The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #401

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    Quote Originally Posted by J. Murrieta
    i also just received an empress parametric eq pedal which really helps nail the exact tone i'm looking for.
    Anyone know how the empress compares with the Carl Martin para eq pedal? I've never been able to find that much info on the CM pedal and I've been kinda hesitant to drop a couple hundred on something I might not like...

    one little detail that seems important: there's no Q on the CM and it's called a "semi-parametric" EQ. So it looks like you can vary center freq and boost/cut but not Q... I think that probably gives the edge to the Empress.

    Thanks in advance, all!

    SJ

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  3. #402

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stefan Eff
    This:

    Attachment 63955

    My new 40years old Princeton, last series, with the old AB1270 circuit, completely handwired in California. Honestly the best sounding amp I‘ve ever played. Loud, versatile and crystal clear cleans. Loves pedals and every guitar. Wonderful smooth reverb and the best tremolo ever. Who wants more?
    I had one of those as a kid back in Maryland. In the early '70's hurricane Agnes roared through and flooded the basement and I lost the amp.

    I've been using a Henriksen for many years now and recently, I purchased a Quilter 101 reverb and a Razer's Edge Stealth 10. Clean, clear and plenty of headroom it has.... As Yoda would say.

  4. #403

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    I always liked the blue light crystal. I think Kustoms (the vinyl cushion model) had those first. Those were "sway" amps. All the cool players had the vinyl cushioned Kustoms... and then the switch to Marshall's happened... and since they couldn't unload the now uncool vinyl cushioned Kustoms they would stash them in dark corners of the basement covered with canvas painters tarps and stacks of newspapers saved for the Lions Club newspaper drives.

    Wow... why did I just remember that?

  5. #404

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    Quote Originally Posted by geogio
    I always liked the blue light crystal. I think Kustoms (the vinyl cushion model) had those first. Those were "sway" amps. All the cool players had the vinyl cushioned Kustoms... and then the switch to Marshall's happened... and since they couldn't unload the now uncool vinyl cushioned Kustoms they would stash them in dark corners of the basement covered with canvas painters tarps and stacks of newspapers saved for the Lions Club newspaper drives.

    Wow... why did I just remember that?
    I get it. I had a Kustom 200, blue light crystal and all. Terrible sounding amp. Cool looking in its time. Thanks for the helping me to remember some good times

  6. #405

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    I'm very happy with both my amps, i have a carr sportsman and a early 70s princeton with 6L6s
    both give me just the tone i need

  7. #406

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    The Ultimate Guitar Amp-f2cea020-45c3-4342-95b7-828ec77b90a8-jpgThose old vintage amps got their own personality, each is a little different from another. I‘m still wondering where’s their special mojo from. I guess it’s in those old parts, they’re welted together in countless hours of playing. So inspiring.

  8. #407

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    Just as vintage guitar guts have no circuit boards, old amps had no circuit boards either. Maybe they had beefier Transformers as well, along with paper caps and other such things which made their sound unique. All those parts and kits are available today from various online dealers and it wouldn't be hard to replicate. Maybe the wiring was a little bit thicker or the shielding on the wiring was a different composition just as shielding on guitar pickups and the wiring they used was a little bit different, perhaps it has something to do with it.

  9. #408

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    I miss my old Princeton. I lost it in a hurricane.

  10. #409

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    sold all my amps the day I heard the Bose L1 series at the Bose headquarters in Framingham MA., almost 20 years ago. Currently use a Compact for small gigs or big gigs with a good house PA, and an L1S for larger gigs with no PA (the L1S is a PA, of course). Coupled with a good processor or pedal board, and a tub mic pre for tube folks, rather an unbelievable sound that fills a good-sized room without a lot of stage volume. Weighs little, 5-minute setup, rarely feeds back, can sing and play through it, and built like a tank. If you have a small amp that you like, micing it through an L1 is a great experience.

  11. #410

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    My group frequently uses Bose Systems PA equipment to deliver the group's entire sound to the audience at wineries, breweries, etc. We like the ease, uniformity of mix, good overall volume for the room, etc.

    However, the guitarists who are familiar with the group have come up to me and dinged me for not loading in my Polytone. They claim that there is a something extra that is delivered by the Mini Brute that is missing with the preamp/reverb/Bose rig.

    The group is having me bring the Polytone to the next gig for comparison. We've been practicing with it, too, and--so far--it's all smiles.

    I really do like the Bose, FWIW.

