The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I currently playing a Polytone V and it is the perfect sound for me – warm, rounded and full. My guitar has a something thin sound (D’Angelico/Vestax) and the Polytone brings out all of the nice jazz tones without a hint of harshness. I want to keep the Polytone but not sure how long it will last so looking for a 2nd amp for backup and my home studio.

    I have gone though several different amps and am frustrated as they all sound great in the store and at home but on a gig it is a different story. The Henriksen Jazzamp 110 was OK but too boxy sounding and too dark for my taste) Tried a different speaker (Rajun Cajun) and it was not warn enough. I had a Mesa Boogie 525 Express and it was nice for some jazz and funk but could not get a really warm tone. I had an Acoustic Image and Razer’s Edge speaker a long time ago and it was close but I thought it lacked “liveliness.” Probably I’ll be up another Polytone but I’d appreciate any suggestions!

    Thanks
    Bill

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  3. #2

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    A lot of these Jazz amps to me aren't worth the price. A good Roland Cube 60 works like a charm and costs next to nothing.

    They're not quite as punchy as the poly but 80% there and very usable in most situations.

    Failing that, get a Two Rock 6l6 Studio Pro.

    Better than the poly ;-)


    What amp has the closest sound to a Polytone?-roland-cube-60-jpg

  4. #3

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    Mambo is close to the older ones (and better imo).

    The Cube 60 sounds nothing like a Polytone.

  5. #4

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    Yes. A polytone has a baxandall eq (flat frequency and active eq) and roland cube simulates a jc-120 which simulates a fender eq (mid scooped and passive eq). A polytone uses a bass speaker usually, no idea what kind of speaker the Rolands use.

    Two 12 speaker tube amps can also sound very different - if the speakers and preamp are different.

    More important than that, I played both extensively and they sound VERY different. I would not call the Cubes warm, but that's me.

    The Mambos are very close indeed - even better imo.

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
    The Cube 60 sounds nothing like a Polytone.
    I sold my Cube 60 less than a month after I bought a Henriksen JazzAmp 112. Absolutely no comparison.

    I now also have a Henriksen JazzAmp 110. I somewhat agree with bjazzy's assessment with the stock speaker and with a Ragin Cajun, but I like it with a ceramic paper-dome Weber California 10. Doesn't sound like a Polytone, though.

    Oh, and Bill: Welcome!

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
    Yes. A polytone has a baxandall eq (flat frequency and active eq) and roland cube simulates a jc-120 which simulates a fender eq (mid scooped and passive eq). A polytone uses a bass speaker usually, no idea what kind of speaker the Rolands use.

    Two 12 speaker tube amps can also sound very different - if the speakers and preamp are different.

    More important than that, I played both extensively and they sound VERY different. I would not call the Cubes warm, but that's me.

    The Mambos are very close indeed - even better imo.
    Well me and a friend had one at uni, his sounded nicer but it wast 'completely different'. Like I said A cube imo is about 75% of the way there. The rest is the punch that the polytone brings, noting more.

  8. #7

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    i bought 2 polytones recently. Both needed fixing after I used them for a couple of days. Both of them I assume had not been used for a while. After being fixed and serviced they have been working fine so far the last few months. I think you could afford 3-4 polytones for the price of a henriksen or mambo and even if one breaks repairs aren't too costly.
    Polytone is the sound I like more than acoustic image or henriksen. I am looking at getting a small tube amp like a deluxe reverb as well, a two rock would be nice but a little too pricey. I would like to try a mambo one day. IS that mambo head still for sale on here?

  9. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Karol
    I sold my Cube 60 less than a month after I bought a Henriksen JazzAmp 112. Absolutely no comparison.

    I now also have a Henriksen JazzAmp 110. I somewhat agree with bjazzy's assessment with the stock speaker and with a Ragin Cajun, but I like it with a ceramic paper-dome Weber California 10. Doesn't sound like a Polytone, though.

    Oh, and Bill: Welcome!
    The Henriksen has come things that remind me of a Polytone but the eq is too different. Still, much coler than a Cube 60.

    I agree these amps like new speakers. I have used EVs on Henriksen and Mambos with excellent results. A friend has a Polytone with a Jensen that's very good too.
    Last edited by jorgemg1984; 11-26-2014 at 08:00 PM.

  10. #9

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    If you have a Polytone MiniBrute V and it's going strong, it will probably keep going strong. I have several Polytones that have been going strong since the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Some of these amps are pretty indestructible. Some of them...meh.

    IMO, the Evans amp comes the closest, among SS amps to getting the warm sound of the Polytone. Otherwise, I think that it is actually the Fender Twin Reverb that gets the nod. Unfortunately, the Twin Reverb is woo-heavy.

    Odd that a tube amp is the closest sound to a solid-state amp, but that's what my ears tell me.

  11. #10

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    I loved the Evans I played but also found it not very close to a Polytone.

    A twin reverb similar to a Polytone? Which twin do you have?

  12. #11

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    You have to know how to a Fender tone stack to get a flat response.

  13. #12

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    Well it's not magic... everything at zero. Tried that many times, never liked it much. And even there a Twin sounds quite different from a Poly... in my experience, of course.

