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Any of the above would work well. Jazz tone is subjective, but almost always clean.
For added tonal shaping, just add a Boss EQ pedal, which can be found used around $40-60. The most underrated type of pedal.
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02-04-2020 09:36 AM
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I agree on the Yamaha G50 but like the series I. They can get extended highs but sound nice and warm with the treble rolled back to around 2-3. Add a touch of bright for chime to taste. Having a knob instead of a switch there really lets you dial it in. For smaller but punchy a G30 is great too.
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Any decent new ones in this price range? The OP says he's on a serious budget, I would hate to see him get something used that then kicked the bucket. Something with a warranty might be good for piece of mind. Best of luck to the student.
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Many folks love the Boss Katana 50.The MkII version is available for around $200 new.
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Boss Katana 50 Amp.
I just bought the latest model version for $219. 12" speaker, tone on clean channel is a winner.
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yeah or one of the new Peavy transtube combos
Originally Posted by entresz
Very good value
cheapest smallest one is about £65
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Hit up a pawn shop, Craigslist, or Guitar Center used.
I'd look for a used Peavey Bandit, Roland Cube, Fender Frontman.
Any of that stuff will work great for you.
A used Marshall Solid State will also do just fine.
A Peavey Classic 30 would be a great score, but I think over your budget.
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It's easy to dial in a good jazz tone on a Katana.
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Thanks for sharing information with me! I have had a lot to think about. I recently saw a Roland cube 30 going for $50 on marketplace. Do you guys think it will be loud enough? What live setting will it begin to not be enough wattage? I don’t see myself playing any big band gigs outside of school where I’d have an amp provided, but you never know.
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That amp will work in a lot of situations, and Roland Cubes sound really good. Multiple horns + loud drummer, + electric bass? Probably not enough power to stay clean and keep up with that. But it will be fine in a typical coffee-house/restaurant/small pub trio or quartet situation where the band is not playing loud. One thing to watch out for is the input jack. On the earlier Cube COSM series amps these are plastic and somewhat fragile . I had a MicroCube that bit the dust, and couldn't get anyone to repair it for less than the cost of a new one. The later "GX" versions have more robust jacks. For $50, it's almost crazy not to buy a Cube 30, but it's best to check it out, make sure it's fully working, and plug/unplug a cable multiple times. If there's any resistance to that, or any scratchiness or noise in the process, pass on the amp. There will always be another for a few bucks more.
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I've played an outdoor octet gig with a Cube 40 and it was plenty loud.
Cube 30 should be loud enough for most things.
Yesterday, I played a 19 pc big band gig with my Little Jazz (45 watts) and got asked to turn down (along with the kb player) during the sound check.
If you're playing in a loud band in a big hall, it might not cut it, but you might be surprised - particularly if you can get it well off the floor.
And $50 is a good price if it's working properly.
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The input jack is a weak point on a lot of amps. They're often soldered right into the PC board and they suffer some mechanical stress every time you plug in or out. If it's the bad kind, and it works, I'd suggest getting a short cable with a right angle plug on one end and a female phone plug (the kind that you plug your usual cable into) on the other end. Then attach the female plug someplace and plug the right angle into the amp -- and never touch it again. Plug into the female plug instead. No strain on the jack. Originally Posted by John A.
If the jack is noisy and responds to wiggling, it's likely to need only reheating of the solder joints where the jack attaches to the board. If you can expose the solder joints, just touch the iron until they liquify. While you're in there, it may be a good idea to reheat all the joints for the pots too. I've had to do this with a JC55 twice now. It doesn't require much skill. You just have to figure out how to expose the circuit and don't forget to unplug the amp first.
If I understand this, solid state amps don't have charged capacitors that can hurt you even when the amp is off (please correct me if I'm wrong about this), but tube amps do, so you have to discharge the capacitors to be safe working on a tube amp.
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On older the older COSM-version Cube amps (can't speak to the original orange or gray ones), it's not just that. The jack itself is a weak plastic assembly of a few pieces that (on mine anyway), falls apart. Never had an issue with solder, just with the jack falling apart. Every few weeks, it would fail, I would then take the amp apart and force-fit the jack back together until it failed again. I managed to keep doing this for several years before it finally went altogether.
Not everybody is up to that level of DIY. I was just suggesting that the OP try to make sure the jack is good.
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If you can try it and it works/you like it then cool. Originally Posted by jonahguitar
In all honesty I would say there are better sounding amps out there.
If portability is the main factor then by all means. But in my very honest opinion the newer cube cosm amps (I'm assuming that's what it is) are not that great sounding; I had a 60 version and it lasted me one day before trading it. The older orange ones are pretty good, the small cube 40 sounds great with a semi.
Peavey's can be hit or miss.
Sorry to be a naysayer.
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Looking for something on a tight budget, saw this one on the upper end of it. Slightly lower on the budget are various Champ/Mustang offerings, which are even 1x12 as opposed to the more expensive Blackstar which is 1X10, but it sure sounds great in this video (well maybe that's just the player!)
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Originally Posted by jonahguitar
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For $50, it would be worth having for some reason.
With big band, there are a couple of questions.
Are the horns mic'ed?
Is there a piano?
If there is a PA, can you run a line to it?
If the horns aren't mic'ed and there's a piano, the guitar doesn't always have to be terribly loud. Back in the big band era the common Gibson amp had 15 (tube) watts. But, this can vary depending on whether the guys in the rhythm section who are amplified turn it up.
If the horns are mic'ed, why can't the guitar go through the PA too?
If there's no piano at the moment, you want to make sure that everybody is hearing the guitar comp. That's hard to do, not so much because of volume but because of directionality. So, you have to be louder for that. I've wondered about a second amp somewhere, but sound guys will tell you they don't like the sound of an instrument in multiple places on stage. And, there's the usual problem. If the last guy on the other side of the stage can hear you clearly, aren't you blasting those unfortunate enough to be near your amp? And, the basis for decision: who wants to lug a second amp?
My solution is to put my amp as far from me as I reasonably can. I sit next to the piano and I try to get my volume to be just under the piano's. It's not unusual for complaints to be conflicting. One guy can't hear it while another guy says it's too loud. One time, no joke, it was the same guy. First complaining it was too loud and, when I said I'd lower it, complaining that he wants to hear it.Last edited by rpjazzguitar; 11-20-2020 at 06:31 PM.
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Grant Green, What is This Thing
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