Looking for Help Choosing an Amp

[Gabs]

Hi everyone

Well I finally bought my first archtop!
Ibanez PM 2aa ( thank you to all who helped me ) .

I am now in the market for a small easy to use amp .

In the shop I played though Fender Bassbreaker 007 , sounded great , but I would like something smaller.

I have on my list Roland Micro Cube ( I have had recommendations on this one ) .
Or Roland AC 40.
Yamaha TRH10c
D.V Little Mark Jazz.

My confusion is which amp I need for a full hollowbody to play. Primarily jazz .

I see the Yamzha TRH 10c for sale here .
In the description it says ..plug in your bass or acoustic guitar .??

Also Roland AC60 I see is an acoustic guitar amp.
Yet both are recommended for jazz.

I am pretty clueless in this department..

For a long time I have thought about buying the Roland AC 30 for my Gibson J35 acoustic / electric guitar .

It would be great if I could buy am amp suitable for both guitars.

Any help , not only choosing an amp , but understanding the type needed would be great.

Thanks in advance

Mai





I am also very confused about which amp .

Fi

[medblues]

First eliminate based on loudness you desire (or want to avoid): AC60 and Little Jazz are louder and a bit heavier. Little Jazz would not be ideal for amplifying an acoustic guitar. So if you want loud and versatile AC60.

If you want light/quiet/versatile, THR10C is superior to MicroCube in almost every aspect. You can convincingly amplify a bass for home practice ad it sounds very good with acoustics.

[Gabs]

Thank you for your help, quiet and light is good !

[sgosnell]

I have no experience with the other amps mentioned, but IMO the Little Jazz is a great amp. It sounds good with every guitar I've played through it. I have an AI Clarus and a GK MB200 that I run through a RE Stealth 10ER cabinet, and a Fender Vibrolux Reverb, and the amp I keep out for playing every day is the Little Jazz. It sounds as good as any of the others, takes up less space, and produces little if any heat. I recommend it. The others might be as good or better, but I've never played through any of them so I can't recommend for or against them.

[Gabs]

Thank you !

Little Mark was actually up there as my favorite.

Then I though maybe it's better to get one that is good for my acoustic guitar too .

However I don't see me playing my Gibson any time soon anyway and don't really need an amp .

I just started learing Jazz and am learning a couple of Charlie Parker songs .
I can't believe the difference in sound playing my new archtop ,even unplugged !

Can you tell me if it sounds good even at a low volume ?
I often practice early in the morning and I don't want to scare my neighbors..

[rpjazzguitar]

I have a Little Jazz. If it was stolen, I'd buy two more. I think it's a terrific amp. It sounds good at every volume I've played it at. It is loud enough for the gigs I play, which included a 19 pc big band, 4 horn octet and various smaller groups. I have played my idea of a huge room for a couple hundred people with it (with the octet) and it was loud enough. The horns weren't all miced that night, but if there's a mic for them, I could go through the board too, if the LJ isn't loud enough. I doubt that it's loud enough for the gigs other people play, but it works for me.

I had an AC60 for a couple of weeks once. It is marketed as an "acoustic" amp. It had the kind of high end jangle (for want of a better description) that I associate with folk guitarists strumming. I couldn't get anything remotely like a classic jazz guitar sound out of it. I wasn't using an archtop, but, my guess is that it won't matter. That amp is voiced for something very different than the usual jazz sound.

The LJ has some characteristics (bugs? features?) which have been reviewed in other threads, so I suggest checking them out.

[lukmanohnz]

I own both the LJ and THR-10C and have a high regard for each of them. The THR is more versatile, can amplify acoustics in addition to offering crunch and high gain settings for blues or rock, and even works great for bass as medblues noted. As a pure jazz guitar amp for warm, sparkly clean, dare I say thrilling, tone, the LJ is superior to the THR (IMHO). The reverb on the LJ is passable but not its strong suit. It takes pedals well so it’s lack of versatility and pedestrian reverb are both curable. YMMV.

[Gabs]

Thank you so much for the imput !

So I will go for the little Mark , just hope that they have one in stock !

