Best Old School Jazz Amplifier

[archtopdream63]

whats your favourite amp for old school jazz sound?

[ThatRhythmMan]

Pre-war - Gibson EH-185
Post-war - Fender 5F8-A Twin


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[wintermoon]

define old school
40s, 50s, 60s?

[wzpgsr]

I played through a late 40s Gibson BR-6 yesterday that had “the sound.” On the fence about whether or not to buy it—it has the original field coil speaker with the transformer mounted to it. Sounded great but I look at it and I see a potential money pit.

[ThatRhythmMan]

I played through a late 40s Gibson BR-6 yesterday that had “the sound.” On the fence about whether or not to buy it—it has the original field coil speaker with the transformer mounted to it. Sounded great but I look at it and I see a potential money pit.

The BR-6 is a pretty simple amp. As long as nothing goes wrong with that speaker/coil repairs shouldn’t be too costly.


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[EastwoodMike]

Here’s a nod to tweed fenders.

[mr. beaumont]

I can get a good old school sound out of anything. Fetishizing amps is for people who can't play.

(I'm joking, great amps like an old Princeton are hella fun...but I can get a decent sound out of pretty much enything that does have a gorilla on it)

[Doug B]

define old school
40s, 50s, 60s?

I would think that would depend on the age of the speaker. I get a chuckle when someone is selling a guitar made in 1998 and calls it "vintage" ! Kids...whatch gonna do....

[dconeill]

whats your favourite amp for old school jazz sound?

What is an "old school jazz sound"? Charlie Christian? Jim Hall? John McLaughlin? Django Reinhart? Eddie Lang? Les Paul? Wes?

You might get more appropriate answers by specifying whose sound you're trying to cop.

[Bop Head]

Did anybody ever try to play over an old tube radio?

But anway the oldschool sound comes out of your three fingers. Or two if you are very oldschool.

Some solid state amps can give you the sound of coldschool.

[omphalopsychos]

I can get a good sound out of anything. But I can’t get a better sound than my vibrolux reverb.

[rpjazzguitar]

Whatever Wes used. He got my idea of a perfect old school sound. Although, of course, most of what I heard him play was on record. I heard him live once in a concert in Central Park, but I don't have a clear memory of his sound.

I have played through 8 of the amps on the list, give or take. The one that comes to mind as best was a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe played at fairly low volume.

But, I've been able to get a good enough sound from a lot of amps.

[grahambop]

Did anybody ever try to play over an old tube radio?

But anway the oldschool sound comes out of your three fingers. Or two if you are very oldschool.

Some solid state amps can give you the sound of coldschool.

I read somewhere that Anthony Wilson uses an old film projector amplifier.

[Bop Head]

I read somewhere that Anthony Wilson uses an old film projector amplifier.

That's interesting.

A lot of rock guitarists were using tube radios as their first amp. (Some slashed the speaker cones to get a distorted sound, their parents were probably not amused.) There was a tube radio probably in every family. I was listening to pop music on a big Phillipps one while doing homework in my parents study still in the 80ies.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I read somewhere that Anthony Wilson uses an old film projector amplifier.

I don’t know what he uses, but the Bell & Howel Filmosound amplifiers (most often the 385) have been converted to guitar amps for many years. There’s even a pedal that emulates its sound (the Walrus Audio 385). Many early amps were copies, variations, or modifications of PA or movie projector amps.

As a kid in the ‘50s starting out to be a jazz guitarist, I played my LG-1 with DeArmond pickup through my family’s Stromberg Carlson hifi amplifier. When I got to high school, I discovered Bogen PA amps all over the place. So I made up an adapter from a 1/4” to a screw-on mic connector and used them through the Voice of the Theater speakers in our gym, auditorium, etc. When my band played dances there, my sound was fantastic through them - and we got a lot of gigs because of it. This was with the well used 345 I got when I was 14. Within a year, I traded it for a used ‘60 175DN that sounded truly amazing through those huge Altecs in the gym.

There are still some old film & PA amps sitting around on thrift shop & pawn shop shelves for peanuts. Most are great amps for us and only require the addition of 1/4” input and output jacks and conversion to safe 3 wire power cords. It’s best to have a tech go over them, since some had the dreaded “death capacitor” in the power supply and are shock hazards if the cap fails. These should not be used without corrective modification.

As I recall, Leo’s first amps were derived from these, too.

[grahambop]

According to google, Anthony Wilson’s amp is a conversion by Austen Hooks from a Filmosound amplifier.

[ThatRhythmMan]

According to google, Anthony Wilson’s amp is a conversion by Austen Hooks from a Filmosound amplifier.

Keep in mind, he has used a number of different amps over the years.


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[BreckerFan]

For me the old school sound is dark and slightly overdriven, so my preferred amp would be tweed Fenders or old Gibson amps (I love my tweed deluxe). Although I'm sure there are many old tube amps that get in the ballpark.

[wintermoon]

I can get a good sound out of anything. But I can’t get a better sound than my vibrolux reverb.

even though I have plenty of amps, prewar Gibsons to 60s Fenders, I voted for Vibrolux Reverbs as they're the best all around amps I own from a tone/volume/weight perspective.
we worked a gig this past weekend in a big hall and my '66 sounded superb lightly mic'd, even through the venue's crummy PA system.

[omphalopsychos]

I just put a pair of Jupiter 10 MC (their copy to a Jensen C10N) in the vibrolux. It's a lot of speaker for this amp but man it sounds incredible.

[DawgBone]

A BF Twin Reverb with a good set of speakers is tough to beat.

[omphalopsychos]

A BF Twin Reverb with a good set of speakers is tough to beat.

Theres a 64 twin reverb for sale near me with a pair of JBLs that I’m actively trying not to think about thank you.

[Hammertone]

Hmmmm.... need to think about it...

[DawgBone]

Theres a 64 twin reverb for sale near me with a pair of JBLs that I’m actively trying not to think about thank you.

The answer is yes, if you have the money. If you don't have the money the answer is 67-71 silverface with JBL's. What's going on I thought you didn't like JBL's?

[omphalopsychos]

I like em. I think they sound better cranked than at low to medium volume.