Henriksen JazzAmp 112 and a Tweetey (outboard tweeter)

[Tom Karol]

I finally sold the requisite amount of stuff, and I just got a Henriksen JazzAmp 112 plus a separate Tweetey (outboard tweeter). I’m totally in love with it – warm, smooth, deep, balanced, loud, clean, clear, lush, powerful, punchy, dynamic, detailed, sparkling, complex, succulent – choose any three! After extensive consultation with Peter Henriksen, I determined that this was clearly the right configuration for me. I’ll miss my Rivera R55-Twelve, but I won’t miss lugging its 47 lbs. around.

As far as the Beta A12 is concerned, it’s still breaking in of course, but I like the fact that its frequency response is more evenly balanced than the typical guitar amp speaker. I also like the fact that it’s rated at 250w and can handle a bass. If I hadn’t gotten the Tweetey, I might have started wondering how the amp would have sounded with the Weber California 12 that I had enjoyed so much in my Rivera. But with the Tweetey, exploring that option seems unnecessary.

I mentioned in another thread about a week ago that the compact size and portability of Henriksen’s 10” models’ was very alluring, but that I prefer a single 12” speaker. If price had been no object, I might have ordered the ‘Convertible’ – a separate head and 10” speaker cabinet that fit together in a single bag with a total weight of 25 lbs – and an additional 12” speaker cabinet (24 lbs), plus (again) the external tweeter (2.5 lbs) for total mix-and-match flexibility.

Here’s my initial take on the Tweetey:
1) Play amp without it – “Wow, sounds great!”
2) Play amp with it – “Hmm, doesn’t sound much different?”
3) Play amp without it again – “Hey, put that thing back!”
I suspect that I’ll rarely use the amp without it.

With every other amp I’ve owned, I’ve had to work up a detailed ‘cheat sheet’ of settings for various guitars and various genres; with the JazzAmp, I just set the EQ flat and then adjust for the musical/physical context. Some people have denigrated the built-in reverb. I like it fine, but then I just use a touch of it; it sounds like a digital ‘room’ program to me.

As they say, YMMV, but that’s my preliminary report. I’m going to play with it a lot more, try turning the volume and the reverb knobs past 9 O’clock, tweak the EQ and the Tweetey’s volume control, and explore the various permutations with different guitars as well as paired and compared with my Cube 60, and then I’ll post additional impressions. This is way too much fun!

[Tom Karol]

Additional Impressions:


I have 4 electric guitars – the 1st 3 are strung with roundwound 11’s (plain 3rd):
1. Crafter SA – A/E hybrid with a SC neck pickup and a piezo bridge used for both jazz and pop
2. Crafter SAT – A/E hybrid, but I use it as a straight-ahead single pickup (HB) semi-hollow jazzbox. (It doesn’t do the acoustic thing very well, so I tend to just ignore that option.)
3. Hamer T-51 ‘Tele’ with HD V+ (SC) pickups – a fat sounding T-style guitar quite suitable for jazz or anything else.
4. Vagabond Travel Guitar – Very small flat top acoustic with a passive piezo (strung with 80-20 Bronze 12’s)
I still have a Roland Cube 60 (and I intend to keep it), so I’ll try to bring that into my assessment as well. I’ve only used the new JazzAmp at home so far - reverb set at 9:00 unless otherwise indicated.

Crafter SA – This guitar has an active preamp. I have 2 settings I use on it: 1) Jazzy electric - Bass boosted a bit, Mids boosted a bit less, Treble attenuated just a hair, mixing slider ¾ of the way towards the magnetic pickup; 2) Acoustic (sort of) – all controls including the slider right in the middle. With all EQs on the amp set flat and the Tweetey’s level control at ½ it sounds drop dead gorgeous on both settings! There’s no quick way to adjust the volume from the guitar, though.

