The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    The guitar is a 2014 L-5 CESN. I've been testing out solid state and lightweight tube amps the last few months to see what gels. Some friends have followed along while i bought and sold some stuff and asked me to do a comparison video, so here it is.

    (1) 1964 Princeton Reverb. 27 lbs. I'm really into this amp. Not too bright, not too dark. Not too clean, not too dirty.

    (2) Quilter Superblock US with Raezer's Edge cabinet & Celestion Gold 10". 23 lbs. Compared to the Princeton, I find the quilter more scooped, so I paired it with a speaker that has a flatter midrange response and more low-mids than the typical american speaker.

    (3) Tungsten Crema Wheat. 25 lbs. Essentially a tweed deluxe with some component mods to give it more headroom and tighter bass. I've been messing with 10" speakers to cut weight and make it play nicer with archtops, jury is still out on best matching speaker. The bass sounds thin in this clip, but it also sounds like it would cut really well in a band or a mix.

    (4) Henriksen Bud 10. 19.5 lbs. This amp is super impressive. In this video the EQ is set flat in the mids so that you can hear how different the henriksen mids are from the fender sound. I usually scoop the mids a bit on the Henriksen in practice (I boost them on the quilter). I also have this pedal that I really like to put in the circuit. I usually set it to be pretty clean, it's a little dirtier than I like in this video.
    Last edited by omphalopsychos; 11-23-2022 at 04:02 PM.

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  3. #2

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    Thanks for putting in the time !
    The sound you are producing by the way YOU play, how YOUR guitar is set up etc. is different from my approach and technique so me playing my guitar(s) through these amps would sound quite different. However, from what I hear in the clips I am able to come to this conclusion :
    - The Princeton sounds "nice" and balanced, not much "smokiness" in the tone but warm and neutral.
    - The Quilter sounds lifeless, it has no character.
    - The Tungsten sounds not really much different from the PR , maybe a bit pinched - will it come to life at a slightly higher volume ?
    - The Henriksen is my favorite - it has the "thump" I like and a little raunch.

    Overall I like to hear more beefy sounding B and E strings (I use an 017/013), especially when playing with a pick and my guitars/amps/speakers must convey this.
    Lastly I choose my amps by how they perform in a gig situation, at different (and higher) volume levels. The luxury of having an assortment of several small (tube) amps for low-volume-at-home-playing/recording would be nice to have but alas ....

  4. #3

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    I liked the Princeton the best, especially on chords.

  5. #4

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    I dunno, they’re all good sounds. The Quilter sounds the most scooped, and the Crema and the Henriksen+pedal seem to share a bit of the same resonant slightly nasal peak. So I think I’d go for the Princeton, but it’s tough to say for sure.
    Last edited by John A.; 11-22-2022 at 09:50 AM.

  6. #5

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    My 2 favorites were the Tungsten and the PRRI, in that order. The Quilter lacked body and the Henrickson has a midrange honk.

    But I prefer warmer, Kenny Burrell-style tones.

  7. #6

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    Thanks for this comparison!

    They are surprisingly different from one another. But all good!

    I like the Princeton best, no surprise for me since I have been using BF amps for close to 40 years. I currently use a Fat Jimmy, which is a 20 watt Fender variant that has some tweed and brown Fender amp tweaks to sound warmer and fuller than a typical BF circuit, but still in the same ballpark. With BF circuits I sometimes use a Boss GE7 to raise the low mids for jazz.

    The Cream Wheat has beautiful mids but is a bit thin in the low register, exactly what I remember when I had a tweed Deluxe. The bigger tweed amps are fantastic, I have had two Bassmen, a Super and Pro. But a different breed of animal when you go to 6L6's and the bigger cabinets.

    The Hendrikson sounds like the low mids should be dialed down, kind of overly fat for me, but I'm sure I could get it to work. Also, what you put in is what you get, there is no additional "mustard" like you get with tubes. And I like the idea of adding a pedal for a bit more character. I sometimes use a King of Tone with gain set low for this.

  8. #7

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    It would be interesting if you adjusted the controls to dial in "your sound" on each. Hard to evaluate otherwise.

