Bought a new amp! Juke 1210

tjalla · September 4th, 2007, 01:26 PM

I've been looking for a replacement for my much loved Tone King Comet 40B for the last few months - wanting to get more of a tight/punchy "big bottle" EL34/6L6 sound rather than the smooth compression of the Comet's 6V6s.

With much apprehension and excitement bundled together, I've pulled the trigger and ordered a Juke 1210. I've had these amps in the back of my mind for years, they've kinda been off the radar over the last few but they are a unique design:

40w from 2xEL34s (NOT a Brit-voiced amp by any means tho, see below)
Bias Trem
True Pitch-shifting Vibrato (ala Magnatone)
3-knob verb
Voicing inspired by Ampeg/Supro/Magnatone/Valco/Fender Tweed amps
Custom voiced webers (each different) - 2x10 and 1x12 all in a 50lb combo
I got mine in RED baby!
110/240V rewireable tranny (important for me!)

Not cheap by a longshot once shipping to Australia and customs duties are factored in but it'll be one of a kind. Gary Croteau (builder) seems like a good guy, spoke to him for 40mins on the phone. It should be here end of Sept, assuming Australia customs/post don't hold it up too long. Sadly it means my Comet is up on the chopping block along with a few pedals and maybe a CIJ strat I recently bought

I can't afford two high end amps.

Pics and clips will be posted when it arrives, fingers crossed that its all that I want it to be. Info at www.jukeamps.com

Trev

nasonm · September 4th, 2007, 01:36 PM

Trev,

Juke amps are not only beautiful, but they sounds amazing! You'll be so happy. I beleive Gary still makes them in Troy, New Hampshire. He does wonderful work and the magnatone trem is instant Duane Eddy.

Can't wait to see pics and hear samples!

tjalla · September 4th, 2007, 11:07 PM

Yea, I've heard some soundfiles (taken with a measure of salt of course) that sound impressive and unique, not just another BF/Tweed clone, but still recognizable as being "classic" tone.

Anyone else here own/tried any of the Juke amps?

tjalla · November 4th, 2007, 09:07 AM

Ok, so I've had the Juke for a good month now.

So far sounding pretty good, tho outta the box the stock speakers were pretty stiff. Ran pink noise + 60hz through them (generated from a garageband plugin) for a good 8 hours over 2 days, smoothed things up some, but I decided the smooth cone 10" wasn't my taste once the amp was cooking. It did have nice character, however, at medium volumes (clean).

I did a few low volume gigs on the stock configuration, then changed the speakers to ones I had lying around - 2x Weber 10A125 and 1x Weber 12A150. These speakers have seen more gigging use, and are have bigger magnets/voice coils that the stocks, which was a Juke's customised Weber P12Q/P10SS/P10R

Sooo... my webers gave the amp smoother breakup when pushed, perhaps sacrificing a bit of liveliness/complexity in the mids/treble at lower, cleaner volumes, but overall a better breakup when pushed. I've yet to *really* crank it on a gig, but will get to this coming Tues night.

Last week I brought it round to a friend's place to test next to my trusty Tone King Comet and his Cornell Tweed Twin clone. My consensus? The Juke is a good sounding amp, but not good enough to 100% replace the
Tone King

- they both do very different things. The juke definitely has more attack and snap, less compression - which is what i wanted in the first place - but the Tone King's overdrive when pushed is still sooooo damn sweet and "together". The Juke's breakup right now seems coarser by comparison and needed a clean boost to get hairy even when turned up full (Fred Stuart Blackguard pickup, so that's kinda low output). The TK seemed to cut through more too, despite the added compression from its 6V6s. That said, the Tone King's had 4 + years of solid gigging, so it nicely broken in, plus its running ceramic speakers, as opposed to the all-alnico setup in the Juke.

On the flip side, the Juke definitely likes pedals better - especially with the extensive eq options (essestially a 5band eq onboard) there's a wider range of sounds to be had, and to tweak according to different pedals (and guitars).

The fabled pitch-shifting Magnatone vibrato is actually quite subtle as is the bias-vary trem, even when combined. Only at its max settings does it get a little wacky but overall this section is voice very tastefully - its not out to knock you off your feet, its quite a mature, classy effect. The 3knob "hall" reverb is interesting too. Again, taste and class in spades. Not in-your-face like a Fender "boing" tank will do. Like the vib/trem, i can actually use it on higher settings and its still musical.