Crafter SAT – This one’s got a stacked P90 neck pickup which is all I use on it. It has active electronics, but utilizes a standard 4-knob 2-pickup control configuration. My normal jazz setting on this guitar is Volume all the way up but Tone rolled back ½ turn (just the neck humbucker). It happens to have brand new strings on it. With the 100Hz and 3kHz controls on the amp at 10:30 (everything else flat) and the Tweetey’s level control at ¼, it produces classic neck humbucker jazz tone. I actually prefer the SA (I like single coils), but on this one I can use the standard volume control rollback technique for rhythm, so it’s easier to use in a group setting.

T51 – OK, this guitar has never met an amp it didn’t like. But on the neck pickup with the tone control rolled off ¼ turn and the EQ on the amp set flat except for the 100Hz control boosted to 1:30 and the Tweetey’s level control set at ¼, it produced absolutely lovely jazz tone. To get more typical Tele tones, I left the 100Hz knob where it was and boosted the 1kHz and 3kHz dials to 3:00 and moved the Reverb knob from 9:00 to 10:00. This worked very well for clean Blues and Country (more Memphis than Nashville). The bridge PU yields a wonderful sweet twang, and the middle position gets good funk tone. There’s no Texas Blues or Rock sounds here – it doesn’t growl, bark, or honk – though it can certainly be loud enough. (Note to self: try rolling back the 300Hz knob a bit.)

Vagabond – No preamp on this guitar. Boosting 100Hz and 300Hz on the amp to 3:00 with the Tweety’s level at ¾ yields a more convincing amplified acoustic sound than the Acoustic model on the Cube, which sounds processed but is still quite pleasant with a touch of chorus and delay.

Cube 60 – The 1st three guitars all get quite a good jazz sound with the Cube (Bass at 12:00, Mids at 3:00, Treble at 9:00, Presence at 10:30) with the JC-Clean model for rhythm and the Twin model for lead, but it’s still not nearly as warm, smooth, deep or balanced as the Henriksen. However, for Rock/Blues/Country the T51 sounds and even feels amazingly good on the Tweed model for lead with gain at 9:00 and mids and treble boosted a couple of notches with just a touch of slapback, while the JC Clean mode works well for rhythm with the same settings. So, that’s the way to go in that context. It’s loud enough for what I might do. I’d need at least a couple of pedals to make the Henriksen work well in that setting – something to consider, but I don’t like using pedals (though I have nothing against other people using them).

Both amps together – side-by-side or with the Cube on top (it fits) and probably no Tweetey. OK, I haven’t actually tried this yet, but it should be a ‘giant killer’ rig! I’ll probably never do it for real … but I could!

Tweetey – I haven’t yet tried leaving its level control all the way up and then equalizing it in the mix with the 3kHz and 10kHz controls on the amp as recommended by Henriksen. Having it outboard offers more spatial options than having it built-in. Move it up and away from the amp a few feet, and it really opens up the sound image. I haven’t tried it with the Cube yet.

So, here’s the way it might work out in the real world (Note – my only regular gig is a jazz/pop duo with a keyboard/tenor-sax player doing, “Pleasantly eclectic live dinner music,” in restaurants):

Jazz Trio or more – JazzAmp with the Crafter SAT. The Cube waits in the car as a backup.

Rock, etc. – Cube with the Tele. The JazzAmp waits in the car as a backup.

Solo or Duo – JazzAmp with the Crafter SA. My little VOX DA10 waits in the car as a backup.

Supporting a singer-songwriter who plays amplified acoustic guitar in a small venue (which I do occasionally) – The VOX (Twin model) with the Crafter SA is fine and doesn’t upset people who are put off by electric guitars! Her PA is the backup.

Really loud in a big group in a big room (unlikely) – JazzAmp and Cube 60 together with the Tele (and earplugs)! Two amps – built-in backup.

Recording – Don’t know yet.

Always set up and ready to play in my living room – JazzAmp (Volume at 8:30) … until my wife gets tired of the ‘clutter’ – then it’s back to the unobtrusive little VOX under the end table.