  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by gitman
    Lastly I choose my amps by how they perform in a gig situation, at different (and higher) volume levels. The luxury of having an assortment of several small (tube) amps for low-volume-at-home-playing/recording would be nice to have but alas ....
    Yes, that's the fundamental problem with any recorded demos. Capturing how an amp sounds at performance levels is usually out of scope in an exercise like this. The best I can do is share my notes about these amps from a gigging/rehearsing perspective.

    Princeton Reverb
    • Portability: B
      • This is actually the least portable of the bunch. It's not bad for walking a couple blocks, but I wouldn't want to carry this very far. It's not just the weight, but the bulk makes it uncomfortable to carry.

    • Tone: A+
      • This is the benchmark of good tone to me.

    • Headroom: B
      • This is a surprisingly loud amp, but halfway up the volume dial it starts to distort, and not in a good way. BF distortion sounds harsh to me. It's only 12 watts so it's not a surprise.


    Quilter Superblock with Raezer's Edge Cab and Celestion Gold 10"

    • Portability: A
      • I can't complain about the weight at all, and the RE cab is extremely portable. The only annoying thing is carrying a separate head and cabinet. Fortunately the head is small enough that it fits in an electronics organizer.

    • Tone: A
      • This is a good sounding amp. The EQ parameters are very sensitive, so it can take time to dial in. The sensitive parameters can also make it easy to accidentally turn a knob and get pretty far from your ideal sound.
      • The Raezers Edge open back cabinet with celestion gold is very good. I have a preference for open back cabinets for their sound dispersion. The gold is also a speaker known for great sound dispersion. If I could give this cabinet it's own tone rating, it would be an A+. The princeton plugged into it sounds fantastic.

    • Headroom: A
      • With the gold, which is a high efficiency speaker, this setup is quite loud with more headroom than the princeton.



    Tungsten Crema Wheat with Eminence 1028k

    • Portability: A-
      • The cabinet is a little bigger than the princeton, but it's very light and the handle is particularly comfortable.

    • Tone: A
      • I know it sounds a little thin in the demo, but I think it has to do with the speaker. That 1028k is brand new and needs some break in. But that clean tweed sound is really nice. I love how simple the controls are.

    • Headroom: A
      • A 5e3 is typically thought of as a low headroom amp. This one is 20 watts and has more headroom. It can take 6l6s without rebiasing for even more headroom. This thing doesn't distort until it's literally shaking the walls.


    Henriksen Bud 10

    • Portability: A+
      • This amp is just unreal. The amp weighs nothing, and it comes with a gig bag. I took it to rehearsal last week. I had my guitar on my back and the henriksen hanging from my shoulder like a messenger bag. Both hands free to open doors, etc.

    • Tone: A
      • I think people have called out the midrange of this amp. The truth is that the amp doesn't boost the midrange at all, it just doesn't cut the midrange the way we're used to american tube amps doing. The midrange is flat. I usually cut the high mids quite a bit on this amp to dial in to my sound. The clip above doesn't do it perfect justice, but I've recorded other clips that I think capture the sound better. Henriksen Bud 10 with Fairfield Circuity Modele B
      • The fairfield circuitry pedal (modele b) for me is a pretty essential part of this rig. I've come to appreciate the henriksen sound more, but I need to have just a bit of saturation and compression in my clean tone.

    • Headroom: A+
      • Others have already shared their experience: this amp gets loud and it's 100% clean all the way up the dial. This allows me to dial in the amount of saturation I want from the modele b at any volume, which is extremely convenient.

  10. #9

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    ".....I've come to appreciate the henriksen sound more, but I need to have just a bit of saturation and compression in my clean tone. "

    Exactly ! The gain pot (along with the 2 mid-eq pots) on my 6" BUD lets me dial in the amount of push/saturation/compression I like to hear and feel but the sound does not distort which is my major issue with most tube amps.

    A couple of weeks ago I got a great deal on a lightly used Quad Cortex modeler/fx unit and it replaced my Helix Stomp pedal. This I use as a preamp now, plugging it into the fx-return of the BUD and that rig takes care of about 90% of the sounds I need , regardless of the style or occasion. When it's just guitar in a low volume trio or duo setting it's the Bud alone with either a Super-400 or my Trenier lam-top.

  11. #10

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    Great comparison and very fine playing.

