DV Mark Little Jazz vs Jazz 12 for home use

[BarMus]

Hi there,

I'm looking for warm& dark sounding combo (polytone/jim hall style) for home use exclusively. I'm thinking about DV Mark Jazz 12 or Little Jazz. Not having the chance to test it before ordering, I’m worried that the Little Jazz might lack low end, while on the other hand, I’m concerned that a 12'' speaker, at low volumes and in small rooms (20 m² or 8 m²), might be too boomy.

I’d appreciate any advice.

BR,
Bart

[Alder Statesman]

I like the punchiness of the smaller speaker but my main amp is 12”. My mood dictates which gets played on a given evening.

Sorry, I guess that does not help except I think you need both.

[sgosnell]

The Little Jazz does not lack low end. Depending on the room, the positioning, and the taste of the player, it might need the bass rolled off a little. I generally keep mine with all the controls flat, and the amp tilted to reduce the bass slightly. Flat on the floor is a little boomy for me with the bass set flat. You may prefer more bass than I do, but it's certainly available if wanted.

[Bflat233]

The Little Jazz does not lack low end.

+1 // The Little Jazz thrives on dark overtones with plenty of headroom if you need volume. It's a great choice for a small room, but also very capable as a gigging amp in small venues. I don't have experience with the 12" model but I don't think you sacrifice anything with the 8" speaker. It's also small and light which makes it my first choice for playing in most situations I encounter. If you have a line of sight on one don't hesitate. These amps are keepers which is why there are few available in the aftermarket.

[bluejaybill]

The Little Jazz is plenty enough for a small room, and sounds great. My 12" speaker amps live down in my music room in the basement, the Little Jazz lives in my office. I don't think you can go wrong with it. Small adjustments in placement affect the sound quite a bit, so you may need to move it around.

Some folks here have said that they think the LJ sounds better than the 12" version.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I had and gigged with both. I used a Jazz 12 on a weekly club date for about 6 years, and I bought a Little Jazz during the height of Covid.

The LJ is a great little amp! For my money, it’s a better choice than the 12 for an archtop because the bottom end is better controlled and better integrated with the rest of the frequency spectrum. Even so, I kept the bass dialed back a bit to avoid boominess, more so with floor positioning.

I found the 12 to be slightly better for blues, pop etc because it lets effects do their thing a bit more clearly. The LJ’s ported cab causes some resonances in the midbass that muddy a transparent O/D like a Zen and some delay based effects. But these are minor differences and either one is an excellent choice.

[rpjazzguitar]

I've been using the LJ for several years. I tried a Jazz 12 briefly, but I returned it. It sounds great to me for melody. Not quite so great on chords.

The Jazz 12 was a little louder than the LJ. Sounded a bit different, but not dramatically better. Like Nevershould.. I generally dial the bass down on the LJ. I use it flat on the floor. That makes a difference.

So, with the Jazz 12, in exchange for increased size and weight (and some $) I got a marginal increase in volume and some questionable improvement in sound.

The Jazz 12 was too big to move on top of my rolling briefcase (I use a canvas shopping bag for the LJ and put the telescoping handle of the briefcase through the canvas handles of the bag -- it works fine). So, I returned it.

For home use, mobility doesn't matter much, but it might be worth thinking about the LJ's rear port. I don't recall the port, if any, on the Jazz 12. I find that not having the LJ against a wall is helpful.

[dconeill]

Hi there,

... I’m worried that the Little Jazz might lack low end, while on the other hand, I’m concerned that a 12'' speaker, at low volumes and in small rooms (20 m² or 8 m²), might be too boomy. ...

I don't have either of these amps, I have a Henriksen Bud (original issue). Its tone is very dependent on placement - as many speaker cabs are.

Some things to try:
- if your cab is too boomy, get it up off the floor and put it at an angle to the floor, for example on a chair or wedge.
- if your cab is not bassy enough, put on the floor.
- if your cab is still not bassy enough, put it near a wall on the floor - maybe 10-20 cm from the wall. Experiment.
- if your cab is still still not bassy enough, put it near a triple junction (floor and two walls), rectangular to the walls. Results can be iffy, but worth a try.

[jazzloverfat]

Have a listen here, both are compared with different guitars:

I had a brief look into these 2 models and the consensus seems to be the 8" version is the better buy all things considered.

[213Cobra]

Hi there,

I'm looking for warm& dark sounding combo (polytone/jim hall style) for home use exclusively. I'm thinking about DV Mark Jazz 12 or Little Jazz. Not having the chance to test it before ordering, I’m worried that the Little Jazz might lack low end, while on the other hand, I’m concerned that a 12'' speaker, at low volumes and in small rooms (20 m² or 8 m²), might be too boomy.

I’d appreciate any advice.

BR,
Bart

For those room sizes, I can't imagine the LJ being inadequate. Low end will not be deficient. The Little Jazz is my warmest, darkest sounding amp. It's warm sound is intrinsic and the 8" speaker is part of that. I also have a Henriksen Bud 6, which has a wider range of sounds, with its flexible EQ and switchable tweeter, and I can use it with a wider range of guitars and tones, but when I want to warm up a "cold-sounding" guitar I just reach for the LJ, and with a warmer sounding archtop, the LJ gives it old school tones. Really, it's warmer than any of my tube amps. You don't *need* a 12" driver for your rooms, but of course if you like the 12" sound, you can, between EQ and positioning the amp, control any boominess. But with the LJ that's all simpler, and you might like the articulation and snap of the 8" driver better. -Phil

[rpjazzguitar]

For those room sizes, I can't imagine the LJ being inadequate. Low end will not be deficient. The Little Jazz is my warmest, darkest sounding amp. It's warm sound is intrinsic and the 8" speaker is part of that. I also have a Henriksen Bud 6, which has a wider range of sounds, with its flexible EQ and switchable tweeter, and I can use it with a wider range of guitars and tones, but when I want to warm up a "cold-sounding" guitar I just reach for the LJ, and with a warmer sounding archtop, the LJ gives it old school tones. Really, it's warmer than any of my tube amps. You don't *need* a 12" driver for your rooms, but of course if you like the 12" sound, you can, between EQ and positioning the amp, control any boominess. But with the LJ that's all simpler, and you might like the articulation and snap of the 8" driver better. -Phil

I fully agree about the warmth of the LJ. I compared it carefully to the Blu and found the LJ to be warmer. I couldn't quite dial the coldness out of the Blu. Based on wide praise for the Blu, I may be in the minority, but that's what I heard.

[BarMus]

Thanks for all replies. I've bought the LJ. It's great.

[jazzloverfat]

Enjoy it well!

[tnipe]

Thomann reviews say they’re too noisy for recording. How’s the noise level?

[rpjazzguitar]

I don't hear any noise from the LJ. I have high frequency loss, so I guess I might be missing it, but nobody has ever said anything about it. For context, I can hear the hiss on my Roland JC-55, but none from the LJ.

[sgosnell]

I think most people recording through the Little Jazz may use the DI, not a microphone. The first generation LJ amps had an external fan that was said to be somewhat noisy, but the subsequent generation is very quiet, and in mine the fan only comes on if the amp is pushed hard. I never hear it at home, and I would guess not in the studio either, as long as the A/C is working.

[58flame]

Peavey bandit is incredibly hard to beat. I'll put my old teal stripe up against anything. My Campellone sounds like a grand piano through it.