-
Visited the DV Mark website after a long while. To my surprise, only four guitar amp heads are in production, three 250W versions and just Raw Dawg 60 in the 50-60W category. 27 heads listed as discontinued. Combos: 5 active (including Little Jazz and Jazz 12), 16 discontinued.
The same company's main entrance, Markbass, boasts 17 bass heads, including an entirely new line, and 20 bass combos. The ratio of active vs. discontinued also looks a lot healthier. Quite a contrast, especially as the market for guitar gear is substantially larger than that for bass.
Is DV Mark throwing in the towel or is there a new generation of guitar amps looming around the corner? I sincerely hope the latter is the case. I've always liked the DV Mark 50/60 tone (with known reservations for the reverb), but what was "Micro" at 4.5 lbs in 2015 now represents the highest bulk to output ratio in the category.
-
03-17-2025 04:13 AM
-
Only a few years back, i remember their original 60 watt head sounding great at about 250 euros. Now they cost more than double that, which is a different market to break into. I'd rather buy a Quilter at 345. I suspect just the marketing and advertising cost can by itself be a tough thing for smaller companies. Same thing with ZT Lunchbox, they seem to be dead in the water.
-
It would be a terrible shame to lose them. My DV Guitar Friend (brilliant name) is like a jazz 12 but with the overdrive channel and an open back cabinet. It sounds fabulous but is now unavailable.
Sent from my Pixel 8 using Tapatalk
-
AFAIK DV has always been primarily producing bass amps, and I suspect that market is much larger than the jazz guitar market. There are LOTS of bass players. I have zero actual insight into the amplifier business, that's just how it appears to me from the outside.
-
Markbass, the front door, is obviously a leader, if not the leader in bass amplification. DV Mark, the side door to guitar amplification, has not reached a similar status. Jazz is a tiny corner of a large market dominated by rock-oriented gear. The DV Mark brand is not positioned as a jazz specialist; most of their demo clips contain shredding by people like Michel Angelo Batio. The artist list does include big names such as Cory Wong, Greg Howe, Stanley Jordan, Bireli Lagrène and Kurt Rosenwinkel. However, to me the current offering suggests that not all ambitions have been met. For example, collaboration with Frank Gambale came and went.
Originally Posted by sgosnell
My talks with speaker specialists suggest that the bass gear market is much smaller than that for guitar. In part, this reflects the fact that bassists are not gear swappers to the extent many guitarists are.
I repeat that I would welcome a new generation of DV Mark amps, simply because competition benefits the consumer and the current #1 Class D amp on my roster (and Thomann's), Quilter SuperBlock US, is too bright.
EDIT: I visited Thomann's pages to see how DV Mark fares. Little Jazz is #36 in solid state combo category and Jazz 12 is #57. I think this proves how small the dedicated jazz amp market really is. And this is by and large what DV Mark's home ground Europe thinks. No DV Mark head among Thomann's solid-state top 50. Worrisome.
EDITH EDITH: The 60W and 250W DV Mark Raw Dawgs place 15th and 16th in Thomann's hybrid amp category. Indeed, they have a micro-tube in the preamp.Last edited by Gitterbug; 03-17-2025 at 04:32 PM.
-
DV Mark definitely has a place in solid state market, it would be a shame to see them go.
Like, outside Quilter, it is hard to find high quality solid state amp company, so DV Mark has a place there for sure.
-
Fully agree. Just spoke with their Finnish importer. Nothing suggesting new models in the pipeline. There will be a major guitar show in Bologna in May. Then the Guitar Summit in Mannheim in September. Each would be natural launch platform. I have some tentacles out in Italy - we'll see. Originally Posted by ScarTissue
I just posted the following statement by Kurt Rosenwinkel from the DV Mark website on the Setting up a Fender Twin in the Living Room thread here. To me it's hilarious, considering the Twin's status as the ultimate reference.
“I’m always looking for ways to get consistent great tone on my tours, and when I tried the DV Mark Micro 60 I immediately realized how much of an improvement it was over the Fender Twin that I always have on my rider. I just use the DV Mark Micro 60 to power the cabinet of the twin and it really opens up the sound to a fuller, more detailed and pleasing tone.”
-
Speaking of Fender Twin, I have been watching some DV Mark videos on YT, and one of the reviewers described some DV Mark model as a " Fender clean with neutral / flat EQ " ...
