Best solid state amp for jazz?

[Sibbo01]

Apprecoated

[Sibbo01]

Hi Christian,

I really like your band and playing. Once again apprciated, I have a DV LJ I wished it was battery though. Many thanks Sibbs

[GregoryL]

Would highly recommend checking out the Fender Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb.

[Longways to Go]

Would highly recommend checking out the Fender Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb.

I must admit I could probably go for one if these if I needed another amp.

[marcwhy]

Check out the new Raezer's Edge SS amps -- some great demos here already!

[sgcim]

I've gotten interested in the Phil Jones line of guitar amps since doing a gig with a bass player whose PJ amp could fill an auditorium, even though it only weighed EIGHT pounds! I could lift it with one finger!
They've got three models, the AG-100, the AG-150, both of which weigh only 11.5 lbs., and aren't that expensive. Supposedly they're only good for quiet gigs with archtops and other acoustic guitars.
The third model, the Super Cub AG-300, is over 1K, weighs 27lbs., and has 250 watts.
Supposedly you can turn it up to ten, and still get a perfectly clean, transparent sound.
Does anyone use a PJ amp?

[sgosnell]

I'm fighting a case of GAS as hard as I can, and so far successfully. The AI Luna head is calling my name like the fabled sirens. If I do buy another amp, I'm pretty sure it will be one of those. Must.... fight.... be strong......

[rpjazzguitar]

I've gotten interested in the Phil Jones line of guitar amps since doing a gig with a bass player whose PJ amp could fill an auditorium, even though it only weighed EIGHT pounds! I could lift it with one finger!
They've got three models, the AG-100, the AG-150, both of which weigh only 11.5 lbs., and aren't that expensive. Supposedly they're only good for quiet gigs with archtops and other acoustic guitars.
The third model, the Super Cub AG-300, is over 1K, weighs 27lbs., and has 250 watts.
Supposedly you can turn it up to ten, and still get a perfectly clean, transparent sound.
Does anyone use a PJ amp?

I had a similar experience. Bassist with my big band used a Phil Jones the size, roughly, of a briefcase. Acoustic upright bass. Sounded great and plenty loud enough.

[entresz]

A bass player I work with has a Phil Jones combo - it has four small speakers, two face outwards and two face upwards. Very compact and capable of serious volume! We play in some fairly noisy venues, that amp doesn't struggle at all with volume. I bet it would sound good for guitar.

Currently my two favourite SS amps that I regularly play through are my DV Mark Little Jazz and a Quilter Aviator Twin Ten. Both sound totally different. The DV Mark has a flatter response, kind of like a Polytone. The Quilter is voiced differently - it's a bit more Fender-like in its EQ. It's a fair bit brighter than the DV Mark for example.

Another amp worth checking out is the old Peavey Bandit 65, they're from the mid 1980s. They can be had for cheap and have a great clean sound and lush spring reverb. Loads of headroom. The later Peavey amps don't sound anywhere near as good in my opinion. I bought mine for something like $100!

[citizenk74]

I have an Acoustic Image Corus series III. Three-hundred SS watts, @20 lbs, two channels (one XLR for vocals, if you want, Alesis reverbs, 1-8" spkr, 1 10" spkr, and a defeatable tweeter make it a powerful personal PA unit, perfect for solo performers or ensemble musicians. Also the world's best warranty. My ES-175 gets a great Jazz tone with a little knobbery. And the adjustable shelving bass roll-off is great for inhibiting feedback. Perfect for archtops.

[marcwhy]

I'm fighting a case of GAS as hard as I can, and so far successfully. The AI Luna head is calling my name like the fabled sirens. If I do buy another amp, I'm pretty sure it will be one of those. Must.... fight.... be strong......

[You mean the "Raezer's Edge" Luna, right?]

[succumb to your desires ... you will be pleased!]

[MikeJ]

I've gotten interested in the Phil Jones line of guitar amps since doing a gig with a bass player whose PJ amp could fill an auditorium, even though it only weighed EIGHT pounds! I could lift it with one finger!
They've got three models, the AG-100, the AG-150, both of which weigh only 11.5 lbs., and aren't that expensive. Supposedly they're only good for quiet gigs with archtops and other acoustic guitars.
The third model, the Super Cub AG-300, is over 1K, weighs 27lbs., and has 250 watts.
Supposedly you can turn it up to ten, and still get a perfectly clean, transparent sound.
Does anyone use a PJ amp?

I have the AG-300 and really loved it.

Now use a 10inch Mambo which to my ears has better projection and a warmer sound and with the addition of a second Mambo speaker cabinet provides me with more power than I will ever need.

The AG-300 is now a rarely used backup.
One issue I did have with the AG was the two upward facing speakers tended to make the guitar sound louder to me than it really was in the mix which can be a little confusing (if you get my drift).

[sgosnell]

[You mean the "Raezer's Edge" Luna, right?]

Um, yeah. I guess I got too excited. Mark Kleinhaut is an evil enabler. And you are not helping.

[Stringswinger]

In the 70's through the mid zeros, I was a Polytone guy (still have one). In the mid Zeros I became an AI Clarus/RE Guy (I still have a Clarus and three RE cabinets. I also got into the portability of the AER Compact 60 (still have one). Recently I got one of the new Class D Henriksen Combos (Blu six). The Henriksen rules.

[cosmic gumbo]

would you take 50xl over katana or envoy 110?

I did choose it over them and everything else near that price range. It was 5-10lbs lighter than most, I'm old and I haul my amp around everywhere to play, I'm not a livingroom player. I also chose it for it's simplicity to use, not many knobs and settings to fiddle with. Channel one : volume-treble-bass-reverb level. Plug and play. Katana and others would drive me nuts tweaking.

