Small, clean, and loud amp that doesn't rattle with a working bass knob

[wzpgsr]

Boss Katana with liberal use of the parametric EQ.

[jazzgtrl4]

For gigging, I basically use my AX8 exclusively and I used an AxeFX for years before that. While I use tube amps at home, gear like these Fractal units make for the easiest load in, sound checks, monitoring, load out, basically everything about a gig that I’ve ever experienced. I would be glad to share my preferred presets with anyone, should there be any interest.

I use an Ax8 as well, before that Axe fx II. for all my rock gigs, etc... I still have my polytone that i take to jazz gigs tho

But

I just bought this Atomic AmpilfireBox...wow cool small foot print, loaded my polytone IR into it..ive been using it a ton! sound great. Verbs and delays are really good. for monitoring i use an FBT Verve 8ma..i have two but mostly run one. Its my poor mans The Bud.

[Toddep]

I recently got a Axe8 as well. Love it!


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[Jabberwocky]

I use a Roland Blues Cube "Artist" (I ain't no artiste but that is what Roland calls it...). Angling for an AX8 but Fractal is making me jump through hoops to acquire it. A Helix is another possibility but I prefer the AX8 as it is more "organic" sounding.

You don't really have to drag a whole lot of heavy gear. The AX8 and its cables fit in a backpack. The Yammie DXR8 or DXR10 fits on a roll-on trolley. In a pinch, it could go into a dufflebag or sportsbag. An Acoustic Image combo or AER is another option.

All that makes for a 30 to 32.2 pounds weight in one hand or a trolley, guitar in gigbag over the shoulder, 20 pounds, and AX8 and other stuff in a backpack, 15 pounds.

[feet]

I would also suggest the Mustang.

i think the bassman and the princeton won, but most were pretty similar. the differences in some were subtle enough it may not matter so much. and the princeton had a little more hair on it than i would have liked, but it is nice to have it if you need it. and the brownface had an old school middy-ness that was kind of neat, in that small combo/boxy/40s-50s sort of way.

adequate guitar and playing, too

[whiskey02]

Another small but sometimes significant point about "rattles"; make sure it's really the guitar or amp that's making the noise, not something hanging on the wall like a framed picture. Have seen (heard) it happen. Place the amp in a different room and confirm that the noise moves with it.

[feet]

that would drive me crazy when i put a cajon into the room where i would play loud as hell

makes a good chair, though

[pingu]

Another small but sometimes significant point about "rattles"; make sure it's really the guitar or amp that's making the noise, not something hanging on the wall like a framed picture. Have seen (heard) it happen. Place the amp in a different room and confirm that the noise moves with it.

Yes he did that already ....

[Jabberwocky]

https://www.boss.info/global/products/katana-artist/

[cdavisshannon]

I can attest to no low end rattling with the bud; I even use it for upright bass for drummerless gigs when I need that little bit more. When I'm running my electric I run the Joyo American sound into it to get just a little bit of grit. That rig works like a charm.

[0zoro]

I heard a quartet last year, the guitarist played a mid range Ibanez hollow body through a T C Electronics 12" bass amp. This produced a fantastic sound which I mistook for a tube amp. I would have trade my GK head and cab for it in an instant. I dont know how available they are in the states but very much worth having a listen. 0zoro

[christianm77]

Seymour Duncan Powerstage

Baroni Mini Amp 50

Into

H&K Trademark 110 - swap the speaker for something better like an Eminence L'il Bud. Lightest cab I've seen....

Only problem, need external reverb

[christianm77]

Crikey, I've never needed more power than provided by the PRRI. Mind you I did swap the speaker for a Eminence L'il Bud, which is a good match for jazz being efficient and having more headroom than the stock speaker. Maybe look into that?

It's a 5m job to swap the speaker. You don't need to solder. All you need is a screwdriver.

[christianm77]

Might save you a wedge. Unless you have too much money, in which case you can donate it to my Paypal account. #nappyfund

[Gitfiddler]

I know you aren't interested in a tube amp, but here's one for consideration anyway.

80's Fender Super Champs are 18 watts, PTP wiring, built like tanks, lightweight, have great tone and reverb through their 10" speaker. I upgraded mine with an Emi Legend. When I need more volume, I connect it to a 12", 8 ohm extension speaker. That's when the 18 watts really shine. The only downside is that their prices are rising on the used amp market, but deals are out there. Good hunting!