-
Henriksen is superb, from products and sound to company and people. I have no experience with Milkman, but everyone I know who has says they’re also top quality. Originally Posted by ScarTissue
I’ve had an EG250 for 3 years, and it fits that description perfectly. It’s one of the best jazz amps ever, and it lets effects do their thing (just like a Twin does). The reverb is decent and nowhere near as wonky as it is in the Little Jazz and Jazz 12 (I’ve had both). It’s also as powerful as a Twin. 250W into a 4 Ohm load makes a lot of sound. Originally Posted by ScarTissue
-
Yeah, but in my country literally every shop is stocking DV Mark, so it's very common amp company here. And other stuff is much more rare. So I meant it in context of " high end ordinary amps ". I know there are boutique stuff , but those are mostly like , order direct from company type of situation ( at least in my part of the world ) , ... And DV Mark has like stocking everywhere.
-
You're right about availability, and DV MArk is solid stuff with a great reliability record and few failures from personal experience and what I've read. I've owned or used a few DV Mark amps over the years, and they've all been great. I only sold some because I was accumulating too much stuff and we'd downsized to an apartment, e.g. I sold the Little Jazz when my Henriksen Blu6 arrived after a long wait - it was during Covid, and they had to wait for preamp parts. I doubt that I'll ever sell the EG250 - it really is a tiny Twin and sounds fantastic through everything from my 6.5" Toobs to my Twin's twin 12s. Originally Posted by ScarTissue
I know Henriksen sells internationally, but local service is not readily available and you have to send it back to them in the US for factory service. I'd think hard about this before buying, if I lived out of the US.
-
Agreed on the Henriksens (I own two), though if I were outside the USA, I probably would avoid them for issues like servicing and tariffs. Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
I have a Milkman and it is a hybrid amp (tube preamp, class D power amp) and it is superb, but again, I would not purchase one if I was not in the USA. I think Milkman now has one model (their Stereo amp) that is all solid state, but mostly, they (he?) are a boutique tube amp company.
I think that for jazz guitar, solid state amps that are sold and serviced globally, the choices are Fender, Roland, Quilter and DV Mark. Of those four, Quilter would be my choice. I have been gigging with a Mach 3 combo for about 6 months now and loving it. It is 21 pounds and pretty much does everything for me that my Mesa Mark 4 did except hurt my back.
-
Just another opinion.
I've played through a Quilter twice, without having the opportunity to dial it in. I found it too trebly. Which is the same way I felt when I've heard other people play Quilters. To be fair, it may be that it can be dialed in to sound some other way. I don't have enough experience with Quilter to say.
DV Mark Little Jazz sounds very, very good. I love the sound for single note work. I'm a little less positive for chord work. 15lbs. I use it in my band rehearsal room, even though I have other choices.
I tried a Blu and compared it carefully to the LJ. I preferred the LJ. The Blu had a PA-like sound that I couldn't dial out. The LJ sounds warmer. Obviously, this is a matter of taste. I took the Blu to big band, which worked, but with the Blu dimed. Last night, I took the LJ and it worked too, although it's not quite as loud. Probably not as good, but nobody complained.
I play small to medium sized gigs with a JC55. Larger gigs with an overly complicated rig which involves the LJ, mixer and a powered speaker.
If I was starting from scratch, I'd think about the LJ and a powered speaker to be added when more volume is needed. If the powered speaker had some mixing capability and good EQ, even better.
-
I’m always surprised to hear people say Quilters are so trebley? They have hi cut knob as well as the standard treble,middle,bass, like most Fender models as well.
Ive used my Aviator 1x8” , 1x12” combos and a Tone Block 202 for a number of years on Jazz,Rock Pop,Blues, Church Gigs indoors and outdoors both loud and quiet with Archtops,solid bodies,semi hollows,flat tops,even a synth. They have never failed to deliver a great tone for me.
I would love to try both the Eric Gales and Greg Howe small amp heads. They look great in spec,just wondering about the fan noise!