[rolijen]

I love the usb output on the Yamaha. Not only is the THR10 II a great sounding little amp, but with Bluetooth you can seamlessly play iReal Pro tracks or any audio in glorious stereo from your phone/tablet. And you can record direct to almost any device. I use it with my iPhone and iPad and it’s very easy. It’s my favorite practice tool. It doubles as a nice Bluetooth speaker, has a built in tuner, etc., etc. If you’re gigging, maybe something bigger, but for practice, the THR is the bomb.

[Gabs]

Thank you for your help .

Mmm now debating .
The portability of the Yamaha is a big plus .
Just now I just discovered that they have a newer wireless model too ..

Will wait a while before ordering the LM ..
At least I knocked the Roland out ..
Descisions !!

[rpjazzguitar]

I've never used the Yamaha. But it sounds like the Yamaha you're considering and the LJ are not in the same category of product.

The LJ is a basic amp. It has 3 band EQ, reverb, and an Aux input. No bluetooth. But, it sounds good, weighs only 15 lbs and is loud enough for a wide range of gigs.

I gather that the Yamaha has more features but isn't loud enough for a range of gigs.

So the comparison is kind of apples and oranges.

[Gabs]

I need a small practice amp , just starting out learning jazz.

I am torn between the simplicity and glowing reviews of the warm sound of the LM against the more portable Yamaha , especially if I get a wireless one .

I will have to decide what is more important.

[frankhond]

At some point you will want to play along with backing tracks or songs. If you do this using your hifi system, it should be fine with a dedicated guitar amp. If you want to be portable and jam to music from say an iphone app or a laptop and perhaps use headphones, consider one of those combination amps that let you stream music through them. Today there are the yamaha thr series but also vox, bias and others.

I have a yamaha THR10C original generation without Bluetooth, it has an aux input. I keep all my music stuff in my macbook pro. Also I live in an apartment with my family and often I need to use headphones. For a while I was hooking the laptop to the yamaha with a cable and it was a great practice setup. When family is out and I can play a bit louder, I airplay to my hifi and use my amp (BJF S-66).

But recently I got some nice modeling software (neuraldsp) and now the yamaha is obsolete, I just use the laptop and a babyface.

[Gabs]

Interesting , thank you.

[rolijen]

What I like about the THR10 II as a practice tool is that it’s a real amp. It turns on and produces sound. No booting, no loading software, no headphones required. Just get your guitar and plug it into the amp (the wireless is cool but not worth the extra $250 in my opinion). It sounds rich and 3-dimensional due to the stereo speakers, it goes from whisper quiet to room filling volume. I’m not saying it would work for gigging, but it’s not really made for that. It’s a “desktop” amp that you can keep in your studio or even in your living room where it will not look Out of place. In fact, I have wonderful tube and solid state amps in my studio, but I keep a THR10 II in my living room and end up using it the most.

My daughter will occasionally sit at the piano and play jazz standards with me as she practices her chord vocabulary (she’s a music major).

For practice, I’ve found nothing better. But, for playing out, the THR10 is not adequate. Regular non-“desktop” amps like the LJ and many others are a better bet.

[Gabs]

Thank you so much for your detailed reply!

How nice to.play with your daughter.

I rang to order , but need to wait a month for one because of the current situation .

This was the case for both amps.

The different in price here is about $60 , I think maybe the THR 10c is maybe overpriced hence the small difference.

[John A.]

I need a small practice amp , just starting out learning jazz.

I am torn between the simplicity and glowing reviews of the warm sound of the LM against the more portable Yamaha , especially if I get a wireless one .

I will have to decide what is more important.

I might push back on limiting yourself to a low-powered amp just because you're a beginner. You might well be jamming with other people pretty soon, and you're better off with an amp with enough wattage for that. The LJ is plenty portable, and plenty loud, so I'd recommend that. Higher powered amps are fine for quiet practice (at least solid state amps; tube amps typically have a tonal sweet spot that requires some volume).

I'm not sure how usable the Yamaha is with groups. 10 watts might be marginal with a drummer), but I think its extensive feature set is really the main value.

John

[rolijen]

The different in price here is about $60 , I think maybe the THR 10c is maybe overpriced hence the small difference.

I believe the THR10c is the older model. The THR10 II is the new one with Bluetooth. It’s costs $299 in the U. S. Whereas the wireless version of the amp is $449. Then you need to buy the wireless unit for your guitar at $100. Not worth it to me.

