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-   -   Amp for archtop question (https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=488615)

wildbill1962 11-07-2017 09:42 AM

Amp for archtop question
 
Need to pick your brains please. Now that I have my first archtop with a floating pickup, I know my fishman loudbox mini is not really the best amp for getting the best tone from this guitar. D,Angelico Excel 25.5 scale

Budget is fairly tight, so in your opinion what would be a good amp that wont break the bank ? Would love a tube amp, but I dont think I can afford that.

Looking forward to hearing your wisdom and opinions.

Thanks !!!!

Big Band Guitar 11-07-2017 01:40 PM

Mini
 
I use the Loudbox Mini for both my Gibson ES-175 and my Eastman Ar610 Acoustic. I use a clip on microphone with the Eastman.

I like it and see no need for any other.

Live with it for a while.

LyleGorch 11-07-2017 01:56 PM

Rivera jazz suprema, Milkman 40 watt mini, a ‘65 fender vibro champ are what I float around with.

Stomp 11-07-2017 02:14 PM

Polytone Mini-Brute, the classic jazz amp, can be found for small bux sometimes, as these days many don't know what it is :wink:

110 watts RMS into 4 ohms
12" or 15" speaker
Dual Channel
Individual EQ controls, and Hammond 3 spring reverb
3 position Bright/Dark switch
Two inputs (high/low)
Pre-Amp output
Exterior Speaker Out (also used for headphone jack)
15.5"H x 14"W x 10"D

http://d2ydh70d4b5xgv.cloudfront.net...97d60a797b.jpg

Steve DeRosa 11-07-2017 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildbill1962 (Post 5529558)
...Budget is fairly tight, so in your opinion what would be a good amp that won't break the bank? Would love a tube amp, but I don't think I can afford that...

Think again:

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=611705
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=611815
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/V5Infinium
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/V22InfiCombo
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/V55Infinium

The first two get a lot of love over on TDPRI, and although those guys/gals aren't generally jazzers they do know something about good electric guitar tone - and how to get it at a price; as far as the Bugeras are concerned I own, use - and swear by - the V5 and V22. FWIW as a former student of Jack Wilkins I'm also a lifetime fan of classic "big clean" electric-archtop tone, and while the V5 makes a great home practice/recording/low-volume rehearsal amp (built-in attenuator lets you power down to 0.1W, or use the headphone out) the V22 will cover just about any stage situation you're likely to face, in any style, at any volume you're likely to need - as well as having the ability to power down to late-night practice levels that won't have your S.O. texting Lorena Bobbitt for technical advice :eek:; if you still feel you need more headroom/punch the V55 will deliver in spades, powers down to more subdued levels like its smaller counterparts, is well under $500 - and you're not going to find anything with comparable features/performance without spending a whole lot more of your hard-earned bucks...

FYI: Should you decide to go for one of the Bugera combos, I can recommend a couple low-/no-skill DIY tweaks that I've done on both of mine that'll give you an even more archtop-friendly "vintage" tone, as well as additional clean headroom/volume (think mid-60's Ampeg NYC studio "Key Club" Gemini II/B-12XT) - feel free to PM me when/if you do... :guitar:

Tommy_G 11-12-2017 08:30 PM

You may have read my recent posts on the subject.

With just a minihumbucker, the musicman rp65 112 with a musicman labelled speaker is very warm and dynamic. Excellent tone and grabngo weight.

It does not sound great with the bridge piezo. Too smooth and bluesy greasiness.

My Peavey Heritage is a more generalist of an amp... with its two channels of eq I can dial in both pickup and piezo tones that meet my satisfaction. Heavy but could be reworked as a head and cab. I paid 100 buck for it...and its a fantastic amp in nearly every application.

I wasnt as fond of my 72 SF Fender Bandmaster through a JBL 2x12 closed back cab, but I believe there is abundant potential with the right speakers and cabinet.

Steve DeRosa 11-12-2017 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tommy_G (Post 5535209)
...With just a mini-humbucker, the Music Man RP65-112 with a Music Man-labeled speaker is very warm and dynamic. Excellent tone and grab-n-go weight.

It does not sound great with the bridge piezo. Too smooth and bluesy greasiness.

My Peavey Heritage is a more generalist of an amp...with its two channels of EQ I can dial in both pickup and piezo tones that meet my satisfaction. Heavy but could be reworked as a head and cab. I paid 100 bucks for it...and it's a fantastic amp in nearly every application.

I wasn't as fond of my '72 SF Fender Bandmaster through a JBL 2x12 closed-back cab, but I believe there is abundant potential with the right speakers and cabinet.

My experiences:
  • I had a late-70's Music Man 410-65 (think latter-day Super Reverb) that made my '64 Gretsch Double Annie sing like Pavarotti's parakeet - took me from straight-ahead fat jazz tones (normally unheard of for this combination) to rockabilly twang, and I'm sorry I sold it; didn't do so great with my first-gen/single-knob Ovation Custom Balladeer, though - needed an outboard 10-band EQ to get any kind of usable tone...
  • The absolute best "amplified acoustic" tone I ever got (as opposed to the treble-heavy/nails-on-a-blackboard "quack-&-screech" that often passes for acoustic-electric tone these days) was with said Ovation through a mid-80's Peavey Bandit 65 (the one with the defeatable Saturation control in the second channel) fitted with a Scorpion Plus speaker; this was a total plug-&-play deal - low-gain input, set the EQ at 12:00 across the board, bright switch off, a little 'verb to give it some "air," set up channel 1 for accompaniment chording and use the second channel for lead boost or fingerstyle - and it also doubled as my all-around electric amp (this puppy was LOUD... :eek: ). Not surprised you get good results from your Heritage, and if it were me I'd fit it with a set of removable casters or get a dolly - don't mess with success...
  • I've been in this game for 55 years, and in that time I've never met another player who didn't think vintage JBL's were the "right" speaker with cleaner-sounding tube amps (blackface/silverface Fender, blue-check Ampeg, et al.), especially when paired with a hollow-body guitar - I had them in a few amps of my own, still have a barely-broken-in E-120 that I keep around just because, and it probably would have found its way into my Bugera V22 if the weight wasn't prohibitive (we're talking a 22W Deluxe Reverb-size 1x12" combo that would scale in around the same 65 pounds as my '65 Super RI - at my age, not exactly conducive to either longevity or marital satisfaction... :cool: ). My thoughts: if you're running an A/B/Y box (or similar setup) dial in your main tone with the mini-bucker through the trem/verb channel high-gain input, patch the piezo into the low-gain input of the "normal" channel (kill the bright switch and dial back the highs a bit), and gradually bring it in until it adds a little bit of acoustic vibe to your blended tone without becoming scratchy or overpowering the mag PU; when Charlie Kaman introduced the first generation of viable acoustic-electrics half a century ago they were intended to be used through amps such as your Bandmaster, a typical pro/semi-pro rig of the mid-/late-60's - and, with a little care and attention, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to get a decent tone out of that setup when combined with the mini-bucker...
Then again, if you're that unhappy feel free to send it to me: I've got a dolly and an SUV for transport, a Gretsch E-matic 5622T-CB and P-90 LP goldtop that'll more than do it justice, and a very supportive wife who also happens to be my on-and-off bandmate for the last 50 years - we'll definitely put it to good use... :guitar::guitar:

Tommy_G 11-13-2017 12:12 AM

Haha...

My matching blue silver grillcloth jbl 2x12 isnt going anywhere.

The cab was designed volumetrically around oxfords in a closed back config. The guy i bought it from had put the k120s in it but didnt love it. Speakers might not even be broken in in spite of the age...because he had a cab with e120s which he liked better because he played a strat with gain pedals.

I definately hear the potential with this amp and cab. I think I may experiment with a semi open back that would let the cabinet breath a little.

Otoh.. Theres another guy i know selling a k130f in its oem fender open back cab... But wont separate it from the rest of his rig in the sale and the package is overpriced... Thatvwpuld be my dream cab... Love the 130 series..

I will get to the bottom of my bandmaster rig. I just cut a front speaker baffle for it as an experimental conversion to a 2x8 combo that... If it sounds good... Would be a perfect rig for my restaurant gigs.

You and I definately have found similar things with the MM. The amp has a very narrow niche.. But when the stars line up... Its very impressive... But I would not say its a good general purpose amp... My sense is that the speaker has certain hyped characteristics that can make it sound as bad as it does good depending.

Peaveys are totally underappreciated. Someday Peavey built OEM speakers will be recognized as having been some of the best speakers ever made.

Mr. Scott 11-13-2017 04:58 AM

I've recently acquired one of these new Boss Katana 1x12 combos and at 50 watts is ideal for anything. You can get adventurous with it if you want, but using just the normal EQ I get a nice jazzy sound from my Eastman AR371CE.
Cheap too (new) and grab-and-go weight.
Try one. :)

Mr Fingers 11-23-2017 12:05 AM

Without knowing the tone you seek, recommendations are pointless. Do you want a fast-response, articulate, hi-fi, overtone-loaded sound? Do you want a more focused, fundamental-dominated tone? The range of suggestions above can be summarized pretty much as "anything except a Boogie or Marshall." You need to give us more to go on -- and perhaps need to decide more yourself. Personally, I like a simple, clean tube amp and relay on all the other elements to shape my tones.

Pnewsom 11-24-2017 07:29 AM

I mostly play my archtop through an old Fender Princeton(15watts). It has plenty of power for most of the work I do. The music I play with it is Western Swing, Blues, Country and Americana, and it sounds great for that stuff. I get a lot of compliments on the tone.

My guitar, a 70's Ibanez L5 knock off, is equipped with a floating Gibson Johnny Smith pickup and strung with D'Addario Flatwound strings. I also use a Vibrolux(35watts) for louder gigs, and it works well too.

I like a fat, crisp tone with plenty of starch, along the lines of Kenny Burrell's sound.

My big surprise has been how good the guitar sounds straight into a Bose L1 Compact. Very comparable to my tube amps, and I gig this way for my duo work. The recent acquisition of a Bose T1 mixer has even improved on what is possible.

jazzguy 12-13-2017 02:09 PM

+1 on the Princeton. Also you might look at the relatively new Henriksen "The Bud". It has gotten very good reviews and is small and powerful.

815C 12-13-2017 07:50 PM

Listen to my Roland JC-55. I found this one for $200.


AxeDude 12-16-2017 11:43 AM

Wow! Beautiful guitar. Superb playing. I'm going to get the book mentioned. Thanks for taking the time and sharing.

Petespix 01-02-2018 07:59 AM

[QUOTE=Steve DeRosa;5530128]Think again:

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=611705
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=611815
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/V5Infinium
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/V22InfiCombo
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/V55Infinium

Steve, thanks for the heads up on the amps. I now have the Monoprice 15W and am very happy with it.

Peter


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