The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary

View Poll Results: Which amp rocks?

Voters
134. You may not vote on this poll
  • Mambo

    53 39.55%
  • Princeton

    54 40.30%
  • Henriksen

    27 20.15%
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  1. #1

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    Here it comes - the ultimate shootout

    - princeton with eminence lil buddy and volume turned up (according to your votes this is how it sounds best)
    - henriksen 110 with modified speaker (Henriksen Jazzamp 110 MOD-story)
    - mambo amp 10" wedge

    I have a favorite



    I promise this is my last poll for the next 3 months!

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  3. #2

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    Hey Jakub,

    is that my old Mambo?

    all three sound good and useable to me but slightly different:

    the Mambo is the most silent (very important if you are recording) and has the sweetest reverb (maybe a the level was a little bit higher than that of the other amps), tonally is closer to the fender/tube sound than the Herniksen.

    Princeton is one of my favourite amps of all times, but as with most decent tube amps it needs more attention with the picking technique that SS amps or it can sound a little harsh, like on this clip.

    The Henriksen has more noise than both the Mambo and Princeton, and the worst reverb, the sound is a "fat-er" on the low mids but less sweet on the highs.

    Is that you playing, as I said all three sound great, to me you sound a little more "confident" or "familiar" with the Herniksen. If I was to keep one without considering that I have to move it, I would keep the Princeton .

    So, whats your favourite?

    Konstantine

  4. #3

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    They sounded pretty much the same to me. If I would have listened to the clip without watching for amp change cues, I'd have had a very difficult time identifying when the amps were switched.

    I would say that you are in a great place regardless of which amp you choose.

  5. #4

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    I tried listening "blind", and had a very hard time discerning the princeton from the mambo. Both sound really good. The hendriksen is probably a very good amp, but falls short (to MY ears at least) of the other two. The mambo souds quite 'tubey'.

    What setting did you use on the switches at the back of the mambo (bright/harmonics on?)

    Again, very tasty playing and killer sound. Your efforts are much appreciated!


    regards,

    Bruno.

  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by konstantine
    Hey Jakub,

    is that my old Mambo?

    So, whats your favourite?
    Hi Konstantine,
    yes it is! Unfortunately my friend is still the owner (and not me), I just borrowed it for the tests

    Actually I like the mambo the least, will give it a try in 2-3 days again with fresh ears :-) The henriksen and the mambo are much easier to play for me - I've been playing transistors exclusively for the last 2-3 years, but after going to some jam sessions with tube amps I decided I have to learn to sound good on tubes, too ;-)

    My favorite is the princeton, by far. The recording doesn't reflect that feeling you have playing it - there is much more "magic" going on than with these SS amps - these sound consistent good regardless of how much effort you put into playing

  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Brubra

    What setting did you use on the switches at the back of the mambo (bright/harmonics on?)

    Again, very tasty playing and killer sound. Your efforts are much appreciated!
    Thanks a lot! On the mambo I used the middle position on the bright/deep switch (neighter bright nor deep), the deep setting enhances the low end but takes away some middle and the guitar doesn't cut through anymore so good. It sounds good when playing solo though. On the second switch I used the clean position - can't hear much difference, but we've done some testing with my friend and both voted "clean" so I leave the switch there. Bass/Middle/Treble at 12 o'clock.

    My overall impression of the mambo is that it sounds clearer than the henriksen and somehow a bit "better", but only when played solo - even in a guitar duo setting it somehow doesn't cut through and I have to make it much louder than the henriksen to get a similar comfort playing, which is why the henriksen is my favorite of these two.

  8. #7

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    The differences are subtle, especially in the mix. I liked the Princeton, but it seemed a tad bit flat compared to the mambo and henriksen. If forced to choose I'd probably go with the mambo, but I'm really splitting hairs here.

  9. #8

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    Actually I take that back. If you could take the low mids from the Princeton and the upper mids from the Henriksen that'd be ideal.

  10. #9

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    I also picked the Princeton - but barely. The Mambo sounded great and I couldn't swear that it wouldn't have one out in a blind test - I'm probably a little biased by my affinity for the glowing tube! Henrickson sounded a little dry to me or maybe lacking the depth/3D quality of the other two is a better way to express that. Great playing BTW and great sound from the PE 180 - are those stock pickups or replacements?

  11. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by kevmoga
    Great playing BTW and great sound from the PE 180 - are those stock pickups or replacements?
    Stock pickups - very happy with this guitar. Thinking already about getting a second vintage Aria

  12. #11

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    Very good sounds. I'm listening on my ipad and can hear absolutely no differences between the amps though, just three good sounds...or, well, one good sound :-)
    Last edited by Little Jay; 05-03-2017 at 11:17 AM.

