Guitar Magazine - Lazy J10 Review

thermionic

Keefy said:

What vintage Fender amp is the J10 'inspired' (ahem) by? J20 is presumably based on a Deluxe, J5 would be a Champ, so J10 would be what - a Princeton? Or is it more original than that?

According to the review, it’s the same preamp as the J20 with a 6V6 power amp.

crunchman

miserneil said:

crunchman said:

miserneil said:

crunchman said:

I think he outsources the cabs as well.  On the early ones he built the cabs himself as well.

Yes, the cabs are Mojotone from the US. Matt at Monty’s was helping build the Reverb/Trem units last time I spoke to Jesse (which was a good while ago) sonigs still a U.K. made product with top guys involved. 

Loving all this by the way....means my early J20 is soon to be Hoff-era like Matchless has a Sampson-era and thus twice as expensive/desirable...

Mine is so early it doesn't even have the Lazy J logo.

Ah....so it could be anything then....Mine is DEFINITELY rarer/more desirable.....there’s even a bead of Jesse sweat on the inside of the chassis....

By the way, has yours got a fan in it to cool the transformer @crunchman? My current one has and an early one I had before did but the 2 later ones I had didn’t. Perhaps Jesse decided it wasn’t needed?

Don't think there is a fan.  Never noticed one.

Mine has a label inside saying Lazy J Projects, with the valve chart on it, but it doesn't have the logo on the front.  That came a bit later.  Jesse offered to put one on for me, but I thought it was cool without the logo.

nationalmojo

As to whether Jesse builds the amps himself or not - YES HE DOES. I've been to his house a number of times, and saw my J 20 being built on his work bench - and the reverb module in it too.
But hang on a minute, even if the above wasn't the case ( and I personally know it is), just reflect - how many Fender amps did Leo make himself, some but not many, how many did Jim Marshall make (as opposed to Ken Brand). 
Jesse's amps are superb, if you don't like the price, get something else, but don't knock a master piece because you wish you could afford one, just save up!

martinw

nationalmojo said:

As to whether Jesse builds the amps himself or not - YES HE DOES.

Not all of them.

interstellar

martinw said:

nationalmojo said:

As to whether Jesse builds the amps himself or not - YES HE DOES.

Not all of them.

its all a bit tiresome/british this knocking the Lazy J brand, he is a success which is a good thing

Gassage

miserneil said:

crunchman said:

miserneil said:

crunchman said:

I think he outsources the cabs as well.  On the early ones he built the cabs himself as well.

Yes, the cabs are Mojotone from the US. Matt at Monty’s was helping build the Reverb/Trem units last time I spoke to Jesse (which was a good while ago) sonigs still a U.K. made product with top guys involved. 

Loving all this by the way....means my early J20 is soon to be Hoff-era like Matchless has a Sampson-era and thus twice as expensive/desirable...

Mine is so early it doesn't even have the Lazy J logo.

Ah....so it could be anything then....Mine is DEFINITELY rarer/more desirable.....there’s even a bead of Jesse sweat on the inside of the chassis....

By the way, has yours got a fan in it to cool the transformer @crunchman? My current one has and an early one I had before did but the 2 later ones I had didn’t. Perhaps Jesse decided it wasn’t needed?

That's nothing;

Mine was made by Jesse's great great Grandfather only using his feet, in Essen, Germany.

The cab is milled out from a solid giant prehistoric Sequoia tree The amp is actually petrol powered (with a supercharger as a second channel), the reverb only works in a 4m high cavern and the name plate is carved from quarried slate from the Bayerrich Zugspitsbaan.

(will trade for cash plus a Marshall Valvestate.)

RaymondLin

Looks like a few of us have been to his house/his workshop, aka small bedroom lol

martinw

interstellar said:

martinw said:

nationalmojo said:

As to whether Jesse builds the amps himself or not - YES HE DOES.

Not all of them.

its all a bit tiresome/british this knocking the Lazy J brand, he is a success which is a good thing

Who's knocking anyone? 

nationalmojo

Sorry, but even in Jesse's great great grandfather's day there were no giant Sequoia trees in Germany, so can only conclude your amp is a fake............unless of course g g grandfather shipped one in through Mojo  ................

Gassage

nationalmojo said:

Sorry, but even in Jesse's great great grandfather's day there were no giant Sequoia trees in Germany, so can only conclude your amp is a fake............unless of course g g grandfather shipped one in through Mojo  ................

He rowed across the Atlantic, hollowed a small cockpit out of the tree itself, and paddled it back via Hamburg and the Rhine in a journey that took 4 years.

Don't you know ANYTHING? Tut.

Hattigol

No intention of knocking anyone or indeed these amps, which by all accounts are epic.

But it seems that the price level was initially set by reference to the fact that Jesse himself was hand-building these. If that's no longer the case, surely that price should be lowered?

Far be it for me to advise him on business matters, but if I was running it, there would seem to be sense in a twin pricing structure - standard models at one price and handbuilt by Jesse ones at a higher price.

End of two-penneth. I'll let you know if he recruits me as Head of Marketing.

Jeremiah

Gassage said:

nationalmojo said:

Sorry, but even in Jesse's great great grandfather's day there were no giant Sequoia trees in Germany, so can only conclude your amp is a fake............unless of course g g grandfather shipped one in through Mojo  ................

He rowed across the Atlantic, hollowed a small cockpit out of the tree itself, and paddled it back via Hamburg and the Rhine in a journey that took 4 years.

Don't you know ANYTHING? Tut.

When I tried this, I didn't have the correct import paperwork and my tree was impounded and destroyed under CITES laws.

hotpickups

Hattigol said:

No intention of knocking anyone or indeed these amps, which by all accounts are epic.

