Polytone Mini Brute

In many ways I’m not the typical guitar player. I’m not quite sure what the typical guitar player is, but it isn’t me. One of the popular trends in amps these days (and really for quite a while) has been the tube amp. Tube Amps are often preferred for their warm tone, but mostly because of the way that they overdrive without the full fledge crunch of distortion. It seems that most guitar players want at least a touch of dirt in their guitar sound. Not me. I’ve always favored the cleanest sound possible. I prefer solid state amps. I tend to play a lot of chords that would sound too mushy on an overdriven amp. I need the clarity of a solid state amp.My first high quality combo amp was a Polytone Mini Brute V. I sought out this amp in part because that’s what Joe Pass used to play, and because it had a reputation for being very clean sounding even at high volumes. This little amp is LOUD! I mean, really loud. At 140 watts in a small fully backed cabinet with one 12” speaker this thing really projects.

The amp has two channels, each with a three band EQ with cut and boost. It also has a switchable tweeter horn; great for playing with hollow bodied electrics. It has a preamp out circuit, and the ability to connect to an external speaker, or headphones for silent practice.

There are few (in fact only two) on board effects, and both deserve a mention. First, is a spring reverb. Polytones are produced by a small shop in California. Sometimes the business is up and running and producing new units, sometimes it isn’t. They produce a quality device, but there is no advertising, and really not much demand for these things out side of a small circle of jazz musicians. In the older models the spring in the reverb was said to be very fragile, and most of them no longer work. Because the manufacturer is so small, and never guaranteed to actually be in business you could really find yourself up a tree if your reverb went south. I use my reverb constantly and this thing has been a working amp for years. I haven’t had any problems. The reverb is warm, and natural. It only takes a touch to get what you need out of the amp, though you can crank the reverb for a surf rock vibe.

The second onboard effect is the “Edge.” I’m still a bit unsure of what this edge knob really does. It takes the place of the mid band EQ on one of the channels. After years of playing with it I began to wonder if mine was broken, since I couldn’t hear much difference with the amp on full “edge” or no “edge.” I think that I have finally figure this thing out…and it’s very subtle. But, if you crank up the edge, and crank up the channel volume, but then turn down the master volume you get a bit, just a touch of gain that warms up the guitar and ever so slightly sounds like a bit of overdrive. It’s so subtle that for a while I wondered if I was imagining it. But, after a while of trying this I can now hear the difference. It’s an OK effect for someone like me who wants a clean sound, but occasionally wants to dig in and blues it up. But, if I was Polytone I wouldn’t hang my marketing hat on this feature.

So, how does it sound? To me it sounds lovely. I can get a warm clean sound or even a very dry sound depending on what I’m going for. For clean tones, brilliance and headroom you won’t find a better combo. It’s great for showing off the sound of your guitar without coloring the sound of the instrument. Because this amp is so clean and loud it will also show off all of your little miscues! So, beware. I often play this amp with a Telecaster which means that any errant pick stroke is picked up. Telecaster plus Polytone isn’t a forgiving combo!

This is a great amp, though it may only be useful to a limited audience. What it does it does extremely well. It’s a unique amp, and will help you to have a unique sound. It brings out the subtle nuances of your playing style. But if you are playing in a Jimi Hendrix cover band then this amp won’t be for you.

One caveat. The speaker and headphone outs on the back of the amp are labeled by small stickers that have a tendency to fall off. If you get these outs confused it could ruin a good set of headphones. I placed my own labels. I would recommend something similar.