New Amp Analysis Paralysis (Part 2... aka All the Toobs down in Toobsville)

[Silentwiz]

Firstly, I want to clarify that I am not a professional musician. I play out twice monthly at jazz jams on guitar and occasionally on bass. I am generally not a tone guru and focus on function over nuances of EQ or tone. Please consider this in respect of any (ahem...) opinions I may share.

As I joked in the other thread, my Roland Cube 80XL has grown old enough where it was time to find a suitable replacement. In Part 1 of this thread, I received a tremendous amount of wonderful guidance that ultimately led me to consider two specific setups:

1) A Henriksen Bud 6; and
2) A TOOB Metro 6.5BG JR plus Quilter US Superblock 25

At risk of being crass, setup 1 was roughly $1400 and setup 2 was roughly $600. I wasn't worried too much about spending more because I don't do this too often.

Setup 1 was roughly 13 pounds. Setup 2 was roughly ~7 pounds (4.5 for speaker + 2.5 for Superblock + cables/PSU, etc...). These are both absurdly light compared to the 36 pound Cube 80XL.

Both setups came perfectly packed with a lot of thoughtful add ons. All items included power cables. The Henriksen includes a really nice carrying case and power cable. The TOOB includes a really nice wire to tilt back, a perfectly set up speaker cable and velcro for attaching a micro head. As a nitpicker, I would prefer the Superblock be a larger unit with a built in external PSU.

I appreciate that comparing a Quilter versus a Henriksen is pretty much apples and oranges tone-wise. To my ears (and assume I start all sentences with this going forward please), the Quilter is a brighter Fender tone with a lot of range from old tube tweed amps through a blackface era scoop. The Henriksen is a classic "jazz" tone that brings back classic era Polytone vibes.

On versatility -- the Bud would work wonderfully for me if I were to gig with my acoustic duo and didn't want to deal with the headache of a PA system, etc... I ran my acoustic and mic through the little wonder and it was pretty awesome for this.

On the other hand the Quilter + Toob would "flex" to cover gigs where I play blues/pop/R&B/etc... I'd go play a Dead cover show using the Quilter and not think twice about it (or Clapton or whatever).

For the heck of it, I kept playing these back to back over the course of a week alongside an old Carvin Bass Amp. More than anything, The Carvin Bass Amp was there to cause me to question if the amps felt "small" or boxy. In the past, I had tried smaller amps such as the Lunchbox or early Henriksen Bud models and came away feeling like they felt "small". I definitely did not want this -- and I wanted to ensure I wasn't being fooled as my ears became accustomed to one sound or another.

In the end, I opted to keep the Quilter / TOOB setup. I would not blame anyone for picking any "horse" in this race. My rationale was as follows:

1) I plainly think I like the "Fender-y" sound better -- I think it'll do more for me in more situations and it's a little more interesting to listen to when I play to the walls in my room (which is most of the time!)
2) the TOOB sounded "larger" in the room than the Bud did -- after way too many times of going back to back to back, I became convinced that the TOOB design had some real magic to it causing it to fill the room magnificently.
3) the TOOB seemed to be less sensitive to placement than the Bud. The Bud sounded like two different amps if you put it on a table and pointed it straight at you versus on the floor. The TOOB seemed more "location agnostic". By the way, some people might prefer the Bud for this quality.
4) If I change my mind on the Fender tone and want more classic Polytone, I could probably twiddle with the knobs on the Quilter enough (and roll down the tone knob on my guitar) to get close enough to the Polytone sound for me
5) If that didn't do it, I could get even closer to a classic jazz tone through my old Carvin bass amp (or the Cube 80XL if I wanted to haul it)

We truly live in a wonderous age where these things are sub 15 pounds. You really can't go wrong. By the way, both companies are run by the best people on earth who care so deeply about their products. This is just amazing in a day and age where I can't buy a cup of coffee without a 22% automatic tip being added on!!!

Last but not least, I did order this lunchbox on Amazon to hold the Quilter + TOOB setup -- will follow up and let you know how it works. Not much of a risk @ $25 (or $19 if you want the camo one... haha):

Amazon.com

Here's a photo during my "test run".

[marcwhy]

Thanks for the fun review, and congrats on the purchase! You're right: both rigs are excellent, as are their respective companies! Play on!

[BTW, I carry my Toob 6.5 in a Gator 8" drum bag! Not enough room for an amp, but perfect for the speaker!]

[pingu]

congrats on the Toob !

I run mine with a Bam200 and it
gets a clean classic jazz type sound

I run it up firing which gives a wonderfull 360 degree spread round the room
(everyone hears the same sound)

I might get a SBlock type amp at some point to give me some grease
I’m waiting to see if they produce
a bigger wattage version at some point (the Toob will take 100 watts no problem)

Although people seem to say that
the SBlock with the small Toob is
already loud enough ,

Is your setup loud enough to keep up
with a moderately loud band ?

[marcwhy]

congrats on the Toob !

I run mine with a Bam200 and it
gets a clean classic jazz type sound


Is your setup loud enough to keep up
with a moderately loud band ?

Do you have the 6.5, or a larger 10/12? I know Markku and others here play the 6.5 with big bands; I have only played it with combos, and it's plenty of sound! I also have the Toob 10S with the alnico speaker; that has no problem knocking walls down!

[pingu]

1278842[/URL]]Do you have the 6.5, or a larger 10/12? I know Markku and others here play the 6.5 with big bands; I have only played it with combos, and it's plenty of sound! I also have the Toob 10S with the alnico speaker; that has no problem knocking walls down!

Metro BG

thanks

[Gitterbug]

WARNING: Commercial break for those wondering about different Metro 6.5 models. (Don't worry, even some resellers are confused.)

Basic GP (Guitar Ported) has four felt-covered rear ports and comes with a 20W Jensen C6V for a very "guitary" sound. This is what I mostly use on gigs. GP+ is the same loaded with 130W SICA 6L 1,5SL. BG (Bass & Guitar) sports the same SICA speaker in a slightly deeper, felt-lined housing and has a single-port backplate with 8 mm felt for acoustic suspension providing deeper bass reponse. Here, "+" stands for extra legs for playing in upright position. A favorite among jazz guitarists and bassists. BG JR? Last summer's whim: shorter housing, no felt lining, 6 mm felt in rear port. Almost indistinguishable from "real" BG. Finally: FR II. 130W SICA 6D 1,5SL full-range speaker, now a single-port backplate for flatter response curve and deeper bass end. Also available with upright legs and 1/4" UNC stand mount. The most versatile Metro. This is what guitarist Elden Kelly used on the main stage at 2023 NAMM playing with accordionist Cory Pesaturo and other virtuosi.

Some 270 Metros made so far.

Thanks and cheers,

Markku