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Hi everyone,
I’ve completely fallen head over heels for the sound of popular 16" archtops. I’ve ordered an Eastman AR372 and I’m thinking about getting a solid-state amp for it. I don’t want to deal with tube amps — I already have one tube amp and it annoys me how many things you have to maintain, adjust, or service.
So I’m looking for a solid-state amplifier — combo or head — that can be bought in the European Union. A lot of people choose Henriksen combos, but they’re unavailable in the EU. Used amps that are no longer in production are also welcome.
I would greatly appreciate any recommendations
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03-16-2026 07:02 AM
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- DV Mark Little Jazz
- One of the Fender modeling amps (either the less expensive Champion series or one of the Tone Masters; there are a lot of choices depending on budget or how big/loud an amp you need)
- Quilter (lots of models, both heads and combos; I have the Aviator Cub; not sure about availability in the EU).
- AER Compact 60 (too clean and PA-like for my tastes, but a lot of people use them)
- Bugera AC60 (blatant copy of the AER at a fraction of the cost)
- Stick with the amp you have for a while and try a bunch of amps until you find something you prefer. (This is actually my top recommendation)Last edited by John A.; 03-16-2026 at 10:31 AM.
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Thanks a lot. I mentioned the Eastman specifically because I knew it’s noticeably brighter than traditional archtops. And I’m left-handed, so I can’t just walk into the biggest store in my country (or fly to European capitals) and compare other guitars — there simply aren’t any available.
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I second JohnA's recommendation that you use what you have while you try out solid state amps.
Originally Posted by PaJaC
Specify a budget. The recommendations for a US$400-equivalent amp will be different than for a US$2000 amp. If you can specify your budget you won't get so many recommendations for amps you can't afford.
How do you expect to use the amp? Bedroom/basement, rehearsal bands, restaurants, small clubs, orchestra pits?
Whose playing/sound do you like? See what they use.
The Boss Katana series of amps is a good bet for not much money. Jens Larsen did some demos. See YouTube, search for "Jens Larsen Boss Katana".
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Ive been happy with the Quilter Superblock US. Im using it with my Eastman.
You can pick one up used for around 200 euro. You can buy or build a cab for it.
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TC Electric BAM200 into a Toob cab.
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I plan to spend around €800, but if it's a lifetime purchase, I can easily save up to €1,000. I just don't really see the point in spending a fortune when it comes to solid state amps, which don't have to cost a fortune to sound good - like Quilter.
Last edited by PaJaC; 03-16-2026 at 10:18 AM.
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You’re right about getting good sound for little money. But the big question is how much sound you need. A Superblock is a wonderful little amplifier - but it’s limited in power compared to a Tone Bock 202 head or a Mach 3 combo, both of which cost considerably more. Originally Posted by PaJaC
If you’re gigging or playing out at jams etc, you might find a SBUS and similarly rated amps to be a bit short on power. If you’re playing straight ahead jazz, they have limited clean headroom as well. For home and small gigs (solo, quiet duo with bass etc), a SBUS and similar amps rated 35 to 50 watts would be excellent. Heads and combos like Milkman products are a bit more expensive, But they’re a step up in power from the Superblock, and they’re apparently (since I’ve never owned one) extremely good.
If you need the muscle, a Quilter Mach 3 will handle anything you throw at it - it’s powerful and sounds great at any volume. But if you’re happy without reverb or other effects, something like a simple TC BAM200 head (which makes a realistic 75W RMS into 8 Ohms) or it’s big brother BQ500 (a realistic 150 to 175WRMS into 8 Ohms) can handle big jobs without breaking a sweat. A Toob is a great cabinet choice, along with so many current speaker cabs with 6 to 12” drivers.
I have a Tone Block and both TC heads, so I can vouch for them all. I also have a DV Mark EG250, which is very powerful and lets my Eastman archtops make great jazz tone. If you can find a DV Mark head or combo, give it consideration too. All of these have been reliable for me through many gigs and would serve you well.
I disagree about the value of solid state amps. The higher power class D modules in the best ones are actually rather expensive, and the overall quality of top “transistor” amps (which are light years ahead of the transistor amps of even a few years ago) justifies their cost in today’s market. I don’t know how TC keeps the price so low. They appear to be well made, and they’re really fine. I suspect they’re pretty simple inside, but they look and feel like solid devices. I bought the 200 to carry as backup, and it turned out to sound great. After a few years, it’s still like new too.
Good luck!
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Thanks for the advice, but what's the deal with 6-inch speakers? I've been taught my whole life that 12 inches is the absolute norm because it sounds the best. The exception to the rule were 4 x 10" speakers. Why would a 6-inch speaker be better than a 12-inch speaker?
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One of my daughters just recently bought a guitar amp for her boyfriend, who had a nice guitar but no amp. She got a very lightly used Gen 3 Boss Katana 1x12 100watt combo. It was at the house for 2 days before she gave it to him, and I played a few guitar through it and it was a fine piece of equipment. It was also very $ friendly, and came in under $300. It's a very versatile amp as well, with built in effects and a lot of power should the need for power and volume arise.
