The Cornerstone of Sound! The World of Jazz Guitar Amplifiers

The most important thing for a guitarist is, of course, the guitar itself. The guitar determines the playability and creates the sound. However, in terms of sound, it is also true that the guitar amp may determine the color of the tone more than the guitar itself. Especially in the jazz genre, there are many guitarists who do not use effect pedals and create their sound directly through the amp. In this issue, I’m going to focus on guitar amplifiers, which are the key to that jazz guitar sound, and introduce some particularly popular and great models.

1. DV MARK / LITTLE JAZZ

First of all, I would like to introduce the small amp LITTLE JAZZ from DV MARK.
As the name "Jazz" suggests, it is no exaggeration to say that this amp was made for Jazz. Its warm, clean sound will jazz up your tone even if you are using a solid guitar like a Stratocaster or Les Paul.
Because the amp itself is small, a band with hard drums may lose out in terms of volume.
In that case, there is a Speaker Out on the rear panel, so you can connect it to a speaker cabinet or another device to increase the output.

2. DV MARK / JAZZ 12

Next is the JAZZ 12, also from DV Mark.
In the last 10 years, the Jazz 12 has established a standard position in the jazz guitar world.
Like the Little Jazz, it has a clean tone with a sense of transparency that jazz players seek, and a warm and powerful sound pressure.
As far as I have seen, the majority of professional jazz guitarists in Japan use the Jazz 12.
You can see its sound in the video below along with the previously introduced Little Jazz.

3. ROLAND / JC-120 Guitar Combo Amplifier

This is the standard Jazzco that all of you know and have often used for music other than jazz, even though it bears the name of jazz.
It is not only used in studios, but many stores that hold jazz sessions also have a JC-120 for stationary use.
If you don't bring your own amp for sessions or live performances, it is probably important to use the JC-120 to create a sound on a regular basis.

As a matter of fact, jazz guitarist Pat Martino at one time used a JC-120 for his live performances.

4. FENDER / '65 DELUXE REVERB

Now that we have introduced transistor amps, let us introduce tube amps.
This is FENDER's classic amp, the DELUXE REVERB, commonly known as the DELIVERB.
Although it has a low output of 22 watts, it is a powerful amp that doesn't feel that way.
The crisp, clear sound unique to vacuum tubes makes this amp a favorite not only to rock and blues players, but also to jazz players.
It is a versatile amp that can be used either at home or in a band as it guarantees a volume that will not lose out even in a band sound.

5. FENDER / '65 TWIN REVERB

Next is another Fender classic, the twin reverb.
Like the Jazzerco, this one is often found in studios, so there must be many guitarists who have used it.
One jazz guitarist who uses twin reverbs is Mike Stern!

When he performs live, he has two twin reverbs side by side for a stereo sound.
Both clean tones and distorted sounds can be heard, which is the best solution for the fusion of jazz and rock.

The delicate and fat sound of the Fender/ Twin Reverb attracts many guitarists not only in rock but also in jazz.

6. Henriksen / The Blu SIX

The last model introduced here is The Blu SIX from Henriksen.
Although Henriksen is not as well-known as some of its other models, its quality has been widely recognized since 2005 when they released their first product, the "Jazz Amp," an amp that was made for jazz guitarists.
The Blu SIX, introduced here, is a small 6-inch speaker with outstanding mobility, yet it expresses the tone of the guitar in an extremely lustrous way, as it claims to be a tone-first amp.

The fascinating tone of this amp, which is also a favorite of John Abercrombie, can be seen in the video below.

In this article, I introduced six different types of guitar amplifiers.
Guitar amps are the backbone of sound as much as guitars are, and we hope you will find one that you love just as much as you love your guitar.