Henriksen The Blu Review

**omphalopsychos** · 12-17-2019, 09:26 AM

You all know that the Blu ten isn’t a new design right? I asked Henriksen about it and it’s the same amp as the latest Jazzamp Ten. They simply changed the name to streamline the logic of their lineup. Blu is the name of their single channel solid state amps. Bud is the name of the 2 channel amps. They come in 10 or 6 inch speaker varieties. The Jazzamp Ten has since been “discontinued” except not really because it exists as the Blu 10 going forward.

**Woody Sound** · 12-17-2019, 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by omphalopsychos

You all know that the Blu ten isn’t a new design right? I asked Henriksen about it and it’s the same amp as the latest Jazzamp Ten. They simply changed the name to streamline the logic of their lineup. Blu is the name of their single channel solid state amps. Bud is the name of the 2 channel amps. They come in 10 or 6 inch speaker varieties. The Jazzamp Ten has since been “discontinued” except not really because it exists as the Blu 10 going forward.

And it looks like if you want a 12" combo you have to buy the Forte.

**pingu** · 12-17-2019, 01:44 PM

From their site

"A single channel design with a Bluetooth aux input, The Blu TEN has a 10? speaker and a defeatable tweeter, combo 1/4? input jack with phantom powered mic input, 5-band EQ, reverb, line out, ext. speaker out, headphone out and FX loop. The Ten is 120 watts and is 10? deep by 14? wide by 14? tall and only 20 lbs. It’s similar in size to earlier JazzAmp 10? combos, but a little deeper with a sealed amplifier chamber for better low end response and a cleaner sound."

**omphalopsychos** · 12-17-2019, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by pingu

From their site

"A single channel design with a Bluetooth aux input, The Blu TEN has a 10? speaker and a defeatable tweeter, combo 1/4? input jack with phantom powered mic input, 5-band EQ, reverb, line out, ext. speaker out, headphone out and FX loop. The Ten is 120 watts and is 10? deep by 14? wide by 14? tall and only 20 lbs. It’s similar in size to earlier JazzAmp 10? combos, but a little deeper with a sealed amplifier chamber for better low end response and a cleaner sound."

By “earlier Jazzamp 10” modes they refer to the pre 2018 version. There was a recent version that came out last year. Everything said in that description about the Blu can be said about the Ten that came out in 2018.

Anyway, if you don’t believe me ask Henriksen. I was just providing some info to make sure people knew what this amp was all about. As I said the only diff between this and the 2018 “TEN” is the color of the chassis and the logo.

**Gitterbug** · 12-17-2019, 01:59 PM

My deep-rooted conviction, I think, sort of, is that 10" is the speaker size for what I believe most of us think is jazz guitar.

**Fred98** · 12-17-2019, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by Gitterbug

My deep-rooted conviction, I think, sort of, is that 10" is the speaker size for what I believe most of us think is jazz guitar.

because? if weight and portabillity was out of the equation i think alot of players regardless of age and “ type of jazz” would be quite happy with 2x12”

**Stringswinger** · 12-17-2019, 02:37 PM

Originally Posted by Fred98

because? if weight and portabillity was out of the equation i think alot of players regardless of age and “ type of jazz” would be quite happy with 2x12”

And for many of us, the ideal would be 1X12.

**Stringswinger** · 12-17-2019, 02:41 PM

Originally Posted by omphalopsychos

You all know that the Blu ten isn’t a new design right? I asked Henriksen about it and it’s the same amp as the latest Jazzamp Ten. They simply changed the name to streamline the logic of their lineup. Blu is the name of their single channel solid state amps. Bud is the name of the 2 channel amps. They come in 10 or 6 inch speaker varieties. The Jazzamp Ten has since been “discontinued” except not really because it exists as the Blu 10 going forward.

This makes sense. The new Bud 6 is a second version of the original Bud (using the class D power amp and the bluetooth) and the new Bud 10 is a two channel version of the newer Jazzamp 10.

4 choices of what might be (IMO it is) the best solid state jazz amp made so far.