  14. #13

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    Have you tried an Ibanez Wholetone 80?


    What amp has the closest sound to a Polytone?-ibanez-wt80-jpg

  15. #14

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    My Mambo will be finished this week so should get it sometime next week, I curious what the lollar CC will sound like through it.

  16. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
    The Henriksen has come things that remind me of a Polytone but the eq is too different. Still, much coler than a Cube 60.

    I agree these amps like new speakers. I have used EVs on Henriksen and Mambos with excellent results. A friend has a Polytone with a Jensen that's very good too.

    Cooler than cube 60? What a thing to say! A cube 60 is like £60 used and is a great little amp, with very usable reverb.
    The Henriksen is a love or hate at about £300

    Perspective please!

  17. #16

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    Everything at zero isn't flat. The Fender tone stack is interactive. 0,0,0 actually passes no signal. The flat signal on a twin is ( bass, middle, treble) 0.5, 7, 0,5. I mention it because it isn't intuitive. There, it sounds like a warm, flat amp.

  18. #17

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    You're right, I meant 0-10-0. I will try those settings but I am still skeptic it will give the honky dark Polytone sound.

  19. #18

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    I have the WT.. too bright to sound like a Polytone. I think vintagelove described the sound perfectlt and it's such a specific sound it's hard other amps nail it.

  20. #19

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    I had a Cube 60 for a couple of years. It is a great little amp ... but only for the money. I sold my other amp - a Rivera R55-112 (a really great amp but too heavy for me to keep lugging) - to get the JazzAmp 112, thinking I'd keep the Cube 60 as my backup.

    I could get a vaguely similar tone to the JazzAmp with the Cube 60 on the JC120 and/or Twin models, but I noticed that after about 20 minutes with it I'd experience ear fatigue; not so with the Henriksen. I'm guessing there were sonic artifacts due to the digital processing that became annoying. So, I traded it in to a local music store towards some other stuff. They still have it years later; they say it's their demo amp, and they won't sell it. By the way, I liked the Brit Combo and the Tweed models the best.

    After that, I got a ZT Club as my #2 amp. Very loud for the size/weight/money, but somewhat lackluster sound in my opinion (and the handle kept coming off). So I sold that and bought a used JazzAmp110 from a friend. With the Weber California in it, I like it ... a lot. But I still like the JazzAmp112 with the stock Beta 12A better.

    By the way, I owned 2 Polytones back in the '70's: A Mini-Brute of some sort with a 10" speaker and no reverb, and a fullsize 60w 112 combo (can't recall the model number) with a JBL K-120 and a waffle foam grill. It had something called a, "Swinging Vibrato Phaser," built in and a horrible red distortion knob, too. Despite those useless extra knobs, I wouldn't mind having that one back.
    Last edited by Tom Karol; 11-27-2014 at 09:54 AM. Reason: Yes

  21. #20

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    Just messing with the Tone Stack Calculator fender emulation - bass on 2%, middle on 76% and treble on 0% is the closest to flat I got.

  22. #21

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    A diamond tolex 1x12 minibrute showed up at a local shop a couple of weeks ago & it came home with me! I gotta confess -- it sounds fantastic. Jazz tone in a box. I just hope it keeps working! and now I have to search for a reverb pedal . . .

  23. #22

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    Here is a video of the Dutchbopper comparing the Polytone Mini Brute IV, Henriksen Jazz amp 112 ER and the Mambo 10" wedge, a custom version of which I have on order. My Lollar CC arrived this morning I've installed it it in my AF151 with TI Bebop 13s it sounds great.


  24. #23

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    I've never had the opportunity to play a Polytone, did try an evans for a few minutes and thought it sounded great!

    I have a Roland Cube 80, pretty blah, I just haven't taken the time to put it on ebay. My other small solid state travel amp is the ZT Club, which is blah, unless you put an eq in the effects loop, then it is significantly better than the Roland and almost good enough for me not to pay attention to my tone. Better headroom than the Roland, as well (don't remember, but significantly more power) and lighter.

    My fave is still my Vintage Sound rebuilt Twin (black faced early 70's showman head) and my Allen Old Flame that I just split into a head and cab (1x12 EV SRO). But, with the qualification that I've never played a Henriksen or Poly, for small, inexpensive SS amps, I think the ZT with an EQ pedal is a great value.

  25. #24

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    Great video, just wanted to let people who are not familiar know that is a newer polytone than the ones I was referencing. I think it may have a mid control. One of my poly's has a mid control and definitely has a different sound than those without one. I think it was a "transitional circuit" (between the classic MB's and the sonic circuit), the amps that have the flat black leather tolex. I am going to open it up soon and check it out because I have never seen a schematic for that version. I am not sure it is even a baxandall eq.

    FWIW I would characterize the difference from the clip above as having

    flatter midrange
    darker

    In fact right before the minor run at the end (in the clip), he pays a nice fat dark chord. That is what everything sounds like with the older ones.

  26. #25
    Thanks for the ideas--I have played a Cube 40 and it does not do well with my guitar. I have never heard of the Two Rock amps before and I'll take a look!