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I recently bought, and have been trying out, subject to a good exchange policy from Sound Island (whose advice is excellent, by the way), a new Phil Jones Cub II AG-150.
Pictures are included here.
I don't know how long this model has been available, but I think it's fairly recent. This amp selection process is a time warp for me since I have not acquired, nor looked for, any amp for probably 15 years. That was when I bought a new Roland Cube 60 Chorus which is now dying. I have never owned several amps and never more than one at a time. I had a Fender (Princeton?) something or other before the Roland, and the Roland smoked it in my dim memory. So I am like a kid wandering in a candy store for the first time.
(Guitar in one picture is my Ibanez GB10. On the stand...a chord melody arrangement of Moonlight in Vermont which I'm beginning to woodshed my way through!)
Note the small size of this 100 watt amp. There's a coffee mug in one picture for comparison purposes. I am amazed by the size. I think it weighs around 16 lbs so it is extremely portable, and comes with a padded gig bag included.
I'm getting a good, maybe great, jazz tone with the treble set at about 10 o'clock, mid at about 2, and the bass rolled off a bit, on Input B, which is the instrument input. Input B has a little 3 position toggle switch which gives you mute, low, and high. I have it set to high for this guitar's magnetic pickups, and use only the neck pickup. You can use the mute position to tune.
I have a new set of Thomastik-Infeld (TI) 0.10 flatwounds on the guitar, and after I got the amp and started playing, I realized I had to tweak the pole pieces on the neck pickup to balance things out. Whether that was due to these wonderful strings, or to the amp, or both, I don't know. I put the tone control on the neck pickup up pretty high, 8-9-or 10.
The amp has an aux in right on the top panel. I tried out my iPod Classic in that, and it works fine and quietly, and the EQs have no effect on that. I think you could use it for a drum machine or possibly backing tracks. It has its own volume control. The tuner out, seen on the back, works perfectly with no noise...I like this feature.
For Europeans: the power connection automatically detects which current is happening.
I never play distortion. But, I took the amp into our high ceiling living room/dining room, which is a fairly large space, and cranked it. I put a long cord between my guitar and the amp, and backed off about 15-20 feet. Sounds stayed pure at high volumes, as they should with this type of amp. If anything they sounded warmer/fatter/thicker, possibly a little less defined, in the bigger room, so maybe I should dial down the bass even more depending on the room.
In my den, which doubles as my meager music room (by comparison to some of you!), a small space, the amp sounds, to me, a tad bit brighter, but it might be that I'm hearing a little natural string sound also.
Note that the amp has rubber feet both on the bottom and one side. Also note it has both a gizmo to prop it at an angle, and a speaker tripod mount. I think Phil Jones sells a tripod for this.
This amp has an excellent set of features....enough, but not too many (unlike the Henriksen, which has none). This is a very attractive part of the package for me. It is extremely quiet; doesn't make a fuss when you turn it on or off, either. I think it is plenty loud enough for any situation I might be in, including a big band. Louder and cleaner than my old Roland Cube 60. The Cube 60 weighs around 32 lbs, so the Jones is half that and it is a really big difference. I could probably leave my battle worn folding luggage cart at home when going out on a gig or jam session with this amp.
I am skeptical about the two five inch speakers it uses, expecting the worst, but I actually had to roll off the bass a bit, to maybe 10 o'clock. I think Phil Jones started out making bass amps so they must know something about that. Although it is sort of billed as a stringed instrument acoustic amp (which would include violin, I think), you can get a nice jazz tone out of it. I'll play with that tone a bit more and then make a final decision.
I haven't decided whether to keep it or not. Still on my short list are the AER Compact 60/2, and the Henriksen Jazzamp 110. The reason my brain is making it such a hard decision is that the amp is much better than my expectations, although many of you have praised its immediate predecessor pretty highly. I just couldn't believe something this small could do the job so well. Technology has indeed come a long, long way!
