Polytone Mini-Brute

I picked up a 1985 Mini Brute I model at the Arlington show. I've been wanting a Polytone for quite a while but couldn't see paying the new price for one. It is just about perfect for me. 100 watts output, 12 In. speaker, 3 band eq. volume, master volume, distortion drive and gain, 3-way tone switch, high and low inputs, polarity reversing on/off, pre amp and earphone outs, no reverb (don't like spring reverbs, anyway), and light enough for an old guy like me to lug around. The dealer told me it was a closet find and I believe it because it looks brand new except for the cobwebs I had to clear away.

I'm playing with a big band right now and I can finally top the drummer and bassist if need be. The tone is great, smooth and clear and beats all my other amps for bringing out the tone of my Les Paul goldtop, Gretsch 6119, and the Eastman archtop also sounds great. I'm able to balance the response of the Gretsch and Eastman better now than ever before. I prefer an Ibanez tube screamer for distortion, so I don't really use the on board distortion. This is definitely a great jazz amp.

I just got it so I can't really comment on this other than to say that I have't heard of the power section of these being failure prone.

I havn't had any contact with Polytone, but wouldn't expect much help from the company for a 24 year old amp.

Up to now my main amp has been a Peavey classic 30 and the Polytone has it way beat, and I liked the Peavey. I actually have an older (70's) Polytone that I picked up just before this one but it has fewer features. I Would definitely replace it if lost. This thing is loud, portable and fills my needs completely. I'm a happy guy.

This Polytone looks as if it was made sometime in the 1970's (has the silver control panel as opposed to the black ones). It is a single channel amp with volume, treble,bass and a dark-brite switch. There are two inputs and a power on/off switch with a reverse polarity option. On the rear there is a main out jack, an extention cab jack and a fuse. Nice and simple, which is why I got this amp. I do not need channel switching or master volume etc...I just wanted a good sounding amp that will amplify the guitars tone without coloring it too much. The Mini-Brute delivers this desired effect.
It is 90 watts through an Eminence 12" speaker. The cab is closed backed so it is nice and tight and punchy. The cab is your basic plywood job, but it is well insulated and does not produce amany, if any rattles or squeeks. For me, the features are all I need so I give it a 10

Im playing a PRS Spruce Hollowbody with flatwounds. I play jazz and this amp is famous in the jazz circle for its clarity and headroom. I think it sounds great. It doesn't color the tone too much, allowing the guitar to have its own voice, but you can tweek the tone with the bass and treble control easily. Basically, it delivers clean tone at loud levels, but it sounds great quiet. Its a perfect little combo to gig with because it is light. compact and loud enough for just about any situation a jazz player will experience. This amp would also sound good doing country music, as well as pedal steel and reggae. basically clean crisp and punchy .

Well, its from the 1970's, and it works great thus far. It is solid state, and built like a tank. But, shit does happen, and things can break, but I would imagine that in your typical situation this amp will hold its own. Just treat it well

Never had to deal with them. Kinda hard to find info about Polytone amps, but do a google search and stuff pops up, but I found out they are in Hollywood, and they have a phone #, so when the time comes I'll call em up

For what I need, this is the perfect amp. Small, compact, light weight with enough power to be heard. Its not the moost exciting thing to look at, but its a guitar amp, not a Picasso. Its a tool that does its duty well.

I bought this amp new in about 1979 ($200). It had exactly the features I wanted--clean sound for a Rhodes piano.

I used it with a Rhodes piano, when I used to play big band jazz gigs in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The sound was clean and quiet, and even over the entire range of the Rhodes. The bass player for the big band tried it a few times, and liked it quite a bit.

We never miked the piano or bass amps, and the Polytone was able to balance well with the PA (horns and vocalist only went through the PA), in halls ranging up to 500 people and even outdoors.

I retired from active gigging in 1982, when I sold this amp. It worked perfectly every time I used it.

I never used customer support.

For a jazz player, this was the perfect amp.

After playing over 50 years and having used Fender,Yamaha,Lab and Ampeg amps I bought a new minibrute 6 months ago.Doing everything from jazz to ballroom this is the cleanest, most full bodied sound I've ever found.I play a Fender D'Aquisto,a Les Paul.a Samick Royale and my latest is a Carlo Robelli Manhatten( a copy of D'Angellico style guitars but $40,000 cheaper ) When I run through the minibrute It SOUNDS like Freddy Green's Stromberg or Johny Smith's D'Angelico.Smith plugged Guild But recorded with the big D. I am in my late 60's and still playing. It is a joy to have such an amp that gives me great sound with great punch and it weighs a lot less than a jackass with a saddle. I doubt I counld lift some of my previous amps today. I seldom use distortion. The + and - EQ is great with a large hollow body. You can control feedback,inherant in such instruments, by using this feature.It's not for heavy metal but if you seek true and clean you can't do better.
Bob"Mad Dog" McGuire The "Moon Over Parma " guy..........

