Polytone amp vs Henriksen amp

[Greco]

1100$ for a new 6” speaker henriksen is out of market.
There are better solid state at better price today.

I would really like to scratch my Henriksen itch...but the price (especially in Canada) certainly makes the itch less bothersome/significant.

I have a DV mark Little Jazz. I should feel extremely fortunate.

[archtopdream63]

I would really like to scratch my Henriksen itch...but the price (especially in Canada) certainly makes the itch less bothersome/significant.

I have a DV mark Little Jazz. I should feel extremely fortunate.

polytone baby brute was the first... then the copies, dv little jazz and henriksen the bud

[rpjazzguitar]

Having owned one of the earlier Henriksens as well as a new Blu, I have to say the new Class D models now being built (and they are the only solid state models being built at this time), are a huge step forward. Henriksen has entered Acoustic Image/Walter Woods territory with some amazing combos for jazz guitarists that exceed that which has come before. Since they are new, finding a used one or a deal will be tough and yes they are expensive. For us Pro's, who can write them off as a tax expense (I section 179ed mine) and who really can benefit from these amazing amps (which are built using very high quality components), I do not believe anything better exists on the market. For a hobbyist, they may be too expensive.

Polytones are cheap used, but they are all getting old and may need work at any moment. Doing a $250 repair on an amp worth $300 will not feel "smart". And doing gigs with an inherently unreliable amp may not be too smart either, even if they are "almost free" hobbyist gigs. I have an 11 year old Polytone (the last one I bought, near the end of their production) and while I am not very concerned about reliability, my Henriksen Blu goes to many more gigs than does the Polytone. As I wrote in a post above, my Polytone may go away next year to help fund another Henriksen (The Bud 10 is giving me some serious AAS!)

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Marc, Have you compared the Blu to the DV Mark Little Jazz. If so, any thoughts about the differences? I played some vintage D'Angelicos thru the Bud upstairs at Rudy's and some merely mortal guitars at home through the LJ. Both sound good to me, but that's the furthest thing from an A/B comparison.

[Stringswinger]

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Marc, Have you compared the Blu to the DV Mark Little Jazz. If so, any thoughts about the differences? I played some vintage D'Angelicos thru the Bud upstairs at Rudy's and some merely mortal guitars at home through the LJ. Both sound good to me, but that's the furthest thing from an A/B comparison.

Rick, I have not done the comparison. It would be interesting to do a shootout. You should bring your DV Mark over to my home in the City where we can play my vintage D'Angelicos and my L-5's through both amps.

[Greco]

Rick, I have not done the comparison. It would be interesting to do a shootout. You should bring your DV Mark over to my home in the City where we can play my vintage D'Angelicos and my L-5's through both amps.

I hope you fellows actually do this shootout and write up the results in the forum. Could I please request that you include a couple of inexpensive guitars. Thanks in advance.

[patshep]

I realize this sounds stupid, because it's off topic a little, but.....
does it really need to be solid state for you guys? A princeton or deluxe reverb reissue sound so good and you can get them at great prices used
are you guys transporting in difficult places? a princeton should be able to do any jazz gig, it's lightish and sounds amazing.... i love solid state too, but to spend a lot of money on a solid state amp has always been hard for me
also, does anybody even talk about Evans amps anymore??

[Stevieboy]

I realize this sounds stupid, because it's off topic a little, but.....
does it really need to be solid state for you guys? A princeton or deluxe reverb reissue sound so good and you can get them at great prices used
are you guys transporting in difficult places? a princeton should be able to do any jazz gig, it's lightish and sounds amazing.... i love solid state too, but to spend a lot of money on a solid state amp has always been hard for me
also, does anybody even talk about Evans amps anymore??

Duh. Evans IS the answer....

[gitaartom]

Just got the Henriksen Forte head, sounds great! Better than the Blu to me and way better than the Polytone I had.

What speaker/cab do you use with the Forte head? I own the combo version and find the sound a little dark sometimes with the Eminence hemp speaker.

[sunbambino]

Well I use Polytone Minibrute and TeenyBrute but because these amps are getting a little bit long in the tooth I thought I'd try a Henriksen Bud 10. But I don't like it very much, it just has no poke compared to the Polytones, yes it's cleaner (and quieter in terms of background hiss) but the sound doesn't convince me at all, it seems sterile compared to my Polytones, sort of lifeless, anaemic. Mostly I play an L5 but these days I'm trying an Eastman T186MX which is nice.

