Join me live through the premiere of this video. You'll hear all 5 Amps played, cons & pros of each amp. Keep me company so that Covid is not my only companion 😊.
With you playing through them, they all sound beautiful. As I said in the live chat, I am very happy with my Jazz Club solid state amp from ZT Labs in California. Thanks for the demo, I always enjoy them. 👍
I'm in southern California and worked at QSC/Quilter amps, mixers and speakers as they were being developed by Pat Quilter who in my opinion is one of the most knowledgeable electrical engineers specializing in guitar amps. You have nailed these tonal comparisons perfectly. Especially the difference between the tube amps timbre and the solid-state sound. These are subtle differences. I have subscribed to your channel because you are taking much of the folklore out of realm of guitar sound with very accurate information. I have a Quilter Slantmaster 50 which were the first prototypes given to the employees. The Slantmaster is a very early development version of the Quilter Aviator series. I have a Robert Conti Entrada arch top that play into it, but it's very funny how you came up with almost exactly the same tone settings as I use every day giving it a deeper more vocal sound in the midrange. You were correct to say these Quilters were not really focused on being jazz amps, but the early Aviators with 8" speakers sound AMAZING for Jazz guitar. Lots of thumbs up from me on your videos!! Keep them coming.
Thanks so much for your kind words and valuable knowledge. It's an honor to have you onboard! And bzt the Conti Entrada seems to be a great guitar. Havent had a chance to review it yet (shipping and custom fees add much to the price here), but all the reviews I've heard were extremely positive.
EBay or Reverb - postage may be a bit brutal but if the amp is 40% less than a similar vintage Fender it should even out. Maybe a large vintage music store in London or Berlin will have some?? BUY PRE 65-67 for the best quality. Look at ALL the Gibson GA series amps online and even a few of the BR series amps. Remember Charlie Christian played jazz using Gibson amps, Scotty Moore played those big old Gibson Jazz guitars through Gibson amps for all those early Elvis/Rockabilly tunes... As you know if the transformers are good tube amps that have been re capped are as reliable as most solid state -- and when or if they break it's usually an easy and cheap fix - not rocket science.
You can get modern component-for-component clones of those old Gibsons and they will be even more reliable. And for some fun make them yourself with the free schematics out there.
Hi. Thanks for the comparison. I like the Henriksen amps a lot. I just recently heard someone play a Godin Kingpin P90 through a ZT Lunchbox Reverb. Tiny little amp, but it sounded amazing in a trio with a drum kit and double bass.
HOW would you choose an amp from this collection?! I think the Quilter sounds the best. To me. Maybe! I got a Blackstar HT20 head because I play a variety of styles and needed something versatile, but it was a Tom Quayle demo where he's playing jazz that sold me on it. For me, it's great value and sounds great. Thanks for a super-helpful review, and some beautiful playing.
Great review ! To be honest I think your tone sounded most open on the quilter and the blues jr. With the fender sounding a bit more compressed… tubes will do that .. The DV was nice too but darker. I use either my fishman loudbox .. similar to the aer .. or for small coffee gigs or art openings I’ll just use my table top Yamaha thr30. So quite a bit smaller. But I’m also playing a tele mostly. Sometimes an electro-acoustic. Generally cheaper gear than what you’re showing .. but it works …
Excellent video. Another jazz amps : Evans RE300, Acoustic Image Clarus (bass, but also guitar), Roland Jc, Rivera Suprema Jazz, Fender Jazzking and Fender Jazzmaster Ultralight (Discontinued), Polytone, Fender twin reverb ( heavy weight), Vox Ac 30 ( J. Scofield), Acoustic 134, Yamaha g100.
@@marccarter1350 Never had an amp smoke out on me. That is disappointing. I loke the JC-40 and keep playing with the idea of getting one. They're never on sale.
