View Poll Results: Is your main jazz guitar amp a solid state or a tube amp?
- Voters
- 418. You may not vote on this poll
-
Tube
186 44.50% -
Solid State
232 55.50%
-
i'm using the new raezer's edge centaur amp. 200w, 12" speaker, tube preamp, 25lb. I also use a raezer's edge luna head (200w, 3lb) and a kingsley tube preamp with it though it doesn't really need the preamp
-
07-05-2020 07:34 AM
-
good thing jazz guitarists play for themselves and not necessarily the audience! Particularly during the quarantine. Honestly, I practice 3-4 hours a day.I want something that sounds good to me as well as an audience.
Originally Posted by ronjazz
The problem I have with the modelers (and i've tried fractal and kemper) is that there is some latency to the audio that I can feel and it just doesn't sound like an amplifier to me. A SS amp sounds better. At least fender got it right and is not trying to model the cabinet. I think that's the Achilles heel of most modelers
-
I have a MM RP65 with 1x12. It's fantastic for rock but I feel it could do with a little more mids for jazz ie using an archtop. Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
Durn, neither... My main amp is a MusicMan 112 RD Fifty, which is a hybrid amp (SS pre-amp and and a pair of 6L6 power tubes). It has an EVM-12L speaker and I like to pair it with an extension cab with another EVM-12L.
-
I find tube amps quite annoying
-
The jazz guitar forum is a safe space for statements such as this. Originally Posted by christianm77
Last edited by Tal_175; 07-05-2020 at 07:46 PM.
-
You haven’t met the right tube amp.
-
i wouldn't expect anything less from you! Originally Posted by christianm77
Happy 4th weekend brah!
-
I bought an Ampeg Reverberocket new in 1964. It worked perfectly, with no repairs or tube changes for about 35 years.
At that point, it started to hum a bit, so I had the cap job and added a three prong plug.
Sometime, thereafter, it started making noise intermittently. Several trips to the shop, a bunch of money and the problem remained. Eventually, I traced it to a loose connection to the reverb tank -- the wings on the RCA jack needed to be nudged a tiny bit. A 30 second job with a needlenose plier -- once you knew what the hell was actually wrong.
Blew out the speaker playing loud rock music -- but the replacement sounded great.
Then, after a few more years, a tube broke and I saw smoke. That required another trip to the shop. Surprisingly, the charred resistor was still within spec and wasn't replaced. The technician may have cleaned up a few other loose ends at that time.
Anyway, 35 years of trouble free operation followed by some age-related issues is my idea of a great product.
And, all that said, the Little Jazz sounds enough like the Ampeg, that the Ampeg sits in a closet, even though it's working perfectly.
-
-
You too man! :-) Originally Posted by jzucker
i wouldn't expect anything less from you! Happy 4th weekend brah!
-
I think amplifiers in general are annoying. Probably the happiest I've ever been was when I used a modular rig with a small preamp/modeler with an even smaller class D power amp and a seperate cab. It was small, no noise, loud, versitile and everything was easily replaceable if something went wrong. Originally Posted by christianm77
-
If the amplifier is annoying, something is wrong, somewhere in your rig.
On a good night, I never think about the gear, just about the music.
If my attention is drawn to any of the gear, then there's a problem to be solved.
My recent experience is that once I've set up the LJ, I don't think about it again all night.
-
Solid state: DV Mark Jazz 12 and my original amp, a Holmes Tech 15.
-
Just before gigs stopped, I had gone back to often playing live with two amps again, namely a Princeton reverb and an Aer. Unbelievably good sound, and great flexibility for dealing with volume, feedback and sound character issues!
I used to do that with the Henriksen or the Zt lunchbox and various other small Fender (or other brands) tube amps I've had in the past, before settling on the Princeton reverb. But this particular combination is something else. I feel an acoustic amp compliments a tube amp very successfully for jazz.
So besides tube or solid state, tube and solid state works great too!
-
Are you feeding both amps the same signal? Originally Posted by Alter
If not, what is your approach to creating two different signals?
(I did it for a while with a stereo chorus setting in a Boss ME50, until I discovered that it detunes the signal in part of the room - a situation created by the fact that one amp is dry, one wet, so the chorus is created in the air of the room.
I've always wanted to add some spaciousness, but I haven't figured out a good way to do it. Also, PA guys have cautioned me about having the signal emerge from two places on stage.Last edited by rpjazzguitar; 07-08-2020 at 08:00 PM.