Anticipated Q&A:
Q: How loud can it get?
A: Very!
Q: Is it quiet?
A: Very!
Q: How’s the reverb – be honest!
A: OK, I guess it does sort of suck above 10:00 or so – no surf music for this amp – but I really like it at 9:00 for jazz; it adds some air without getting in the way.
Q: Is it really that much better than the Cube 60?
A: Well, it’s not three times better (the price differential), but it is undeniably better … for jazz. They weigh the same.
Q: Is it better than the Rivera was?
A: No, just different (and 15 lbs. lighter). It’s not a tube amp, and it’s not a solid state amp trying to emulate a tube amp; it’s just a solid state amp done right (IMHO)!
Q: How does it compare to a Polytone?
A: Don’t know; the last time I owned/played a Polytone was 30 years ago. (I had a 102 with a JBL back in the day.) I’ve heard it said that the Henriksen sounds like a Polytone on steroids (whether that’s a good thing is up to you). That sounds about right based on my recollection, but I’m probably not the one to ask.
Q: What else did you consider?
A: Jazzmaster Ultralight, Evans JE200, JazzKat PhatKat – all smallish SS single 12’s. The only other one I could find to try was the JazzKat. In fact, I tried it side by side with the Henriksen. I liked the Henriksen better. It would be fun to own them all though!

Bottom line: Tubes, SS, FETs, Widgets … whatever! I can effortlessly get the jazz tones in my head to come out of this amp and into my ears, and that’s what it’s all about! YMMV.

[peterk1]

Thanks for sharing all this. I've been trying to get that warm fuzzy feeling for my Jazzamp for over a year without a great deal of success. I find it's a good amp for me, but not great.

A few random thoughts regarding the amp and the tweety:

o sounds great for single-note lines and jamming with backing tracks. When playing solo however, I have never, after many, many attempts with different mics and micing techniques, been able to choose a track having a miced Jazzamp over a track made with a direct box straight into the board. The miced amp always comes out sounding not very warm and very choppy even if I'm playing smoothly. The DI box produces a satisfying track for the exact same performance.

o I love the Tweety, but it also makes you much more susceptible to noise. If you notice any new ground hum or hissing, odds are its coming through the Tweety. This is sometimes problematic when using pedals in front of the amp. Pedals are designed for normal guitar amps; not amps having extension cabinets.

o The reverb is not very versatile and has a very small usable range. It also changes the tone of the amp for the worse when turned completely to 0. As an experiment, obtain a nice sound with the reverb bypassed. Now, engage the reverb and turn the knob down to 0. The level and overall EQ should both have changed in a not very flattering way. That's not really right.

o I've brought it to one jam session and had trouble being heard above the horns - 3 saxes, two trumpets - and the drums. But the amp was not well placed due to not having a long enough extension cord with me. It was a frustrating first outing in a group setting with my new amp. I'm sure next time will be better, and I'm sure that with a smaller combo it would have been fine.

o A lot of people are saying it sounds great flat, but I'm finding that if I leave the EQ flat, my guitar is producing way too much low end. I tend to have to knock the first two EQ knobs to 9 'o clock or even to 0, to get something that feels and sounds good (Martin Taylor's sound is probably my ideal right now) . It's probably my guitar (a nice custom archtop that usually sounds great through anything), it's not a big deal, but it's another hint that my experiences are not the same as what most people are getting out of the same equipment.

There don't seem to be too many good samples of the Jazzamp out there, but the best I have found is this:

If I could get mine to sound like that (it's not playing ability ; I'm able to play as well as him or close) I would be in love with my amp, but I can't for some reason. That video is also a good example of what the on-board reverb should have been capable of. I'd love to know if the reverb on that video was coming through the amp or if he recrorded dry and then reverbed the sound track after the fact. I suspect it's the latter.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

I've heard as far as playing an archtop through it, it sounds great with laminates (eg the Sadowsky Jim Hall), but less so with carved archtops. has anyone checked this out?

[TieDyedDevil]

Well-done reviews, Tom and Peter. Thank you.