That said, the Juke doesn't do what the TK does, so even tho I can't really afford to, i've decided to hang onto both, and that's one heckuva expensive lesson learnt. Sadly, my 52RI is up on the chopping block to finance the Juke's credit card bill. I definitely didn't plan on keeping both, but they are equally excellent amps fulfulling very different roles. Can't wait to do a gig that'll justify a stereo setup

I'm flat out between now and Tues, but I'll try to arrange to get the upcoming gig on video, and put it up on youtube or something.

marc sosnoff · November 4th, 2007, 11:00 AM

thanks for the info i would like to know when the amp goes from clean to breakup if you dont mind i been looking at the jukes for some time
i play jazz alot so i need clean

i think this amp can be a a good amp for my needs but i will not part with my germino ever

tjalla · November 4th, 2007, 08:32 PM

marc,

The juke is indeed pretty clean, even with a Les Paul with Seth Lovers, it only breaks up with both level and volume at 2 o'clock. With my tele its more like 3 o'clock on both. The clean has a quick transient attack - not much sag at all, despite having a 5AR4 rectifier, and it isn't a one-dimensional clean like a Twin Reverb RI can be.

If I was playing 100% clean, I'd leave the stock speakers as is. Its a unique sounding amp and being able to control bass/lowmids/uppermids/treble/presence is great. Looks killin' in red too:)

nonvintage · November 5th, 2007, 12:24 AM

Trevor, I'm curious. I've seen your video clips and read your posts regarding Vox AC15's, which I also have. What I'm wondering, is do you have any vintage Fender amps? A friend of mine has the Juke with 2 12's and a 10 and it sounds great. He also has a blackface vibrolux reverb and to me it sounds better. I'm coming from a blues playing perspective though. I dug you concert video's. If you don't have a Vibrolux, Pro or Super Reverb amp I think you'd LOVE it.

tjalla · November 5th, 2007, 03:11 AM

nonvintage - I've played a handful of old Fenders. Some sound great (played an unbelieveble '59 Bassman once), others kinda average - problem is there's not alot to choose from down here, especially Perth, to sift the gems from the rest. If I was living in the US it'd be a different story.

There's a BF Pro Reverb locally that sounds 'ok' at best, even though on paper that'd be my ideal amp.

tjalla · November 5th, 2007, 09:53 AM

Makes for a sharp lookin' lineup, don't ya think

Big Tony · November 5th, 2007, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjalla

Makes for a sharp lookin' lineup, don't ya think

Oh, yes!

/ Tony

dibber124 · November 5th, 2007, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjalla

Makes for a sharp lookin' lineup, don't ya think

Yes indeed!

trag-o-caster · November 5th, 2007, 02:17 PM

I just checked out your playing on MySpace, and you're a heckuva Blues player! I thoroughly enjoyed that!

If the rest of y'all haven't checked out Trev's playing, I HIGHLY suggest that you do so.

marc sosnoff · November 5th, 2007, 02:40 PM

heard you playing on your web site very impressive could you give a link to your my space videos too thanks

also thanks for the time you spent give the ifo on the juke
really helped alot

tjalla · November 5th, 2007, 07:19 PM

Hey marc, the myspace vid is the same as the website one. Haven't recorded anything new. Hope you find the amp that works for you!

Trag, thanks for the kind word - from one bluesman to the next:)

marc sosnoff · November 6th, 2007, 10:52 AM

hi trev i have the amps that work for me my germino lead 55 with 2x12
wows me also a allesandro head with a 1x15 too

i am thinking of a combo for when i play smaller setting and for practice setting maybe selling the alesandro off

the juke is one combo that is coming to the top of the list as i get more and more serious not for if i want the model u have of the 812

tjalla · November 6th, 2007, 11:09 AM

With high end amps, I'm realising there's no "better" than the next - they're different flavours, different textures, and do certain things better than others.

If you can A/B the allesandro with a juke, perhaps, before taking the plunge, that'll be my biggest piece of advice. I have no such luxury living in Australia - I really can't take advantage of the Juke's 48hr approval period, as it cost me US$500 to ship, and AU$500 in customs tax when it arrived - those are sunk costs that I simply have to eat.

I'd advise against selling an amp you like to try an unknown. I'm *very* glad my Tone King didn't move during the period I had it for sale.

