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Wow! Now 'The Sound' is free to go to the next century!
Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
...except... what is this talk about 'oddity'... I mean, it's a Standard!
It would be a cause for another thread but has anybody made a valve pre amp to sound like a Polytone? Can You make it by just compensating the opamps with tubes, 12AX's etc and keeping the other stuff?
I mean that with a modern D-class power amp that would be even better than perfection! And light!
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05-11-2017 06:12 PM
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Pasi, I believe it's possible but I'm not that smart about electronics
These days, it should be easy to add a cab simulator with these IRs to a Polytone pedal or a class power amp or to use tubes! You just need to find someone crazy enough
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My Poly pops, hisses sometimes, and looks worn but it still works well. Thought it was dead, volume would just slowly die to. Toning and read on a board somewhere that if I twist the volume pot back and forth after spraying with cleaner it would fix it. It did and the distortion worked again, which I never use because it is awful.
Although my Poly lives on, my new/old Acoustic Controls G60-112 model 109 sounds amazing for Jazz. With the bass and treble all the way up on the Poly it has a magical tube like presence. The Acoustic needs the bass all the way up and treble almost all the way down to sound as good.
Hope these amps stay alive because there is nothing that can replace them.
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I just got a Polytone MB II, excellent condition from the early 80s. Two tone knobs. It's a cool amp. Interesting sounds here. It's got me wondering too. Has anyone here experimented with larger, different cabs? My favorite cabs (generally) are pine, open back. I know a local guy who builds very high quality custom stuff. Wondering how this same amp and speaker would sound in a somewhat larger pine cab. Could be open back. The other type that would be interesting would be a ported small cab.
Anyone here ever mess around like that with their MB?
MD
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I think I read somewhere that Wes used to have cats piss on his amps all the time. Originally Posted by Bebop Tom
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I have had some PT's but never experienced in bigger cab direction. Maybe the idea of little compact combo has been so much ruling ideal of a jazz amp amongst Polytone users that experiences in other directions has not fitted in that thinking model. Originally Posted by mad dog
Please tell when You have some results from Your experiments!
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Actually, I played a gig once where I ran the speaker out of a baby brute into the speakers of a Twin Reverb. The open back 12s sounded great.
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polytone amps are the best amplifiers for jazz guitar ever made. It matches perfectly with es 175 and well with an L5.
there are some modern replacement that I try such as:
henriksen, jazzkat, mambo, Aer, Evans, fender jazz king, Schertler, mark jazz 12, roland cube etc.
All sounds great but “cold” compared to the old polytones.
Diamond cover 80’s CTS are the best, non sonic circuit. I got mine mbII 1981 3 knobs plus reverb and red concentric distortion knob.
It smell like pet urin, but it is in great condition.
Is JAZZ!!
Cons: reverb.... the amplifiers is too small to have a long tank like fenders have.
There are some issues on the power amp circuit, the lm391 80 chip become too warm...It should replaced with 100.
The amp is prone to crossover, but if you have a good technician he might known how to fix it.
Also the speaker which is incredible (CTS 4ohm) is very delicate and prone to break at 8/9 volume.
It has also microfonic switch buttons..
Inside is full of fiberglass, I noticed it helps to compress the bass sound, so if you have one do not remove the insulation materials.
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Amen billy.
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Swapping in a better reverb tank is a solid cheap improvement.
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There seems to be this "jazz amp niche"... with the Polytones and Buds and Mambos..... YET I also read MANY thread about Fender Princeton Reverbs, we just had a thread on old tweed Fenders (especial octal ones)... occasionally someone will bring up the old Gibson EH-150 or the new Vintage 47...
So, what makes the "first 3" (the subjects of this thread) better (if I can even say that?) than regular old tube amps? I know many here do not play through the "first 3" and instead play through regular old tube amps...?Last edited by ruger9; 02-09-2019 at 09:51 AM.
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I have recently acquired a couple of very cheap imported tube amps, a 5 watt and a 15 watt. Once I learned how to work with the amps, I honestly have not played much through any of my others. I love my 4 Polytones, I love my 3 DVMarks... but these two really cheap Chinese tube amps I'm playing with have put the bug in me. I'm likely going to shop for a 65 Princeton Reverb once I get the cash together. Originally Posted by ruger9
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"better" in general is not something I can comment on. But there are two Polytone Minibrutes in my office, and several fine tube amps downstairs. Where the polytones really prove their worth to me is with P90s, and variations thereof. A low-cost, yet impressive Epi Casino sounds best through the MB II, at the lower volumes I typically practice. Same goes with the old Guild X-50, with it's P-90 like Franz p/u, and the Silvertone 1427 archtop with P-13s.