Comments, pro and con, are eagerly welcomed.Last edited by Section Player; 03-09-2012 at 03:20 PM.
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03-09-2012 03:16 PM
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looks nice.
is it more power than Ag-100?
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No, despite its "AG-150" model number, they're both 100 watts according to the maker's website. Since I'm moving up from 60 watts, just in terms of rated power (which is always suspect), this represents a 66% increase for me, at least on paper.
Originally Posted by kris
The website also states that the AG-100 is 11 lbs, while the AG-150 is 15 lbs. However, the AG-150 has two channels; controls on top; a few extra features. The AG-100 has one channel, controls on the back. So, the improvements are much more than cosmetic. I think that, dimensionally, they are either identical or nearly so.
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SP do You have a chance to try it with solidbody? I'm very interested but it's several miles to go to try one myself.
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Good question, Papa77. No, I don't own a solidbody or have access to one. It would be interesting to hear from anyone who has tried that. Originally Posted by papaj77
I'm hoping to be able to get a good sound out of whatever new amp I end up with for both my jazz guitars as well as my Taylor acoustic on order. That tends to confuse me even more!
I recommend you drive the several miles to try one out; if you do, let us know what you think.
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well probably will do it, when I'll get some of unused gear sold.
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Just to follow up on this in case anyone is still interested..........
I ended up deciding to return the Phil Jones after trying it for about 3-4 days, and instead am buying a Henriksen Jazzamp 110.
Why? I love the very innovative and clever design of the Jones. It has some very practical features without overdoing it. The form factor is amazing. But, I felt I had to tweak it a little too much to get my jazz tone with my Ibanez GB10. I didn't try it with my Guild Manhattan which is somewhere else at the moment. I worried that if I had a little hesitation about the Jones, that it could grow into frustration later on, so part of the decision was "gut". I still like the amp quite a lot, and if I could justify having two amps, I would have kept it. I'm quite sure it would be excellent with my long-awaited Taylor, which isn't here yet. It is also better than ok for jazz.
This whole process made me sort out my priorities. #1 is getting a good, easy, fat, warm, even dark jazz tone without a lot of fussing. #2 is portability. That's basically how the Henriksen got the nod. The JazzKat TomKat II was a close second.
The Henriksen will arrive later this week. As ably and thoroughly reported here by others, this amp is practically featureless except for the real essentials, including its 5 band EQ and a reverb. I'm looking forward to firing it up!
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I am curious to read your thoughts on the Phil Jones vs Henriksen (I found the two features you mentioned, EQ and Reverb, useless on the Henriksen). The Henriksen will be heavier than the Phil Jones... and I assume they sound very different (never tried the Phil Jones)
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Well, Jorge, if those features are useless, I'll be sending it back! I hope I don't get the same reaction you did, but I appreciate your comments. Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
Yes, you are correct, the Henriksen is heavier than the Phil Jones. The Jones is about 16 lbs, whereas the Henriksen model I'm buying is variously reported as 20 to 23 lbs, so let us assume it is 23 lbs. I can manage 23 lbs, as my dying Roland Cube 60 is 32 lbs.
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Plenty of people love the Henriksen as it is but I also needed one amp that would ido t all and lack of reverb and proper EQ led me to selling the Henriksen. But you will probably love it
I am curious to hear you comparison to the Phil Jones, keep us posted.
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I do have similar concerns about the Henriksen, but I felt that I had to just get one and use it for awhile....I've heard so many good things about them, and checked out numerous videos using them. I don't put a lot of faith on artist endorsements, but the Henriksen sure has a bunch of them. Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
Plenty of people love the Henriksen as it is but I also needed one amp that would ido t all and lack of reverb and proper EQ led me to selling the Henriksen. But you will probably love it I am curious to hear you comparison to the Phil Jones, keep us posted.
