DV Mark Little Jazz

**pingu** · 05-23-2019, 08:01 AM

Originally Posted by jzucker

Talking about this, same amp :

Have you tried one yet Jack ?

Even tho this thread is called Little Jazz ....
i still find comparisons with other amps/speakers/combos informative ....

**jzucker** · 05-23-2019, 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by pingu

Have you tried one yet Jack ?

Even tho this thread is called Little Jazz ....
i still find comparisons with other amps/speakers/combos informative ....

if you're talking about the 250w version, yes. i have a GH250 which is the same preamp and poweramp design as the jazz 50 watt head with the addition of a 2nd channel (which I do not use or like,lol)

I like the amp. I think the basic sound of the quilter is better and i think the dv has too much bottom end. With the DV, I keep the bass on zero but with a semi or archtop I have to either use an EQ pedal or put the amp up on a chair. Otherwise, it gets boomy and/or feedsback with the archtop. The treble control is placed nicely. I can get a bensony treble tone if I want it (which isn't too often TBH but it's nice and I can't get that with the quilter).

BUT, like I said, the fundamental tone is better with the quilter. It sounds warmer and more analog-like with a tube-like "lilt" to the sound that is very pleasing to me.

**Bflat233** · 05-25-2019, 05:34 PM

I have been looking for a lightweight, relatively inexpensive amp to take with me on the road this summer. I was really lucky when a local guitar player decided to sell his jazz gear - a DV Mark Little Jazz and an Epiphone 175 Premium. I passed on the Epi (played exceptionally well but I am out of storage space ...) but snapped up his LJ. I've been playing it for a month or more. The tone is really good. Haven't tested outside my studio yet but I hope to do that soon.

The LJ joins my Quilter MP-8 and the Roland Cube 60 - both inspired by reviews I've read on the forum over the years. The Quilter is the perfect jazz amp for the tone I'm striving for so I was pleasantly surprised to see how well the Little Jazz stands up to the A/B tests.

The Cube doesn't get much use for jazz since I got the Quilter. I use it to amplify my TRIO+ or when I feel like playing surf or rock guitar and need the COSM effects.

Attachment 62534

**guavajelly** · 06-07-2019, 12:18 PM

I'm looking for a smallish solid state amp for rehearsals and small gigs and the Little Jazz seems like a nice option. But I had a bad experience with a tube amp from that company which needed repairs like every other month until eventually I gave up on it and told them to trash it.

So here's a call to you that own the little jazz – is it solid and reliable?

**gitrman** · 06-07-2019, 12:50 PM

I've had my Little Jazz for about a year and a half and love it. It gets lots of use with weekly rehearsals with 2 big bands, jammin', and occasional gigs. Love the sound and it only weighs 15 pounds. I like it so much, I bought a Jazz 12 just to keep it company. Never had any problem with either one!

**Gitterbug** · 06-07-2019, 01:25 PM

Some three years ago I visited a music shop. We hooked an external speaker to a 1st gen. Little Jazz. The result: a loud bang and lots of blue smoke. Apparently faulty wiring and a 230V short. Luckily, mine never died, let alone that dramatically.

**rpjazzguitar** · 06-07-2019, 01:43 PM

Got mine in January 2019 and use it regularly. No problems.

**DonEsteban** · 06-07-2019, 01:45 PM

Mine is used every day for hours .. no probs at all (secretly touching wood under the desk ...

)

**jzucker** · 06-07-2019, 02:38 PM

i've got the GH250 head. Never had any problems but have not been impressed with their support. It takes 3-4 days to hear back from them and they don't answer every email. I hope I never have an issue.

OTOH, quilter is EXTREMLY responsive. I hope they make a 200w head with reverb at some point.

**sgosnell** · 06-07-2019, 03:08 PM

I've had mine for about two years, use it almost every day, and all I can say is that when I turn it on, it works. I've had no issues at all with it. I've connected external cabinets many times, never a problem.

**rpjazzguitar** · 06-08-2019, 07:32 PM

If you have two amps of equivalent power, but one allows for a larger input signal without distortion ... does that make it the equivalent of a more powerful amp? Or does that even happen?

