Ampeg J-20 Jet

valiant · April 2nd, 2009, 10:49 PM

Being in need of a new amp and thinking perhaps the Ampeg J-20 Jet
could be a good choice....thinking in terms of finally having a quality amp
that is point-to-point handwired in a good cabinet that would last a lifetime.

The Jet doesn't have reverb (but as a rythm player this is not a problem) it does have tremelo and 20 watts said to be loud enough to compete with drums and play small gigs and jam but would this amp be much to loud for home use.....15 watt Pro-Junior was loud but o.k. at home on 4.......

The amp based on the brown Fender Deluxe (6g3) which was the next one along after the tweed Fender Deluxe (5e3) and before the Princeton Reverb
....something of a missing link between the early and the later Fender amps
so how would this 6g3 circuit compare to the 5e3 and the later amps........

Finally upon research it seems that many of the old Ampegs had Jensen speakers as standard and some people swop the stock alnico 12 speaker
found in the J-20 for a Weber or Celestion speaker but which Jensen reissue
alnico 12 would be the most similar to the Jensen speakers used in the early Ampegs.......

If anyone has an Ampeg J-20 Jet or tried one or has any thoughts about the
J-20 in terms of the tone,volume,quality,mods and any pictures.....this amp has been out for a year now and must have a little fan club and so wheres the love and whats not to like........

markxander · April 2nd, 2009, 11:08 PM

Is this a reissue or the original you're talking about?

I had a reissue and it sounded great, but had tons of problems.

The tubes were actually too close to the removable back panel, which was covered in tolex. So when it heated up, the tolex actually melted and the whole amp would smoke. Definitely not ideal, probably a fire risk.

It also eventually just smoked out for good and stopped working altogether

JamonHamon · April 2nd, 2009, 11:15 PM

I love the amp sounds like a 5e3 but a lot louder and doesn't fart out
the speaker is OK but most people normally upgrade tubes and speaker

valiant · April 2nd, 2009, 11:51 PM

The model J-20 Jet is not an actual reissue of any early Ampeg model and is said to be based on a Fender amp.....was this fire risk amp a new handwired J-20 or the earlier "reissue" Jet.......the new J-20 is made in Korea or somesuch while there was a smaller 15 watt american made Jet that had reverb and a PCB that was less expensive......was it
just a badly designed cabinet or could the tubes have run too hot.........sounds dangerous

valiant · April 3rd, 2009, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamonHamon

I love the amp sounds like a 5e3 but a lot louder and doesn't fart out
the speaker is OK but most people normally upgrade tubes and speaker

So it does still have a 5e3 tweed sound only perhaps with a bit more control
and is the amp really loud but in terms of home use can the amp still be rewarding at low volumes.....is the amp well put together in terms of build quality and quality control.......most people upgrade tubes and speakers on most amps at some point.....thinking of perhaps a Jensen Alnico reissue....

skeksis · April 3rd, 2009, 02:39 AM

I'd suggest searching through the tdpri amp forum threads... there's been quite a bit of discussion about this amp at different times.

I almost pulled the trigger on one last fall... settled instead on a '64 Ampeg Jet j-12-a at about half the price.

General consensus is that it's NOT particularly 5e3 like... louder, cleaner. Surely on the loud side for cranking at home, similar territory to the Deluxe Reverb. Like you said in the OP (I think), it's a close cousin of the brown Deluxe. Build quality is supposed to be very good with good-enough components (great all-around at that price point). Some complaints about the tubes being biased way too hot from factory... would need fixing to preserve tube life. Some people like the speaker, others think it really stinks.

Cool amp in its own right, but definitely more in the Fender tradition than Ampeg. Ampeg dealers I know around town have nothing but awful things to say about the company management right now, and Ampeg's never really taken guitar amps seriously in recent decades... so there's reasons to be wary. BUT if a used one showed up at a decent price locally, I'd give it a shot!

valiant · April 3rd, 2009, 09:36 AM

"Some complaints about the tubes being biased way to hot from factory....would need fixing to preserve tube life"
Is this an easy matter to remedy......if an amp tech was going to put is a Jensen alnico
and a set of quality tubes would this simply be a routine adjustment or more complicated
and would this in itself reduce the volume a tad......like to play clean anyway and as long as the amp is able to perform at home volumes and with no need to "crank" the amp infact the reverse.....would consider it a positive that the amp would stay clean at volume......the 5e3 has a much earlier break up ........

