The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #126

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    Quote Originally Posted by dix_fix
    I suppose the point is moot that "if there was 1 ultimate guitar AMP" the fact that it was the ULTIMATE surley no other amps would sell.

    Personally i think it is as subjective as guitars themselves. Everybody has different opinions & is after some different sound to please the inner artist
    Of course.

    But viewing other people's opinions about why they think their amp is the ultimate jazz amp can be both fun and educational can't it?

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #127

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    I have a Blues Junior, 15 Watt, I like it a lot, it's exactly what i wanted, the natural sound, nice, but i haven't a headphoneconnection, I like playing with a headphone, and no second input, why don't they put that in those amps, anyone would like that on his amp ????

  4. #128

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    Quote Originally Posted by kaige
    I have become cautiously fearless (if that is possible).
    A wonderful line! And of course it is. We call it improvising!

    I had a 65 Fender Princeton that did everything I wanted, but in traveling about the world I had to let it go. When I stop roaming I picked up a Fender Acoustasonic Jr. It has a decent set of controls and is pretty nice general purpose, but not exactly a jazz amp (I bought it for acoustic blues gigs, and it does that well). A buddy and I had an Ampeg back in the 60s that was pretty sweet too, bow that I recall. Mostly when I play jazz in the band I go through the board, though (playing a custom made Strat with a humbucker in the bridge and two standard strat pickups) and can get that round sound that to my ears screams "jazz!"

  5. #129

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    I've been through as many amps as musical styles over the years, and there's always something new to learn about. Currently I have a Blues Jr NOS (tweed, Jensen speaker) with a Ruby Reverb. It's a nice, portable and lightweight amp, suitable for the kinds of gigs I do these days. I also perform with a Jazzmaster Ultralight. To me, it's the Super Reverb of the 21st Century, and I'm amazed that I don't see them everywhere.

    But, like everyone else, I'm forever mooning over the fence at the neighbor's yard, and I'm wondering how players feel about the Fender Jazz King? I play a stock Gibson ES-335 Dot with .012s, a pretty mainstream-but-not-really-jazz guitar. Any opinions about the JK? I see they've been discontinued, which indicates they weren't terribly popular.

  6. #130

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    Showed the amp to my guitar teacher, and only had positive things to say about it--he tested it out on his archtop and a classical, and thought the sound was pretty good. But the killer feature is wattage per weight ratio---he said that players back in the day would've loved an amp like this, instead of lugging around the beheamouths. The only drawback is lack of reverb. Which can be rectified, with a pedal.

    Obviously, it's not gonna give you the tone that a Polytone will supply. Although, my Heritage Eagle sounds better on the Cub than the Polytone (too much bass, really have to dial it in to get a decent sound) But for the size ( I still can't get over the fact that I'm lugging this over my shoulder).

    It's a great little amp.

  7. #131

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    Hi, I'm new on the site. Thanks to Dirk I've stuck around. I played in the early to mid 60's in a teenage band, and 3 others when they called, all types of music. I got started in what would be my career for 40 years in early '66, and music took a back seat till now, my 5th year of retirement. I've had guitars in those intervening years, and my son plays, but my fingers were soft till this week.

    I just bought a new amp and guitar, and I hope you don't turn your noses up, but they both suit me fine. All my playing will be in my little photography studio upstairs, by myself unless my son shows up, 5 mins walk. The amp I have is the Peavey Vypyr 75; 75 watts, power sponge, 12 in speaker, all the effects I'll ever want, and 12 clean amp models and 12 hot models. There are 12 pre amp stompbox effects, and 12 post amp rack effects, plus delay and global reverb. Headphone/line out, USB out, and MP3/CD in. This amp weighs 36 lbs, I weighed it myself. There's a midi input for one of two Peavey pedals. I paid $260.00 US for the amp, new.

    The Classic 50 model gives me great tones, I'm not into heavy distortion, but this amp has it. The Dlx has a mid tone control added, and sounds great also. The Peavey 6505 is very popular for rock, and I like the 60's Brit sound; you really hear that chime.

