MODELS | PURCHASING | MATERIALS | LAYOUT | SPECIFICATIONS | COMMENTS | HOME The ToneQuest Report Top 10 Amps, March 2006 David Wilson It is an unfortunate fact of life that we guitarists can be guilty of following the herd at the exclusion of some extraordinary gems &endash; like Juke amps. We reviewed the Juke 1210 in July 2004 and stated at the time that it was "truly magnificent." While we haven't used that term often to describe an amplifier, we get the feeling that the Juke may not have generated the attention it deserves. Why? Every Juke is handbuilt by Gary Croteau, and he isn't spending his nights working the Gear Page to create a buzz, he doesn't have an extensive dealer network, and you won't see many high profile rockers playing his amps. Translation, most people still don't have a clue about Jukes. Get a clue, now. There certainly are lots of amplifiers receiving more hype than Jukes, but they are among the most unique, versatile and toneful amps built today by anyone......   The ToneQuest Report - July 2004 - By David Wilson   The Juke 1210   "That amp sounds like every classic guitar track ever cut on something other than a Fender." &emdash; Page Waldrop, Midtown Music   The quote above takes on even more meaning when you understand that: a) Page has heard and played just about every amplifier ever made, b) He can play his ass off on guitar and pedal steel, c) His amp of love to date has been a rare, vintage Standel with James B. Lansing 1x15 (fewer than 200 of these amps were ever made).   Yes, the Juke really shook Page up, which is significant, since he was our first designated blind test unit for the amp.  Page had never seen, heard or played one, and it can often be a struggle to tap into the unique tone of an amplifier and accurately compare it to more familiar models. "Sounds kinda like a blackface Vibrolux Reverb..." Is that good, or is it an indication that if you really wanted the sound of a Vibrolux Reverb you ought to get one of those, rather than this new amp that kinda sounds like one? The point is, we are responsible for telling you what's worth owning and playing, and why, and comparisons are always instructive. The Juke 1210 is a truly magnificent amplifier, and one of the most unique that we have ever played, but familiar comparisons are going to be tough.   The Juke is completely hand-built by Gary R. Croteau in Troy, New Hampshire, Cab Sig from the finger-jointed white pine cabinet and Baltic birch ply baffle and back panels to the aluminum chassis and point-to-point circuit board. Mr. Croteau holds a degree in electronic engineering from the New Hampshire Technical Institute and he is a graduate of the Institute of Audio Research, Recording and Engineering in New York.  After 30 years of tinkering and repairs on tube gear, the  vision for the Juke appeared in 1995, inspired by his admiration for the Ampeg Reverb-o-rocket, the vintage Gibson tweed Falcon and GA-30RVT, Fender 5E4 Super, the vintage Magnatone Troubadour 213-A and MP13-A amps, and various vintage Valco designs.   Let's start with the basic layout of the 1210 &emdash; one 12" Vintage AlNiCo speaker and two Vintage AlNiCo 10's. Imagine the broader, beamier presence of the big 12 complimented by the 10's with their tighter compression, stiffer bass response and smooth, focused upper mids and highs. The Juke gives up an incredible mix of rich tones that seem so much bigger than the sum of its parts, and it is a sound that must be heard to be fully appreciated. We'll say this... listening to Steve Wariner play his '51 Nocaster through the Juke, you could almost close your eyes and picture a big old archtop with some serious stings. The tone was thick, lush and juicy, folks &emdash; almost beyond words.   The Juke typically runs on a pair of EL34 or 6L6 output tubes, and it can also be biased for KT66's, KT88's or 6550's. Our review amp was shipped with EL34's, and they worked very well for a wide range of musical styles, but it's the circuit design and classic features that really set the Juke apart from its 'boutique' counterparts.      Two inputs are provided &emdash; 'Hi' at 1 MEG and 'Lo' at 100K. The 'Contour' control acts as a versatile Midrange cut/boost. "Level' adjusts pre-amp Gain, and 'Tone' acts as a Treble roll-off. The Bass and Treble tone controls are center-oriented for a cut/boost function. The oversized knob is the Master Volume control. The cut/boost feature of the EQ section in the Juke makes tone tweaking precise and especially useful for dialing in the amp with an endless variety of guitars and pickups, and the Juke also performs brilliantly with acoustic instruments. At first we were a little intimidated by the number of controls on the panel, but once you understand what this amp can do, you'll appreciate every one of them.   The reverb circuit design is borrowed from key features found in the Reverb-o-rocket (Ampeg Type 'C' reverb) with a Magnatone recovery circuit. What does that mean to you? The reverb effect in the Juke is far more subtle and sophisticated than the usual Fender-style reverb, which is uselessly overwhelming for most of its range unless your name is Dick Dale. The reverberation keeps its place in the Juke, behind the notes, and the 'Dwell' (drive level to the spring), 'Color' (tone), and 'Depth' (mix level) controls enable you to shape the dark/bright character and intensity of the reverb effect with the precision of a recording console. Players accustomed to the gonzo character of typical Fender reverb may find the Juke circuit to be a little tame at first, but in time, the Juke  will change the way you hear this effect altogether, and the 'Fender-style' reverb may sound crudely unappealing by comparison.   