DV Mark Micro 50 II/Quilter 101 reverb - My evaluation of the two popular micro heads

[tonyb300]

I just wanted to share with you my findings after doing a little hands-on research of these two very popular 50 W solid-state guitar amp heads. I realize that there have been other threads on this subject but I just wanted to give my thoughts on the two because I recently tested them both side-by-side with the same guitar.

Quilter 101 reverb

Pros:
-simple easy control layout
-very good (clean to slight dirty) tone
-reverb (although not variable) is actually pretty nice in moderation.
-light as a feather
-control knobs extremely visible (a blessing at dimly lit venues)
-looks pretty cool (LOL)

Cons:
-Treble control knob does not vary the tone much
-Pushing the gain for a rock or fusion lead sound stinks (but most solid-state overdrive stinks anyway)
-Limiter is almost useless
-effects loop jacks are in the front which seems odd
-no XLR output
-single channel format makes it a one trick pony

I was able to dial up some decent jazz tones with this little box and I'm surprised that some reviewers called this piece somewhat nasal in its tone. That was not my experience as I was able to pump up the bottom and mids with the EQ settings and pushing it with a little gain. I think that's one of the strengths of this unit is having a gain control in the clean setting to give single note lines some fullness and power to cut through the mix if you're performing in a combo with drums and bass. The 50 W seems able to play small and medium venues with the power it has unless you want to go all fusion shredder with the thing, for small jazz settings should be well enough power. The lack of treble control and single channel format were the main deficiencies that stood out for me, but although I feel it's slightly overpriced for what it is, I still think it's a decent unit.

DV Mark Micro 50 II

Pros:
-two channels
-very loud
-chassis seems very sturdy
-low-priced (GC had it on a sale I missed out on for $169.00?!!)
-reverb is decent

Cons:
-clean channel does not have gain control (a dealbreaker for me)
-lead channel does not have mid EQ (another deal breaker)
-lead tone stinks (again, solid-state overdrive is always meh)
-control layout looks cool but not easily readable
-no XLR
-front panel LED lights are super irritating

The overall build of this unit seems a bit more sturdy than the quilter so if you're looking for a workhorse for playing out all the time this may be the better of the two for you, but the lack of gain control in the clean channel and the lack of mid-EQ in the lead channel stopped me dead in my tracks. I like to push the gain a little for single note lines, not crunchy like fusion but a slight break up to give it some edge and power to cut through the mix. I had hoped to be able to use it with the clean channel for crisp chords and use the lead channel with the gain pushed slightly for single note lines, but the lead channel gain was too raspy even at low increments. Most irritating of all the stupid lights on the front of the thing, they are piercing.

Of the two I lean towards the quilter but I still haven't decided at this point if they are worth what they are asking for. I have noticed in other threads on this subject people mention alternatives from GK and Acoustic Image but they are all much more wattage than these two 50 W units and three times the price, are there any other 50w mini solid state heads suitable for jazz that I may be unaware of? I think this may be nitch that other mfgs are going to look at closely in the future.

I hope this helps anyone considering one of these items yet I do encourage you to try them out in person.

[oriv]

I just got the micro 50 jazz last week, it's super nice. I also have a clarus and an old henriksen head, I think the henriksen is the one I like most, it's richer and warmer than the micro, have this fullness to the notes. I do like having the varity though.

[deacon Mark]

Is this amp head 4 ohms or 8? Is there a switch as seems it list both.

[sgosnell]

The Gallien-Krueger MB200 has higher wattage rating, but not a higher price. I got mine from GC for well under $300. It has two mid controls. Only one channel, no gain control. I don't need, nor want, a gain control. I don't want any breakup. I want to be able to turn an amp up to 12 and have it stay completely clean. I realize that's not everyone's preference, though. I've owned two Quilter heads (the original 101 and the reverb model) and the DV Mark Micro50. The Quilter is a rock amp, pure and simple, and tried to sound like a Fender. I sold both as quickly as I could, not at all what I want in an amp. I sold the Micro50 because I also have a Little Jazz combo, and the head was redundant. I have an original Clarus Series 1, and that's what I use most of the time. Crank it all you want, and the only thing that might distort is the speaker. It's not a micro head, and it's heavy, but it's a great amp. The GK MB200 is a great micro head, very light and portable, but it's a little brighter than the Clarus, probably what I would call more transparent. It might be what you're looking for. They seem to be pretty common at Guitar Centers, in use as floor model demos at many I've visited, so it's easy enough to try before you buy. They're sold as bass amps, so GC employees don't seem to be able to understand that they can be used to amplify guitars, but if you're insistent you can try guitars through them.

