Is the JSX Head any Good for METAL!!!!!

[JTM45]

What i'm asking is if you can get a really f***in' HEAVY sounding Metal riffage sound from the Crunch or Ultra channels on the JSX,kinda' somewhere near to 5150/6505 territory ?

I'm looking at buying a new head and i'm basically trying to decide between a Peavey 5150/6505,a Peavey JSX or an Engl Fireball. That's as far as my cash will run at the moment.
I know both the 5150/6505 and the Fireball will give me one great tone each (they both do AWESOME Full-On Metal,but that's it really!).
I've played through a JSX a long time ago and i didn't really have a chance to give it a proper test but i remember it being a pretty damn versatile amp,but will it give me enough METAL when required ?

Any input would be greatly appreciated and if anyone happens to have any good Soundclips of their JSX in action doing some nice Metal tones that would be even better.

Thanks in advance!

[RSVampire]

to answer your question.... yes

also look at a Carvin V3 those are great for the price and give plenty of heavy metal.

[j.arledge]

NO. I hated the jsx for metal . it didn't have any ass end , it was tight and clear and sounded like satch but it didn't the thick chucky crushing tone i would want for metal .

the cruch channle was a joke imo compared to the xxx cruch . the jsx didn't have the gain or the fluid drive of the xxx

[JTM45]

That's good to hear !
Any chance of of a few more details on the JSX ?

Carvins (with the exception of the Legacy)are pretty non-existant in the UK so that's not really an option.
On my budget it's gonna' be a Peavey or an Engl for sure.

It's also gotta' be an amp that will work well with 6 + 7 string guitars as i play both quite a bit(another thing that's drawing me towards Peavey or Engl).
I hadn't really been bothering with 6's for some time but i got my hands on a Parker Fly Deluxe recently (i've wanted one of these for a looooong time)and it's absolutely amazing in every way so i'm having trouble putting it down.

EDIT; J.Arledge has thrown a spanner in the works while i was typing this post(oh nooooo!!!!!).
I suppose it depends what gear your using it with to some extent too.
I've heard a lot of people say that the Crunch channel on the XXX and the JSX are VERY similar.

That's why i'm still tempted to go for the 5150/6505 or the Fireball.
Guaranteed BRUTAL Metal tone from both amps,and i really like the way both amps sound too.

I was thinking of running a new amp just for my ideal full-on Metal tone and use an AB-Y splitter pedal with one of my current amps set up for a nice clean channel

[RSVampire]

for some reason people keep getting the JSX channels mixed up.

the Crunch channel is a Peavey Classic 50 and is very Marshall'y in tone.

the Clean and Ultra channels are from a XXX.

[reguv760]

What i'm asking is if you can get a really f***in' HEAVY sounding Metal riffage sound from the Crunch or Ultra channels on the JSX,kinda' somewhere near to 5150/6505 territory?

I'm looking at buying a new head and i'm basically trying to decide between a Peavey 5150/6505,a Peavey JSX or an Engl Fireball.

hands down on the Engl man... that's what these amps are known for... the interface is similar to Marshall's but the tone's like a Mesa growl... I've only came across the Fireball for $1300 new which sounds right compared to getting a Dual Rectifier. I'm using a 530 preamp for my UV and RG's and the character of each guitar shines in the high gain/modern mode with gain @12'o'clock... even the stock V8 in one of the RG's sounds tough... cleans aren't quite there but then again, i'm a big fan of Mesa cleans

Reg

[Gurj]

I've not played JSX, but from what I've heard it can easily do metal. At the same time, I've also heard it's not as brutal as a XXX. I own one myself and I can assure you it's got more gain than you'd ever need. The Ultra channel has a stupid amount of gain! But the Crunch channel is where it's at. The clean channel is okay, but not great. But if you're looking for a good clean channel as well, then try out the JSX, Mesa Dual/Triple Rectifier or Engl. I don't know of any JSX metal sound clips, but here's some Engl ones: http://rocksolidamps.com/index.php?c...aylist&mid=155

[Satchriossi]

I have my JSX ultra channel EQ'd for lead but what i cunningly do is use a boss EQ pedal fully scooped to f**k, so i step on that for heavy rythm parts and it sounds like killswitch engage to my ear. It is very good for modern metal rythm sounds. In fact its good at everything - i totally recommend it.

I don't agree with j.arledge about the low end at all. I found that it upsets the XXX cabinets speakers at higher bass settings so i roll it off until it sounds happy. There is never any shortage of low end sound.

i use the crunch channel purely for sparkly low gain stuff but it is still really powerful if the gain control is maxed.