The Valco-meets-Magnatone pitch-shifting vibrato/tremolo will blow your mind, and the circuit alone is worth half the price of the amp. 'AM Depth' controls amplitude modulation (Tremolo), 'FM Width' determines frequency modulation (Pitch Shift), and 'Speed' sets the rate of modulation. If you've never heard one of the old pitch-shifting Magnatones or a Valco/Gretsch amp with tremolo, just take comfort in knowing that you are in for a shocking treat. The sounds you can tap from the Juke's vibrato circuit will inspire you to find reasons to use it, even if you may not have touched the Vibrato control on your old Fender for a decade. It really is that good.   The Juke operates in Class AB and you can select between pentode and triode mode. In pentode mode, an 'Ultra Linear' toggle switch located underneath the chassis between the 5AR4 rectifier and the output tubes produces a tighter, clean output tone, or, a fatter and warmer tone. A global 'Presence' control is also located below the pentode/triode switch.   The Juke 1210 is rated at 45W (40W/ultra linear/20W/triode) and weighs a reasonably portable 50 lbs. The cabinet construction, covering and internal workmanship was absolutely flawless, and all of the components used in the Juke circuit are among the most costly available. For non-technical players, SBE film/foil and metalized film coupling caps, metalized film and silver mica EQ caps and solid core 22 gauge copper tined hook-up wire may not rock your world, but you'll definitely appreciate the smooth and dependable nature of the more expensive ceramic and phenolic tube sockets whenever you are pulling and installing tubes. Every Juke amp is a custom order built entirely by Gary Coteau, but he does strive to keep a few models on hand and ready to ship with no wait. Optional configurations include 1x12, 2x10 and 8x10 models in purple, green, brown or red tolex. A footswitch for Reverb and Vibrato is included, along with a super-cool snakeskin vinyl cover.                   In addition to our auditions at Midtown Music and Steve Wariner's studio in Tennesee, we plugged into the Juke often during the month the amp was here, and it always seemed to reveal a new and surprising tone. The AlNiCo speakers definitely create a warm, round, big tone and they are enhanced even more by the versatile cut/boost EQ circuit. The Juke does not have a distortion channel, but it is fully capable of being pushed into a thick overdriven tone by mixing the 'Level' (pre-amp gain) control and Master Volume. Breakup is more subtle, detailed and less raucous than a typical Class A amp designed with a low distortion threshold, but for blues players (or rockers with a good overdrive pedal), the Juke will deliver the goods. This amplifier really does produce an audible blend of influences taken from vintage Gibson, Magnatone, Ampeg, Valco and Fender amps. It has a certain voice and vibe that experienced players will recognize as being familiar on many levels and entirely captivating, but we cannot conveniently say that it sounds more like one or another. The Juke is intelligently designed and built to allow you to determine that. What more could you ask for?  VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE - March 2002 - By Phil Feser and Bob Tekippe A Tonal Treat ! Juke 1210 offers a variety of tones - clean and otherwise. Amp purists may have a tough time dealing with Juke 1210. Until they hear it! The amp shares many characteristics often seen in high-end boutique amps (i.e. point-to-point wiring, EL34s for power, a 5AR4 rectifier, 12AX7s in the pre amp, 12AU7 reverb, pine cabinet, vintage-style speakers) it also charges things up a good bit.   At first glance, the amp's top-mounted control panel can be a bit intimidating. Compared to most single-channel amps, it has a ton of knobs. But intimidation quickly gives way to curiosity, and then familiarity as you gander through the owner's manual. The 1210's input section has hi and low-gain 1/4" input jacks, Contour (mids), Tone (overall highs), Bass, Treble, and Level. The effects section consists of Reverb with the standard Fender-like Dwell, Color (Tone), and Depth knobs, and Vibrato with width (pitch-shift) and depth (tremolo) control (marked "FM" and "AM"), and speed knobs, (both foot switchable). The output section has a volume, a Pentode/Triode power output switch, a Presence control, power/standby switches, and an ultra/linear switch mounted between the power tubes. (The ultra-linear switch is a mode switch for the pentode output that gives you either a tight, clean, 6L6 sound, or a warm, fat, EL34 sound.)   After reading the somewhat technical (and very thorough) manual, we selected two appropriate guitars for our test; an 80s Strings-n-Things Bluesmaster (Telecaster-style), and a Godin Standard HSS (Superstrat).Grabbing the Bluesmaster, we set the amp per manufacturer's recommendations, and soon discovered that even though the Juke has no distortion mode, it's not exactly a squeaky-clean surf amp, either. Instead, it offers an outstanding natural harmonic tone that makes the notes simply jump out of the amp, with loads of sustain and a little bit of drive. Even at high volume, the tone is smooth and pleasing, not at all harsh or brittle. And at low volume, the 1210 retains all of its lively character, and reacts well to the guitar's volume and tone controls.   