[tonyb300]

Is this amp head 4 ohms or 8? Is there a switch as seems it list both.

Separate out jacks.

[tonyb300]

I just got the micro 50 jazz last week, it's super nice. I also have a clarus and an old henriksen head, I think the henriksen is the one I like most, it's richer and warmer than the micro, have this fullness to the notes. I do like having the varity though.

I've liked every Henriksen I played thru, just never wanted one of those combos, they're really nice full sounding though. The head is discontinued and I rarely buy used electronics. Guitars maybe, but amps & effects I try to buy new.

[tonyb300]

The Gallien-Krueger MB200 has higher wattage rating, but not a higher price. I got mine from GC for well under $300. It has two mid controls. Only one channel, no gain control. I don't need, nor want, a gain control. I don't want any breakup. I want to be able to turn an amp up to 12 and have it stay completely clean. I realize that's not everyone's preference, though. I've owned two Quilter heads (the original 101 and the reverb model) and the DV Mark Micro50. The Quilter is a rock amp, pure and simple, and tried to sound like a Fender. I sold both as quickly as I could, not at all what I want in an amp. I sold the Micro50 because I also have a Little Jazz combo, and the head was redundant. I have an original Clarus Series 1, and that's what I use most of the time. Crank it all you want, and the only thing that might distort is the speaker. It's not a micro head, and it's heavy, but it's a great amp. The GK MB200 is a great micro head, very light and portable, but it's a little brighter than the Clarus, probably what I would call more transparent. It might be what you're looking for. They seem to be pretty common at Guitar Centers, in use as floor model demos at many I've visited, so it's easy enough to try before you buy. They're sold as bass amps, so GC employees don't seem to be able to understand that they can be used to amplify guitars, but if you're insistent you can try guitars through them.

Without gain control the GK just won't be an option for me. I'm different from you in that respect, overly crisp jazz tone I can't gel with, that's why I'm not a fan of the DV Mark Jazz head. The Clarus looks like a nice item although too much power and price for me, still will probably check one out if I find one locally.

One thing though, you're way off on the Quilter being a rock amp, it's far from it. I just sold a Mesa, that's a "rock" amp. The 101R is just a solid state amp that acts like, and tries to emulate an old Fender Princeton or something like that.

[lawson-stone]

I just wanted to share with you my findings after doing a little hands-on research of these two very popular 50 W solid-state guitar amp heads. I realize that there have been other threads on this subject but I just wanted to give my thoughts on the two because I recently tested them both side-by-side with the same guitar.

Quilter 101 reverb

Pros:
-simple easy control layout
-very good (clean to slight dirty) tone
-reverb (although not variable) is actually pretty nice in moderation.
-light as a feather
-control knobs extremely visible (a blessing at dimly lit venues)
-looks pretty cool (LOL)

Cons:
-Treble control knob does not vary the tone much
-Pushing the gain for a rock or fusion lead sound stinks (but most solid-state overdrive stinks anyway)
-Limiter is almost useless
-effects loop jacks are in the front which seems odd
-no XLR output
-single channel format makes it a one trick pony

I was able to dial up some decent jazz tones with this little box and I'm surprised that some reviewers called this piece somewhat nasal in its tone. That was not my experience as I was able to pump up the bottom and mids with the EQ settings and pushing it with a little gain. I think that's one of the strengths of this unit is having a gain control in the clean setting to give single note lines some fullness and power to cut through the mix if you're performing in a combo with drums and bass. The 50 W seems able to play small and medium venues with the power it has unless you want to go all fusion shredder with the thing, for small jazz settings should be well enough power. The lack of treble control and single channel format were the main deficiencies that stood out for me, but although I feel it's slightly overpriced for what it is, I still think it's a decent unit.

DV Mark Micro 50 II

Pros:
-two channels
-very loud
-chassis seems very sturdy
-low-priced (GC had it on a sale I missed out on for $169.00?!!)
-reverb is decent

Cons:
-clean channel does not have gain control (a dealbreaker for me)
-lead channel does not have mid EQ (another deal breaker)
-lead tone stinks (again, solid-state overdrive is always meh)
-control layout looks cool but not easily readable
-no XLR
-front panel LED lights are super irritating

The overall build of this unit seems a bit more sturdy than the quilter so if you're looking for a workhorse for playing out all the time this may be the better of the two for you, but the lack of gain control in the clean channel and the lack of mid-EQ in the lead channel stopped me dead in my tracks. I like to push the gain a little for single note lines, not crunchy like fusion but a slight break up to give it some edge and power to cut through the mix. I had hoped to be able to use it with the clean channel for crisp chords and use the lead channel with the gain pushed slightly for single note lines, but the lead channel gain was too raspy even at low increments. Most irritating of all the stupid lights on the front of the thing, they are piercing.

