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i bought a 110ER earlier in the years and feel the same way what a great amp. I keep plugging different guitars in thinking one of them isn't going to work with the Henriksen, but they all sound great.
Originally Posted by Jake Hanlon
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11-18-2012 11:26 AM
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The Rajin Cajun arrived today. I installed it in the 110 when I got home. Installation was a snap - it's front mounted, and they have clips on the ends of the speaker wires that snap onto the speaker leads - no soldering. The grill clamps on right against the front speaker gasket making the installation that much more solid - clever design.
I've only played it at solo/duo performance volume for a couple of hours with my archtop, and it's not broken in yet, but I'm tremendously pleased so far. It's louder and clearer than the stock speaker. The bass response is less prominent - though definitely not weak - but tighter, and the mids and highs sound more open - a little less fat but still smooth. It should be a better match with my other guitars for more pop-oriented styles. I'll still use the 112 (stock Beta 12A which I am NOT changing) with the archtop for jazz for all but solo and duo gigs, switching to the semi-hollow if/when volume requirements introduce feedback issues into the equation. For pop/rock, I'll use the 110 on a stand with the Tele with effects or the semi-hollow without effects. I'm not worried about blowing the speaker (rated - very conservatively I'm told - at 75 watts); if I have to play real loud (loud enough to wear ear plugs), I can use both at the same time - a Henriksen mini-stack!
My settings for a very balanced and controllable sound in this solo/duo context with the new speaker are the same modified 'Jimmy Bruno' settings I recently arrived at but with the guitar's tone control rolled back 1 more number than before:
JazzAmp 110 (with Rajin Cajun, which makes it a BluesAmp 110), on the floor with volume and reverb at 9:00 o'clock.
EQ:
100Hz 12:00
300Hz 9:00
1kHz 12:00
3kHz 9:00
10kHz 12:00
Guitar:
Eastman AR403ce (stock pickup, nickel/steel roundwound 12's):
Volume - 10 pointing straight up; Tone - 8 pointing straight up.
(Since there are no pointers on or under these knobs, I use 'pointing straight up' as a reference.)
That's it for the time being. Now, if Henriksen only made a 60-watt version with an 8" speaker weighing under 15 pounds ... !
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The first jazzamp 10 was a 60W amp, but suffered from clipping when played at band volumes, so soon got uprated to 120w .With an 8" beta speaker, it would have been only half as loud...
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... Yes, but only half as heavy (to be used only for low volume situations in small groups/rooms)!
Last edited by Tom Karol; 11-20-2012 at 08:02 AM.
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Congratulations Tom for your Henriksen 10".
I think swapping to a different speaker was a good move.
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The Ragin Cajun still isn't fully broken in yet, but I've dialed it in with all my guitars now. I won't say it's 'better' than the Beta 10A - for Jazz anyway - but it sure gives the amp a different character, and I like it!
Last edited by Tom Karol; 11-24-2012 at 09:13 AM.
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I'd like to understand, how do you know when it is completely broken in?
thanks
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Good question! And I'm not sure I know the answer. But my impression is that as you use it, it gets gradually smoother and sweeter as the mechanical components loosen up. When it stops getting any smoother and sweeter, it's broken in ... I guess. Maybe I should have let someone else answer the question!
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Update:
For once my intuitive thesis seems to have been correct. The Ragin Cajun has transformed the 110 into a much more versatile amp. I'll even use it for solo/duo jazz - not because it's better, as the 112 sounds better to me for pure jazz tones even at bedroom volumes - but because it's smaller* and lighter and sounds really good. But for pop/rock, I will use the 110 mostly unless I need really high volume, in which case I have a number of options to augment its sound: line out into PA, 2nd output of my effects processor into the 112 (the aforementioned Henriksen Mini Stack), or 2nd output of my effects processor into a speaker/amp simulator into the PA).
Why didn't I get a different replacement speaker like a Weber California 10 (I had a Cali 12 in a previous amp and liked it a lot)?
1) Efficiency; 2) Weight; 3) Price; 4) Henriksen uses the RC in their 'BluesAmp110'.
*I've noticed that small amps work better in small restaurants and such for two reasons, neither of them being sound quality at low volumes:
1) Often there is very little room for the performers to set up;
2) Visually, it's less imposing to the proprietors and customers - if you carry in a 'big' amp, they assume you're going to be too loud before you even plug in!
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I seem to find that acoustic amps are just like PA's with different marketing and box badges, and jazz amps are a close relative, so wouldn't a bass combo sort of do the same thing? It's intersting that Henricsen talk about their amps being upright bass amps that happen to be great jazz guitar amps as well. So if I were to use my cheap Laney HCM120 bass combo for jazz, wouldn't that work in the same way? I've certainly got away with using it in conjuction with my Takamine piezo loaded guitar.
