Amplifier Setup For Jazz Ensemble

[SeismicAssault]

I'm going to be starting to play guitar for a jazz ensemble in the near future, and I need to get an amplifier setup for it. I just got a $250 bonus from work to spend, so I was wondering if anyone had recommendations on what would be good in that price range for jazz. Thanks!

 

[JohnH]

How about looking for the best Roland Cube you can find,? They are reliable and versatile and I think usually have a decent Roland Jazz Chorus amp sim setting plus a couple of Fender tones (in addition to dirtier sounds plus a bunch of FX). Should be able to get a 60W one second hand for those $.

 

[Dogs of Doom]

I'd say get a small tube amp. These days, there's a few modeling amps that could pass as tube amps.

What is nice is to get a little distortion from power tubes. Do note that you do not want any real pre-amp tube distortion. Full gain isn't bad, you want the distortion you get to be more organic, than forced.

Usually, they will want you to have your tone turned down, so don't rely on presence or treble. You'll probably be wanting to use the neck pickup, as well.

$250 isn't a whole lot, but, since you do not need to worry about good heavy metal or rock tone, you shouldn't have too much trouble trying to find a small tube (or model) amp in that range.

http://www.cheapguitarguide.com/tube-amps.html

 

[mazzefr]

I'm doing jazz lessons on Trufire right now and get a good clean tone with my Code 50 and the American Clean setting. That's in my house, not in a band so I can't promise the same for your situation but it fits your range, is new and should have plenty of headroom for jazz.

 

[MonstersOfTheMidway]

Are you playing in a school jazz band?
What kind of Jazz music are playing? (e.g. modal, fusion, bebop, swing, bossa nova, etc.
What format? (e.g. trio, quartet, quintet, sextet, big band, etc.
What other instruments will be playing? (e.g. drums, piano(s), saxophone(s), trumpet(s), etc.
Will you be playing chords most of the time, or will you take solos?

If you're playing in a school jazz band, it would be best to ask the conductor what type of amp you'll need since conductors might want to give you specific assignment(s) from which you may be discouraged to deviate (i.e. no improvisation whatsoever). You might find that your teacher/conductor will lend you an amp to make it easier on you and because that's the sound they want from the guitar for the band.

The format will be important. In a jazz trio, you can physically space yourself out or play close in, which allows you to spread your sound out or keep it close and tight. Additionally, the trio gives you more musical opportunities to do more with chords, single notes, and various rhythms. In this setting, you probably don't need a very powerful amplifier in terms of watts, and may need a one channel amp and maybe a couple of pedals.

A lot depends on the style of music. If you're playing a lot of traditional jazz standards, you probably won't need a high gain amp (unless your group is taking some king of experimental/avant garde approach). If you're playing fusion music, then you might want an amp with a little overdrive or at least an overdrive pedal if you like a particular overdrive pedal (in most cases, I'd avoid the insane high gain, super distortion type pedals unless they have lots of flexibility in tone shaping.

The basic idea is that if you playing mostly clean tone, you can look at either tube or solid state amps. I'd lean towards solid state amps because they can be cheaper, usually require less maintenance-saving both time and money, and are a little more consistent and reliable. Almost any low watt Marshall MG amp would be a good solid state choice (if you can get your hands on a greenback-type speaker then you'd be in great shape. I have a little solid state 15 watt Line Six Spyder with an 8 inch that gets a great clean sound when I use it with my parametric equalizer; 15 watts is plenty loud in a jazz trio setting that plays the classic standards. If you want to play a tube Marshall, you can try one of the DSL like a DSL5C (a 5 watt combo with a single 10 inch speaker), DSL15C (15 watts with a single 12 inch speaker), DSL15 head with whatever speaker cab you want. If you are willing to save up a bit more money and need a more powerful amplifier, the discontinued Marshall Vintage Modern amps are fantastic for almost any jazz style and format. I own a JVM410H which has one of the most amazing clean tones I've heard (a very warm and natural sound with excellent balance of lows, mids, and highs) that sounds great for any style.

If in a school jazz band, try asking the teacher/conductor what would be best for the music the band will play. If you're a new member of a professional/semi-professional group, try asking the band members or band leader what is good for the music they'll play. After that, I think you'll get a good idea of what you need.

Good luck with your search. Let us know what you get!