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So I’m 15 and fairly new to the jazz guitar world but have been around jazz and had a love for it my whole life. I’m working and saving up for a new guitar amp and hoped you guys might be able to give some suggestions. I really love the sound of fender reverbs the deluxe reverb specifically and I want a tube but need something that can get me some great tones without having to get too loud but would also get loud enough for small gigs when necessary. Any suggestions? Also I’m willing to work however long it takes to save up money so price isn’t an object here. Thanks so much everyone!
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11-01-2020 05:53 AM
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We were just discussing Rivera Jazz Suprema here.
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I think a tone master deluxe reverb would be perfect for you. You can find some used ones now. If you really want tubes try to find a used princeton reverb.
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Who do you listen to? What do they use? That's a starting point.
Establish a budget. To approach a purchase like this without a realistic budget brings with it the seed of failure, due to too many available options.
You're 15. This won't be the last amp you buy. Don't treat the purchase like some sort of existential crisis. You're looking to buy a replaceable tool.
This one is my own prejudice, and often unpopular among guitar players: pay attention to what an amp sounds like, not to how the amp makes its sounds. That is, don't reject a priori solid state amps like Quilter and Fender Tonemaster, nor modeling amps, nor tube amps.
Asking for advice is fine, but beware when the advice is unconstrained. Many respondants will just offer their own personal favorites, which doesn't help you much because it's their opinion and not yours.
An amp that's good for John Scofield might not be good for John Stowell. An amp that's good for me might not be good for you.
If the amp is really for mostly home use, consider a computer-based amp sim, as for example Scuffham S-Gear, Bias, or AmpliTube. Do a search on "amp sims" to see what's available. You likely already have the computer, you'd just need the amp sim and an interface like a FocusRite. You'd be spending a lot less money, and you'd be equipped to play sooner because of that. If you need a physical amp to play out, you can buy that later when you're ready for it.
Play more, obsess about gear less.
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Tonemaster Deluxe for sure.
Originally Posted by Milo Canral
I mean the tube Deluxe sounds lush at bedroom volumes, but the Tonemster is a cheaper and more practical choice that sounds like a real fender.
I use a Princeton Reverb. Same thing but smaller. With a speaker swap is giggable for jazz.
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But those are reasonably expensive amps.
A Peavey Classic is great but a bit cheaper.
There’s the Fender Hot Rod which is a gigging workhorse par excellence. However it has no ‘quiet’ setting
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BTW a lot of posters on this forum are into really pricey top end gear, so it maybe helpful to specify a realistic budget that won’t take you too long to earn.
I always enjoy the challenge of making a budget conscious recommendation, while also being mindful of the dictum ‘buy cheap buy twice.’
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excellent advise christian. I sometimes forget i bought my deluxe reverb when i was 30 and it was heavily sponsored by my girlfriend, parents, family and friends.
It also did not turn me into a better player.
A peavey classic is a great recommendation.
Honestly, for jazz, if you can find a used little jazz, or one of those older peavey amps,
it’s all you need imho. But what we want or need isn’t always the same
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@Milo -- welcome to the Forum, and to the crazy world of jazz guitar!
There are many great ideas already! I know it's not what you're asking about, but you may be well-served by a used, Henriksen "Jazz Amp" combo; there are a few on Reverb right now, starting as low as $500 (USD).
At your age/stage right now, saving up for and buying your "dream rig" will likely be a waste, since you'll sell it within two years! Just buy something that works well right now, and then grow into some other gear later on.
And have fun!!
Marc
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My vote is for a Princeton Reverb (yes, a new "Reissue"). For jazz, it's good to go right out of the box. You don't need to change the speaker or anything, and it sounds sweet at home volumes. If Fender made a Tonemaster version, I'd recommend that, but they don't. I prefer the sweeter tone of the Princeton to that of the Deluxe, which I find a little harder and brighter. It's also larger and heavier. The PRRI is smaller, a little sweeter, and easier to cart around, and a little cheaper. A used PRRI should be quite a bit cheaper.
However- if it's true you can get a used Henriksen (and the like) for $500 used, and jazz is all you are going to play, that's certainly worth a look.
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Why didn't somebody tell me that 30 years ago. I would have been thousands of euro's richer. Originally Posted by dconeill
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I could never afford any gear so I never had the option haha!
And I can say that at least I sound better than I did....
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But I would say this; a good amp is the absolute number one investment you can make.
A £200 guitar into a £1000 amp will sound infinitely better than a £1000 guitar into a £200 amp.
I wasted years with bad live sound through crappy cheap amps. When I finally got my AER and then my Princeton I felt so happy. I didn’t have to struggle with bad sound anymore.
So if you are playing out, don’t cut corners with your amp. Guitar wise, you’ll be fine with a Mexican Fender or an Ibanez Artcore something. But get a good amp!
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I had a number of expensive amps, of which i should have kept the mesa studio and or the rivera r55. Instead i purchased at least 8 other amps.
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But you played rock? I always feel you need more amps for rock, because each represents a different niche. That’s why Kemper and Axe FX are so huge with players as well all that Oxbox IR stuff. Originally Posted by Marcel_A
All of this has passed me by completely. All I want is a nice clean sound. I am completely a philistine when it comes to what rockers call ‘tone’ which often seems to be about recreating ‘x’ sound.
OTOH mastering the equipment you have can take flipping ages. Especially live.
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i hate aer with a passion. to me it's most artifical sounding amp ever. Originally Posted by christianm77
there are many amps that can easily be had for under 200 euro and sound amazing. the search function is your friend.