[JazzNote]

1100$ for a new 6” speaker henriksen is out of market.
There are better solid state at better price today.

can you give info about which amps you are talking about?

[Chris236]

Not a fan of the Henriksen. Have given them a shot a couple times with the Jazzamp 10, both the initial 60w model(nice sound but zero headroom), and recently a late incarceration of the same - still not enough headroom for my purposes but seems to have lost the sweetness of the original. Polytone still a better tool imo.

[Dennis D]

can you give info about which amps you are talking about?

Yes - please and thanks.

[Chris236]

Well I use Polytone Minibrute and TeenyBrute but because these amps are getting a little bit long in the tooth I thought I'd try a Henriksen Bud 10. But I don't like it very much, it just has no poke compared to the Polytones, yes it's cleaner (and quieter in terms of background hiss) but the sound doesn't convince me at all, it seems sterile compared to my Polytones, sort of lifeless, anaemic. Mostly I play an L5 but these days I'm trying an Eastman T186MX which is nice.

if you want a louder, cleaner, lighter, quieter, more refined in general Polytone, MAMBO is the answer.

[gitman]

It always amazes me when I read another player's take on amps and how these interact with their playing and their guitars ... It simply confirms the fact that the perceived quality of tone is utterly subjective- one man's apples are another one's oranges and all the pretty attributes and adjectives we come up with when describing our perception are pretty much useless and obsolete.

Case in point : having owned/played several (maybe 5 or 7) Polytone amps starting in ca. 1982 I think I know them quite well by now, all their strengths and weaknesses. A really good one was a bigger 15" early Taurus model from the 80's but when the speaker gave out I couldn't find a fitting replacement that sounded the same... Fast forward to 2018 when I got my BUD6
as a spare/sub/extra for my EVANS RE200 combo. The BUD quickly became my go-to-amp for all of my gigs where I didn't need maximum volume, the EVANS does the rest. It took me about half a day of twiddling to dial in that amp and get to know the EQ curves , all of my guitars deliver through that amp and I have not looked back, no more Polytone. I don't miss anything, gained a lot of flexibility, my tone gets positive comments from colleagues and listeners all the time and now I even bought a SECOND BUDblue when it popped up at an un-beatable price.
The ONLY tube amp that could ever convince me was a heavily modded late 60's Fender TWIN that weighed a TON and was not for sale. With my style of playing, my particular guitars and my ears
and preferences I can get my tones with the afore mentioned amps , sometimes with extra outboard gear, most often without. So glad that chase is over ....
The one (actively used on gigs) tube amp left in my collection is a rather exotic piece from a guy who worked for Ampeg, it's called a JUKE : a 40 watt 1x12 combo with tube-driven tremolo and a special side-band reverb
that sounds unlike anything I've ever heard in a combo amp. This amp is really good for slightly compressed tones (think classic Larry Carlton clean lead tones) up to the verge of breakup or when I get called for a Blues/Soul gig , paired with my ES-345 or a Tele, that works really well. Getting a decent jazz tone with it is quite impossible since it's either too spiky, too weak or it breaks up much too soon with the strong signal I send from my archtops with the heavier strings, especially when playing 2,3, or 4-note chords during a solo. So a high-headroom solid-state amp is the answer and I'm totally happy with what I've got here. The value in the EVANS and the BUD(s) is high compared to the many over-priced boutique tube amps, most of which are Fender-clones anyway...to the contrary, I think the BUD is absolutely competitively priced and I cannot think of any other amp that has comparable features, wattage, size, weight or tone.
I have no affiliation with the company and I am not an endorsee.

[vintagelove]

It always amazes me when I read another player's take on amps and how these interact with their playing and their guitars ... It simply confirms the fact that the perceived quality of tone is utterly subjective- one man's apples are another one's oranges and all the pretty attributes and adjectives we come up with when describing our perception are pretty much useless and obsolete.

