Small amp with jazz tone for home use suggestion

[ssstewart]

this was the speaker that was originally in it..i believe its a jensen? the steel wharfedale speaker is being sold and removed...imma thinking it might be time to sell this amp as well to someone that will use it more...i rarely plug in anymore. but it has sentimental value of course so i dunno.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Brooklyn Bob

My Ampegs have accordion inputs and 'echo' knobs...

Originally Posted by ssstewart

...my dad who ran a vintage audio and repair shop bought this for me...he changed the caps, etc. and tubes - preamp and power...he had said it was 1963 and the motherboard was marked the same, but that may have been my dad's. This was my baby for the last 4 decades. Based upon the serial # I believe it puts it at '64 or '65?

The serial number inside the cabinet, as well as the 7591 power tubes (used in all the low-/mid-powered blue-check Ampegs - including my own '64 Rocket - from mid-1964 into 1966, when 7868 tubes were regularly substituted due to greater availability) indicated on the tube chart, date your amp to roughly Spring '65 - although certain components (which may or may not be original, given the modifications you describe) may in fact have been produced in 1963 and warehoused until their installation. While your dad was following a trend started in the mid/late-60's (Mesa/Boogie founder Randall Smith used to perform a similar mod, installing tweed Bassman running gear in a Princeton cabinet), it's kind of a shame the amp can no longer be returned to original electronic/structural/cosmetic specs - these were arguably the most versatile guitar amps (accordion inputs - which founder/CEO Everett Hull required on all his amps - notwithstanding) Ampeg ever produced, lending themselves to a broader variety of styles than either their contemporaries or successors - and if it was a matter of raw power, the B-12XT Portaflex could still be had for a reasonable price in the early-80's; a favorite of NYC-area keyboard players for its smooth and extended low end along with massive headroom, nicknamed the "Twin Killer" by the guitarists (myself included) fortunate enough to have played one, the -XT was uptown-classy where a blackface Twin could sometimes be brash, and had all the visceral impact of the mighty Dual Showman with the advantage of the lush Ampeg reverb. Rare and increasingly expensive now (both to own and to service), here's what one of these tone monsters looks like in the flesh:

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by 815C

I'm really happy with my little Roland JC-55 2x8 amp. It's pretty small and light weight but sounds great. You can hear it in this video. I cranked up the mid-range and cranked down the high's and mid's.

Since my Roland amp is pretty old, when I go play a solo jazz guitar gig I bring my little $99 Line6 Spider III amp as a back up. It actually gives a surprisingly good jazz tone if EQ'd correctly.

That sounds really terrific, David! Great job on a challenging piece, too!

I found myself looking up used versions of the Roland JC-55 2x8 amp.

- Glenn

[Arnie1965]

I've played and owned many Jazz amps since the late 70's including the usual suspects, but as I got older I wanted something that was light to carry to gigs too. After trying a lot of the smaller lighter amps, I ended up with the DV Mark 50 Watt "Guitar Friend" 1 X 12 combo. It's pretty much like a Fender Silverface Twin but in a smaller enclosure with a 1x12" Neo speaker that sounds amazing! It only weights like 16-18 pounds. I've gotten a ton of compliments by other musicians on the huge tone fat tone it has. DV Mark also makes the "Jazz 12" which is pretty much the same amp but with a darker tone and more lows. The best thing about this beauty is that it only costs around $300 +

Cheers,
Arnie..






Watch it Here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9PJZLAOnEM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bnV3XTP-sk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6Bfvt2uYyc

[poopsidoo]

Originally Posted by Petespix

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=611815

Pete—do you have the Stage Right? I just picked one up today

[Petespix]

Originally Posted by poopsidoo

Pete—do you have the Stage Right? I just picked one up today

Yes, I have had it for a few years now.

[mefoolonhill]

Check out the new line of small tube amps from Supro. Super warm sounding, and low noise. I have two-- a 10-inch and a 12-inch speaker model.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv04_7u-oZU

[coopman]

I'm very happy with my Henriksen Bud. It certainly carries from room to room with ease. Great sound, with plenty of power for larger settings as well. EQ and Reverb. The EQ covers all the bases. The reverb is average - I dial-in just a touch.

[NervousNrG]

+1 on the Henriksen Bud 6 for kiler tone and portability. The Blue is cheaper if you don't need 2 channels. The Bud 10 is a lot less portable IMO.

That said, if you're using an acoustic archtop you could try practicing without an amp.

[L50EF15]

Originally Posted by Arnie1965

I've played and owned many Jazz amps since the late 70's including the usual suspects, but as I got older I wanted something that was light to carry to gigs too. After trying a lot of the smaller lighter amps, I ended up with the DV Mark 50 Watt "Guitar Friend" 1 X 12 combo. It's pretty much like a Fender Silverface Twin but in a smaller enclosure with a 1x12" Neo speaker that sounds amazing! It only weights like 16-18 pounds. I've gotten a ton of compliments by other musicians on the huge tone fat tone it has. DV Mark also makes the "Jazz 12" which is pretty much the same amp but with a darker tone and more lows. The best thing about this beauty is that it only costs around $300 +

Cheers,
Arnie..






Watch it Here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9PJZLAOnEM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bnV3XTP-sk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6Bfvt2uYyc

I have had a DV Mark Jazz 12 for seven years now. Wonderful amp, lightweight, gorgeous tone.

[coder]

For a small combo amp, Fender Blues Jr, Peavey Classic 30 (a bit heavy to lug around), a modded crate v5. Tube amps have a special mojo, a tiny bit of pleasant "even harmonic" warm distortion and compression which is always there even on the clean channel. The disadvantage is that you need to change tubes periodically. Other than that, any cheapo solid state combo box, with at least 10" speaker. As long as you do not overdrive them they all tend to sound pretty good.

People mentioned the monoprice tube amp, it is pretty good. Better than the 5W Bugera.

A bit pricey, but a small Hughes and Kettner head, + a separate speaker cab w a 12" speaker is super nice.

[beatcomber]

If you're handy with a soldering iron and own a multimeter, I recommend building a 5w tweed 5F1 "'50's Champ" kit from Mojotone. It's not necessary to be able to read a schematic, the kit comes with illustrated step-by-step instructions and a wiring diagram. It's reasonably easy to build one in a few nights, and it sounds truly marvelous with my ES-125.

The Champ was my first attempt at an electronics project and the results are completely satisfying. I shellacked the tweed, added a Fender logo badge, and upgraded from the stock Mojotone/Celestion speaker to a Jupiter.