Acoustic Image vs Henriksen

**NSJ** · 05-25-2011, 02:36 PM

I've heard that the AI Clarus is different than the Henriksen insofar as it is able to transmit the true fidelity of the instrument without coloring it. Does this mean that it is better suited for carved solid archtops with floating pickups than for plywood laminates with setin pickups, which from my experience, the Henriksen excels at?

Thoughts and feedback on these two amps and related concepts??

**jzucker** · 05-25-2011, 03:58 PM

that's marketing slang. They are both good amps. They both lack high freq response but depending on whether you lean more towards grant green/george benson or pat metheny/jim hall you may or may not want the extra treble flexibility (that they lack). Both amps have a treble control that is past the freq of most guitar speakers so I use a barber barbeq with mine. I would say that the henriksen is a bit guitaristic, sounds better with solidbodies but the clarus is flatter with less color.

**StevieB** · 05-25-2011, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

that's marketing slang. They are both good amps. They both lack high freq response but depending on whether you lean more towards grant green/george benson or pat metheny/jim hall you may or may not want the extra treble flexibility (that they lack). Both amps have a treble control that is past the freq of most guitar speakers so I use a barber barbeq with mine. I would say that the henriksen is a bit guitaristic, sounds better with solidbodies but the clarus is flatter with less color.

Hi jzucker . . . If you've used or heard it, what is your impression of the Tweety add- on for the Jazz Amp 10 convertible?

Also, in your player reference above, can I assume that Green & Benson typically dialed in more treble/higher frequency response to their tone, or do I have it backwards?

**jzucker** · 05-25-2011, 04:24 PM

Yes, grant and benson use more high freq content than you can get out of either of those amps without an eq pedal of some type.

**StevieB** · 05-25-2011, 04:27 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

Yes, grant and benson use more high freq content than you can get out of either of those amps without an eq pedal of some type.

Thanks, I take it you are either not familiar or just don't have an opinion on The Tweety?

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 05-25-2011, 05:02 PM

Originally Posted by StevieB

Thanks, I take it you are either not familiar or just don't have an opinion on The Tweety?

BTW, I see Henriksen is selling The Tweety again. It was unavailable for a while.

**jzucker** · 05-25-2011, 05:05 PM

Originally Posted by StevieB

Thanks, I take it you are either not familiar or just don't have an opinion on The Tweety?

the tweetie is not a solution for the high freq problem. The high freq problem is that the henriksen and the clarus have a treble control that is higher than the standard treble control that we associate with the bright clean fender sound. (Center freq of approximately 4.5k)

If you get the henriksen with the beta speaker, the speaker itself rolls off steeply at 3.5k and the tweetie gives you a taste of high freq content. However, the real problem is the preamp. You can put a speaker with more high frequency content (including the tweetie) but you still can't boost the preamp at the 4.5k.

This is true of evans, henriksen and AI although the evans is slightly better in this regard than the other 2. Still not ideal though. Sit down with a roland cube 80 which has the treble freq in the right place as well as a proper speaker and you'll see what I mean...

**StevieB** · 05-25-2011, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

the tweetie is not a solution for the high freq problem. The high freq problem is that the henriksen and the clarus have a treble control that is higher than the standard treble control that we associate with the bright clean fender sound. (Center freq of approximately 4.5k)

If you get the henriksen with the beta speaker, the speaker itself rolls off steeply at 3.5k and the tweetie gives you a taste of high freq content. However, the real problem is the preamp. You can put a speaker with more high frequency content (including the tweetie) but you still can't boost the preamp at the 4.5k.

This is true of evans, henriksen and AI although the evans is slightly better in this regard than the other 2. Still not ideal though. Sit down with a roland cube 80 which has the treble freq in the right place as well as a proper speaker and you'll see what I mean...

I am learning a lot from your posts. If you are familiar with it, I'd love your opinion of the AER Compact 60 as a "jazz amp" primarily for solo finger style playing.

Thanks.

**Tom Karol** · 05-25-2011, 06:26 PM

First of all, I agree with Jack. I have a JazzAmp112 (stock speaker). It sounds great (to me) with a 335-type guitar for Jazz. I often boost the 3k control a bit when I want a little more 'zing.' The 10k control is not very useful - at least to me.

I also have a Tweetey. It doesn't do anything useful in a Jazz context for me, but it is nice (albeit subtle) with an acoustic-electric.

The reason the Tweetey was unavailable for a while was that Eminence changed the dimensions of the tweeter and Henriksen had to come up with a source for a new enclosure; it would no longer fit in their existing box.

**jzucker** · 05-25-2011, 07:02 PM

Originally Posted by StevieB

I am learning a lot from your posts. If you are familiar with it, I'd love your opinion of the AER Compact 60 as a "jazz amp" primarily for solo finger style playing.

Thanks.

if you use round wound strings it can be nice. not so nice with flats due to the lack of higher frequencies. The acoustic amps tend not to sound so nice for traditional or modern jazz due to the small speakers. Basically, you want the main frequencies coming out of a 10" or 12" speaker, not a 6" or tweeter unless you've got a bunch of the together.

**StevieB** · 05-25-2011, 07:12 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

if you use round wound strings it can be nice. not so nice with flats due to the lack of higher frequencies. The acoustic amps tend not to sound so nice for traditional or modern jazz due to the small speakers. Basically, you want the main frequencies coming out of a 10" or 12" speaker, not a 6" or tweeter unless you've got a bunch of the together.