[kmanick]

I use a JSX head thru a a Legacy cab (V30's) with both of my 7's
(Cavin DC727, Schecter Blackjack 7). The Ultra channel with the gain on 5
and a clean boost pedal in front sounds crushing. I also use an MXr 10 band
EQ in the loop (and sometimes a BBE Sonic Stomp, works great with the JSX)
to "smooth out the mids".
I easily get Nevermore "Dead Heart" tones or "Enemies of Reality" tones.
out of my JSX.
I have a 5150 and go back and forth between the two and you can EQ the
Ultra channel on the JSX to sound very similar to the lead channel of a 5150.


I kind of agree with j.arledge if you just turn the thing on and don't give it
any help, but with the The Sonic Stomp in the loop and something like a TS9
or an OD808 in front it can sound pretty brutal.

These amps have active EQ's. That means that if you want to turn the bass
up you can turn the treble and the mids up, each control "interacts' with
each other. It makes the amp sound much fuller.
You've got to take the time and "tweak" it a little to get a "thick" metal
tone out of these things , but it's in there.
Plus I run mine thru a hotplate with the levels of the loop dimed.
Once you get the master and the channel volumes up past 5 these heads come alive.
I love mine , great range of gains you can get out of it. A good clean boost
in front of it helps immensely.

[j.arledge]

i dont know i just didn't care for the jsx's red channle for metal . if i remember right the amp had el34s which may have had something to do with it , i was using a carvin legacy cab and dean razorback with dimarzio d-sonic and hum from hell .

either way i am sure you could pull a good metal tone out of it , but i just personally didn't care for the voicing . I was and still am using a mesa boogie mark 3 and it has pretty much the tone i like , very thick , and chunky but with clarity and definition .

As far as KICK ASS amps goes anything i have heard from ENGL has sounded pretty damn good . i heard clips of the powerball , and it was brutal as far as metal , and the cleans were warm and buttery like fresh toast . anyways i would certainly check out ENGL , the SE is suppose to be a more marshall/5150 style amp i belive it may be closer to what your looking for .

[kmanick]

I played an Engle SE at the Boston guitar show last weekend and if I could afford one I would buy it today.
Killer amp , a ton of usable tones in that thing.

j.arledge , a Mark III has quite a different voicing from a JSX. If that's the kind of sound you were looking for, no wonder you didn't get a long with it.
If I had my choice of a JSX or a mark (III or IV) I would take the Mark in a heart beat, the JSX is a great amp for the money. (bang for the buck)
and it's definitely got it's own "voice".

[JTM45]

Thanks to everyone who posted in reply to my question.
Some great info and opinions there which have helped me a lot.

Good to hear from some 7 string JSX users too because that's what i'll be playing through it a lot.
I've always been an avid Tubescreamer user so whichever amp i eventually decide on that'll be in the loop somewhere.

If i had unlimited cash then it would have to be a Diezel VH4S,but i haven't unfortunately so that'll have to wait.
They're incredible sounding amps though and they've got the best features of any amp i've ever seen.
Four fully separate channels each with it's own pre-amp and it's own independent effects loop(as well as regular series and parrallel loops) and a stereo power amp section which will run just about any tubes. And it's got it's own midi controller built in.
Muchos expensive though.

I'll let you all know what i do end up getting when i actually get it.Shouldn't be much more than another month or so (hopefully!).

[jb4674]

Hopefully it's not too late to chime in but, as a JSX owner, I think the Ultra channel can easily get you a metal sound, it simply depends on who's sound you're ears gravitate towards. You can always get a Marshall Kerry King and do quite alright. I have been able to get a really hard metal sound out of the ultra channel with no problems.

I would say give the JSX a try with your own effects and guitar and see how you like the sound of it. Venture into your fav. store with your stuff and try the amps you're interested in to get an honest feel of what they'll sound with your own stomp boxes and guitar.

Jimmy

[shogun]

Originally Posted by JTM45

Thanks to everyone who posted in reply to my question.
Some great info and opinions there which have helped me a lot.

Good to hear from some 7 string JSX users too because that's what i'll be playing through it a lot.
I've always been an avid Tubescreamer user so whichever amp i eventually decide on that'll be in the loop somewhere.

If i had unlimited cash then it would have to be a Diezel VH4S,but i haven't unfortunately so that'll have to wait.
They're incredible sounding amps though and they've got the best features of any amp i've ever seen.
Four fully separate channels each with it's own pre-amp and it's own independent effects loop(as well as regular series and parrallel loops) and a stereo power amp section which will run just about any tubes. And it's got it's own midi controller built in.
Muchos expensive though.

I'll let you all know what i do end up getting when i actually get it.Shouldn't be much more than another month or so (hopefully!).

get a 6505+. you will regret the jsx.

[Martyr Machine]

Originally Posted by shogun

get a 6505+. you will regret the jsx.

Well...my worldview has been shattered. Such an eloquent and inclusive argument.