Fuchs Jazz Classic Amp

**jzucker** · 01-14-2014, 08:28 AM

i'd like to see andy make a SS ods amp!

**fuchsaudio** · 01-14-2014, 04:30 PM

Alainjazz, at some future point I'm really hoping we can do some less expensive products and maintain the quality of sound I am known for. I do hear ya ! I belong to these forums to "keep my ear to the ground" and see what players like (and why) and what they may want.

JZucker: I always had a problem with ODS and soiled state in the same sentence. I've heard and played all the 'hot' modelers, as well as the Etho's, Zen-Drive's and other solid state D-emulators. They always left me a little dry and lifeless. It's possible an all FET preamp might come close to an all tube preamp. Hopefully I'll have some time in the future to experiment more what that.

Running a small company I'm wearing many hats daily, and between designing, tech support and QC, I'm never at a loss to keep busy. I went from notebooks to file folders or circuit ideas and designs I want to toy with in the future.

**AlainJazz** · 01-14-2014, 05:03 PM

Thanks, I'll keep an eye out. That would be really interesting!

**Boston Joe** · 01-14-2014, 05:50 PM

I had Andy modify a silverface Bassman into an ODS. I love the thing. It's great for my fusion stuff. I haven't been to any straight ahead jazz sessions where my Blues Jr. wasn't loud enough, but if I did, I'm sure the 50-watt ODS could handle it just fine. The clean tones are very fendery, and with the overdrive channel off there's plenty of headroom for jam sessions or small gigs.

**jzucker** · 01-14-2014, 08:54 PM

i've had plenty of gigs where a blues junior couldn't cut it. If you use an archtop with .015 to .058 strings you need headroom. However, I'm using a lighter setup now but I still need a good 35 watts of tube power, 75 of SS

**jekyll & hyde** · 01-31-2014, 11:13 PM

Anyone play this amp yet??

**jzucker** · 01-31-2014, 11:36 PM

a few guys on facebook's jazz guitar page have played 'em and loved 'em. Vic Juris and Dave Stryker are using them. Bob Devos may be as well...The clips sound great.

**marcwhy** · 02-01-2014, 02:40 AM

Originally Posted by jekyll & hyde

Anyone play this amp yet??

I saw it at NAMM last week, and spoke with Andy about it, but didn't have a chance to actually play it (too busy!). The concept seemed pretty cool.

**jekyll & hyde** · 02-01-2014, 12:36 PM

The clips do sound great. The whole hybrid concept makes sense to me.
Seems like the tubes should add some warmth to the tone and feel of the amp.
I'm hoping!
To this day, I haven't played a SS amp that I've liked.
The SF Vibrolux I play through has spoiled me!

**BigMikeinNJ** · 07-10-2015, 03:40 PM

Any of you own a Fuchs amp ??? I know the strat player didn't please this crowd with his choice of axes but Andy makes some outstanding gear... I think if you had the chance to demo it with your guitar you'd probable like it a lot. I love what he did to the two amps I've owned (a MusicMan 75 112 with ODS mods and my current flame a late 60s Princeton Reverb that has been totally modded).

**jorgemg1984** · 07-10-2015, 03:42 PM

I kind of agree... how hard would it be to get a proper jazz player with an archtop? Would give a much proper idea of the amp. Anyway I bet it's a great amp!

**Patrick2** · 07-10-2015, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by D.G.

I agree a Strat is probably not the best guitar to use to demo an amp aimed at the archtop crowd, but if Andy Fuchs says it has a "warm tube tone", then it does.

Yeah . . I'd have to agree with that. Andy's had the benefit of hearing it in his Clifton NJ shop with various guitars. I'm sure he's right about it's sound. But, I'm just not getting any tube amp jazz tone love from that demo . . even considering that it was played on a strat.

**D.G.** · 07-10-2015, 04:11 PM

Of course, the phrase "warm tube tone" is really just marketing speak. I've heard tube amps that'll take the top of your head off and are more sterile than an operation room -- red knob Fenders, I'm lookin' at you!

**jzucker** · 07-10-2015, 04:11 PM

any negatives you're hearing there are coming from the NEO speaker IMO.

**Longways to Go** · 07-10-2015, 05:42 PM

that amp is big $$$ IMO.
better be super-amazing for $2K+

**barrymclark** · 07-10-2015, 06:00 PM

I don't put a lot in video demos outside of really just giving a general overview of it... but that first video at top had some reverb levels on it! I thought the second one sounded nice just as a listen.