    I did 6 months research research on the guitar, and got a Hagstrom Super Swede Vintage Series. It's solid Mahogany, bookmatch maple top, custom Hagstrom 58 humbuckers, wound the same as in the 70's. I got it for the neck, which is excellent quality, and consistent on all models. It's very heavy, but the tone is something I've never had, exceptional bottom end. I'm using Gretsch stainless steel flatwound .012 - .052, and they come with a wound G string .024, and plain G .020. I'm using the wound.

    Thanks for having me,
    Denny

  8. #132

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    welcome to the forum! i did the the same thing after retirement.i have been retired 15 years plus. i play thru a peavy classic 30 and a roland cube 30 using a boss me- 50 pedal.
    Last edited by valriver40; 04-07-2009 at 09:39 AM.

  9. #133

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    The Evans is a great amp, esp. the older models with the tube preamp and a 15". I have used the Lab Series L7, a tweed Pro, a bunch of Twins, and some Polytones with archtops and they all have their strong points. I think my fave is the tweed Pro; very warm, enough headroom for small gigs, a small package, pretty versatile too. I am pretty partial to 15" speakers as well...

  10. #134

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    just bought an early 80s polytone head and 15" cab, waiting for its´ arrival.. we´ll see if that does the trick, my blues junior, however, does not seem to be a perfect match to my 125....

  11. #135

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    love every minute with my Roland Cube 60!! Buy this amp!!!!

  12. #136

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    I have a mint condition Roland BC60310 from the 80's. This amp is as clean as an amp can get. Amazing. I have played everything from a strat, tele, LesPaul, and my Stromberg thru it and most people think I'm playing thru a vintage Fender tube. Personally I have played it side by side with a Twin, and Super Reverb, etc and it blows them away for sound quality and power. I rarely use the "Lead" channel, I keep my playing clean. I thought about trading this amp for another, but everytime I plug a guitar into something else it falls short of this amp.

    If you can find one........buy it.

  13. #137

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    The JC 120´s are great and probably has the best built-in chorus ever.
    I have had 3 of those over time(had to sell them long ago ).
    I´d used them on tours for anything from afrofunk to zycedelic countryrock,in combination with all kinds of tube amps and Telecasters/Strats. Worked really good.
    The JC 50 and 60 are ok for practise and pub gigs.I would not buy one of those,there´s much better alternatives in that range.
    I guess of all amps I´ve had it´s the Black Face Super revs,Deluxes etc I like best and also my old SD Convertible 2000(not the best for traditional archtop-sounds though and hard to get spareparts).
    If you want a clean smooth and responsive jazzguitar sound the JC 120 is just great.It helps if you have a ride to the gig...

  14. #138

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    I've been playing guitar for quite a while. I've owned close to three dozen over the years. Amps--closer to one dozen, with about a dozen efects setups, including none (my current fav). My offering to the ultimate jazz guitar amp dicussion is:
    Life'e too short to be an unsatisfied, broke gear snob.
    It's also too short to fall for hype or give any more attention to amp marketing than a quick look at the pertinent specs.
    When you get the amp home--or to its first gig--you have to decide if it sounds good, right, or appropriate. Just bear in mind that strait ahead Jazz isn't rock regardles of where you sit on the fusion scale, if you do at all.
    It all boils down to you playing the amp. If you like ash or alder solid body guitars, you will need wider EQ facility (all other things being equal) to get anywhere close to classic Jazz tone than someone with a mohogany solid or more still than someone with guitars of any degree of hollowness. In general, a variety of useful clean tones from the same amp would go a long way to making it an "ultimate." That way, you have a little more freedom to choose a guitar based on playing feel.
    People subscribing to gear snobery can feel free to call me a heretic, but here's one way to end up with a good amp:
    If you are used to playing a style with more distortion, you may need more power. Clean Jazz tones need more actual power to produce the same apparent loudness in a given venue. Of course, Jazz players aren't out to bust eardrums of front row devotees as is common in other styles, but you may have to play with saxes and/or horns.
    Tubes/smubes. Big deal. These days a pleasing and smooth clipping transition zone is not a tube exclusive (hasn't been for a while). I'm not against tubes, of course, I'm just against tubes failing at the wrong moments, or fading so slowling that I look like I'm playing "The Emperor's New Clothes" because I haven't noticed the boiling frogs hanging below the amp chassis. I'm also against replaicing them. Gig money has much better uses.
    So, feel free to call me a heretic. I didn't mention Fender, Polytone, Roland, et.al.
    What am I playing through now? (Cue laughter...) An Ibanez TBX150R (SS, 2x12, 150 watts). I like the hot channel with the input gain way down so I can use the semi-parametric mid control, though the clean side also quite useful.
    Last edited by Charles Henry; 04-27-2009 at 07:49 PM.

