My JSX review

[Darin]

I ordered my JSX a couple months ago, but there was a back order. I got it a week ago. Before I bought it, I took my cabinet, by pedal board and my Prestige 2620 in the the music store to demo the amp. I spent about half hour at different volume levels and all different tone settings. The 120 watt head was just tearing my Legcy 2x12 cabnit to shreds. It's got way more headroom than I'll need. It's like the Legacy in shear volume, if you want it, and have enough speakers to take it all. But unlike the Legacy, which I had tried to use for a year, the JSX will sound VERY good at any volume level. The JSX has 3 channels, Clean, Crunch and Ultra lead. The ultra lead has goobs of unusable buzzy gain. With the gain set soemthing like 2 or 3, it's similar to the crunch channel with the gain at 5. But for some reason, the Ultra channel is thin and a bit brittle. I suspect alot of guys demo the head and hate it because of the Ultra channel. The reality is, the Crunch channel is the better lead channel. If you run the gain at about 12 oclock, or "5". It's got lots of nice meaty crunchy gain that makes nice for a thick lead tone. If you want that 38 Special rythem sound, nice and tight and not buzzy, just roll the guitar back. The great thing about this amp, as well as some others is even with a quite gainy tone, it will practically totally clean up with just the guitar volume. The amp has enough netural compression that it keeps the input level consistant while cleaning up to a nice sparkly tone. Every amp is a compromise and the JSX is by no means the amp to end all amps. It does not have the soupy smooth Boogie tone. But it has what the Boogie doesn't, or at least the several Boogies I've had. Serious crisp clean room shaking chunk and no murky bottom muddyness. Every note is consistant and loud. I do not have any pedels in front of it. I suspect a compressor would aid in pushing weaker notes when sweeping and legato'ing. I probably spend more time playing through my POD 2.0 because of recording. And there is nothing easier to play lazily through than a POD and still sound good. Like the Legacy, the JSX doesn't give you any help. If you can't nail the scale, your neighbors will know it.
In the loop, I have my Line6 XTLive pedal board for all my time based effects. The XTLive does alot more than I need it for in the loop, but it has very nice effects that work well, as well as a tuner, eq etc. I've done a bunch of shows with just the XTLive direct, and it is barely good enough. But usable in a pinch. Line6 has some nice effects pedals and they are all in the XTLive, in one sweet easy to use package that you can edit with your PC if you like. Also, I have the Acoustic Variax that the pedal board controls and I use the preamp settings. Since the XTLive is in the loop, my acoustic uses just the power amp section of the JSX with the XTLive preamps. The JSX is quiet, and has built in noise gate. All the tone controls are super dynamic. A little change in setting is usually all you need. It has "fat" switches to boost the bottom, probably more than you need. And a 'Resonance" knob that helps even more with bottom end. With all the knobs at 12 oclock or "5" to start with, a minor adjustmant will get you to your tone. One more cool thing. the pedal controller changes through the 3 channels but also controls the loop. You could very well get by with the head, a cab, a delay pedal sitting on top in the loop and a guitar, nothing else. Since the Ultra channel is pretty unusable as a lead channel, it seems to work well with the gain WAY down as just a different sounding rythem channel since it has it's own eq control.

Well, if you are in the market, consider the JSX. I've had Boogies, Legacy, Rocktrons' Line6's, Valvetronics, Marshalls, Randall, Fenders, Other Peaveys....
I'm pretty pumped about the JSX. I've been looking for somthing that will go from Country to Shred. I play in a country band mostly these days, but still noodle in my studio and squeez it in when I can. The JSX is not Petrucci tone. It's close to Vai, very close to Satch. NOTHING like Eric J. But will rip you head off it you want it too. But unlike most high powered Class A amps, sounds great at bedroom levels. Well worth the $950 I paid new.

Well, there ya go. I played the Jemfest 2 years in a row a few years ago. Once with my POD running into a marshall head, and the other time with the Valvetronix. Both sounded great. The Valvtronix sounded better than the POD though. I'll say this. The Valvtronix is probably the most versitile amp ever. Plenty loud, great effects etc. But it's just "not quite" a high powered tube head. Darn close, but a tad off. Still the best modeling amp ever made, the Valvtronix AD120, or was it an AV120? It was the 2x12 combo.

Later, Darin Warren

Now I have GOT to get a Tremol-no so I can use my Prestige for the country gigs.

[jb4674]

I agree. I have the combo and I have to say that it sounds incredible!

Jimmy

[Darin]

Today, a fellow player and I spent about 2 hours playing though the VHT Pittbull Hundred $2399 and the JSX beside it. I was diggin the heck out of the VHT...at first. It's easy to play, very sensitive to touch and harmonics. But in my opinion, a bit colorless. It was great at first, but I grew tired of the tone quickly. It started to fell like the old VooDoo Valves. Not only because I own a JSX, but I really did think the JSK sounded better. Maybe not as much usable gain, but I don't like super high gain anyway. You lose note articulation and clarity when the gain takes over the tone. After playing for a bit, with through a Boss compressor pedal in front of the amps, which I rather liked. I think of it as a 'cheater pedal'. I paid under a grand new for my JSX, and for the price of the VHT, I think the JSX is the better buy. However, I liked the clean channel of the VHT better. I though it was crisper and more sparkely.

One more thing about the JSX. It has surprising little head room. It you want LOUD, get something else. It's like they set #10 at the loudest level any practical person would ever play at. Almost like a governor on the head. I wonder if that lends itself to the ability to drive the amp at lower levels. Unlike the Legacy head, which anyone who ever played one will tell you it's just way more than you need.

