-
Today, finally a chance to listen to a Henriksen Bud 6, as fellow countryman and Forum member VesaW visited my workshop. We did quite a bit of cross-auditioning. Here's my take.
The Bud: Just great! If it had been available back in 2007 when I started my Odyssey towards the ultra-light backline, I might never have taken off. With 120W Class D on tap, the Bud was loud enough for all purposes jazz in my opinion.
The Metros - 20W GP, 130W BG JR and 130W FR II - were powered by a 25W Quilter SuperBlock US for the occasion. So they lost in clean volume for sure, but the rest is subjective. We both were inundated by good sounds only. The FR II version, although full-range, gets along with archtops very well. Vesa brought his ES-175 Reissue, and had my 2008 Benedetto Bravo. I sensed that all Metros had a broader projection and less boxiness than the Bud. VesaW may feel differently.
I was left with the craving for a Quilter Super-SuperBlock, with just a wee bit more clean headroom. Irvine, CA, do you hear me?
-
10-25-2023 03:09 PM
-
Milkman The Amp 100w. It has a tube preamp (12AX7), 100w, and is darker than the quilter. What's not to like? Some people say it's too dark but I think that depends on the speaker. I have tested it through various cabs and I think the milkman is voiced very similarly to a Princeton Reverb, which is perfect for jazz through the right speaker. So if you want a 100w princeton reverb head that weighs 2 lbs i highly recommend. Sounds really good through a 2x10.
-
Thanks! Milkman seems to divide opinions (like everything else, it seems.) Interestingly, my German reseller Liberty-Music has just posted a demo video featuring a Milkman stereo amp and a pair of Metro 6.5BG's.
-
Obviously it's bulkier and heavier than a Toob + SuperBlock combination, but at the same size (and much lower weight) than a Princeton, that's pretty much what the Aviator Cub is (also better sounding and cheaper than a 101R + BlockDock combo). I'm still in the evaluation phase with one (vs my Princeton).
Originally Posted by Gitterbug
-
There may be a black horse in the lightweight amp head race: Taurus SH8 Clean. Bulkier than the SuperBlock for sure, but still just 3 lbs or so. I have the precedent SH8 Qlone version, which is over-featured and too rock-oriented. A perfect amp for a party band but not for jazz. My long-distance friends, Greg Ruggiero in NY and Aiden Koon in Hong Kong, like the Clean. Greg has gone through all small amps available, so his is a very qualified opinion.
-
It looks great - but it's "only" 50W and about twice as expensive as the SBUS over here. That's no more than 3 dB louder than the SB at rated output through the same speaker, assuming the distortion at rated outputs is about the same in both amps. Originally Posted by Gitterbug
I have a Blu 6 and do not find it to sound boxy or constricted at all with archtops or solid bodies. Of course, it's now $US1099, for which you get a whole lot of amplifier and speaker in a wonderfully small and light package. I think my 10" Toob with DV Mark EG250 head has as much or more clean headroom and power than the Blu and sounds at least as good (even with 7 strings). But that combination is only about $US200 less expensive than a Blu 6 over here.
My Metro BG and SBUS sound fabulous for sure. The combination is amazingly capable of hanging with louder bands in surprisingly large rooms. I have no trouble at all mixing it up with a quintet that includes amplified keyboard and mic'ed tenor sax (don't ask me why - he really doesn't need sound reinforcement in most rooms) along with electric bass and drums. But I think I got my money's worth and more from the Blu 6 - it sounds right at home on gigs that would overwhelm my SBUS and Metro.
-
I love the Bud 6. I'm on my second one – the second iteration, after I sold my first gen Bud 6 for a considerable price decrease to a young jazzer here in NYC. I love that it has 2 channels, since I either sing into the second channel or plug a second guitar into it for jamming with a friend. At the time, it was the amp with the best sound at the lightest weight. Love that 12-lb amp for shlepping around NYC!
After reading about it here on the forum, and hearing Greg Ruggiero playing through one, I ordered a Toob Metro 6 from Gitterbug. He was amazingly helpful about which combination I should get, and fun to trade email messages with. Partnered with the Superblock, it is even lighter than the Bud and easy to carry on the – ahem – Metro. I understand that Greg R. was instrumental (sorry) in Gitterbug's rollout of the Toob Metro 6.
I only wish that someone would make a Superblock-sized 2-channel pedal amp – a genuine 2-channel, not one channel for clean and one channel for dirty, which is an either/or situation.
And I like the SBUS/Toob combination so much I bought a Toob to use in Paris, with a SBUK. I suppose for two-channel use I could use two separate SuperBlocks into the same Toob, one for guitar and one for vocals...
-
You’re halfway there mate. Henriksen make a head version of the bud. Originally Posted by Ukena
look it up- unfortunately to get a power supply and 2 x120w channels it comes at a size similar to your bud when seen from above.
cheers
Emike
-
Hi Paul and thanks! I, too, have been suggesting a micro head with two independent channels with reverb, and an XLR input with phantom power for mic'ing a vocalist/instrumentalist. There's so many duos out there who could do without heavy PA systems in intimate settings. The Bud head does all this, I guess, but is bulky and pricey in relation to a single Metro. Of course, there are several makes of small mixers able to blend the signals to the amp's single input. I haven't studied those too closely for features, especially independent reverb for each input.