@@ronj9448 I played my Blues Jr's in Sterio. I really did push them as well. Had to replace tubes loads. Roland JC-40 with a Electro-Harmonix Switch Bland lets me run a lush Sterio sound from the same amp. Its really warm as well in Sterio. In mono iots still great. The chorus is to die for!
For 100bucks Peavey studio pro with the Tdynamics. Inbetween solid state and tube sound. The cleans can be superrr clean or i can sound like a dirty tweed amp like the old deluxes. It has a good blackface clean too
Heriksen for me. To have th emost ability to craft a tone, adjust to environmental settings, it's prob th ebest Solid State you can buy. But you will pay HUYGE money to get it. Oddly, right now I use a Fender Mustang GT100 and I can get a lot out of it. Plus setting that none of these amps have. The downside....Not quite a s clear, and for build quality, it's cheap by comparison.
I chose the DV Mark Little Jazz because it was small, pretty and living room friendly 😊 Fills my little house/rooms very nicely and really easy controls with very smooth sounds. Love your videos, Sandra!
I’ve arrived at the conclusion that any amp that can provide solid clean tones at a volume that works with unamplified acoustic drums is a “jazz guitar amp”. You don’t need to spend thousands on an amp. I say that as owner of a Princeton Reverb II, which is a spectacular jazz guitar amp… and also as owner of a Drive G35, which despite its awfulness as a rock amp does a quite credible job with an archtop in a jazz setting. If I were seeking a jazz amp today I would, if budget and transport allowed, go for one of the Rivera jazz amps. They have the same shimmer across all frequencies as does my PRII. But if you have a budget under a hundred bucks, there are so many used amps that will get the job done. And if your budget is under $500, the DV Mark 12 is a great choice.
@@GuitarversumSandraSherman Mine has no fan issues. DV Mark has corrected and removed the noise. The Little takes up less space. I know professional musicians who use it
Nice content! The Fender Blues Jr. (actually the IV edition) is my favorite of the Fender Hot Rod Series. I think it's a great bang for the buck. I also agree on the '68 Pro Reverb. I've not had much experience with SS guitar amps but I thought the DV Mark and Quilter were impressive especially for the cost. Thanks for sharing!
I have the Bud Six...it's a fantastic amp. I had low expectations when I bought it as I've played tube amps for years. After I got it, my tweed Champ clone that I'd played exclusively for years got so neglected that I finally sold it. I can play jazz, blues and country on the Bud...could probably do ambient and worship too, if I ever decide to do that again. Very versatile. The input gain is the secret weapon of this amp (along with the spectacular EQ). It gives you just enough touch-responsiveness and compression that you don't miss tubes anymore. Far from sterile sounding, it's a very musical and expressive amp. Extremely versatile. Takes pedals well too. Plus it has a built in speaker out, line out and wi-fi capability for jamming along with backing tracks. Weighs just 13 lbs. Hard to compete with the Bud.
Great job! I wish all instrument reviews were as organized as this one. This is the best review process on RU-vid I've seen in 10 years. To my ear, all of them are good but the one that stands out to me is the Blues Jr.. The openness, musicality, clear but warm upper mids, tight lower mids and what is still missing with solid state amps, those luscious harmonics! Tubes still rule while solid state is getting closer. I can still remember in the 60's when Yamaha came to my home town in Hamilton, Ont. Canada to show off their new and one of the first transistor amps at the time. The sales person loudly declared at the beginning that "this is the end of tubes!" Then their guitar player plugged in and 2 min later I left because my ears hurt as the digital square wave edge and crunch felt like they were going to rip my ear drums out and destroy my hearing as a teenager! I knew then that his statement wouldn't hold water. It's only taken 60 years for solid state modelling to get close but tubes still rule. Until someone comes up with a way to model harmonics, tubes will still rule. Thank you for this awesome review Sandra!
Great Review and great playinsg, as always, thank you! There are no big differences between them but listening carefully, for jazz I would choose the AER 60 (very warm sound and very balanced EQ), if I wanted something more versatile, without a doubt the Fender Blues JR. I am very happy with my Acoustic Image Clarus 2R head and the Raezer's Edge Twin 8 Light Weight speaker.
