The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Anyone tried both a Bud and an Aviator 8 ... which do you think works better as a solution to the small amp puzzle?

    For those of you who have tried or own one or the other ... what did you think of the one you tried/own?

    Fr those of you who think you have a great third option .... what is it and why do you think it's a good choice.

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  3. #2

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    Small amps are always a compromise between tone and portability. To my ears, and of course tastes differ, 10" and 8" speakers do not sound as good as 12" speakers with a few exceptions. The best small amp sound I have gotten is from an Alto TS110a powered speaker, SansAmp Para Driver DI and a reverb pedal. It's very good but not quite as good as my tweed Deluxe or my AI Clarus 2r and RE 12". But good enough that the differences aren't noticeable on the bandstand, once the drums and bass and horns are blowing. However, my 5E3 is small and light- under 30 lbs. Easy to get in and out of gigs (easier than my separate head and cab and the same as the powered speaker, but much faster to set up) and sounds great. It's my go-to.

  4. #3

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    I don't hear any compromises with the Bud and I have played/still have amps with other speaker sizes up to 15". Of course the bottom end won't sound the same as my Polytone 15" speaker but I don't want it to - I use my Bud for bass gigs almost all the time now because the bottom end is so tight and focused. I am a big fan of the Bud. The down side is that you do need it on the floor or a flat hard surface to get the bass response but that has not been a problem. I still use my Cube Street EX fairly often, especially in the summer outdoors, because it is a full sized loud amp that runs off AA batteries, which is amazing, but for guitar gigs I will always choose my Bud over the other amps I have and I will choose them over whatever house amps might be available even if it is a nice tune amp. I know that is not very specific so if you have any questions I am happy to answer. The haven't tried the Aviator so I can't comment on that.


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  5. #4

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    I'm extremely happy with my Aviator 1x8" combo, especially with my Elferink Tonemaster 16.5" Archtop w' kent Armsrong floating p/up! It also works great w/ another 1x12" cab for louder Rock,Pop gigs

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
    Anyone tried both a Bud and an Aviator 8 ... which do you think works better as a solution to the small amp puzzle?

    For those of you who have tried or own one or the other ... what did you think of the one you tried/own?

    Fr those of you who think you have a great third option .... what is it and why do you think it's a good choice.
    Jim, i still think the Mambo to be great. I bought a 8" wedge last fall and have taken it to a few gigs with different guitars so far. It produces an authentic warm sound which fits archtops very well and can be real loud when necessary. The wedge shape is incredibly convenient as the amp sounds best when placed on the floor. I liked it best with the L5CES, with the LeGrand i had to pull back the treble quite a bit.

  7. #6

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    I haven't tried the amps you mention Jim, but I had the Mambo 10 and was great for that fat-flat clean jazz sound, I sold it because I wanted an acoustic amp to use it with my classical guitar and also got kinda bored to the polyton-ish sound - fell in love with tubes again with the Pearl.

    For the acoustic SS thing, I got a Schertler Giulia Y, its extremely small, light, cheap and sounds really good and natural. It also sounds quite good with my semi and my archtop, its not extremely loud but I giggled with it lots of times already in duos or trios with singers, guitarists, pianists, percussion, cello, sax, sometimes with lots of background noise and never needed more - haven't tried with a drummer yet. Sometimes I use a Kingsley Page to get some more tube-y feel and push it a little. With the two inputs, the EQ and the Warm button is quite versatile, the reverb is kinda meh, useable but a decent pedal will serve better.

    For double the wattage, weight and price is also the Schertler David that with the bigger speaker should sound even better especially with arch tops and electrics.

    I recently tried the DV Mark micro 50, also cheap and extremely light and sounds really good for jazz, it gives a solid and sweet tone, sweeter than any SS amp I have ever tried. Its "only" 50 watts though, for me are plenty for others not so.

    Konstantine

  8. #7

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    Mambo 8 is smaller than the Bud, hard to beat - and an 8 speaker is for sure better than a 6.5

  9. #8

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    Jim, I've owned several Quilters (but not the 8) and, very recently, the Bud -- which I sold on to another Forum member a few weeks ago. They're all excellent amps, but my preference was for the Bud. As I've noted before, depending on what you're looking for, the Bud has a great feature set and the size/convenience form factor can't be beat. The sound, including the bass response, that it produces is pretty amazing. The Quilters are aiming more for a rock market, I feel -- the Bud came pretty close to an old Polytone sound to my ears.

    All that said, I've decided to return to a small tube amp. After talking to Dave Gries about his new Plymouth 20, I decided to go with the Gries 5. As a home player, he convinced me that it was plenty loud/clean for my present needs. Should be here in a week or so. (He seems like a really nice guy as well.)

  10. #9

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    Still a Quilter fan over Henriksen. I like the micropro over the aviator as it can get the aviator sound as well as many others. Henriksens sound great but are a one trick pony in comparison.

  11. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
    Mambo 8 is smaller than the Bud, hard to beat - and an 8 speaker is for sure better than a 6.5
    They're both small but just for the sake of accuracy, using the manufacturers' dimensions, the Bud is smaller (22.86 cm x 22.86 x 22.86 compared to the Mambo at 27x27x25 for the cube or 27x27x24 for the wedge)

  12. #11

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    True, my bad.