My impression is that Little Jazz doesn't seem to mind some amplification from the pedalboard in front of it. But, maybe it's my imagination.

**Alder Statesman** · 06-08-2019, 08:44 PM

My first one failed after three weeks, but the replacement has been flawless after a year and a half,f regular use.

**jzucker** · 06-08-2019, 09:18 PM

Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar

If you have two amps of equivalent power, but one allows for a larger input signal without distortion ... does that make it the equivalent of a more powerful amp? Or does that even happen?

No, It just means that the preamp has less gain.

My impression is that Little Jazz doesn't seem to mind some amplification from the pedalboard in front of it. But, maybe it's my imagination.

I haven't found the GH250 to have appreciable input headroom in the same way as say an acoustic image amp. It reactions more like a tube amp I think. It actually sounds good with a boost or overdrive pedal in front of it.

**Alter** · 06-11-2019, 04:14 AM

I don't believe Dv Mark has much experience in the field of tube amps, but for solid state they've been a name in the bass industry for ever. The only negative thing I've heard about their SS amps is fan noise, and I believe it has been addressed on current models.

**Paulie2** · 06-11-2019, 02:23 PM

Mine died one month in, but I bought it used so who knows what happened before I had it

**DanielleOM** · 07-19-2019, 09:37 AM

After ordering a Little Jazz amp, I looked back at this thread, and noticed the comment regarding the input gain and external pedal.

I was wondering if that is a common issue that people run into. I bought this thinking it would be a quick grab and go, easy to set up amp. Need for an external pedal to bring up the signal at the input would complicate a quick setup, and add cost.

**sgosnell** · 07-19-2019, 10:13 AM

I don't need an external pedal for mine. I do sometimes use a JR Barnyard pedal to get a vintage sound, and sometimes an external reverb pedal, just because it's there at home, but when I take it out it's mostly just the amp. And it's what I take out, because it's easy to carry and sounds about as good as the others I have. I'm not sure which comment you're referring to, but the input level seems very normal to me. It does take pedals well, but they're not necessary. YMMV, but I just turn it on, plug it in, set the tone controls flat, and play. Sometimes I lower the treble, maybe the bass, just a touch, occasionally increase the mid a little, but seldom more than a few degrees. I've played very loud blues jams with the volume barely above halfway. I think you'll like the Little Jazz.

**DanielleOM** · 07-19-2019, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by sgosnell

I don't need an external pedal for mine. I do sometimes use a JR Barnyard pedal to get a vintage sound, and sometimes an external reverb pedal, just because it's there at home, but when I take it out it's mostly just the amp. And it's what I take out, because it's easy to carry and sounds about as good as the others I have. I'm not sure which comment you're referring to, but the input level seems very normal to me. It does take pedals well, but they're not necessary. YMMV, but I just turn it on, plug it in, set the tone controls flat, and play. Sometimes I lower the treble, maybe the bass, just a touch, occasionally increase the mid a little, but seldom more than a few degrees. I've played very loud blues jams with the volume barely above halfway. I think you'll like the Little Jazz.

I was referencing the original post in this thread, 4th paragraph:

"My initial impression, playing alone in the practice room is that it is not a particularly loud amp, with a Roland 40x that I often use seeming significantly louder (that one has a bigger speaker, but probably similar wattage). When I cranked the Master to 3 o'clock, I didn't care for the sound on chords. It seemed distorted to me. But, when I cranked the output of my ME80 up to the max, the input stage of the Little Jazz didn't seem to mind and I got a louder, but still clean, sound. The amp bothered me less on lead lines, where I don't mind a little bit of distortion that much."

**sgosnell** · 07-19-2019, 11:01 AM

I think what he's referring to is that the Little Jazz will accept hotter input signals well, without much if any distortion. It sounds good with the JR Barnyard in boost mode. But it doesn't need a hotter signal, it just deals with it very well if it's there.

