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01-11-2013, 01:54 PM #1Dutchbopper Guest
I am thinking of buying an inexpensive amp next to my Polytone. Help me out. What do you think is the best amp for a classic bebop sound. The Ibanez Whole Tone 80, The Roland Cube 60 or the ZT Amplifiers club?
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01-11-2013 01:54 PM
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I can't speak for the ZT or Wholetone but I can say if the Cube 60 is anything like my 80x, it is a solid amp.
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That question sounds like you are heading towards buying an amp online. You need to sit down and try these before buying. I bought a G DEC for teaching and I hated how it sounded and it took years before I could just dial in what I wanted.
Do you wanta cheap alternative to your Polytone or something different that you will use alongside the Polytone. In other words, is this amp a back-up, or a different sound?
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You might want to bear in mind that the Wholetone will be bigger than the other 2 amps. I recently saw an ad for a used Wholetone from a guy who couldn't get it in his car.
I know it's not on your list, but the mambo amp nails the polytone sound in my opinion - if you want that sound, of course. From your list, I'd say the cube - unless you have a big car....
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I suspect the Wholetone would come closest to the Polytone sound -- is that what you're looking for, a cheap substitute? On the other hand, the Cube is more versatile and the Club is the loudest of the three,
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Blimey - how big is one of those Wholetones then? I thought that was just 15" speaker so it can't be much more than 18" cubed. I could even get that in my Citroen C1. But I suppose if you have a boot and just a saloon body it could be a bastard shape to get in. My Fiat Punto is my gigging hatch back of choice because you can get a load of kit into it and nobody would ever want to steal a Punto!
Last edited by ChrisDowning; 01-11-2013 at 06:10 PM.
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^^^ Citroen, boot, saloon, punto... translation please! :lol:
Anyway, the Wholetone is 440mm(W) x 366mm(D) x 500mm(H) [17.3"(W) x 14.4"(D) x 19.7"(H)]. If I can fit into the back seat of a car, so can that combo! 17.6kg [38.8lbs].
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All slang for bumpin nasties
Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
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A boot is a trunk. A bonnet is a hood. Petrol is gas. Citroen C1 is a rebadged Toyota Ayego - very small but does 62 miles per gallon, £20 road tax a year and £100 a year to insure! Sallon is a car with a trunk and four doors - town car? People Carrier is a Van - I think. A Van is a closed in truck that a builder or delivery guy uses. Flat bed truck is a pick-up. An estate used by loads of musicians is a station wagon. Fender is the bumper. Wheel spanner - a wheel wrench. Tyre is a tire. Color is colour. A Punto is made by Fiat in Italy and is a hatchback. People don't steal them - wonder why?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fi...r_20100509.jpg
Surprising how much gear you can get into a car like this though.
But I guess all you guys are cruising around in MPVs, Vans, and 2 tonners with roadies and 5000 watt PAs. (BTW when did you last see one of those 4 foot cubed W folded horn PA cabs?) I do remeber the 8 x 12 guitar cab Marshal made. Now that would be scary at a jazz gig.
Pushed into a decision, I think the Wholetone is the best value because the Roland gives you a whole lot of sounds and tech that you are just never going to use for jazz. You might consider a powered PA cab with some sort of preamp between the guitar and the speaker like an EQ pedal or a Sansamp.Last edited by ChrisDowning; 01-12-2013 at 06:04 AM.
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BTW if you want dry sound and no reverb or effects you might want to try some beginners bass amps. I've gigged with my Laney 120 watt amp and it sounds great with a bit of EQ adjustment to bring the treble up - but I'd rather be working up from mellow to sharper than the other way round. You'd halve your costs this way.
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ZT Amplifiers club
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Pardon me.... Originally Posted by Dutchbopper
what is a "classic Bebop sound"... ?
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I assume you mean the latest Cube 60 with COSM etc. right? It's a fine amp, played it a lot on sessions here in The Hague, no problems getting a bebop-sound out of it (by listening to your videos I think I know what you mean by that).
If portability and small size are the criteria, then the ZT is worth checking out I guess, that's still on my to do list too.... I have never played or heard the Wholetone, so I can't comment on that.
Another suggestion: I have been using a Session Rockette:30 (the smaller brother of the well-known Sessionette 75) for some time now and for me it's the perfect session-amp :-) It's light, sounds outstanding, has a lot more power than 30 watts would let you suspect. And it's cheap! Can he had for 130-150 euros. It pops up regularly on Markplaats.nl, 2ehands.nl and gitaarmarkt.nl. I get nothing but good comments on my sound if I use it on stage (with my ES-333).
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Dutch,
"Why" are you trying to buy an inexpensive amp to go with your Polytone? As a backup amp? For more power/volume? To use stereo effects? These are different factors, and require different solutions. Can you elaborate for us?
Thanks!
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Look at this guy-
Reußenzehn Archtop Tube 1x12 Zoll Combo Version
its an German amp builder,
its like an old Polytone with 5881 tubes,
the sound is like a cross between Pat Martino and Peter Bernstein,30watt.
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They look very nice, I'd like to try one. But hardly a cheap and ligth grab-and-go session amp...... Originally Posted by MackBolan
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Sooner or later someone is going to forget the original drift of the thread and will recommend a Twin. That's one of the laws of the Internet. Originally Posted by Little Jay
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This guy makes the Wholetone sound good, but I don't know if you would consider this a 'bebop sound':
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It's so darn tempting to recommend a Twin..... ;-) Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
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01-12-2013, 07:03 PM #20Dutchbopper Guest
Well, actually it's for taking out to jam sessions. My Polytone with the 15" speaker is pretty heavy. I'd like something more convenient for little money.
Regards,
Dick
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01-12-2013, 07:03 PM #21Dutchbopper Guest
I had one but there's NO way I will carry that kind of gear around anymore
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01-12-2013, 07:04 PM #22Dutchbopper Guest
Sounds pretty good. Thanks!
Originally Posted by Little Jay
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01-12-2013, 07:07 PM #23Dutchbopper Guest
I tried the ZT club today. Nice amp. Still have to compare the Cube with the Ibanez WT. But the WT is probably just as heavy and big as my Polytone so that is not going to be much of an improvement.
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Dick, did you ever try the WT?
How did you like it?
Thanks,
Bill
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I own the Wholetone and I have no complaints. I switch back and forth between it and my Deluxe Reverb RI. Completely different clean tone. If I'm playing western swing or rocking out a little , the DRRI is it, but for backing up a singer doing standards, the Wholetone is delightful. The lows are better than the DRRI, it does have a nasal sort of quality that I really like, but you're not going to get any sort of vintage sound out of it. When I think of vintage, I think of slight break up or on the verge of break up like Kenny Burrell. The Wholetone is not going to break up. To my ears, the Wholetone has a Jimmy Bruno sort of sound.
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