Thanks jzucker (Jack), and everyone who responded to my post, I appreciate it!

**Jake Hanlon** · 05-25-2011, 10:04 PM

2 cents

I've played a bunch of AI amps with razor edge and clarus and other options and in my honest humble opinion... the henrisken is superior. I was able to get an excellent sound on the Henriksen in less then a minute, plug and play amp, the AI, was not for me.

They are also weak amps, I have had 3 students with AI amps, each one had issues with the amp. The school I work with has an AI amp for basses in our performance hall, it's horrible breaks all the time.

That being said my co-worker in the studio uses an AI and he gets a great sound... he's a great player and knows gear far better then I do so i'd have to ask him his secret.

that' sjust me and my experience.

**Jazz_175** · 05-26-2011, 12:01 PM

I have a "stupid" question.
Which one is better: Henriksen with 10" speaker or Henriksen with 12" speaker.

Tomorrow I am going to a local shop to try one, but they only have the 12" amp, and I am really tempted to buy it.

Sometimes ago I tried some acoustic amps, markacoustic 101 (10" speaker) and 121 (12" speaker) with my Es 175.
They sounded pretty good. However I had the impression that the quality of the sound of the 10" speaker was better than that of 12".
The 12" speaker gave a more robust sound, more bass response.
But I think I liked the other one more.

Maybe the choice depends mainly on where you are going to use the amps.
(Large or small venues, more or less natural reverb of the room etc..)

What's your opinion

**pingu** · 05-26-2011, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

if you use round wound strings it can be nice. not so nice with flats due to the lack of higher frequencies. The acoustic amps tend not to sound so nice for traditional or modern jazz due to the small speakers. Basically, you want the main frequencies coming out of a 10" or 12" speaker, not a 6" or tweeter unless you've got a bunch of the together.

AER Compact 60
I've got one and its OK ..........
Not amazing , a bit bland .......
I think I agree with Jz on the speaker size thing
The AER is however super light and convinient and does everything competently for Jazz gigs

Even for Jazz I'd prefer a Henn 10" if I had the spare dough

**jzucker** · 05-26-2011, 02:40 PM

regarding 12 vs 10, i think the 12 is almost always better. Most 10" speakers that are being made today are either rock&roll speakers or don't have a full enough high freq response. I know this doesn't make theoretical sense but if you study the offerings from eminence you'll see that this is true. Additionally, and generally speaking, the larger the speaker surface area, the better sound and better coverage you will get from it. I like a pair of 10" speakers though. That's a great sound.

**John Link** · 05-26-2011, 04:46 PM

I've been using an AI Corus for about 5 years now, 15 to 20 hours a week on average, and I've never had a bit of trouble with it. It's a great sounding amp and very reliable. If it was stolen I would by another one. Before I bought the Corus I had a Clarus w/ a RE Twin 8. I never had any trouble with the Clarus either.

**Jazz_175** · 05-27-2011, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by Jazz_175

Tomorrow I am going to a local shop to try one, but they only have the 12" amp, and I am really tempted to buy it.

Tomorrow has become today and I went to the music shop.
I plugged in the Es 175 in the Henriksen 112ER and I said: Wow very nice sound.
Then I also tried an Acoustic which was also very good, especially with the Tweeter on, and finally an Es 335, which was wonderful.
SO I bought the amp.

At home I also tried the amp with the Telecaster AV52 Reissue, but I was not 100% satisfied (maybe not the fault of the amp)

It is a very good amp, but also quite expensive.
To my tastes, it is just the lack of very high frequencies that I like, which gives that typical jazz tone, not so much bright, that I prefer.
But It is definitely not a dark sounding amp.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 05-27-2011, 11:22 AM

Congratulations! Get your Tele a Deluxe Reverb and you will be set!

**mr. beaumont** · 05-27-2011, 11:27 AM

My telecaster just does not love my henriksen.

All my other guitars do.

**Jake Hanlon** · 05-27-2011, 11:32 AM

I just bought a Les Paul, i have it at my tech's place and am interested what a solid body is going to sound like throught my henriksen.. will report on that when I get it back.

**mr. beaumont** · 05-27-2011, 12:00 PM

I'll be interested to hear if it works out and how you set the EQ.

I imagine those single coils in my tele don't help...pretty much always sounds brittle.

My hofner sounds heavenly through it...the happiest I've ever been with my sound, actually.

**Jazz_175** · 05-27-2011, 01:00 PM

For those intrerested the difference between 10" and 12" speaker models is described by P. Henriksen like this:
"The 10 and the 12 are very similar, but to describe the slight difference
the 12" models have a larger, more open sound and carry more low
frequencies, whereas the 10" models have a tighter, punchier sound."

**StevieB** · 05-27-2011, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

My telecaster just does not love my henriksen.

All my other guitars do.

The Tweety will help, but maybe not enough.

**mr. beaumont** · 05-27-2011, 02:25 PM

Not to hijack, but tell me more about that? I was under the impression that the tweety was for a more natural response from an acoustic guitar...

**jzucker** · 05-27-2011, 02:27 PM

The tweety will not help for a typical tele sound. The tones the tele is looking for are in the 5k range, not the range above that. The tweety helps for acoustic fingerpicking and nylon string. Also, if you use any overdrive the tweety will need to be turned off.