I really like the AER when I pre-amp it. To do that I use a line 6 Helix. It's really hard to get a friendly tone amongst all the Helix amp and effect choices, but possible. My favorite is an SLO (for Soldono?) clean. I don't use reverb or delay, but a bit of megaphone boost pedal in front of the SLO to brighten everything up. Although such a tone is brighter than, say, a dark Jim Hall tone, with it the different types of picks and picking techniques I use really come alive thru set PAF style pickups. It gives me a wide range of jazzy tones thru how I vary my thumb and finger picking and palm muting. I'd say 50% of playing is picking skills. The AER really brings that alive.
Hard to believe but…. I am gravitating to a Pod Go (with IRs and effects) versus any single stage amp now. Ultimate flexibility on all the amp varieties. Love the simple AER sound but it is not enough.😊
Great review Sandra. I have a Princeton 65 reverb, and strymon timeline with different delay and chorus settings and eq, which delivers an incredible jazz tone.
Excellent content and playing Sandra! I use both an AER Compact 60 and a Fender Princeton Reverb ii. But due to your comparison I might be in the market for the DV . Great dark classic jazz guitar sound very much like a Polytone.
Maybe tje sound doesn't come across so well over compressed RU-vid. The DV Mark sounds great for it's price, but I really wouldn't compare it to a Polytone. It's definitely brighter than the Polytone.
I also have owed an aer 60 for over 20 years. I also have had no problems..... except like you the foam came off the front 😂😂 Iwas going to replace it but it was £50. So it just put it back on with a little contact spray adhesive. (On the foam, not spray on the amp) Love your videos, you are so knowledgeable and talented 👍
I like the DV. I had the AER, but it developed a nasty buzz inside the sealed cabinet after only 5 years of playing softly in the studio- very dissatisfied, as it is pricey. ($800). Meanwhile, my 40 year old Polytone MiniBrute II has seen countless gigs and always delivers.
Very nicely done Sandra. I have the Quilter 101 Reverb going into a 12 inch speaker and it has an amazing reverb and warm sound. I can't believe how it sounds like a tube amp. tom
Perfect timing, Sandra! I purchased my Bud 10, just a few weeks ago. I think I’m REALLY in love with it. Tons of headroom. Super clean. LOVE the input gain knob on each channel. Surprised, pleasantly, at how it takes pedals, when I need that.
The Bud just had a little extra something the others did not. The Quilter was brittle to my ears. I use a 1982 “Rivera era” Fender Princeton Reverb II with a 12AY7 in V1 and a 12AU7 in V2. I replaced the original speaker with a WGS Retro 30. I think it sounds very similar to a Blackface Deluxe Reverb.
I think I preferred the Henriksen Bud in this context. I previously owned a DV Mark Jazz 12 which I didn't like. Very coloured and lacking in overtones. I sold it. I was surprised that the Blues Junior was so bright. I have a Fender Super Reverb RI which can be magical if you turn the bass down and reduce the treble and raise the middle. One tip for a cheap second hand tube amp that often sound better than the Fender Super reverb is The Laney Lionheart L20. Really nice and warm sound which is the best I have heard so far here at home. Can be had for as low as 4-500 Euros second hand.
I’ve owned Fender Jazz ultralight, and a quilter mach 3. When I was finally able to afford it I bought a Vintage Sound Jazz 20 basically a fender Princeton with a tone mode voiced perfectly for Jazz guitar. I have a 2005 Eastman 810ce in mho the perfect match up
Thanx Sandra... well done! I just love my Fender Jazzmaster Ultrlight, which was only built a short period of time around 2005 I think. When it comes to full Valve Amps I use my italian Boutique Amp GLB Sound Gig50FS (Head & Box). Sound doesn't get much warmer, I guess... athough with the climate change you never know.