I'm hoping the same thing as you: that I can do it all with one amp. My search is simplified because I don't do rock, distortion, or use a lot of effects. I didn't want the "acoustic" sound of acoustic amps....a little too bright or dry sounding, to me; many have a mid range "scoop" and more high freq emphasis even with controls at neutral. The only effect I tend to use is a chorus once in awhile, and I can do that with a simple pedal with a true bypass. I'd rather have the chorus built in, but..............??
Buying an amp is hard! Nobody has enough of them to sample except for rockers. I'm sure it is even harder for those who don't live in a large urban area, or in another country. To me, an amp is a very personal thing and almost as important as the guitar itself......a close second. We've all played through one or more amps we hated in some situation or another and it is so miserable!
Again, though, I like the Phil Jones, a lot. Not really much wrong with it...just a personal "ear" thing.
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I agree with everything you said... I found that in the jazzmaster ultralight - good eq, reverb and more guitarristic than he Henriksen. I messed a little with the Henriksen and to me it sounded great with: EV speaker, a good eq pedal and a good reverb pedal. I now have eq and reverb in both my pedalboards and a cab with an EV so I wouldn't mind getting a used head at a good price because I liked the amp a lot with those three things. As it comes stock it's not usable for me but I hope it's for you (it's probably the most sucessful "jazz amp" these days)
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Jorge....your Ultralight is a speparate head, right? I don't mean to suggest it's not good....but then you carry a speaker cab plus the head to the gig...right?
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Yep, that's true. I always have to carry a gig bag with cables, extra picks, guitar stand, music stand, amp stand etc... the head goes there usually (or in the "pedals bag" if I take it). Than I just carry the very light stock cab or one of my other bigger cabs (and I have just got an ac-60 for small gigs and jam sessions so the head and cab configuration is now saved for more relevant gigs)
I have actually became a big fan of the head / cab configuration for several reasons that this is probably not the right thread to explain but I do understand that players who just carry a guitar and a cable to their gigs like a combo configuration.
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Here's another update......
I've tried out the Henriksen 110 now. Pretty impressive. It does what it is known for.....gives a warm, fat, kind of very mellow, traditional tone. Really good. Should satisfy any jazz freak. As always, I believe a lot depends on the guitar, too.I don't hear it adding much color on its own. Plenty of power as far as I'm concerned. Minimalist, simple. No frills, no extras. Very quiet. I must agree with others who say the reverb (the only on board effect) is not all that great.
I didn't have a problem with the EQ on the Henriksen, which you can read negative comments about on the internet. It seemed pretty straightforward and responsive to me. But I read all the maker's info on it first. Also many thanks to Tleekarol (sp?) on this forum for his settings on the H.
In the end, though, I decided I'm going back to the Phil Jones AG150 Cub II (PJ for short), and will keep it. It's going to be my primary amp now. Earlier in this thread, I posted a lot of things I like about it and still do. I also want to add that I did all my testing with it with my neck tone control on the Ibanez GB10 turned up pretty high, meaning a bright setting, and was still getting a good to very good jazz tone. I see its extra feature set, compared to the Henriksen, as a plus for me, not to mention the dual inputs. And, I have a Taylor acoustic coming so hopefully it'll sound good with that, too.
I'm going to experiment further with the PJ, because it is a keeper. I'll set the guitar's neck tone at various places up and down, and just play around at different volume levels and EQ settings on the amp.
As far as the PJ's loudness is concerned, in my opinion it would be plenty for a combo set....trio or quartet kind of thing.....in just about any environment short of a big venue. From my first playing attempt with it, it seemed clean at pretty high volumes, although I really didn't max it out all the way to the stops. In my limited experience, if you're playing with other reasonably sensitive jazz folk, it's not about being loud....esp. the drummer. If he digs jazz, he will be using light sticks, brushes, and hopefully a jazz kind of kit incl. his bass drum. If I were to find myself in a regular gig in a louder band or environment, then I still have the option of the line out to a cab or PA, or maybe picking up a bigger amp.