September 4th, 2007, 01:26 PM	#1 (permalink)
tjalla Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 1,825 7 Photos	Bought a new amp! Juke 1210 - review and pic added! I've been looking for a replacement for my much loved Tone King Comet 40B for the last few months - wanting to get more of a tight/punchy "big bottle" EL34/6L6 sound rather than the smooth compression of the Comet's 6V6s. With much apprehension and excitement bundled together, I've pulled the trigger and ordered a Juke 1210. I've had these amps in the back of my mind for years, they've kinda been off the radar over the last few but they are a unique design: 40w from 2xEL34s (NOT a Brit-voiced amp by any means tho, see below) Bias Trem True Pitch-shifting Vibrato (ala Magnatone) 3-knob verb Voicing inspired by Ampeg/Supro/Magnatone/Valco/Fender Tweed amps Custom voiced webers (each different) - 2x10 and 1x12 all in a 50lb combo I got mine in RED baby! 110/240V rewireable tranny (important for me!) Not cheap by a longshot once shipping to Australia and customs duties are factored in but it'll be one of a kind. Gary Croteau (builder) seems like a good guy, spoke to him for 40mins on the phone. It should be here end of Sept, assuming Australia customs/post don't hold it up too long. Sadly it means my Comet is up on the chopping block along with a few pedals and maybe a CIJ strat I recently bought I can't afford two high end amps. Pics and clips will be posted when it arrives, fingers crossed that its all that I want it to be. Info at www.jukeamps.com Trev Last edited by tjalla; November 5th, 2007 at 09:54 AM.

September 4th, 2007, 01:36 PM	#2 (permalink)
nasonm Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bangor, Maine Age: 31 Posts: 1,591 16 Photos	Trev, Juke amps are not only beautiful, but they sounds amazing! You'll be so happy. I beleive Gary still makes them in Troy, New Hampshire. He does wonderful work and the magnatone trem is instant Duane Eddy. Can't wait to see pics and hear samples! __________________ "i have learned to just grit my teeth, change the subject, consider their deep total ignorance, fondle the thumb picks in my pocket and go on my way" - bender-freak It's been lonely in the saddle since my horse died

November 4th, 2007, 09:07 AM	#4 (permalink)
tjalla Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 1,825 7 Photos	Amp review... Ok, so I've had the Juke for a good month now. So far sounding pretty good, tho outta the box the stock speakers were pretty stiff. Ran pink noise + 60hz through them (generated from a garageband plugin) for a good 8 hours over 2 days, smoothed things up some, but I decided the smooth cone 10" wasn't my taste once the amp was cooking. It did have nice character, however, at medium volumes (clean). I did a few low volume gigs on the stock configuration, then changed the speakers to ones I had lying around - 2x Weber 10A125 and 1x Weber 12A150. These speakers have seen more gigging use, and are have bigger magnets/voice coils that the stocks, which was a Juke's customised Weber P12Q/P10SS/P10R Sooo... my webers gave the amp smoother breakup when pushed, perhaps sacrificing a bit of liveliness/complexity in the mids/treble at lower, cleaner volumes, but overall a better breakup when pushed. I've yet to really crank it on a gig, but will get to this coming Tues night. Last week I brought it round to a friend's place to test next to my trusty Tone King Comet and his Cornell Tweed Twin clone. My consensus? The Juke is a good sounding amp, but not good enough to 100% replace the Tone King - they both do very different things. The juke definitely has more attack and snap, less compression - which is what i wanted in the first place - but the Tone King's overdrive when pushed is still sooooo damn sweet and "together". The Juke's breakup right now seems coarser by comparison and needed a clean boost to get hairy even when turned up full (Fred Stuart Blackguard pickup, so that's kinda low output). The TK seemed to cut through more too, despite the added compression from its 6V6s. That said, the Tone King's had 4 + years of solid gigging, so it nicely broken in, plus its running ceramic speakers, as opposed to the all-alnico setup in the Juke. On the flip side, the Juke definitely likes pedals better - especially with the extensive eq options (essestially a 5band eq onboard) there's a wider range of sounds to be had, and to tweak according to different pedals (and guitars). The fabled pitch-shifting Magnatone vibrato is actually quite subtle as is the bias-vary trem, even when combined. Only at its max settings does it get a little wacky but overall this section is voice very tastefully - its not out to knock you off your feet, its quite a mature, classy effect. The 3knob "hall" reverb is interesting too. Again, taste and class in spades. Not in-your-face like a Fender "boing" tank will do. Like the vib/trem, i can actually use it on higher settings and its still musical. That said, the Juke doesn't do what the TK does, so even tho I can't really afford to, i've decided to hang onto both, and that's one heckuva expensive lesson learnt. Sadly, my 52RI is up on the chopping block to finance the Juke's credit card bill. I definitely didn't plan on keeping both, but they are equally excellent amps fulfulling very different roles. Can't wait to do a gig that'll justify a stereo setup I'm flat out between now and Tues, but I'll try to arrange to get the upcoming gig on video, and put it up on youtube or something.

