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I have been lurking around this site for a while but this is my first post. Information on this site led me to buy a Henriksen Bud 6 for my Telecaster to play through. I have found some settings I like, but after a couple of hours get tired of them and start looking for a preference. I am starting to wonder if I bought the wrong amp, but thought I would ask on here what settings others may be using? I only use the neck pick up which has a resistance of 7.3 K?. Thanks in advance for any advice.
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03-03-2024 10:15 AM
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What about the sound do you like at first and then get tired of?
Originally Posted by Shez1
I know it may be hard to describe. Maybe a recording would help?
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I have a Henriksen Bud (original issue). It's a different sound than is typical of guitar amps. It's extremely clean and hi-fi.
Rpjazzguitar is right, your citing a recording of the tone you're looking for would be useful in making suggestions.
Absent that information, I have found sometimes that I like putting an amp sim in front of The Bud to make it sound more Fender-like. In my case I use a Joyo American Sound (JF-14), about US$40, using the Deluxe Reverb Clean settings from the Tech21 Blonde manual as a starting point (the Joyo is a close clone of the Tech21).
So maybe a distortion or similar pedal turned very low might work for you, at least to serve as proof-of-concept.
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Turn the high mids almost to zero in the bud.
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I like my Henriksen Bud 6 with archtops, but I've never been able to get a sound I love from it with a Tele.
I agree with omphalopsychos recommendation above.
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I’ve been on the cusp of buying one of those Bud’s for quite a while. Thanks for the reminder why I like tube amps
I play a Tele too…may I reccomend:
The Santa Cruz Amp, overview and concept — Headstrong Amplifiers boutique handwired Fender style tube amps
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"What about the sound do you like at first and then get tired of?" It has been various settings that I have initially liked, then grown tired of.
I will try turning down the hi mids. I will also look into an amp sim as I do like the fender sound.
As for Headstrong amps, I am in the UK and I doubt they are available here?
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If you're in the UK and are looking for a solid state jazz amp, check out the Mambo. I recently got one to try out. It hasn't fully displaced the Henriksen but I find the EQ much easier to dial in for a Fender sound.
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Thanks for the suggestion, but if I decide to change the amp I might as well just get a Fender. But the size, weight and quality of the Henriksen deserves some more perseverance. Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
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If you go that route, try out Quilter amps as well. They seem to be pretty well-regarded for this application. I see that there is at least one vendor in the UK so maybe you'll have a chance to try one. Originally Posted by Shez1
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Henriksen amps are essentially mini pa systems with built-in 5 band eq and reverb. They are used by bass players, singers and keyboard players as well. If they were colored like guitar amps, they wouldn't be usable with other instruments. They also work well with luthier made, resonant archtops. That's the main reason for its jazz guitar credentials. Switching off the tweeter and cutting the highs would bring them closer to guitar amps but a good amp-in-a-pedal would make a big difference especially when playing solo or practicing.
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Mambo has all the size/weight advantages of Henriksen. Originally Posted by Shez1
But yeah if size and weight are not a concern, no reason not to get a tube amp. They're just better.
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Interested in this conversation myself: I almost always play a Tele into a Tweed Champ and it's difficult NOT to get a great sound, but I often consider a Bud to enjoy the additional headroom. I just get mixed opinions on whether that combination sounds good or not, and the clips that I hear are also pretty mixed (some sound fantastic, others sound very sterile and PA-like). I think it might come down to maxing out the input volume to make it sound more "electric" rather than acoustic/PA, and then keep the master volume lower to compensate.
I think everyone here with a Bud and a Tele should post a video to decide it once and for all (Mr. Beaumont kindly sent me a video once, which was helpful).
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I've heard of this trick but I haven't perceived any benefit, even with a db meter, which would tell me it's compressing more when the input gain is raised. Both the preamp and the power amp are super clean, uncompressed, high headroom solid state gain stages. I don't see how juicing one would create compression. Originally Posted by markesquire
I could be wrong but (1) I couldn't hear a difference and (2) my decibel meter couldn't either.
