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OK, I'll start it off......Evans, and Acoustic Image I have experience with. Both sound great (IMHO) and are built like battleships,and, importantly to me, American made and well supported by their respective manufacturers. I don't think you can go wrong with either of them and both have reverb and effects loops for pedal lovers. I also owned and used a Polytone for quite awhile and enjoyed it but when it came to getting it repaired was when the love affair stopped - finding a schematic was absolutely impossible - even the factory was no help. I always heard the guy who built them was a little strange and never built anything the same way twice but I'll not state that as fact. My Acoustic Image (Clarus 2R & Clarus 1R) were both superb amps and I'd buy them again any day. I parted with my 1R recently to buy my Evans AE100 which I think will be my last amp purchase - sounds great (IMHO), made very well, easy to tote around (28lbs), and Scot is a great guy to deal with. This is the fourth Evans I've owned over the years (I was a dealer for them in the 80's) and every one has been a winner - warm and clean sound which is the ultimate for me.
How about you folks out there using other quality SS amps - let's hear about 'em....Mambo, Jazz Cat, Polytone............etc
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02-10-2017 11:55 AM
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the effect loop on the AI is parallel which I've never cared for. This means that if you want to use the effect return to plug in a modeling amp or alternative preamp you cannot do so without the built-in preamp effecting the sound. I wish they'd change that.
Both amps have unconventional tone controls - i.e. the treble control is not centered at 4k-5k which is the standard fender-style treble control.
I like both amps but wish they'd make something with traditional tone controls...
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The best ones I tried: Mambo, Jazzmaster Ultralight, Evans, old Polytones, old Yamaha G Series.
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Award-Session's BluesBaby: Award-Session website, BluesBaby 22, BluesBaby 45, Guitar Amp, Session
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On the AI the effects return is after the preamp and is isolated from it. I plug the guitar directly into the modeler, the output of which goes into the effects return on the AI. The AI preamp has no effect on the modeler signal.
Originally Posted by agentsmith
Danny W.Last edited by Danny W.; 02-10-2017 at 04:07 PM.
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Did our friend cmaj9 ever receive his amp from Award Session? Last I heard, Award Session charged his credit card for an amp...and never shipped it.
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Duplicate post--sorry!
Danny W.Last edited by Danny W.; 02-10-2017 at 04:06 PM.
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For versatility and portability I like my Quilter MicroPro 200-8. It's 100 watts per channel, so plenty of clean headroom and that little speaker has such a great punchy tone. I've played blues, rock, big band and small combo jazz, I've sung through the 2nd channel (very serviceable) and amplified a flattop acoustic through it. The direct out in the back sounds great through PA. I've had mine just over 2 years, it weighs 19 lbs and has never given me a lick of trouble. Gotta like that.
I do have one other entry though. In the mid-90s I was desperately broke, living in LA, I sold my Mesa-Boogie Mark IV to pay the rent and found a Polytone through the Recycler for $75. It was a George Benson model with a 15" and two 8" speakers. Unbelievably heavy and loud. I also got a good deal on a slightly damaged but still functional Sans Amp and I used that rig playing lead guitar in a country band for a while and it sounded amazing. I've never owned another amp/pedal combo that sounded so good at gig volume. I sold that amp to the bass player when I left town and I've never seen another one -- not that I would want it, might as well get a Fender Twin!
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Best Solid State amps I've owned are Evans and Quilter.
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Big fan of my Mambo 8, Mambo head and Henriksen Alfresco.
Wasn't crazy about the Quilter I tried. Acoustic Image is nice with carved instruments but I don't like them with laminates.
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my Evans amp cured my SSAAS (solid state amp aquisition syndrome)
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I really like my Henriksen I think its the Jazzamp 112 ...
I still like the Roland Cube 60 that I have as well
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I've owned both. Both great, I'm pretty much set on Quilter MP for now. But without a doubt, the absolute best SS amp was Pearce (80s). I still have two at home, NO other SS amp has the same power, depth, versatility, warmth and clarity. Not necessarily "jazz" amps or "light weight." The last time I used my Pearce out was about two years ago for a production of _Godspell_. But they're just freakin awesome. I use the Quilter now for it's light weight compact convenience, but they're not even CLOSE. Originally Posted by vernon
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I'm a total Quilter Amp convert 3 of them. If you want Fender Type of clean this is the ticket. The Aviator 8" combo works best for archtops in my experience.