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Tom - why didn't you go for a neo? Or perhaps one of the less powerful but even lighter models. Did you specifically want a speaker fromthe Eminence guitar range?
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Most of the times "jazz amps" make a product that is in theory suited to acoustic guitars, double bass and electric guitar. Of course in practice this is never true... If you're lucky you might have different speakers for different situations and if you're really lucky you might get different tone controls.
In my experience polytones / henriksens etc... tend to sound much better with a regular guitar speaker than the PA types they bring.
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Fair question. As I said above: Originally Posted by ChrisDowning
Why didn't I get a different replacement speaker like a Weber California 10 (I had a Cali 12 in a previous amp and liked it a lot)?
1) Efficiency; 2) Weight; 3) Price; 4) Henriksen uses the RC in their 'BluesAmp110'.
As far as a neo is concerned, the amp only weighs 23 pounds as it is. I guess efficiency was a prime consideration, since I plan to use this amp more for pop/rock while dedicating the 112 to jazz.
I agree with Jorge that a compact lightweight head and a few different speaker cabinets is probably the most versatile way to go, though.
Anyway, I'm very happy with what I've got ... for now!
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I played a 112 today, I really liked it-sounded like a better polytone.
I haven't had the chance to try the 110-the size of this one looks much easier to handle and take on the NYC subway.
You guys think I'll like the 110 too? How does it sound with pedals? I play many different guitars, mainly a collings soco semi, Collings eastside lc full hollow as well as teles, strats, PRS'. I do frequently play with overdrive and effects as well as clean jazz stuff.
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I like both, but if I could have only one, it would be the 112. It's got deeper, clearer bass, and it sounds more open and 3 dimensional. It's not that heavy, but it is much deeper and therefore bulkier to carry. You'd have to try the 110 yourself - and compare it directly to the 112. I do like the 110 better with the speaker swap and will probably use it more often than not due to its portability. But if I want to sound really really good with my archtop (Eastman AR403CE), I'll use the 112. Oh, and they're both quite receptive to pedals (in my case, just a Carl Martin Quattro).
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Yeah the openness is what I liked about it. It didn't sound as boxy as my polytone megabrute. I did lift it up and it didn't feel too heavy, but as you mentioned the bulkyness might be an issue. The problem is that I can't put my polytone on a handcart any more, the amp broke down twice and the repair guy almost yelled at my for carting the amp. Polytones build quality isn't the best so they break down easily. Too bad, because they do sound nice. I hope I can try out the 110. I actually though the reverb sounded nice(I almost never like amp reverb). Originally Posted by Tom Karol
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I tried both and bought the 110 it more defined and cuts through in band situation, plus size advantage. The 112 was too bassy for me. Hope you get a chance to hear both side by side makes deciding easier.
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Hi Tom, actually I don't get what you mean when you say that the 12 has clearer bass.
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More like a good grand piano. Even the low E is very clear - no mud, as it were. I think it's due to the bigger speaker and the deeper cabinet. In addition to being subjectively deeper, it also has more bass, but you can attenuate it with the EQ if necessary. I use an 'AmpWedge' with it, too - seems to smooth out the low end in a subtle way. A bass player I know tried mine at low volume, and it sounded great as well.
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I'm reposting what P.Henriksen said (in reply to an email I sent to him)
in regard to the differences between 10" and 12" jazzamps
>>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.
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Which guitar did you play the Henriksen with? Originally Posted by Soco
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It was an Eastman semi-hollow that belongs to the store.
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Hi All,
I am thinking of taking the Henriksen plunge pretty soon here. My guitar is a stock 1999 Heritage H-575 with Thomastik Infeld flatwounds (13s). Has anyone had a chance to try these two amps side by side? Do they sound much different from each other? I will be in a location to try (and possibly buy) a 112-ER in about a week, but it doesn't look like they will have the 110-ER in stock at the same time. I'd love to try both side by side, but these Henriksen dealers are hard to come by!
Thanks,
Rick
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When I got mine Henriksen they had all the models in stock and I tried them all and choose the 110-ER. The 112 added bottom but didn't have the definition of the 110. They said people who get the 112 are mainly fingerstyle/chord melody players who want a lot of bass. The store said people tend to favor the 110 because it cuts thru better in a band situation.
They were out of the regular 110 so sold me the 110-ER for the same price. I actually like have the option to flip on the tweeter if I want more highs. Been real happy with the amp my DRRI has been collecting dust since I got the Henriksen.
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Thanks, guys. It looks like I am going to have a chance to try them side by side after all.
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