    Having a 1964 Princeton myself along with three of the new Henriksens, I like those tones. I appreciate both the classic Blackface Fender tone and the flat Polytone sound, so these amps work well for me.

    I like these amps for both archtops and solid body guitars and also find that the Henriksens work well with gypsy guitars and nylon string guitars with their tweeters engaged.

    I have never needed the saturation on my Henriksens, but I do have an older OCD pedal that I could add if needed, but that would be more stuff to carry. I LOVE going to a gig with just the guitar on one shoulder and the amp on the other.

  12. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Stringswinger
    I have never needed the saturation on my Henriksens, but I do have an older OCD pedal that I could add if needed, but that would be more stuff to carry. I LOVE going to a gig with just the guitar on one shoulder and the amp on the other.
    Im with you about the extra gear. Fortunately I’m OCD enough to have an extremely compact organizer for the peripherals. All I do is pull the pedal platform out, plug the y cable in and set it atop the henriksen. Fits right in the henriksen gig bag too.

    Amp comparison: Princeton Reverb, Quilter Superblock, Henriksen Bud 10, Tungsten CW-2e5be4d5-a11a-430f-9c8f-d102bd859723-jpgAmp comparison: Princeton Reverb, Quilter Superblock, Henriksen Bud 10, Tungsten CW-cc7d2042-ff7d-4fa0-b480-8bb2777e4fbb-jpgAmp comparison: Princeton Reverb, Quilter Superblock, Henriksen Bud 10, Tungsten CW-10429198-5b35-450e-8ed7-2188a179955c-jpg

  13. #12

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    Thanks for the post Juan perfect given the timing. They sounded good and the Tungsen the most different and frankly to me the least in sound preference. I actually did not care for it compared to the rest. Hands down the Henriksen wins in all aspects. It has the sound and while the Fender was great too it weighs a lot more. For me the ease to getting around is worth a huge amount I hate lugging around anything.

    With that my 85-year-old mother who has put up with guitars since the day she married my dad said..............I think the flute is the perfect instrument you just carry it around with one hand and still free enough to do anything. Why play any other instrument. She loves Herbert Laws too.

    Moral is never argue with your mother.

  14. #13
    Given the responses about the Tungsten, I reploaded the video using the the celestion gold in the tungsten. The Eminence speaker is very tight and will need time to break in before it can do the amp justice. This is actually a great sounding amp, so wanted to clear it up before people write it off based on the first clip they heard.

    Last edited by omphalopsychos; 11-23-2022 at 04:03 PM.

  15. #14

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    I think the Tungsten is a great amp, but the one I heard had the original speaker: a Scumback M75 (Greenback), which is what these originally shipped with.

  16. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
    Given the responses about the Tungsten, I reploaded the video using the the celestion gold in the tungsten. The Eminence speaker is very tight and will need time to break in before it can do the amp justice. This is actually a great sounding amp, so wanted to clear it up before people write it off based on the first clip they heard.
    Thanks so much for the work you put into this! Your playing is a great "source program", and to tell the truth these all sound a whole lot better than just OK. To me, they're all great for jazz and I could happily use any one of them.

    I generally use a CS PR for my trio's weekly jazz show because it's in the backline and I don't have to carry anything. It's mic'ed, so I don't have to push it into the hairy zone. It has decent clean headroom, but as mentioned earlier in the thread, when it does grow hair it rapidly gets past the crew cut stage to a mullet. But I've brought my Toob 10 and SBUS in for a few shows with special guest vocalists because I think that combo sounds better for jazz than the PR. I also prefer my Blu 6 to the PR - but the old guy code says not to schlep when you don't have to. And once you stop dragging a boogie or Twin around, it's amazing how rapidly your threshold of acceptable weight drops

    FWIW, I put a Tornado Neo in my RE 10 cab and really love it with the SBUS. Some Alnicos may be a tiny bit warmer, but I don't find the Jet to be anywhere close to dry or sterile. It also does great with higher power - I use it with my Raw Dawg 250 head when I need the oomph. That combo is warm and rich for sure, maybe as much from the tube in the front end as from the impressive power. I haven't opened it up, but I'm pretty sure that Markku told me he put a Jet in my 10" Toob. I'll go back through my emails to check.

  17. #16

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    Where how high up is the volume knob in these demos?