While searching for various tones and complimentary settings, we spent a good bit of time noodling with the amp's tone controls, and found the best settings to be between 10 and 2 o'clock ? And the ultra/linear switch did exactly what the manual claimed it would! Tighten up the low-end (like a 6L6-equipped Fender) and fatten up the mids. With the Godin, we tweaked the tone and contour knobs to accommodate. The single-coil pickups sounded good, but with the humbucker things were a bit flat. The amp's reverb was very warm and clean and didn't get in the way of the notes. It had a sort of in-the-distance ringing. The FM control gave us a pitch-shifting Magnatone-like vibrato with a Lonnie Mack vibe. The AM knob offered up more of a standard tremolo sound ranging from smooth and wide to short and choppy. We also toyed with distortion pedals and found they kind of got in the way of this amp's pure sound. Used sparingly for solos (not overdriven chording), however, they work fine.   In terms of workmanship and quality, this amp performed in superior fashion. One of our boutique amp junkie friends absolutely loved the sound of this amp and he has tried them all! We concurred. The 1210 doesn't come cheap, but if you want some of the best natural sounds around, it's worth every penny. 20TH CENTURY GUITAR MAGAZINE - September 2000 - By Ray Matuza JUKE 1210   "The Juke does not have a Distortion mode!" proclaims bullet #4 under general info section of the Warbler Juke 1210's booklet. Well we'd expect a statement like that from a modern day "boutique amp" manufacturer as much as we'd expect to hear Slick Willie expressing a dislike for young female interns! NOT!! In any case, Warbler's Gary R. Croteau has managed to design an amp using a pinch and dash from many of the great amps of the past and mix them up into a slightly left-of-center creation called the Juke 1210. Simply stated, the Juke's uniqueness lies not in some mondo overdrive tones, but in its clean sounds combined with a killer tremelo/vibrato and reverb. Clothed in red tolex, the solid white pine cabinet houses the interesting combination of 2 10 inch Muse 45 speakers alone with a singular 12 of the same variety. The trio hides behind a Vox style diamond grille cloth bordered by white piping ala Marshall. Very retro and very cool.The power plant utilize a pair of El34 bottles complimented by a quad of ubiquitous 12AX7s in the pre amp section with a 12AU7 for the reverb driver. The test model sported a 5AR4 tube rectifier (silicone is an option) and the El34's churning out about 42 watts RMS in the pentode mode and roughly half of that when switched over to the Triode mode. With enough knobs to rival a "Weeziana Ho Hous," the Juke's tone section elaborates on the standard Treble and Bass by including a Presence, Tone and Contour control as well. The Contour picks up where the Bass leaves off at 220 Hz while the Tone takes you through the midrange frequencies up into Treble territory at 3.5 KHz. All tone dials do their job in a fairly transparent, musical way, but because of frequency overlap prudent use, of say, the Tone and Presence, for example, can avoid any overly exaggerated high end. A choice of Hi or Lo Inputs gets your signal on board with a level control to goose you in the pre-amp section and a Volume control to handle the output. Pushing these guys past the 3 o'clock spot will give you just a tad o' dirt but again, none of these equal any kind of distortion or overdrive mode. The first thing evident when plugging in any garden variety of guitar is the Juke's harmonic vibrancy - notes and their overtones seem to pop out in a 3 dimensional way. Complex chord voicings remain clear and detailed and the combination of the different size speakers balance and spreads out the frequencies quite effectively.   Just to nasty things up a bit, I stirred a recent issue Maxon OD 808 into the mix. The Juke seemed to let the pedal's true personality shine through while also accentuating that 3 dimensional harmonic vibrancy, Cool.   Borrowing from the Fender 3 knob reverb, the Juke's Dwell, Color and Depth control allows you to tailor the drive, tone and mix level of the 'verb to taste. The dry signal seems to remain out front with the reverb behind the notes at any setting, producing a very spacious event. Even when maxed out, the notes remain the center of attention instead of being washed out by a sea of springs. Also a big thumbs up to Warbler for one of the nicest decays I've heard from a spring unit. The Juke 1210 also has the right mojo when it comes to producing a way cool tremelo or vibrato effect. Utilizing real frequency modulation the FM Width provides just enough wobble through its range with a nice gentle shifting of pitch. I found this most pleasant at about 1/2 with the speed set at 1/4. The AM Depth control offers subtle changes in tremelo effect 'till around 11 o'clock, with optimum for me being around 2 o'clock - smooth musical modulation with out sounding choppy. It's hard to find fault with any aspect of the Juke 1210 unless you're in the market for a seriously snarling rig. With superior quality construction and components. In any case, this amp would be at home in just about any musical situation. But beware, this is not a "plug and play" type affair. The more tweak time you put in, the more you'll reap in its tonal rewards. Oh, did I mention the ultra cool vinyl Snake Skin cover! MODELS | PURCHASING | MATERIALS | LAYOUT | SPECIFICATIONS | COMMENTS | HOME