I've gigged a JC-120 with a distortion pedal out front and my guitar tuned to drop B. If you think the JC-120 can't do something, you aren't trying hard enough.
@@soundescapemn Yeah, they take pedals great and are built like tanks. Mine is a '78 that I got at a pawn shop in 2009. I may have cleaned it once? Runs like a top. My tube amps are needy af.
I got used to playing JC-120s when I lived in New York City, and practiced in rehearsal studios. The tube amps in those places tended to get a bit tired, but the JC-120s sounded pristine. I'd just put a tube screamer in front of it and it'd sound great. I just got a JC-40 because I wanted an amp that I could play through headphones and also gig, and I didn't want to go the modeling route. I remember the JC-120s fondly. Also, two of my favorite local rock players back in Portland in the 90s played them, and always sounded great.
Same, I have the JC-40 for gigs with my band and the JC-22 for at home practicing. I bring my pedalboard between the two and I love it. Haven't played a JC-120, but I've been told they are great for recieving pedals.
Great for pedals where your base tone is clean. But AWFUL as it gets with basically any gain, especially fuzzes and distortions. While many pros have used the JC120 through the years, almost none of them would have used them for their lead channel or for plugging a dirt pedal into it. They just aren't made for that. But clean tones are phenomenal especially with some chorus and delay. What these guys should have said is that they are bad platforms for dirt, but definitely not all pedals.
I play in a hard rock band. A couple of weeks ago we did an outdoor gig and I went through a Roland JC120. I slammed my modded BD-2 into it with a TS-9 for boost. Cry Baby, Phase 90, with delay and reverb from TC pedals. It sounded sweet. Nothing wrong with those amps.
Jazz Chorus as a bad pedal platform? What tha? Near as I can tell that's most of its purpose and everything I've ever heard from those amps is how good they are at it.
It's the single best amp for delay, reverb and modulation through the effects loop. Yes, it's incredibly clean through the front, but as the boys prove here, with the right dirt pedals dialed in, it can sound however you want. It is by far my favorite amp.
Ive been on the verge of buying a jc40 for a long time now and kinda freaked out when they said it was an awful pedal platformer, but then it just immediately sounded good when they started playing it. Thanks guys.
Caleb Paden me too. I almost want to see a frequency spectrum just to visualize it and see the differences. But that’s way too sciency-geeky for these boys I think.
Haha, well you should have seen the episode where Mick throws it halfway across the room! They have been frustrated with it not being reliable in the past.
When it comes to the Jazz Chorus, I think the reputation of “not good for pedals” comes from folk not understanding how much of their drive pedals’ tone is actually the preamp tubes compressing. Haven’t got to the Peavey section yet, but the Jazz sounds great on headphones here.
This is the new model as well, It was the old 120 that had that reputation, well sounded ok with boss drive pedals, as at that time they designed their pedals around the 120 (also maybe why some of the boss high gain pedals don't sound that great, funky tone stacks on some of them). Don't really know why they keep on calling it a jc120... it's a jc-40, the jc-40 (and all the new line for that matter) was specifically redesigned to be more pedal friendly...
I would say that is generally the number one offender of most amps being classified as not good for pedals. people not taking the time how to understand the amp or amps in general as well as pedals and pedals in general.
What specifically did they do to make the JC-40 more pedal friendly? Can you point me to something Roland has published about this? "Cause from where I'm sitting, having used a 1980's JC-120 as pedal platform for over a decade, that 40 sounds really familiar. I'm sure if I could A/B it with my amp there's be some subtle differences, but the essential character of its sound is what I hear every time I practice.
When you say "how much of their drive pedals’ tone is actually the preamp tubes compressing" do you mean the pedal is pushing the amp's pre-amp tube/s to compress? If so, how much of a drive pedal's gain/breakup is relevant vs the above when running into a high head room amp like a Fender Twin? Also, how can you confidently tell what is pedal vs preamp vs power section vs speaker breakup across all different types of amps. I can tell with my amp because I play and know it so intimately but on other amps I'm not confident..
The wife's at the spa, mother in law has the kids, boss has told everyone to go home for the day, but I'm just going to sit here and watch this in peace. Merry f@#$ing Christmas!
It was crazy bright, but for funk music or something really twangy I thought it sounded pretty good actually. Also, some pedals are really naturally dark, I could see it giving a little lift to those.
4 Days ago, with the intention of downsizing my gear, I acquired a JC-40. My heart dropped when I saw the title of this episode because I knew you would be using a JC-40. So with great trepidation, I clicked play. I must say I was greatly relieved when your observations about this amp matched mine. But I was disappointed that you did not investigate the most important feature of this amp, the stereo inputs and how it maps to a wet/dry speaker configuration. I believe that the JC-40's stereo capability could make it the ultimate 'portable/affordable' pedal platform. Perhaps a future stereo pedal platform episode could be in order? Finally can somebody explain to my why a 40 watt/20 watt RMS JC-40 is so F*%#'in LOUD?
A year late here, but the irony of having a show titled as such, and then opening with an amp from one of the best lines of amps to run effects through made me laugh my ass off! The Roland JC line is amazing! Us reggae guys have been in love with them since they came out. I mean the amp has an amazing chorus/vibe built in, of course it takes phasers, flangers, delays, trems, etc well too! Great show guys, you proved it’s about how you use the amp and your effects properly. If you can’t get great sounds of a a JC, then you are doing something wrong. Peace!
Exactly, these guys are talking out of their xxx. They just make video's for the sake of making it and making it sound like their opinion matters, it doesn't. And while they make videos about worst and best, they are just as confused as the average newbie trying stuff out.
It’s great for delays, reverbs and the like, but maybe not so for dirt/preamp pedals that try to impart a certain character to make your amp impersonate/sound close to another specific amp or family of amps: tweed, JTM, Vox etc.
@@mfam1306 No. In the 90s Neil Halsted used JC-120s but he ran a ProCo RAT into a Boss OD-2 Turbo. Christian Savill always used Twin Reverbs in the 90s - he never used Solid State at all.
@@CMHobbies I’ve both got a Jazz Chorus 22 and listened to the video. That said, I recently discovered that running a preamp directly into the fx Loop Return might do the trick (for impersonating other amps, the voicing style). But you need one that has enough control over the higher frequencies. I don’t think any JC rounds off the harsher spikes of distortion/overdrive devices like a tube amp can (at least some) and of course it doesn’t compress the same way (granted, there’s a big spectrum in the tube ones to begin with).
Been hating the jazz chorus for the last 25 years and suddenly i find that i love it...always learning. Loved the db meter. Thanks for all the shared experience and knowledge. Keep up the good work.
43:35 Mick’s face hitting that bending.. he already new that he was about to add all the fricking gain stages on this planet on the next 30 seconds 😂 love your show guys!!
I've actually just begun renting a JC-40, based on watching this video. And I'm in love with it as a pedal platform. An absolutely top amp, in my opinion. Cheers, guys!
@@stubkar Johan uses an expensive Squier and Epiphone in a ton of videos. And he has plenty of videos of inexpensive amps like the Marshall Lead 12, for instance. No matter what amp or guitar he's using, he always seems to get great tones. It proves to me that it has more to do with how you use the equipment and how you play than it does what you're playing (or more specifically, how expensive it is)
I have a friend who was in one of the bigger bands in the 80s Goth scene in Los Angeles who told me that the “sound” of the era was a JC 120 with a DOD 250.
Love my JC-40. Such a versatile amp. It is one of the BEST pedal platforms in my opinion! As an added bonus it has the CE-1 chorus built in! Should be able to pick up a nice cheap used one now this is filed under the "Worst pedal platform amp" section.
