Tim Posted December 8, 2009 Posted December 8, 2009 I've been looking for a Roland JC series amp for sometime for jazz stuff (my "main" amp is my Fender Blues Jr.). The 120's are too damn big. You never see any JC 55's (or 90's for that matter), so, I'm picking up a JC 77 for $225.00. Now I've got to figure out where I'm going to put it in my studio (which aint very big)...
Steiner Posted December 8, 2009 Posted December 8, 2009 Sounds fun! New amp day, to me, far exceeds new guitar day. Is the Roland a SS head? What cab / speakers are you throwing at it?
Tim Posted December 8, 2009 Author Posted December 8, 2009 Sounds fun! New amp day, to me, far exceeds new guitar day. Is the Roland a SS head? What cab / speakers are you throwing at it? It's actually an 80 watt combo amp. The Roland JC series amps are known for having the cleanest channel/tone out there. They also incorporate a nice chorus effect (hence the name JC which stands for Jazz Chorus). Having said that, they are also known for having, perhaps, the worst distortion effect on the planet, but that's not what I'm buying the amp for. They are also supposed to be very good with pedal boards. A lot of big name jazz guitarists use these kind of amps. I figure, I'll give it a shot. If I don't like it, I can sell it or trade it in for something else...
Tim Posted December 8, 2009 Author Posted December 8, 2009 It's actually an 80 watt combo amp. The Roland JC series amps are known for having the cleanest channel/tone out there. They also incorporate a nice chorus effect (hence the name JC which stands for Jazz Chorus). Having said that, they are also known for having, perhaps, the worst distortion effect on the planet, but that's not what I'm buying the amp for. They are also supposed to be very good with pedal boards. A lot of big name jazz guitarists use these kind of amps. I figure, I'll give it a shot. If I don't like it, I can sell it or trade it in for something else... Sorry, forgot to add that this is 100% solid state. Though I'm more of a tube kind of guy, this particular SS amp sounds pretty good!
fxdx99 Posted December 8, 2009 Posted December 8, 2009 Congrats - oh yeh, new amp day is lotsa fun. Mulitple it by the number of guitars you have and that's the new sounds you get to explore. Familiar w/the 120s as quite a few folks I know used them, both key and guitar players. But as you say, a bit large/much for home or small area use. Great clean sound. Have fun with it. Let us know what you think of it.
tulk1 Posted December 8, 2009 Posted December 8, 2009 Had a JC77 waaaay back when. Nice amp, still heavy as all get out. But cleans galore. And yeah .... possibly the worst distortion ever. Congrats on finding one, and with such a good $$ tag.
Gitfiddler Posted December 8, 2009 Posted December 8, 2009 JC77's are great little amps for clean playing, especially in a studio or home environment. I bet you keep it! Congrats!
Tim Posted December 8, 2009 Author Posted December 8, 2009 JC77's are great little amps for clean playing, especially in a studio or home environment. I bet you keep it! Congrats! Yes, well, just started playing with it and, so far, I'm quite happy. My H 575 sounds really nice...especially when I blend my EH Small Clone with the amp's chorus effect (plus a bit of reverb and delay)...really neat...almost like Metheny back in the mid-70's (although he used lots'o' Lexicon stuff)....cool, not so little amp for $225.00. Not bad
Dick Seacup Posted December 9, 2009 Posted December 9, 2009 I generally plug The Tonesucker in to my instructor's JC120 when I have my lesson. It sounds absolutely phenomenal on the neck pickup with the volume and tone rolled off a bit. I've posted here before about them (JC120s) and my desire to own one. Unfortunately, my AAS and GAS have been nipped in the bud by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Something about proximity of certain holidays.
Tim Posted December 9, 2009 Author Posted December 9, 2009 I generally plug The Tonesucker in to my instructor's JC120 when I have my lesson. It sounds absolutely phenomenal on the neck pickup with the volume and tone rolled off a bit. I've posted here before about them (JC120s) and my desire to own one. Unfortunately, my AAS and GAS have been nipped in the bud by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Something about proximity of certain holidays. There is a store nearby that has a JC 120 in very nice shape for $429.00 (but I bet he'd take $400.00)...I've been looking at it for months, but it is too big and heavyfor my space. The JC 77 is pushing it also, but I can roll it in and out of my area when I need to use it. I use it strictly for recording and playing in my basement studio.
Dick Seacup Posted December 9, 2009 Posted December 9, 2009 There is a store nearby that has a JC 120 in very nice shape for $429.00 (but I bet he'd take $400.00)...I've been looking at it for months, but it is too big and heavyfor my space. The JC 77 is pushing it also, but I can roll it in and out of my area when I need to use it. I use it strictly for recording and playing in my basement studio. This afternoon, on impulse, I sent an email to a guy in Traverse City who has an older JC120 (he doesn't know if it's US or Japanese, though) on consignment up there. He's only asking $300. Would cost me $40 to go get it, though. HAHA. As a counterpoint, at today's lesson, I plugged The Tonesucker in to my instructors Fender Twin (original blackface)... The JC120 is luscious, but the Twin is, uh...I can't think of anything that comes close. It was simply, hrm...ethereal?
Bluzman54 Posted December 13, 2009 Posted December 13, 2009 I have a JC-90. They are hard to find. I originally was looking for a 55 or 77, but none to be found. They are all great amps and built like tanks. The distortion is weak, but you can always use a pedal. The clean tone and the chorus are great. Enjoy. Jim C
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