[Tom Karol]

I'd recommend the Little Jazz as well. I had one and liked it alot. I only sold it to get a Henriksen Bud, which I like even better but which costs 4 times what the DV Mark costs!

[WilliamScott]

I had an AC60 for a couple of weeks once. It is marketed as an "acoustic" amp. It had the kind of high end jangle (for want of a better description) that I associate with folk guitarists strumming. I couldn't get anything remotely like a classic jazz guitar sound out of it. I wasn't using an archtop, but, my guess is that it won't matter. That amp is voiced for something very different than the usual jazz sound.

The LJ has some characteristics (bugs? features?) which have been reviewed in other threads, so I suggest checking them out.

I don't know about "high end jangle" but I agree that the AC 60 probably doesn't have the best jazz tone. I have both an AC 60 and AC 33 and prefer the 33 for jazz. And the DV Mark is better than either one of them.

[rpjazzguitar]

I need a small practice amp , just starting out learning jazz.

I am torn between the simplicity and glowing reviews of the warm sound of the LM against the more portable Yamaha , especially if I get a wireless one .

I will have to decide what is more important.

I understand that the Yamaha is more portable than the LJ, but the LJ is a very portable amp. It's roughly a cube, 10.25 inches on a side (more or less). Weighs 15 lbs.

One thing is that it doesn't come with a case or carrying bag. I use a canvas shopping bag (make sure the straps are very securely attached to the body of the bag) which isn't ideal. Getting a padded case that fits may cost another $70 or so. A non-padded cover should be cheaper. Others have recommended a bag made by Meinl for a drum called a Cuica -- the bag reportedly fit perfectly.

[Gabs]

Hi John ,

You may have a good point there , though I don't see me jamming with others any time soon .
Who knows ?

They won't have the Yamaha in stock for a month and the LM , current favorite at least as long

I am looking meanwhile at slightly larger amps .
Roland Blues Hot and I did like the Fender Bassbreaker 007 .

I am a bit tempted by a 2nd hand Mesa Boogie 12×12 rectifier..heavy , but it is on wheels ?

[Gabs]

Thank you .

Mmm I read about Herikson..we don't have the brand here .
Just as well at that price .

I read abour AER..mmm they look great but way over my budget ..even if I wasn't a beginner !!!

[John A.]

Hi John ,

You may have a good point there , though I don't see me jamming with others any time soon .
Who knows ?

They won't have the Yamaha in stock for a month and the LM , current favorite at least as long

I am looking meanwhile at slightly larger amps .
Roland Blues Hot and I did like the Fender Bassbreaker 007 .

I am a bit tempted by a 2nd hand Mesa Boogie 12×12 rectifier..heavy , but it is on wheels ?

I haven't used that Roland or Fender so can't comment from direct experience. I suspect the Mesa would not be a great choice for you - too big and heavy, and very complicated controls geared toward switching between different degrees of distortion.

When I last bought an amp, I was looking for relatively simple controls, small form factor, light weight, good clean tone, and enough clean volume for playing with a small jazz group. I wound up with a Fender Champion 20. It ticks all those boxes for me, and is cheap. I use it a lot, including at jam sessions with drums and horns. Many people would say 20 watts is not enough, but I have found it to be plenty loud.

There are a lot of amps that meet the small/simple/loud enough/light requirements at various price points. Ones I've played: DV Mark LJ, Henriksen (Bud and Jazz 110), Quilter 101 Reverb/BlocDock10 cabinet, Fender Champion 20 and 40, Roland Cube 60, AER Compact 60, Bugera Compact 60.

Any of those will work well. IMO, the Henriksen 110 sounds best, but they're all good. I like the AER and the Bugera (which is a copy of the AER) least.

John

[frankhond]

If you talkin real sized amps, I recommend the new Fender Tonemaster series, either the Twin or the Deluxe - indistinguishable from the real thing to my ear but WAY lighter and have a IR speaker sim output for direct recording. Work for almost all styles of music. Or, do as I did and get a BJF S-66 with an Allessandro speaker, the closest you will get to a Fender Super Reverb without breaking the bank or your ears. All of these sound great at low volumes too.

Plenty of youtube reviews, just check it out.

Oh and all of the above are WAY more authentic sounding/feeling than Fender Champ, Roland cube etc.