I could go on just as enthusiastically about the virtues of my favorite tube amps. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the amp thing. The strangest choices can work best. You just have to keep trying and don't discard the ones that stand out in some way.
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I've owned Fender (Bandmster, Pro, super, twin and super twin reverb, and a 50's tweed "Pro" model), Music man, Mesa, Crate, Peavey and Marshall tube amps. I've also repaired other tube amp brands and never "got" (meaning understood) the allure of SS amps in general and the brands you mentioned above in particular. That is until a 102V popped up in a local Craig's list ad. I brought over to the demo a git which some consider (my AS-153) a rather blah sound and it turned out the seller had two Polytones, the 102 and a mini brute. Originally Posted by ruger9
I was more than a bit surprised at how good the two amps both sounded and was really tempted to buy them both but got the 102. The 102V has been with me now nearly 2 1/2 years and it's the only amp I use. I finally "get" the Polytone thing, and I regularly think what the circumstances could have been that shut them down. I can't speak to the Mambo or Bud, but I can honestly say I have absolutely no interest in them unless my 102 were to go up in smoke and I couldn't find another to replace it with.
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Originally Posted by ruger9
To be clear, my 64 super reverb sounds better than my polytones. It’s also 4x the price, twice as heavy, etc.
Polytones are fat, warm, slightly compressed, and unless you play it side by side with an amazing tube amp, are pretty impressive sounding.
Finding the right Poly for you, is also important.
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For those who have not smelt cat urine or sprayed by a male. Its smell you will never forget.
Originally Posted by Jonathan0996
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I have this, in my Fractal Axe 8, Sure i have a poly, Bud and now AI Claurus and a Raezers edge but this IR does sound real nice. Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
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They do sound good, I use them with my polytone preamp pedal - very happy
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I agree with vintagelove. I have lots of tube amps and lots of polytones.
A Fender Super Reverb, Pro Reverb, Tweed Bassman, etc. are exceptional. However, a Polytone will fit the bill at a fraction of the weight.
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Originally Posted by Greentone
OK so that's the draw...got it. Like the Microcube, but ALOT better lol.
I wouldn't think the Princeton could weigh much more or be much bigger tho?
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I have to agree with Jorge and Greentone, as great as PT is with archtops, they seem to be just off the mark when paired with a solid guitar. I have a MBI I finally listed for sale here but took it down when I realized how much shipping would likely cost a potential buyer. An amp like this is only worth about $300, but shipping would easily run $80 or more. I wouldn’t spend that to acquire a $300 amp so I can’t expect anyone else to do the same.
Does anyone have any tips for getting a great sound out of a brute with a Les Paul, maybe a particular pedal.
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I use a poly with a les paul all the time. It’s a great jazz sound.
Make sure you don’t have super high output pickup, adjusted too high, roundwounds, etc
Set pickup position to middle,
neck volume 9, tone, 8
bridge tone zero, with the volume at 0, you should hear no sound. Now bring up bridge volume until you have the desired sound.
it can vary by guitar, but often some very nice sounds live here.
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Well, it's interesting because, over the years I have noticed that "tighter" amps sound better with hollowbodies.... as in, amps with solid state rectifiers instead of tube (no sag), closed back cabinets instead of open-backed combos (tighter bass).... Brain Setzer's rig is exactly that: the Bassman 6G6B is SS rectified, and he uses a closed-back 2x12 cab. Now, we're not talking a jazz sound here... but even in my own experiences, I have tended to like my Grestch with tighter amps.
The exception would be if I want an old-school, Charlie Christian-type sound, then the sag and looser bass goes right along with it.
I could also see an exception being something like a Super Reverb- because even tho it's open-backed and tube rectified, it has so much headroom that at the volume a jazz player would use it at, they do not really come into play...?
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I just bought another polytone, I think is 1981 mini brute IV, non diamond. Originally Posted by Greentone
Very cheap. good condition.
Reverb is broken, but i’m going to replace it with a similar 2 springs medium decay.
It seem to have some pet sperm on the grill cover, I’m sure dogs likes it, but anyway..
Very good sound, more open and deep than the MbII, less boxed sound.
Still looking for a Baby brute, not easy to findLast edited by billy21; 02-23-2019 at 10:36 PM.
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The Baby Brute is a real find. Those that have them hang onto them. I have one and it is probably the best archtop guitar amp--in particular, the best ES-175 amp--of all of my Polytones.
There is something about the one cubic-foot enclosure and the 4-ohm 8" speaker that just translates to an incredible sound for an ES-175. (or ES-165, of course)
I was at a big vintage show once and offered to buy several Baby Brutes from different guitar sellers. Each guy said "no way."
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