Small Jazz Guitar Amps?

[tabeck5]

Great suggestions here, the Fender Vibro Champ XD another poster mentioned is actually a great little amp. Some other great options that I have owned or played significantly over the years:

Fender Princeton Reverb 65 reissue: 15 watt, great tone, you can switch out some of the tubes to get even more clean headroom but for recording you should not need it. Love this amp, you can pick these up used for less than $800

Peavey Classic 30, great, cheap change out a few tubes and you are in business. I put a Cannabis Rex speaker in mine and it has plenty of headroom, certainly enough for recording.

Fender Rumble 100, a bass amp but this thing is cheap, light and has plenty of clean to go around. Takes pedals like a champ.

Peavey Classic Chorus 212. If you are using this in a studio you will not need to move it around which is good because this weighs a ton. Great clean tone, plenty of headroom, takes any pedals well and can be had for almost nothing. Throw a cheapo Joyo Americana in the loop and you should be able to dial in anything you could possibly want. The eminence speakers in this are out of this world amazing

Pretty much any roland cube amp, I owned a few of these and sold most of them but kept the microcube, which is a pretty damn amazing little amp and super clean.

[rio]

It's not tube, and it's digital but the Roland Cube 30s sounds amazing for jazz and can be had for nearly nothing.

I’m not familiar with the 30s but have a 30x. They are extremely cheap used (which all of them probably are as they aren’t made any more) and although it sounds good stock putting an Eminence Delta Demon in it turns it into a superb amp that is capable of some volume for gigs. The Cubes have some hissing issues though so I wouldn’t plan on recording with it but live or in a living room it isn’t an issue and dollar for dollar it’s hard to beat for solid state.


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[wildschwein]

I’m not familiar with the 30s but have a 30x. They are extremely cheap used (which all of them probably are as they aren’t made any more) and although it sounds good stock putting an Eminence Delta Demon in it turns it into a superb amp that is capable of some volume for gigs. The Cubes have some hissing issues though so I wouldn’t plan on recording with it but live or in a living room it isn’t an issue and dollar for dollar it’s hard to beat for solid state.


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I should clarify I was just referring to the Cube 30 (by 30s I meant the plural form [confusing I know]). I hadn't found mine to be too hissy at all and it records pretty well but I haven't tried the X version. It's my go to amp for clean tones.

[Greentone]

I used small Fender amps (Vibro-Champ, Princeton Reverb, Deluxe Reverb) and small Polytone amps (Baby Brute, Mini Brute II) for a very long time for these assignments.

There are MANY more options today, of course, and many of them are worthy substitutes for the old standby amps.

However, if I had to cut back to just two amps for around the house (don't give the Mrs. any ideas, please), it would probably be a Fender/Clone Harvard/Vibrolux (tweed, 10 watts) and a Polytone Baby Brute/Baby Taurus amp. I'm just an old fashioned player.

Just one amp? Either the tube Fender or the solid-state Polytone. Each sounds great with archtops/semi-acoustics/solid-bodies.

Starting over? I'd get a Henriksen Blue, for sure.

[Greentone]

Ah...Ampeg Gemini II. That's a great amp for any situation. So's the Ivy League.

[Paulo Monteiro]

Does anyone have an opinion about Tone King Amps?

[jazzimprov]

Besides most people recommending the amp they own, the Quilter Mach 2 with a 12" speaker is the one
I found not muddy and has a "sparkle" to it that I haven't heard elsewhere.
IMO
about 20 lbs

Loud if needed but and clean and crisp.

My .02c

Yes I own it....

[jazzkritter]

Paulo my friend you get the award for ‘best question of the day’
Perhaps of all times!
”Does anyone have an opinion?”

I suspect there’s a couple of opinions around these parts!

(please all in fun, no mean intent. Hope my English is clear enough!)

jk

PS…Tone Block 202 in Block Dock 12”, Eminence Delta Pro. Just my opinion))))

[sgosnell]

Lots more options available today than when Zucker posted almost 6 years ago.

[Stringswinger]

Lots more options available today than when Zucker posted almost 6 years ago.

6 Years ago, the AER Compact 60 was my "small amp" Today it is the Henriksen Blu 6 (And I might even add a Bud 6 to the arsenal at some point). The AER,like my Polytones are all long gone.

[Little Jay]

If volumes can stay low: my 5F1 Champ with 10” speaker. The perfect coffee house amp! Holds its (clean) ground even with a not too loud drummer.

A little louder and even more portable: my AER Alpha (my most portable amp).

Transportable by bike: my Session Blues Baby 22 (I even use this in a Bigband).

Nothing beats the sound of my 60ies Framus Strato 345 though. But that’s no longer in the small amp category…..

Framus on the left, Champ on the right:

[Gitterbug]

What is meant by "small" has really changed since this thread was started. Can't resist attaching a photo from a lazy noodling session this morning. The back row shows my Toob Metro family of 6.5", 4 lbs +/- cabs: from the left basic 20W GP (Guitar Ported), 130W FR (Full Range) and 130W BG (Bass & Guitar), with a Quilter SuperBlock US docked on it. The BG is the jazziest, thunkiest version, but the basic GP is also a happy match and loud enough for small gigs.

The Harem up front (L>R): ES-175 1959 VOS 2014, Benedetto Bravo 2007 or 2008 (#54 from Savannah), Tal Farlow Reissue 2011.

[Gitterbug]

Is the Quilter Superblock the happy match with the 6.5BG or would one prefer something like the Quilter toneblock 202?

It's happy but apparently on the dark side for some. The same SICA speaker can be found also in the GP+ used e.g. by Greg Ruggiero and some other NY jazz cats. The more open yet still felt-ported tail end means a slightly louder, brighter and less thunky sound. A few people have both and are still undecided or daisy-chain them together.