Jet City Amp - help me decide!

daveyh

So, got forty quids worth of Thomann vouchers run out on the 31st May and I've been um-ing and ah-ing about a new amp for ages so time to bite the bullet. I'm impressed by the price/apparent quality of the Jet City stuff, and like their mod potential too. Sounds seem good on the demos I've watched online, but without being able to play them first it's kinda a bit hit and miss.

So I'm looking at the JCA22H head, and the JCA50H head. Any of you guys got any opinions on their ballpark sound from your own experience (my fave sounds are Marshall 2555 and Peavey 5150/EVH). Could you gig with the 22 without using a PA?

Cheers in advance guys

samzadgan

They are great amps.

I have a JCA50H which is really nice, both channels have their own character. But at loud volumes the crunch channel is crunch, not clean (but you can cheaply mod it so it stays clean all the way up to 10).

The 50w head is very loud and the dirty channel has a lot of gain on tap.

I can't compare to the other amps, as this is very different to anything else i've had, and havent had the ones you mention...

So...my experience: When i first got mine, i liked it, but wanted a bit more bottom end from it and a bit more of rounded sound...so i modded mine with new JJ Preamps, and the KT66 instead of the 6L6...this tube change did wonders to the overall tone. It actually made the treble knob more useable. The other mod I did was add a depth knob, which adds a lot of bottom end, which i really like, whilst maintaining clarity.

digitalscream

I've had both.

JCA50H - Great amp, can get heavy chunky rhythm sounds from the normal/clean channel alone (with the gain cranked). Kind of "slightly-scooped-Soldano", especially with the stock valves. Put a set of JJs in the preamp and Sovtek 6L6s in the power section, and it gets rid of the scoop. Lead sounds are fantastic - smooth high-gain, as much as you want. Beware that the loop is before the tone stack and line level, so it may not behave as you expect, and you'd need a Flashback/Hardwire/Strymon/Eventide/MS70-CDR in there for delays. Can easily gig without a PA. It's worth noting that you can't run EL34s in these, because the mains transformer can't handle the heater current. It can just about handle KT66s, no more (this is direct from the Jet City guys themselves).

JCA22H - More preamp gain on tap than the JCA50H/JCA100H, because the loop is after the Master Volumes (anecdotal experience says it's like having an extra notch on the control). Aside from that, it behaves very much like the other amps (loop is still line level), and in terms of sound it's got a slight bit of Marshall grunt behind it - no doubt due to the EL84s. It's giggable without PA reinforcement, but don't expect a huge amount of clean headroom. You start to get power valve breakup at around noon on the volume controls.

In short...yes, they're fantastic amps. My advice would be to get a JCA50H if you're gigging regularly without a PA.

ICBM

digitalscream said:

JCA50H - It's worth noting that you can't run EL34s in these, because the mains transformer can't handle the heater current. It can just about handle KT66s, no more (this is direct from the Jet City guys themselves).

Very useful info, thanks. Just in case anyone asks me to convert one!

I suppose this may be where the cost-cutting does finally show - a transformer that has no margin whatsoever. It's got to be stuff like that because the actual construction and component quality is top-notch.

digitalscream

ICBM said:

Very useful info, thanks. Just in case anyone asks me to convert one!

I suppose this may be where the cost-cutting does finally show - a transformer that has no margin whatsoever. It's got to be stuff like that because the actual construction and component quality is top-notch.

Funnily enough, their custom shop amps have upgraded mains and output transformers, and can handle EL34s with ease (in fact, that's one of the custom options).

samzadgan

well actually I saw a video where Soldano himself mods a Jet City to take EL34's...now, i dont have any technical knowledge, but looks like quite a simple mod...

ThePrettyDamned

I quite fancy trying one of these. Unbelievable value.

digitalscream

samzadgan said:

well actually I saw a video where Soldano himself mods a Jet City to take EL34's...now, i dont have any technical knowledge, but looks like quite a simple mod...