When Dan started playing through the Peavey, I was distracted by the dog and wasn't looking at the screen. When Dan got going full prog rock I thought Rabea Massaad had turned up and was showing you guys how to properly use that amp.
I've got a JC 120 and my big muff sounds great through it. And delay pedals sound good to through a jc 120. I put my 100 watt music man amp with the Roland jazz chorus and the sound is huge.
One of my favorite players - Tommy Keene (RIP - look him up power pop genius) used a JC120 and a Mesa Dual Rectifier together - sounded spectacular with the immediacy and clarity of the JC with the gain/sag/compression of the Mesa - it was a huge glorious sound! I have been eyeing a JC40 for awhile to use in a similar way with one of my other amps - this might just push me over the edge...
When I saw the JC in context with a video about bad platforms, I thought it is a joke. I own a JC 160 from 1979....you can't get a better platform for pedals, believe me. Plus, if you really wanna know how your gear and you yourself sound, plug straight into a JC. If you put shit in, shit will come out and vice versa.
I got the JC-40 as primarily a synthesizer amp, but I wound up using it much more for guitar - my first “proper” amp after my old Park by Marshall G10 practice amp. I’m glad the experts approve of the JC-40. 🙂
@Pete Testube Default settings are already a good start. It appears that decades ago, Roland encouraged using JC-120 with their synthesizers. The input on JC-40 is -10dB, which seems to accommodate both guitar or keyboard (or other unbalanced mono or stereo inputs) pretty well. Adjusting volume and EQ to taste, on both amp and instrument, can be helpful, naturally. If it’s a bass-heavy input sound, then yeah, I’ll probably dial JC-40’s bass farther down. One last thing: it’s possible to also bypass the preamp section and plug a line level instrument into the mono or stereo JC-40 effects loop return (which does NOT have a volume control, so it’s effectively at a slightly deafening “10”; that’s a real opportunity for using a keyboard’s own volume to avoid blasting one’s ears). Hope some of that ☝️ helps; most of it is probably not news or a surprise to yourself or most other people 😅 🤷♂️
My worlds been rocked - I think that was the first time I've ever seen a non-tube amp rock the D&M World! Some amazing sounds out of that JC40. Nice job breaking the myth gents - the more I see the more I understand there are absolutely NO absolutes in the music world. Appreciate the hard work you all put into this channel and the great information you share. Have a Merry Christmas and I hope you are able to enjoy some downtime with your families.
Thanks for doing this! When I read this vid was coming up and something about the JC-120 being the worst ??, I was just stunned because my JC-40 has been nothing but great. I currently run it in wide stereo from a Styrmon Deco right deck, with the left deck going into my 68 Deluxe Reverb RI. With the deck blend knob on the Deco, it's amazing. The JC chorus sound just works when you can't quite find the right chorus to use. Plus you can take the JC-40 and do a good majority of everything you need, (even the distortion if you do it right) maybe minus delay, it's just a great backup amp to have. If you haven't tried the effects loop in it with stereo ins, that's it's own thing as well. Cheers guys.
This is a great presentation!!! I have the Jazz Chorus 22, because we live in a biscuit tin...lol...it is 30 watts. It does not have the distortion or Vibrato feature, I always use a pedal for distortion anyway...stereo in/out jacks, headphone jack, reverb/chorus footswitch jacks...etc..It loves my Fender American Performer Mustang and it even sounds good with the bright switch plugged in with this guitar. If anyone is looking for a little pedal amp...I highly suggest you try the Jazz Chorus 40 or 22. You can play bass or keyboards through them as well.
Nick Reinhart (of Tera Melos) is someone that you NEED on the show. I'm pretty sure that he's used a Peavey 6505 combo for years, and occasionally a Roland JC-44 and a Supro together. He's truly a unique musician and has the most original and interesting approach with pedals I've ever heard. I've been a fan for about 7 years now and seen them live several times and what Nick does with pedals is something to behold. It's funny to me that the two amps that get brought up as "worst pedal platforms" are used by one of the most innovative pedal users I can think of!
saw him with Tera Melos a couple weeks ago running the 6505 snd I think another smaller amp that couldve been a JC. His pedals sounded spectacular as always. His playing is always awe-inspiring but I never knew how great/funny his stage presence is. He had the coolest little gimmicks with this rubber toy for the drops in their set it was awesome.
@@amremorse Dan and Mick are a bit more traditional than Nick, but I'd imagine that they could learn something new and interesting from his perspective. I wouldn't call any of Nick's playing on pedal demos horrible - he usually tests out what the pedal is capable of and looks for sounds that the pedal designer might not have even thought to go for. I'd say out of most people demonstrating pedals, he's one of the few that really pushes things to their limits. For that reason and for his creative use of pedals, I feel like he'd be a great guest on TPS to show the more experimental side of what's out there.
@@seanhershey3390 - depends - started with an ampeg combo; then mixed with a modded marshall and a matchless; recently with a friedman and a vox whatever way, the chorused, flanged, double delayed intro to Sanctuary would not exist without the JC120
He has his choice now..I saw them during the Love tour..( Oy)..he had the JC & Marshall ..( gifted by Steve Jones).....according to his last rig rundown...a great player& a cool guy.
@@seanhershey3390 i think the marshalls Duffy sold to Steve Jones for the Pistols reunion, as the Cult looked done. he then bought them back. he's a top bloke, and a great player. his PG Rig Rundown is worth a watch
I remember how Dan had an EQ on his board at Guitcon, to be prepared for any amp setup. To face this challenge without even an EQ on the board is brave, and to succeed within two minutes is epic! Thank you all for a wonderful and addictive TPS year of a high quality standard. Looking back, there was a clear increase of content, but it was always inspiring. I wish you guys all the best.
@@iaint1873 These lads played the Nextnoe in Japan and it sounded crap. Katana is alreaady crap so that be the case closed. Amps trying to sound like tube/valve amps ... I dont get it!? And still there are folks out there saying that these Nexytones and Harakiri amps can do it. Fender Mustang V servies are nice but still they just CAN NOT sound like the tube amps, not that creamy and sizzly and warm, no way. That being said; some folks like Solid State amps and some love the Tube Amps. After kissing a few toads (solid state) Im happy now to only play into a valve amp (The Prince)!
My JC40 is a mandatory part of my sound. I may even get a second one, just to spread the stereo EVEN WIDER. You’ll never really appreciate your drive pedals until you hear them through an amp THIS CLEAN.
Sounded great lads, I’ve never heard anybody say the jazz chorus is a bad pedal platform. And most people I’ve gigged with that use the 5150 boosted pretty hard in to the front, never switching off the lead channel. I have heard complaints about the clean channels of both these amps being too clinical if you’re plugging straight in. But I wouldn’t think many here do that 👍
Hooray on that constant DB meter. Great idea. One of the hardest things for me as a guitarist is to know how loud I can get away with. Having an objective way to know what DB level I'm playing at will help me to develop a 'norm'. Thanks guys. Awesome show
When looking at the other comments complaining how distracting the DB meter is I can only think it's no more distracting then seeing an unplugged space echo and echorec not being played. Makes me hurt.
9:17 «There is nothing wrong with that, at ALL!». My thoughts exactly as I saw a JC-40 there. Let’s hope the ppl who voted it a «bad» effects platform grow a little bit.
I know this is a pipe dream, but it would be awesome to see some other prog metal guys on the show. Misha Mansoor and Tosin Abasi both are known to use 6505 style amps (among others) with loads of pedals. Plus I'd love for you guys to meet Tosin, I think that would be an awesome show.
