. Another option might be a transparent solid state head with an HX Stomp or other smaller modeler in front, then into various cabs. In the meantime, no urgency, I'm not playing out right now, anyway.

Thanks for the feedback!

[Cunamara]

That is an unfortunate offering, Mark! I was hoping the Quilter OD202 (?) might be the solution I was looking for...

There have been discussions about the Quilters being "too bright" for jazz (I think we have to take that in context. If you are a Jim Hall devotee that might be true; if you love Grant Green, on the other hand, you might find the Quilter to be just fine).

Pat Quilter has "authorized" the "capacitor trick," which is soldering a capacitor to a guitar input plug bridging the terminals and putting it in one of the effects loops jacks on the amp. I briefly had a Quilter 101R head and used the capacitor trick with it (an .047 mf cap). It tamed the bright high end very nicely and I thought the amp sounded and felt great. Really impressed, actually; it was just not loud enough for gigging purposes with my cab (a Toob Metro BG+ 6.5"). Instead I have gone with a DV Mark EG 250 Raw Dawg with which I have been very happy, but it is bigger and heavier than the 101R.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

That is an unfortunate offering, Mark! I was hoping the Quilter OD202 (?) might be the solution I was looking for, as people rarely cite the Henriksen's for their emulation of blackface tones. Have never looked at the Walter Woods.

I had tried a late model (at the time.... around 2010 or '11) Clarus with the downfacing woofer. Michael Biller of Sound Island was a friend before he passed and thought I should try one of his. I twisted that tone stack into every conceivable variation and could not get past an unpleasant mid range that was completely uninspiring, but reference tones for me would be Wes, Kreisberg, Benson, Van Ruller, Van Iterson.... in that range.

I have an Allen Old Flame that is dead quiet and sounds great through a 2 x12, so I may be left with trying a Bud Six and using the external speaker out with a larger cab when needed. I'd still like to try a Quilter just to see, but again, requires a purchase with the possibility of a return. Never a perfect solution. Another option might be a transparent solid state head with an HX Stomp or other smaller modeler in front, then into various cabs. In the meantime, no urgency, I'm not playing out right now, anyway.

Thanks for the feedback!

That model of the clarus would give a highly biased and poor impression, if your trial used that internal speaker system, as it’s the most dreadful think any guitarist could plug into. The downward firing woofer was an interesting experiment for bassists but of little use for guitars which predominantly got reproduced by the 5” front faced driver- and sounded terrible. The Clarus really needs to be paired with a Raezers edge cab! I’ve wandered off into taste-test land and keep coming back to the clarus/RE rig as the goat.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I was hoping the Quilter OD202 (?) might be the solution I was looking for, as people rarely cite the Henriksen's for their emulation of blackface tones. Have never looked at the Walter Woods.

The OD202 may well be what you want. I love mine - it’s amazingly versatile, seriously powerful, and very musical through any of its many voices and settings. It does BF very well.

A WW is a wonderful amp when in perfect condition. But I know of many that are now worthless bricks because they’re hard to repair when components fail - and replacement parts are as rare as analog mobile phones.

[yebdox]

The OD202 may well be what you want. I love mine - it’s amazingly versatile, seriously powerful, and very musical through any of its many voices and settings. It does BF very well.

A WW is a wonderful amp when in perfect condition. But I know of many that are now worthless bricks because they’re hard to repair when components fail - and replacement parts are as rare as analog mobile phones.

Never, I’m mostly referencing your comments and trusting your ears, based on your obvious skill level and extensive playing history, along with Jack Z, who, while having seemingly owned every conceivable piece of gear in the history of jazz guitar over the last half century, always manifests tone and touch that resonates with me.

I think Jack managed to own a Quilter for more than 5 minutes, which I considered a strong endorsement! It’s probably the route I would go, as it would seem more versatile for use as a backup or very noise free playing. The Bud Six looks interesting, but more of a novelty for its size, than anything, although I seem to recall John Nathan Cordy producing a video somewhere using one of the Bud models with a small pedal board (maybe with an HX Stomp?) as a versatile portable rig for modern tones on a low budget gig.