[Tom Karol]

Interesting caveats, peterk1. And I think you've probably got a good point, BDLH. Of course, I'm still in the 'Honeymoon' phase, and I haven't played out with it yet. I do want to discuss these points and others that might pop up, but I'm way too busy right now. (If I don't do some work, I'll have to send the amp back!) Maybe tonight or tomorrow morning ... In the meantime, keep those cards and letters coming!

[Jazzarian]

I've heard as far as playing an archtop through it, it sounds great with laminates (eg the Sadowsky Jim Hall), but less so with carved archtops. has anyone checked this out?

To some extent, that's true of every transistor amp I've ever tried with an archtop.

[Tom Karol]

Peter:


Sounds great for single-note lines and jamming with backing tracks. When playing solo however, I have never, after many, many attempts with different mics and micing techniques, been able to choose a track having a miced JazzAmp over a track made with a direct box straight into the board. The miced amp always comes out sounding not very warm and very choppy even if I'm playing smoothly. The DI box produces a satisfying track for the exact same performance.

I haven’t tried micing it. Have you tried the Line Out? I read somewhere where someone said that using the line out changes the sound of the amp through the speaker. Obviously, that wouldn’t be good.

I love the Tweetey, but it also makes you much more susceptible to noise. If you notice any new ground hum or hissing, odds are its coming through the Tweetey. This is sometimes problematic when using pedals in front of the amp. Pedals are designed for normal guitar amps; not amps having extension cabinets.

I may just be infatuated with the Tweetey. I may end up using it less than I think. I don’t know. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t get it built in – I wasn’t sure if I’d always want it. I’m not planning to use any pedals though.

The reverb is not very versatile and has a very small usable range. It also changes the tone of the amp for the worse when turned completely to 0. As an experiment, obtain a nice sound with the reverb bypassed. Now, engage the reverb and turn the knob down to 0. The level and overall EQ should both have changed in a not very flattering way. That's not really right.

That’s interesting and odd. I’ll try it. But I’m not concerned: I’ll just use it at 9:00 for live and turned off (bypassed) for recording.

I've brought it to one jam session and had trouble being heard above the horns - 3 saxes, two trumpets - and the drums. But the amp was not well placed due to not having a long enough extension chord with me. It was a frustrating first outing in a group setting with my new amp. I'm sure next time will be better, and I'm sure that with a smaller combo it would have been fine.

Have you tried getting it up off the floor? It fits perfectly on one of those plastic milk crates (so does the Cube). I haven’t played through it yet that way. See my comments about speakers below.

A lot of people are saying it sounds great flat, but I'm finding that if I leave the EQ flat, my guitar is producing way too much low end. I tend to have to knock the first two EQ knobs to 9 'o clock or even to 0, to get something that feels and sounds good (Martin Taylor's sound is probably my ideal right now). It's probably my guitar (a nice custom archtop that usually sounds great through anything); it's not a big deal, but it's another hint that my experiences are the same as what most people are getting out of the same equipment.

I think you may have a real issue here. My Crafters are essentially thin-line semi hollows, and the T51 is a Tele clone. I don’t have a full-bodied solid-topped archtop. And actually, the one that sounds the least amazing with the JazzAmp is the one with the humbucker. So the, “…good with a laminate (or semi-hollow), but not so good with a full solid-topped archtop,” comment may be a valid one.

Now, I think this may be the key, or one of them: The Beta A12 is a high-power PA speaker that can even handle a bass. It’s not a normal guitar speaker. I don’t want to get out of my technical depth here, but I think it has more pronounced lower mids and less pronounced upper mids than the traditional guitar speaker. There’s a guy on the TDPRI (Telecaster forum) who swapped out the Beta A10 in his JazzAmp 110 for a Weber California 10 (ceramic magnet, paper dome) a while back and was deliriously pleased with it. I had a Weber Cali 12 in my Rivera, and it was great – very JBL-like but with smoother highs. I may still go that route eventually.

