Re: Compact guitar amp...

["Krispen Hartung" <khartung@cableone.net>]

From: "Zoe Keating" <cello@zoekeating.com>

>I tried a very small Schertler amp a few months ago and was pretty 
>impressed....but that was with a cello.

Was it the David? I tried one here in Boise...very nice sounding....though 
they were mainly for acoustic vs. electric mondern jazz...but really nice 
amps, nonetheless...built like tanks (Swiss, of course, I think).  I can 
see 
how they would sound great for cello.

It's funny how my taste has changed in amps over the years. I used to 
think 
boutique amps, $1000 and higher, were the only way to go...and I've owned 
a 
few of them over the years (power, pre, combo).  These days I find that a 
$200-$300 amp suits me just fine, and that the "alleged dream tone" really 
isn't dramatically different than a mid-range amp.  This is only my 
personal 
experience and opinion here, of course. I can generally get a tone I like 
out of a lower cost amp. I put most of my investment in my guitars and my 
playing technique.

I'm also finding that there is a trend going on today with guitars and 
amps. 
Many foreign manufacturers are starting to produce some very affordable 
gear 
that plays really good and consistently. A local music store here has some 
hollow body jazz guitars that are made in Taiwan that play just amazing, 
and 
are a fraction of the price of the boutique jazz axes. I know some guys 
who 
have paid $40,000 for their Gibson L5s, Super 400 or Wes Montgomery 
model.s....freakin' insane.  I think Gibson's guitar are grossly 
overpriced...you can get a not-well-known luthier to make something for a 
fraction of the price.  I wouldn't even feel comfortable taking a guitar 
like that (the high end Gibson's) out of the case at a gig.

I've read on MANY jazz guitar discussion forums that the Roland Cube 60 
($300 +) is a great pick for diverse tone and portability. It keeps 
popping 
up as a great pick....pretty amazing and quite appealing for a bunch of 
old 
guys with gray hair whose backs are too bad to lift those Fender Twins and 
JC-120s.  Purism in amps is starting to lose grip a bit with all the 
latest 
greatest DSP technology.   Interesting phenomeon going on with music 
technology.

Kris

----- Original Message ----- 
> On Dec 16, 2006, at 1:20 PM, Andrew Koenig wrote:
>
>>>  Anyone have any ideas for a small,
>>>> compact guitar amp for
>>>> jazz, with a lot of bells and whistles, effects,
>>>> etc?
>>
>> How compact?  What price range?  If you want something to drool  over, 
>> check
>> out www.acousticimg.com and look for the Corus model.
>>
>>
>>
>
>