**nickyboy** · 07-10-2015, 06:05 PM

Sound very compressed.

**jzucker** · 07-10-2015, 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by Patrick2

Meh . . . . Still not gettin' the love.

playing out with a jazz amp is a compromise. The best amp for jazz would be a well tuned twin reverb with JBL's but who's got the back for that?

Something like the mambo is very small and light and doesn't sound as big, fat or warm as a twin. This amp is similar. It compromises with a neo speaker and a class D power amp to get a small, light package that's way more portable than a similarly powered tube amp.

As to $2k being expensive...Folks are paying $5k for guitars so why is $2k for an amp out of line? The recording quality on these 2 clips is not very good. I suspect the amp sounds beautiful in person and probably even better through a non NEO speaker.

**jorgemg1984** · 07-10-2015, 06:39 PM

We should do a speakers thread... that's the problem!! You can have it all great- fender tube preamp, small light open back cab, digital reverb, class d power amp - except the speaker. If someone designed a 500w reasonably light GUITAR speaker we could have a 400w class d power amp...

**jorgemg1984** · 07-12-2015, 04:38 PM

So...

Eminence Patriot Texas Heat 12" Guitar Speaker 150W 4 Ohm

This just seems perfect for this amp. Designed for guitar and being 4 ohm it doubles the power to 150w and it can handle that power.

**NYC** · 11-12-2023, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by fuchsaudio

I've just joined the forum to be a little more involved in the jazz community. I'm happy to inform that the Jazz Classic will be reviewed in the next issue of Just Jazz Guitar quite favorably I might add. It's available as a head as well as a combo.

I find it fascinating that a professional jazz player will spend thousands on a Borys, Commings, Unger, Benedetto$, Engel's, D'Angelico's etc. and yet an amp for $ 2.4-K is considered "too expensive" ! lol. I've spoke with other professional guitarists who don't quite understand it either.

Nope, this amp isn't "cheap". We're a small boutique company in the US, and our products are built in limited volume in small batches, mostly by hand and honestly if a Peavey or Fender made it, it might be much more affordable just based on volume and production efficiency you get from that. Would it be as good, well, that's anyone's guess. I was told Fender has 28 Engineers on staff. When I asked how many played guitar, nobody knew....this product was designed by a player for a player, with the utmost respect for a classic jazz player's tone.
No, it's not the be-all and end-all of amps, but so-far every single player who has purchased one has had nothing but favorable comments about the tone, weight, and the warm smooth sound of the digital reverb as well. Given the chance, some of these ideas may find their way into less expensive perhaps solid state or more affordable Polytone or 'ZT' style designs in the future.

Having grown up listening to the likes of Johnny Smith, Bucky Pizzarelli, Howard Roberts, as well as modern players like Howard Alden, Dave Stryler, Bob DeVos and Vic Juris (the Jazz Classic amps first 'official' endorser btw), my goal was an amp that not only sounded great to the player and listener. It would be operationally simple (no 50 band equalizers, no multi-effects, or bells and whistles needed or wanted). Beyond the sound, I wanted it to also feel good to play. Many solid state designs are not. They can be stiff, dry, lifeless and sound harsh and non-musical when cranked. Using tubes in the preamp helped, as did the power supply and power amp design.

The choice of speaker, the choice of cabinet wood, and key aspects of the electronic design were all done as a unit to work in concert with one another, not unlike a formula racing car where every element is judged as to how it fits the overall platform. The tube preamp uses two 12AX7's, which is by far the most popular preamp tube on earth, and is currently very available and should be for most of our lives going forward. The amp should require minimal maintenance and be no less reliable than any other amp. It certainly has less opportunities to fail like an amp with power tubes could.

The filament and DC plate voltages are regulated to lessen the critical nature of the tube choices, and extend tube life. So far the only tweak we've made was a slight reduction in input gain, as the volume control was a tad touchy in the lower regions. The design has 150 watts into 4-ohms, which a few players thought "sounded like a lot of power". The idea is that it assures you'll likely not run into clipping easily. On the rare occasion you might bump into clipping, the tube preamp stage which drives the power amp is intentionally designed to clip precisely before the power amp would, so you would actually hear tube distortion (smoother and more pleasant than solid state distortion) not solid state distortion.

Dave Stryker recently test drove it (see link), and commented that "it's much louder and cleaner than my Twin, and weighs a little more than my Polytone". Here's a video:

Log into Facebook | Facebook

Thanks for letting me in this fine forum, and discussing my amps.