Of the two I lean towards the quilter but I still haven't decided at this point if they are worth what they are asking for. I have noticed in other threads on this subject people mention alternatives from GK and Acoustic Image but they are all much more wattage than these two 50 W units and three times the price, are there any other 50w mini solid state heads suitable for jazz that I may be unaware of? I think this may be nitch that other mfgs are going to look at closely in the future.

I hope this helps anyone considering one of these items yet I do encourage you to try them out in person.

Note even when using the lead channel your 3 bands of EQ on the clean channel still function.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[tonyb300]

Note even when using the lead channel your 3 bands of EQ on the clean channel still function.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Interesting, I hadn't noticed that, I was just fiddling around with the upper black knobs. At any rate, I wasn't truly happy with the sound of that channel but if it was still on sale at $169 I might have been tempted.

[lawson-stone]

Interesting, I hadn't noticed that, I was just fiddling around with the upper black knobs. At any rate, I wasn't truly happy with the sound of that channel but if it was still on sale at $169 I might have been tempted.

Yes it actually made me a bit more interested int he lead channel when I discovered that additional control. I don't know if it's intentional, by design, or not.

I have used the Quilter 101 and the DVMark Micro50 I and II, and find the DVMark has the better range of tone and performance for my needs. Also, the Quilter lacks an auxiliary input and has a peculiar type of effects loop in which if you plug something into one part of the loop, say, the return, the normal input is cut off. Some amps allow you to use the effects return as an auxiliary input, but the Quilter doesn't. The Quilter is a fine product, but I did not find it versatile enough for my interests.

[tonyb300]

The Quilter is a fine product, but I did not find it versatile enough for my interests.

That's kinda what I came up with too.

[Stringswinger]

Without gain control the GK just won't be an option for me. I'm different from you in that respect, overly crisp jazz tone I can't gel with, that's why I'm not a fan of the DV Mark Jazz head. The Clarus looks like a nice item although too much power and price for me, still will probably check one out if I find one locally.

One thing though, you're way off on the Quilter being a rock amp, it's far from it. I just sold a Mesa, that's a "rock" amp. The 101R is just a solid state amp that acts like, and tries to emulate an old Fender Princeton or something like that.

I used a Mesa Mark 4 (with the EV Black shadow speaker) for jazz gigs for several years. It sounded great.

I demoed a few archtops at Gryphon music in Palo Alto, CA one day and asked for a "jazz amp". They gave me a Quilter combo of some sort (I did not pay a lot of attention to the model number). It took a lot of EQ adjustment for me to get an acceptable jazz tone out of it. I like the Polytone/Acoustic Image/Henriksen solid state sound (warm and fat). For a "jazz" amp, the Quilter was very underwhelming to me. I would choose a Mesa with 6L6 tubes for jazz with no hesitation (I also owned a Mesa Subway Blues with EL-84 tubes and the Celestion ten inch speaker. That was a rock/blues amp to my ears. I could not dial in a jazz tone I liked, though in retrospect, with a speaker swap, I might have made that work OK as a "jazz" amp).

[tonyb300]

I used a Mesa Mark 4 (with the EV Black shadow speaker) for jazz gigs for several years. It sounded great.
I would choose a Mesa with 6L6 tubes for jazz with no hesitation (

I'm actually a former rock guy that has owned Mesa's and others but they were high powered and unless it's a smaller amp with one speaker like a Mark 4 (I owned one in the 80's) you can't get a decent tone. I have a recto and it's just too powerful and loud when you try to push the gain a little, I found it rather sterile sounding when played at lower volumes.

[Stringswinger]

I'm actually a former rock guy that has owned Mesa's and others but they were high powered and unless it's a smaller amp with one speaker like a Mark 4 (I owned one in the 80's) you can't get a decent tone. I have a recto and it's just too powerful and loud when you try to push the gain a little, I found it rather sterile sounding when played at lower volumes.

The Mark 4 was launched in 1990. Perhaps you had an earlier Mesa Mark combo in the 80's?

[tonyb300]

The Mark 4 was launched in 1990. Perhaps you had an earlier Mesa Mark combo in the 80's?

Well, I was off more on the timeframe than the model, bought it first year it was out, forgot what I paid but I know it was too much, cried when I sold it.