Polytone Mini Brute II Price

**Anandbhat** · 08-21-2009, 06:55 PM

Just picked up a Polytone mini brute II for $450. Did I pay too much?

It's in good condition and everything seems to work.Sounds nice on my les paul ultra.It feels like it's a piece of history somehow,like my 70 Bonneville.
My Ibanez Artcore AS73 is at the shop for fretwork and a new loller Charlie Christian neck pick up.Can't wait to hear how they sound together.I do plan to keep the cube 30x though.I think it's great value for what I paid for it used ($175).

**rio** · 08-21-2009, 07:23 PM

It might be a bit much by ebay price standards but yeah it is a nice sound. What year is it, and if you don't know how do you describe how it looks? Color, what is covering the speaker, or even a picture.

**Anandbhat** · 08-21-2009, 09:05 PM

Not sure what year it is.It's black cloth covered,gray speaker grille with a white backdrop.
Took a picture but not sure how to post it! Does the image have to be JPEG?

**Anandbhat** · 08-21-2009, 10:07 PM

Sorry Rio
The grille is almost black and the backdrop is gray.The volume control has a red gain switch and knob on top.I think I'm really going to enjoy this amp!
I did look up ebay before I bought it but couldn't find any to compare.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 08-22-2009, 12:08 AM

Don't Touch The Red Knob! If You Do Something Horrible Is Going To Happen!

Archie · 08-22-2009, 02:12 AM

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

Don't Touch The Red Knob! If You Do Something Horrible Is Going To Happen!

Uh oh! I've watched enough horror movies to know that whenever someone says that, somebody is going to touch the red knob.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 08-22-2009, 02:39 AM

I had a similar Polytone, except the front was finished out with this god awful foam, like a grade school craft project:

I bought it new around 1980 +/- a year or two.

**P.J.** · 08-22-2009, 05:40 AM

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

Don't Touch The Red Knob! If You Do Something Horrible Is Going To Happen!

The only sound worse than the distortion on a Roland Jazz Chorus Amp is the distortion on a Polytone. Yecchhh!!! Legally, there should be a warning sticker next to it!

=-) PJ

**Anandbhat** · 08-22-2009, 07:16 AM

Guess that's what happens with changing things for market appeal.I quickly learned to avoid the 'red' knob.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 08-22-2009, 11:23 AM

The current models don't have it. See:

It only took, what, 25+ years of negative customer "feedback"?

**Meggy** · 08-22-2009, 02:42 PM

I've got a mid 90's minibrute 2 - I think I paid about 600 quid for it new at Ivor Mairant's in London, so $450 sounds like value to me. But I've got to ask, what does the red knob do?

**Anandbhat** · 08-22-2009, 02:53 PM

current model? I thought they were pretty much out of business.No idea when they made the changes though,considering mine was probably made in the early eighties or even earlier.It's a shame they are not around in full force anymore.It's really a great amp for that jazz sound!Wonder how many people use the high gain input?Seems like that is a waste too!
Mine has 'main out' and 'ext spk' outputs in the back.Strange as it may seem the cube 30x is louder at the same setting than the poly,which I think puts out 90 watts.(Unless of course you turn that infamous red switch

! Anybody use an external effects unit with these?

**Anandbhat** · 08-22-2009, 04:06 PM

The red knob is mainly for distortion.It basically 'breaks up' the sound. Not good for jazz traditional jazz although some people use it in jazz blues or jazz fusion.The problem is that these units do a poor job of it (distortion). I use the low gain input for a cleaner sound.Don't care for the high gain input since it just makes it louder and you lose that clean jazz sound (IMHO).

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 08-22-2009, 06:42 PM

Originally Posted by Anandbhat

current model? I thought they were pretty much out of business.

Are they? In any case, there are lots of used amps floating around.

Edit: here's an amusing thread, The Dead Polytone Club http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=534993

**Anandbhat** · 08-22-2009, 10:47 PM

That was hilarious.Thanks for the link.Maybe I'm in line to be a future member of the dead polytone club

!

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 08-22-2009, 11:08 PM

Start saving up for a Henriksen

**Anandbhat** · 08-23-2009, 05:42 AM

And a Sadowsky semi hollow to go with it.Now there's something to drool over! I'll keep both kidneys though,thank you.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 08-24-2009, 06:49 PM

Originally Posted by Anandbhat

current model? I thought they were pretty much out of business.

I suppose one could just call their support line and see

I get the feeling they are barely in business, making amps now and then. I have to say their web site is the worst; it's like someone was handed "Web Sites for Dummies" and was given an afternoon to do the job.

**Anandbhat** · 08-24-2009, 07:41 PM

I just did and spoke to a gentleman by the name of Jerry Curtis who told me that they are still very much in business.Their new minibrute II runs a little over $1000.Any comparisons out there between polytones and Henriksen?

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 08-24-2009, 09:49 PM

People sometimes call the Henriksen JazzAmps a "modern Mini-Brute". From all I've read about Polytones, their owners seem to have a love-hate relationship with them.

I used to own one and never had any problems.

**mr. beaumont** · 08-24-2009, 09:52 PM

well, i'm a member of the "my polytone's going on 25 and still working just fine club." you'll find plenty of us out there too.

the heinreksen's are wonderful amps, but they sound like cardboard with a solid body, just so you know. i tried one out when i went speaker cab shopping last week...i was so dissapointed in the tone, i grabbed an eastman off the wall at jeff hale's shop just to see, and nearly went home with the guitar too...just beautiful tone. those puppies are made for an archtop...something with the way they're EQ-ed...i dunno...maybe i need to play around with one more, because for price and convenience of size, they're the best alternative out there (i was checking out the "convertible" head thru a redstone cab i ended up picking up)

**Meggy** · 08-25-2009, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by Anandbhat

The red knob is mainly for distortion.It basically 'breaks up' the sound. Not good for jazz traditional jazz although some people use it in jazz blues or jazz fusion.The problem is that these units do a poor job of it (distortion). I use the low gain input for a cleaner sound.Don't care for the high gain input since it just makes it louder and you lose that clean jazz sound (IMHO).

Aha! Well they may have eventually got rid of the red knob, but on the one I have, the distortion still sucks bigtime! And the reverb is not teriffic either. So I have much nicer FX pedals for both those things, and otherwise the amp does sound great IMO.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 08-25-2009, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by Anandbhat

I just did and spoke to a gentleman by the name of Jerry Curtis who told me that they are still very much in business.Their new minibrute II runs a little over $1000.Any comparisons out there between polytones and Hendricksen's?

$1000 sounds steep to me, but I assume that's the list price, not the street price... A quick google shows at least one place (Boston Guitar) has the MB II new for $679.

**BabyBrute** · 05-04-2020, 04:50 PM

It seems that the price range it very unstable and I was wondering what should I expect to find and strive to negotiate.

I am specifically interested in price ranges of two amps: Mini-Brute II and baby brute.

Thanks!

**Herbie** · 05-05-2020, 04:10 AM

The price range depends greatly about the series and where You live.

In US the the classic era Mini Brute prices might be around 150-300$ and in EU You might have to double it.

I live in EU and I have got few Mini Brutes for 250-450€.

Either way not bad for a classic sound!

The 1979 Mini Brute IV is only one that I have kept but I would gladly try a classic era Baby Brute. They are a bit rare ones and when they appear they usually move in the upper price register.

They are old amps so some have a new speaker or speaker grille. These of course should decrease the price.