BOSS - KATANA-100 GEN 3 | Guitar Amplifier
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If you’re not able to try out amps and feel like you need something now, I’d say that the DV Mark LJ is your safest bet. They’re relative mid-range prominent and will complement a brighter guitar. But this is really a matter of taste that you’re better off figuring out yourself. Originally Posted by PaJaC
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If you don’t mind customs duties the Mambo amp from UK is very good.
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Depends on budget. DV Mark Little Jazz is a good choice, relatively inexpensive while a Mambo amp (British made) is similar to Henriksen both in sound and price.
Good searching.
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A good 6.5" driver in a well designed cabinet makes some beautiful sound. I play 7 strings. Even my biggest, fattest 17" carved archtop comes out of my Henriksen Blu 6 with a richness and depth of tone that's far more pleasing to me than many top rated 1x12 cabinets and combos. A simple 6.5" Toob Metro BG+ lets my guitars sound fantastic with any of the amps I mentioned in my first post. It has cleaner bass than many (maybe even most) open back 1x12s. It may not go quite as deep, but that's not a big deal. The low A is 55 Hz. Even if it's down 6 dB or more there, the second harmonic comes through strong and clear, so there's no audible lack of bass. E6 is 82.4 Hz, and the best 6" cabs willl be down only about 3 or 4 dB between 80 and 100 Hz. Best of all, my low A (7th) string sounds like the rest of the strings on my guitars - it's not thumpy and poorly defined. Originally Posted by PaJaC
Thanks for the advice, but what's the deal with 6-inch speakers? I've been taught my whole life that 12 inches is the absolute norm because it sounds the best. The exception to the rule were 4 x 10" speakers. Why would a 6-inch speaker be better than a 12-inch speaker?
I started gigging over 65 years ago (on 6 strings), and I thought that a 15" driver was necessary to get the best jazz tone. I had a 15" Fender Pro for a while, but it sounded flabby and loose in the bass. I tried a 4x10" Magnatone, but I didn't like it enough to keep it. I ended up with an Ampeg B15N that I used for everything (jazz, commercial, weddings, etc) for about 10 years. It had bass to spare, and I thought it made my 175 sound really big and wonderful. It took me a long time to realize that I was not hearing the real sound of my guitar. All that bass was muddy and thick - it was impressive, but it wasn't very musical. Worse, I wasn't getting the best tone from the rest of the guitar either.
THere are so many great little cabs out there that I had no trouble at all moving down to smaller cabs once I heard how good they can sound when well designed and built. My 8" RevSound RS8 is one of the best sounding cabinets I've ever heard for jazz guitar. My Raezers Edge 10 is even better. And my little Toob Metro 6.5 is not far behind. It lacks a bit of weight at the bottom, but it handles my Roland guitar synthesizer's Hammond B-3 patch very well. It's equally inpressive when I pretend I'm a horn section in my blues bands. The 10" Toob 10S is absolutely killer too. It's not quite as full and rich as the RE 10. But it sounds almost as great, weighs a few pounds, and is absolutely tough as nails.
Don't sell small cabs short. Try a few and give them a chance. I still have my Fender Twin, my Princeton, and my 2x10 Pro clone (home built). I' gigged with Twins, Boogies, Bassmen, Vibroluxes etc for many many years., Give me a serious little class D head and a good smaller cab any day! I think the jazz tone of a top quality class D head with a tube preamp in it is a hair better than even my Quilter 202. So any of the D V Marks (heads or combos) with a tube in the front end would be a great choice for you. The LIttle Jazz is a wonderful amp (8" speaker) with few shortcomings. It dos not have a tube in it, its reverb gets a bit spacey above a very low setting, and it's relatively low wattage. But I used one for a few years for smaller gigs, and it was very impressive. The Jazz 12 is the same electronics package in an open back 12" cab.
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Customs charged me 1/3 of the guitar's value, and it was an American Stratocaster. Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
This was incredibly informative. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
Last edited by PaJaC; 03-16-2026 at 01:10 PM.
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I'm not denying that, I just don't want to mess around and then have to prove that customs duties were as high as for diamonds. You know, I'll just buy from the European Union and avoid the hassle. Originally Posted by dconeill
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I believe there is a Henriksen dealer in Germany (Liberty Music).
They have a youtube channel and Sandra Sherman has mentioned them in her vids when she was comparing jazz amps.
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My votes split between Quilter and BAM200. The SuperBlock has been my main gigging amp (paired with a 6.5" Metro) since 2020 in a swing quintet/sextet. BAM and a 10"/12" Toob on the rare occasion more power is needed. Both available from Thomann, although BAM is sold out until Septemberish. Now I have a Quilter Tone Block 202 that I consider the ultimate (at least until the SuperBlock and BAM have a love child.) Have you looked at the Polish Taurus amps? I had high hopes for the SH8 Qlone but found it too overdrive-oriented. I think there's a newer clean-oriented version.