  12. #411

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    When I was young and in a band that actually had gigs playing fusion jazz my dream rig was a PEARCE stereo amp head, tc electronics Spatial Expander (THE best chorus fx EVER), Yamaha SPX90 multi fx unit and two 1x12" cabs with an EV speaker in each. Together with two guitars the trunk of my car was full .....
    Now the fusion days are over and I get my (clean-ish Jazz -) sound with an archtop into either a Henriksen BUD or an Evans RE200, sometimes driven by a Line6 HX Stomp. So what is the best amp ?
    Just like the best camera : it's the one you have at hand, what you can afford, what sounds good to YOUR ears, at YOUR particular gig and with YOUR particular band.
    Oh yeah, it's a new game when I switch guitars .....

  13. #412

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    I LOVE old tube Fender amps, I even had a few back in the day.

    But... remember when the EPA stepped up & literally discontinued vacuum tube Manufacturing in the United States? And practically every piece of the manufacturing infrastructure was either sold off to the Eastern Bloc? And tube consistency was so poor it became a real concern? IIRC it took about 7+ years for Manufacturing to become consistent with tolerances that were matched to the degree that u.s. tube manufacturers used to produce but could no longer produce because of EPA regulations.

    That's when I switched to solid-state.

    I still have a couple of old tube amps but they're unreliable now due to things like capacitors having dried up and the potentiometers are are corroded way beyond a slight crackle and the whole amp needs a good going over, and I'll probably never go over them because it's not cost effective for me.

    Somebody replied to a post a while ago about Mojo, and how the old amps just sound different because of...

    When you start replacing caps and potentiometers, resistors Etc... with parts that have been manufactured only recently, It's no longer the same amp, or so I'm told. So? You go to this Market of vintage or relic parts that are brand new but made with the same technology that the old parts used in their manufacturing process. that's as close as you're going to get and the outcome will still be that it's a different amp than what was purchased off the shelf in 1964. it's probably even a different speaker at this point because this paper on the original speaker(s) has dried out and turned to dust.

    So are there really any old amps out there that haven't been messed with? I know of one, and it is sitting upstairs in my man cave and it remains unplayable without an extensive going over. After which, it might be close, but it won't be the same...
    And that's my point.

    So there you are. Fo you want old school electronic technology, do you want felt, do you not want circuit boards. You want tubes you don't want transistors... What do you do? Pay large amounts of money for a roll of the dice on whether the technology that you're purchasing at 50 plus years old is going to hold out for any length of time? If you have that kind of disposable income I suppose that is what you would do in the quest for the Holy Grail of tube amplifiers.

    Or... the next best option might be kits that are available and that's as close as you're going to get because everything that is 50 + years old is on the edge of its life cycle ending and something's going to have to be replaced. Or a high dollar replica... yes a "replica" but with new components.

    "Mojo" .... pffft.... Mojo is an overused and irrelevant term, a phantom, a sales pitch.
    Last edited by geogio; 09-19-2019 at 11:12 AM.

  14. #413

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    An old amp might not be exactly the same after maintenance, but it's still going to be much closer to the original sound compared to a reissue,or a kit, or a boutique knockoff.. Especially if you don't follow the trend of replacing things that check out correctly, like old caps, tubes, potentiometers that could do with just a cleaning, speakers you can recone, etc, that would probably last a lifetime with made in China or Mexico stuff that might malfunction after months or a year..

    Mojo to me is just great sound, whatever has great sound has mojo. Usability also. I love some amps for their sound, some for their small size, some cause they are dirt cheap and usable..
    Last edited by Alter; 09-20-2019 at 04:18 AM.

  15. #414

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    Quote Originally Posted by Alter
    An old amp might not be exactly the same after maintenance, but it's still going to be much closer to the original sound compared to a reissue,or a kit, or a boutique knockoff.. Especially if you don't follow the trend of replacing things that check out correctly, like old caps, tubes, potentiometers that could do with just a cleaning, speakers you can recone, etc, that would probably last a lifetime with made in China or Mexico stuff that might mulfunction after months or a year..

    Mojo to me is just great sound, whatever has great sound has mojo. Usability also. I love some amps for their sound, some for their small size, some cause they are dirt cheap and usable..
    I do believe there is mojo/magic, whatever you want to call it in a lot of vintage gear. I say most because with a lot of vintage gear there was inconsistency from one unit to the next. You can get a '59 Bassman amp that sounds great to you and another that sounds completely different. Which one is better is subjective. It still beats most reissues, though. Same thing with a vintage ES-175s.