-
I'm a big Quilter fan and am currently using an OD202 with both a ToneBlock 10 and a TB 12HD. I don't find the Tone Block 202 or the OD 202 to be bright at all with EQ flat. I've also had 2 Microblocks and a SBUS, and I agree that with all tone controls flat the smaller Quilters are a bit bright. It can be dialed out with EQ on the SBUS and the Cub (which is a very similar circuit), and boosting the bass fattens them up. But it's not quite the effortless warmth of the D V Mark EG250. Originally Posted by jads57
Doing the "capacitor trick" (bridging the effects loop return with a capacitor) does darken a SBUS for a more classic archtop tone. For quiet jazz gigs, I used an 0.047 for a while and liked the tone - it really brought out the thunk from my laminated archtop. But dialing back the treble was enough to keep it smooth and balanced.
I've never heard the fan in my EG250, even in my living room.
-
I've played through the LJ quite a bit, and I think it's a great sounding amp. I don't even mind the reverb that everyone complains about, though I've kept it on low settings. I have no insight into their health as a business,, but they make good stuff and I hope they stick around. I have a Quilter (Aviator Cub), which is more versatile and useful to me than the LJ, but if I only played jazz I'd go for the LJ. As to the supposed brightness of Quilters, I don't find that to be the case (and I like dark tones).
-
+1 on this, it would be cool to hear comparation between Quilter 101 Reverb and DV Mark Greg Howe model in my case. I'm curious if someone has played both to give me comparation. Originally Posted by jads57
-
I believe the clean channel on all DV Marks is the same. A factory rep has confirmed this, but that was before the EG versions which may differ. I tested a Micro 50 and a Quilter 101 side by side many years ago. They began to sound similar when DV's bass eq was rolled entirely off and Quilter's to the maximum.
-
The LJ reverb sounds okay to me at lower settings. If you turn it up too far it becomes some kind of effect, but I wouldn't call it reverb. But down low, it sounds okay.
I use it at about 9 o'clock and I add more reverb from my pedalboard.
You won't get surf music, but you can get jazz.
-
Yeah, the LJ reverb is fine for me up to about the second tick on the dial.
-
[QUOTE=jads57;1399791]I’m always surprised to hear people say Quilters are so trebley? They have hi cut knob as well as the standard treble,middle,bass, like most Fender models as well.
Ive used my Aviator 1x8” , 1x12” combos and a Tone Block 202 for a number of years on Jazz,Rock Pop,Blues, Church Gigs indoors and outdoors both loud and quiet with Archtops,solid bodies,semi hollows,flat tops,even a synth. They have never failed to deliver a great tone for me.
/QUOTE]
My experience with Quilter is as follows:
I have had a young (teens) guitar player sit in with my band who used a Quiter 101 reverb with a Quilter 1/12 Cabinet and he sounded great for jazz. Not too bright at all.
I bought (and have now sold) a Quilter Mach 2 head which I paired with a couple of Rich Raezer made RE cabinets and it sounded great for jazz. Not too Bright at all (to be fair there, I think it is hard to make anything too bright when using one of the Rich made cabinets).
I now have a Quilter Mach 3 Combo which came with a 12 inch Celestion Neodymium speaker. It sounds great for jazz. Not to bright at all.
Somehow, I have missed the "Quilters are too bright for jazz guitar" memo.
-
I should mention the one Quilter amp that didn’t work for me at all was the 101 head. I found it underwhelming in wattage and in actual performance with a single high powered 12” speaker.
I really like the newer Mach 3 combo I tried with the single Celestion Copperback speaker.
As well as the 50 Cub US 1x12. Not sure why the Cub seems a lot more powerful output wise than the 101?
-
Originally Posted by Gladders
My sentiments exactly, I wouldn't trade my "Silver Gen" or as some call it "Guitar Friend", for a Twin, or a Quilter... Usually, most decisions in business come down to "profits", so they probably were not making as much as they expected... Bummer, cause their product is superb, most times I gig, the prevalent question is "what amp are you using"?
Cheers,
Arnie..Last edited by arnie65; 03-21-2025 at 08:50 AM.
-
The original 101 was truly shrill. But they fixed it with the next incarnation, and I think the current 101 Reverb is really good. Originally Posted by jads57
-
I (briefly) had both the original 101 and one of the early 101 Reverbs. They sounded very much alike to me. I sold the 101 and returned the 101 Reverb, and the seller said they were getting a lot of returns at the time. Together they turned me off of Quilter entirely for a long time. Just not my taste. The Superblock US, OTOH, is a great amp, and I use mine every day. I'm glad I took the recommendations for it here, although I was very hesitant to do so.
Reply With Quote
Samick Jz4 update/upgrade
Today, 03:41 PM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos