-
Not happy with my current sound. I have 1st generation Katana and I am looking to upgrade my amp. I am learning jazz but only play at home and would like to get a classic Jazz sound like Wes, Kenny, or Tal.
What are some recommendations? I am leaning towards a Fender tube amp but not sure which one. I have also heard that the Fender ToneMasters are also good.
-
04-07-2026 03:47 PM
-
The good news is that you are doing the most most important thing in jazz which is listening to yourself (the bulk of the rest of the important things are all about listening to others).
How are you setting the volume and tone on your guitar and amp?
-
"Classic jazz sound" is a wide range. Let me go on record as believing that one can get a decent jazz tone out of most equipment. The Katana is a good amp with a lot of flexibility and someone here might be able to suggest knob settings that will help. That might save you from having to buy a new amp.
The Fender scooped mids sound (black panel and silverface amps) to me is not the classic jazz tone despite their popularity and their devotees here and elsewhere. You can try turning the bass and treble knobs to 0-1 and bump up the volume to compensate; that's as close as those amps get to a flat response. The Fender tweed amps (e.g., the tweed Deluxe 5E3) are classic jazz tone as are the old Gibson tube amps and the classic Ampegs. None of those scoop the mids so much.
Among solid state amps, the Polytone Brute series will get there as will the Roland JC series (leave the chorus off). The Quilter Aviator and some other of their amps are well regarded; I briefly had a Quilter 101R which sounded very good (using "the capacitor trick" to cut some of the inherent brightness of then circuit) but wasn't loud enough for gigging. I replaced it with a DV Mark EG 250 "Raw Dawg" head, which has a preamp tube and solid state power amp.
What do I use for my version of a classic jazz guitar tone? A tweed Deluxe, a Roland Cube 60 (close but not quite) or the DV Mark through a Toob Metro BG+ (6.5" speaker). I use the latter by far the most.
-
Interesting. Most people seem to recommend the Fender Twin and Princeton models. Not really interested in some pedal + amp solution. Not that familiar with the Tweed Deluxe. Will try it out.
Originally Posted by Cunamara
-
I usually use a Strat with a mini-humbucker in the neck with volume at 10 and tone nearly rolled off but not completely. I can check my amp settings when I get home. Originally Posted by pauln
-
Keep it simple! This is my living room practice set up:
Very cheap reverb pedal and a tiny amp. Would you believe it sounds better (at living room volume level) than my vintage tube amps? You’d better! Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery, Grant Green…. That type of sound.
-
^^That's cool! But then I think you could probably make anything sound good.
I myself have an Epiphone Valve Jr with an EHX Holy Grail pedal that I love. One knob to fiddle with...I had one years ago and missed it so much I got another. Great bargain on the used market.
I hate to go out on a limb, but I think the Fender Princeton or Princeton TM is generally regarded as a great home amp particularly for jazz. The Deluxe adds more wattage and might be better for gigging.
Also a plug for the Peavey Classic 20, kind of the Peavey version of the Princeton. The Classic series used to be rather cheap. (I had a Classic 30, cost $400 about 20 years ago.) They're now not so cheap, but still a lot cheaper than Fender Tube amps.
-
Budget???
-
I'm willing to spend up to what a Fender Princeton amp costs < 2k. Originally Posted by marcwhy
-
I have a GenÍI Katana 100w, it's very flexible but a lot of trial and error. I use it for my archtop, my semi for rock gigs, my nylon string and my mandolin. For each of these I started with one of the Fender Deluxe patches and tweaked till I got it. But there are so many different settings it can get daunting. With the 8 available patches I keep the archtop and nylon on the A set and the semi and mandolin on the B set as that maps to the gigs I play. But it took me a full year to get the chambered nylon dialed in to my satisfaction. TBH if I only used the nylon and archtop I would stick with my Fishman Loudbox run through a Fishman Tonedeq, which is what I'll do if I give up the rock gigs.
-
Strat here also; I use big Fender tube amps, what I've learned: Originally Posted by charlieparker
Amp settings - start as "flat" as possible; most classic amp tone stacks do that with the mids up and the bass and treble down (on the Fender tone stacks it's full up mids and full down bass and treble).
Strat volume - set the Strat tones full up, Strat volume full up, then lower the Strat volume until the artifact noises are almost gone (pick clicking on strings, fingering sounds of moving, sliding, etc.)
Strat Tones - then lower the tones only to the point where any metallic sound is gone (volume setting also tends to lower tone so adjust both volume and tones to satisfy both lack of string contact artifact and metallic tone).
On a Strat the place to test metallic tone is on the high E and B strings up around the 10th-12th fret area. You know the tone you are looking for, you'll recognize the right setting.
In general, reduce input signal - softer picking/strumming, lowered pickups, lowered volume, the second -6dB lowered input if present... turn up the amp volume as needed.
