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Yesterday my good friend brought over a Hollenbeck for me to do just bit of set up on. With that he also brought his new Henriksen Blu 6. He told me he was less than impressed with the amp. He mentioned it seemed that he had to really cut the treble and add low to get it to sound decent. He also has an Acoustic Image that he uses with a RE12 cabinet. I gave it a try first on D'angelico Excel SS Tour import. This is a guitar he just bought also need set up. It has an alnico 5 neck pickup and really not a bad guitar for $700.
I immediately picked up on the sound not being as clear and articulate. The low registers of the bass something was off and high up the neck also, but I cannot describe it. Then we plugged in the Unity Angel and still same sort of sound. Then going to my Claris R2 series 3 amp with Raezer's Edge Twin 8's, it was completely different, and I have to say a much better sound. Clear in all registers and the bass being especially better. Then we tried my 1938 L5 with a dearmond pu through the Henriksen and it actually sound much better and ok. It naturally sounded better through the RE set up but not as dramatic as the first 2 guitars we tried. Moving on we tried a Super 400ces and again the differences in sound were still very present.
I was hoping things would be better because the Henriksen Blu 6 is incredibly light and appealing to lug around. My RE set up is not horrible but this little package of the Blu 6 is tremendous. My question is if possible because the power of the AI and speaker is so much more that it is not a valid comparison? Am I expecting too much? We were struck by the differences in specific guitars used in the testing. His inexpensive import sounded fine through the RE. Certainly, guitars and pickups make differences but right now I need some more study. I really want to like the Henricksen because it offers much for someone like me that does not lug amps anymore.
Have any Henricksen owners done similar comparison?
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01-31-2024 06:38 PM
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I owned an AI amp some years ago and I could not bond with it, never got the sound I wanted, regardless of the speakers I tried. After a year I sold it, got a BUD6" (first edition with the heat fins) and now I also own a Blue6" , all is good. So much depends on your personal taste, your setup, your picking technique etc. so to really form an opinion and get some REAL experience there's no way around some hands-on quality time with the gear in question.
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For Henriksens I think the following adjustments are necessary when not using pedals (for me at least, since I aim for a Fender Blackface sort of sound):
On the 6 inch models
- Increase the bass to 2-3 o clock
- Increase the low mids to 2 o clock
- Decrease the high mids to the minimum or almost minimum
- Set treble to taste
- Presence at noon
On the 10 inch models
- Leave bass at noon
- Increase the low mids to 2 o clock
- Decrease the high mids to the minimum or almost minimum
- Decrease treble to 10 o clock
- Presence at noon
I love the Henriksens and think they're very capable amps but the stock voicing is completely flat, which sounds nothing like a classic BF tube amp, and it's not always easy to get the EQ to sound how you like. I think the bands on the EQ are also narrow, so it's challenging to find the sweet spot. This is why I use pedals with a Henriksen. The Barber Barb EQ turns it instantly into a Fender tone stack (tweed or blackface; your choice).
I also use a compressor and low gain JFET based overdrive set to almost minimal gain. The compressor is always set to a low ratio. The combination of these emulates the natural compression of a tube amp. You may not hear too much of a difference, but you will certainly notice it while playing.
I love my Henriksen Bud for the convenience, but I pack a small pedalboard to take with it to improve the tone a bit.
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I have never played through a Henriksen amp, so I may very well be talking through my hat, but my understanding is that it takes some study to get the hang of the EQ which is different than most other amps. it may just take some more experimentation to find a good tone
I have an AI Clarus 2r which I use primarily through a Raezer's Edge Stealth 12. I really like the sound of that with all of my guitars for everything I play (which includes blues, Grateful Dead music, etc. as well as jazz). I have a Redstone 8" cabinet that I just don't like as much as the RE 12"; I'm not sure if it's just that particular cabinet or if I just don't like 8" speakers as well as 12" speakers. Kind of a shame because the Redstone is a whole lot easier to tote around. Maybe it is that the Redstone is not ported.
I have been following rp's experiments with the Bose S1 quite avidly, but his ultimate result with it is not encouraging. I am pondering a Quilter SBUS and a Toob of some sort. I'd like to have a much more portable setup than what I have (although, to be honest, some of this is just GAS as I do have a tweed Deluxe which is very portable and sounds great).
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I own 3 Henriksen amps and two Re Cabinets at present. I have owned many Acoustic Image heads and Polytone amps in the past. I have also owned many tube amps, mostly Fenders or Mesas.
