Best amp for Jazz?

**barrymclark** · 08-11-2013, 05:39 PM

Pretty awesome that Cubes are getting nearly half the votes.

**Little Jay** · 08-13-2013, 07:37 AM

Originally Posted by jorgemg1984

Sounding better is relative. But I had a Blues Jr - at drummer volumes sounds very compressed... does not distort exactly but sounds very bluesy. Not a sound I would want for jazz... The Blues Deluxe stays clean much longer.

I've never hard the Blues Deluxe could be more unreliable than other current Fenders but it's possible.

Are you in the US? If so I would REALLY check the used market.

I still love my Blues Deluxe, I have it since '93 when I bought it used. The Blues Deluxe reissues are fine, but the older ones indeed had reliability issues: resistors going bad, cheap input plugs going bad, all resulting in broken solder joints with all the unpleasant consequences (I've fixed all of that and now it's just fine and very reliable).

I can get some véééry good jazz-tones out of my Blues Deluxe, but the funny thing about the Blues Deluxe is that when things get louder it doesn't sound so good anymore. I've also fixed that with a different speaker (Jensen NEO 12-100) and a 12AY7 tube in V1. Now it's a monster with a somewhat darker mid-voiced tone (think Tweed/Bassman with reverb, but more civilized).

This all being said: I love my Twin Reverb even more than my Blues Deluxe!

I've played many amps: Cubes -old and new ones-, Henriksen, Polytone, ZT Acoustic, AER, Acoustic Image, you name it (I didn't try the Mambo amp yet - I find that one very interesting), but I keep coming back to tube amps for the best tone and feel. The best non-tube amps I've come across so far are my AER Alpha (only clean, for OD it pretty much sucks) and my Session Rockette:30 - they are staying in my collection. I got rid of my Cube 30 after trying the Session Rockette - so much more amp imho. Those two are my prefered amps for gigs where I can't take my Twin or Blues Deluxe. And that's not because the room is to small for them, but because I can't go there by car (because either it's in the centre of town where cars are not allowed or they charge so much parking fee that I would pay more than I earn for playing the gig....). Unfortunately because of the size and weight of the Twin and BDLX you need a car....

If you would live in the UK or Europe I would recommend you the Session Rockette:30. Good sound (very tube-like), light weight and very cheap (around $150). But they're rare as hen's teeth in the US I've heard.

**jorgemg1984** · 08-13-2013, 09:14 AM

Hi Jay, I did liked the Blues Deluxe I played (some time ago). Still heavy... I have come to discover an henriksen with a reverb pedal and the barb eq (and a better speaker) could give me A LOT of the Fender tube vibe in a smaller package. Try it one day if you have the chance!

**Little Jay** · 08-13-2013, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by jorgemg1984

Hi Jay, I did liked the Blues Deluxe I played (some time ago). Still heavy... I have come to discover an henriksen with a reverb pedal and the barb eq (and a better speaker) could give me A LOT of the Fender tube vibe in a smaller package. Try it one day if you have the chance!

That would save me some heavy amp lugging... ;-)

But my Session Rockette also comes pretty close to my Blues Deluxe (at less than half the weight of the BDLX) and when I do strictly jazz and need no OD I take my AER Alpha: very portable and a good clean jazz tone! The built in digital reverb is very decent (better than that of the Henriksen).

So I am quite happy with my current amps!

**jorgemg1984** · 08-13-2013, 10:53 AM

Then no need

Someone should make an od that would work well with acoustic amps!!

**wizard3739** · 08-13-2013, 11:59 AM

None of the above is the appropriate answer for the question that does not include Henriksen, Acoustic Image, Polytone etc......

wiz

**barrymclark** · 08-13-2013, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by wizard3739

None of the above is the appropriate answer for the question that does not include Henriksen, Acoustic Image, Polytone etc......

wiz

I think he is looking at used prices for those models and not just a general question about what amp is best for jazz.