But it seems that the price level was initially set by reference to the fact that Jesse himself was hand-building these. If that's no longer the case, surely that price should be lowered?

Far be it for me to advise him on business matters, but if I was running it, there would seem to be sense in a twin pricing structure - standard models at one price and handbuilt by Jesse ones at a higher price.

End of two-penneth. I'll let you know if he recruits me as Head of Marketing.

It's gone past that now imo. It started out as just Jesse building them but now he has developed a valuable brand so I'd ride it too if I was in his position would t anybody. Never heard of any brand dropping prices from which they set out with. Only if they can't sell them which Jesse is definitetly not in that category yet   

nationalmojo

OK so its genuine then. Would you accept my Dumble Overdrive and £50K as a trade? (but are you sure it was made by Great Great Grandfather himself  (I would need to know that the supercharger wasn't outsourced).

Lebarque

Hattigol said:

No intention of knocking anyone or indeed these amps, which by all accounts are epic.

But it seems that the price level was initially set by reference to the fact that Jesse himself was hand-building these. If that's no longer the case, surely that price should be lowered?

Far be it for me to advise him on business matters, but if I was running it, there would seem to be sense in a twin pricing structure - standard models at one price and handbuilt by Jesse ones at a higher price.

End of two-penneth. I'll let you know if he recruits me as Head of Marketing.

Lower the price despite an overflowing order book? I'm not sure marketing is for you, @Hattigol ! The price has nothing to do with who is building them; it is reflective of how much people are prepared to pay. I believe J20's started out at just over a grand. Because they sound so good, demand grew and he put the price up to maximise profit and control the waiting list. Despite the higher price, he still has a sizeable waiting list I believe, so the price is right for his business. Who is making them is irrelevant, as long as the quality and the tone is maintained. Good luck to him.

nationalmojo

Jeremiah said:

Gassage said:

nationalmojo said:

Sorry, but even in Jesse's great great grandfather's day there were no giant Sequoia trees in Germany, so can only conclude your amp is a fake............unless of course g g grandfather shipped one in through Mojo  ................

He rowed across the Atlantic, hollowed a small cockpit out of the tree itself, and paddled it back via Hamburg and the Rhine in a journey that took 4 years.

Don't you know ANYTHING? Tut.

When I tried this, I didn't have the correct import paperwork and my tree was impounded and destroyed under CITES laws.

jonnyburgo

Damien Hirst doesn’t physically do his own artwork, he has staff to do it to his design, like Warhol before him. Doesn’t mean people won’t spend a ton of money for the Kudos of the signature in the bottom corner.

crunchman

Lebarque said:

Hattigol said:

No intention of knocking anyone or indeed these amps, which by all accounts are epic.

But it seems that the price level was initially set by reference to the fact that Jesse himself was hand-building these. If that's no longer the case, surely that price should be lowered?

Far be it for me to advise him on business matters, but if I was running it, there would seem to be sense in a twin pricing structure - standard models at one price and handbuilt by Jesse ones at a higher price.

End of two-penneth. I'll let you know if he recruits me as Head of Marketing.

Lower the price despite an overflowing order book? I'm not sure marketing is for you, @Hattigol ! The price has nothing to do with who is building them; it is reflective of how much people are prepared to pay. I believe J20's started out at just over a grand. Because they sound so good, demand grew and he put the price up to maximise profit and control the waiting list. Despite the higher price, he still has a sizeable waiting list I believe, so the price is right for his business. Who is making them is irrelevant, as long as the quality and the tone is maintained. Good luck to him.

It was about that.  I think I paid about £1100 for mine.

Hattigol

Lebarque said:

Hattigol said:

No intention of knocking anyone or indeed these amps, which by all accounts are epic.

But it seems that the price level was initially set by reference to the fact that Jesse himself was hand-building these. If that's no longer the case, surely that price should be lowered?

Far be it for me to advise him on business matters, but if I was running it, there would seem to be sense in a twin pricing structure - standard models at one price and handbuilt by Jesse ones at a higher price.

End of two-penneth. I'll let you know if he recruits me as Head of Marketing.

Lower the price despite an overflowing order book? I'm not sure marketing is for you, @Hattigol ! The price has nothing to do with who is building them; it is reflective of how much people are prepared to pay. I believe J20's started out at just over a grand. Because they sound so good, demand grew and he put the price up to maximise profit and control the waiting list. Despite the higher price, he still has a sizeable waiting list I believe, so the price is right for his business. Who is making them is irrelevant, as long as the quality and the tone is maintained. Good luck to him.

Ok, I'll correct what I meant. Not lower the price but have a price tier system whereby the ones personally manufactured by him cost more than the ones that are not.

You only have to look at some comments on here (or for example at Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilts) to see that people will pay a premium for those particular amps.

That was the point I was making. I'll let you know how the job interview goes but my guess is...

Lebarque

@Hattigol ; Haha! I know what you're saying, but I'm not sure I agree.

Fender's Squier, Mexican, American, Custom Shop, Masterbuilt etc. lines allow a large company to cater for different wallets and aspirations by offering different quality guitars at different price points. If you play a masterbuilt and a squier side-by-side, you can tell which is better quality (cue the comments!). There's a demonstrable difference between handwired/PCB, mass-produced/handbuilt etc (not necessarily in tone though).

Has the quality of Lazy J's declined as Jesse has got other people to do bits and bobs for him due to high demand? Not that I'm aware of. As far as I can tell, he is just expanding his business by entrusting outsourcing to other skilled people who live up to his standards. So if the high quality of the amps has been maintained and there is no demonstrable difference, there is no justification for a price adjustment in my eyes. As somebody else said, he's not moved production to Outer Mongolia or something, and he does the final assembly and testing himself as far as I can tell.