There don't seem to be too many good samples of the JazzAmp out there.

Try this one!:

[peterk1]

That's beautiful.
I can't do the Tele sound myself, but do love the way it sounds.

It's being sweetened quite a bit with some external effects. Sounds like a chorus and a nice reverb? And he's using a stereo condenser by the looks of it.

Here's a demo of a naked Jazzamp

Quite good. I might try to see if I can match this sound in the next few days.

I've been keeping mine off the ground 'til now, but recently I tried it on the floor and I actually liked the way it sounded. Made the sound much bigger (I only have the small 10 inch speaker) by getting some bass coming through on the wood floor. Might do that at my next jam but I wouldn't record that way though.

[Tom Karol]

I just thought of something else: All my guitars are strung with roundwound 11’s with a plain 3rd. I’m pretty sure that flatwound 13’s would sound a lot different!

One of the reasons I got the 12 instead of the 10 in spite of the extra bulk was that I figured it's cleaner to attenuate the bass if there's too much of it than to boost it if there's not enough.

[Tom Karol]

New note: Lowering the 300Hz knob down to 10:30 with the ‘Tele’ for Pop tones worked well in all pickup positions. So, I’ve got 100Hz at 1:30, 300Hz at 10:30, 1kHz at 3:00, 3kHz at 3:00, 10kHz at 12:00, and reverb at 10:00 (I’ll never turn it up higher than that) with the Tweetey’s level at ¼ and the guitar’s tone all the way up (it’s a TBX tone control). Makes sense to me in that it sort of compensates for the speaker’s different frequency response curve as compared to the standard guitar amp speaker.

[Tom Karol]

Wrap-up:

OK, I’ve had the amp almost a whole week. I’ve still only used it alone in my living room, but here are my first final conclusions – I’ll answer further questions, but I’m not going to continue to beat this thread to death (faint sound of applause in background):

It’s a great amp, but probably not for everyone or every guitar. For most people, it might not work well as their only amp. (I’m still keeping my Cube 60.) And it’s not a tube amp!

It doesn’t work like a standard guitar amp, but with an audio engineering mindset, its operation is quite intuitive.

The reverb absolutely sucks above 10:00, but I do like it (a lot) at 9:00. So if you’re a reverb junky, you’ll definitely be disappointed.

I think a lot of the dissatisfaction/confusion some owners have expressed may likely result from Henriksen’s choice of speaker and cabinet configurations. In the combo configuration with the stock speaker, the amp is very directional – it sounds quite different off axis – and the lack of an upper midrange hump typical of standard guitar speakers may be the reason that people have complained about their sound not cutting through in an ensemble. If price and portability were not a factor, the best way to buy it might be to get just the head and then experiment with a variety of speaker/cabinet options.

Having said all that, if all I had was the Hamer T51 and the JazzAmp, I’d still be a happy camper!

Coda: Speaker is front-mounted, so it would be easy to pop in a different one.

[Tom Karol]

Sorry, I can't help myself!

I like the amp even more than I did when I first got it (which is a really good thing, since I sold a great amp, a good guitar, and 12 unused tubes in order to buy it)! It’s the first non-channel switching performance amp that I’ve had in a long time, which admittedly was a concern of mine; I’d gotten used to setting up one channel for rhythm and another for lead, and then not using the controls on the guitar. This is sort of the reverse. The EQ works really well, although it’s not really as revolutionary as Henriksen claims. (Full parametric EQ would be different story!) Once I settled in on the basic settings on the amp for each guitar, I started experimenting with variations in the guitars’ volume and tone controls to get different sounds; the amp is very amenable to this – it’s like a blank canvas in a way. I’ve also tried using my thumb or fingers for rhythm and the pick for soloing – not an entirely new, though alternative, technique for me – with fine results. It’s still set up in the living room – it sounds great even with the volume at 8:00. I still like the reverb at 9:00. And I can play through it for hours without my ears getting tired – certainly not the norm for me with solid state amps in the past.

