Does anyone have any experience with these amps?
I know that they are widely used by jazz players, are very good clean amps, which is what I want.
They also have several with 2 (or even 3) independent channels, so I could plug in both my guitar and mike.
They are also quite compact.
The downside: they are pricey (but if they gave me what I needed, it might be worth it).
Thanks
Lionel
Lionel I have been playing polytone since the late seventies. I was drawn to them by the fact that just about ever jazz players that I liked was playing them. I knew that most of the major player used them but none were available new in my area . I had a friend that played quiet often in New York city so I gave him some money and he brought Me back a like new Polytone mini brute with a 12' speaker. I am playing this amp to this day. I have two more another with 12" speaker and one with a 10", I want one with a 15" next. I prefer the old ones with just four knobs the new one with two rows of knobs do not sound good at all to my ears. You can get the older ones on Ebay for 325 to 400. The polytone company has no web site and offers not much service but the only problem that I ever had was to replace the reverb pan. I play other amps Fender and Roland but the polytone is the warhourse. Geo Benson Herb Ellis Jim Hall Kenny Burrel and many more of the jazz ledgens play Polytones. They work well with keyboard and mic. I know few jazz player that don't own one or has owned at one time a Polytone.
I've had a few. They have a dry sound that works good with all kinds of guitars, from Tele's to Jazz-boxes. The new ones with the "contour" or sonic circuit can sound a little like other amps because you can dial out more midrange.
They are fairly powerful in a small package.
Some have "distortion" circuits in them. Depending on the era, these can be decent to dreadful, though the clean sound will always be the same.
If you have a nice sounding guitar, a Polytone will let you hear it. If your guitar doesn't sound so hot a Polytone will help you hear that too!
They are the other end of the spectrum from say, a Fender tube amp. Polytones aren't chimey or bouncy sounding, and don't add much harmonic content. If your guitar has texture a Polytone won't eliminate it, but if it's flat sounding a Polytone won't help it either.
I've seen old ones suddenly stop working in the middle of a set from overheating, but I have never personally had any trouble with any of mine over the years, and have owned all eras.
Thanks for the info, guys.
Daddy-O, Polytone now has a web site, but they do not list an email contact address and do not have a toll-free number (thanks a lot).
yettoblaster, I actually prefer the "dry" clean sound of my Peaveys, as opposed to a more colored sound of a tubed amp. I think of it as "Hi-Fi," and it really differentiates between the sounds of different pickups, as you imply. All of my guitars sound much more alike through my vintage Gibson GA-79.
The Henriksens sound interesting also, but are, if anything, more expensive.
Another amp you can get to sound dry is Tech 21. I can get either of mine (TM 60 & TM 300 head) to sound like a Polytone, but they can also go the other way too depending on switch and knob settings.
Also reliable as a rock.
I have been playing a fifteen inch Mini Brute and fifteen inch extension speaker since 1985 on all kinds of gigs.Great amp!
I had a Polytone Mini Brute III bass amp, and lordy, it was allatime self-immolating and in the emergency room. I loved the sound and portability, but it was not at all reliable.
I did buy it used, and I'd prefer to think I got a very rare lemon; but I've heard others report similar issues and failures, and that has dissuaded me from buying another, so far. Most of the above posts are encouraging.
Paul/FF909