Case in point : having owned/played several (maybe 5 or 7) Polytone amps starting in ca. 1982 I think I know them quite well by now, all their strengths and weaknesses. A really good one was a bigger 15" early Taurus model from the 80's but when the speaker gave out I couldn't find a fitting replacement that sounded the same... Fast forward to 2018 when I got my BUD6
as a spare/sub/extra for my EVANS RE200 combo. The BUD quickly became my go-to-amp for all of my gigs where I didn't need maximum volume, the EVANS does the rest. It took me about half a day of twiddling to dial in that amp and get to know the EQ curves , all of my guitars deliver through that amp and I have not looked back, no more Polytone. I don't miss anything, gained a lot of flexibility, my tone gets positive comments from colleagues and listeners all the time and now I even bought a SECOND BUDblue when it popped up at an un-beatable price.
The ONLY tube amp that could ever convince me was a heavily modded late 60's Fender TWIN that weighed a TON and was not for sale. With my style of playing, my particular guitars and my ears
and preferences I can get my tones with the afore mentioned amps , sometimes with extra outboard gear, most often without. So glad that chase is over ....
The one (actively used on gigs) tube amp left in my collection is a rather exotic piece from a guy who worked for Ampeg, it's called a JUKE : a 40 watt 1x12 combo with tube-driven tremolo and a special side-band reverb
that sounds unlike anything I've ever heard in a combo amp. This amp is really good for slightly compressed tones (think classic Larry Carlton clean lead tones) up to the verge of breakup or when I get called for a Blues/Soul gig , paired with my ES-345 or a Tele, that works really well. Getting a decent jazz tone with it is quite impossible since it's either too spiky, too weak or it breaks up much too soon with the strong signal I send from my archtops with the heavier strings, especially when playing 2,3, or 4-note chords during a solo. So a high-headroom solid-state amp is the answer and I'm totally happy with what I've got here. The value in the EVANS and the BUD(s) is high compared to the many over-priced boutique tube amps, most of which are Fender-clones anyway...to the contrary, I think the BUD is absolutely competitively priced and I cannot think of any other amp that has comparable features, wattage, size, weight or tone.
I have no affiliation with the company and I am not an endorsee.

I like how polytones sound, I mean my Super Reverb sounds better, but a 15" diamond tolex polytone is pure jazz, but....


I think the real appeal is its dynamic response. It's not fast like a modern SS amp. It's forgiving if you dig in a bit (just like an old fender), which is a real blessing playing uptempo jazz. I think that comfortable/familiar feel and portability, combined with a warm sound is what made them popular.


PS, if you've never tried an eq pedal with a polytone, you can get some very fender'y sounds and a ton of volume boost.

[gitman]

I like how polytones sound, I mean my Super Reverb sounds better, but a 15" diamond tolex polytone is pure jazz, but....


I think the real appeal is its dynamic response. It's not fast like a modern SS amp. It's forgiving if you dig in a bit (just like an old fender), which is a real blessing playing uptempo jazz. I think that comfortable/familiar feel and portability, combined with a warm sound is what made them popular.


PS, if you've never tried an eq pedal with a polytone, you can get some very fender'y sounds and a ton of volume boost.

I do own this pedal and have fiddled with it a few times - I must admit that as of now I've not yet found the sweet spot which is supposed to be inside .... I did however use an older "Tim Pierce" pedal by Rocket Audio Design in front of the older BUD , to good results in as far as it put the tiny-est bit of HAIR around the tone which for straight single lines worked out really well.
If you have any pointers re the "Polytone-in-a-box" pedal then fill me in, please !

[sunbambino]

if you want a louder, cleaner, lighter, quieter, more refined in general Polytone, MAMBO is the answer.

Nice, I'm investigating these, Henriksens are for peeps who've never played a Polytone, just jokin, each to their own etc

[Chris236]

Nice, I'm investigating these, Henriksens are for peeps who've never played a Polytone, just jokin, each to their own etc

Yeah, the Henriksen is nice but the EQ on the poly works better for me….that combined with the lack of headroom (mega-brute is quite a bit louder the the Jazzamp 110) is a dealbreaker for me. Mambo is very close to the Poly but,as mentioned, insanely loud, light, and quiet. Great amp but pricey in the US.

[Stringswinger]

Yeah, the Henriksen is nice but the EQ on the poly works better for me….that combined with the lack of headroom (mega-brute is quite a bit louder the the Jazzamp 110) is a dealbreaker for me. Mambo is very close to the Poly but,as mentioned, insanely loud, light, and quiet. Great amp but pricey in the US.