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I was thinking about Taurus, but the Polish scene is dominated by metal. Sure, we have Laboga, SKG, and some rock gear, but 80% of it is metal-oriented. Taurus is mostly into metal, and most of their amps are high-gain. That’s why I was afraid they wouldn't understand the philosophy of jazz and clean tones. Originally Posted by Gitterbug
But there’s another wonderful Polish company: Elmuz (Nagłośnienie i Oświetlenie Estradowe, Głośniki Beyma - Sklep Internetowy). They create brilliant amplifiers, but only tube or hybrid ones. A Polish electronics engineer builds them using point-to-point wiring. Not only do they use JJ tubes, but they are also a distributor for Jensen speakers (made in Italy), which are my personal favorites.
So, why am I not getting one? Only one reason: tubes. I have another Polish tube amp, and jazz sounds pretty cool on it, but it's 50W and it hisses and pops slightly. The prospect of replacing tubes, setting the bias, technical inspections, plus having to "baby" it in the future makes me not want to deal with tubes anymore. I love the sound, but not at that cost.
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You started gigging when you were two? Impressive! Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
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Since you're already here, I'll take advantage of your patience; Since most of you are in favor of small speakers (I also learned that there's less chance of feedback with archtop guitars), how do you compensate for the amplifier's power? I mean, these small speakers are around 25-40W, while our solid-state amplifiers are often 100/200W. Aren't you afraid of damaging the speakers? I thought speakers should have a similar power rating to the amplifier, and the smallest 100W cone I've found is a 10" neodymium speaker.
And one more question: why do most people use a single speaker? Is it more sensitive, meaning does it give you more accurate information than, say, two speakers, or is the reason completely different? Is it about it being easier to achieve power similar to the amplifier by using 2 speakers instead of 1?
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Im personally in favor of decent size speakers.
I use a 12. If I went to 10 I would probably want a pair. You get better sound dispersion.
I think a single speaker is more common simply becuase that's what they put in most combos. There are lots of 2 speaker lovers out there but its more to carry and it takes more space. When I researched my cab guys were generally saying grab a 12 or 2x10.
Im sure you can get good sound from smaller but you better have one heck of a build to overcome the loss in real estate.
Its a dfiferent thing but I just bought some decent quality speakers for my PC. They are small near field monitors (entry level for that). They have 5 inch main drivers. I will say they sound good for a 5 inch speaker but if I pay attention I can tell these are not large speakers. I really dont think all things being equal that a small speaker is going to have the bredth of a larger one. There is a point of diminishing returns.
If you are still considering quilters Im not a fan boy but they are pretty versatile. The amp emulations really do make a difference. Today Ive finally gotten around to playing with the 61 setting. It takes a little more dialing in than the other two settings. It really wants to be bright but after some knob twisting I find that it is less colored than the other settings.
I use roundwounds/half rounds. I really want to hear that roundwound quality and less color allows the string sound to come out more than the other settings. If you go the quilter direction I personally would suggest staying away from brighter speakers. A lot of folks complain that the Qs are bright. Im not going for that wes super dark sound so other than on the 61 setting my trebel lives at about 10 or 11 oclock. On the 61 even I drop it back to probably 2. That setting is that bright (using a single coil pickup).
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Have you considered using a modeler and a powered speaker? My old PodXT has an equalizer in it than can do a lot to adjust the frequency response of the amp models. I can't recommend anything because I don't have a newer modeler but people seem to be able to get good tones from them. I think Jens Larsen uses a Fractal for example.
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I don’t think it’s so much that we’re all in favor of small speakers for the sound. It’s more that we’re in favor of small and light gear for reasons of portability and crowded bandstands. The feedback resistance is a lagniappe. The industry has responded to that by designing small speakers and enclosures that have good bass response and can handle the power of the amps they paired with. In any event, the biggest of risk blowing speakers comes from playing an amp at maximum output with a lot of distortion, which is generally a non-issue in jazz. Originally Posted by PaJaC
Portability and compactness for most people. Lots of people actually prefer amps with more than one speaker (famously, Fender Twin Reverbs), but don’t want to carry them. A larger enclosure with more speakers will generally yield a more spread out/less directional sound field than a smaller single-speaker enclosure, and will usually be louder with the same amp power. There’s no better or worse there. It’s just preference. “Accuracy “ in the sense of flat frequency response is generally not what people are looking for in guitar speakers (which mostly have attenuated treble response). Originally Posted by PaJaC
“Sensitivity” in speakers means efficiency (i.e., how loud a speaker is at a given amp power), not fidelity to the source.
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Available in Europe from Thomann Originally Posted by John A.
Quilter Aviator Cub 112 Combo – Thomann Italia
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