I think that Henriksen's newest Class D offerings are better than their earlier offerings and get you pretty close to the Polytone sound, albeit a lot "cleaner". I suppose one can get a Fender sound using pedals, but a Quilter can get you that sound without any pedals.
The Acoustic Image/RE combo delivers one sound with not a lot of usable EQ for a guitar (I believe they are essentially bass amps and that the EQ was designed with bass in mind). I love the sound of an AI/RE Combo in my living room, but, I have found that combo can be impossible to dial in properly in a dark room (blending a bridge pickup works well in that regard to an extent). I have moved on from Acoustic Image (they are out of production and have limited EQ), I have moved on from Polytone (they are out of production, can be unreliable and can get a bit edgy at higher volumes), I have moved on from tube amps (they are heavy and with today's tubes, reliability is an issue) and am firmly in the Henriksen/Quilter camp. While I suppose that can change, at 66, my days of playing out and my need for newer amp technology may be a bit limited moving forward.
But IMO, if you cannot get a great sound for jazz guitar with a Henriksen Class D amp, it is operator error, not the amp.
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I would suggest the following regarding Henriksen Class D amps:
If you are a Fender Blackface lover looking to lighten your load, try Omph's suggestions in his post above or get a Tonemaster or a Quilter.
If you are a fan of the Raezer's Edge Stealth 10, Twin 8 or a Polytone with a 12 inch speaker, you will probably prefer a Blu10 or Bud10 to the smaller models. They are not as finicky about amp placement and have way more bass response and a more tame treble response.
If you are a fan of the Raezer's Edge Stealth 12 or a Polytone with a 15 inch speaker, you might consider a Bud12 which is an available special order amp from Henriksen. Bring cash, and lots of it. This is not a cheap option. All Henriksen amps are not a cheap option, but as always (mostly?), you get what you pay for.
If you want the super light portability of the Blu6 or Bud6, you will have to figure out how to make those amps work. With their downfiring port and small speaker, they need careful placement to get the best sound. I have found that using one of the little wedges that are available works well for my usage on a gig (I do not use them at home).
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I appreciate the updates and maybe I was quick to judge and need to work more on getting a better sound. I am going to see if I can borrow the amp and then try some various setting. The one thing that does stand out is that without a doubt when I ran the 38 L5 with a Dearmond pickup it sounded good. Thinking more about this tells me that if one guitar was dialed in that possibly we changed the setttings and EQ. It really needs to be do again. My guess based on Marco and Juan is that I am not dialing in the right EQ.
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My main gigging amps for the last few years are an original Bud 6 (the one with the heat sink on the back) and an Acoustic Image Corus combo. I like the portability of the Bud, but I always thought the AI had a bigger sound, especially on the low end. Probably because it is, well, bigger.
I agree with Stringswinger that the wedge really improves the tone of a Bud. The bass stands out more. It's actually remarkable for a 6" speaker.
As far as settings, to me, mids are critical on any amp, no less for Henriksens. Mids are where the fat jazz tone lives. Boosting or cutting the mids either fattens or scoops the sound.
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Preconceptions are a dangerous thing. If you are looking for a "blackface" tone, don't get a Henriksen. It's not the correct tool for the job. I say that as a Henriksen "endorser" (not officially). Having said that, I've gotten more gig complements with my Blu 10 than with any other amp. It is meant to do what it does exceptionally well.
Think of it this way: You wouldn't expect a Twin Reverb to sound like a Polytone. I don't know why people expect everything to be able to sound like a Fender and then are disappointed when it "fails" (that's just a rant - not necessarily directed at the OP).
However, I can approximate that tone by carefully adjusting the EQ. I'll get in the ballpark, but it's not going to get all the way there.
My Raezer's Edge Centauri Hybrid is a LOT more in that Fender ballpark.
As for the "6," it's, again, a specific tool for a specific job. It's great at that job... but comparing anything with a 6.5" speaker to a larger cabinet with a 10" or 12" speaker just isn't really fair....
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I get that everyone wants to get their sound with a guitar into an amp, and many do. But I can't emphasize enough how much a decent EQ pedal can help make just about any decent amp sound the way you want it to. I have two, an Empress Para EQII and an Analogman modified GE7. The Empress is incredible, totally transparent and supplies everything from broad warmth or brightness, or the opposite, to surgical EQ for feedback etc. I will say that it is probably overkill for a lot of folks, and you have to know what you are doing. The GE7 works fine, but I think it's a bit less hi fi, and the lack of Q controls is something I already miss since I got the Empress. But it is much more simple to use.
Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
And I also like to use a compressor (also an Empress) to get a bit of tube compression as well, especially when the amp is dialed down low.
I would emphasize that I mostly use this for at-home and recording, would I bring these out for a gig? I have to say I think I would. EQ in addition is a great problem solver for weird rooms.
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Just two things to add.
If you are playing the 6" model, a wedge is a must. It sounds totally different flat on the ground. That speaker needs to be pointed up to project adequately.
In response to Fusionshred, who incidentally is looking to sell the RE amp he recommended above, each piece of gear has different traits and suit different purposes. While the native henriksen tonestack isn't what I'm used to, it's an amp that takes pedals extremely well due to its neutral response. For this reason it's still the #1 amp for me for some occasions. You can't sling a 10" open back combo over your shoulder. I don't expect the henriksen to sound like a BF and I wouldn't write a negative review saying "doesn't sound like amp x". That's a question of taste. To me whats great about the henriksen is that it's convenient, adjustable, and powerful. If I'm parking my car on the same block as a venue and have enough space for a bigger amp, I likely won't take the henriksen. But if I've got a few blocks of walking to do and want to have my hands free (which is very handy in places like SF and Oakland), I'm definitely taking the 6" bud (and a couple of pedals).
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Here is the wedge you want with a Henriksen 6 at the price you want to pay: Access to this page has been denied.
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agreed! And, yes, moving the RE as noted because it’s a fantastic BF type of clean, which I cover in other ways. Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
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You know, this is an interesting discussion. With my AI, I generally leave the EQ flat for most of my guitars to sound good to me through the RE 12 inch cab. I may have to tweak the treble or bass control a little bit (i.e., from noon to 11:30 - 12:30, although at last night's rehearsal in a really bassy room, I had to roll the bass all the way off to avoid having mud). I almost never move the mid control off of center. As I understand it, it's a pretty flat amp with everything at noon; I might actually like the Henriksen if it is also very flat at noon and can tweak from there.
My favorite Fender tone is the tweed Deluxe, which is not particularly mid-scooped, low enough to still be clean; the BF sound isn't for me, usually.
With the Quilter/Toob option, I think I would have to rig up one of those capacitor plugs to cut the highs down to size.
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I assume all the discussion here is about standard RE cabinets, right? Not those with the ER option? Is the ER option useful for archtop tone, perhaps more relevant in the smaller (6" and 8") cabinets?
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The Henriksens are all ER (as are my two RE Cabinets). One difference is that the RE ER Cabinets have an attenuator that lets you dial in as much or as little of the tweeter as you like, whereas the Henriksens only have an on/off switch for the tweeter. Originally Posted by jasguitar
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Hey Mar(c/k) try this: turn the tweeter on but turn the presence on your henriksen all the way down. Then slowly raise the presence until you’re happy with the signal coming out of the tweeter. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
its not perfect but it’s one way to blend in a little bit of acoustic sparkle without going overboard.
EDIT: Meant to write Marc but wrote Mark. both apply.Last edited by omphalopsychos; 02-02-2024 at 02:04 PM.
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Deacon, could the Blu be somehow defective? Your description sounds a bit like speaker not working properly.
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I will have to try that. Thanks! Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
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A couple of things I've noticed.
The capacitor trick with the SBUS is a waste of time IMO. It does reduce the treble, but the treble control does a better job. I've never needed to turn that all the way down. Down to 9 o'clock sometimes, but never lower. I rigged up a capacitor in a plug, but it didn't do enough to make it worthwhile.
These days 6" speakers deliver more than adequate bass. Audio subwoofers use 6" or even smaller speakers. The throw distance makes that possible. I have to turn the bass knob down on my SBUS sometimes when going through my Toob Metro 6.5BG. The Toob won't get quite as loud as my Stealth10ER, at least partly because it can't move as much air, but it produces as much bass. The Toob's bass reduces greatly when it's set vertically, but when it's horizontal it's more than enough. The RE Stealth10ER has been wearing its cover while sitting on a shelf since I got the Toob. Fortunately the shelf is strong enough to handle the weight. My back may not be. I can lift it, but I see no need to take the risk.
None of this has anything to do with Henriksen amps, but every thread needs a few sidetracks.
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