Jones Amplifiers Mini-Plexi Head

Although this amp is simple in nature it is not a one trick pony. The amp does the 'Marshall' thing very well but also does a decent version of 'Vox' style clean on the TMB channel of the amp. It is a loud 18 watts but the beauty is in the tone. My version has 2 channels... 3 12AX7's, 2 EL84 power tubes and a EZ81 rectifier. It gets a 10 from me cause it has the versatility I need to play.

This amp is killer for any type of rock except metal. I suppose with the right pedals and cab it could do that as well. It does well with Fender single coils. SRV and Hendrix tones are available but it really shines with the Les Paul. Can you say Paul Kossoff or early ZZ Top tone? It is a throwback players delight. Dial in your tone, roll back the guitar volume to clean it up and crank when you want to wail all at volumes that will not deafen you.

Too early to tell but the craftmanship is excellent. I do not foresee problems.

Don Jones builds and supports his amps. 5 year warranty and for me he is local. Would not hesitate to buy any amp from him.

If it were stolen, I would cry and hopefully get it replaced. I have played Marshall's, Fenders and Mesa products and this amp is a keeper for me. I do not see the need to send my money overseas when a good high quality boutique amp is available right here. No offense intended. To each his own on purchase decisions but I believe the quality of this product can compete with any of the boutique amp builders.

Recent Jones Mini-Plex head with 2 El 84s putting out 18 watts that I swear are 50. I traded my other Jones 18 watter with tremelo for this one due to the incredible sound and versatility. You can blend the high channel with the normal for a huge tonal array. It doesn't have channel switching but an a/b pedal could solve that. No reverb or effects loop. It's sweet old school. I use it in my home studio and with the master volume I don't have to rattle the house to get great tone. It's hard for me to give tens so I settle on 9 just because some other boutique builders offer a tube based effects loop.

I use G&L Asats and they can cover any style in combination with this amp, with the exception of metal. Don told me it had a bassman style preamp channel. It can cover Fender to Plexi but I prefer blending the two channels for nice combinations. It has a lot of clean headroom but can also grind nicely at any level via the master volume. It is the most touch sensitive amp I have ever used and I've had them all in my 25 years of playing professionally. I use it with 2x12 orange cab and it is the best combo I've ever had, period.

This is a hand built amp by a builder who will probably be revered one day. Everything on the inside is impeccable, clean work and top notch components. I can't imagine this thing ever giving me trouble but I know that Mr. Jones would take care of the problem. He is known for repair work and repaired a 64 showman for me and I was impressed with his work. Since I've had it only a short time I can't really give an opinion on this one.

Mr. Jones will warranty my amp until he dies, or at least that's the impression he's given me. I've called him for advice in the past and did have a question about the mini-plexi that he got back to me on the same day, so I will go ahead and give him a ten on this one.

I can hardly put the guitar down because of this amp. I had an Orange Rocker 30 that I just sold because it just couldn't hang with the Jones, and it sounded great. This is the rest of my life amp that I know will be in my family long after I'm gone. If it were stolen I've have another built just like it. Hand built amps rule.

I purchased this head at a Pawn shop around 6 months ago. It is a small light weight head with volume, treble, bass, middle, presence and master controls. Very simple amp. I like it that way. "2" 6V6's, 5U4, 12AT7, and "2" 12AX7's. Maybe 22 watts. More than enough power for me. Tone is much more important than making air move. Signed and dated 1/08/2001 inside by Donald Jones. No model numbers or serial numbers. Had a phone number on a sticker on the back but I lost it somewhere. I play mostly blues and rock.

When I first got this amp it played well but was a little weak. It was 4 years old and had held up well. I got to looking at the tubes which is the easiest things to swap out to make a improvement in your tone. Another owner had changed all the 12AT7's and 12AX7's to the much lower gain 12AU7's!! I went down to the local guitar shop and purchased the proper tubes. Made a huge difference! Well...I went on a quest for tone and ended up purchasing a matched set of RCA 6VGT's, a set of ribbed plate Telefunken 12AX7's, a set of Mullard 12AX7's, a set of RCA 12AX7's and a RCA 12AT7. I finally settled on an all RCA combination. This amp head leaped to life and became a tone monster!!! Very Plexi Like and in a small package. The original Russian 6V6's where worn out and the 12AU7's gave it very low gain. As far as a cabinet goes I usually play through a 1965 Oxford 12T6 12" speaker in a single cabinet and have just purchased a 1959 Jensen P12R which sounds just dreamy. This amp has very nice clean tones and what I usually do is turn the volume all the way up and leave the master at 8 or so and just use the volume control of my guitar to create any distortion that I may need. My guitars of choice are a G&L SC-3, and a Les Paul Jr with a P-90(which sounds fantastic!) The amp is very quite and with the few pedals I use is very pedal friendly. I have had more than a few guitarist ask who made the amp but because I lost the sticker I could not tell them.

When I got this amp it was 4 years old. With the new tube swap I am very happy with it.

After digging around on the web for a few nights I finally tracked down Donald Jones and his website http://www.jonesamplifiers.com I emailed him. He said that this head was handmade by him four years ago and was a prototype. He called it a Mini-Plexi. A cross between a Bassman and a Plexi. He was very kind and asked about the amp and it's condition. Wanted to know if I needed anything. Lets see. Hand built amp. A man you don't know writing you and builder asks if he can do anything to help?!?! That would be first class customer support.

I have been playing 31 years now. I like this head because after all those years I try to carry a couple of guitars and a light weight amp and cabinet are a blessing. This head along with a couple of pedals make for great tone. I believe that Donald's amps will one day be a stable on stages and studios around the world.