The Deafheaven guys would be an awesome show! Last time I saw them live they were actually each using a 6534+ which I massively prefer over the 6506.@Gage Olsen
Excuse my tardiness; this is just a comment for last week’s feature, Being a lifelong Jackson Browne fanatic I’ve been lucky enough to see all his fine sidemen live over the years, including David Lindley and the elusive Rick Vito. For the last 3 concerts however, his latest lead player has been Val McCallum and his tone has been simply staggering, produced by what were clearly two old Fender amps. Now, in a new interview, I read yesterday, he reveals that they are a 1959 3x10 Tweed Bandmaster and a 1960’s Deluxe Reverb. The icing being that he had Alexander Dumble modify the Deluxe Reverb. No blimmin’ wonder he sounded good! P.S. A hearty Christmas to y'all.
I see a Roland/Boss amps episode happening in the near future. A Jazz Chorus, Roland Cube, Katana and Nextone. Thanks for the wonderful episode. Really opened my eyes to the Jazz Chorus. Also, we need more Belle Epoch Deluxe in the show!
I'm glad that you liked the JC! If you also plug into input 2 it runs in true stereo, if you have time before you have to return it please run your board in stereo through it and give us your thoughts. I love mine, but am interested in how you think it compares to other true stereo setups.
The JC-120 has been in production with little change for the last 43 years. It's not exactly a cheap amp and yet it's still on the market and being used by professional musicians to this day. How in the blue blazes can anyone say that it's a bad sounding amp is beyond me. I cannot think of another amp that's had it's longevity. I'm not talking about a brand I'm talking a specific model of amp. Is there even another that comes close? It might not be to personal tastes of some but to try and dismiss it as bad, it's just beyond me.
I don't think people accuse it of being a bad-sounding amp. The on-board distortion - particularly those of the earlier models - just isn't even close to emulating an overdriven tube amp. And it does have the reputation of working well with some types of overdrive pedals but not others.
@@ald7248 I think the key is whether or not the player just wants the sound of the pedal or the sound of the pedal pushing an amp into/further into overdrive. Some pedals are better one or the other.
@@haloskater24 Yeah. I should have specified what I meant as I thought of the Twin when I said that. I mean one that has not undergone any major changes and is the same amp now as it was when it came out. The 120 hasn't really changed over the years. A new one will sound much like a vintage minus the broken in speakers. A Twin? God those things have changed a lot. Then again, they've been around a good 20 or more years as well though.
Loving the way the new room looks and the dB meter! The brightness of the JC made me think that it would be awesome to you guys challenging yourselves. One guy sets the amp up in a super bright or super muddy (just a horrible EQ setup or a tone of gain) and the other has to try to use pedals to make it a useable tone. It would be a “fun” way to see how to overcome the issues us meer mortals face with our “not so lovely” amps. Thanks for the awesome content guy!
dronelove01 Thanks for this comment! I love Starflyer 59, and I know that album well-I may be obsessed with it (since the early 2000s, when I bought the cassette). I didn’t realize they used a Jazz Chorus on there! With all the tremolo, I figured maybe it was all Fender, but I think there is some lush chorus on songs like “Monterey”? I would love to hear more details.
Splendid stuff chaps. Two very characterful amps. I’ve used a JC120 as a touring unit, sometimes in conjunction with another amp and sometimes on it’s own and while the built in distortion has never done anything for me, it’s been a fine pedal platform and an absolute tank on the road, never once breaking down or crapping out. As for the Peavey, you pulled some great sounds out of it as far as I was concerned so I guess it goes to show that sculpting a usable amp is all in the time taken and the willingness to twerk...I mean tweak!
I love my D&M drive - the fact that buying that stuff helps this channel is a win for everyone! I do need some more shirts tho! Thanks for some amazing shows this year guys!
JC120 is a really cool pedal amp ! I used them back in the 80's paired with a Boogie, sound of the times LOL I have a buddy who used them extensively doing looping and he loved them !
Well done, guys, you demonstrated an undisputed truth: nothing in this world sound really SHITTY, 'cause any amp and any pedal have his own space in the musical panorama. It only depend of what do you want from your gear...easy...👍👍👍
I've been hunting a good deal on a Filaments and any time you guys include a pedal in your vids the used market gets wiped. RATS! ------------ also, Merry Christmas from Tennessee!
In a way, one could count this among your most instructive vids: Switching the channels on that Peavey and applying your wisdom (that you've shared with us for years now) really drives home the lesson that you've trying to teach us all. Thanks a lot, Gents!
So I was going to make a comment about how Dan seems to play "better" on his Les Paul than his beloved Tele -- more fluid and "creative" on the LP, more choppy/bitty on the Tele -- and then he plays that gorgeous minute-and-eight-seconds of loveliness to start this video. Well played, Sir!
This would be a great topic to revisit every once in a while with a different hated (or at least misunderstood) amp. Possible candidate could be : 1) Fender M-80 (2) Marshall Valvestate or MG series (3) Randall RG100SC (4) Peavey Renown or Bandit (5) Anything that says Crate on it. I agree with your premise that if used correctly, almost anything is capable of a few decent sounds.
I really like the db meter. I've used one for years to determine an amps crankedosity value. Which is the level of sound an amp is producing in dbs divided by the time in millisecond it takes someone to yell "TURN THAT DAMN THING DOWN!!". The best crankedosity level would be of course 0.
The Roland Jazz Chorus can get fizzy and sound thin when the volume is set below about 9 o'clock. If you can get the volume above 9 o'clock (as in this video), there is a sort of compression and mid-focus that sets in, making it way more useful for pedals. If setting the volume above 9 o'clock is too loud, you can put an eq pedal or a JHS Little Black Amp Box Passive Amp Attenuator in the effects loop to act as a master volume control. Turn up the amp's volume knob past 9 o'clock and then adjust the volume as needed through the effects loop. At that point, it really is an awesome pedal platform, even for distortion and fuzz.
Being born and raised in the great white north where Traynor amps have always been made, I remember in my younger days you could buy used Traynors from the 60's and 70's for about ten cents a pound. Somehow we thought they had to suck, they weren't Marshalls, Yet the amps were built like a tank had HUGE Hammond transformers in them, and were pretty much the old Marshall plexi circuit easily modded to be pretty much Marshall clones. Hell, they even had mustard caps in them. I love my Friedman, but at the end of the day, an old Traynor YB3 (or whatever the bass amp was called) through a nice cab loaded with Creambacks or Vintage 30s, and a few tasty pedals, will get me to pretty much the same place.
Came super close to getting a vintage traynor about ten years ago. Got a Gibson Falcon instead. Gibson seller was in town, that's the only reason why I chose it.
Traynor was the first amp I ever used - a rental from (now) ubiquitous Canadian music retailer Long & McQuade (for my first gig in 1983). In my youthful ignorance, I thought it was a “training” amp so returned it a few months later and bought a Fender. It wasn’t until years later that I learned the story of how Pete Traynor worked at L&M in the 60s and the story behind the Traynor and Yorkville brands. The Toronto Star did a good write-up on Traynor when he died in 2016: www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/05/10/pete-traynor-torontos-quietly-legendary-sound-man-keenan.html
You guys are my favorite show on UA-cam. After every episode all I want to do is pick up my guitar and play. I have a SS Peavey Express 112 that I’ll sometimes run with my tweed Blues Jr. and it sounds HUGE!
In a trio situation I´m usually using the JC40 as my wet amp with the amps built in reverb in combination with my Victory V 40 as my dry Amp - Sounds great!!! So you HAVE TO check out the JC 40´s Reverb :-D Happy Holidays everyone!!