That amp already has the upgraded mains transformer

digitalscream

ThePrettyDamned said:

I quite fancy trying one of these. Unbelievable value.

You're welcome to come and try mine at some point, if you want. You're not too far from me, are you?

samzadgan

digitalscream said:

samzadgan said:

well actually I saw a video where Soldano himself mods a Jet City to take EL34's...now, i dont have any technical knowledge, but looks like quite a simple mod...

That amp already has the upgraded mains transformer

ah...ok...that's where my lack of technical knowledge kicks in...

Dave_Mc

They pretty much sound like cheaper soldanos.

Yeah I realise that's captain obvious to the rescue. )

With decent speakers they sound very good indeed.

digitalscream

Dave_Mc said:

With decent speakers they sound very good indeed.

Excellent point - I forgot about that. I use mine with a Jet City 2x12", but I replaced the speakers with a G12T-75 and a V30. This is because the stock speakers are shocking. I could forgive anybody buying a combo for wondering why people talk about JC amps in glowing terms.

ThePrettyDamned

digitalscream;252266" said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

I quite fancy trying one of these. Unbelievable value.





You're welcome to come and try mine at some point, if you want. You're not too far from me, are you?

Cambs area.

Careful, you might end up hearing me play!

Seriously though, when I have dollar (prolly after Christmas, I'm pissing it away for the next few months on beer, trains and planes), I might get in touch. I'm fairly set on a used 6505 but I *love* the soldano sound on record...

digitalscream

ThePrettyDamned said:

Cambs area.

Careful, you might end up hearing me play!

Seriously though, when I have dollar (prolly after Christmas, I'm pissing it away for the next few months on beer, trains and planes), I might get in touch. I'm fairly set on a used 6505 but I *love* the soldano sound on record...

I'm in Stamford, and we rehearse in Peterborough. That any good to you?

Let's face it, at £235 for a 50W head, you could probably sell a couple of pedals and afford it comfortably As soon as I've shifted my Marshall power amp, I'm getting another JCA50H for backup purposes. If you wait until after then, you'll be able to compare the stock valves to aftermarket replacements too.

p90fool

digitalscream;252483" said:

Dave_Mc said:

With decent speakers they sound very good indeed.














Excellent point - I forgot about that. I use mine with a Jet City 2x12", but I replaced the speakers with a G12T-75 and a V30. This is because the stock speakers are shocking. I could forgive anybody buying a combo for wondering why people talk about JC amps in glowing terms.

Exactly, I use a 2x12 with G12T-75 and a Classic Lead 80 and personal preference aside think that Jet City amps sound very expensive when given a decent voice.

ICBM

digitalscream said:

This is because the stock speakers are shocking. I could forgive anybody buying a combo for wondering why people talk about JC amps in glowing terms.

It really baffles me why amp companies do this - Marshall as well, Blackstar on many of their models, etc.

I *know* better speakers cost more - but these are not expensive amps anyway, so better speakers wouldn't push the price up that far, and the penny-pinching ones they use have such a disproportionate crippling effect on the sound that surely it must affect sales when people demo them. The first Jet City I tried was a 20W combo, and I thought it sounded crap - thin, shrill and buzzy. If I hadn't known to try it through a good cabinet as well, I would have been put off the brand entirely.

That said, Soldano has an odd idea about speakers even in the US-made amps - a friend of mine had an Astroverb, which sounded small and boxy... until we tried a G12H-30 in it. The difference was so huge I can't imagine anyone preferring it with the stock speaker. This is not a cheap amp, so cost-cutting can't be the reason either. (Interestingly the original speaker sounded great in a Peavey Bandit, but that isn't a good reason to put it in a Soldano!)

digitalscream

ICBM said:

It really baffles me why amp companies do this - Marshall as well, Blackstar on many of their models, etc.