  15. #139

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    Charles Henry, perspective is sorely needed on the subject.

    Since my last post, I have given up on finding a Fender Jazz King, but not on the idea of playing my 335 through an amp with a 15" speaker. I already have a Hartke 115 cabinet that I was using with a Hartke head for a bass rig until I got the considerably lighter 210.

    Then I fell into a deal on a new Fender Band-Master VM head (40 watts, tube + digital effects, about 25 lb) and now I'm in love again. This rig has a much rounder tone than either the Jazzmaster Ultralight or the Blues Jr, with a great sounding reverb (typically Fender, you have to keep it at 3 or below). It's not as portable as the other two (right now, my Blues Jr is in the back of the Matrix for a trip to a recording job) but man, is it sweet!

    For all the adoration of "vintage" amps, I think it's more significant that Fender and others are producing new models that retain what we love about the old ones, without the "vintage" prices.

  16. #140

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    lpdelux,
    I'd love to spend some time trying out a Fender '59 Bassman, even a reissue, sice that's probably what I could afford. I like the Vox sound for Rock & Pop, but having a Vox again would tempt me to crank up the gain & loose my focus on Jazz. I looked at the Fender FM series, but when my recently purchased Peavey semi-hollow's top separated from the center block, the local music store allowed me to trade it for nearly any amp they had in stock, so I tried out several, but settled on an Ibanez TBX150R. It's a closed back design (like the FM's), but with two 12's, enough sound still exits the rear of the cab. I'm pretty sure the 2x12's effective arpeture is as large as the 15 in speaker in the Bassman, but I'd still like to eventually try a Bassman.
    I noticed you're in TX; we're hoping to move there late this year/early next year near Abilene. Not exactly close, but perhaps the communal aspect of Jazz will get us together to jam someday.

  17. #141

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    This is for those who are traditional jazz guitarists, those who play with upright bass players and no gadgets and gizmos and typically use a traditional ES175, L4 or L5 style archtop.

    Stay Away from the Roland Jazz Chorus and the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe!

    The Roland can make a $4000 dollar Gibson or Heritage sound like a Korean or Chinese knock off, makes it sound really thin and Fender Hot Rod is too bassy and you will get the nastiest distortion. When you cut back the bass on the Hot Rod the guitar just doesn't sound as good as it should.

    It makes no sense to spend a wad of cash on an American made archtop and then use the wrong amp.

    The Roalnd and Fender Hot Rod just don't do justice to a classic Jazz box. Stick with Raezer's Edge Cabinets/Clarus combo or go with a Polytone. I heard Russell Malone get great sounds with a D'Angelico and Roland Cube, but I never personally tried this amp.
    Last edited by L4CES; 04-30-2009 at 09:25 AM. Reason: typographical error

  18. #142

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    Hi everyone! I haven't been here very often, but now I have a question for you experts.

    I've been looking out on and off for THE ideal amp for me. My main guitar at the moment is a Yamaha SA 2200; but I also use a German archtop (Blazer) as well as a Strat-type Blade.

    I (try to) play jazz, mostly. My ideal amp has to have a nice, warm, clean sound. I'm not much interested in overdrive. It should be loud enough for playing in a group (at the moment it's guitar, piano and drums).

    One thing that's important is that it needs to be lightweight, as I'm not twenty anymore.

    Now here's the question: Is it worth my time to take amps that are especially conceived for acoustic guitars into consideration?