I'm glad you brought on the JC-40, I've been intrigued by it for a bit but haven't taken the plunge. It's actually two 20 watt amps with their own speakers, true stereo right from the inputs all the way through! I'd love to hear that single amp as the "wet" parts of a wet-dry-wet rig, maybe with something with less headroom complimenting it. As I recall, the inbuilt reverb is a lovely ambient digital reverb that gives a wide stereo spread as soon as you turn it up a bit.
I use a JC-40 as my main amp and use it as a wet/dry rig all in one because of the parallel stereo effects loop! its stellar! Favourite pedal platform amp ever!
I find JC-40 plus Blues Junior sounds GREAT. I have also mixed with AC-15 with success. JC-40 is a great add-on recording amp. Sometimes even the bright switch engaged, tucked low in a mix, can help with definition in an otherwise crunchy part.
QueeferSutherland Well, it’s a Peavey, to be fair. Triple Rectifiers sound amazing clean, on the other hand, and are also well known for metal/hardcore.
Metal/heavy amps are tweaked to sound great dirty by stacking gain stages one after another. The clean channels on those amps sound weak and sterile because they lack all those gain stages. The tone stacks aren't made to compensate.
I was really excited when I saw the name of this one! I think there’s very, very little gear that sounds bad in and of itself; I think some just needs to be used in a slightly different way, or you need to play to the sound more than expect it to react the way that you’re used to other sounds reacting. My first amp was a Peavey Classic Chorus 130, and with a Jagstang, a ds-1 and a black Russian Muff, I never felt deprived of anything. I think transistor amps are really unforgiving, in a related but not similar way to a Dumble/Two Rock style amp in the way that they both highlight every aspect of your playing, especially the way you attack the strings. You have to work around that intensely articulate sound with your playing, and use it to your advantage instead of letting it get harsh. I thought this was a really great video, and I particularly loved the John Mayer style playing with the 6505 and the Page! I wasn’t expecting that, and was very pleasantly surprised. Happy Holidays to you and your families!
My first amp (which I still own 1980) is a JC 120. The chorus on that beast is awesome to this day. That JC40 sounds great. If I remember right the guitarist for Flock of Seagulls played through 2 JC120’s and a Roland Tape delay, not sure which model (think it was a later model) now he had an epic sound. A bit of musician trivia. You two have a great holiday
As much as the TPS community needs to know it’s guitar history; thank you for making another “educational” video. Here’s to an even better 2019! I hope Dan contributes with more “sound shaping” episodes (missing his input into TPS). Marry Christmas to you, and all of yours! 👏
I put an OD-3 through a Roland JC once and almost sold all my gear. It was the most amazing sound ever. Do you think the reason people think it’s a bad platform amp is because they use it like it’s a tube amp?
Once i had the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and the Jazz Chorus 77, the Roland with a Wampler Ecstasy Overdrive smashed the Fender, it's one of the best ever made and one of the finest platform for pedals, i really don't know how someone can't see that....
@@BeefNEggs057 Well i was using it as a main overdrive most of the time but also used as edge of breakup was great, at that time i was playing rather clean but i could do that without problem.
pickledblues that is exactly why. Most overdrive sounds in tube amps are different reactions to different pedals by the valves. When someone tries to push a solid state amp like the jazz chorus, it typically doesn’t sound like a tube amp would, and it doesn’t always sound good
![Ariel Posen Talk & Tones 2024 [New Strat & New Board!]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/lcZ71bUXHCs/mqdefault.jpg)
I've gigged a JC-120 with a distortion pedal out front and my guitar tuned to drop B. If you think the JC-120 can't do something, you aren't trying hard enough.
Isn't the JC120 *the* shoegaze amp? which is like *the* effects pedal genre?
@@soundescapemn Yeah, they take pedals great and are built like tanks. Mine is a '78 that I got at a pawn shop in 2009. I may have cleaned it once? Runs like a top. My tube amps are needy af.
@@shellbournian May I be so rude as to ask how much you got it for?
@@EpicStuffMan1000 a little over 200 USD. shop thought it was "broken" because the pots were dirty.
I got used to playing JC-120s when I lived in New York City, and practiced in rehearsal studios. The tube amps in those places tended to get a bit tired, but the JC-120s sounded pristine. I'd just put a tube screamer in front of it and it'd sound great. I just got a JC-40 because I wanted an amp that I could play through headphones and also gig, and I didn't want to go the modeling route. I remember the JC-120s fondly.
Also, two of my favorite local rock players back in Portland in the 90s played them, and always sounded great.
The happy irony of using a CE-2W in CE-1 mode into a JC-40.
Great catch Kevin! I missed this completely, even though I own a JC-40.
I do this at home too
I do the same thing lol, but admittedly one is dimensional chorus but still both sound very similar
I'm crazy surprised that the JC40/120 is considered a bad pedal platform! Literally everyone I've ever met loves them for this very reason
Thats what I thought.
Same, I have the JC-40 for gigs with my band and the JC-22 for at home practicing. I bring my pedalboard between the two and I love it. Haven't played a JC-120, but I've been told they are great for recieving pedals.
Wes Borland, one of the best guitarist use JC120 with A LOT of pedals... I do not believe it is a bad platform... bad information here
It’s literally the amp Kevin Shield and Johnny Marr use.
Great for pedals where your base tone is clean. But AWFUL as it gets with basically any gain, especially fuzzes and distortions. While many pros have used the JC120 through the years, almost none of them would have used them for their lead channel or for plugging a dirt pedal into it. They just aren't made for that. But clean tones are phenomenal especially with some chorus and delay. What these guys should have said is that they are bad platforms for dirt, but definitely not all pedals.
Every time Dan does that thing where he plays a chord while hitting those harmonics a baby blue unicorn is born with red telecasters for wings.
Sven, simply said, "You aren't wrong"
To be honest I"m surprised you got that many words out whilst Dan's balls were pressed up against your uvula. I guess everyone has a talent
mattchutney you mean Dan’s Hot Rod Deluxe?
Couldn’t have said it better. These guys are superstars, in personality, in production, and not least of all, in playing.
do you live in Colorado?
I play in a hard rock band. A couple of weeks ago we did an outdoor gig and I went through a Roland JC120. I slammed my modded BD-2 into it with a TS-9 for boost. Cry Baby, Phase 90, with delay and reverb from TC pedals. It sounded sweet. Nothing wrong with those amps.
JC40s are so under rated. Everyone goes for the 120 if they want a JC, but the 40 is a monster and so much lighter.
And now the JC22 is an even lighter option
That's because you have a JC 44. If you bought a jc120 you'd be posting it's the bees knees.
Jazz Chorus as a bad pedal platform? What tha? Near as I can tell that's most of its purpose and everything I've ever heard from those amps is how good they are at it.
Good enough for Fripp and Belew!
People try and treat it like a tube amp and push the tubes into overdrive etc
Maybe more a case of bad guitarists or bad tones than a bad amp :o
Totally agree with you !
It's the single best amp for delay, reverb and modulation through the effects loop. Yes, it's incredibly clean through the front, but as the boys prove here, with the right dirt pedals dialed in, it can sound however you want. It is by far my favorite amp.
Ive been on the verge of buying a jc40 for a long time now and kinda freaked out when they said it was an awful pedal platformer, but then it just immediately sounded good when they started playing it. Thanks guys.
I love the dB meter, it gives some really nice context to what I'm hearing
Caleb Paden me too. I almost want to see a frequency spectrum just to visualize it and see the differences. But that’s way too sciency-geeky for these boys I think.
Agreed, but it's in a very distracting position.
Haha, well you should have seen the episode where Mick throws it halfway across the room! They have been frustrated with it not being reliable in the past.
Where should we put it Ben? Me and Dan and Simon are out of ideas.