  13. #12

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    They may have sounded different in the room while you were playing but if you hadn't told me that was done with three different amps, I'd never have known.

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by jzjazz
    My favorite is the princeton, by far. The recording doesn't reflect that feeling you have playing it - there is much more "magic" going on than with these SS amps - these sound consistent good regardless of how much effort you put into playing
    You cant got wrong with the Princeton! :P

  15. #14

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    I liked the Henriksen except in the parts where the reverb seemed to linger a tad too long. The 2nd half of the video seems to have less Henriksen reverb. I like the Princeton on the middle strings but the high strings sound a bit thin to me. I can't deal with thin sounding high strings (probably why I play a 18 B and 14 E).

    The Mambo wasn't my favorite but, from personal experience, I know that with a bit of eq-ing it could have been my favorite.

    I own both a Mambo 8 and Henriksen Alfresco 12, btw.

  16. #15

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    Thanks for next very good comparison!

    The Henriksen sounds very dry and flat. It lacks here the "punch" and headroom. The Princeton has typical "tube" feel however attack on this is very audible. What worse it produce hum :/ So for me the mambo would be the way to go - have beautiful "tube-like" punch, without hum, balanced, warm sound with full headroom. In fact the difference between princeton and mambo is very hard to hear on this track - only hum tells you that it was switched to princeton

  17. #16

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    Hi Guys,

    Just like some of the other posters, I found that all 3 amps sounded pretty much the same.

    But JZJazz, Just like what you said, there is something about the Princeton that makes it "feel" better. And I have the same Eminance Lil Buddy in my Princeton too. The attack across the entire neck is more natural to me with the Princeton.

    Its the best amp Ive ever had.


    Great topic, by the way..

    Joe D

  18. #17

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    I have owned all three, the Princeton. Henriksen (ER12) and a Mambo !2 cube,
    in the last 3 + years, perhaps I am biased , but I sold both of the first two and
    kept the Mambo. It is by far my favourite SS combo ( although the 12" option
    is discontinued) I would defer to the new Mambo 10" wedge .If I wanted another
    similar configured and sounding amp. I will concur however that the Princeton
    in the test sounded little different from the Mambo. But to make a decision to
    purchase one or the other an extended test would be desirable I suggest.

  19. #18

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    It doesn't matter even slightly what I think. What matters is what the player thinks. The player (the OP) should just pick the amp that sounds best to them.

    Asking the rest of us for opinions is all very well, but our opinions ultimately are of no value in this matter.

  20. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by konstantine
    The Henriksen has more noise than both the Mambo and Princeton, and the worst reverb, the sound is a "fat-er" on the low mids but less sweet on the highs.
    I agree about the Henriksen reverb. My solution has been to use a Strymon Flint pedal with the amp.

  21. #20

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    First of all, i find all three amps sound good. I voted for the Mambo. To my ears the Henrikson appears generally a tad less lively than the others. I perceive the sound of the Princton and the Mambo as very similar in some registers, but in others the Mambo appears to be rounder, fatter and smoother.

    Interestingly the picture changes in the section without accompaniment. Heard isolated the Henrikson gains my sympathy over the Princeton. But also in this section i like the Mambo best.
    Last edited by JazzNote; 05-04-2017 at 05:56 AM. Reason: wrong spelling of Henrikson

  22. #21

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    I went with the Mambo too. I like that open, clear sound, at least in this mix. I assumed I would have been automatic for the Princeton...

  23. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by asedas
    What worse it produce hum :/ (Princeton)
    It does because it's heavilty turned up and guitar volume down. This is not how I would record it in a studio - if I wanted the amp to be turned up as much as here, I would have the guitar pretty loud as well, so the hiss wouldn't be so audible

  24. #23

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    Hendrickson, Henrikson, Hendriksen......

    C'mon guys, it's Henriksen, as spelled on the amp itself!!

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by boatheelmusic
    Hendrickson, Henrikson, Hendriksen......

    C'mon guys, it's Henriksen, as spelled on the amp itself!!
    got it ;-)

  26. #25

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    I listened on small but good quality speakers and did not hear any difference until the backing track stopped them I heard a barely perceptible but insignificant difference. Last night, I listened using ear covering headphones where I could hear differences better. Like others, I would not have picked one over the other and the difference would have vanished in a blind test.

    This was very helpful. Thanks for taking the time to produce these recordings. In combination with Lawson Stone's L5 clips and Tim Lerch's Tele clips, your video reinforced my conviction to spend more time playing and minimizing my gear-oriented activities.