November 5th, 2007, 09:53 AM	#9 (permalink)
tjalla Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 1,825 7 Photos	Pic with the family Makes for a sharp lookin' lineup, don't ya think

November 5th, 2007, 02:17 PM	#12 (permalink)
trag-o-caster Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Flushing, Michigan Posts: 4,507	I just checked out your playing on MySpace, and you're a heckuva Blues player! I thoroughly enjoyed that! If the rest of y'all haven't checked out Trev's playing, I HIGHLY suggest that you do so. __________________ Timothy Jon Lamb

September 4th, 2007, 11:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
tjalla Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 1,825 7 Photos	Yea, I've heard some soundfiles (taken with a measure of salt of course) that sound impressive and unique, not just another BF/Tweed clone, but still recognizable as being "classic" tone. Anyone else here own/tried any of the Juke amps?

November 4th, 2007, 11:00 AM	#5 (permalink)
marc sosnoff Tele-Holic Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: new jersey Age: 55 Posts: 531 10 Photos	thanks for the info i would like to know when the amp goes from clean to breakup if you dont mind i been looking at the jukes for some time i play jazz alot so i need clean i think this amp can be a a good amp for my needs but i will not part with my germino ever

November 4th, 2007, 08:32 PM	#6 (permalink)
tjalla Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 1,825 7 Photos	marc, The juke is indeed pretty clean, even with a Les Paul with Seth Lovers, it only breaks up with both level and volume at 2 o'clock. With my tele its more like 3 o'clock on both. The clean has a quick transient attack - not much sag at all, despite having a 5AR4 rectifier, and it isn't a one-dimensional clean like a Twin Reverb RI can be. If I was playing 100% clean, I'd leave the stock speakers as is. Its a unique sounding amp and being able to control bass/lowmids/uppermids/treble/presence is great. Looks killin' in red too:)

November 5th, 2007, 12:24 AM	#7 (permalink)
nonvintage Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Diego Posts: 465	Trevor, I'm curious. I've seen your video clips and read your posts regarding Vox AC15's, which I also have. What I'm wondering, is do you have any vintage Fender amps? A friend of mine has the Juke with 2 12's and a 10 and it sounds great. He also has a blackface vibrolux reverb and to me it sounds better. I'm coming from a blues playing perspective though. I dug you concert video's. If you don't have a Vibrolux, Pro or Super Reverb amp I think you'd LOVE it.

November 5th, 2007, 03:11 AM	#8 (permalink)
tjalla Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 1,825 7 Photos	nonvintage - I've played a handful of old Fenders. Some sound great (played an unbelieveble '59 Bassman once), others kinda average - problem is there's not alot to choose from down here, especially Perth, to sift the gems from the rest. If I was living in the US it'd be a different story. There's a BF Pro Reverb locally that sounds 'ok' at best, even though on paper that'd be my ideal amp.

November 5th, 2007, 02:40 PM	#13 (permalink)
marc sosnoff Tele-Holic Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: new jersey Age: 55 Posts: 531 10 Photos	heard you playing on your web site very impressive could you give a link to your my space videos too thanks also thanks for the time you spent give the ifo on the juke really helped alot

November 5th, 2007, 07:19 PM	#14 (permalink)
tjalla Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 1,825 7 Photos	Hey marc, the myspace vid is the same as the website one. Haven't recorded anything new. Hope you find the amp that works for you! Trag, thanks for the kind word - from one bluesman to the next:)

November 6th, 2007, 10:52 AM	#15 (permalink)
marc sosnoff Tele-Holic Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: new jersey Age: 55 Posts: 531 10 Photos	hi trev i have the amps that work for me my germino lead 55 with 2x12 wows me also a allesandro head with a 1x15 too i am thinking of a combo for when i play smaller setting and for practice setting maybe selling the alesandro off the juke is one combo that is coming to the top of the list as i get more and more serious not for if i want the model u have of the 812

November 6th, 2007, 11:09 AM	#16 (permalink)
tjalla Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 1,825 7 Photos	With high end amps, I'm realising there's no "better" than the next - they're different flavours, different textures, and do certain things better than others. If you can A/B the allesandro with a juke, perhaps, before taking the plunge, that'll be my biggest piece of advice. I have no such luxury living in Australia - I really can't take advantage of the Juke's 48hr approval period, as it cost me US$500 to ship, and AU$500 in customs tax when it arrived - those are sunk costs that I simply have to eat. I'd advise against selling an amp you like to try an unknown. I'm very glad my Tone King didn't move during the period I had it for sale.