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Hello
I’m in the market for a new tube amp. Want to maximize clean head room but keep weight as low as possible. Looking at 35 to 40 W amps that are around 35 pounds. These are two that I found. Any input about which would be better for jazz? Can anyone compare the two? Thanks
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03-15-2019 04:22 PM
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I can't compare on the Vintage Sound, but I built an Accomplice (not Junior) from a kit in 2007 and I have kept that amp in my fleet since then. I ordered mine with an Eminence Legend 15" cabinet, and I had completed the chassis build in the time period it took David Allen to have the cab built and shipped up here to Canada. Although the specs allow for 6L6's, I have always ran 6V6's in it for the classic Deluxe reverb set up. I really enjoy that amp, and other pro's who have borrowed it for gigs and sessions have had the same opinion. I do not know how much it weighs, guessing just over 40 lbs.
I have a wealth of amplifiers, and also really enjoy my Heritage Kenny Burrell Freedom combo, a clean jazz 6L6 set up with an Eminence Canis Major alnico 12". Another favourite is the classic Acoustic Image Clarus II with a Rich Raezer extended range 10" cab, which really suits my custom 18" Super 400 type guitar with a Bennedetto A6 floater PU. The AI does not do electric as well as the tube combos, but it is light and more portable.
Raul Malo from the Mavericks really likes his Vintage Sound amp.
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Yes I had a Kenny Burrell Freedom amp that I regret selling. 40W 2 6L6 and under 40 lbs seemed to be just right for jazz gigging. I have a Deluxe Reverb RI and recently did a loud gig and wished I had more clean headroom. I've read on other forums that some people find the Allen Accomplice has just a little "hair" on the notes and isn't totally clean even at low volumes. Do you find this to be true?
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the allen is not a fender clone. He made some "improvements" which IMO are not improvements. I like the real fender circuit better.
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Jack, what don't you like about the Allen?
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The changes he makes take it away from the velvety fender sound that I love. I once modified an allen to make it the same circuit as a BF fender and once you do that it's cool. There's a thread on TGP about it. Also, the raw control is useless IMO unless you're playing roots rock and have an EQ pedal
Originally Posted by Robertito
Allen Blackface Mods - condensation thread | The Gear Page
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Thank you for the link!
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I have sort of a prototype of the VSA Jazz 20 that I got through Sound Island Music. Here’s a link to a VSA Jazz 20 thread:
I’ve opened mine up and it seems to be all high quality parts and construction. Here’s a detailed description of the Jazz 35 if you haven’t seen it: Originally Posted by DMgolf66
Vintage Sound Jazz 35 1x12 Combo - Black - Silver | Reverb
The Jazz 20 is a Princeton Reverb preamp and phase inverted with a Deluxe power amp, with a much improved reverb, a presence control, revoiced tone controls (darker), no tremolo, and 12 inch speaker in a princeton style cabinet. The Jazz 35 seems to be much the same except with a Vibrolux-style PI and output stage. The Jazz 20 is plenty loud for me, but I avoid loud bands these days. The Jazz 35 might be a good choice if one needed more power than a Deluxe Reverb, but less than a Twin Reverb.
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Thanks for all your replies. Yes I’m leaning toward getting a vintage sound jazz 35. Also was considering the carr rambler, which I will try out at a store nearby soon. Anyone want to chime in about how the carr rambler compares to the vintage sound amps? Clean headroom in the Rambler?
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"40 watt'ish, blackface and tweed in one amp" seems to be a popular category. You might be interested in also checking out Mesa California tweed and Victory V40 amps.
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These look like cool amps but they are 49 pounds each. Wanted under 40 pounds, preferably mid 30s with a neo speaker. Vintage sound jazz 35 is listed at 36 lbs, rambler is 40. Originally Posted by Tal_175
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George Alessandro hardwires Fender Reissues on a turret board with discrete components. You may want to find what he has got for sale.
