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For a small tour i was presented with a choice of amps to use. I don't know any of these amps, the tourmanager has just forwarded fotos. The (electric) bassplayer will use the ampeg, so i guess i can choose from the three others. I will play either a regular archtop or a ES335, not sure yet which it finally will be, and most probably with a parametric EQ und volume pedal between guitar and amp.
- Mesa Rectoverb (25W seems to be pretty low, i guess i would have to make sure they also provide a PA)
- Line 6 (looks complicated to use the fx)
- Marshall (i have not found a model online which looks similar ... seems to be a bassamp - would the speakers work for guitar?)
Theoretically i could use the 4x4 Marshall Box and bring my AI Clarus, but it would add unnecessary weight to my own travel luggage which is limited. If i take this route i need to be sure that the benefits exceed this disadvantage.
Does anyone have experience with any of these amps used in the context of a jazz trio without drums (cl/g/b)? Opinions in general & about sound quality?
TIA
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10-14-2022 06:21 AM
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The Marshall is definitely a bass amp, so probably not a great choice for guitar. Between the Line 6 and and the Mesa, I’d take the Mesa. I don’t know what kind of music you’re doing, how loud you’ll be, or what size rooms you’ll be performing in, but a 25 watt tube amp is loud.
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Mesa, imho. My old Mesa Boogie .22 Calibre was amazingly loud for 22 watts.
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The Mesa I would think
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I have a Boogie Maverick, also a dual rect. SOOO loud! Not familiar with that particular amp but mine is Class A, always running full and ready to respond. I don't know what size rooms your playing but those amps, being tube driven will have more db.s than a solid state drawing much more power.
I find the Boogie to be a really versatile (I just use it clean but the edge of growl when driven is inspiring). Yes you can also mic it, but that little amp by itself will hold its own with out even trying. I have never even approached half volume of what it can do.
Make sure you get a roadie in your rider, that cute little amp is HEAVY!
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Another vote for the Boog!
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I used to play at a school with Line 6 amps. Jacks soldered into the board were very unreliable (but, it was a school, so that may not be fair).
And I could not get a sound I liked. Amps could have been defective, but that's what happened.
Boogie, I believe, makes very reliable equipment. I've had one for 35 years that has never been serviced and works like new. I used to gig with it when I had the strength of a 1000 men. Well, maybe not that strong, but I sure don't like lifting it now. Sound -- once dialed in, it was a chorus of angels. But, dialing it in was not for the ADHD among us.Last edited by rpjazzguitar; 10-14-2022 at 07:11 PM.
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Mesa. FYI start w bass low and add til it’s good. Mesa’s typically can be really bass heavy.
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Another vote for the Mesa. I have an 82 Mark IIB which I've owned for almost 30 years. It's built like a tank and have never had any work done on it. Only downside is it's heavy!
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In the nineties i was hauling Boogie Mark III amps around. Sometimes two of them. While i liked their sound i hated to carry the weight and the fact that they were very hard on tubes. At that time i also tried a Studio 22 but didn't like it because of the power limitation - i missed headroom. Still waiting for someone who has (had) hands on experience with a Rectoverb 25.
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Originally Posted by JazzNote
Mine was a Mark III. No problem with tubes. I vaguely recall that the owners manual said you had a choice of tubes which Mesa later issued a change order on. I think maybe it was 6L6 that they approved and ELsomething(34? 84?) that they said you shouldn't use. IIRC, I had tried ELnn's and thought they sounded too bassy.
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Mesa does the Fender amp kind of thing, so if that's your thing. Hopefully, you have the channel switching pedal so you can switch to some grit if needed. And, hopefully, you don't have to carry it.
The rectifier I used had no reverb.
I believe Mesa Boogie started by modifying Fender Princetons.
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Is there any way to audition all three amps in person before you pick one? Ideally, those specific amps - overall condition, tubes, cleanliness of the pots can all make a huge difference in tone. For instance, can you arrive a day early to try out the amps before you have to pick one?