I *know* better speakers cost more - but these are not expensive amps anyway, so better speakers wouldn't push the price up that far, and the penny-pinching ones they use have such a disproportionate crippling effect on the sound that surely it must affect sales when people demo them. The first Jet City I tried was a 20W combo, and I thought it sounded crap - thin, shrill and buzzy. If I hadn't known to try it through a good cabinet as well, I would have been put off the brand entirely.

That said, Soldano has an odd idea about speakers even in the US-made amps - a friend of mine had an Astroverb, which sounded small and boxy... until we tried a G12H-30 in it. The difference was so huge I can't imagine anyone preferring it with the stock speaker. This is not a cheap amp, so cost-cutting can't be the reason either. (Interestingly the original speaker sounded great in a Peavey Bandit, but that isn't a good reason to put it in a Soldano!)

I know...Soldano seem to use Eminence speakers exclusively - the same used to go for Jet City (those horrible stock drivers are custom-made for them by Eminence). I never could figure it out.

Jet City seem to have seen the light a little, in that their more expensive custom cabinets come with V30s. Still, I have yet to be convinced that V30s flatter these amps on their own. They're infinitely better than the Eminence speakers, but still too shouty for my tastes.

ICBM

digitalscream said:

I know...Soldano seem to use Eminence speakers exclusively - the same used to go for Jet City (those horrible stock drivers are custom-made for them by Eminence). I never could figure it out.

Jet City seem to have seen the light a little, in that their more expensive custom cabinets come with V30s. Still, I have yet to be convinced that V30s flatter these amps on their own. They're infinitely better than the Eminence speakers, but still too shouty for my tastes.

Definitely. To me these are bright, focused amps which really need counterbalancing with the deeper, heavier G12H-30/Classic Lead 80 sound, or the more scooped G12T-75. (Whereas Mesa Rectifiers, which are naturally more scooped and loose, suit the mid-heavy V30 tone perfectly.)

The stock Eminence Legend in that Soldano was dire - although I'm not normally a believer in 'pushing' a driver to make it sound good, it was a 120W speaker and just didn't sound anything other than stiff and boxy with a 20W amp through it, and it really did sound like it just wasn't being driven hard enough to open the sound up - the Celestion was about twice as loud too, despite the 'on paper' sensitivity of the Eminence being a dB higher. On the other hand the Bandit is 80W and with powerful EQ, so it's really capable of making the speaker work, and it actually sounds great.

Very much horses for courses all round. I find it almost equally baffling that as soon as anyone thinks they need to put a better speaker in anything, it's always a V30! Even though it is a great speaker, it's completely wrong for a lot of amps. It's as if amp designers have never actually realised what a difference speaker voicing makes to the final tone, and they either pick either the cheapest thing they can get away with or the one everyone's heard of, and nothing in between.

ThePrettyDamned

digitalscream;252565" said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

Cambs area.



Careful, you might end up hearing me play!



Seriously though, when I have dollar (prolly after Christmas, I'm pissing it away for the next few months on beer, trains and planes), I might get in touch. I'm fairly set on a used 6505 but I *love* the soldano sound on record...





I'm in Stamford, and we rehearse in Peterborough. That any good to you?

Let's face it, at £235 for a 50W head, you could probably sell a couple of pedals and afford it comfortably As soon as I've shifted my Marshall power amp, I'm getting another JCA50H for backup purposes. If you wait until after then, you'll be able to compare the stock valves to aftermarket replacements too.

Well, i might just be up for that.

Actually, a head and a half decent 1x12 cab would pretty much be a new 6505+ combo price. I'd probably need a boost to get the level of crunch I want though.

samzadgan

i don't disagree with the speaker analogy, which is why i never buy combo's anymore...i also think in Jet City amps in particular the pre-amp valves make a big difference to the tone.

fastboy

I've owned both and still have the 22H. 

I personally prefer the 22H. It has more gain on tap and sounds a lot smoother than the 50. In terms of clean headroom, obviously the 50 will win but the 22 is incredibly loud (don't think I've ever had the volume beyond 3!)