The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #176

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    I completely agree. It's a no frills amp that gets the job done in a pinch. I own a mini Brute II and I use it for a last resort or under weird circumstances. Usually I use it as a vocal amp and plug in an SM58 mic, because god forbid any singer would ever own an amplifier or microphone and bring it to the gig. I use it in backyard parties as a PA system also if I have a comedian or a wedding event (I rent out my backyard for this stuff).

    Right now I am riding an e-bike to gigs and sort of phasing out my car because it's bad for the environment. It's a bumpy ride in the bike trailer, so rather than bring a tube amp I brought the polytone last night and sure enough it arrived with no issues even after an hour ride rattling around. The gig was to host an open jam and I didn't even play much guitar myself. Beginner and intermediate players, they were not bothered by the plain jane tone the Polyone gets. And it has a 2nd input which I used for the microphone. Left it at the gig under the restaurant manager's desk and now I can just grab it every week when I arrive.

    It's a great amp to have when the stakes are low and you just don't want to worry about anything.

    I will say.... that fiberglass insulation in the back of it is nasty! I did not know about that. Everyone reading, please remember this, the Polytone is stuffed with the same kind of fiberglass insulation you'd find in your attic. Don't touch that stuff or breath around it without gloves, a mask, and safety glasses. I had to repair my Polytone the other day because a bunch of screws that hold down the board on the bottom (power amp section?) had fallen out and it was just rattling all over the place. No clue how long it had been like that. It never stopped working! I gave it a quick shake before putting it in the bike trailer, just to check, and I was surprised to hear it rattling. I thought the speaker had fallen in! Took 45 minutes to scrape away a bunch of that pink foam, diagose the problem, and re-attach that bottom board with the 2 big heat sinks. I stuffed all the foam back in because I assume it has something to do with getting that incredibly generic Polytone sound we all love/hate so much. Strange amp!!



    Quote Originally Posted by Chris236
    I’m a long time Polytone user but never felt the tone was anything but passable. Almost any other amp will be an improvement on tone. Polytones are relatively small, light and loud though without that abhorrent hifi thing. Also tough as nails and (save for the reverb) reliable. I acquired a Mambo a few months ago and find it an improvement in every way. Polytones are so inexpensive on the 2nd hand market now it’s hard to justify anything else if you’re looking for a professional quality/road worthy amp.

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  3. #177

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    Quote Originally Posted by coyote-1
    They are getting inexpensive because they are nearing end of service. I would not want to be on the road with an amp that is more likely by the day to break down and be unrepairable. I do like their sound, but the reality is that almost any good amp can help you make a good jazz tone.

    A big chunk of that is about the speaker. Those famous Polytones were pushing good power into a 15” speaker, as opposed to so many ‘jazz’ amps utilizing 8” or even 6” speakers. I think a 12” speaker is optimal for clean tone on a guitar combo amp. I love running combo amps thru not only their own speaker, but an additional 2x12” closed cabinet. Even at lower volumes, the fullness is evident.

    But of course that’s a lot of gear to haul. It’s just not expedient, and often not at all practical, to do that. So the compromise is a small combo…. and the small but powerful Polytone combo with the big speaker was one of the best of these.
    If your tech can't repair a Polytone, it's the tech that needs replacing.

  4. #178

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    Quote Originally Posted by JazzIsGood
    I completely agree. It's a no frills amp that gets the job done in a pinch. I own a mini Brute II and I use it for a last resort or under weird circumstances. Usually I use it as a vocal amp and plug in an SM58 mic, because god forbid any singer would ever own an amplifier or microphone and bring it to the gig. I use it in backyard parties as a PA system also if I have a comedian or a wedding event (I rent out my backyard for this stuff).

    Right now I am riding an e-bike to gigs and sort of phasing out my car because it's bad for the environment. It's a bumpy ride in the bike trailer, so rather than bring a tube amp I brought the polytone last night and sure enough it arrived with no issues even after an hour ride rattling around. The gig was to host an open jam and I didn't even play much guitar myself. Beginner and intermediate players, they were not bothered by the plain jane tone the Polyone gets. And it has a 2nd input which I used for the microphone. Left it at the gig under the restaurant manager's desk and now I can just grab it every week when I arrive.

    It's a great amp to have when the stakes are low and you just don't want to worry about anything.

    I will say.... that fiberglass insulation in the back of it is nasty! I did not know about that. Everyone reading, please remember this, the Polytone is stuffed with the same kind of fiberglass insulation you'd find in your attic. Don't touch that stuff or breathe around it without gloves, a mask, and safety glasses. I had to repair my Polytone the other day because a bunch of screws that hold down the board on the bottom (power amp section?) had fallen out and it was just rattling all over the place. No clue how long it had been like that. It never stopped working! I gave it a quick shake before putting it in the bike trailer, just to check, and I was surprised to hear it rattling. I thought the speaker had fallen in! Took 45 minutes to scrape away a bunch of that pink foam, diagose the problem, and re-attach that bottom board with the 2 big heat sinks. I stuffed all the foam back in because I assume it has something to do with getting that incredibly generic Polytone sound we all love/hate so much. Strange amp!!
    I wouldn’t go that far south on the Poly’s sound. It’s definitely possible to get a great sound out of the amp, it’s just it’s own thing and you can’t fight it. I prefer it to the Henriksen by quite a bit and the Mega and I/II are easily more powerful (in combo form anyway) despite the 160w rating of the Jazzamp.