I think that Henriksen has truly taken the baton from Polytone and run with it.

**Gitpicker** · 12-17-2019, 08:51 PM

Last time I spoke with Sir Bruce Forman he mentioned to me he had gotten the Bud ten and was loving it. To paraphrase, he said basically you have the same sweet tone but with more perceived headroom and it sounds so much more open. The six inch can sound a bit "box-y".

Alternatively, I occasionally connect my Blu 6 to my 8" Raezers Edge cab (or my 10") and the result is just fantastic too.

**Greentone** · 12-18-2019, 11:44 AM

SS nailed it. Henriksen picked up where Polytone left off and developed the design to its logical conclusion in the Bud 6/Blu.

**Tal_175** · 12-18-2019, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by Greentone

SS nailed it. Henriksen picked up where Polytone left off and developed the design to its logical conclusion in the Bud 6/Blu.

Henriksen's sound cleaner than Polytone's to me if you know what I mean. Polytones I played have been a bit more rounder and mushier than Henriksen's which are crisper with more articulation. Not better or worse but different.

**Greentone** · 12-18-2019, 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by Tal_175

Henriksen's sound cleaner than Polytone's to me if you know what I mean. Polytones I played have been a bit more rounder and mushier than Henriksen's which are crisper with more articulation. Not better or worse but different.

True, IMO. This is why I still play Polytones. My next amp, however, will be a Blue 6.

**Tom Karol** · 12-18-2019, 04:52 PM

"A single channel design with a Bluetooth aux input, The Blu TEN has a 10" speaker and a defeatable tweeter, combo 1/4' input jack with phantom powered mic input, 5-band EQ, reverb, line out, ext. speaker out, headphone out and FX loop. The Ten is 120 watts and is 10" deep by 14" wide by 14" tall and only 20 lbs.
It’s similar in size to earlier JazzAmp 10" combos, but a little deeper with a sealed amplifier chamber for better low end response and a cleaner sound."

This is a beneficial change in my opinion!

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 12-18-2019, 06:16 PM

Originally Posted by Fred98

because? if weight and portabillity was out of the equation i think alot of players regardless of age and “ type of jazz” would be quite happy with 2x12”

Imagine showing up with a head and finding two cabinets in the backline, an 8 Ohm 1x12 and an 8 Ohm 2x12, of equal quality. Which would you plug into? Both. of course!

**Mark M.** · 12-18-2019, 09:07 PM

Originally Posted by Gitpicker

Last time I spoke with Sir Bruce Forman he mentioned to me he had gotten the Bud ten and was loving it. To paraphrase, he said basically you have the same sweet tone but with more perceived headroom and it sounds so much more open. The six inch can sound a bit "box-y".

Alternatively, I occasionally connect my Blu 6 to my 8" Raezers Edge cab (or my 10") and the result is just fantastic too.

Yes, that’s my experience when comparing the Blu 10 to the Blu 6.

**rio** · 12-20-2019, 12:45 PM

Sounds like maybe he had an ES-330. The Blu (or Bud in my case) does sound huge. It is always fun to see people’s reactions if they don’t know the amp and just see you bring this tiny thing to small gigs.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

**christianm77** · 12-20-2019, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by gitman

The eq controls on the BLU/BUD models can easily be tweaked towards a mid-heavy Ampeg/Polytone sort of tone but
also in the opposite direction : cutting the lower mids and boosting the highs/presence gives you a more Fender-ish sound. I have no trouble dialing in an airy but warm Ted Greene tone with my Tele or a dark-ish Kenny Burrell type tone with one of archtops. Mind you, these descriptions are subjective and depend on your personal experience/ability and preference. I gig with my Bud often and can attest to it's robust, round, warm and surprisingly room-filling sound.
It beats any Polytone I ever owned (appr. 8 or 9 over the past 20 years) , works like a charm with effects in front or in the loop and the line-out signal is absolutely useable , both for recording (I use this signal for adding subtle fx in the mix) and on stage , a BIG plus.
A friend owns a '66 Blackface Deluxe Reverb which has a beautiful sound at moderate volume level but I can't get it to stay clean when playing with my bands. It breaks up/farts out too early. Dirty sounds are great but that's not what I want from an amp for my jazz gigs ! He paid twice the price of my BUD, had to have it serviced and now he's afraid to take it to out gigs for fear it might get damaged ....
The only guitar that sounds "better" played through a bigger amp/speaker is my Super-400 : it puts out a lot of bass (which i love and take advantage of when playing with in my organ trio) so it needs a bigger cab. When using a ported 12" extension speaker with the BUD that issue is taken care of. In short : a REALY universal piece of gear, extremely player-friendly re size/weight and in my opinion there's no real contester out there.