The idea of feeding one cab from two amps might not work. When I first hooked a Trace-Elliot Elf amp to a bass TOOB, I didn't notice that the cab's other input jack was already connected to another amp, which wasn't even on. The Elf apparently has a protective circuit which disabled it until I discovered my mistake.
We have successfully used a pair of Metro FR II full-range cabs mounted on lightweight light stands and fed from an old Yamana Stagepas 300 mixer amp as a very portable PA rig. Behringer at least offers a mixer amp with similar properties plus phantom power.
The attached photo shows one such FR II (in rare Cinnamon color) after trials with a steel-string flattop. The SBUS brought the guitar to the verge of feedback with plenty of power in store.
-
You're right about the Bud Head, Emike, and I had considered that. But it's almost 3 times as heavy as the SB, and more than twice as big. Granted, 3.5 lbs still isn't heavy by any means, but still...
Gitterbug's suggestion of using a mixer might be the way to go. I've long been on the lookout for a battery-powered micro-mixer that would allow a mic (hopefully with phantom power) and guitar to be mixed.
-
You can't successfully run one speaker from two amps at the same time. You will kill at least one of the amps. Depending on the protection the amps have, it may be only temporary, but it's possibly permanent, requiring major repairs. I tried it once, and regretted it immediately.
-
Thank you! Good to know… Originally Posted by sgosnell
-
Yeah- like I hinted: we are only halfway there. ( or already halfway there if you think that way ) Originally Posted by Ukena
To be fair to the Henriksen, weigh up x2 superblocks with x2 power supplies, x2 sets of controls and inputs/outputs, quadruple the power requirements and output and you are pretty close to the dimensions, weight and cost of the Bud head. Today at least our knowledge of physics is limiting us to that size. 30 years back imagine the size & weight of the equivalent unit!! Yikes.
Happy hunting.
Emike.
-
EMike: Consider the 200W bass amps such as Elf, BAM 200 or Gnome. All weigh under 2 lbs and don't need a separate power supply. I know nothing about electronics but believe that reverb is just another chip, some circuitry on the motherboard plus a pot. OTOH, there are compact 24V, up to 6A (144W) power supply units out there, so a super-SuperBlock should be doable within sensible weight and dimensions.
Last edited by Gitterbug; 10-27-2023 at 05:26 PM.
-
All that is true mate. Most of the weight in these things tends to be casing, power supply and heat sinks. My Bam (/elf/gnome) needs a fan. My Henriksen doesn’t. One day I’ll open it up to see what inside makes the amp bit heavy. I’ll have to read up if the bud is 120w per channel and if they are build anything like quilters that means 120w output with 200+Watt headroom capacity. Originally Posted by Gitterbug
bear in mind the weight and size of a Quilter toneblock 202 reverb is about the same for 200W single channel.
can’t be far off though….An Aviator in Superblock form for me sounds ideal.
-
my Bam200 doesn’t have a fan
(apart from me)
tee hee
-
Shure? Originally Posted by pingu
-
I'm so far behind the times with my two polytones and they're starting to feel too heavy.
-
Hi Garybaldy, since you brought up Polytone, there's a short comparison video just posted on YouTube by jazz guitar enthusiast John Piazza from California. A Polytone, a DV Mark Little Jazz and a Metro 6.5BG JR powered by a TC Electronic BAM200. I thought I had the link copied but it didn't work. You'll find it by searching John Piazza. Makes sense to listen through headphones. John's setting on the BAM is Grant Green style, i.e. next to no treble and bass. I start from all three at noon and usually reduce the treble to 10 o'clock. Originally Posted by garybaldy
Cheers,
Markku
-
Thanks Markku. I'll take a look. I've been laid up for a couple of days with a bug and have a rock gig later today so frantically brushing up on the usual Halloween numbers!! (That'll be with a Musicman 65RP - Great amp but I don't use it for jazz). Originally Posted by Gitterbug
-
The video is brand new, i.e. does not show up on the first searches. I'll copy the link below.
-
Not a particularly well-done video, but still interesting. There was no actual picture of any settings, he couldn't aim the phone properly to get any. I have no idea of how he recorded the sound, but I have to assume he just used the mic in the phone, which resulted in different locations and angles for each amp, because it wasn't really moved, so not an exacting sound comparison. Still a somewhat useful comparison, I guess.
-
I noticed the Bam200 had both gain and master at 3 o clock. I would imagine this being very loud? Or is it a very under powered 200 watts?
-
I tend to run amps at much higher levels than I play, and roll the guitar volume off, usually below 50%. That's just the sound I prefer, and many will disagree with that, but I don't think it's an unusually rare setting.
-
On the video, BAM's bass and treble pots were more or less rolled off, à la Grant Green, but midrange wasn't up. This may have called for a pretty high volume setting. I start with all three at noon and usually reduce treble to 10 or so.
Reply With Quote
“Shearing style”
Today, 05:26 PM in Comping, Chords & Chord Progressions