A small jazz guitar amplifier

**Ilmir Akhmetshin** · 05-19-2016, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive

ZT Lunchbox is your answer. Its the best small amp I ever had, and it is still my main gig amp. There is no gig it cant handle, and there is no louder amp around of this size. They also have acoustic version, maybe it would be better for your needs, but havent tried it yet.

Где ты живешь?

Reverb is really important to me and ZT does not have it.

**Ilmir Akhmetshin** · 05-19-2016, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive

ZT Lunchbox is your answer. Its the best small amp I ever had, and it is still my main gig amp. There is no gig it cant handle, and there is no louder amp around of this size. They also have acoustic version, maybe it would be better for your needs, but havent tried it yet.

Где ты живешь?

I think it would be more appropriate for others if we chat in English here so I'm in Saint-Petersburg now

.

**mr. beaumont** · 05-19-2016, 02:04 PM

For really small, I like the Lunchbox too. I just use a reverb pedal.

**Ilmir Akhmetshin** · 05-19-2016, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

For really small, I like the Lunchbox too. I just use a reverb pedal.

Might be a solution!

**Hep To The Jive** · 05-19-2016, 02:11 PM

Originally Posted by Ilmir Akhmetshin

I think it would be more appropriate for others if we chat in English here so I'm in Saint-Petersburg now

.

That's my hometown! I went to Musorgsky college there, the best jazz education I've got till this day.

Yea, get a small reverb pedal, and there you go. That's what I do, no problems at all.

**Fidelcaster** · 05-19-2016, 05:08 PM

I've never heard a jazz box plugged into a Roland Cube Street, but you should be able to try one in a shop. At 6kg. it's a buskers' favourite (it can be powered with batteries).

**Greentone** · 05-19-2016, 05:56 PM

Hi,

Probably the way to go is a Roland Cube--small, light, and sound good with archtop guitars. The latest versions are more of an effort by Roland to provide a little bit of everything in a small package, unlike the older ones. I'd probably stick with an earlier version.

I, of course, play Polytone amps--but you might find them tougher to repair in Russia than the Roland. Roland is a BIG, Asian corporation. Polytone, at its peak was a small, California company...now, it is essentially gone.

**ooglybong** · 05-19-2016, 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by Ilmir Akhmetshin

But thank you for the recommendation! Have you tried something else? Your opinion is especially interesting since you play the same guitar.

Another great amp I have is the JazzKat. It's quite small and only weighs 17 lbs. Notably, in pertaining to the Yamaha AEX-1500 with its piezo bridge, the JK has a (defeat-able) tweeter built in, allowing the acoustic component of the guitar to become more obvious. It also has a simple tube circuit, also defeat-able. Two channels of Hendrikson-style EQ across five bands. Plus onboard digital effects. Pretty much any feature you can think of really. IMO.

Unfortunately, the JazzKat is over your $500 budget (I gotten mine used for $650), plus it's yet another small jazz amp company, not likely easy to either try one out or even locate in your area. Unless you go worldwide with an eBay or Reverb auction, of course.

**medblues** · 05-19-2016, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by Ilmir Akhmetshin

Might be a solution!

Or get a Lunchbox Acoustic which does have a reverb.

**Ilmir Akhmetshin** · 05-20-2016, 10:48 AM

Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive

That's my hometown! I went to Musorgsky college there, the best jazz education I've got till this day.

Yea, get a small reverb pedal, and there you go. That's what I do, no problems at all.

I'm going to apply there this summer do you really find the education there productive? I've seen lots of negative reviews. Now I finish my exam plays.

It might be good but now with all the things going on politically it's hard to find rare things in this country like ZT. Surprisingly there are some Fishman and DV Mark products here but I haven't found any ZT here and if I order it from an another country it would cost me the same money as if I buy a DV Mark Little Jazz here. So that's why I've decided to stick to this choice. As I wrote now it's time for me to study hard so I would prefer not to spend a lot of time choosing around it might be endless process but my time is not limitless.

**Hep To The Jive** · 05-20-2016, 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by Ilmir Akhmetshin

I'm going to apply there this summer do you really find the education there productive? I've seen lots of negative reviews. Now I finish my exam plays.