@@ThatPedalShow maybe as a graphic in the top corner of the video if that's feasible
When it comes to the Jazz Chorus, I think the reputation of “not good for pedals” comes from folk not understanding how much of their drive pedals’ tone is actually the preamp tubes compressing. Haven’t got to the Peavey section yet, but the Jazz sounds great on headphones here.
This is the new model as well, It was the old 120 that had that reputation, well sounded ok with boss drive pedals, as at that time they designed their pedals around the 120 (also maybe why some of the boss high gain pedals don't sound that great, funky tone stacks on some of them). Don't really know why they keep on calling it a jc120... it's a jc-40, the jc-40 (and all the new line for that matter) was specifically redesigned to be more pedal friendly...
I would say that is generally the number one offender of most amps being classified as not good for pedals. people not taking the time how to understand the amp or amps in general as well as pedals and pedals in general.
What specifically did they do to make the JC-40 more pedal friendly? Can you point me to something Roland has published about this?
"Cause from where I'm sitting, having used a 1980's JC-120 as pedal platform for over a decade, that 40 sounds really familiar. I'm sure if I could A/B it with my amp there's be some subtle differences, but the essential character of its sound is what I hear every time I practice.
Agreed
When you say "how much of their drive pedals’ tone is actually the preamp tubes compressing" do you mean the pedal is pushing the amp's pre-amp tube/s to compress? If so, how much of a drive pedal's gain/breakup is relevant vs the above when running into a high head room amp like a Fender Twin? Also, how can you confidently tell what is pedal vs preamp vs power section vs speaker breakup across all different types of amps. I can tell with my amp because I play and know it so intimately but on other amps I'm not confident..
The wife's at the spa, mother in law has the kids, boss has told everyone to go home for the day, but I'm just going to sit here and watch this in peace. Merry f@#$ing Christmas!
Blasphemy! (And I share your sentiment.) 🤣🤣🤣🤪
Worst pedal plataform sounds good.... maybe.... the problem is me *starts practicing*
6:14
Dan: "That's a really GREAT sound!"
Mick: "Hard to imagine anyone wanting to sound that bright..."
Lmfao
It was crazy bright, but for funk music or something really twangy I thought it sounded pretty good actually. Also, some pedals are really naturally dark, I could see it giving a little lift to those.
Ive watched this like 4 times, screw it im gonna buy a JC40.
Sweet... Got one on order.... I can't believe how good this sounds!
4 Days ago, with the intention of downsizing my gear, I acquired a JC-40. My heart dropped when I saw the title of this episode because I knew you would be using a JC-40. So with great trepidation, I clicked play. I must say I was greatly relieved when your observations about this amp matched mine. But I was disappointed that you did not investigate the most important feature of this amp, the stereo inputs and how it maps to a wet/dry speaker configuration. I believe that the JC-40's stereo capability could make it the ultimate 'portable/affordable' pedal platform. Perhaps a future stereo pedal platform episode could be in order? Finally can somebody explain to my why a 40 watt/20 watt RMS JC-40 is so F*%#'in LOUD?
Because the engineers at Roland are brilliant.
A year late here, but the irony of having a show titled as such, and then opening with an amp from one of the best lines of amps to run effects through made me laugh my ass off! The Roland JC line is amazing! Us reggae guys have been in love with them since they came out. I mean the amp has an amazing chorus/vibe built in, of course it takes phasers, flangers, delays, trems, etc well too! Great show guys, you proved it’s about how you use the amp and your effects properly. If you can’t get great sounds of a a JC, then you are doing something wrong. Peace!
Exactly, these guys are talking out of their xxx. They just make video's for the sake of making it and making it sound like their opinion matters, it doesn't. And while they make videos about worst and best, they are just as confused as the average newbie trying stuff out.
Slowdive uses JC120 with bunch of pedals and it sounds magical.
It’s great for delays, reverbs and the like, but maybe not so for dirt/preamp pedals that try to impart a certain character to make your amp impersonate/sound close to another specific amp or family of amps: tweed, JTM, Vox etc.
Slowdive used Boss DS-1 into the Jazz Chorus.
@@mfam1306 No. In the 90s Neil Halsted used JC-120s but he ran a ProCo RAT into a Boss OD-2 Turbo. Christian Savill always used Twin Reverbs in the 90s - he never used Solid State at all.
@@javiceres Did you watch the video or just see the title and comment? The OD and distortions all sounded great.
@@CMHobbies I’ve both got a Jazz Chorus 22 and listened to the video.
That said, I recently discovered that running a preamp directly into the fx Loop Return might do the trick (for impersonating other amps, the voicing style). But you need one that has enough control over the higher frequencies. I don’t think any JC rounds off the harsher spikes of distortion/overdrive devices like a tube amp can (at least some) and of course it doesn’t compress the same way (granted, there’s a big spectrum in the tube ones to begin with).
I think the Filament through JC40 is probably the best high gain tone that you guys have ever achieved on the show. Massive and articulate.
Love when Dan plays high gain stuff, he turns into some kind of riff monster.
Grrrrr ;)
@@ThatPedalShow Lol.
He sucks
Haha Dan you're one of my fav people, hysterical and humble.
I'm pretty blown away by the sound of that JC40!
A band called Turnover uses the JC120 for pretty much their entire guitar sound and its made me fall in love as a mostly high gain guitarist.
I would really love to see you guys do a shootout between a roland jc-120 and a fender twin.
Those tones from the JC40 might be some of the best tones I’ve ever heard on this channel
Amp builders nervously watching...
Been hating the jazz chorus for the last 25 years and suddenly i find that i love it...always learning. Loved the db meter. Thanks for all the shared experience and knowledge. Keep up the good work.
43:35 Mick’s face hitting that bending.. he already new that he was about to add all the fricking gain stages on this planet on the next 30 seconds 😂
love your show guys!!
I've actually just begun renting a JC-40, based on watching this video. And I'm in love with it as a pedal platform. An absolutely top amp, in my opinion. Cheers, guys!
I think Johan Segeborn have proved time and again that almost any amp can sound good if you crank it.
We like that.
Lets go
And by that, you mean any $1600+ guitar through $2500+ amp with top of the line vintage speakers.
@@stubkar - Not at all. Johan frequently yanks out a Squier tele or strat. His current fav is an Epiphone Flying V Amos sig.
@@stubkar Johan uses an expensive Squier and Epiphone in a ton of videos. And he has plenty of videos of inexpensive amps like the Marshall Lead 12, for instance. No matter what amp or guitar he's using, he always seems to get great tones. It proves to me that it has more to do with how you use the equipment and how you play than it does what you're playing (or more specifically, how expensive it is)
This video needs more Johnny DeMarco, especially on the JC-40
Haha yes!
I have a friend who was in one of the bigger bands in the 80s Goth scene in Los Angeles who told me that the “sound” of the era was a JC 120 with a DOD 250.
6:15
-"Great sound!"
- "Hard to imagine how anyone would use a sound like that"
- "...yeah".
Love my JC-40. Such a versatile amp. It is one of the BEST pedal platforms in my opinion! As an added bonus it has the CE-1 chorus built in! Should be able to pick up a nice cheap used one now this is filed under the "Worst pedal platform amp" section.
Seeing the JEM on the rack and instantly liking...
Really disappointed he didn't use it when demoing the channels in the 6505
When Dan started playing through the Peavey, I was distracted by the dog and wasn't looking at the screen. When Dan got going full prog rock I thought Rabea Massaad had turned up and was showing you guys how to properly use that amp.
5:56 Dan sneaking in a little jingle bells! haha
dunno how it sounds in person, but the distortion from the roland sounds pretty good on my end... .