Dr Z Z-Lux should also be on your list if you like the tone of 6v6s with a touch more power. Edit: sorry, the price has gone up sharply since I checked it out the last time.
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I had the accomplice jr for awhile. It was better with 6v6s. A good amp, but not nearly as good (to me) as the Encore.
On the worth of Allen's "improvements" ... a chacon son gout. The Encore is BFVR like in some ways (I believe the VR was David's inspiration here), but at least for my needs, more versatile. Roll off some MV and add just a touch of the Raw knob to soften and thicken the sound for lower volumes. Raw off, MV up, a rather different amp. Not quite as scooped as the fender. Feels and sounds like a little less B+ voltage than the VR also.
Even as a 1x12, the Encore would be too heavy to consider, given the OP's requirements.
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I'm bumping this thread, because I'm looking into the Accomplice locally, but it's got 6L6s
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Just to give an update on my search. I ended up buying a used tone king meteor ii. 40w 1x12, I put in a lil Texas speaker to bring the weight to a manageable 44lbs. Sounds amazing, big sound and very versatile. Cabinet is a little bigger than a deluxe reverb.
I also bought an Evans Re200 for smaller gigs or for when I want a lighter and smaller amp (26 lbs). Great clarity and detail in that amp, and very versatile. I tested the AE200 touring amp and Scot was great to work with. Doesn’t sound as big as the Tone King due to the smaller cabinet but it’s a trade off with the weight/portability. the bigger the cab the bigger the sound. Sounds great with a telecaster too, and I can go line out to a PA system if needed.
I tried a used quilter aviator 1x12 in guitar center also and it sounded nice but wasn’t amazing. I compared it to a cheap blues deluxe tube amp and I liked the blues deluxe more. I also have to say that my fender drri that I sold to fund this does sound really great, but just didn’t have the clean headroom for certain gigs. The Evans and Tone king have a lot of clean headroom.
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Both great choices -- congrats!
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The speaker sensitivity can easily override the power if your goal is clean headroom with good loudness: a low sensitivity speaker on a 100+ W amp (e.g ZT Lunchbox) can produce less volume than a 15 W amp that has an Eminence Wizard (102.8 dB). Originally Posted by Soulero
By this logic, the VS Jazz 35 has a 99.54 dB sensitivity Warehouse G12C/S will not sound that much louder than a Carr Rambler (28 W) which has an Eminence Elsinore in it. If you find an older Carr Rambler with an Eminence Wizard in it, it would easily compensate for the 7 W difference in power.
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Yes. Originally Posted by medblues
6dB = twice as loud
200% power = 3dB in increased volume
400% power = 6dB in increased volume
35W / 28W = 125% power = no meaningful difference in volume
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While it’s true that you won’t notice much of a difference between 35W and 28W when playing alone in a fairly quiet room, I think the difference may become much more noticeable if you are playing in an ensemble or if there is background noise (e.g., in a club). Originally Posted by Sam Sherry
Our auditory system compresses to allow us to hear anything from a mosquito to a thunderclap. Competing sounds activate that compression so if you are even slightly below competing sounds they can drown you out. For example, when I’m playing alone I can set my volume to a wide range of values and be just as happy (due to the compression in my auditory system), but when I’m in a band there’s a much more narrow range of volume settings that put me in the right balance with the other instruments. If I need 35W to be in balance, 28W might not cut it—or I may end up driving the amp into distortion to get there.
I had an example of this phenomenon yesterday. I plugged an extension speaker into a combo amp. Both speakers were 8ohms in open back cabinets, but one speaker had a sensitivity spec about 3 dB higher than the other. When playing through one speaker at a time they were perceived as about the same loudness, but playing through both side by side, it seemed like all the sound was coming from the more sensitive speaker. We both thought the other had become disconnected. We could only tell both speakers were active when we moved the more sensitive one into the next room. So 3dB does make a big difference when it’s relative to competing sounds.Last edited by KirkP; 07-10-2019 at 09:09 PM.
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