Andy, I'm in the process of buying one of your amazing looking Jazz Classic amps. I've been in touch with your shop, I believe I spoke to "Rich" via email who quoted me on the prices for a combo or head unit. I've also found a seller who will sell me a 2021 Jazz Classic II that he bought directly from Fuchs. I noticed you said that you made a modification to the gain in the amp, I presume that was pre 2021. The Jazz Classic I'm considering is on reverb at this link, I noticed that there is insulation inside the cabinet, is this something the buyer added or something that you did at Fuchs? Also, any comments on changes made to the amp since 2021 that I may want to consider when deciding new or used?

Fuchs Jazz Classic II 2021 - Black | Reverb

**sgosnell** · 11-14-2023, 11:08 AM

I haven't seen Fuchs on the forum for a long time, I doubt he looks in here now. The thread is almost 10 years old.

**Skip Ellis** · 11-14-2023, 02:19 PM

".... but the Evans RE200 is 27 lbs and almost $1000 less .."

Yep, and, once you figure out the preamp, it's a great amp. I just wish I could find a gig so I could use mine more. I built a matching 1x10 cabinet to go with it for pedal steel - sort of a mini stack but have never used it - the amp alone is PLENTY. I believe Scot has a 300 watt version now. A fine fine product to be sure - can't say enough good about them. Not that the Fuchs is not good - I'm sure it is but I really like my Evans - been using them since I was a dealer back in the 80s and they were still being built in Texarkana. I've been wanting to try a Bud 6 to downsize a little but I'd have to sell the Evans which I'm not prepared to do....yet. Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread....

**SierraTango** · 11-14-2023, 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by Skip Ellis

".... but the Evans RE200 is 27 lbs and almost $1000 less .."

Yep, and, once you figure out the preamp, it's a great amp. I just wish I could find a gig so I could use mine more. I built a matching 1x10 cabinet to go with it for pedal steel - sort of a mini stack but have never used it - the amp alone is PLENTY. I believe Scot has a 300 watt version now. A fine fine product to be sure - can't say enough good about them. Not that the Fuchs is not good - I'm sure it is but I really like my Evans - been using them since I was a dealer back in the 80s and they were still being built in Texarkana. I've been wanting to try a Bud 6 to downsize a little but I'd have to sell the Evans which I'm not prepared to do....yet. Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread....

It puzzles me, Skip, why there is not much love expressed for Evans amps here on the Forum. It's all Fender This and Fender That. Plus all the tremendous rave reviews for the Buds. Of course well deserved.

When it comes to Evans, the first one I had was back in the late 90's. It had a 15", I got it from a PSG player in North Carolina. Had it for a few years, it was a superb Jazz Guitar amp if a little heavy. Sold it and went to a JE200 with a 12" mid-2000's. Just a wonderful amp I gigg with all the time.

I mean some pretty famous guitar gods use or have used Evans amps-Jimmy Bruno for a while and of course Ron Eschete' for whom the current RE300 is named after. Ron is a 7 string guy, somewhat under the radar even on this Forum. But wow, what a player.

I chat with Scot occasionally, he's such a helpful guy. Call his number and sometimes you will get his wife on the line, always pleasant. Here's a American product that works superbly, lasts and useful for many years. Love my Evans.

**NYC** · 11-14-2023, 10:38 PM

Originally Posted by SierraTango

It puzzles me, Skip, why there is not much love expressed for Evans amps here on the Forum. It's all Fender This and Fender That. Plus all the tremendous rave reviews for the Buds. Of course well deserved.

When it comes to Evans, the first one I had was back in the late 90's. It had a 15", I got it from a PSG player in North Carolina. Had it for a few years, it was a superb Jazz Guitar amp if a little heavy. Sold it and went to a JE200 with a 12" mid-2000's. Just a wonderful amp I gigg with all the time.

I mean some pretty famous guitar gods use or have used Evans amps-Jimmy Bruno for a while and of course Ron Eschete' for whom the current RE300 is named after. Ron is a 7 string guy, somewhat under the radar even on this Forum. But wow, what a player.

I chat with Scot occasionally, he's such a helpful guy. Call his number and sometimes you will get his wife on the line, always pleasant. Here's a American product that works superbly, lasts and useful for many years. Love my Evans.

Which evans model is a great option for home bedroom level playing? Just looking for a good amp to play at low/medium volumes at home that will deliver a good warm jazz tone from my es335