I like 2x12 cabs for most things, though, and am leaning towards all head/cab combinations these days, including ordering a replacement tall head cab for my BF Twin, that started life as a ‘73 Dual Showman Reverb. Just had my local amp doctor clean it up, replacing caps and most cc resistors and it’s now almost as quiet as my Allen Old Flame, but with better tone. Still weighs a ton, which is another reason I have a complete home gym

Anyway, thanks for the input, guys.

Mark, I’m enjoying your YouTube channel and see that you are friends with John Stowell, who I’ve known since the early 80”s. Amazing player and you rival him in your approach… well done!

[Mark Kleinhaut]

.

Mark, I’m enjoying your YouTube channel and see that you are friends with John Stowell, who I’ve known since the early 80”s. Amazing player and you rival him in your approach… well done!

Thanks so much. I learned a lot playing with John and the duo CD he and I released was a high point of that experience. I’m always surprised John isn’t a better known guitar hero, especially since he’s still touring relentlessly around the world.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I like 2x12 cabs for most things

An OD202 through a 2x12 is essentially a Twin with a good switchable Dumble SSS style input gain stage. Through a pair of Celestion 300 neos in a top quality lightweight open cab, it’s a great and light modern alternative - I think you’d really like it. The 300s sound a lot like the EVM 12s in my Boogie 1x12 combo and Thiele cab.

It’d also be a great sub for your Twin head on the 2x12 you use now.

PS: I really appreciate your kindness & confidence.

[yebdox]

An OD202 through a 2x12 is essentially a Twin with a good switchable Dumble SSS style input gain stage. Through a pair of Celestion 300 neos in a top quality lightweight open cab, it’s a great and light modern alternative - I think you’d really like it. The 300s sound a lot like the EVM 12s in my Boogie 1x12 combo and Thiele cab.

It’d also be a great sub for your Twin head on the 2x12 you use now.

PS: I really appreciate your kindness & confidence.

You are always quick to offer your kind and measured opinions and experience and manage to keep a cool head when pushed by the occasional "enthusiast", some of whom seem to have responded well to unexpected kindness. There are some talented and gracious people here, and others who don't mean to offend with their enthusiasm. Not enough love to go around in the world, sometimes.

Thanks for the help!

PS - I had a Mark I with an EV SRO built in 1976, had to sell it when I ran out of rent money in grad school in '79, along with my Byrdland. I have everything I need now, but wish I still had that amp. I DID manage to save the SRO and had it reconed by Ted Weber some years back, but that thing has difficulty finding the right amp. I may finally let it go, when I get round to it.

[yebdox]

Thanks so much. I learned a lot playing with John and the duo CD he and I released was a high point of that experience. I’m always surprised John isn’t a better known guitar hero, especially since he’s still touring relentlessly around the world.

Totally agree… John is so adept and harmonically advanced, I think many people don’t quite rise to the level of listening required. He usually stays with us on his way through town and we’ve managed to put some house concerts together a few times, but the average listener is sometimes taken aback…they don’t quite know what to make of it all, though they know they are listening to a genius.

John is a total warrior

[Stringswinger]

The Clarus/RE rig is a superb jazz rig. I owned various iterations of the Clarus and many RE cabs over the years. The problem is that Acoustic Image is gone and fixing a Clarus could present difficulties. I did try an AI combo and I did not like it, so for me the Clarus needed an RE Cabinet to do the jazz guitar trick.

I still have a Rich Raezer built Stealth 12ER. I pair that with a Milkman The Amp 100. I think it might sound better than the Clarus with the Milkman's tube preamp tube. @ the OP, you should try a Milkman with your RE cabinet. It might be your favorite sound yet.

For gigs, I have moved on to Henriksen. I have a Blu 10 and a Bud 6. The Bud 6 is such a convenient grab and go amp, that it has become my number 1 amp to use on the few gigs that I do these days.

I also have a Quilter Mach 3 combo which delivers the Fender tube amp sound (almost) in a 22 pound package. For a Rock/blues/Country gig, the Quilter would be my choice. For jazz, the Henriksen is my choice. The Milkman/RE rig weighs a combined 38 pounds, more than I want to carry to a gig these days.