(If I remember right, I think it was the great jazz bassist Charlie Haden, who correctly thinks the whole world is too bloody noisy, and how he got other players to quiet down a bit. He said he just plays softer and softer until they have to back off to hear him. I've heard that before from a couple other pros.)
By the way, PJ makes a nifty tripod type folding speaker stand which fits into the bottom of the PJ Cub II amp. This stand adjusts from a height of 16 inches to 22 inches, and is $45. It keeps the amp low enough to work with but off the floor. I'm buying that, too.
Stay tuned! (pun intended)
P.S. Many thumbs up for Sound Island Music in Seattle. Michael there has been extremely helpful and patient through this process. I would not hesitate to do business with him again.Last edited by Section Player; 03-19-2012 at 08:11 PM.
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Hi SP, glad to hear the Henriksen worked for you, I wish it had worked for me. I actually like loud drummers and loud jazz and I wish I always had a PA when I play because it's the best way to keep the dynamics and the balance of the group right with horns and drummers.
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Remind me again, Jorge.....what rig did you end up with and how's it working? Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
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Interesting! I think the JazzAmp112 (32 pounds) sounds noticeably better than the 110 (23 pounds) - more open, cleaner bottom end, less boxy. (And Jorge, I bet the EV speaker was nice upgrade!) I find the EQ to be very useful, although the 10kHz control is somewhat irrelevant unless you have the add-on tweeter and an acoustic/electric. And OK - I'll admit it - the reverb is pretty bad, but I still use it (set at 9 O'Clock). I'm not the least bit in the market for a new amp, but your experience does make me wonder what a Phil Jones Super Cub would be like! ~ Tom (aka Thomas Lee) Karol
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Fender Jazzmaster Ultralight with stock cab and a Dr Z cab 1x12 with an EV and a Dr Z Cab 2x12 with Tornados. As I am getting a Para DI preamp I will get a custom made power amp to use as a backup amp. And and AC-60 always on my car to small jams, reharsals and gigs. Pretty happy so far
(a good tube head is my long term goal)
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We seem to be crossing posts here! Jorge - he didn't keep the Henriksen; he went back to the Phil Jones! (Right?) For what it's worth, I tried to try a Jazzmaster Ultralight when they were still current, but could never find one in any store to try!
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Tom the EV was a really nice upgrade for my taste - a bigger /deeper sound and more natural mids / highs, although some pople love that fatness on the high strings the Betas have. About the EQ the 3k was also kind of useless if I recall recall correctly which is weird... and the jazzmaster ultralight has the treble control at 10 and it's very effective, I guess wider Q. The controls on the JMUL are very effective and work great with any electric guitar I use. Originally Posted by Tom Karol
I know he kept the Phil Jones but it was nice to know the Henriksen worked out for him - it actually works out for tons of people! The JMUL is a rare bird to catch... They were rare new and are even rarer used, people who got them don't let them go, I was lucky! (I actually just finished repairing / modding it and it's even better than stock!)
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I do use the 3k control - hopefully effectively - but I understand what you're saying about wider Q. Makes sense.
By the way, did I ever tell you guys about my (long gone) '68 Twin Reverb with 2 EV SRO's?! ...
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Yes, I went back to the PJ AG150 Cub II. Tom, you're probably right about the Henriksen 112. I wanted to stay out of that weight class, but I'll bet it sounds great. Originally Posted by Tom Karol
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Did it sound good Tom? Never tried an EV SRO! Originally Posted by Tom Karol
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Well, I don't want to hijack the thread, but the 1st question should have been, "How much did it weigh?" 90 pounds! Anyway, the SRO's were amazing speakers: very efficient, full but tight bass, smooth high end, and the punchiest midrange I've ever encountered. Those and the 15" JBL from the same era are my favorite speakers, but in both cases, they weighed about 20 pounds each! Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
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