I had a Blues Jr. and sounded too boxy so I sold it. Most who buy Blues Jr's have them modified . My favorite is the Fender Princeton/15 watts. Amongst all my amps(Quilter, Polytone 2 and 4, Hendrickson 12 jazz amp, Fender Blues DeVille(4/10's),Fender S/FX acoustic amp, the Princeton wins out. I use my Princeton with a Fender bass cabinet which takes the tone to a new level(I can't hear any better). Try one before you plunk your money down on something else. There's a reason they have been around for 50 years. Gary Flagg Buffalo, N.Y.
Great selection and review Sandra. I wonder if you considered a real benchmark tube amp, the Fender Princeton, especially the "65 re-issue with the 12" Cannabic Rex speaker. I have this one, and it's outstanding for jazz or almost anything else. A real standard in recording studios too.
Like I said, most Fender amps are grear for jazz. Personally most of them are too loud and heavy for me. The Princeton 65 is a staple in many studios, great amp!
Very interesting review. Thanks! What I was missing was a mention of how noisy or quiet these amps are, especially the Fender tube amp. Could you please comment on that?
That depends 9n the rubes you're using. Since I have a very low noise, low microphonic tube in stage 1 the amp is very low nouse. Imean you heard the amo. Did you hear a lit if noise? I don't use any nose gate btw.
No matter what you play you sound terrific. I’m considering the DV. Should I hold off and get something higher end? I’m playing through a Fender 65 reissue now and it sounds great but it’s a bear to carry.
BARGAINS--- but heavy. Get a student with a strong back to be your Roadie. Gibson GA75 tweed amp, Gibson GA90 tweed with six 8 inch speakers. Or get a very early blackface Pro or Twin reverb -but the Fenders will cost an arm and a leg.
I've never played a Gibson amp. I think they're either hard to get here in Europe or not as popzlar. I've also never seen one in a store. Gibson had some huge problems with the EU distribution and store managers. They forced them to purchase hundreds of guitars at once and small store owners couldn't afford that, so now only the huge store have Gibson guitars.
Thanks!🎸 Hello Sandra. I'm a subscriber and would join your channel but I'm taking in person Jazz Guitar lessons every week and that is consuming my funds. I've always enjoyed you tutorials and refer my friends to your channel. Please keep the channel going. Lloyd
Amazing. I wanted it buy the AER in black Friday I couldn't find it anywhere. I had no idea they sound so great. I'm a jazz singer. I can't wait to use it now with a band.
In my opinion Fender to play Jazz is the best!!...however Henriksen Amp sounds quite good. Regarding prices I don't know how are in Europe, but here in Mexico Fender is expensive. Yesterday I tried a BOSS KTn50 and it's really good and cheap compared with Fender. Saludos Maestra!!
It's ridiculous that Fender is expensive in Mexico. They produce it a few miles from the border. But then again AKG, an Austrian brand is more exoe3in Austria than in the US. Fantasy prices. Greetings to beautiful 🇲🇽
Have you ever tried the Peavey Classic series tube amps, like the Classic 20 112 or the Classic 30 112? Also, Sweet Heritage guitar. It was made only about a mile from where I live in Kalamazoo Mi in the original Gibson factory.
The differences between the amps are marginal IMHO. You can make them sound almost identical, if you take the time to tweak the EQ knobs (not to forget the use of the tone knob on your guitar). I went for the Quilter Aviator Cub two years ago because of the three voicing channel options. This amp is very versatile, lightweight, reliable and affordable. And it takes pedals of any kind extremely well, in case you venture outside the Jazz realm. Dear Sandra, your comparison video was very informative and helpful. Well done and thank you! Greetings from Western Australia. 👋🇦🇺🦘
Have you ever tried a Nocturne Jr Barnyard pedal for Charlie Christian type tones? It sounds pretty good thru a Quilter aviator cub with Gibson ES-350T
Really, really enjoyed this video. Frankly I have been a bit frustrated puttering around with modeling style amps trying to get an enjoyable sound. Perhaps one of these could be the answer...