**CP40Carl** · 08-19-2013, 06:00 PM

"I believe I have finally found my 'the one' amp to pair with my 'the one' guitar I've had for years now. It's a Mesa Express 5:50 and it does this 'jazz in a blues suit' type sound that I am just in love with. Not sure what that means for the 80x for me but the Cube had lasted through years of amps and is the only one to stay so far."

Coincidence - i also have the Roland 80x and a Mesa Boogie 5:50. The Tone on the Mesa is superb and I played it 'clean' in a very large room (club) and it sounded sweet and smooth and simply the best amp I've ever used. Roland 80x also good if you don't want to put your back out carrying a Mesa to the stage! Love the Roland Jazz Chorus emulation on the Cube. Very nice.

**barrymclark** · 08-19-2013, 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by CP40Carl

"I believe I have finally found my 'the one' amp to pair with my 'the one' guitar I've had for years now. It's a Mesa Express 5:50 and it does this 'jazz in a blues suit' type sound that I am just in love with. Not sure what that means for the 80x for me but the Cube had lasted through years of amps and is the only one to stay so far."

Coincidence - i also have the Roland 80x and a Mesa Boogie 5:50. The Tone on the Mesa is superb and I played it 'clean' in a very large room (club) and it sounded sweet and smooth and simply the best amp I've ever used. Roland 80x also good if you don't want to put your back out carrying a Mesa to the stage! Love the Roland Jazz Chorus emulation on the Cube. Very nice.

Small world! Yes, the JC Clean is very nice indeed! The way the Mesa Express handles the notes from my Heritage H575 just sounds amazing to me. I don't mind playing rudiments through it because it just sounds THAT good.

**AlainJazz** · 08-20-2013, 07:58 AM

I would stay away from the hot rod deluxe. It is a nice blues amp but I have not been able to dial in a clean jazz tone on it yet and I have really tried. From your list, I would go for the Roland cube 60. If you are willing to spend a bit more, my recommendation would be the Henriksen Jazzamp 110.

**Agate** · 08-20-2013, 06:48 PM

I owned a JC-120 throughout college and killed my back lugging it around. That said, the Cube 60 gets a great JC120 sound and there's nothing nicer than being able to throw the cube in a trunk and go...

**monkmiles** · 08-21-2013, 08:37 AM

Of your list I'd personally go for the Blues Deluxe or Hot Rod Deluxe as I'm a big fan of 6v6 tube tone. I see good deals on used ones. The new George Benson amp is basically a Hot Rod Deluxe.

**Little Jay** · 08-23-2013, 07:11 AM

Originally Posted by hallpass

Of your list I'd personally go for the Blues Deluxe or Hot Rod Deluxe as I'm a big fan of 6v6 tube tone. I see good deals on used ones. The new George Benson amp is basically a Hot Rod Deluxe.

Inspite of the 'Deluxe' in their names, those amps use 6L6 tubes, not 6V6..... ;-)

**monkmiles** · 08-23-2013, 07:54 AM

Originally Posted by Little Jay

Inspite of the 'Deluxe' in their names, those amps use 6L6 tubes, not 6V6..... ;-)

Doh, my bad, I knew and meant that! I had 6v6 on my mind from my Princeton and super champ amps. I've got 6l6 in my Bandmaster combo.

**frankmayer** · 08-25-2013, 02:14 PM

I just picked up an older Cube 60 (5 or 6 years old) locally. What settings are you using to get that solf mellow sound? I have been playing around with all the "buttons" and still have not been able to find the "right" sound. Thanks

**ooglybong** · 08-25-2013, 02:30 PM

I own a Cube 80XL (and did own a Cube 30 for several years). First off, I'd recommend simply sticking to the JC Clean side. (Personally, I only try the Lead side once every in a while just to confirm my suspicions that the JC Clean side is the One. IMO. Keep in mind that others have had success with the cleanest settings on the Lead side, too.)

