NAD! JCA50H

hobbio

My Jet City JCA50H arrived today, and here are my first impressions. Please bear in mind that I'm just not that knowledgeable about amps and don't have much to compare it to though...

I'm running it through a virtually unused JC12S+ 1x12 cab. I don't know how different it'll sound when the speaker's been played in a bit, and ideally I'd have a 2x12 anyway (I got the cab before the amp and only recently decided to get the 50w) but as I've had a bit of a GAS-fest recently I need to offload some stuff and let the Mrs calm down before I can even consider it...

The crunch channel will give decent cleans at home level (and just a bit beyond that too - sorry, next door neighbours!) with the gain kept very low, although it's a bit quicker to crunch with a higher output pup. I've only tried it with my Epi 339 so far, I suspect my Schecter will be a bit harder to keep clean. I was able to dial in a very rich, clear clean using the neck pup and playing with the eq, but the overdrive channel gain knob needs to be all the way off or it seems to influence the tone. Is this a normal thing? 

Turn the crunch channel gain up a bit and it, well, crunches up lovely. At about 12 o'clock it was getting close to AC/DC type loveliness, or as close as I'll get with my guitars and fingers. I don't know how to describe it with the gain further round the clock except to say it gets crunchier

The overdrive channel has gain to spare, that's for sure. I didn't play with it too much, but it's something I'll be experimenting with over the coming days.

I tried some pedals though it too, my klone and Rat sounded good, but again, I need to play with it more to get the best from them. 

I put my Slicer and M5 through the loop, and there was a noticeable volume drop when I engaged the M5 with a tape echo model. I don't know if this is something to do with the pedal, and I didn't see any way to adjust the level for that model so I'm a bit confused about this. The Slicer was fine though.

It was supplied with a non-original footswitch as they didn't have the correct one in stock but they'll send me one when they do. The one they sent has a jack on it and they chucked in a Soldano branded cable so I've probably done well there having read other people's complaints about the standard, hard-wired one.

Both master volumes work very well indeed - so well, in fact, that if it had an emulated out that I could plug into my Focusrite iTrack I wouldn't actually need the HT5 stack I've just bought second hand... Still, at least I'll be able to try some of the stereo settings on the Slicer and M5 and I like the Blackstar too so it's all good!

Dave_Mc

Nice score

I think I've heard that about the OD channel bleeding into the normal channel. I haven't really noticed that myself, but then I haven't really been looking, and I play 99% of the time on the OD channel )

The loop's line level so that might be affecting the M5.

digitalscream

Aha...somebody hasn't read all my posts on the JCA50H (and JCA100H)

The reason for the level drop with the M5 is that the loop is at line level - significantly hotter/louder than signal level. The M5 is designed to work at instrument level; when you use a pedal without enough headroom to handle line level, you'll get one of two results - either it'll clip like mad in a horrible way, or you'll simply not get enough volume out of it. The M5 is basically the latter...

There are a limited number of pedals which work well - Hardwire, TC Toneprint, Strymon and the Zoom MS70CDR are all pedals which work really well in the loop.

Note that the JCA22H and JCA20HV don't have this problem, because the loop is in a different place in the signal chain.

hobbio

Yeah, it was bleeding through. I knew there was a name for it, I just couldn't think what it was

I'll have a play with the M5 and see if it just happens with certain models.

EDIT: Just seen your post @digitalscream, I need to get a reverb and delay that works with it then

hobbio

That Zoom MS70CDR looks like it'll work for me, I'll keep my eye open for a second hand one.

steamabacus

You may be able to get away with switching the M5 to 'buffered bypass' (or whatever Line 6 call the non-true bypass mode), at least at home levels (although you'll lose gain in the loop and so probably add a bit of noise). As you wind the master volume up you'll probably clip the M5's input.

I now understand that Ditto looper question - at least that will handle the line level ok.

digitalscream

steamabacus said:

As you wind the master volume up you'll probably clip the M5's input.

Nope - the JCA50H's loop is between the initial gain stages and the tone stack, so the signal in the loop actually depends on the gain controls rather than the master volumes.

hobbio

I'll see if I can do anything with M5 temporarily cos I'll just be having it at home levels for a bit, but I think that Zoom might just be on the cards.

Fez

I haven't experienced this "bleeding through" on mine.

Re clean sounds, for me this is where an HSS Strat scores because I can set a clean sound up with the single coils then switching to HB gives a little crunch. Kick in overdrive (or a pedal) and your away.

Dave_Mc

^ Yeah a lot of people don't like guitars with both singles and humbuckers because the outputs are so different, but that difference can be used to advantage, at least in certain situations.

longjaw

Nearly bought one of these from Thomann - they were listed at £216. Left it a couple of days to mull it over and when I went to order it was £256!

hobbio

They're £235 delivered from Jet City's online store, although they're showing out of stock because they're waiting for foot switches.

http://www.jetcityamplificationstore.co.uk/product/jca50h/

bevanjon74

I've got a jca50 and had it for around a year, fantastic amp for the money! It really benefits from a tube swap - I've got jj's in mine now and that has really opened it up and made it roar I use mainly the crunch/cleaner channel with a full drive 2 clone for my pop punk covers band and it does that crunchy power chord thing wonderfully with my p90 loaded epi lp jr , and cleans up nicely with my lower output pups on my jaguar I haven't experienced much of the bleeding through either The line level loop is s bit of a pain .. But I'm not a massive user of modulation pedals on my current board so it's not making a big impact at the mo All in all a great amp, as is the matching 2x12 cab!

gubble

I've just got a NAD JAC50H too ! about to do my post relating to this

BigBearKris

Good to see some more Jet City love on the forum!