How about a Polytone Mini-Brute IV and an Ibanez Artcore AF75TDG-IV-12-02 (body 3" by 16" hollow). How would You set the bass, mid and treble on this amp ? My knobs are Flat -/+ 0-5 . Thanks. Love Your sound on the Fender . I also have a '73 Fender Bassman 100 tube amp head with a 4x10's Fender rumble spkr.
Thank you for the review. I have a DV Mark little Jazz with the 6 inch speaker and it's ok, Quilter Aviator head and Mach III combo. Nice for other styles of music. Keep going back to my 40 year old Polytone Mini Brute I with arch tops.
Really digging the Bud 6, alone, and with dual 1x12 cabs in series. The bluetooth module is noisy, albeit also perfect for piping play-alongs in during practice. Nice reviews!
Wonderful, love the gear reviews. I would like to recommend the Boss Singer acoustic amp. The sound is very similar to the AER 60 (Clear, warm, and round tones) and cost far less. The boss also has a seporate channel for microphone and it has reverb, chorus, harmoney, and looper. I have the 60watt model and it is loud enough for smaller venues but I would recommend the 120watt model. The bad about Boss is their pedals are required for remote operation and they are somewhat expensive. I also have a Fender Blues Jr. great too and can be pushed a little for a warm slightly driven sound.
I have a Henriksen Bud 6 that I got from my teacher used, and it is a very good sounding amp. BTW, I needed some service on it and, for $89 standard fee to ship it to them for inspection, they replaced the speaker (blown), the light and foam surround for the name plate, and the power supply. Pretty amazing customer service. I also play a 1976 Fender Princeton Reverb that I had modded by Pete Cage of Cage Audio, maker of boutique amps. It has had its speaker upgraded to a 12”Jensen neo (for weight), and had extra capacitance added for a few additional watts (from 15 to about 18). Nothing really sounds quite as good as that. I play either an Eastman T49/v, which is essentially an ES 175, or a Comins GCS-1ES-both amazing jazz guitars. My teacher is now playing a Bud 10 and that is, as Sandra says, a great jazz amp.
The Bud 6 is great. Cuts through the mix very well, is very focused. For solo jazz gigs the Bud 10 is better, bc it has more low end and sounds more natural.
@@GuitarversumSandraSherman I agree with you. I have heard the difference in my teacher’s Bud 10. But having the Bud 6 and the modded ‘76 Princeton Reverb cover my bases (no pun intended). String recommendations?
Was wondering if the AER was going to be represented. Been using an AER Alpha for probably 20 years. Nothing compares, tube or solid state. Playing a 2009 L-4 CES…very smooth! And even lighter than the compact 60.
Mambo Amp (UK) has so little attention on the internet. However some people consider Mambo as a good jazz amp. I have a Mambo 10 but I cannot reach this level of perfect jazz sound - I don´t know why.
Katana Artist. Not the regular katana. The artist model. Big difference. Cheaper than the ones here (some by far) and kills it. Played most of the ones in this vid and dig the artist. My guitars are a godin 5th ave with p90’s, (strung with 12 flats) epiphone sheraton (strung with 11 semi flats) and occasionally a pRS 408 (strung with 10 rounds) for fusion stuff. Only amp that can handle all jazz styles at all volumes with all the efx too.
I just received my new Hendrickson Bud 6 today, 5-1-24....I get a chorus, flange like effect when I put my reverb at 12 o'clock, do you have that same problem with your Bud 10? I'm legally blind but I can hear it. I love the amp but it really kills the groove for me, need your wisdom before I send it back...Thanks
Yeah, I don't like the Jazz Chorus fkr Jazz at all. It is suoer thin. Is used a lot in those glassy 80s pop songs. But the good rhing is, there's something for everyone 😊.
Great demo. I would add the PRS Sonzera 20 Combo. It has a wonderfully warm and articulate clean channel, nice subtle tube driven reverb and a presence control.
All of these amps are great options but if we’re being honest, nothing beats a Fender amp. Idc what genre you’re playing, a fender tube amp is the right answer. Unless you’re playing heavy metal lol that’s its own little world within amp land. Maybe it’s just because it’s what we’re used to hearing on all those old records we love so much but when in doubt grab a fender. The Bud and Quilter though are quite impressive though. If your on a super tight budget, a used peavey bandit is also a good option.
Great video. Thanks! At first, I thought I needed to buy a new amp for traveling. But, after watching, I tried using a Fishman Loudbox 100 that I had with my Andersen archtop. With a bit of fiddling I was able to come up with a fairly nice tone. The reverb trail on the amp was a bit too short, so I tried a Boss RV-6 that I had using the spring reverb setting. I was happy with the sound for traveling or group practices. For gigs I have been using a Laney VC30-210 which has a wonderful clean sound; however, it is 48 lbs (ouch)... Thanks again for your video. Keep 'em coming.
I've said it for years that acoustic amps make wonderfully warm Jazz amps. I play through a Fender Acoustasonic Junior and a JazzKatt. Both solid state and both on the heavy side weight wise. My favorite is the Junior as it's stereo and has some fantastic built in effects. If you set everything to zero on the JazzKat, you get a warm feeling sound. Great review and thank you! ;)
I don’t know if still available on market, but did you try the Yerasov Boiko signature? What do you think about it? Videos on YT seem demonstrating a very versatile amp cool on different styles of music..
That bc at tve time of this video a bunch of merchants sokd the DV Mark in the US for only $199, while in Europe it was €399. I actually said that in the video 😊. Now the US also sells it for $399. Still a miracle how an Italian company can sell it cheaper (since $399 is about €360) in the US than in Europe.
Nice n fair review, Sandra. In addition I would recommend you to find out about FUCHS OD30 or OD 50. Andy Fuchs is a reputable boutique "dumble"/ "fender" amp/ combo designer- builder in my home State of NJ-US. I guarantee you....that you'll no be disappointed. Thank you for the review.
Hi I use a Mambo 10' ( made in Manchester UK.0 I use it in preference to my AER 60 or Polytone minibrute with a Gibson L4--- However Polytone for my Johnny Smith !
I used to play thru Roland JC -12 it has 2 12s I believe it cut thru the band and also versatile for other styles. Well all amps sounded nice but I think I like the smooth tone of the Henriksen ..
Along the lines of the AER, but cheaper I have been using a Fishman Loudbox Performer. It works for me. Two channels both with XLR or 1/4" tweeter with a separate control and a notch filter to eliminate feedback. The reverb is not that good though it is a bit too much.
I am listening here with headphones, and I honestly can’t tell much difference. Maybe if the Lady would not have talked so much in-between it would have been more obvious. Also, the settings are set to jazz-dull-kill any life out of the tone. As for the amps, I had an AER 60 compact, playing with a classical and acoustic guitar. It sounded too boxy. The semi hollow-body was ok for Jazz. But using any pedal, forget it. I had the DV Mark super light in weight, great sounding amp, even with pedals, in case that’s required. However, there is an internal fan which can drive one mad when playing in a very quiet environment. Sold it. Almost got an AER 60 again, this time the non battery version. Forgot how crappy it sounded. Finally, Henriksen Bud 10. That’s the winner, does it all. Currently playing a PRS semi hollow body with a piezo system, and a Heritage 535, very punchy. The 2 channels are perfect for the PRS, one input for the humbuckers, one for the piezo, I am in heaven. The Bud also likes any pedal. The Fender, from what I remember, is the heaviest of all, by far. And if you have the tubes running 8 hours a day, good luck. Never played a quilter though.
Another aspect is customer service. AER - No Reply, Mark - Reply in a day from the builder, Henriksen - Reply quicker than a day from Peter himself. There we have it
