-
Money lol and i agree witn
lawson.
-
02-07-2025 05:54 PM
-
What happened to The Jazmus poly pedal or box are people still happy with it and speaker recommendations?
-
Markku, I really appreciate what you've done to help us have access to excellent sounding (and LIGHTWEIGHT) jazz amps, and for your recommendations on lightweight combos. Honestly, the TC-Toob combo is my favorite recording amp for when I play with a pick, and it weighs around 7lbs. Whenever I bring my Polytone to a gig, the TC-Toob is also with me as a backup. I'm glad I have the option to use a modern and good sounding amp if the Polytone gives out on me.
I can only speak for myself regarding the continued fascination with the Polytone. I think it is about seeing a "jazz guitar" as not just a guitar, but as guitar + amp, the sound is the product of both of these. From this perspective, I think it's fair to approach an amp as one would a vintage instrument. I traded in my 1980's Yamaha trumpet for a 1956 Martin, because the Martin sounds and feels exactly like the trumpet tone that I love on old recordings (Miles, Chet Baker, Art Farmer, etc). I love my guitar, but it's more like a trumpet mouthpiece, in that it's where the sound originates, and I want it to function a certain way so I can produce that initial sound, but the amp is the the bell of the horn. Almost any decent jazz guitar played through a Polytone gives you that exact sound and feel as those recordings from Joe Pass, etc.
OK I've rambled enough. Back to work.
-
Unfortunately there are probably 100 amps in line ahead of the Polytone, as far as popular amps to model is concerned!
Originally Posted by lawson-stone
There just aren't that many of us left looking for that tone. In fact, there weren't that many folks back then looking for that tone! I know I wasn't, I was chasing BF Fender tones, but I appreciate that tone more now.
-
The thing is, it would be hard to duplicate the FEEL of a polytone, with a modern digital recreation.
They are dynamic, but not too dynamic (like lots of modern SS amps). They are forgiving, and yes the frequency response delivers that warm thuddy sound, without that awful tone rolled down to far sound people use because they fight the bright mid scooped sound of most amps.
-
Ok, ok, I get you all and surrender. Just can't understand why nothing contemporary can measure up. I once had a Pininfarina-designed vintage car which I proudly drove to shows. A great feeling, but it was an awful vehicle by modern standards. Apparently, this doesn't apply to Polytones. But is this a broad consensus or a cult?
Breaking the Polytone mystery into components or sub-mysteries we have: 1) circuitry, 2) cab architecture and 3) speaker. Several circuits actually, several cab variants open and closed, and speakers ranging from 8" to 15". Are they all equally worth cherishing? I'm asking because I have seen and heard only two Polytones in my life - one for guitar and one for bass - and am aware of a third, broken, bass sample. So not too many references in my neck of the Taiga. I confess that I've called the TOOB 10/12S - BAM200 combination Polytone Replacement Therapy. Apologies - won't do this again until absolutely certain.
-
Considering how many jazz players love Polytones, to call that fairly large group a "cult" is mildly offensive. Why play archtop guitars? Can't the same sound be generated from a Telecaster with the right modeling? Why play guitar at all? A keyboard and synth can create the same sound. As someone said above, for jazz players the guitar+amp combination is seen as a single "instrument." And the Polytone was designed with close consultation with some fine jazz players like Joe Pass. Originally Posted by Gitterbug
That said, I really do think that the kind of sophisticated and high-powered modeling that produced Fender's Tone Master series could likely be used to reproduce the Polytone. I just doubt that enough people would be interested to justify it.
-
A "fairly large group" from which "[not] enough people would be interested to justify it"? Isn't that somewhat self-contradictory? Originally Posted by lawson-stone
-
No, because a "fairly large group" of jazz players is still a fairly small group from a marketing perspective. A niche within a niche. A significant sub-set of a maybe not very significant set... Also the creation of the kind of modeling amp represented by the Fender Tone Master Twin Reverb would result in a "Tone Master" Polytone that would cost about $1100. Not a lot of us would pay that, Originally Posted by dconeill
-
According to a study by Fender, one in 10 people plays guitar. That would mean roughly 800 million people. I haven't tracked this data to source and consider the number vastly exaggerated. Let's assume the correct figure is between 8 and 80 million, i.e 0.1%-1% of world population. Jazz guitarists constitute a tiny fraction of this, I'm afraid. JGO has 91,444 registered members. Not sure if all are still alive. How many of us have a Polytone still operating? 300? 1,000? A very, very small minority, I'm afraid. As words like "sect" or "cult" have a religious content, let's just talk of Polytone diehards, without specifying whether amps or people.
My point is that we ought to direct our collective focus from the upkeep of a relic to discovering or creating a worthy substitute. How many times have I pointed out that there's a gap begging to be filled between the Quilter SuperBlock US and TC Electronics BAM200? Not only here but to amp manufacturers direct. To no avail. For instance, Quilter's new DirectAmp isn't an amp at all.
-
Do you feel the same about people who want to perpetuate the classic tube amps like the Deluxe Reverb or Twin Reverb? I don't get where your "ought" in the first sentence above comes from. People who like Polytones and can find them can enjoy them. Others can do whatever they want. Why pick on Polytone "diehards?" Originally Posted by Gitterbug
-
Was there an 8" Teeny? My Teeny is a 10". Originally Posted by jamieh
-
Thank goodness my relics don't need upkeep. If they ever do I appreciate the feasibility of repairing their much easier to work on circuits.
-
I have always been fascinated by Polytone amps and opening up an old one looks like a health hazard with all that broken down fibreglass inside. The speaker load may also be a bit odd today. 3 ohms on some of them.
I do recall hearing a recorded interview with Emily Remler (probably on YouTube). Remler used the Polytone quite a bit but said she much preferred a Fender Twin; however the Polytone was easier for her to carry to gigs. I tend to think a lot jazz players probably also used them for the same reason and may have used something else in the studio when it suited them.
You can get to a semi-functional shell of the old Polytone website via a Wayback Machine snap (this is one from 2008):
https://web.archive.org/web/20080214151237/http://www.polytoneamps.com/catalog5.html
Some other assorted info here:
Popcorn Electronics: Polytone Amplifier PageLast edited by wildschwein; 02-09-2025 at 11:45 PM.
-
FYI- there's a really clean Polytone Brut for sale over on Facebook from my guitar teacher in Seattle. I just don't need another amp but I know it's a good one.
-
You definitely could build a modern polytone.
Don't use modern opamps
Use their tone stack
Don't use a class D power section
Use a closed/stuffed 15in cab
You're basically there.
It's just a lot cheaper to buy a 40 year old Poly, have it serviced, and run it another couple decades.
Reply With Quote
Andy Bartosh plays "Peter Green"
Today, 04:01 PM in Composition