**coolvinny** · 07-19-2019, 11:57 AM

I've been underwhelmed the few times I've been at shows and pros have been using the Little Jazz. I don't think it has the headroom for a professional jazz performance with a drummer using sticks - yes it will sound OK most of the time, but it will reveal its limitations at other times too and I find that unprofessional.

**DanielleOM** · 07-19-2019, 12:13 PM

Originally Posted by coolvinny

I've been underwhelmed the few times I've been at shows and pros have been using the Little Jazz. I don't think it has the headroom for a professional jazz performance with a drummer using sticks - yes it will sound OK most of the time, but it will reveal its limitations at other times too and I find that unprofessional.

I am usually playing duo with a bass player with no drummer. For the situation you describe, do you think any of the other small popular amps would be any better? (e.g. Henriksen Bud, AER Compact 60, Quilter MicroPro 8" combo)

**sgosnell** · 07-19-2019, 12:48 PM

If you play in situations where the Little Jazz isn't loud enough, I don't want to be there. Not in the band, not in the audience, even in the back. That's too loud to be comfortable for listening.

**coolvinny** · 07-19-2019, 01:52 PM

Everybody's got their preferences. The two times I've been underwhelmed was when it was a guitar-led trio or quartet (different guitarists). I'm telling you, the amp was farting out at times at higher volumes/intensity and it was unprofessional to say the least. I think the price is right - just be aware of its limitations.

**Jim Soloway** · 07-19-2019, 04:32 PM

A thought about the headroom on the Little Jazz ... I own both a Little Jazz and an DV Mark Micro 50 head powering a Buscarino Chameleon cabinet. My understanding is that the amp sections are identical. I just did a volume comparison of the two rigs. With as close as I could get to identical amp settings, using the same guitar with the exactly same settings, my head/cab rig is much louder and has much ore headroom than my LJ combo. So if the Little Jazz is farting out at higher volumes, I would suspect that the first culprit would be the speaker. I'm betting that you'd get a lot more headroom out of it with an Eminence Beta 8. On the other hand, I love the sound of the LJ and who knows what changes a beefier speaker would make. Another alternative would be a Jazz 50 head with an RE NY8 cab. That's still a pretty small rig and I think it would probably sound really nice. (My experience with the NY8 is that it sounds really good with almost anything driving it).

**DanielleOM** · 07-24-2019, 03:05 PM

Originally Posted by Jim Soloway

A thought about the headroom on the Little Jazz ... I own both a Little Jazz and an DV Mark Micro 50 head powering a Buscarino Chameleon cabinet. My understanding is that the amp sections are identical. I just did a volume comparison of the two rigs. With as close as I could get to identical amp settings, using the same guitar with the exactly same settings, my head/cab rig is much louder and has much ore headroom than my LJ combo. So if the Little Jazz is farting out at higher volumes, I would suspect that the first culprit would be the speaker. I'm betting that you'd get a lot more headroom out of it with an Eminence Beta 8. On the other hand, I love the sound of the LJ and who knows what changes a beefier speaker would make. Another alternative would be a Jazz 50 head with an RE NY8 cab. That's still a pretty small rig and I think it would probably sound really nice. (My experience with the NY8 is that it sounds really good with almost anything driving it).

The "Little Jazz" arrived and initially I am quite pleased with it. At the volumes, I was able to tolerate at home, I like the tone without having to do a lot of adjusting. Response, attack, sustain seem consistent. I did my initial test with my Eastman AR503CE (Benedetto A6 pickup). I see why everyone complains about the blue pilot light on top. It's certainly bright. Were you thinking the Eminence Beta 8, would fit inside the Little Jazz combo cabinet? I am thinking I will have to get the Little Jazz out to the small bar setting to be really sure that it will work for me.

I might consider separate amp and cab at a later date. For the open mic setting, I really need a combo that I can carry to the stage area in one hand. The Little Jazz should be a little lighter than the Boss Katana 50 I have been using. The Katana 50 has been working for me, however I find the sound I like can be elusive at times. I find on the Katana I have to be very careful with the gain, master, and volume setting to get the sound I like.