“Old” Sounds from a Henriksen

[Johnpiazza]

as for modern players getting a vintage tone, I'd check out Bobby Broom's videos on youtube. I believe he is sponsored by Henriksen, and many of his live videos show him playing directly into one, no effects pedals. Some of these videos have him playing a Forte (Discontinued), and I'd be curious to know the difference.

[dconeill]

... I've been lusting after a Bud 6 for awhile because I REALLY want one, but can't make myself give up my Evans.

So keep both. Neither is very big, and they don't produce the same sounds. (I have an Evans 80 and an earlier Bud.) You might even find you like using two amps at once.

[bluejaybill]

So keep both. Neither is very big, and they don't produce the same sounds. (I have an Evans 80 and an earlier Bud.) You might even find you like using two amps at once.

Any solution that results in more amps is the right one!

Seriously, if you are talking about vintage tone, you first have to define what that tone is. Is it the nice full tone with a touch of hair that the Van Gelder sessions had? That was said to be a tweed Deluxe. The problem with getting that tone is that there is a small volume range that those amps sound like that before getting too distorted for jazz. And it is either too loud for home use or not loud enough for many gigs. I have a lovely BF Fender boutique amp, around 15 watts, and it's very loud even in my sizable home studio room. A Little Jazz gets nice sounds at any volume, but not quite that tubey goodness.

The solution for many is to try to get that fullness and a bit of hair from a pedal. Many pros do this. Even Julian Lage, who uses tweed amps for recording and BF amps live, uses a pedal to get to his preferred spot. In fact his pedal doesn't even have a foot switch- it's always on.

For myself, I use the tube amp just below the sweet spot, and I often use a compressor and EQ pedal to get into that zone (both Empress). I have various OD pedals that I occasionally use, but not often for jazz. The amp companies that use preamp gain and master volumes are a solution mostly aimed at rock players, not the edge tones that I'm looking for. An attenuator on a tube amp can work (I have a Power Station) but it's a complicated setup.

And that's not even trying to get an early Charlie Christian "octal" type sound. Or some other tone.I guess it's a personal decision, combined with experimentation, that will get you where you want to go.