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Good to know - I've heard people say it, but you have too, and you've actually tried it in person. Glad I mentioned it.
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This is exactly the line of reasoning that led me to try a Bose S1 Pro +. The Henriksen is getting rave reviews. But, if it works with vocals, it has to be pretty flat. So, why wouldn't a quality unit like the S1 Pro + do the same thing at half the price? And, the S1 has some other features that can be useful. Originally Posted by Tal_175
I couldn't get the sound I wanted. One thing is that I play a Comins GCS-1, which is a 335 type, not an archtop. Another thing is that the S1 has two band EQ. Although my pedalboard has 4 band, I still couldn't get control over the lows and highs. In fact, I couldn't hear any effect from moving the treble control from min to max. Lows tended to bloom and highs got too piercing. I'd get it dialed in at home and then end up fiddling with it all night on the gig.
I then tried an Everse 8. It has 7 band EQ, but I couldn't dial out a certain harshness.
I ended up not really being certain why it wouldn't work, other than maybe I needed more bands of EQ in the range of the guitar (which, btw, is about 82 to 2637 hz for fundamentals and up to about 8k for "sparkle" or "presence").
So, I'm back to playing an old JC55, which is working pretty well. I'm still thinking about the Bud, but the players who love it are archtop players, or so it seems, so I'm not sure what to expect. And there are a lot of intriguing options that are a lot cheaper.
Side note: the 5-band EQ center frequencies are not the same on the Bud and Blu. Nobody seems to be troubled by that.Last edited by rpjazzguitar; 03-05-2024 at 05:38 PM.
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You're right. I just checked the Henriksen website. Bud's EQ has a wider range 80 - 7200 Hz as opposed to Blu's 100-3500. Bud's EQ seems to be configured for voice, keyboard and acoustic instruments. It also has two channels so that makes sense. Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
Blu's EQ range is more guitar oriented. It excludes ranges that are not useful for guitar and in turn gives more control over the mid range (three knobs in the mid frequency range).
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Yeah the EQ difference is something I didn’t pay enough attention to when I had a Blu. I actually think 800hz is the “offending” frequency of the bud but I can’t target it directly except with an external eq. I like the two channels, extra gain control, and bright switch of the bud but something tells me I’d prefer the center frequency of the high mid EQ param of the Blu.
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This is an interesting discussion
I have a Bud 6 and I really like it. With the caveat that I am no expert on such matters, one of the things that I found useful was to basically turn the presence down. Given the typical frequency range of the guitar and that the 'high' on the Bud is the same as the presence on the 'Blu', I reasoned this was worth a try. And it works well for me (YMMV). Note that I am not a 'bright' hater...I keep the tweeter on and occasionally use the bright switch on the second channel. On my guitar/s, I use rounds and keep my tone control quite a way up. Knocking the presence down allows me to use guitars 'normally' (for me) and makes it less hi-fi and fizzy
I don't mind the high-mids as much as others but agree that taking these down will get you closer to Fender territory
Another thing you might try is a pedal or two to warm things up. Omphalopsycos has done some great posts on this - and I'd second his suggestion of the Fairfield Barbershop/Modele B
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Hell yeah! When I first got this pedal like 6 years ago I wasn’t even aware of all the hype it got on TGP. I just plugged in and immediately realized it is very very special. Fortunately the supply has met demand and prices haven’t gone out of control due to hype like the klon or king of tone. Originally Posted by EvansDrD
Anyway, I really think more people need to try that pedal. To me it’s the perfect jazz clean boost. Just a touch of compression and harmonic presence at low gain settings and a bit of that Kenny Burrell dirt at mid gain settings.
And unlike every other supposedly “transparent” overdrive I’ve tried (yes including the rockett blue note, which is not transparent at all bc it’s based on tube screamer, and the morning glory), the Fairfield circuitry does not change your eq. When you plug it in it just sounds like the exact same amp, just with more gain.
Hoping this pedal picks up among jazz guitarists because it is amazing.
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Whoa, I don't know how I missed this before. I always thought that the Bud/Blu sounded a bit different in clips, and people say that their power amps differed for a short while, but that now they are entirely the same except for the Bud's additional channel (and other features). But the different EQ frequencies may explain different sounds, and may make the Blu a better option if you're only going to use it for guitar (the Bud's frequencies seem to be spread out further for use as a PA). Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
This video shows the Blu followed by the Bud, and while microphone or knob adjustment matters some, the Blu seems much more guitar-amp-like, and the Bud has a much more extended high end.
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I'm pretty sure he filmed that when the Bud and Blu had different power amps. With knobs at noon they should be identical. Also, I can't really hear much tone at all from that amp. I don't get why someone would film a demo at guitar center, the most unpleasantly noisy place on earth. Originally Posted by markesquire
Anyway, I don't know that I agree that the Blu EQ is more guitar friendly. I like having control of 800 hz but the treble and presence knobs are at bizarre points for me. Honestly the EQ of the henriksen sucks. That and the reverb are my biggest gripes. I hate using both so much that I basically never play my henriksens without pedals. I know some people get plenty of mileage out them of without pedals so it's going to come down to the player and what you like.
But to the OP: sounds like what you want is (a) a mambo if you need the portability but want a more fender tonestack or (b) a princeton reverb if you don't need the light weight.
As for markesquire, if you're just playing at home and you want a tube sound with more headroom than a champ, then you probably would like a princeton reverb much more than a henriksen.
My bottom line: henriksen is a really really *portable* amp for gigging and rehearsing. I use my bud 6 regularly when I need to and I don't mind supplementing it with pedals to get my sound. But if you're just playing at home, then you either need to be sold on the hifi, midforward sound of henriksen amps or you should probably look elsewhere. The main value prop of henriksen is practicality/portability. It comes with compromises. If you don't need the portability, I see no reason to get one (unless you really like the stock tone).
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"My bottom line: henriksen is a really really *portable* amp for gigging and rehearsing. I use my bud 6 regularly when I need to and I don't mind supplementing it with pedals to get my sound. But if you're just playing at home, then you either need to be sold on the hifi, midforward sound of henriksen amps or you should probably look elsewhere. The main value prop of henriksen is practicality/portability. It comes with compromises. If you don't need the portability, I see no reason to get one (unless you really like the stock tone).[/QUOTE]"
Having tried the various setting suggestions and having bought and tried a Joyo American Sound (I did not like it), I have concluded that I agree with the comment above and I should look elsewhere. A fender probably. Anybody in the UK want a Bud 6 (and / or the pedal)?
Thanks for all the comments. Appreciated.
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If you are going for a Fender tube amp, for home and small venues I recommend 68 Custom Vibro Champ or Princeton. They are both great examples of Fender amps in different eras depending on your taste. Fat, mid forward and slightly dirty cleans (Vibro Champ) or the lush, slightly scooped, clarity (Princeton). Originally Posted by Shez1
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Asking 10 players you'll hear 11 different opinions - all subjective. I can get great tones out of pretty much all pro-level amps but none work "perfectly" in every situation and/or at different volume levels.
The compromise that the BUD6 (or the Blu for that matter) offers in terms of size, weight, tone, flexibility and ease of use beats all other amps in my arsenal. Subjective opinion :
to my ears the amp does not sound HiFi or PA-like (bright switch/tweeter not engaged). I get great results with my Tele (normal and down-tuned), my archtops and my nylonstring/classical guitar.
If I want a different color I use either an outboard EQ pedal, my HELIX Stomp or the "Polytone-in-a-pedal" pedal that many on this forum also have. I'm not a purist when it comes to
these things and use whatever sounds good and works, does the job. My experience with small-ish Fender-type amps have been mixed : they sound either too scooped, fart out when
I pick a little harder on the bass strings, the open back design lowers the feedback threshold on many stages and the ones that do sound great on stage are too big and heavy ....
YMMV
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