Natstrat79 · April 3rd, 2009, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valiant

"Some complaints about the tubes being biased way to hot from factory....would need fixing to preserve tube life"
Is this an easy matter to remedy......if an amp tech was going to put is a Jensen alnico
and a set of quality tubes would this simply be a routine adjustment or more complicated
and would this in itself reduce the volume a tad......like to play clean anyway and as long as the amp is able to perform at home volumes and with no need to "crank" the amp infact the reverse.....would consider it a positive that the amp would stay clean at volume......the 5e3 has a much earlier break up ........

Sounds like this might be a pretty good fit for you. If you want clean tones at home at a reasonable volume I think it would be okay. The stock speaker may not hold together well enough to play rhythm in a band setting but it sounds like you are already thinking of changing it anyway. The bias change should be no problem for a competent tech and should be more than routine on a ptp wired amp.

valiant · April 3rd, 2009, 11:24 AM

Many thanks......so an amp tech could easily adjust the bias as a matter of routine while
a new set of tubes and a Jensen speaker would also be an easy swop.....as in while you wait/ready in an hour.
Any ideas as to which reissue Jensen Alnico speaker is the best to use....Ampeg used Jensen speakers as standard in the early days as did Fender often.......
Any thoughts on a high quality brand for valves to look at in terms of a good set of replacement tubes for a J-20 Jet.
So apart from finding a Jensen alnico 12 plus a good set of valves the bias adjustment can be simply sorted at the same time as the swop over......
Some have said that the point-to-point handwire on the amp is a tidy job and uses quality components and the cabinet is constructed in the traditional way so it would seem to be built to last.....this could be the one...finally a quality amp and one to keep.

Natstrat79 · April 3rd, 2009, 04:38 PM

If you want vintage jensen tone then the only way to go is Weber speakers.

For power tubes there isn't that much choice in 6v6's unless you plan on spending big bucks on New Old Stock. The big players would Sovtek, JJ, and the various Chinese re-brands. Usually when it comes to new 6v6's most people will recommend the JJ's because they seem to be some of the more reliable current production 6v6's.

As far as bias being a 1hr while you wait job? That will really depend on your tech. Yes it should be routine but it will require pulling the chassis and changing out a component or two on the board.

tlsmack · April 3rd, 2009, 05:48 PM

This looks like a deal to me:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=220374999171

At $850, the J-20 is tempting, but out of my price range. At $499, I'm really thinking about it. I think this seller has 3 demo models listed.

valiant · April 3rd, 2009, 07:24 PM

$499 is an amazing price down from $850........in the U.K. they are about £700 which is about $1000 but that is also because of 17.5% VAT and the exchange rate......so really they are only about £600 in the states and this deal is under £400 which is the Blues Jnr pcb,mdf box price range.......if they were available for under £500 in the UK they would
really take trade away from the ever popular Blues Jnr and Orange Tiny Terror.............
Point-to-point handwired 20 watt in a traditional 1x12 cabinet all valve and alnico speaker at $499.........in the words of Max Miller "You Lucky People"

Maradona86 · April 6th, 2009, 05:13 PM

I got one of these and the stock speaker is indeed crap. I swapped out a reissue Jensen C12N and are pretty happy with it. I'm a clean FREAK (TRRI is my main amp) and this 20 watter has clean in spades; it does break up nicely however when dimed (esp. with a tele. I was too lazy to grab my overdrive pedal and thats how I was playing this morning. it was really nice). The tubes are stock in mine(they're good enough) but I do think that the amp would benefit from some either Tung Sol or JJ 6V6s over the stock Electroharmonix tubes in there now.. This amp really shines with Strats and Teles and does well with humbucker guitars (plugged into the bright socket). I am really happy I am in debt over this amp; it's a great score. I say get one.

Maradona86 · April 8th, 2009, 11:57 AM

Has anybody else upgraded the speakers in theirs: If so to what? Outcome?
Just curious......

spankdplank · April 8th, 2009, 06:18 PM

No experience with the J-20 Jet. I used to have a 68 Ampeg J-12 Jet but sold it when I got a 5E3. The J-12 is a killer amp and a bargain compared to what 60's Fenders go for. It is cleaner and not as loud as a 5e3, but has a nice temolo. About 12 watts, with a 12 inch speaker. It is a much darker sounding amp than a 5e3.

valiant · April 8th, 2009, 08:59 PM

So anyone else got a J-20 Jet or played one......anyone had the bias adjusted,put in a new set of tubes or a Jensen alnico 12 reissue.....recorded,home use,gigs.....at the price
point-to-point handwired 1x12 alnico 20 watt combo with tremelo and tube rectifier in a pine cabinet....should Ampeg add to the blue diamond series and offer a reverb combo...
a sort of R-20 Rocket to add to the J-20 Jet.....

