JAZZGUITARHARDBAL L
JIM BASTIAN
Two Rare Birds Jazz Guitarists Will Love
In keeping with PG’s theme this month of ent, along with Evans’ own EQ controls for
unique, rare instruments and accessories, Depth, Body and Expand. Add “Scruff” to
we are going to look at two rare birds that if you want some edge and grit in your
among jazz amplifiers. Since the begin- sound. Ever in a state of evolution, this connings of our electrified archtop tradition, trol has been replaced by “Buff” on newer
circa 1940, jazz guitarists have tended Evans amps.
to gravitate towards the highly portable
combo amp. This is to be expected, since
most jazz venues tend to be small clubs,
restaurants and coffee houses where low
volume amplification is needed – although,
if you throw a B3 into the mix you’d better
have an amp with more headroom than your
average guitar-bass-sax trio calls for! Since
the seventies, the
Polytone Mini-Brute has played
a large role in filling that portable
jazz amp niche,
but more recently
some new players
have entered the
market, including
Evans, Henriksen,
JazzKat, Clarus,
Raezor’s Edge
and Acoustic
Image. The two traits they all share are
small size and big power.
With higher quality components and construction than comparable Polytone models,
Peterson amps, though short-lived, are
sought after in the used market and command good prices.
The AE100 pictured has a post-factory
reworked grille; from the factory, the amp
would have had a Fender-style black grille
cloth. This example also underwent a
speaker swap for a 200-watt Beyma 8” bass
speaker, resulting in even greater headroom
and a darker jazz tone, along with a signifi-
The Evans AE100 (left) and the Peterson P100G (right) are two
examples of rare, collectible jazz amps that sound great.
cant increase in weight. Scot told me this
model was conservatively rated at 100 watts
RMS, but was probably actually over 150. No
longer in production – the niche was likely
filled by their Ron Escheté amp with a 10”
speaker – the AE100 stands as a collectible
example of great power, Sherman tank construction and an appealingly small size.
The two rare-bird jazz amps we are spotlighting are both highly portable and have
good power, a clean tone for jazz applications, reverb (the only effect needed for
traditional jazz guitar) and a pleasing, traditional design. Both are also very hard to
find in today’s used market.
In performance, the Petersons are fine amps
for recreating an acoustic archtop tone,
similar to that offered by the Polytone mod-
els. It is presumed that this model is 100
watts RMS, and while offering more cutting
power than Polytone amps, the Peterson
does not match the headroom and cutting
power of the Evans AE100. This amp came
factory loaded with a
12” EV, and it is this
writer’s opinion that
no current speaker
can match an EV for
a dark, neutral tone
– perfect for jazz arch-
tops. Some of the new
amplifiers have tended
to go with lightweight
speakers as a way of
increasing portability;
unfortunately, the tonal
sacrifice is not worth
the weight savings! Finally, the Peterson
seems to have suffered the same spotty pan
reverb performance of the Polytones, but is
nevertheless a fine, high-end jazz amp and
very collectible.
So for those players that admire the finest
small amp construction available, these rare
birds may be worth the time spent hunting
for them.
The Evans AE100 was but a brief flash in
the pan in the late nineties and listed for
nearly $1000 with its cover. I recall that
when this amp was in the design stage,
Scot Buffington at Evans related to me
that a person could walk to their gig with
guitar strapped on their back, the AE100
in one hand and an ice cream cone in the
other. This seemed entirely possible, since
the AE100 weighed in at 28 pounds and
was barely 14” wide. The amp has all the
controls found in their larger models, and
in fact, the electronic portion seems to be
exactly the same as that found in the JE200.
Traditional controls of Volume, Master,
Treble, Bass, and digital reverb are pres-
The Peterson Guitar Special P100G filled
a similar high-power/compact niche
but comes from across the pond. Our
British cousins (the now-defunct Peterson
Amplification of Norfolk, England) manufactured this amp between the mid-eight-ies and early nineties. It seems to have all
but vanished from the planet and there is
little information to be found. The example
shown is compliments of Howard Alden.
We might call the Peterson a “
manufactured boutique” amp. It came in a beautiful hardwood mahogany cabinet and was
available with an optional metal flight case.
Traditional controls included Low, Mid 1,
Mid 2, High, Reverb and Master Volume,
with two channels and switching capability.
Jim Bastian
A clinician and jazz educator, Jim Bastian is a ten year
veteran of teaching guitar in higher education. Jim
holds two masters degrees and has published six jazz
studies texts, including the best-selling How to Play
Chordal Bebop Lines, for Guitar (available from Jamey
Aebersold). He actively performs on both guitar and bass
on the East Coast.
An avid collector and trader in the vintage market, you
can visit Jim’s store in Gear Search at premierguitar.com
(dealer: IslandFunhouse).