As an alternative, you might try to find local musicians or stores who have these amps to try them out. You might find that one matches your playing style & axe better than the others.
HTH
SJ
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Great amp. Still have one. Light as feather compared to the Mark 0 100 I had before it. Heavy compared to the Quilter I use now. Originally Posted by Flat
I toured with the Mark0 for 10 years. Total reliability. Tube problems were pretty much nonexistent for me.
Obviously I choose Recto. But I like a little breakup.
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Yep, Randall Smith modified Barry Melton's (guitar player for Country Joe and The Fish) Princeton Reverb, when Barry brought it to his shop for some servicing. It was originally modified as a lark to surprise Barry, who liked the sound of it after the work was done. Along with an additional preamp stage, Randall also boosted the power output, by switching the finals from 6V6s to 6L6s, changing the power and output transformers in the process. The Boogie name came from Carlos Santana, who paid Randall Smith's shop a visit, and tried out one of the early amps, remarking afterwords that the amp really "boogies". Originally Posted by fep
Of the 3 amps mentioned by the OP, the Rectoverb 25 would be the way to go IMO. During the 90s, Mesas were my amp of choice, and yes, even the lower wattage ones can get pretty loud - which is why I thought the DC-3 (a 30 watt model based upon the Rectifier platform) I had, was more than enough for my playing needs. Even the Subway Rocket I bought used a few years ago (I should have hung on to that amp), was plenty loud for a band situation. While Mesa Boogies are known for their grind tones in the metal world, and overdriven sort of "Dumble on steroids" sound in the fusion and pop music communities, they do pretty decent clean tones IMO - but don't expect glassy cleans.Last edited by EllenGtrGrl; 10-15-2022 at 10:49 AM.
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I've tried to use that model or a similar Line6. Too complicated, really impossible to get a good jazz tone without having access to the manual and a few hours to figure it out. I thought the thing sucked. I vote for the Mesa too.
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Something like putting a Concert circuit into a Princeton cab. They're little monsters, plenty of sound. Originally Posted by fep
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Smith stuffed a Bassman circuit and a 12 into a Princeton cab for Barry Melton (Country Joe & the Fish). Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
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I'd vote for the boogie. At least it has a channel that's labeled "clean". Also look at the back – you might find reverb controls.
Mesa Engineering Recto-Verb Twenty-Five review | MusicRadar
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The Boogie is the obvious choice. But it's a pity they don't have a Fender in the choices, since it's a jazz thing. The Rectoverb has El84 tubes, so it will probably have a tight sound and lots of mids (like the studio .22). I've played a lot of jazz gigs with a Boogie studio .22 so it's doable and it's a good amp, just not very Fender sounding. The Eq pedal will probably be handy.
I'd think a 335 would be a much safer bet with this amp compared to an archtop if you can't test them beforehand.
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well, i'm after a total clean sound with no breakup at all. I guess this can be done with the Rectoverb, but at the cost of volume .... Originally Posted by EllenGtrGrl
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I'm still wondering about the option of my Clarus with the Marshall bass cabinet. Anyone ever tried that? I know it's common practise to hook the clarus up with a 4x4 guitar cabinet, but the bass unit shown on the foto displays a port at the bottom and the specs say 600w.
Long ago i played a gig on a Mini Brute with a 15" speaker designed for bass which worked well ...
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It even contains the reverb in the name REcto-VERB ;-) Originally Posted by guavajelly
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For anyone interested in tube amp history i'd recommend this book: Amazon.com Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
It contains lots of useful info, on tubes, design, manufacturers and even lots of schematics on most common designs.
I still have my 1990ies edition, which of course contains a informative thorough section on Randall Smith's designs.
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Pat Martino did that by the end of his carrer. Saw him live once with that exact rig - a Clarus head trough a 4x12 Marshall. One of the dullest and darkest sounds I've ever heard, really disliked it - but maybe it could have been dialed other way and he chose that sound? Apart from that, his playing was absolutely brilliant, as expected. Originally Posted by JazzNote
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