New Jetta!
Sept 5, 2020 22:29:00 GMT -7
via mobile
Jaguarguy (Mike), doctorice, and 13 more like this
Post by chrism on Sept 5, 2020 22:29:00 GMT -7
Hi all! New to Dr Z and new to the forum. My Jetta arrived the other day so I thought I’d offer up some first impressions in the hopes it might be helpful to others. Sorry this is long but hey I’m excited 
I’ve played for 30+ years, owned lots of gear, gigged a bunch, etc. I play indie, post rock, psychedelic. My main guitars are an AVRI JM and a vintage LP. As you’d guess I love pedals.
I was looking for a 1x12 combo with MV so I could jam at night but enough headroom to cut on a stage. I also wanted an effects loop.
Discovered Dr Z through his AMAs and was sold on the company. Love the idea of supporting a small business, made in USA, high quality. Plus I figured Dr Z isn’t gonna sell a bad product since he *literally* puts his name on it.
Ok, so, the Jetta!
First off, this thing sounds cool, looks cool, feels like a bank vault. As advertised! I love this little amp but it is very unique and in my opinion probably not for everyone.
The Jetta has big giant brass balls. Sounds bigger than a 1x12 should. Yes it is loud but beyond that it sounds BIG. You can turn it way down and it still sounds great but it would rrrreally rather be loud. There is loads of clean headroom. You’ll get the cops called on you before you get it to break up. Somewhere I saw the Jetta compared to a Hiwatt and I get why somebody might say that. The Jetta is impolite in a good way. This thing is alive and visceral and really, really fun. Love the smell of zzzillions of electrons cooking those weirdo tubes. If you want a polite amp, I dunno, get a Princeton.
Ironically, I think this aggressiveness is why the Jetta is so good clean. Because unlike a blackface it always sounds exciting. I guess I’d compare a clean Jetta to, say, a Dodge Challenger Hellcat idling in a parking lot. Even when it’s slow, you won’t forget it’s fast. Pretty awesome.
The Jetta is not very “squishy” but rather tight and forward. There’s something in its response that’s a lot more direct than the quintessential 6v6/6l6 amps I know. Not good or bad, but different. This is my first experience with 7591s so maybe that’s just their sound?
The biggest compliment I can give this amp is that it inspires me to write music. It is absolutely an instrument in that sense.
I’d maybe think twice about a Jetta if you only play quietly at home. The MV is great and it does sound lovely at TV volumes but in my humble opinion this thing is just a little too much for a bedroom amp. Maybe try a Cure instead? And don’t get a Jetta if you want bell-like Fender cleans, or Vox jangle, or Marshall crunch. It isn’t trying to be any of those, which I appreciate.
Bottom line: Get a Jetta if you want an exciting amp with a unique tone that’s begging to be cranked. And definitely get any Dr Z if you want a thoughtfully designed, American made instrument from a guy who obviously knows what he’s doing.
I’ve played for 30+ years, owned lots of gear, gigged a bunch, etc. I play indie, post rock, psychedelic. My main guitars are an AVRI JM and a vintage LP. As you’d guess I love pedals.
I was looking for a 1x12 combo with MV so I could jam at night but enough headroom to cut on a stage. I also wanted an effects loop.
Discovered Dr Z through his AMAs and was sold on the company. Love the idea of supporting a small business, made in USA, high quality. Plus I figured Dr Z isn’t gonna sell a bad product since he *literally* puts his name on it.
Ok, so, the Jetta!
First off, this thing sounds cool, looks cool, feels like a bank vault. As advertised! I love this little amp but it is very unique and in my opinion probably not for everyone.
The Jetta has big giant brass balls. Sounds bigger than a 1x12 should. Yes it is loud but beyond that it sounds BIG. You can turn it way down and it still sounds great but it would rrrreally rather be loud. There is loads of clean headroom. You’ll get the cops called on you before you get it to break up. Somewhere I saw the Jetta compared to a Hiwatt and I get why somebody might say that. The Jetta is impolite in a good way. This thing is alive and visceral and really, really fun. Love the smell of zzzillions of electrons cooking those weirdo tubes. If you want a polite amp, I dunno, get a Princeton.
Ironically, I think this aggressiveness is why the Jetta is so good clean. Because unlike a blackface it always sounds exciting. I guess I’d compare a clean Jetta to, say, a Dodge Challenger Hellcat idling in a parking lot. Even when it’s slow, you won’t forget it’s fast. Pretty awesome.
The Jetta is not very “squishy” but rather tight and forward. There’s something in its response that’s a lot more direct than the quintessential 6v6/6l6 amps I know. Not good or bad, but different. This is my first experience with 7591s so maybe that’s just their sound?
The biggest compliment I can give this amp is that it inspires me to write music. It is absolutely an instrument in that sense.
I’d maybe think twice about a Jetta if you only play quietly at home. The MV is great and it does sound lovely at TV volumes but in my humble opinion this thing is just a little too much for a bedroom amp. Maybe try a Cure instead? And don’t get a Jetta if you want bell-like Fender cleans, or Vox jangle, or Marshall crunch. It isn’t trying to be any of those, which I appreciate.
Bottom line: Get a Jetta if you want an exciting amp with a unique tone that’s begging to be cranked. And definitely get any Dr Z if you want a thoughtfully designed, American made instrument from a guy who obviously knows what he’s doing.