I've got a JC 120 and my big muff sounds great through it. And delay pedals sound good to through a jc 120. I put my 100 watt music man amp with the Roland jazz chorus and the sound is huge.
Fuzz pedals and Metal Zone sound nice on JC-120s, I haven't found anything else
One of my favorite players - Tommy Keene (RIP - look him up power pop genius) used a JC120 and a Mesa Dual Rectifier together - sounded spectacular with the immediacy and clarity of the JC with the gain/sag/compression of the Mesa - it was a huge glorious sound! I have been eyeing a JC40 for awhile to use in a similar way with one of my other amps - this might just push me over the edge...
When I saw the JC in context with a video about bad platforms, I thought it is a joke. I own a JC 160 from 1979....you can't get a better platform for pedals, believe me. Plus, if you really wanna know how your gear and you yourself sound, plug straight into a JC. If you put shit in, shit will come out and vice versa.
Try your JC120 with a flanger in Chorus ;)! Ala Billy Duffy.
@@bestplans9051 will do. Cheers
I got the JC-40 as primarily a synthesizer amp, but I wound up using it much more for guitar - my first “proper” amp after my old Park by Marshall G10 practice amp. I’m glad the experts approve of the JC-40. 🙂
@Pete Testube Default settings are already a good start. It appears that decades ago, Roland encouraged using JC-120 with their synthesizers. The input on JC-40 is -10dB, which seems to accommodate both guitar or keyboard (or other unbalanced mono or stereo inputs) pretty well. Adjusting volume and EQ to taste, on both amp and instrument, can be helpful, naturally. If it’s a bass-heavy input sound, then yeah, I’ll probably dial JC-40’s bass farther down. One last thing: it’s possible to also bypass the preamp section and plug a line level instrument into the mono or stereo JC-40 effects loop return (which does NOT have a volume control, so it’s effectively at a slightly deafening “10”; that’s a real opportunity for using a keyboard’s own volume to avoid blasting one’s ears). Hope some of that ☝️ helps; most of it is probably not news or a surprise to yourself or most other people 😅 🤷♂️
My worlds been rocked - I think that was the first time I've ever seen a non-tube amp rock the D&M World! Some amazing sounds out of that JC40. Nice job breaking the myth gents - the more I see the more I understand there are absolutely NO absolutes in the music world. Appreciate the hard work you all put into this channel and the great information you share. Have a Merry Christmas and I hope you are able to enjoy some downtime with your families.
That Belle Epoch Deluxe sounded amazing through the Jazz Chorus
Thanks for doing this! When I read this vid was coming up and something about the JC-120 being the worst ??, I was just stunned because my JC-40 has been nothing but great. I currently run it in wide stereo from a Styrmon Deco right deck, with the left deck going into my 68 Deluxe Reverb RI. With the deck blend knob on the Deco, it's amazing. The JC chorus sound just works when you can't quite find the right chorus to use. Plus you can take the JC-40 and do a good majority of everything you need, (even the distortion if you do it right) maybe minus delay, it's just a great backup amp to have. If you haven't tried the effects loop in it with stereo ins, that's it's own thing as well. Cheers guys.
This is a great presentation!!! I have the Jazz Chorus 22, because we live in a biscuit tin...lol...it is 30 watts. It does not have the distortion or Vibrato feature, I always use a pedal for distortion anyway...stereo in/out jacks, headphone jack, reverb/chorus footswitch jacks...etc..It loves my Fender American Performer Mustang and it even sounds good with the bright switch plugged in with this guitar. If anyone is looking for a little pedal amp...I highly suggest you try the Jazz Chorus 40 or 22. You can play bass or keyboards through them as well.
Nick Reinhart (of Tera Melos) is someone that you NEED on the show. I'm pretty sure that he's used a Peavey 6505 combo for years, and occasionally a Roland JC-44 and a Supro together. He's truly a unique musician and has the most original and interesting approach with pedals I've ever heard. I've been a fan for about 7 years now and seen them live several times and what Nick does with pedals is something to behold. It's funny to me that the two amps that get brought up as "worst pedal platforms" are used by one of the most innovative pedal users I can think of!
saw him with Tera Melos a couple weeks ago running the 6505 snd I think another smaller amp that couldve been a JC. His pedals sounded spectacular as always. His playing is always awe-inspiring but I never knew how great/funny his stage presence is. He had the coolest little gimmicks with this rubber toy for the drops in their set it was awesome.
I wish I could like this 1000 times
Heavy Agree with this statement
@@amremorse Dan and Mick are a bit more traditional than Nick, but I'd imagine that they could learn something new and interesting from his perspective. I wouldn't call any of Nick's playing on pedal demos horrible - he usually tests out what the pedal is capable of and looks for sounds that the pedal designer might not have even thought to go for. I'd say out of most people demonstrating pedals, he's one of the few that really pushes things to their limits. For that reason and for his creative use of pedals, I feel like he'd be a great guest on TPS to show the more experimental side of what's out there.
He uses a jcm800 its modded to fit inside a 6505 enclosure
That little clean delay/reverb song that Dan played on the JC40 was BEAUTIFUL. You guys must use that with one of your next wet-dry rigs. Please.
don't normally comment, but feel the need to
JC120 was and still is used by Billy Duffy as a pedal platform. its great
Along with a Marshall
@@seanhershey3390 - depends - started with an ampeg combo; then mixed with a modded marshall and a matchless; recently with a friedman and a vox
whatever way, the chorused, flanged, double delayed intro to Sanctuary would not exist without the JC120
He has his choice now..I saw them during the Love tour..( Oy)..he had the JC & Marshall ..( gifted by Steve Jones).....according to his last rig rundown...a great player& a cool guy.
@@seanhershey3390 i think the marshalls Duffy sold to Steve Jones for the Pistols reunion, as the Cult looked done. he then bought them back. he's a top bloke, and a great player. his PG Rig Rundown is worth a watch
I remember how Dan had an EQ on his board at Guitcon, to be prepared for any amp setup. To face this challenge without even an EQ on the board is brave, and to succeed within two minutes is epic! Thank you all for a wonderful and addictive TPS year of a high quality standard. Looking back, there was a clear increase of content, but it was always inspiring. I wish you guys all the best.
Here's my vote for transistor amps pt 2
Including nextone...
@@iaint1873 nextone aren't pure transistor (i.e., analog solid state) amps. they use digital modeling.
Iain T Or the boss katana
@@iaint1873 These lads played the Nextnoe in Japan and it sounded crap. Katana is alreaady crap so that be the case closed. Amps trying to sound like tube/valve amps ... I dont get it!? And still there are folks out there saying that these Nexytones and Harakiri amps can do it. Fender Mustang V servies are nice but still they just CAN NOT sound like the tube amps, not that creamy and sizzly and warm, no way. That being said; some folks like Solid State amps and some love the Tube Amps. After kissing a few toads (solid state) Im happy now to only play into a valve amp (The Prince)!
You guys have to get a Quilter in there. I would love to see your opinion on the Interblock 45.
I've been looking for a video that's basically, 'Here's a Jazz Chorus and now we're going to plumb some pedals into it' and here we are! Nice job.
Dan just tunes by ear with a chorus on lol
My JC40 is a mandatory part of my sound. I may even get a second one, just to spread the stereo EVEN WIDER. You’ll never really appreciate your drive pedals until you hear them through an amp THIS CLEAN.
Hopefully not the one I’ve just ordered.....*gulp*. Starts nervously watching
lol,, I saw your comment before I watched. so I'm with ya..
you gotta let us know how this worked out for you. please
was it a wharfdale! :p
Any amp can take pedals silly, well maybe not some drives into older solid state stuff but otherwise you're probably ok
stratonut I cheated and ‘read the last page’ as it were....and a big relief all round - I’m clear! Ooh the power these Pedal Giants wield!
indeed, the power.. have fun with your new addition.