Model mini/teenybrute, probably early 80ies, simple one channel setup with volume,bass, treble, 3-way treble switch,90 watt SS,12" speaker, external speaker out,main out.

You can plug ANY guitar in,even a strat, and it sounds like a jazz guitar. THE archtop jazz guitar,and maybe even upright bass amp. Incredibly loud and clean with a full low end response from a very compact and lightweight amp.Tried it with a Marshall Guvnor distortion pedal,didn't sound great. Then tried it with a Line 6 POD preamp,with the POD on the "amp" setting. Great,full sound with endless versatility from the amp simulations of the POD. Haven't tried the Polytone in a band situation yet.

I have just bought this amp secondhand for +- 125 US$(What a bargain!), it's probably made in the early 80ies considering the 3 ICs in the preamp section. It looks a bit worn, especially the black covering. The speaker cloth is gone. The amp works flawlessly though, with a very light "crack" when you turn up the volume pot. Not bad after over 15 years!

Secondhand amp, no warranty whatsoever. It's hard if not impossible to find info about these amps on the Net. Polytone doesn't seem to have a site.

If you play Jazz on a hollowbody or semiacoustic electric, try to buy one of these. Loud,clean and warm sound from an amp you can carry around in public transportation. Clean blues on a strat or ES335 sounds good, but it could use a bit more edge on the highs for that style.

99 Pollytone ( Mini Brute ) . I have played Jazz for some time & have went through many amps trying to find something that didn't break up on the clean channel which makes Pollytone a great amp for me. I have not used this amp live but plan to in the next couple of days. For the guys complaining about the distortion ( Buy a Crate ) In the same price range you can have a Turbo model. This amp was made for Jazz & R&B, not too much distortion is needed. I run a Dan Electro OD. through it & it sounds great. I haven't had any problems with the amp so far but have heard that Pollytone goes in & out of business every couple of years.

I currently play an ESP Hybrid 11 & an Alvarez Yahri acoustic. This amp is great for some one who wants to play clean & very versatile for using with electric or acoustic guitars.

I have not had any problems yet.

I have never had to reach customer support.

I've played for about 15 years & have had so much euipmnet that it would take toomuch time to list it all. The Pollytone is an amp that I would purchase again however I would get the Brute this time.There is nothing that I hate about the guitar so far. I love the clean chanel.

Very good jazzy amp. I've had it for a year now and I love to use it with my guitar. I can crank that thing up to 4 and the pictures start to shake. No distortion however. Sounds very good clean even loud! I also use my bass for it but after 3 it starts farting still very powerful though. Also no Mid control or Reverb. I'd have to say one of the best solid state clean amps I've ever played!

Sounds very good. I love the clean sound, however it's not so great with distortion. I play rock/metal so that dosn't help but I still love it. It even makes my Crappy Washburn N-1 sound nice.

The amp is really rugged. When I first got it after almost 25 yrs. the only thing that was wrong with it is some lining dissolved and a micro chip got fried. I had to pay 84 to fix but it's worth it. I hope my amps can stay that good after 25 yrs.I got it from my friends dad and it's still going strong

I've never heard of the company before. I don't know how to contact them!

Kick ass amp for clean stuff and so so for distortion!

The amp I have I bought circa 1981 because I lived in London with no car and had to have an amp I could lug around on the underground train system. It is a Minibrute for bass guitar and has the aweful plastic "quilting" on which I am now rather fond of! It has been so useful over the years for when my Marshall has been inappropriate
(too big for venue,too conspicuous, tooo much like a lot of bother,etc).I am always amazed at what size place it will cope with.

The speaker went recently and I made the hole bigger with a mechanical saw and put in a JBL.One thing which I took off really early on was the cheap and nasty logo with the chord(?) sequence. I never did understand that bit...it was a bit pretentious for a punk rocker!

All in all it's been a great amp and I'd never sell it

Cheers, Tom Bower

OK... nothing exciting.

Great!

Dunno

This amp was manufactured sometime in the mid seventies; it has both high and low sensitivity inputs, two outputs, a sliding tone switch for bright, middle, or dark tones, and treble and bass controls. It does have reverb, but it doesn't not work. This amp has two channels including an overdrive channel that is somewhat lacking, but I never use the overdrive on it anyway. This amp is great for jazz and blues and perfect for archtop guitars. It is supposedly one of the first true solid-state amps.

Mostly I use a Fender Standard Stratocaster on the second pickup selection (neck and middle) and it sounds great. I don't get any hum or feedback from it even at high volumes and it does get pretty loud. Like I said before, it's great for blues and jazz style music, but with some outside effects, you can get pretty much any kind of sound you're looking for.

Since I've owned it, I've had absolutely no problems with it. It was a gift from my uncle and he had it before me and the reverb pot went out on him. The overdrive channel sucks but he said it was never good anyway.

I haven't had anything to do with customer support

I've been playing for 3 years and I have not found another amp that I would sell this one for. I would definately buy another one if I had the chance if mine was lost or stolen. I love the sounds it produces.