Henriksen Bud 6 mini review

[Stringswinger]

Tried it on the floor (carpeted), off the floor, etc. Tried with solidbodies, semis, archtops. I felt like all I got back from the amp was a sterile laser beam of sound. That was a real head scratcher because clearly others get great results with them.

Some cats do not like a clean, solid state jazz sound. The Bud/Blu is not for them.

[omphalopsychos]

Tried it on the floor (carpeted), off the floor, etc. Tried with solidbodies, semis, archtops. I felt like all I got back from the amp was a sterile laser beam of sound. That was a real head scratcher because clearly others get great results with them.

Tilt it back, increase the bass, and turn down the high mids.

[Woody Sound]

The bud and blue amps are great for their size and they work with a lot of Instruments.
Still, I much prefer my Princeton and my Quilter soundwise. But the Henriksen are more convenient.

Yeah, I really prefer my Quilter 8 for convenience/sound unless I am really strapped for carry space.

[Woody Sound]

The bud and blue amps are great for their size and they work with a lot of Instruments.
Still, I much prefer my Princeton and my Quilter soundwise. But the Henriksen are more convenient.

Yeah, I really prefer my Quilter 8 for convenience/traditional/sound unless I am really strapped for carry space.

[gianluca]

Tweeter on and off make any difference?

yes, not audible with archtop (not to my ear at last); but very clear with acoustic flattop or bluetooth audio input (backing track)

[VesaW]

My Blue just arrived. Sounds perfect. Life's good.

[markesquire]

My Blue just arrived. Sounds perfect. Life's good.

Beautiful pair! Any chance we could hear even a short sample of how it sounds?

[callouscallus]

@Woody, does quilter still make the 8 inch version? I don't see it on the website, but see some around for sale. Seems like they only have a 12 inch Aviator now. Using a AER now, been wanting to try something else for a while. Not sure the Henriksen is really my ticket. I do think they sound good.

[JazzIsGood]

Tested the Bud 6 at a quartet gig the other day, it was pretty disappointing. I will say it is audible with a drummer, but it doesn't sound good. I tried vocals, guitar, and vocals+guitar together. Everything sounded small and lousy.

I had a 40W tube amp with me also, with a 12 inch speaker. After playing the Bud I went back to the bigger amp and it is a night and day difference. There's no getting around the fact that a 6 inch speaker just can not do what a 12 inch speaker can do. I'm not even gonna make a case for tubes vs solid state here, but the 6 inch speaker in the Bud is really pointless.

I left the gig thinking "life is too short to sound lousy." I mean with all the time we put in practicing, why sell yourself short and play this kind of an amp. Hey I know it's 13 pounds, but are we all really that far gone that we can't carry a 34 pound Princeton? The light weight does not make up for the bad sound.

I am selling it ASAP, I just don't see enough use cases where this would work. No way I would use it in a quartet, I had to turn it way up to be heard and I reached a point where it was getting solid state overdrive which is not good. Had to bring it back down. I wouldn't use it on a solo gig or duo gig because there's just nothing else to hide behind, the sound is too naked to be sub par. I wouldn't use it as a pre-amp at a big gig with a PA system either, as those gigs have large stages and this thing would not fill the stage enough to have me hear myself or have the band hear me.

I guess it's more of a novelty that something so small can get so loud. At first I thought that was pretty neat, but it just doesn't sound like jazz to me.

If you're wanting one of these, I'd say just ask yourself if it's going to be worth sacrificing that much of your sound that you've worked for countless hours. Dig deep in your heart and find the energy to carry a 34 pound Princeton or some other reasonable good sounding amp.

[Stringswinger]

Tested the Bud 6 at a quartet gig the other day, it was pretty disappointing. I will say it is audible with a drummer, but it doesn't sound good. I tried vocals, guitar, and vocals+guitar together. Everything sounded small and lousy.

I had a 40W tube amp with me also, with a 12 inch speaker. After playing the Bud I went back to the bigger amp and it is a night and day difference. There's no getting around the fact that a 6 inch speaker just can not do what a 12 inch speaker can do. I'm not even gonna make a case for tubes vs solid state here, but the 6 inch speaker in the Bud is really pointless.

I left the gig thinking "life is too short to sound lousy." I mean with all the time we put in practicing, why sell yourself short and play this kind of an amp. Hey I know it's 13 pounds, but are we all really that far gone that we can't carry a 34 pound Princeton? The light weight does not make up for the bad sound.

I am selling it ASAP, I just don't see enough use cases where this would work. No way I would use it in a quartet, I had to turn it way up to be heard and I reached a point where it was getting solid state overdrive which is not good. Had to bring it back down. I wouldn't use it on a solo gig or duo gig because there's just nothing else to hide behind, the sound is too naked to be sub par. I wouldn't use it as a pre-amp at a big gig with a PA system either, as those gigs have large stages and this thing would not fill the stage enough to have me hear myself or have the band hear me.

I guess it's more of a novelty that something so small can get so loud. At first I thought that was pretty neat, but it just doesn't sound like jazz to me.

If you're wanting one of these, I'd say just ask yourself if it's going to be worth sacrificing that much of your sound that you've worked for countless hours. Dig deep in your heart and find the energy to carry a 34 pound Princeton or some other reasonable good sounding amp.

I gig with a Bud 6 as do my friends Bruce Forman and Howard Alden. Jimmy Bruno and my friend Doug Martin use one as well. Too bad for you that the rest of us have had better results.

[omphalopsychos]

I prefer the sound of a fender tube amp but I think this feedback is quite exaggerated. I can get a great sound out of my henriksen and cut through a loud seven piece band.