[christianm77]

There’s these things as well. Pasquale Grasso was using one and I got a chance to hear Don_oz play through one on a gig I played with him. Incredibly portable. Not the most bass rich sound, but plenty of volume for small gigs. Very inexpensive.

https://www.guitarsoundsystems.com/M...mp-c2x20771279

[Franz 1997]

There’s these things as well. Pasquale Grasso was using one and I got a chance to hear Don_oz play through one on a gig I played with him. Incredibly portable. Not the most bass rich sound, but plenty of volume for small gigs. Very inexpensive.

https://www.guitarsoundsystems.com/M...mp-c2x20771279

You'd need to be playing in a small room with a quiet( or no) audience for that to work. I've tried. With the ext cab., it would be better.

Another very compact alternative- dunno if it's mentioned already - is a TC BAM200 head with a 6" or 8" cab. Much fuller jazz sound, tiny amp, cheap, nearly as portable.

[Alter]

I've had the Phil Jones AG-100 for some time. It was giggable but I didn't find it up to par with the Aer nor the Henriksen I also had at the time.

Solid state, i have owned or gigged Aer, Roland cubes, Acoustic Image, Phil Jones, Polytone, Henriksen, Zt Lunchbox, various Fenders and Marshalls, Bugera, Quilter, Katana, probably some more I forget. Lots of them since you are always searching for the better one for you, they are generally cheaper to aquire and try, very different sounding from brand to brand, and very useful to have if gigging.

Personal favorites are Henriksen and Aer for sound quality, Roland cubes, Bugera Ac-60 (Aer clone) and Dv mark for value for money (Dv Marks have a somewhat personal, compressed sound, so opinions may vary), Zt Lunchbox for portability.

I still prefer using a small tube amp to all of these for electric and jazz guitars, but I can happily gig any of them.

[sgcim]

A bass player I work with has a Phil Jones combo - it has four small speakers, two face outwards and two face upwards. Very compact and capable of serious volume! We play in some fairly noisy venues, that amp doesn't struggle at all with volume. I bet it would sound good for guitar.

Currently my two favourite SS amps that I regularly play through are my DV Mark Little Jazz and a Quilter Aviator Twin Ten. Both sound totally different. The DV Mark has a flatter response, kind of like a Polytone. The Quilter is voiced differently - it's a bit more Fender-like in its EQ. It's a fair bit brighter than the DV Mark for example.

Another amp worth checking out is the old Peavey Bandit 65, they're from the mid 1980s. They can be had for cheap and have a great clean sound and lush spring reverb. Loads of headroom. The later Peavey amps don't sound anywhere near as good in my opinion. I bought mine for something like $100!

The bass player I played with had the new Phil Jones with four speakers that cost $465, and is shaped like a small rectangle.
I played through it, and it didn't sound too good for guitar, like most bass amps. The higher range sounded very weak, with no body to it. This model had no reverb, also.
If it sounded good, I would've bought one in a second, because you can lift this thing with one finger without any strain.
That's why I asked people about the AG series amps, which don't sound like they're powerful enough for my gig needs. The AG-300 sounds like it would be okay, but at 27lbs., it doesn't sound like it would be as effective as my AI Corus for my gig needs.

[takefive]

My Katana 50 can give off a sweet jazz tone.

[Franz 1997]

....didn't sound too good for guitar, like most bass amps. .

Not picking on your comments about the PJ amps, I'm not a particular fan either, but I don't agree that most bass amps don't sound good for guitar. Granted they won't sound like a fender, because their treble control range won't allow that glassy treble, but bass amps have one big advantage for jazz guitar. That is, the mid control on many/ most bass amps is around 400hz - which happens to be the the fundamental frequency of the G note on the first string. That's just what is needed to fatten up a weak top string sound, and it does exactly that. IMO a bass amp with outboard reverb- or not- can sound great for guitar, if you're not looking for seriously scooped mids.

That's probably the reason that high-end Evans amps have a 'depth' control (at a slightly lower frequency, but the same principle) that fattens any weak-sounding top end - it's really effective. It could even be the reason that Gibson promoted its ( tube) bass amp for jazz players in the early 60s ( although the weight and size might have put people off)

[wildschwein]

If it's all for Jazz I would choose the Roland Cube 40 from your short list. The Peavey Envoys are great for Blues, Rock and Country.

[christianm77]

Screw it, after last night I’d say - Peavey Bandit 112. Its all they had on stage when I got to the jam, and I was like ‘urggghhhh’ How wrong I was.

It’s great, you can dial in a very middy polytone type sound and it has buckets of headroom. Sounds great with the band.

i also got to hear the other guitarist play his Moffa through it. Sounded great.

[christianm77]

A bass player I work with has a Phil Jones combo - it has four small speakers, two face outwards and two face upwards. Very compact and capable of serious volume! We play in some fairly noisy venues, that amp doesn't struggle at all with volume. I bet it would sound good for guitar.

Currently my two favourite SS amps that I regularly play through are my DV Mark Little Jazz and a Quilter Aviator Twin Ten. Both sound totally different. The DV Mark has a flatter response, kind of like a Polytone. The Quilter is voiced differently - it's a bit more Fender-like in its EQ. It's a fair bit brighter than the DV Mark for example.

Another amp worth checking out is the old Peavey Bandit 65, they're from the mid 1980s. They can be had for cheap and have a great clean sound and lush spring reverb. Loads of headroom. The later Peavey amps don't sound anywhere near as good in my opinion. I bought mine for something like $100!

aha - yes I think it was an old one. These amps are no joke. Cheap and cheerful.

i also like the peavey classics but that’s another thread...

I see them on eBay for about 100usd. 65s and 112s.

[mr quick]

Not the jazz 12? I think the LJ is great, but the Katana is much more versatile and a shockingly great value.