    Thanks very much for your advice,

    Tom K.

  19. #143

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    Based on what I've heard about the Cubes (and the fact that I wasn't happy about my Fender amp), I went down to one of my local shops as they had one Cube 60 left. I played around with it using a Hofner verythin, and was sold instantly. Beautiful, clean and full sound.

    Went down the day after and traded in my Fender Princeton.

    Thanks for the advice, guys, I'm now struggling to stop practicing because it sounds so nice!

  20. #144

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    I always hear good things about the Roland Cubes, as noted above. But I've been very happy with my Fender Princeton 65 reissue. It's very clean, lightweight, just about load enough for your needs.

  21. #145

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    Quote Originally Posted by nic
    I always hear good things about the Roland Cubes, as noted above. But I've been very happy with my Fender Princeton 65 reissue. It's very clean, lightweight, just about load enough for your needs.
    Nic, I should have added that my Princeton was the much cheaper Princeton 112, a very very loud solid state with 65 watts.

  22. #146

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom K
    Hi everyone! I haven't been here very often, but now I have a question for you experts.

    I've been looking out on and off for THE ideal amp for me. My main guitar at the moment is a Yamaha SA 2200; but I also use a German archtop (Blazer) as well as a Strat-type Blade.

    I (try to) play jazz, mostly. My ideal amp has to have a nice, warm, clean sound. .......

    One thing that's important is that it needs to be lightweight, as I'm not twenty anymore.

    Now here's the question: Is it worth my time to take amps that are especially conceived for acoustic guitars into consideration?

    Thanks very much for your advice,

    Tom K.
    My 80's Roland (BC60310 3-Vintage US made Roland V10-45's) weighs in a 58# and is indestructable...built to last. It is sooo clean, (prob the 3 -10s) and so powerful, it makes players stop to look and ask about it. I personally don't need all the power (60rms/channel), but it's there if you have to play a strat or a tele in a big band, or just plug in your jazz box with a trio...the size of the room or event isn't an issue with this amp...its a monster. I also play acoustic thru it....use a Larrivee, a Guild, and my favorite 40 year old Hohner I bought new. It sounds fantastic. Oh yeah, I put a set of Roland casters on it too.....saves on the back.

    I considered a straight trade on Crate a while back, but when I plugged into it, I couldn't believe the difference... nowhere near the sound, and that was a new $800 crate acoustic amp.

    If you can find one, (pretty hard I know) buy it.....they are gems.
    Last edited by C70man; 05-04-2009 at 07:33 AM.

  23. #147

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    I play through a Fender Acoustasonic Jr. it is a sweet amp, but I wouldn't call it light. I like the chorus and reverb, which, used sparingly (sorry Dick Dale) add nice depth and round out the sound. I also like the tone controls. I bought it originally to use with my Martin at solo gigs (it has a voice channel as well) but it is what I use for everything.

  24. #148

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    Well, this 72 year old uses a Polytone mini-brute II and a fender reissue princeton reverb with my Epiphone byrdland elitist and Gibson ES339. Needless to say, but through the years I've played them all and am satisfied with my latest rig.

  25. #149
    Even though I'm not sure it'd be good for jazz...I'm a massive sucker for the sound of a guitar running through a leslie speaker.

    The G37/G27 both look really good. If I get the chance, I'll have to try some out.

  26. #150

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    Although for most gigs my Roland Cube 30 suits me well, for the more high-powered gigs I use an old Guyatone Twin Reverb-copy (very simular to the original) and that's perfect: a loud clean tone with lots of umpf, darkness and sweetness, yet transparent enough to give a nice cut through the mix when you play together with a hammond, bass and drums.

    For clean tone it's hard to beat a Twin Reverb (and I even like Silverfaces better then Blackfaces). But of course, it's not your everyday handy-take-with-you-amp.....

    Also, after experiencing amp failures in the past, reliability is an important issue for me. The thin modern PCB-boards with volume and tone controls - and sometimes even tube-socketts- soldered directly onto them, often don't stand regular gigging and on the road circumstances is my experience. The old amps performed (and still do) better in that area!