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What would you recommend for under 200 Euro? Originally Posted by djg
AER is an acoustic guitar amp. It is great at that. I don’t think it’s what the OP would want at all. But it was a massive step up from the crap I was using before.
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Peavey Bandit?
Is that the Yamaha whatsamathingy desk amp? Well for home playing you have many more options. The trick is to find a gigging amp to get you started.
I have never got a sound I like out of an award session. Lots of people like them though?
My ideas:
One thing I would not buy
(from experience) is the ZT lunchbox. That really is a buy twice deal.
Second hand Roland Cube?
Boss Katana seems good. Haven’t gigged one though.
Micro heads don’t quite count as you need a cab, but the H&K Spirit of Vintage will be winging its way to me in November and I’ll give it an evaluation then.
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Unless I missed it, what kind of guitar are you using?
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Funk, soul, rock. The r55 with two voicings was excellent for that. But the gras being greener . . . Originally Posted by christianm77
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hi, Milo, and welcome aboard! Originally Posted by Milo Canral
I would echo what was said earlier: you are 15 (I am 4 times your age) and this is not the last amp you are going to buy. The Fender Deluxe Reverb is a great amp, to be sure. I happen to prefer the silverface version of Fender amps to the black face, and I prefer "Tweed" versions to both of those; I find the blackface amps to be thin sounding until you can push the volume loud enough to start getting some saturation. That is not going to be satisfying at bedroom levels.
Every kind of amp that anyone will suggest here will have its boosters and its detractors. People tend to automatically think "I want tubes" but in point of fact there has been a lot of beautiful jazz played on solid state amplifiers over the last 50 years. And there are a lot of really great modern solid-state amps such as Quilter to look at.
One question is whether you are only going to be playing jazz or are you also going to be playing rock, blues, R&B, etc. if you love jazz, then play jazz but be aware that the market for this is extremely small- and that there are few gigs and none of those pay very well. What kind of music you are going to be playing will inform your choice of equipment.
If you are dedicated to jazz and that's what you're going to be playing, there is no reason not to look at solid state amplifiers such as the DV Mark Little Jazz, which is widely available around the world and a very reasonable price. It sounds excellent for jazz. Another option- I have had a Roland Cube 60 for 10-15 years and it provides a wide variety of sounds. In my living room it does not sound exactly like a tube amp but on stage, with drums, horns and bass it's impossible to tell. I have played many gigs with that amp; it is reliable, sounds fine and I quite frankly don't have to think about it for a second during the gig and can focus on the music. I paid US$200 for it lightly used. At the high end I have an Acoustic Image Clarus 2r paired with a Raezer's Edge 12" cab- sounds great and works well with acoustic as well as electric instruments. Clean, clean, clean and to some ears maybe a little sterile. Better with my archtop than with my Tele or Strat. The amp I use most is a tweed Deluxe clone that I built myself from a kit; prone to feedback with archtops due to the strong bass but sounds great. It's not as versatile as the AI and has serious clean headroom limitations, but then jazz isn't usually very loud. Better with the Tele or Strat than the archtops. I also have an early 70s Fender Pro Reverb silverface which is also a fabulous sounding amp, but it weighs so much (close to 80 lbs with two JBL speakers) that I can't move it out of my house anymore. I've had it 35 years now. To think that when I was in my 20s I used to carry that thing up and down flights of stairs without a second thought; now I couldn't carry it across the room.
A sleeper tube amp to consider: the Egnater Rebel 30 combo. It is small, compact, pretty light, looks nice and has an enormous array of sounds available from clean warm jazz to b****s to the wall rock.
Solid state to consider: Quilter Micro Pro 200
Watch a few of his videos; he gets really great tones from that amp with a variety of guitars. If I was looking for an amp from a clean slate probably this is the one I would buy.
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I will say regarding the Egnater stuff: I've read nothing but good reviews of it for years. Not sure which one night be the "best" choice for jazz, but they are (by all reports) solid and good-sounding amps, and prices that won't break the bank. I almost bought one myself, years ago, but instead decided to start buying only the stuff I REALLY wanted (my bucket list items), and the Egnater isn't on that list for me... my bucket list stuff is all pretty pricey LOL. But keep in mind, I've been playing 36 years, and I've owned ALOT of amps already, so...
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Originally Posted by Milo Canral
This will get you started, and will serve well on smaller gigs (if and when these re-appear) as well as in a recording environment. A Princeton Reverb will do quite nicely for somewhat bigger spaces (cafes and such), a Deluxe Reverb even better. The only Jazz gigs I had where my DRRI fell short were outdoors with inadequate sound reinforcement.
There are many amps on the market: used is cheaper but sometimes comes with problems. I say Class Will Last. Warranties can come in handy; but your best bet is Handle With Care. My amps have always lived in the house (not in the trunk of my car) were transported when appropriate on dollys, and in the car rode on 6 inches of foam rubber to minimize mechanical shocks. Always use amp covers, even if you have to improvise them or make them yourself to protect against thermal shock.
Good luck in your quest!
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@cunamara. Interesting. I prefer blackface amps at bedroom level.
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ive never tried one but I’m curious. All the demos I’ve seen of them seem to focus on their British voiced tones, but i understand they can get more Fender-ish tones as well? Originally Posted by ruger9
Although I have to say as the OP says they like Fender, it’s hard not to simply recommend Fender (which might be a problem if they can’t afford Fender.)
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