Coming back to say this is the video that made me get a JC-40, It’s fantastic
Jc 120 is also an awesome pedal platform. With JC’s you get out exactly what you put in.
The EQ is very usable.
Great series of SS amps.
Sounded great lads,
I’ve never heard anybody say the jazz chorus is a bad pedal platform. And most people I’ve gigged with that use the 5150 boosted pretty hard in to the front, never switching off the lead channel.
I have heard complaints about the clean channels of both these amps being too clinical if you’re plugging straight in. But I wouldn’t think many here do that 👍
Woah! Is that a JEM I spy?! Completely forgot Dan was a Vai fan, always gives me a bit of a start when I remember that.
Hooray on that constant DB meter. Great idea. One of the hardest things for me as a guitarist is to know how loud I can get away with. Having an objective way to know what DB level I'm playing at will help me to develop a 'norm'. Thanks guys. Awesome show
When looking at the other comments complaining how distracting the DB meter is I can only think it's no more distracting then seeing an unplugged space echo and echorec not being played. Makes me hurt.
9:17 «There is nothing wrong with that, at ALL!».
My thoughts exactly as I saw a JC-40 there. Let’s hope the ppl who voted it a «bad» effects platform grow a little bit.
Merry Christmas gentlemen . ..thanks for all you do to provide quality videos throughout the year .
I know this is a pipe dream, but it would be awesome to see some other prog metal guys on the show. Misha Mansoor and Tosin Abasi both are known to use 6505 style amps (among others) with loads of pedals. Plus I'd love for you guys to meet Tosin, I think that would be an awesome show.
Tosin uses a Morgan SW as a pedal platform, which is based off a dumble.
The Deafheaven guys would be an awesome show! Last time I saw them live they were actually each using a 6534+ which I massively prefer over the 6506.@Gage Olsen
yes more metal content please
Jon Nelson thats awesome. Its an industry standard. And i love seeing peaveys on stage at any metal show
During that 6505 intro I half expected Dan to break into 8 finger tapping!
I was expecting 12 finger tapping.
Excuse my tardiness; this is just a comment for last week’s feature, Being a lifelong Jackson Browne fanatic I’ve been lucky enough to see all his fine sidemen live over the years, including David Lindley and the elusive Rick Vito.
For the last 3 concerts however, his latest lead player has been Val McCallum and his tone has been simply staggering, produced by what were clearly two old Fender amps.
Now, in a new interview, I read yesterday, he reveals that they are a 1959 3x10 Tweed Bandmaster and a 1960’s Deluxe Reverb. The icing being that he had Alexander Dumble modify the Deluxe Reverb.
No blimmin’ wonder he sounded good!
P.S. A hearty Christmas to y'all.
I saw Val play with Lucinda Williams once and it floored me. what a talent!
@@StephenKrecklo Yes indeed!!
Merry Christmas to all at TPS . Thanks for all your work and fantastic tangents.
I see a Roland/Boss amps episode happening in the near future. A Jazz Chorus, Roland Cube, Katana and Nextone. Thanks for the wonderful episode. Really opened my eyes to the Jazz Chorus. Also, we need more Belle Epoch Deluxe in the show!
I'm glad that you liked the JC! If you also plug into input 2 it runs in true stereo, if you have time before you have to return it please run your board in stereo through it and give us your thoughts. I love mine, but am interested in how you think it compares to other true stereo setups.
Dan's hard rock chops were on fire in this one.
Agreed!
Here's a serious question: why are most transistor amps' distortion so lackluster when dirt pedals can be so beautiful? Maddening...
The JC-120 has been in production with little change for the last 43 years. It's not exactly a cheap amp and yet it's still on the market and being used by professional musicians to this day. How in the blue blazes can anyone say that it's a bad sounding amp is beyond me. I cannot think of another amp that's had it's longevity. I'm not talking about a brand I'm talking a specific model of amp. Is there even another that comes close? It might not be to personal tastes of some but to try and dismiss it as bad, it's just beyond me.
I don't think people accuse it of being a bad-sounding amp. The on-board distortion - particularly those of the earlier models - just isn't even close to emulating an overdriven tube amp. And it does have the reputation of working well with some types of overdrive pedals but not others.
@@ald7248 I think the key is whether or not the player just wants the sound of the pedal or the sound of the pedal pushing an amp into/further into overdrive. Some pedals are better one or the other.
Twin Reverb says hello
@@haloskater24 Yeah. I should have specified what I meant as I thought of the Twin when I said that. I mean one that has not undergone any major changes and is the same amp now as it was when it came out. The 120 hasn't really changed over the years. A new one will sound much like a vintage minus the broken in speakers. A Twin? God those things have changed a lot. Then again, they've been around a good 20 or more years as well though.
@@Fektthis yea twins been around since 1953
This is basically the dream rig of every Metal guitar guy... Roland JC for cleans, 6505 for drive ;)
Loving the way the new room looks and the dB meter! The brightness of the JC made me think that it would be awesome to you guys challenging yourselves. One guy sets the amp up in a super bright or super muddy (just a horrible EQ setup or a tone of gain) and the other has to try to use pedals to make it a useable tone. It would be a “fun” way to see how to overcome the issues us meer mortals face with our “not so lovely” amps. Thanks for the awesome content guy!
A friend of mine from the band Starflyer 49 used a JC120 in their debut album “Silver”. It was such an amazing sound
dronelove01 Thanks for this comment! I love Starflyer 59, and I know that album well-I may be obsessed with it (since the early 2000s, when I bought the cassette). I didn’t realize they used a Jazz Chorus on there! With all the tremolo, I figured maybe it was all Fender, but I think there is some lush chorus on songs like “Monterey”? I would love to hear more details.
What amp did he not use? Great album
Splendid stuff chaps. Two very characterful amps. I’ve used a JC120 as a touring unit, sometimes in conjunction with another amp and sometimes on it’s own and while the built in distortion has never done anything for me, it’s been a fine pedal platform and an absolute tank on the road, never once breaking down or crapping out. As for the Peavey, you pulled some great sounds out of it as far as I was concerned so I guess it goes to show that sculpting a usable amp is all in the time taken and the willingness to twerk...I mean tweak!
Dan channeling his inner Ola Englund!! 😂
I love my D&M drive - the fact that buying that stuff helps this channel is a win for everyone! I do need some more shirts tho! Thanks for some amazing shows this year guys!
We can reliably use the dB meter, otherwise known as Mick’s face, to know it’s loud in the room. Every time he walked to the amps it visibly spiked.
My oh my. That intro tone is AMAZING.
JC120 is a really cool pedal amp ! I used them back in the 80's paired with a Boogie, sound of the times LOL I have a buddy who used them extensively doing looping and he loved them !
Well done, guys, you demonstrated an undisputed truth: nothing in this world sound really SHITTY, 'cause any amp and any pedal have his own space in the musical panorama. It only depend of what do you want from your gear...easy...👍👍👍
I've been hunting a good deal on a Filaments and any time you guys include a pedal in your vids the used market gets wiped. RATS! ------------ also, Merry Christmas from Tennessee!
In a way, one could count this among your most instructive vids:
Switching the channels on that Peavey and applying your wisdom (that you've shared with us for years now) really drives home the lesson that you've trying to teach us all.
Thanks a lot, Gents!
Holy shit. The dB meter is perfect! I would have loved to see that with the hiwatt episode.