  18. #17

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    Basically you sound great with this L-5 on all amps!

  19. #18

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    IMHO, they all sound good, just a tad different - which is okay. If I walked into a club and heard you playing any one of these, I’d probably say to myself: “Nice tone.” If I had to pick two, I’d pick the Henriksen and the Crema Wheat. Feel free to ship me the ones you don’t want.

  20. #19
    John, the volume was at about a small club level.

    Ruger, this one originally came with the upgraded speaker option: Celestion Vintage 30, which is a super loud and massive sounding speaker. I dislike 12" speakers with archtops, and I wanted to cut weight, so I installed a baffle converter and have been looking for the right 10".

    Never, I've heard great things about the Jet series! I'm still very partial to alnico.

  21. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
    Never, I've heard great things about the Jet series! I'm still very partial to alnico.
    The older you get, the lighter you want your gear to be I got my Jet 10 from Marcwhy to see how I’d like it. I’d had a RevSound RS-8 cab with neo driver made about 3 years ago that I absolutely love. At 10 pounds, it made my stock 23 pound Rich-built RE Bass 10 feel like an anvil - Rich had custom drivers made for the Bass 10 with huge, weird looking magnets. The dual quest for better sound and lower weight was successful on the first try. The RE now weighs 19 and sounds gorgeous with my archtops through the SBUS - it’s warm, clear, and jazzy.

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
    John, the volume was at about a small club level.
    Interesting. The tube amps both sound pretty clean and bright to me. I guess more proof that Princetons and Tweed Deluxes have more headroom than many here realize. As an FYI, my Princeton Reverb ('78, Jenson C10Q) is 37 lbs. Pine vs MDF cabinet is probably most of that, but what speaker do you have in yours?

  23. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by John A.
    Interesting. The tube amps both sound pretty clean and bright to me. I guess more proof that Princetons and Tweed Deluxes have more headroom than many here realize. As an FYI, my Princeton Reverb ('78, Jenson C10Q) is 37 lbs. Pine vs MDF cabinet is probably most of that, but what speaker do you have in yours?
    I’m using a Jupiter 10 sa, which weighs about the same as a c10q. I think in this case the cab must make a huge difference.

  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by John A.
    As an FYI, my Princeton Reverb ('78, Jenson C10Q) is 37 lbs. Pine vs MDF cabinet is probably most of that, but what speaker do you have in yours?
    I didn’t recall my Princetons as being that heavy, John. So I searched my catalog and review collection. My old Fender literature and a few articles suggest that the original weight of a SF PR with MDF cab was 31 pounds. That doesn’t mean they actually were, as manufacturers’ specs can be a bit off and/or not updated for every production change. But it’s hard to explain 6 more pounds on that basis. And as I recall, the C10R was the original speaker and the Q only weighs about a pound more.

  25. #24
    I recently learned that the PRRI weighs 34 lbs, which is also dramatically heavier than a pine-cabinet Princeton Reverb. I assumed that the PCB and components in the chassis might add weight in addition to the cabinet. But that still doesn't explain why a SF PR would be so heavy.

    I think the biggest surprise to me from trying out these amps was finding that (aside from maintenance and fragility concerns) a 20w tube amp with no reverb in a solid pine is actually a very viable and competitive option for a lightweight rig. I think people tend to under appreciate the importance of cabinet design: weight, material, dimensions. These things affect not just portability but also sound. Fender really perfected cabinet design in the 50s and 60s. The open back solid pine cabinet with floating baffle distributes sound beautifully. By comparison, closed back cabinets sound harsh to me. As much as I like the Henriksen Bud as it is, I plugged it into the Raezer's Edge extension cabinet and much prefered it. I couldn't help but wish Henriksen released an open cab version of the bud or blu with an open back 10 (with a slightly larger baffle). I understand this would come with significant design tradeoffs that Henriksen might not like to make.

  26. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by omphalopsychos

    Ruger, this one originally came with the upgraded speaker option: Celestion Vintage 30, which is a super loud and massive sounding speaker. I dislike 12" speakers with archtops, and I wanted to cut weight, so I installed a baffle converter and have been looking for the right 10".

    .
    I'd love to hear why... people of course have preferences, but this is the first time I've heard of a NON-12" preference WITH ARCHTOPS.