Anyone Ever Play a Henriksen Bud and Evans In the Same Room?

[markesquire]

Today, I went to a local guitar store and they had a very old model Evans amp (12"), and they also had a very old Polytone (15"). It was very interesting to go back and forth between them. The Evans maybe sounded a bit more in Fender territory, but I think a lot of that might be owing to the semi-open back compared to the closed back on the Polytone.

I prefer new amps for reliability. I know that Evans offers an updated RE300, and from what I hear, Henriksen is the heir to the updated Polytone sound.

It made me wonder whether anyone has recently owned or tried both a newer Henriksen Bud and a newer Evans RE200/300 at the same time, in the same room, rather than comparing by memory over the span of months/years.

I really liked both, and it really made me want to pull the trigger on a 10" model for one or the other soon.

Evans RE300
$1,700.
150 watts through the built-in speaker, and another 150 watts available for external cab.
10" Eminence Beta speaker.
Semi-open cabinet.
26 pounds.

Henriksen Bud 10
$1,700.
120 watts through the built-in speaker
10" Eminence Beta speaker.
Closed and ported cabinet.
20 pounds.

[Tal_175]

I really liked both, and it really made me want to pull the trigger on a 10" model for one or the other soon.

I'm confused. You tried a Polytone and an Evans and you really liked both and you want to buy one of them. But you are asking about Henriksen Bud
Are you implicitly assuming that Polytone's and Henriksen's sound ball-park the same?

[markesquire]

I'm confused. You tried a Polytone and an Evans and you really liked both and you want to buy one of them. But you are asking about Henriksen Bud
Are you implicitly assuming that Polytone's and Henriksen's sound ball-park the same?

Good point. Yes, I regularly hear that Henriksen took up the mantle of Polytone, and that they sound in the same ballpark. I edited the original post to reflect that!

[Skip Ellis]

I've never had the chance to try a Henriksen but have heard they're fine amps. However, I'm a big cheerleader for Evans and own an RE200 right now and think it's as good as anything out there. I've owned several over the years and was a dealer for the originals when they were being built in Texarkana (early 80's). I was playing mostly pedal steel back then and the Evans and Webb were THE two pedal steel amps back then (a major step above Peavey). Scot, who builds the the company now is a great guy and will go out of his way to help if you have questions. His preamp is a little different than what you're used to so it takes a little messing around to get it dialed in - then it's great. At one time he had a traveling amp deal where one would come to your house for a trial week, then you sent it on to the next person on the list. Not sure if he still does it - check his website or give him a call (he likes to talk!). Great customer service and a wonderful product. He tried to talk me in to the traveling deal a few years ago but I'm completely happy with my RE200.

[gitman]

I happen to own both models (EVANS RE200, BUD6) and have gigged with both extensively - but I never took both to the same gig ! Never saw the point ....
They are different amps , both re the cab design (Evans is half open, BUD is closed+reflex tube) and the layout of the preamp/EQ section.
The Evans is somewhat unique in it's EQ layout and it does take some effort to get to know the interactive controls. They are very efficient and allow one to tweak the sound in great detail. The amp is LOUD and packs a real punch, there's no need for an extension cab. The reverb sounds fine, it's got an FX loop, it's quiet and portable. When I need maximum volume and/or a LOUD monitor for my FX board (I plug that into the FX return of the amp) the EVANS is my NO.1 choice. It never let me down in the past 9 years or so since I got it.
The BUD is the go-to amp when space is an issue, when I take my nylonstring along to plug that into the second channel, the tone/weight/size ratio is unbeatable and when asked which sound I prefer I would not be able to give a simple answer. The usually employed adjectives when it comes to describing SOUND are much too spongy and most everybody has a different connotation for them so I'd rather not play - one thing is clear though : both amps do NOT cop the ubiquitous Fender Deluxe/Princeton tone , both are designed for stage volume levels and both have PLENTY of clean headroom for players with a strong attack and heavy strings on their guitars. The BUD gives up the goods at a lower level, the EVANS wants to be pushed a little more. The EVANS works perfectly well with overdrives IN FRONT and in that respect behaves much like a tube amp. In a bedroom situation things will sound different but that is the case with every other amp too.

[Jim Soloway]

I've owned a couple of Evans amps. Dialed in right, they were great but both times the interactive controls drove me crazy. I found myself messing with knobs constantly. Ultimately the frustration level surpassed the satisfaction with the sound quality and I ended up bailing both times.

[markesquire]

Gitman and Jim,

Since you currently or previously owned both an Evans and a Bud, if you had to describe differences in sound, how would you describe it?

[Franz 1997]

I've owned a couple of Evans amps. Dialed in right, they were great but both times the interactive controls drove me crazy. I found myself messing with knobs constantly. Ultimately the frustration level surpassed the satisfaction with the sound quality and I ended up bailing both times.

I've got a couple of Evans heads, and as noted above, these amps are almost the diametric opposite of "plug in and play". It is possible to get some quite bad sounds from them, but equally it is possible to tweak almost any guitar to perfection, once you master the controls. IMO the great strength of the Evans is the Depth control, which enables one to fatten up the B and E string fundamentals to taste, making almost any guitar sound fat and juicy. In fairness, most archtops won't need this, but it's very useful for those that do, or for a jazz tele. It's also worth pointing out
that the circuit runs at much higher voltage than most SS amps, using high voltage fets to emulate a valve/ tube kind of response. This expensive construction may partly account for the high price.

One bizarre touch is that they seem to vary from version to version; the bass response from my older head on "1 " is equivalent to the bass response on "9" from the newer version.

[gitman]

Gitman and Jim,

Since you currently or previously owned both an Evans and a Bud, if you had to describe differences in sound, how would you describe it?

Evans : Room-filling, a bit more air in the tone, the perceived volume sounds bigger since it has a 10" speaker.
Nice feature : it has spring-loaded handle on the bottom that lets you tilt the cab up towards your ear, doesn't change the sound.

BUD6 : more direct sounding without getting nasty/beamy, bass content differs when it's on the floor (+) or up on a stool (-)

The rest depends on the volume level, room acoustics, amp placement, your guitar, strings, pick and fingers.

[paulkogut]

I have a RE200 and Blu6. I agree with gitman's assessments. Both are excellent amps from supportive companies, the Evans is more 'amp'-like, while the Henriksen is more like a tiny PA system.

The Henriksen also have features like Bluetooth, universal voltage, XLR out etc that could mean a lot or not matter at all depending on your usage. Even the 6 lb difference between the 2 amps you're comparing (and much lighter for the BUD/Blu6) could be a huge factor, or negligible depending on your situation

Lastly, Henriksen seems to have a bigger presence on social media, at NAMM, Woodstock, etc, and Peter this year starting up the Rocky Mountain Archtop Festival, if that's a factor.

They're definitely different amps, but either one would be a great choice.

Best wishes for your music!

PK

[Jim Soloway]

Gitman and Jim,

Since you currently or previously owned both an Evans and a Bud, if you had to describe differences in sound, how would you describe it?

The Bud is thicker and warmer. It's much easier to dial in than the Evans but it's also much less versatile. The Evans is MUCH brighter and can (with substantial effort) be tailored to a much wider range of sounds without requiring external devices. I was happy with my Bud but it fried out in Mexico and was impossible to get repaired without shipping it back to the US and I didn<t feel like then having to bring it back to Mexico so I returned it to Peter for the repair and then sold it in the US.