Then I usually have the Mids set at 1-2 o'clock, the Treble at noon, and the Bass rolled down to 9 o'clock. I keep my Cube 80's Presence all the way off. Add a smidge of reverb (just so that it's not quite "there"), and IMHO, you should be good to go. Maybe some nearly 'inaudible' delay might sound good to you, too, so I'd try that out. Oh, yeah, rolling off your guitar's Tone and Volume a bit will probably help, as well.

Of course, YMMV since everybody's got a somewhat different idea of what the "right" sound is. Hope this helps.

**jdaguitar2** · 08-25-2013, 04:43 PM

Everything at 12 o'clock (eq settings).

**frankmayer** · 08-26-2013, 02:12 AM

Thanks for the inputs, I followed your recommendations and obtained a nice, soft sound.

**vinlander** · 02-13-2014, 07:08 AM

Another vote for Cube 80, just for the great clean JC120 emulation in such compact form, it is worth it...

**Toat** · 02-13-2014, 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by vinlander

Another vote for Cube 80, just for the great clean JC120 emulation in such compact form, it is worth it...

Why would you necro this old thread.......................

**iim7V7IM7** · 02-13-2014, 10:49 AM

Jazz covers a pretty broad spectrum of music from small venue, solo archtop to larger venue, large band cleans and overdriven tones. It's fairly obvious, but likely different "best" based on musical requirements, travel requirements, reliability and budget.

**vinlander** · 02-13-2014, 01:15 PM

Originally Posted by Toat

Why would you necro this old thread.......................

For no good reason it seems, apparently I was still sleeping this morning maybe someone voted on the poll and raised it
sorry

**Pukka-J** · 02-13-2014, 05:12 PM

Originally Posted by Toat

Why would you necro this old thread.......................

Necro? You mean revive? Reanimate? Bring back? Dig up?

But 'necro', really?

Must be Belgium ;-)

**snoskier63** · 02-13-2014, 07:43 PM

Based on that list I would vote for the Cube 80, however, I am wit the earlier poster regarding the Henriksen. I have the 112 version and it is not only a tremendously good amp for jazz, but it takes pedals pretty well, and it is very portable at 32 lbs. The 110 is even lighter! On the tube side, if you are considering the HR Deluxe I would recommend the Carvin Nomad. It is 50 watts, has two channels with much more clean headroom on the clean channel, it is around $600 new with your choice of several color options, it weighs only 40 lbs, and to me it compares very favorably to the Fender. I have a Henriksen and Carvin, and I am extremely happy with both...although the Mambo interests me very much.

**barrymclark** · 02-13-2014, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by barrymclark

First, I love the G&L Bluesboy.

Looks like you are in the price range of $400 to $800 if those amps are new (which I know the 80x isn't but there is the 80xl and the even newer model that isn't out yet I don't think)

I have a Cube 80x. Wonderful amp. Now, no single amp is gonna 'do it' for everyone. ... and suggestion is a very powerful thing. With that in mind, I feel the 80 watt Cube series is wildly underrated.

I've played every amp in that list and the 80x is my far and away favorite. Lighter than everyone but the Cube 60 and Blues Jr, too. For college, portability and volume will be an issue. The 80x had been my bedroom amp for years now and has been used with full on bands.

You should be able to pick one up pretty cheap. I might consider selling mine. ....might. I'd have to really think on it. I believe I have finally found my 'the one' amp to pair with my 'the one' guitar I've had for years now. It's a Mesa Express 5:50 and it does this 'jazz in a blues suit' type sound that I am just in love with. Not sure what that means for the 80x for me but the Cube had lasted through years of amps and is the only one to stay so far.

Workhorse amps. Reliable. Inexpensive. Great at all volumes. Small...ish. About 35 lbs.

Are you looking new or used? If you are looking new and are in the $800 area, consider Henriksen or Mambo amps.

....and the Mesa is gone. The thrill was gone. After several months, I fired up the Cube and that was it. The Mesa was on the block and was gone in weeks.