Has he tried a different speaker in the DR? Or is that sacrilege?

**AlsoRan** · 12-20-2019, 12:45 PM

Is this the amp being discussed here? Made by a fellow named Blug?

**Chazmo** · 12-20-2019, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by AlsoRan

So are you guys saying he BLU and BUD amps sound big without sounding "boxy."

Yes, I think I can say that. I'm quite surprised how good it sounds given the small speaker and cabinet. My AI Corus sounds bigger, because, well, it is...but the Bud sounds great in it's own way.

The Bud sounds good with the EQ basically flat, but I can get a somewhat Polytone-like sound, just to use as a reference, by boosting the high and low mids and cutting the high and presence just a bit. I use these settings for my archtops. Boosting the lows, high, and presence and cutting the mids a little sounds great with my flattops. None of the EQ cuts or boosts are drastic, however. I'm talking small adjustments, just to dial it in.

As I mentioned before, I plug a vocal mic into the second channel, so I'm covered for archtops, flattops, and vocals. Nothing my AI Corus doesn't do well in spades, but in a much smaller package. The Bud is not lightweight though, for its size. If I didn't need the second channel, I would definitely check out the Blu.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 12-20-2019, 12:45 PM

The Blu -- 12lbs
Twin Reverb -- 64lbs ('65 TRRI. I know, I could have taken one with JBLs as a sample

)

1/5 the weight! Hah!

**JazzNote** · 12-20-2019, 12:45 PM

So the Blu is a lighter (one channel) version of the Bud. Anyone played both? How do they compare soundwise?

The reason why i ask ist because for several years i played AER Compact 60s and also had a Compact Mobile which is a 60 plus built in battery packs. The Mobile sounds better than the Compact 60's which i believe is because of the extra weight added by the battery packs.

**AlsoRan** · 12-20-2019, 12:45 PM

So are you guys saying he BLU and BUD amps sound big without sounding "boxy."

**Chazmo** · 12-20-2019, 12:45 PM

Piano, guitar, bass is the format of my trio. The Bud works great. I use the Bud because I sing too and I need the second channel for a mic.

The other guys use Acoustic Image Codas and the Bud keeps up just fine. Not as much bass from the Bud, but still very well balanced.

BTW, I still like my Acoustic Image Corus, but I sling the Bud bag over my shoulder more often than not these days. We did an outdoor gig recently where I needed more oomph (highly technical term), but we had a PA and I just plugged the Bud into the PA from the direct out.

**Chazmo** · 12-20-2019, 12:45 PM

My Bud is quickly becoming my go to amp. Everyone is blown away when I walk in with that little bag over my shoulder. It's not just a small amp though. I played it at a gig last night and got perhaps the best sound I've ever gotten with my ES-175 just plugged straight in.

**JazzNote** · 12-20-2019, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by Boston Joe

Long story short, it sounded great, but what I didn't expect was, it sounded HUGE. If I didn't know better, I would have thought I was hearing a decent sized cabinet. The venue was a smallish restaurant, and I had the BLU up on a plastic chair.
Anyway, still very happy with the purchase, and doubly happy that I now have a rig that I can move in one trip.

Joe, thanks for the info. Could you be a bit more specific with the description of the sound? Are there any other "known" amp or amp/speaker combinations which one could compare it to?