I didn't bond with the Henriksen Bud at all, Help me pick an amp

[tfling]

Wait...

Your next two choices for an amp are a Polytone or a tweed twin?

Apples and oranges. I thought you were after tube tone in a smaller, lighter package?

I would go with a clone of some sort, but the Polytone appeals to me as it has very simple controls (and less things to mess with)

Hoping the Polytone works out for me

I have also heard good things about Vintage Sound - they make a 50watt jazz voiced tube amp in a Princeton size cabinet with a 1x12, a pretty cool grab and go option

[MaxTwang]

I second the Princeton, great amp. Get a cheap graphic eq to boost the mids and cut the highs for a darker and smokey'er jazz sound and push the front-end of a Princeton a bit.

As far as the Bud - I agree it's a bit startling when you first play it, I found it to be really quick, forward and in-your-face. Maybe I was expecting really pristine PA type tone (with the acoustic guitar reviews), but it sounds like a nice clean, warm & full jazz amp to me (just doesn't have that HUGE low end of a 12" open back cab, but that's not always where a guitar should sit in the mix and it also doesn't annoy the spouse by rumbling the house). The more time I spend with the Bud the less I enjoy my Baby Brute and Quilter MicroPro II.

The Bud is certainly doing it's own thing and is probably not for everybody, but it's a cool little amp.

[Cunamara]

Well, the tweed Deluxe 5E3 plugged into the "normal" channel has the Blue Note smoky jazz sound, because that was the Blue Note house amp that most everyone used for so many classic recordings.

Like Herbie it is the amp I have gone to. Mine was built from a Mission Amps kit with Cannabis Rex speaker; I had initially used it as a head and ran it through a Raezer's Edge 12" but that was hugely boomy in the bass end; in an open back combo cab, the tone is nicely balanced. All of my guitars thus far sound good through it, although I haven't quite figured out how to tweak it for acoustic piezo instruments.

Mine weighs 28 lbs and has thus far been loud enough to gig with drums, electric bass, sax and trumpet with the volume up to about 3 at most (which is pretty danged loud, but that is also almost as loud as the amp gets- from there on up to 12 it just gets more saturated and only a bit louder).

[mr. beaumont]

OP, can you post soundclips/youtubes if the tone you're after?

[Greentone]

FWIW, Henriksen and Polytone are similar in concepts as amplifiers, i.e., small, solid-state, lightweight guitar/bass amplifiers. They share this in common with a handful of other amplifiers, e.g., the 70s-80s Roland Cube amp.

It should be noted that the Henriksen and Polytone amps aren't that similar in execution. The Henriksen is more of a successor to the Polytone idea.

Polytone amps got a warm, slightly ragged sound from their solid-state electronics. As I see it this was due to the rather primitive Op-Amp ICs that were used in the 70s-80s Polytone MiniBrute amps. The 90s-onward MiniBrutes used cleaner ICs and sound closer to, but not exactly like the Henriksen amp.

Another design difference is that the Polytone amp ran its power amp pretty "hot" by using 3-4 ohm loads due to speaker selection. The amp was working pretty muscularly, even at low volumes and gets a sound that is not "pristine."

Also, the Polytone amps used a spring reverb--like Fender amps. The reverb tank is smaller and has a different delay time than Fender amps. (IMO, Polytones sound nowhere near as lush as Fenders or Ampegs, BUT it's still spring reverb.)

The Henriksen amps have a very different preamp, power amp, and speaker. The reverb is digital. The sound is just different than a Polytone. However, it is a _valid_ jazz sound and is more contemporary than is the tone of a Polytone.

Polytone NAILS the sound of Jim Hall/Herb Ellis/Joe Pass/John Scofield/George Benson circa 1975-1995. Those are great jazz tones, but they aren't the only thing in town.

I use Polytones because I have accumulated so darned many of them and like their sound. If, however, I were starting fresh I would go out and buy a "The Bud" and be done with it. Otherwise, I would just use one of my Fenders...or find an Ampeg Gemini or VG-22 in good shape. Alternately, I find the Ampeg SB-12 and B-15 amps to be great guitar amps...you just need a reverb pedal. (plus, they are expensive because of their iconic bass amp status). They sure are GREAT universal amplifiers, though...but so are Henriksens.

[jads57]

Try a Quilter Micro Pro combo or head w/ your choice of size speaker. Light weigh ,loud, many different voicings, and tonal boost options. I'm gigging with either an Aviator 1x12" Combo, or a MP200 Mach 2 head w/ a small 1x12" cab. My speaker choice is a Warehouse ET90 8ohm (100 watts) and I also sometimes use T.C. Jauernig Luxury Drive set at minimum to thicken up my tone.
I gig quite often w/ different guitars in different musical situations from Jazz Acoustic Trio (Archtop no drums), Jump Swing (Benedetto Bambino,Louis Prima), Blues and R&B, Pop,etc. (Gibson ES-335 or ES 339 Studio, or Tele Parts w/ hb's) I never have any problems ever getting the right tone that pleases me from Wes to Larry Carton, to Funk guitar, to heavier Rock if needed.
Best of luck to you in your search and hope this helps you!

[Hep To The Jive]

If you want dark, the Polytone is fine.

But every time I hear somebody describe a "smoky" tone, there's tubes involved.

Spend $20 on a Joyo American sound aND put it in front of your Bud, it'll bring the smoke.

Why Joyo when there is Tech 21? Secondly, no not really works with the Bud. It doesnt take that kinda pedal well. AER, on the other hand, does.

[mr. beaumont]

Because it's even cheaper.

interesting, about the Bud. I have a Tech 21 blonde and it works great with my henriksen.