It might be good but now with all the things going on politically it's hard to find rare things in this country like ZT. Surprisingly there are some Fishman and DV Mark products here but I haven't found any ZT here and if I order it from an another country it would cost me the same money as if I buy a DV Mark Little Jazz here. So that's why I've decided to stick to this choice. As I wrote now it's time for me to study hard so I would prefer not to spend a lot of time choosing around it might be endless process but my time is not limitless.

Honestly, I dont know what it is like now, probably a very different school from when I was there, which was 1991-1995 if I remember correctly. My teachers were Starostenko, Ryabov, and Gasan Bagirov for a short while. I think all of them are world class musicians, plus in my class we had a lot of talent, who are now successful around the world in jazz and other styles. It was a good environment, even though very harsh sometimes, those guys were not always polite, if you know what i mean

Yea, sorry about the situation in Russia, good luck with your amp!

**Ilmir Akhmetshin** · 05-21-2016, 05:04 AM

Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive

Honestly, I dont know what it is like now, probably a very different school from when I was there, which was 1991-1995 if I remember correctly. My teachers were Starostenko, Ryabov, and Gasan Bagirov for a short while. I think all of them are world class musicians, plus in my class we had a lot of talent, who are now successful around the world in jazz and other styles. It was a good environment, even though very harsh sometimes, those guys were not always polite, if you know what i mean

Yea, sorry about the situation in Russia, good luck with your amp!

What guys weren't polite?

Your mates or the teachers you mentioned? Now there's only one guitar teacher there and I don't know, honestly my first option is Moscow located GMUEDI.

**kkfan** · 05-22-2016, 12:21 AM

Since you're in Russia, a Mambo 10" amp might work well in terms of funds. It's portable and has a lot of power.

http://www.mambo-amp.co.uk/

**stratcat** · 05-22-2016, 02:51 AM

I'd second the advice on a mambo 10. Had mine a month and it's great in a big band or a combo.
It makes a great sound with a jazz box or a Tele, smaller and more portable than a Henrikson (and I was getting a nicer sound than the guy I recently jammed with who had one

). I'd highly recommend it.
I don't know how it fits with your budget though.

**jkstigma** · 05-22-2016, 03:34 AM

DV mark little jazz !

**Vandrovec** · 05-22-2016, 10:58 PM

Originally Posted by Fidelcaster

I've never heard a jazz box plugged into a Roland Cube Street, but you should be able to try one in a shop. At 6kg. it's a buskers' favourite (it can be powered with batteries).

Sounds like any other Roland Cube, but not as loud, given that it only has a 4W amp and six-and-a-half inch speakers. I use it for busking, where it still rules supreme among battery amps. But for the price, unless portability is your main concern above actual volume, anything else is better.

**jorgemg1984** · 05-23-2016, 06:51 AM

Mambo is the best, no doubt.

**A440** · 05-27-2016, 08:07 PM

Hi Ilmir. I also have a Yamaha AEX 1500, and a Roland Cube 60, and a DV Mark Little Jazz, so here's my advice.
As you know, the guitar has two 'voices'; let's call them electric (magnetic pickup) and acoustic (piezo pickup). If I play it through the Roland, both voices sound great. There are plenty of options for shaping the sound how you like it. If I play it through the DV Mark, the electric voice is great, but the acoustic voice is not so good because the higher frequencies are lost. I would recommend adding a tweeter to compensate for this; you can easily plug one in to the extension speaker socket on the back. I use a piezo tweeter; very cheap and no crossover required.

I should also mention that the DV Mark is very light, and is great value for money; that's why I bought one. The Roland is heavier (depending on the model), but also great value for money, especially because of the built-in effects. Many of the other makes mentioned here are a lot more expensive!

**lawson-stone** · 05-27-2016, 08:15 PM

I love my Little Red Polytone!

It's 20 pounds, louder than my first girlfriend, has the Polytone mojo,

And...

It's RED.

A small jazz guitar amplifier-img_4545-jpg

A small jazz guitar amplifier-img_4545-jpg

**AlohaJoe** · 05-28-2016, 04:08 AM

Lunchbox Acoustic has reverb, a 2nd mike/guitar channel, line in/out and very nice jazz sound IMO. If I need a 'bigger' sound I can use it as a head with a 12" cab. It's a sweet little amp at 12 lbs with case, and under $400. I used a Roland cube 30 for a while and it sounded ok, but not as loud and twice the weight.