    In my thirty plus years of off and on guitar playing, I have bought and sold so many amps and guitars chasing the elusive perfect tone that it should be a sin. I always had more money than talent. I can remember when I started back in the 80s I could have bought a vintage pre-CBS strat for $1200, but thought that was crazy money, so passed. Now those things are worth five figures. What I should have done was buy a few vintage guitars and amps while they were still relatively affordable and just stuck with those. 20/20 hindsight.

    In my experience/opinion, with amps the hierarchy is

    Good: Well made reissues from reliable manufacturers like Fender, Marshall, Vox, etc.
    Better: Boutique reissues and models based on vintage designs.
    Best: Well maintained or restored vintage

    Now I went for early retirement which I was able to afford to do if I keep my spending relatively under control. It's worth it for the lack of stress (my job was extremely high stress) and for the time to enjoy things like playing guitar (I'll probably live much longer). But as far as "the ultimate" guitar or amp- I can't really afford it (actually more like I can't justify it) and don't need it. I have put together a collection of gear that that sounds really, really good to me (the tone is good enough to keep me motivated to play) and I am happy with it. My main amp is a Fender Blues Deluxe RI with a Cannabis Rex speaker.

  16. #415

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    Quote Originally Posted by geogio
    remember when the EPA stepped up & literally discontinued vacuum tube Manufacturing in the United States?
    I didn't know that the EPA was involved. A google search (cursory, I'll admit) didn't turn up any quick hits. I found info about the EPA regulating CRTs not audio/receiving vacuum tubes in general. Can you point me to any articles on the Web or on the EPA site?

    Thanks

    SJ
    Last edited by starjasmine; 09-23-2019 at 12:13 AM.

  17. #416

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    I like the sound of a good tube amp, and have a couple Fender tube amps. Not having a pre-CBS amp, or the means to purchase a good restored one, does not mean you cannot get great sound out of the newer re-issue Fender amps, read on:

    The newer Fender Tube amps use a circuit board, which is actually OK, as it makes them all consistent. There are those who say "hand wired" is superior, as if there is some Mojo in the hand wiring, which is nonsense. If anything, hand wiring is inconsistent, and labor intensive and if not done correctly can cause feedback and howling in an amp. Hand wiring was simply the only way to wire tube electronics before circuit boards came along, it is an older and more labor intensive method that can have many more variables depending on the person doing the wiring. Circuit boards simply eliminate variables and reduce assembly costs. This consistency then allows you to get good results from doing some simple mods to them.

    To upgrade a modern "hybrid" tube amp there are Fromel and Bill M kits, they have better power supply caps and replaced some of the tone stack and coupling caps, use better quality plate, cathode and screen grid resistors, add an audio taper master volume pot, and suggest re-routing the filament and B+ wires. I have installed these kits and set the bias a bit on the cold side, for less distortion, more headroom. These tricks do reduce hum a little, gives more usable range to the volume and tone controls, but nothing really spectacular; they are mainly reliability mods that also make the amp a little more user friendly. In short, after adding the mods my amps had more controllable volume and a little better tone, but not that "sound" everyone looks for.

    If there is such a thing as Mojo however this is what I did find:

    That is to play with different pre-amp tubes in the V2 position, as it makes a huge difference in the sound. I have a stash of 12AT7, 12 AU7, 12 AY7 and 12 AW7 tubes, old stock USA made, RCA and GE tubes from the late 1950s. Using one of these in the V2 position to replace the high gain 12AX7 takes the edge off the amp and gives it the wonderful rich singing pre-CBS sound that Fenders are famous for. In fact on some amps changing V2 is all that is needed to tame the beast. Thus there are many awesome amps out there that can be easily set-up for really good jazz sound(Surf and Jazz tone go hand in hand BTW) I'm sure that European/Russian tubes would work as well, but I had more types of USA tubes laying around to try out. One can also play with the phase splitter tube by substituting a lower gain tube than the 12AX7 to see how it changes the sound. BTW, new output tubes are like new guitar strings...they are awesome for the first few hours.
    Last edited by jaymen; 11-05-2019 at 04:30 PM.

  18. #417

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    Hi, I am looking for small tube? amp for a room about 23 m2. I only want a clean, warm jazzsound eg Jim Hall (ok I know....) because I will not play on stage, only just for fun hobby recording with friends. What could you recommend to me? If really good the price is no problem. kr Georg

  19. #418

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    Bugera V5 is a small 5W tube amp with reverb, probably worth trying one out to see how it sounds.
    Fender Blues Jr is a small 15W model, tube type with reverb and gain. Marshall makes a 1Watt DSL amp that is worth giving a try, has clean and gain, plus reverb. Polytone makes a Mini-Brute, but not sure it is tube, but it is for Jazz.
    Fender makes a Super Champ X2 that is tube, emulates a bunch of different amplifiers. Others here will have good suggestions too.
    Last edited by jaymen; 11-05-2019 at 05:07 PM.

