Hey guys
I should be able to try one out myself on Monday at Chandlers but wanted to get some feedback from owners or people have owned them.
Are they a versitile amp? I'm using humbuckers which are low output pickup. Use volume on guitar to clean up and get gain.
The guy from the shop said it would really suit me.
Does it sound bigger than it looks? The cab project well?
I worry about when turning it up the mids might be too overpowering with humbuckers?
Work well in home with vac, studio and bigger gigs... keep up with drummer using guitar volume clean to dirty then throw in a pedal for more saturation?
Comments
(formerly miserneil)
1. Warm (they tend to be darker) cleans with a lovely hint of compression.
2. Those great clipped clean tweed break up sounds.
Not sure if these descriptive words make sense !
If you are trying those 4 amps, leave the J20 till last as it will make them sound like toys in comparison.
(formerly miserneil)
A stock Tweed deluxe has a Jensen P12R which has a sensitivity of 95.0dB whereas the Celestion Blue in a Lazy J is a 100dB (and Celestion are renowned for being conservative). Just the speaker change will more than treble the volume. Add in the fact that it has 6L6s to give 20W compared with 12W from a standard Tweed Deluxe then it will be 4 x as loud as a regular Tweed Deluxe. That does make it a giggable amp.
The Blue does not fart out in the low end like a P12R either. Add in the fact that 6L6s generally sound a bit tighter than 6V6s you have a much tighter low end that makes the amp far more versatile. Also, with the GZ34 rectifier there is less sag from the rectifier than you will get with the 5Y3 in a Tweed Deluxe. I think the Lazy J probably has beefier transformers than a stock Tweed Deluxe as well, which will also contribute to a tighter sound.
It won't give you pristine blackface style cleans un-miced with a loud drummer but at volumes most pubs would let you get away with (if you ever want to get invited back) it will give you glorious warm cleans with a hint of hair when you dig in. Set like that you get great drive sounds when you boost it with a good overdrive pedal.
Check what the first pre-amp valve is when you try it. I much prefer it with a 12AY7 and my comments about the glorious cleans are based on that. I did see one in Chandlers with a 12AX7 which will give a lot more drive, but means that it will have very little clean headroom.
It depends what you want, but I find the Lazy J with some good pedals to be incredibly versatile.
I've just got Chris @ rift amps to build me one with a spin on the original! Exciting stuff
I use an EQD Tone Job pedal...cheap and we'll made. My conclusion after 12 years of searching....the amp is a more important choice of purchase than the guitar!