[peterk1]

I just did a lot more experimentation with mine this afternoon too.
Had very nice results by ditching the tweety and putting a better reverb between the amp and the guitar. Wished I had a video camera to record some stuff to show. Sounded pretty good.

What I'd really like to do though is compare the Jazzamp to a AI Clarus head to head. I just saw that they have some nice cabinets with 3 speakers in it. That has got to sound fantastic. But then again, it doesn't have the nice 5 band EQ the Jazzamp has. Grrrr.

[randyc]

Just wanted you to know that your updates are very interesting !

cheers

[JohnW400]

Don't stop now


I'll be checking out some amps in JanuaryAn every bit of info helps. On my list to try will be

AI Corus
AI with Reazors edge cabinets
Henrickson
AER
Jazz Cat.
Polytone

The difference for me is that since I already have a Blues Jr, I won't be looking for an amp that can handle solid bodies. I do however play a bunch of tunes on classical guitar.

Every bit of info helps despite knowing that the proof will be when I sit down and check them out next to eachother.

[Tom Karol]

Whew! I'm glad I'm not boring you folks! But I guess no one has to keep paying attention to this thread if they don't want to.

Peter - yeah, I played it a lot yesterday without the Tweetey (just because I was lazy). While I still like it (the Tweetey), I think I'll possibly save it for times when I want to have the faux-acoustic option. It does look cool to have that little extra box sitting on top of the amp, though.

I'd like to hear this amp through an open-back cabinet with a 15" JBL!

[randyc]

I'd like to hear this amp through an open-back cabinet with a 15" JBL!

Uh-huh, sort of like this one, I'd bet that it would sound marvelous. This D-130 is still going strong after almost fifty years:



This isn't actually an open back cabinet. And, despite the convenient parking place for the Fender Bassman, this is a Fender Showman bottom (it's an 8 ohm cabinet, the Bassman is a 4 ohm amplifier - the Showman top is doing duty as a Twin combo clone at the moment).

This is the cabinet that I used for listening tests while building the 40 watt tube amplifier that I posted about a few days back ...

cheers

[peterk1]

Tom, if you're still fooling around with your Jazzamp, can you try something for me?

If you play a C# or a D on your 6th string fairly hard (not crazy hard...a normal forte), does your cabinet shudder audibly? If not, bump the 100hz (is that the lowest one on there? If that's not it, bump the lowest one) EQ all the way and do it.

I've been having this all along and I always figured it was
i) the chair holding the amp vibrating
ii) poor little Tweety getting overwhelmed and shaking
iii) tweety on top of the amp shaking

but I managed to eliminate all of that stuff this afternoon. It looks like the 10 inch cabinet just hates low C# and low D, when the EQ is set to provide a nice round bass.

[Tom Karol]

Peter -

OK, I'll try that when I get a chance. But, wow, I could never imagine turning that knob up all the way! I only turn it up with the Tele, and that's only to 1:30. But I get what you're driving at. I'll give it a try when I can and report back. Note: I have heard in other places that the 10" combo cabinet sometimes does that at high volumes - not the separate 10" cabinet and not the 12" combo cabinet. We'll see.

[Tom Karol]

Peter -
I tried what you asked me to do, but I couldn't get the cabinet to shudder at all. However, a picture fell off the wall in the next room (just kidding)!
- Tom

[Tom Karol]

Time for a few more random observations:

The Tweetey (its cross-over is at 2.5 kHz) is very EQ-able in the mix using it’s own level control and the 10kHz control on the amp without affecting the overall sound of the amp.

The Crafter SA (the one that does acoustic blend thing well) likes the Tweetey a lot, even when focusing on jazz tone. I’ll probably always use it for the small-group jazz/pop stuff with this guitar.

The Crafter SAT (the one with the KA stacked P90 in the neck position) doesn’t care for it all that much. I can EQ it effectively with the 3 kHz and 10 kHz controls on the amp, but I’ll likely just leave it at home for straight-ahead jazz with this guitar.