  20. #419

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    Quote Originally Posted by georg1947
    Hi, I am looking for small tube? amp for a room about 23 m2. I only want a clean, warm jazzsound eg Jim Hall (ok I know....) because I will not play on stage, only just for fun hobby recording with friends. What could you recommend to me? If really good the price is no problem. kr Georg
    Maybe a Vox AC4C1-12?


  21. #420

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    I'll take the JCM800, hand it over right now!

    Vox AC series are good too.
    Modeling amps, like the Super Champ X2 replicate many different amplifier types and sounds, they are quite versatile.

  22. #421

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    In my opinion nothing is impossible soundwise. Any tube or solid state amp will work for this type of context. It’s more important to learn how to tweak and ”jazzify” your amp with different EQ settings.

  23. #422

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    I use to own a early Fender blackface SR with 4x10's that I just loved. I could could play anything with it. Around 2001 I started playing in smaller venues and it was just to much amp, so I purchased a Peavey Classic 30 with a 1x12". It fit the bill nicely so like a fool I sold the blackface
    Now that I've added an archtop to the mix, I'm happy to still have the C30. Like the Fender I can pretty much cover any style with it, but most importantly, whether I'm playing my Tele, Strat or the Archtop, I can get a really nice jazz tone with it. And when I need to unwind and let it rip, I can get an awesome Billy Gibbons tone too!

  24. #423

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    I strongly suspect that my vote will be for the Fender Tonemaster Deluxe which is currently on its way to me. This amp and the TonemasterTwin version are real game-changers for me inasmuch as :
    • They both have an excellent sound signature
    • 3 XLR line-out options (2 impulse response and one flat)
    • 5 levels of attenuation so you only need to dial your sound in once and then set the attenuation level that suits the room
    • 22lbs only - farewell backache!

  25. #424

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    I've been ( now it's no more a business for me ) a manufacturer of very good amplifiers, developed on customer request . For any kind of player, and for any music style.
    The only certain thing I can say, and no one on earth will change my mind, is that the perfect amp doesn't exist.
    Any single player, any single guitar, any single way of playing ( light or heavy touch), will take you to certain choices . I mean circuit choices on the amplifier.
    That for the overall sound are important as much as the guitar itself.
    One thing that I find really stupid ( yes, that's the word) is to pay an incredible attention to the guitar, while not taking the same degree of deep evaluation on the amplifier side.
    I own amplifiers of any sort. Tubes and transistor ones. All the most famous amps available are here at home , or at least I have owned them. I think that I have something around 20 pcs at home . And have owned probaly more than 100 different amps in 40 years . Have played thousands. Including some famous guitarists amps.
    Believe me that once you get a taylor made amp, none of the standard well known amps will be satisfying. Of course you need to deal with the right manufacturer. But being this no rocket science, you will find somebody that is able to build the right amp for you, for your playing, for your guitar. Just like the right luthier that will make your own dream instrument.
    But please be sure that the amp is important at least as much as the guitars are.
    Having said this, the best commercial amp for jazz guitar is in my opinion yamaha g100 212 mk2 made in the 80's . Low bucks. Big Sound. Versatile. Rugged. No tubes. Heavy ( unfortunately). Could sound bright or mellow. For sure one of the best commercial guitar amplifiers ever made.

  26. #425

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    Quote Originally Posted by Greentone
    My group frequently uses Bose Systems PA equipment to deliver the group's entire sound to the audience at wineries, breweries, etc. We like the ease, uniformity of mix, good overall volume for the room, etc.

    However, the guitarists who are familiar with the group have come up to me and dinged me for not loading in my Polytone. They claim that there is a something extra that is delivered by the Mini Brute that is missing with the preamp/reverb/Bose rig.

    The group is having me bring the Polytone to the next gig for comparison. We've been practicing with it, too, and--so far--it's all smiles.

    I really do like the Bose, FWIW.
    I experienced that when I went to Bose for the first demo of the newly-invented L1 technology. One guitarist miced his little fender Champ, one went direct from his pedalboard, both sounded awesome. I use a nylon-string Godin Multiac, so the direct from multi-effects is the only way for me, but I certainly know that a magnetic-pickup electric guitar is only half a rig, and an amp is the other half!