So I was going to make a comment about how Dan seems to play "better" on his Les Paul than his beloved Tele -- more fluid and "creative" on the LP, more choppy/bitty on the Tele -- and then he plays that gorgeous minute-and-eight-seconds of loveliness to start this video. Well played, Sir!
I think a fuzz would have been interesting to try with these.
This would be a great topic to revisit every once in a while with a different hated (or at least misunderstood) amp. Possible candidate could be : 1) Fender M-80 (2) Marshall Valvestate or MG series (3) Randall RG100SC (4) Peavey Renown or Bandit (5) Anything that says Crate on it.
I agree with your premise that if used correctly, almost anything is capable of a few decent sounds.
I really like the db meter. I've used one for years to determine an amps crankedosity value. Which is the level of sound an amp is producing in dbs divided by the time in millisecond it takes someone to yell "TURN THAT DAMN THING DOWN!!". The best crankedosity level would be of course 0.
The Roland Jazz Chorus can get fizzy and sound thin when the volume is set below about 9 o'clock. If you can get the volume above 9 o'clock (as in this video), there is a sort of compression and mid-focus that sets in, making it way more useful for pedals. If setting the volume above 9 o'clock is too loud, you can put an eq pedal or a JHS Little Black Amp Box Passive Amp Attenuator in the effects loop to act as a master volume control. Turn up the amp's volume knob past 9 o'clock and then adjust the volume as needed through the effects loop. At that point, it really is an awesome pedal platform, even for distortion and fuzz.
Have you guys ever tried Traynor amps? Best kept Canadian secret - gives the Hot Rod Deluxe a run for its money.
I second that! For many years in NY metro area, anyway, they were the poor man's Fender, & every bit as good.
Being born and raised in the great white north where Traynor amps have always been made, I remember in my younger days you could buy used Traynors from the 60's and 70's for about ten cents a pound. Somehow we thought they had to suck, they weren't Marshalls, Yet the amps were built like a tank had HUGE Hammond transformers in them, and were pretty much the old Marshall plexi circuit easily modded to be pretty much Marshall clones. Hell, they even had mustard caps in them. I love my Friedman, but at the end of the day, an old Traynor YB3 (or whatever the bass amp was called) through a nice cab loaded with Creambacks or Vintage 30s, and a few tasty pedals, will get me to pretty much the same place.
Came super close to getting a vintage traynor about ten years ago. Got a Gibson Falcon instead. Gibson seller was in town, that's the only reason why I chose it.
Traynor was the first amp I ever used - a rental from (now) ubiquitous Canadian music retailer Long & McQuade (for my first gig in 1983). In my youthful ignorance, I thought it was a “training” amp so returned it a few months later and bought a Fender. It wasn’t until years later that I learned the story of how Pete Traynor worked at L&M in the 60s and the story behind the Traynor and Yorkville brands.
The Toronto Star did a good write-up on Traynor when he died in 2016:
www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/05/10/pete-traynor-torontos-quietly-legendary-sound-man-keenan.html
You guys are my favorite show on UA-cam. After every episode all I want to do is pick up my guitar and play. I have a SS Peavey Express 112 that I’ll sometimes run with my tweed Blues Jr. and it sounds HUGE!
In a trio situation I´m usually using the JC40 as my wet amp with the amps built in reverb in combination with my Victory V 40 as my dry Amp - Sounds great!!! So you HAVE TO check out the JC 40´s Reverb :-D
Happy Holidays everyone!!
I'm glad you brought on the JC-40, I've been intrigued by it for a bit but haven't taken the plunge. It's actually two 20 watt amps with their own speakers, true stereo right from the inputs all the way through! I'd love to hear that single amp as the "wet" parts of a wet-dry-wet rig, maybe with something with less headroom complimenting it. As I recall, the inbuilt reverb is a lovely ambient digital reverb that gives a wide stereo spread as soon as you turn it up a bit.
I use a JC-40 as my main amp and use it as a wet/dry rig all in one because of the parallel stereo effects loop! its stellar! Favourite pedal platform amp ever!
I find JC-40 plus Blues Junior sounds GREAT. I have also mixed with AC-15 with success. JC-40 is a great add-on recording amp. Sometimes even the bright switch engaged, tucked low in a mix, can help with definition in an otherwise crunchy part.
Nice to see an Amp I use on the show. JC 4EVA! :-)
Why do amps crafted for metal/heavy stuff always have really awful sounding clean tones? They're always so dull sounding. (referring to the 6505)
QueeferSutherland Well, it’s a Peavey, to be fair. Triple Rectifiers sound amazing clean, on the other hand, and are also well known for metal/hardcore.
The roll off a lot of low end & some high end
Metal/heavy amps are tweaked to sound great dirty by stacking gain stages one after another. The clean channels on those amps sound weak and sterile because they lack all those gain stages. The tone stacks aren't made to compensate.
I was really excited when I saw the name of this one! I think there’s very, very little gear that sounds bad in and of itself; I think some just needs to be used in a slightly different way, or you need to play to the sound more than expect it to react the way that you’re used to other sounds reacting.
My first amp was a Peavey Classic Chorus 130, and with a Jagstang, a ds-1 and a black Russian Muff, I never felt deprived of anything. I think transistor amps are really unforgiving, in a related but not similar way to a Dumble/Two Rock style amp in the way that they both highlight every aspect of your playing, especially the way you attack the strings. You have to work around that intensely articulate sound with your playing, and use it to your advantage instead of letting it get harsh.
I thought this was a really great video, and I particularly loved the John Mayer style playing with the 6505 and the Page! I wasn’t expecting that, and was very pleasantly surprised.
Happy Holidays to you and your families!
You might use that JC40 bright button for large body dark sounding jazz guitars for more of a rhythm tone.
I like this.
My first amp (which I still own 1980) is a JC 120. The chorus on that beast is awesome to this day. That JC40 sounds great. If I remember right the guitarist for Flock of Seagulls played through 2 JC120’s and a Roland Tape delay, not sure which model (think it was a later model) now he had an epic sound. A bit of musician trivia. You two have a great holiday
7:03 sing it with me THERE IS FREEDOM WITHIN THERE IS FREEDOM WITHOUT.oh crowded house what an AMAZING band and neil finn LEGEND!!
Neil Schon recorded the solos for Anyway You Want it through an JC 40 with a Rat.
Who said a jazz chorus is bad, all you need is a Jc120 and a delay
As much as the TPS community needs to know it’s guitar history; thank you for making another “educational” video. Here’s to an even better 2019! I hope Dan contributes with more “sound shaping” episodes (missing his input into TPS). Marry Christmas to you, and all of yours! 👏
I put an OD-3 through a Roland JC once and almost sold all my gear. It was the most amazing sound ever. Do you think the reason people think it’s a bad platform amp is because they use it like it’s a tube amp?
Once i had the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and the Jazz Chorus 77, the Roland with a Wampler Ecstasy Overdrive smashed the Fender, it's one of the best ever made and one of the finest platform for pedals, i really don't know how someone can't see that....
pickledblues Like turn it up to the edge of breakup? Is that what you mean instead of letting it just be clean?
@@BeefNEggs057 Well i was using it as a main overdrive most of the time but also used as edge of breakup was great, at that time i was playing rather clean but i could do that without problem.
This is exactly the core of my rig... two underrated bits of gear
pickledblues that is exactly why. Most overdrive sounds in tube amps are different reactions to different pedals by the valves. When someone tries to push a solid state amp like the jazz chorus, it typically doesn’t sound like a tube amp would, and it doesn’t always sound good
Gordie Johnson runs a Garnet Herzog straight into a JC-120 because the amp is dependable and can handle the push from the Herzog. Sounds huge!