My Class D Henriksens (I have three of them) have been on over a thousand gigs by now. In the past I had 7 Polytones (and I knew Tommy Gumina, the founder of Polytone, personally) and played thousands of gigs with a Polytone. I have never played a Mambo and cannot speak to those.

My Henriksens have more clean headroom than any Polytone I have ever played through and way more EQ options as well. I know that some early Henriksens had both EQ and headroom issues and frankly, I never played an early Henriksen that I liked. But, IMO, today's Henriksens are a way better amp than anything Polytone ever made. I know for a fact that Bruce Forman and Jimmy Bruno agree with me. I am also certain that if Tommy Gumina were still alive, he would agree as well. A better mousetrap has been made.

As Mambos are not US made and have no support here, I would caution anyone on this side of the pond from going that route.

[jorgemg1984]

As Mambos are not US made and have no support here, I would caution anyone on this side of the pond from going that route.

And the same goes for Henriksen in Europe. I couldn't even get a schematic once...

[Chris236]

My Class D Henriksens (I have three of them) have been on over a thousand gigs by now. In the past I had 7 Polytones (and I knew Tommy Gumina, the founder of Polytone, personally) and played thousands of gigs with a Polytone. I have never played a Mambo and cannot speak to those.

My Henriksens have more clean headroom than any Polytone I have ever played through and way more EQ options as well. I know that some early Henriksens had both EQ and headroom issues and frankly, I never played an early Henriksen that I liked. But, IMO, today's Henriksens are a way better amp than anything Polytone ever made. I know for a fact that Bruce Forman and Jimmy Bruno agree with me. I am also certain that if Tommy Gumina were still alive, he would agree as well. A better mousetrap has been made.

As Mambos are not US made and have no support here, I would caution anyone on this side of the pond from going that route.

Haven’t tried a recent Henriksen, but did have the latest incarnation of the jazzamp - it came nowhere close to the headroom of even a Megabrute and ,as mentioned, lost the sweetness of the original (that was not much more than a practice amp). I have played thousands of gigs with polytones. I know for a fact that both Kurt Rosenwinkel and Jim Hall agreed with me, LOL .

As a Mambo owner, I would support anyone buying one…. Great reliable amp that IMO sounds a lot better than the Henriksens I’ve had and there’s no comparison quality wise.

[Stringswinger]

Haven’t tried a recent Henriksen, but did have the latest incarnation of the jazzamp - it came nowhere close to the headroom of even a Megabrute and ,as mentioned, lost the sweetness of the original (that was not much more than a practice amp). I have played thousands of gigs with polytones. I know for a fact that both Kurt Rosenwinkel and Jim Hall agreed with me, LOL .

As a Mambo owner, I would support anyone buying one…. Great reliable amp that IMO sounds a lot better than the Henriksens I’ve had and there’s no comparison quality wise.

The fact that you have not tried a newer Henriksen says it all. If Jim Hall was still alive and gigging I would bet he too would have moved on to Henriksen by now.

Mambos sound like fine amps. If I lived in the EU, I would probably own one.

[Chris236]

The fact that you have not tried a newer Henriksen says it all. If Jim Hall was still alive and gigging I would bet he too would have moved on to Henriksen by now.

Mambos sound like fine amps. If I lived in the EU, I would probably own one.

Maybe, but, I’ve yet to have a Polytone fail and between those and the Mambo I may never know.

[Stringswinger]

Maybe, but, I’ve yet to have a Polytone fail and between those and the Mambo I may never know.

I hope for your sake that your Polytones serve you well. I had three
failures in my many years of Polytone ownership. A reverb tank died, a speaker developed cone rub and a bridge rectifier failed (I finished that gig through a lousy PA, but the show went on.)

As a working musician, I like to gig with late model, reliable amps. YMMV

[Chris236]

I hope for your sake that your Polytones serve you well. I had three
failures in my many years of Polytone ownership. A reverb tank died, a speaker developed cone rub and a bridge rectifier failed (I finished that gig through a lousy PA, but the show went on.)

As a working musician, I like to gig with late model, reliable amps. YMMV

As a working musician (one for my entire adult life) I balance what’s reliable, portable and affordable to my chosen life path(hah)with what gives me a sound I like. Polys are still the best tool for the job in my book….and aside from that fact, I gave Henriksen 2 shots….both sadly failed and don’t want to shell out anymore hard earned dough to that company (personally). My Polys are like the Toyotas of guitar amps.