The Tele is better without it for Jazz (with the Tele’s tone control set at 10; remember, it’s a TBX pot, so “…it goes to 11!”). For pop, it does add a bit of nice zing on top and I can get pretty much the same sound with the Tweetey and the guitar’s tone at 10 as I can get without the Tweetey with the guitar’s tone at 11, and then I’ve still got 11 available if I need to shatter some fine crystal!

The little passive-piezo travel acoustic definitely likes the Tweetey when acting as an acoustic, though if I needed to simulate a jazz tone in an emergency backup situation it’s actually easier to do it without it; but check out this EQ (sounds surprisingly authentic): 100 Hz @ 5:00, 300 Hz @ 3:00, 1 kHz @ 9:00, 3 kHz @ 9:00, 10 kHz @ 9:00!

Oh, and maybe I’m paranoid, but I never connect or disconnect the Tweetey to/from the extension speaker jack without making sure the amp is turned off first. (Does it matter?)

Confession: I no longer set the EQ completely flat with any of my guitars, but I’m still in the, “Getting to know you,” phase. So, I do have a ‘cheat sheet’ now, but I already have it memorized! I have, thankfully, found it difficult to dial in a bad tone (except for Peter’s requested turn-the-bass-up-all-the-way experiment).

Peter, I also tried the reverb off vs. reverb on set at zero: It’s hard to tell. Maybe the amp sounds a slight bit wimpier with the reverb on but set to zero as compared to having the reverb switched off (bypassed). I’m not sure. Again, to me it’s subtle if it’s happening at all and not really an issue, as I’ll just keep it set at 9 (at 10 but never higher with the Tele for some pop styles) or switched off (for recording).

Here’s an odd one: the amp seems to take about 30 seconds to shut down completely when you turn it off. If I pull the cord/plug out of my guitar’s output jack even 10 seconds after turning the amp’s volume down to 0 and then turning it off, it makes a ‘pop’. It only happens with the ones with active preamps – not with the Tele. I read somewhere about it taking awhile to drain the capacitors; does that make any sense to you EE’s out there? It’s not a problem – now I just pull the cord/plug out of the amp first before pulling it out of the guitar. But it seems sort of weird to me.

[TieDyedDevil]

Here’s an odd one: the amp seems to take about 30 seconds to shut down completely when you turn it off. If I pull the cord/plug out of my guitar’s output jack even 10 seconds after turning the amp’s volume down to 0 and then turning it off, it makes a ‘pop’. It only happens with the ones with active preamps – not with the Tele. I read somewhere about it taking awhile to drain the capacitors; does that make any sense to you EE’s out there? It’s not a problem – now I just pull the cord/plug out of the amp first before pulling it out of the guitar. But it seems sort of weird to me.

Nothing to worry about.

[peterk1]

Here’s an odd one: the amp seems to take about 30 seconds to shut down completely when you turn it off. If I pull the cord/plug out of my guitar’s output jack even 10 seconds after turning the amp’s volume down to 0 and then turning it off, it makes a ‘pop’. It only happens with the ones with active preamps – not with the Tele. I read somewhere about it taking awhile to drain the capacitors; does that make any sense to you EE’s out there? It’s not a problem – now I just pull the cord/plug out of the amp first before pulling it out of the guitar. But it seems sort of weird to me.

Well, it looks like they changed something.
On earlier models, when you flicked the switch to off, you'd get a.... BANG...about 50% of the time. Really loud. Sounded like a gun shot.

Made me laugh a bit - when people complained about that, the company's response supposedly was not to worry, there was no chance of damaging the amp. But I don't think anyone was afraid of damaging the amp...we were really all terrified of giving someone in the audience a heart-attack.

Thanks for doing the C#/D experiment for me. Looks like my cabinet has a small glitch in it. Not a big deal.

[Tom Karol]

In the, "Specifications subject to change without notice," department: the line-out is a phone jack rather than the XLR jack shown in the pictures on their website. I was surprised, but it doesn't matter to me either way.