  13. #12

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    So for me with the gear I own, there is always a compromise of some sort as a working musician. The trick is to find gear that can maximize it's usage on more than one type of music and do it extremely well. Quilter amps especially the Aviator 1x8" excels at this since the 8" speaker is perfect for archtop guitars with floating p/ups, flat tops, and when using another small cab can easily handle any Pop/Rock type of gig.
    There are always specific amps,etc. that are ideal for one great sound/tone, but much harder to find one that does triple duty at such a great weight and price.

  14. #13

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    I notice that whenever we have this discussion, no none ever seems to mention the Raezer's Edge/Acoustic Image combos. Has anyone ever actually tried one of these (this is the 1x6 combo cab)?

    Henriksen Bud vs Quilter Aviator 8 vs Other Small Guitar Amps-raezers-edge-one-6-combo-jpg

  15. #14

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    I never play rock or distorted blues any more, but have a cheapo Joyo American pedal, and in a few minutes was able to get both tweed and blackface tones out of the bud. So I don't consider it a one trick pony. In fact, to mix metaphors, I think of it as a Swiss army knife. It sounds good with my ES300, my L7 with clip on mike, and my P bass.

  16. #15

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    Take a look at the Benedetto amps. They are built by Henricksen and the smaller one is 24 lbs!

    tom

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Veritas
    Nice music on your web site, Konstantine - especially liked your solo version of My Foolish Heart. Beautiful playing.

    I notice you play an Elferink - hope I spelled that right - archtop. Sounded great in your hands. So just to understand - do you have an acoustic amp that you can use both with the classical and the archtop guitars? Best of luck in your future endeavors.
    Thanks for listening Veritas!

    Right, I have the Giulia Y which is an acoustic amp, I use it with my classical guitar with a DPA 4099 mic or a Schertler Dyn-G contact mic and sounds really natural and warm but I also get great sounds my Elferink arcthop and my Sadowsky Semi, it is loud enough for small ensembles, really small, light, seems well built and offers a warm & natural sound.

    As mentioned on my previous post, I like to use a tube boost pedal with it to get more of it, but I like to do that with almost every amp I use, I usually set the volume on the guitar on 7 or 8 and then boost it before hitting the front-end of the amp, I find it offers more sustain and sweeter response.

    The "My Foolish Heart" video is with my Port City Pearl 50 watt tube amp with an 1X12 cab, of course it sounds "bigger" than the small Giulia but it is more than 4 times the weight and size. I can't justify bringing it on every gig.

    Thanks again,
    Konstantine

  18. #17

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    Mambo 8 or 10 are wonderful , small and lightweight.

  19. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
    I notice that whenever we have this discussion, no none ever seems to mention the Raezer's Edge/Acoustic Image combos. Has anyone ever actually tried one of these (this is the 1x6 combo cab)?

    Henriksen Bud vs Quilter Aviator 8 vs Other Small Guitar Amps-raezers-edge-one-6-combo-jpg
    I was thinking of going this route, but ended up finding a nice deal on a RE Nighthawk 110 instead.
    An excellent sounding set up for sure.

  20. #19

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    If it is only for home practice or recording, I built me a Tweed Champ clone and I'm very happy with it
    Very light, very very portable, nice dark sound with an archtop or a semi
    But if you are gigging, it is not the right choice.

  21. #20

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    I'm down to a choice between a used Mambo 8 and a new Henriksen Bud and I was supposed to make the decision last night. I think I'll let my morning coffee take effect before I pull the trigger on one or the other.

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
    They're both small but just for the sake of accuracy, using the manufacturers' dimensions, the Bud is smaller (22.86 cm x 22.86 x 22.86 compared to the Mambo at 27x27x25 for the cube or 27x27x24 for the wedge)
    When i carry my Mambo it feels so small that i can't imagine ever to feel the necessity to have a smaller amp.

  23. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
    I'm down to a choice between a used Mambo 8 and a new Henriksen Bud and I was supposed to make the decision last night. I think I'll let my morning coffee take effect before I pull the trigger on one or the other.
    Good luck Jim, I'll be interested to hear how you find either option. Wow a used Mambo, those are hard to come by. Cheers!

  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
    Mambo 8 is smaller than the Bud, hard to beat - and an 8 speaker is for sure better than a 6.5
    Hi, Are you a fan of the Mambo 8 vs the 10? Jon seems to suggest the 10 though the 8 seems to have it's following... Thanks...

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by MikeR
    Good luck Jim, I'll be interested to hear how you find either option. Wow a used Mambo, those are hard to come by. Cheers!
    I decided to go with the Bud, at least in part because I've known Peter Henriksen for years and his father before him. We're headed to Mexico in the fall in a fairly small SUV. It will be an open ended extended trip with a thought to staying long term. I need to be down to one very small rig before I leave and I'm hoping that the Bud and my Montreal Premiere with a couple pedals will be the whole thing.

  26. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
    I decided to go with the Bud, at least in part because I've known Peter Henriksen for years and his father before him. We're headed to Mexico in the fall in a fairly small SUV. It will be an open ended extended trip with a thought to staying long term. I need to be down to one very small rig before I leave and I'm hoping that the Bud and my Montreal Premiere with a couple pedals will be the whole thing.
    Sounds good Jim, the BUD does have a lot of strengths....it's very detailed and dynamic and shares a lot of the signature of the larger 310.