[RSVampire]

ummmm.... either you had a faulty head or something man because the JSX is freakin' loud as all hell man. It was the loudest amp at the guitar store I was at when I tried it. It has 2 sets of volume knobs, 1 for each individual channel and then 1 global master knob. The amp has tons of headroom and in incredibly loud to boot. So it either had to have a bad set of tubes in it or it was a broken head.

[Darin]

Originally Posted by RSVampire

ummmm.... either you had a faulty head or something man because the JSX is freakin' loud as all hell man. It was the loudest amp at the guitar store I was at when I tried it. It has 2 sets of volume knobs, 1 for each individual channel and then 1 global master knob. The amp has tons of headroom and in incredibly loud to boot. So it either had to have a bad set of tubes in it or it was a broken head.

Nope, my friend had the same head, his was the same. Don't get me wrong, it's loud. But you can actually turn it all the way up without blowing up your cab. Not sure how they do it. But they seem to have tamed the 120 watts a bit. My Legacy was louder by comparison.

[Andelusion]

Nice review, I also have a JSX running into a Cornford 4x12 with Vintage 30s.

I agree about the Ultra channel, I'll be suprised if anyone uses it seriously. The crunch or 'amber' channel suits pretty much all of my bases And you're right about the amp cleaning up with lower guitar volumes aswell, it really does, that's one of the things I love about this amp.

[jb4674]

I think that it more than likely depends on how you have it set.

Jimmy

[Darin]

Ok, I've had this amp long enough now since my original review to say that It's pretty much as good as I had hoped. I've been struggling to get recorded tones I can live with. Out of frustration, thinking my XT Live in the loop was killing my tone, I took it out and put it in the front of the amp. With the gain on the Crunch channel rolled back, I used a bit of overdrive from the XT. What I got I simply fell in love with. A very recordable tone. Check it out.

I'm playing my new PRS Tremonti SE instead of my Prestige on these short tunes. (underrated and darn fine guitar)

PRS SE > Boss CS-3 > XT Live > JSX head > Legacy 2x12 > SM57 > Lexicon Omega > Dell running Cubase>mixed on Alesis M1 Active near field reference monitors.

http://www.chriswoodwardmusic.com/PRS SE/Un Nu U-01.mp3
http://www.chriswoodwardmusic.com/PRS SE/Dorm Room.mp3

Later, Darin Warren

[jemkey]

Sounds very nice .... daft question but whats chord sequence in the rhythm track of dorm room / post a backing track ? I really liked the sound of it!

[Andelusion]

Originally Posted by Darin

Ok, I've had this amp long enough now since my original review to say that It's pretty much as good as I had hoped. I've been struggling to get recorded tones I can live with. Out of frustration, thinking my XT Live in the loop was killing my tone, I took it out and put it in the front of the amp. With the gain on the Crunch channel rolled back, I used a bit of overdrive from the XT. What I got I simply fell in love with. A very recordable tone. Check it out.

I'm playing my new PRS Tremonti SE instead of my Prestige on these short tunes. (underrated and darn fine guitar)

PRS SE > Boss CS-3 > XT Live > JSX head > Legacy 2x12 > SM57 > Lexicon Omega > Dell running Cubase>mixed on Alesis M1 Active near field reference monitors.

http://www.chriswoodwardmusic.com/PRS SE/Un Nu U-01.mp3
http://www.chriswoodwardmusic.com/PRS SE/Dorm Room.mp3

Later, Darin Warren

That sounds very good for a single SM57, I wish I could get those sorts of sounds out of my JSX+Cornford+SM57.

[Darin]

Originally Posted by jemkey

Sounds very nice .... daft question but whats chord sequence in the rhythm track of dorm room / post a backing track ? I really liked the sound of it!

The chords are a bit goofy, There are alot of 'add 9' in there. I did a hard pan on this one so you could hear the 2 guitar parts separately and took the lead off. If you record something cool over it, post it for us.

http://www.chriswoodwardmusic.com/PR...ing Tracks.mp3

Later, Darin

[Darin]

Originally Posted by Andelusion

That sounds very good for a single SM57, I wish I could get those sorts of sounds out of my JSX+Cornford+SM57.

Mic placement is critical I'm finding out. Try these, see if it doesn't help at all.

[JackButlerGOT]

I have the JSX combo..run it in half power mode..I find it opens the amp up a little more at louder volumes. I took it with me last year during my appearances at various campuses/clinics for the National Guitar Workshop. I had my rack/pedal board with me, but I found too many of the younger players were concerned with who uses what box/processor, so I just plugged straight in every night. Wanted to show them that shred/instrumental/over-the-top could be done straight into the amp. This amp ran neck and neck with Guytrons, Bruno modded Fenders, Marshalls and the like; and even guys like jazz great Jodi Fisher complimented me on my tone. I do find that i regard to the Crunch and especially the Ultra channel, the active eq is extremely sensitive/touchy, but I found that with careful attention to the mids you can get a really nice sustain out of the Ultra channel.
I'm currently tracking a cd that is to accompany an instructional book that I've done for NGW/Workshop Art and Alfred; and everything is done using this amp.

[vette6600]

ive got my xt live running through the effects loop of my jsx head also. it's a very tastey setup i know what you mean about the ultra channel, tho. i still dig it as a two channel head haha

[Andelusion]

Cheers Darin.

Are you running any inserts on your recorded guitar parts? EQ/Compression etc.

I haven't tried turning the mic like that, only really experimented with different placement on the cone.

Also, what kind of volumes are you recording at?

Thanks :P