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I'm not really 'anti Quilter' - used to be a service center for QSC but they never broke! I tried the Mini 101 head at one gig and sent it back - wasn't really bad but I just couldn't get a usable tone out of it. Have a friend who has one and loves it - I think it's an 8" combo with an 8" auxiliary speaker and all the fancy footswitching. I guess I'd be happy with a clean amp with just a volume knob.
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I gig with a Roland JC55. This is two 25 watt amps and two 20 cm speakers. It weighs 26 1/2 lbs.
I like it because:
1. It's lightweight.
2. It will play as loud as I ever want to play. If I need to be louder, there ought to be a PA.
3. I can get my sound.
Negatives:
1. The pots are soldered into the board. After some years of use (and I bought it used) it started crackling when I touched the input jack. I opened it up and resoldered the connections where the input jack meets the little satellite board. Didn't help. Eventually, I figure out that, somehow, just touching the input jack caused the big board to flex imperceptibly -- and that was causing the problem. I never figured out which joint, but I reheated them all and the amp has worked ever since. I don't like anything soldered into a PCB board which is subject to mechanical forces. It's usually how the unit fails.
2. The sound of the amp lacks depth compared to my favorite tube amps. If I do an A-B comparison, I can hear the difference. But, it doesn't bother me on a gig.
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I'd love to try out an Evans someday, but they just aren't to be found in my neck of the woods.
I have an older model Henriksen 110ER and an AI Clarus/RE cab set up. I love them both.
For practice, I prefer the warm sound of the AI Clarus, but for gigging the Henriksen has been my go to easy answer.
For practice, I think the Henriksen sounds a bit sterile compared to the Clarus. Both are wonderful amps though.
I also use the DV Mark Little Jazz on my quiet art gallery gigs. I love it. So small, inexpensive & great sounding.
I owned a Quilter Aviator 8 for a while, but I traded it off. Solid amp, but it never did inspire me.
Kind of like a Princeton minus the tubey vibe.
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I think the Aviator Series is my favorite of all of the Quilter amps. Can't imagine anyone not finding a great clean tone to work with out of it? If you like Fenders you'll love these amps!
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Yup, this is a REALLY good thread, on REALLY good amps for sure.
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When I look back, I'm kind of surprised at the number of solid state amps I've owned over the past relatively few years. Between playing pedal steel and now jazz guitar, I've owned 3 Evans, 1 Mambo, 2 Quilters, 1 Acoustic Image and 2 Polytones -- one of which I still own. I have a Henriksen Bud coming in a week or so, which will be interesting to compare, particularly against the Mini-Brute IV with it's fifteen inch speaker. In contrast I've owned two tube amps for any significant period of time, one a vintage silver faced Princeton non-reverb, and one Allen Sweet Spot, both gone, and both very much missed on a pure tone basis.
I will say the Polytone I currently own has, for my ears, the best jazz tone I've heard from a solid state amp. Just really mellow and dark. Given that I'm committed to being a 'one-amp' player, it will be hard to part with if I decide the Henriksen Bud is the amp for me.
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I've mentioned it here before, but my Mini 101 issue (like Skip, I found it hard to get a good tone balance) was solved with an EQ pedal. Now I really like it (but wish I did not need the EQ pedal). Originally Posted by Skip Ellis
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And as we know, the new version of the Mini 101 coming out soon has a TMB tonestack. Originally Posted by maggles55
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Had a couple of Polytones, couldn't bond with them. Brought home an AI combo (Corus?) on trial. Also could not get on with that.
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Very cool! Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
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I've had a Lab Series L5, Yamaha G50-II and G100-II, and a Pearce G2R. My favorites were either the G50 or the Lab Series, but I still prefer my tweed Princeton clone and my Ampeg Gemini II to any of them.
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