[christianm77]

Do you not have a good amp engineer local?

[rio]

I'm not really considering any tube amps. As much as I like the Fender blackface tone, all of the reissues have QC problems and my boutique clone has rattling issues.
My Princeton clone has a 12" speaker a really like. It would be nice to have a 10" speaker, 1. It would have less low end which would be great for me and 2. It would be lighter.

I was considering getting a new baffle and putting in a 10" Eminence Legend 1058 or the WGS G10C or C/S. I'm worried a new baffle from mojotone would rattle like crazy, and it'd had to buy a baffle and speaker only to see it had the same issue with the chassis and cabinet rattling.

The foam tape didn't make much of a difference. This is really frustrating. I loosened the chassis screws halfway which for now seems to have fixed it, but I honestly won't be surprised if the rattle returns.

It seems the two shops locally in Seattle that stock Henriksen Bud amps are always out of stock. I know that Tim Lerch has one, and I reached out to him about paying him some money to try his out at his home but never heard back.

Everyone I talked to says the Bud and Henriksen amps in general don't buzz and rattle and are solidly built. I'm skeptical as that's what people told me about this specific Princeton clone.

I know that mine is only one example but I have really worked it hard since getting it about a year and a half ago. At first I was delicate with it but I have had it practically maxed for volume (super loud) for both bass and guitar many times and it sounds even better now than it did when I got it. The first one I got had an immediate issue and I called and spoke to the owner, he sent me a new one by two day mail so I would have it in time for a weekend gig before I even sent back the old one. So I would say that the norm is that the are solid and if you do have any issue their customer service is excellent.


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[ThatRhythmMan]

Do you not have a good amp engineer local?

I think most people don’t. Until Michael Clark moved to my town, there wasn’t a soul I would trust to work on a tube amp.

[TLerch]

"It seems the two shops locally in Seattle that stock Henriksen Bud amps are always out of stock. I know that Tim Lerch has one, and I reached out to him about paying him some money to try his out at his home but never heard back."

I'm sorry I never got your inquiry.
If you are still interested in trying a Bud you can come my studio in Bellevue and you can try it out. send me a note and we can work out a time
Tim

[christianm77]

I think most people don’t. Until Michael Clark moved to my town, there wasn’t a soul I would trust to work on a tube amp.

Wow, solid state probably is the best shout then. More reliable versus harder to repair by a technician...

[sgosnell]

I live near Houston, the 4th largest city in the US, and I know of only one reputable, reliable tube amp repairman. His shop is his apartment. Fortunately, I rarely need him, since I seldom bother to take my Vibrolux Reverb out of the closet. I don't know of any stores I would bother to schlep it to.

[wzpgsr]

I was looking up what the boss Katana cabinet are made of and they're made of MDF. If I'm not mistaken MDF is pretty dead sonically, like the opposite end of the spectrum of a solid fine cabinet. Would that make it more rattle-proof than a birch-ply cabinet?

My Katana 100 does not rattle. In my experience, if my amps are loud enough to rattle, that usually means everything else in the room is rattling, too.

[sgosnell]

More than once I've thought my amp had a rattle, and it turned out to be something in the room that was rattling instead. It's surprising what can rattle from vibration. One nasty rattle turned out to be a loose latch on a guitar case, and I've found all sorts of things doing it. Almost every amp rattle I've had turned out to be something external.

[rolijen]

+1 on the Rivera era Suoer Champs. Killer amps. But they’re heavy boat anchors AND you aren’t looking for tubes.
When the buzz IS coming from the amp, there are several things to check. First, are any of the internal components touching any other component? I have isolated buzzes to electrolytic capacitors poorly positioned or leaning into an adjacent capacitor. Or a component rattling on the circuit board. But, most often, it’s caused by a loose screw, tube cover, baffle board, etc. Strangely, slightly loosening the chassis mounting screws sometimes does the trick. If vibration damping insulation is needed, foam tape or strips of bicycle innertube work well. Again don’t over tighten the chassis.

As for SS amp options I think Rio knows a thing or two about the Bud. Because he recomnends it, I would want to try one. In addition to the Bud, I would want to try a DV Mark Jazz 12 (you have to put rocks in the cabinet the stop it from floating away it’s so light). I like the Roland Cube 80 and Boss Katana 100 based on my own experience.

[sgosnell]

You might be surprised at all the things that can rattle sympathetically.