-
I'm plugging the guitar into a lehle passive AB box that can do ground lift and phase inversion if needed. Usually live I only send one amp to the PA, the Princeton. I have recorded with these two amps though with good results.
-
I try not to worry too much about amps. I’m embarrassed that my two amps and two guitars are better than my sincere but klunky musical abilities justify. When I think I need another amp, I tell myself: “Fool. You don’t need more equipment. You need to practice more.” I have an Acoustic Image amp w a Razers Edge speaker. It’s too neutral, dry, and clean. So I have to add pedals to get a sound I like. At home I play a dinky little Fender Champ amp and I love the sound. Haven’t had a tube amp since the ‘70s. I never see a working jazz guitar pro humping their own amps around. All the venues here seem to have Fender Twin Reverbs as house back line gear.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
-
No love for the Peavey Classic 50?. I owned one of the 2x12 combos from 1993-2005 and it is/was one of the finest tube amps I've ever used. Blistering loud and clean tone to die for. However they weigh 85lbs. Due to age and serious back problems I sadly had to sell it.
Although not mine here is the same amp I had. They're still out there on the used market.
-
The Peavy Classic 50 is a totally fine amp. I gigged with mine for years. Beyond one little noisy jack problem (easily fixed) it never let me down. Great cleans, nice reverb, and hella fine gain tones. Mine was a very early 4-10" ( I ordered one on the basis of a GP review) and paid 10$ per pound for the 66 pound beast. Money well spent. Of course a hand truck was necessary and my daughter gave me one for Christmas (how cool is that). I eventually gave it to her son, and as far as I know it's still working. Originally Posted by OldGuitarPlayer
No love for the Peavey Classic 50?. I owned one of the 2x12 combos from 1993-2005 and it is/was one of the finest tube amps I've ever used. Blistering loud and clean tone to die for. However they weigh 85lbs. Due to age and serious back problems I sadly had to sell it.
Although not mine here is the same amp I had. They're still out there on the used market.
-
I've been a long-time Mustang III v.2 user for many years, but I just picked up the new Mustang GTX 100-watt combo last month and... it's only 22 lbs! Very 'classic' Fender-look and with a Celestion speaker. Originally Posted by RationalAlan
IMO, the new GTX is miles above, clarity-wise, past the older Mustang, plus in features, too. BTW, the *100-watt* version includes a great footswitch, allowing not only access to all the presets, a tuner, and individually turning the (quite nice) effects on-and-off at will, but it's also got a built-in 60-second looper—very useful for practice! Admittedly, I was never all that impressed with the older M-III's clean tones (I have my Polytone and Evans for jazz) and so I've tended to mostly use my M-III more for rock-fusion stuff, but these new GTXs have really comes long way, notably in modeling so many of the iconic Fender amps, plus they now have (IMO) lots more presence and onboard volume per model, the cleaner tones, too, at least as I'm noticing. And at 22 lbs, I'm with you there for sure! Good luck in your search.
-
My seven Fender amps have tubes,
my radio transceivers have tubes,
my home stereo has a lot of tubes,
my VTVM has tubes...
-
I own one amp - and it's a TUBE. I couldn't imagine only owning a SS amp, although I've previously owned 2. Currently living with a Fender Custom 15". It's a dream amp and clean as hell.
-
-
Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
Is the Little Jazz warmer sounding than the Jazz 12? I had a Jazz 12 from a Musician Friend sale. I liked it for a few days, but iy sound flat andbrighter than I would have expected.
I liked playing through my Zoom G5n much better. (bad comparison maybe)
-
I A/B’d a Tonemaster Deluxe vs a tube Deluxe Reverb. In my opinion the tube version was better. When I say better I think it’s more of a feel that’s better although I also think the tube version did sound warmer. Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
Based on the amount of favorable reviews and comments from users of these new Fender Tone Master amps (Deluxe Reverb and Twin Reverb), these may be real game changers going forward.
I love my tube amps, warts and all, but if I were in the market for another amp, the TM series would be on the top of my list. Is it too late to change my poll vote?
Having said that in live band setting I don’t think anyone could tell the difference, especially the audience.
If I’m playing alone at home I definitely prefer a tube amp. If playing out in a band I’d probably bring the lighter Tonemaster.
Reply With Quote
Recommandations for Hollowbodies for $600 and under?
Today, 05:20 AM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos