DV Mark Little Jazz

**DerekD** · 04-29-2019, 10:52 AM

Graham

I use one of these for my Mambo 8 Wedge.

Thomann DJ Bag 80 LPs – Thomann UK

The LJ is a similar size. The bag is a generous fit for the amp and the external pockets are very useful for carrying cables etc.

Derek

Originally Posted by grahambop

Thanks, I’ll look into that. There is a DV Mark bag but it’s very basic, the Meinl bag looks much better but doesn’t cost much more.

**Eric Rowland** · 05-04-2019, 07:48 PM

Where can one find the Lil Jazz in the US without the fan?

**sgosnell** · 05-04-2019, 08:01 PM

They all have a fan, you cannot buy a new one without a fan. But the newer version, which is all that should be in most stores, is not an issue. Guitar Center is a good bet, because of their high turnover.

**rpjazzguitar** · 05-04-2019, 08:52 PM

Originally Posted by sgosnell

They all have a fan, you cannot buy a new one without a fan. But the newer version, which is all that should be in most stores, is not an issue. Guitar Center is a good bet, because of their high turnover.

As I understand it, the early model had the fan mounted near the vent, so that it could be heard.

Then, the story goes, they moved the fan further from the vent.

I guess I don't know any of that for certain, but I am certain that I have never heard the fan in mine.

**sgosnell** · 05-04-2019, 09:44 PM

Yes, they moved the fan slightly. Mine only comes on under a very heavy load while playing at high volume, and then it can't be heard anyway. I've never had the fan come on while playing at home levels. IME the fan is a complete non-issue.

**PatrickB** · 05-05-2019, 07:02 PM

Originally Posted by Eric Rowland

Where can one find the Lil Jazz in the US without the fan?

I bought mine w/ the recessed fan used from guitarcenter.com. You need to check the photos in each offering to see if the fan is exposed (or not).

**rpjazzguitar** · 05-05-2019, 09:32 PM

Does the version with the recessed fan look outwardly any different from the early, noisier, version?

That is, can they be told apart without opening the cabinet?

**sgosnell** · 05-05-2019, 10:51 PM

There is a thread here that shows the fan details. They can be told apart, but I can't recall the details from memory. I'll do a search and see what I can find.

Edit: Here you go
DV Mark Little Jazz - Living with the fan noise?

**Longways to Go** · 05-05-2019, 11:48 PM

Hey all,

just to be help clarify, I have one of the early versions with the noisy fan. The basic issue is/was that the fan would be on all of the time and yes it was annoying. I took care of that by adding a simple on/off toggle switch. It was an easy fix and I mostly keep the toggle in off position as this amp just doesnt' get warm -- at least not for my playing. I keep the fan off when playing . . . maybe I'll turn it on during a break just to be safe, but really I have never seen a need for it. My tube amps get much hotter -- and none of them have a fan. The Little Jazz would have to get pushed hard to heat up IMO.

My understanding is that they did a fix on the fan design in later generations. I get why they put a fan in there -- to keep things cool if it starts to overheat. But I've never pushed it hard enough to even begin to warm up. Loud giggers might need that fan, but not me.

Meanwhile, I'm still super happy with this amp.

**rpjazzguitar** · 05-06-2019, 12:20 AM

Originally Posted by sgosnell

There is a thread here that shows the fan details. They can be told apart, but I can't recall the details from memory. I'll do a search and see what I can find.

Edit: Here you go
DV Mark Little Jazz - Living with the fan noise?

Thanks! That thread has pictures of the back of each version. The earlier one has a circular sort of grill on it. The later one just has some elongated vents. They don't look anything alike. So, no trouble for a buyer to make sure he's getting the later one.

Mine is the later one and I've never heard a thing.

BTW, this amp sells most places for $399. Except for some reason Amazon has it at nearly $700. I bought mine at GC for the lower price. New in the box, etc. No reason to pay the higher price as far as I can tell.

**Irez87** · 05-06-2019, 12:44 AM

I have the DV Mark Jazz 12 45W amp.

I'm not crazy about the reverb, but I only dial in a smidge to a smidge and a half depending on the room and the tune.

I bought it because it's the lightest option in my price range. Another guitarist I recently played with had an AER, and he wasn't crazy about it. I got more volume out of my DV, even though I like the AER's sound more. Honestly, for the price and weight, I don't think you can do better than the DV Mark amps. If you want an extra kick, get a boost pedal--it did wonders to my amplified tone

**sgosnell** · 05-06-2019, 09:31 AM

The amplifier section of the Jazz 12 is identical to the Little Jazz and the Jazz 212, according to the DV Mark website. Only the cabinets and speakers differ. I prefer the Little Jazz, because my priority is portability, and I don't think the difference in sound is worth the extra size and weight. But they offer three versions for a very good reason - different people have different priorities, and that affects sales.

**jzucker** · 05-10-2019, 03:45 PM

Just borrowed a DV Mark GH250. Great amp. Has a really warm sound but can get fendery bright with the tone controls. Has an OK overdrive channel but not as good as a zendrive pedal.

HOWEVER, the fan noise is REALLY annoying. It's not just the sound of the fan itself. There's actually something rattling mechanically with it. I never understood what folks were complaining about with the fan on these. I thought they were just bothered by the sound of a fan but the fans on these rattle.

**Eric Rowland** · 05-12-2019, 04:43 PM

Just ordered one from Musician's Friend. I got lucky and found a $100 off coupon. The picture of the back of the amp on their webpage shows the fan with the grille. I hope that it's just a generic pic or a non updated pic.

**Alter** · 05-12-2019, 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

Just borrowed a DV Mark GH250. Great amp. Has a really warm sound but can get fendery bright with the tone controls. Has an OK overdrive channel but not as good as a zendrive pedal.

HOWEVER, the fan noise is REALLY annoying. It's not just the sound of the fan itself. There's actually something rattling mechanically with it. I never understood what folks were complaining about with the fan on these. I thought they were just bothered by the sound of a fan but the fans on these rattle.

What speakers did you use it with? Perhaps it was an earlier generation model. I'm reading they improved on the fan noise? Hope that's the case..

I'm kind of between getting that and the Eric Gales model, which is one channel only.

**pingu** · 05-13-2019, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by jzucker

Just borrowed a DV Mark GH250. Great amp. Has a really warm sound but can get fendery bright with the tone controls. Has an OK overdrive channel but not as good as a zendrive pedal.

HOWEVER, the fan noise is REALLY annoying. It's not just the sound of the fan itself. There's actually something rattling mechanically with it. I never understood what folks were complaining about with the fan on these. I thought they were just bothered by the sound of a fan but the fans on these rattle.

i don't know for sure JZ but I suspect that the fan rattle
is just a fault on that individual amp ,ie not a generic fault with that model

we haven't heard of this problem in any of the customer reviews etc

**jzucker** · 05-13-2019, 03:03 PM

Originally Posted by pingu

i don't know for sure JZ but I suspect that the fan rattle
is just a fault on that individual amp ,ie not a generic fault with that model

we haven't heard of this problem in any of the customer reviews etc

i've read tons of reports about the fan noise on the 50 watt model. I just don't know if they are hearing the same thing that I am...

**DanielleOM** · 05-21-2019, 05:47 AM

Hi,

I have been wondering where people have been going to buy the latest model Little Jazz where the fan is not visible when looking at the back. Most of the sites I see show the 1st generation where the fan is visible when looking at the back.

**rpjazzguitar** · 05-21-2019, 06:11 AM

Originally Posted by DanielleOM

Hi,

I have been wondering where people have been going to buy the latest model Little Jazz where the fan is not visible when looking at the back. Most of the sites I see show the 1st generation where the fan is visible when looking at the back.

I ordered mine from Guitar Center in December 2018 and took delivery in January. $359.

It is the newer model. The fan is not visible. Just some vents. So far, I've never heard a fan. If I hadn't read these posts, I would not have even guessed it had a fan.

I wonder if they bothered to update the pictures when the new version came out.

**grahambop** · 05-21-2019, 07:11 AM

I ordered mine online from a music shop (Andertons) here in the UK a few weeks ago. Their website still shows the fan in a circular grille mounted at the back, but mine doesn’t look like that. The fan is concealed behind 4 narrow vertical slots, I can just see it inside. I have not heard it run yet.

**sgosnell** · 05-21-2019, 08:47 AM

I got mine from Guitar Center. I doubt they have any first generation models left. If you do order one and you don't like it, just return it, get a full refund, and try again.

**jzucker** · 05-22-2019, 06:09 AM

i have the GH250 which is the 250w (150 into 8) version but with a 2nd overdrive channel. I don't like the overdrive but the clean channel is nice. Way too much bass though. When I play loud and with an open back cabinet i have the bass on zero. Too bad there's not a -3db pad. It's also got way too much high end.

Overall, I like the tone of the quilter OD200 better but it's nice having reverb built into the head. It's more tube like but the treble control on the DV Mark is a little closer to a fender in terms of being able to turn on or off the "benson" brightness.

I'm on the fence about whether to keep it. Used it at a couple rehearsals with a trio I'm playing with and had it up about 1/4 way which I'm guessing is around the 40w mark assuming the controls are linear so perhaps the 50w would work in its place...

**sgosnell** · 05-22-2019, 08:44 AM

The Little Jazz is a combo, not a head, although it can be used as a head if one wants.

**jzucker** · 05-22-2019, 09:33 AM

Originally Posted by sgosnell

The Little Jazz is a combo, not a head, although it can be used as a head if one wants.

Talking about this, same amp :

DV Mark Little Jazz-12674156_800-jpg

**sgosnell** · 05-22-2019, 07:22 PM

That's not the amp the thread is about. The Little Jazz is a combo. AFAIK the amplifier sections are the same, but they won't sound the same because the speaker and cabinet will be different. I get no Fender sounds from the Little Jazz, which is why I kept it. The Quilter 101 heads do sound like a Fender, which is why I sold them.