Give this a try and see if you really need another amp.
Last edited by pauln; 04-08-2026 at 12:23 PM.
-
If you can spend up to $2K, consider the Sequel Vermont. Originally Posted by charlieparker
https://raezers-edge.com/product/vermont/
Ignore the high headroom Class D power amp section. The amp sounds great at low volume for home. Swap out the stock 12ax7 in the preamp section for a 12ay7 for a little less gain and touch more melodious tone. You'd have just enough left over for an Empress ParaEQ II parametric EQ if you want to add more precision tonal flexibility.
Access to this page has been denied.
Or find a used Tech 21 Q/Strip semi-parametric EQ for a little less.
The Vermont has bass & treble, a real spring reverb and superb, rich, clean jazz tone. The tone controls let you dial in a darker sound than its Johnny Smith inspiration. I've had a ton (maybe a literal ton) of amps over the past 40 years and now have a fraction of that, including the excellent Henriksen Bud Six. The Vermont feels like a tube amp due to its tube preamp section.
Its clarity means you can turn it into a Mesa-style amp with the right pedal in front of it (A UA Enigmatic does a splendid job). Or a Fender Blackface with a UA Dream '65, for example. It even sounds good with my Cornell germanium fuzz in front of it when I want that. It weighs very little and you still get the sound of a 12" speaker in a compact amp that looks good in your living room.
Phil
-
Yeah. I am leaning towards a Fender Princeton of some sort. Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
-
Home amp....Fender Twin, Super, Pro, Vibrolux, Vibroverb, Dual Professional or Deluxe and not the junk tonemaster or more cheaply made modern RI versions if you can avoid them. Then you have an amp you can grow into, not out of, and have something that will increase in value, not collapse in value
Or buy digital again and like your Katana, you will be disappointed in the long term because digital sucks.
-
You say you have a Katana, what model exactly? I tried out a 100W Katana Gen3 that I thought honestly sounded pretty good. They are very available pretty widely so that's worth a shot to at least try locally if you can.
My home practice setup is a Quilter Superblock US into a Toob Metro 6.5GP. The Quilter is a very nice amp with a Fender type of sound and is super versatile with a really low noise floor (this was very important to me). The Toob amps are uncommon but I love mine - any cab/speaker will work as an alternative. This setup was also not super expensive at around $550 for me (at the time). I've had this setup about 2 years at least now and I keep meaning to buy a bigger amp but just never get around to it.
I would look into the Quilters as an option at the very least.
-
Another Quilter vote. I made my cab with scraps in my basement and ordered a 12 inch Cannabis Rex speaker. Im into it for a whole 300 bucks. I really enjoy it. I have not played a katana so I cant compare. It is far louder than you will use at home.
-
Super cool setup. Ya I love my Quilter but my Toob is pretty small. I was thinking of buying a cab and a 12" Cannabis Rex as well. If that works out I was thinking of upgrading the big amp to a Quilter TB202 or OD202 or something like that and keep my Toob with the SBUS. Originally Posted by Sigmund451
Another Quilter vote. I made my cab with scraps in my basement and ordered a 12 inch Cannabis Rex speaker. Im into it for a whole 300 bucks. I really enjoy it. I have not played a katana so I cant compare. It is far louder than you will use at home.
How do you like the Quilter with the Cannabis Rex? I do find the Quilter a touch bright sounding (not as bad as my 101R) and have heard these speakers can warm them up.
-
I tend to play single coil and roundwouds. Im not scared of the treble knob. That said, it still leans towards being a little bright. The 61 setting is bright but I can dial it back enough. I knew I was getting the Quilter so I went for a darker speaker. I also didnt shy away from making the cabinet a decent size. I dont know squat about cabinets but everything I read said that small cabinets are brighter. Its not exact but its about the size of a 1x12 Fender Tonemaster. I think its plenty warm. Just for reference, right now I have the Tone knob set at 1 o'clock, the mid and bass around 11 O'clock. With the 61 setting the treble was well below 9 oclock.
I wanted it to be a closed back cabinet becuase of the room but no matter what I do or dont shove in the cavity it becomes a feedback monster in a 12x12 room....even with lower volumes. Of course Im facing the amp so the top of the carved archtop just kicks in. With an open back design its not so focused. I also like the open back sound a bit better. I added wheels since the photo so I can easily drag it 3 or 4 feet from the back wall to get a good sound.
-
50W first gen Katana. Originally Posted by chris32895
-
Very nice! Your scraps are way better than my scraps! Originally Posted by Sigmund451
Another Quilter vote. I made my cab with scraps in my basement and ordered a 12 inch Cannabis Rex speaker. Im into it for a whole 300 bucks. I really enjoy it. I have not played a katana so I cant compare. It is far louder than you will use at home.
Reply With Quote
Guitar Amps built into case?
Yesterday, 05:03 PM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos