Portable amp

upsidedown · #1 09-09-2021, 02:23 PM

Hello all,

My son has been getting gigs lately, some at places where public transportion is the best way there. His only amp is a Blues Jr, which isn't impossibly heavy, but a more portable one would make for easier traveling.

Looking for recommendations. He does like the tones he gets out of his (above mentioned) Blues Jr. So anything that might come close to that sound would be ideal - if possible.

Oh, I should mention he plays jazz...

Thanks.

1neeto · #2 09-09-2021, 02:46 PM

Katana 50 is much lighter and he can get just about any tone he can think of.

Steve DeRosa · #3 09-09-2021, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by upsidedown

...His only amp is a Blues Jr, which isn't impossibly heavy, but a more portable one would make for easier traveling...

Oh, I should mention he plays jazz...

https://www.henriksenamplifiers.com/...t/the-bud-ten/
https://www.quilterlabs.com/index.ph...ach-2-combo-8/

upsidedown · #4 09-10-2021, 09:55 AM

Thanks for those recommendations.

fwphoto · #5 09-10-2021, 11:08 AM

If your son likes the sound of a tube amp, the Bugera V5 Infinium is an option. The Blues Jr. is a little over 31 lb. & the V5 is 22 lbs. About $260 new, now. They have a nice, cheap, protective cover for it, as well.

Frank

Steve DeRosa · #6 09-10-2021, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fwphoto

If your son likes the sound of a tube amp, the Bugera V5 Infinium is an option. The Blues Jr. is a little over 31 lb. & the V5 is 22 lbs. About $260 new, now. They have a nice, cheap, protective cover for it, as well...

I own one - complete with protective cover (as well as the big-brother V22 1x12" combo) - and IME an 8" speaker in an open-back cabinet isn't the best way to go for straight-ahead jazz, especially if he's used to the "bigger" sound of a 15-watt 1x12"; even with the upgraded tubes and Eminence 820H speaker in mine it's still a practice/coffeehouse-gig rock and blues box at heart, lacking the dynamic range and clean headroom a jazz amp needs. If weight is the primary consideration I've heard of some jazz guys using the 19-pound Fender Rumble 40 bass amp with good results, but unlike the Henriksen and Quilter (both of which fit in a shoulder bag) it's still a bulky package to transport by non-private means; back in the '60s I traveled a couple times by NYC bus with a hollowbody guitar in a hardshell case and an Ampeg Rocket amp (roughly Vox AC15 size but substantially lighter), and even in those better-mannered times it was visibly inconvenient for all parties concerned - so I'd say minimum weight/bulk with maximum tone/headroom take priority here...

Steve DeRosa · #7 09-10-2021, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by upsidedown

Thanks for those recommendations.

Sent you a PM...

upsidedown · #8 09-12-2021, 11:15 PM

Any thoughts on the Fender Pro Jr.?

FrankHudson · #9 09-13-2021, 09:46 AM

Carrying an amp around walking is never ideal.

Even lighter amps tend to be bulky and those rectangular sides are uncomfortable bumping into your legs. There are really small amps (I still have a Pignose) but loud clean power isn't their forte.

Possible solutions other than amp shopping? A two-wheeler handcart with good enough wheels to be used over distances. Depending on a PA or other sound source and carrying a small amp substitute (analog or digital) or even carrying an amp head (many smaller "lunchbox" amp heads out there now) and depending on a speaker cabinet being supplied at destination.

Paleolith54 · #10 09-13-2021, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by upsidedown

Hello all,

My son has been getting gigs lately, some at places where public transportion is the best way there. His only amp is a Blues Jr, which isn't impossibly heavy, but a more portable one would make for easier traveling.

Looking for recommendations. He does like the tones he gets out of his (above mentioned) Blues Jr. So anything that might come close to that sound would be ideal - if possible.

Oh, I should mention he plays jazz...

Thanks.

Jazz, in town, public transit, for more than a half-dozen people? It'd be hard to pass up a Quilter like Steve DeRosa linked (those things are absurdly light), or if he can rely on a PA consistently practically any decent modeler. I may be wrong (I almost never play clean!) but 15 watts just isn't much headroom.

upsidedown · #11 09-13-2021, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paleolith54

Jazz, in town, public transit, for more than a half-dozen people? It'd be hard to pass up a Quilter like Steve DeRosa linked (those things are absurdly light), or if he can rely on a PA consistently practically any decent modeler. I may be wrong (I almost never play clean!) but 15 watts just isn't much headroom.

I need to preface this question by saying what I DON'T know about amps is a lot; is the Quilter Mach 2 Combo 8 likely to be louder than the Blues Jr?

Paleolith54 · #12 09-13-2021, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by upsidedown

I need to preface this question by saying what I DON'T know about amps is a lot; is the Quilter Mach 2 Combo 8 likely to be louder than the Blues Jr?

At 100 W per channel I'd think so, yeah, but clean headroom was really my point and it seems to me to be no contest there.

Bear in mind I don't exactly recommend the Quilter, as I've not played a Blues Jr in years, but I'd sure have it high on my radar to check out. I tried a couple of Quilters and really didn't like how they sounded with distortion but for clean-to-cleanish playing in the conditions you describe they sure seem like a great option.

https://www.quilterlabs.com/index.ph...specifications

upsidedown · #13 09-14-2021, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paleolith54

At 100 W per channel I'd think so, yeah, but clean headroom was really my point and it seems to me to be no contest there.
https://www.quilterlabs.com/index.ph...specifications

Thanks. And for all of the other input too. Much appreciated.

Was hoping to sample the Quilter and the Pro Jr, but our local Guitar Center had neither in stock.

I'll keep you posted on our search.

jseth · #14 09-15-2021, 01:38 PM

Seems like "back in the day", the go-to amps for jazzers were Polytone amps. They made several small configurations that were favored by many jazz players. Solid state, so a deal-breaker for a tube amp guy, but they were used a lot by those who wanted good, clean sound from a small package.

I don't even know if they're still making them, but Polytone may be worth a look...

upsidedown · #15 09-29-2021, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jseth

Seems like "back in the day", the go-to amps for jazzers were Polytone amps. They made several small configurations that were favored by many jazz players. Solid state, so a deal-breaker for a tube amp guy, but they were used a lot by those who wanted good, clean sound from a small package.

I don't even know if they're still making them, but Polytone may be worth a look...

Still looking, so thanks for that.

Going to - hopefully - try out a Quilter today, though it's way out of Jr's price range.