Best Jazz Amp for Fender Stratocaster?

**Jimmy Mack** · 02-03-2014, 06:40 PM

38 lbs. is not a lightweight, unless you are used to Twins and other 2-12's. I 've gotten spoiled by 1-10 and 1-12 amps, and a Neo spkr. in the 1-12. So I'm spoiled, and I can be too loud.

But....I like the attraction to the Princ. Chorus. If it were mine, I'd look for Neo spkrs. or.... 1 heavy wattage 10 in. spkr. and run with 1-10. If weight became a problem.

I have a Fender Concert with 2-10's. Its big and heavy. I once ran it on a med. volume rock gig, with one speaker unplugged ??? Unknowingly. They didn't mike my amp. The sound guy said he didn't need to, I was loud enough !

**GaryCorby** · 02-03-2014, 09:44 PM

It's certainly true a single speaker amp is going to be a lot lighter than its two speaker equivalent.

Though I'm not sure I'd buy a stereo chorus amp and then remove a speaker. The whole point of the amp is the stereo chorus.

Also since it's true stereo you'd lose half the signal unless you wired both outputs to your new single speaker. Better to buy a different amp.

I do wonder from time to time about changing the speakers, but the stock are Fender special blue Eminences that I quite like. It's more a grass greener on the other side question, I guess.

**Woody Sound** · 02-03-2014, 11:05 PM

For a strat? How about... http://thestarsguitars.com/_Media/he...tacks_320.jpeg

<I know, childish, I couldn't resist

>

**lareplus** · 02-04-2014, 02:47 AM

Hey what about a solid state Marshall amp. I never thought of those as jazz amps but maybe. Solid State should get you plenty of clean headroom. Looking at the web it seems there is an MG30cfx? Any jazz guys here who have played through one of those??

**Johnson81** · 02-04-2014, 05:16 AM

Another vote for the Henriksen 112. I play all of my guitars through it and get a great jazz "tone". Tele, Les Paul, Gibson Custom Shop, Comins, and Ibanez AS200. All work great. However, I can say the same about my Evans as well. At the end of the day, the guitar doesn't make a "jazz tone", your hands do. Equipment, while fun to talk about, are just tools. You have to learn how to make those tools sound "jazzy", whatever the heck that means.

**Jimmy Mack** · 02-04-2014, 04:07 PM

Hey Gary, welcome to the board. I didn't realize the Prin. Chorus was stereo. It sounds like a very cool amp.

**Jimmy Mack** · 02-04-2014, 04:14 PM

Solid State does not always mean "plenty of clean headroom".

I bought a really cool Vox Pathfinder, the one with 2-10's in a separate cab. I thought it would be the coolest amp around, since a certain group of Vox enthusiasts rave about their modern SS Pathfinders.

Well, it was loud enough only when you cranked the OD channel (GAIN). When keeping the Gain down low for a clean sound, the overall volume was anemic. The Master Volume had to be dimed, and then the noise level grew!

So, each amp is different and you can't assume SS means the same in all cases. And then there was the COLD tone, and the crappy harsh speakers. Bye Bye Pathfinder!

**GaryCorby** · 02-04-2014, 09:42 PM

Thanks Jimmy. My ignorance of how to play jazz is profound, I'm afraid, but I'm really looking forward to giving it a go.

**Jimmy Mack** · 02-04-2014, 11:41 PM

Cool. One phrase, one song at a time, maybe some lessons, listening to good stuff, and get a groove on! Hey, we all start at the beginning.

A new beginning. Cool.

**Headshot** · 02-05-2014, 08:46 PM

I play Strat's and Tele's, and they sound sweet through my Fender 25R and my 212R...but that is the jazz sound I am looking for. I like sweet cleans with sometimes some rolled down "Tone", not the dead sound of a big hollowbody jazzbox with the "Tone" knob wrenched completely off. Not that there is anything wrong with that...lol...just not what I like to hear. And the secret on the 25R is Bass and Treble on 1 and the Mid tweaked from 3-5, depending on taste.

**Encinitastubes** · 02-05-2014, 09:20 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

quilter or gries 35

I have a Gries 35. My feeling about single coils is that you have to push the amp and get a little hair on the sound to get a fat clean sound with other instruments playing. The a Gries has the most transparent master volume I've heard for getting that at any volume.

**lareplus** · 02-05-2014, 10:21 PM

Hey Headshot I like your EQ strategy, that can make the difference on a strat. . using the neck pickup and rolling the tone down. .

**lareplus** · 02-06-2014, 11:09 PM

Stumbled across a Kustom 12 Gauge. 16 watt solid state amp. Reads well and a few youtube videos make it look okay. Nice price and light weight with a 12 inch speaker. Didn't get to play it.

Anyone ever play through one of these?

**Silentwiz** · 02-06-2014, 11:24 PM

Quilter
henriksen

that said, a Roland cube is sure nice to practice with given all the inputs, looper, etc.

believe be it or not, I find a crapoy dry tone is best to practice with. I don't want to be hiding behind tonal bliss.

**LtKojak** · 02-07-2014, 03:19 PM

No love for the Fender Mustang 'round here?

I can get pretty good Jazz tones out of the M III v. 2.0.

It's loud enough to play in a band with a loud drummer, and you have several amp models that are classic among Jazz players, starting with the Blackface Twin, Bassman and De Luxe just fro the top of my head.

HTH,