[drbhrb]

Tested the Bud 6 at a quartet gig the other day, it was pretty disappointing. I will say it is audible with a drummer, but it doesn't sound good. I tried vocals, guitar, and vocals+guitar together. Everything sounded small and lousy.

I had a 40W tube amp with me also, with a 12 inch speaker. After playing the Bud I went back to the bigger amp and it is a night and day difference. There's no getting around the fact that a 6 inch speaker just can not do what a 12 inch speaker can do. I'm not even gonna make a case for tubes vs solid state here, but the 6 inch speaker in the Bud is really pointless.

I left the gig thinking "life is too short to sound lousy." I mean with all the time we put in practicing, why sell yourself short and play this kind of an amp. Hey I know it's 13 pounds, but are we all really that far gone that we can't carry a 34 pound Princeton? The light weight does not make up for the bad sound.

I am selling it ASAP, I just don't see enough use cases where this would work. No way I would use it in a quartet, I had to turn it way up to be heard and I reached a point where it was getting solid state overdrive which is not good. Had to bring it back down. I wouldn't use it on a solo gig or duo gig because there's just nothing else to hide behind, the sound is too naked to be sub par. I wouldn't use it as a pre-amp at a big gig with a PA system either, as those gigs have large stages and this thing would not fill the stage enough to have me hear myself or have the band hear me.

I guess it's more of a novelty that something so small can get so loud. At first I thought that was pretty neat, but it just doesn't sound like jazz to me.

If you're wanting one of these, I'd say just ask yourself if it's going to be worth sacrificing that much of your sound that you've worked for countless hours. Dig deep in your heart and find the energy to carry a 34 pound Princeton or some other reasonable good sounding amp.

Different strokes I suppose. The Bud sounds way better than a princeton to me, regardless of size and weight.

[JazzIsGood]

Yeah i realize I am in the minority on this one, I don't like the polytone either. I think I might be a....(gasp) tube amp guy!

[EastwoodMike]

If speaker size is your concern- could you not just use the external speaker out? That would give you options from small rooms to open outdoor stages?

[Tom Karol]

I use a Bud 6 a lot, but it's not my only amp. I don't think it sounds great with anything, but it sounds good with everything! I have, however, considered using it as my only amp paired with a larger extension speaker.

[JazzIsGood]

If speaker size is your concern- could you not just use the external speaker out? That would give you options from small rooms to open outdoor stages?

Easier to carry one amp that has a 12 inch speaker I think. I have an ext cab with a 12 inch, I use it for super big rooms with a Fender Twin.
If the Bud 6 sounded amazing, I might carry 2 things, but the Bud is like 75% as good as a tube amp so I'd rather carry 1 thing.

I could also try a 12 inch Henriksen. If I see one around in a shop I will plug into it and see how it sounds. I am wondering why everyone loves it but me. Peer pressure... "everyone is doing man, you should try it" LOL.

[JazzIsGood]

I use a Bud 6 a lot, but it's not my only amp. I don't think it sounds great with anything, but it sounds good with everything! I have, however, considered using it as my only amp paired with a larger extension speaker.

Yes that is on the money. It's not awful, but it's not great. I think for lots of jazz guitarists, it's really about the notes and the chords. Like Joe Pass would plug into whatever and truly didn't care. He didn't care about guitar quality either. He knew people would love it anyway, even with a crap rig. He's Joe Pass, people loved it because he was dazzling people with technique.

For me it's more about every little detail. I want the notes and chords to be great, but I want the sound to be as amazing as possible. And I want the band to all be listening to each other, and I want the balance of the instruments to be good. I want the bass player to be loud enough (pet peeve of mine).

These days I am pricing my band kinda high too, when restaurants want a $200 trio I tell them to get lost. I want really great gigs and an amazing guitar sound. Being so unrealistic and idealistic, the Bud 6 is the wrong amp for me. When I hear it, I hear compromise and settling for less. I really wanted to like it. The Fargen Blackbird is my favorite amp right now. It is a way better sound and I don't mind carrying it. It's a tube amp but it stays pretty clean when you turn it up.

[Tom Karol]

I also have a Henriksen JazzAmp 112, and I do think it sounds really great! But I also had a JazzAmp 110 for a while, and I didn't like it nearly as much. So I think it has a lot to do with the speaker and cabinet. The Bud 6 is the most versatile amp I've ever had for use with electric instruments and acoustic-electric instruments as well as vocals. I just wish Henriksen would make a Bud 8, but Peter doesn't seem interested in doing so.

[Ukena]

Interesting to see other people's settings on their Bud 6. A lot depends on the guitar, of course – I have different settings for different archtops.

[Fusionshred]

I’ve gotten more compliments on my sound with my Blu 10 than anything else. Even with a very cheap solid body!

I just ordered a Bud 6 for the ultra portability and the second channel.

[alltunes]

I’m all for portability and ease of set-up. Lately I’ve been obsessing over the concept of guitar straight to amp (no pedals) but that is another story. But often I think to myself are we making a big deal about nothing? I’m not hauling my gear through subways and taxis so whats the big deal between an 11lb amp and a 30lb amp? I mean we’re talking a 20lb dumbbell here. Many of us are gearheads so we obsess over nothing.

There is a “feel” to a tube amp that I don’t think can be replicated. There is a great comparison done by Omphalopychosis on this forum comparing amps and weights. They all sound similar but the Princeton sounded the best to me.

Found it:

Amp comparison: Princeton Reverb, Quilter Superblock, Henriksen Bud 10, Tungsten CW