Maradona86 · April 9th, 2009, 04:10 AM

If they were smart they would. I'll be surprised if LOUD tech (parent co.) is still around at year's end. nevertheless, I'm a huge supporter of this amp. It gives me tones that my TRRI and Kustom '36 Coupe don't.

DarnWeight · June 12th, 2009, 05:26 AM

Just bumping this thread for a few reasons...

I've just bought one, and am waiting for it to arrive sometime in the next few weeks.
There's finally a decent clip/review of this up on YouTube here. All the others had sound quality or "style" issues that didn't really show the amp off to the best of its ability IMHO.
I was wondering how any J-20 owners out there were getting along with the amp now the honeymoon period is over.

That is all!

ac15 · June 12th, 2009, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarnWeight

Just bumping this thread for a few reasons...

I've just bought one, and am waiting for it to arrive sometime in the next few weeks.
There's finally a decent clip/review of this up on YouTube here. All the others had sound quality or "style" issues that didn't really show the amp off to the best of its ability IMHO.
I was wondering how any J-20 owners out there were getting along with the amp now the honeymoon period is over.

That is all!

I love the J-20 Jet and I've had it for a year or so. I thought it sounded good stock, but I made a couple of upgrades that make it sound fantastic: I replaced the stock speaker with a Weber Blue Dog, and replaced the transformers with Mercury Magnetics parts. I specifically did it (transformer swap) not because the amp necessarily sounded bad, but because the amp is such a simple circuit, point-to-point, etc. that I felt it was a "keeper" and a great platform for upgrades. I've also had successful results upgrading transformers in other amps. I use a reverb pedal with mine (Mr. Springgy). What I like about the amp is that it never gets flabby or indistinct sounding, even all the way up the dial. The natural overdrive it gets is fantastic. It's fairly lightweight too, and the tremolo is great. I also own two 1950's Ampeg amps, and although this amp is not really a reissue, it sounds at least as good as (or better than) my vintage amps.

JamonHamon · June 13th, 2009, 12:34 AM

With this amp and a PRRI and a mic is all you'll ever need

s360guitarist · June 14th, 2009, 09:16 PM

I GAS'd for one of these for quite some time. I spoke with the folks at Boynton Audio in NY. They made a demo. He said he had about 20 of them in stock and would send it out for 469 plus shipping.

I play a AC15 and am looking to move on from it to something else. This has great stuff going for it with the point to point etc. I emailed back and forth with a couple owners that said it just left them kind of unimpressed/uninspired. I have not played it but am afraid that it will have too much headroom before breaking up.

The vintage ones are on ebay all the time...we will see what happens.

April 2nd, 2009, 10:49 PM	#1 (permalink)
valiant Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Burslem Age: 46 Posts: 137	Ampeg J-20 Jet Being in need of a new amp and thinking perhaps the Ampeg J-20 Jet could be a good choice....thinking in terms of finally having a quality amp that is point-to-point handwired in a good cabinet that would last a lifetime. The Jet doesn't have reverb (but as a rythm player this is not a problem) it does have tremelo and 20 watts said to be loud enough to compete with drums and play small gigs and jam but would this amp be much to loud for home use.....15 watt Pro-Junior was loud but o.k. at home on 4....... The amp based on the brown Fender Deluxe (6g3) which was the next one along after the tweed Fender Deluxe (5e3) and before the Princeton Reverb ....something of a missing link between the early and the later Fender amps so how would this 6g3 circuit compare to the 5e3 and the later amps........ Finally upon research it seems that many of the old Ampegs had Jensen speakers as standard and some people swop the stock alnico 12 speaker found in the J-20 for a Weber or Celestion speaker but which Jensen reissue alnico 12 would be the most similar to the Jensen speakers used in the early Ampegs....... If anyone has an Ampeg J-20 Jet or tried one or has any thoughts about the J-20 in terms of the tone,volume,quality,mods and any pictures.....this amp has been out for a year now and must have a little fan club and so wheres the love and whats not to like........

April 2nd, 2009, 11:08 PM	#2 (permalink)
markxander TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Waterloo ON Posts: 91	Is this a reissue or the original you're talking about? I had a reissue and it sounded great, but had tons of problems. The tubes were actually too close to the removable back panel, which was covered in tolex. So when it heated up, the tolex actually melted and the whole amp would smoke. Definitely not ideal, probably a fire risk. It also eventually just smoked out for good and stopped working altogether __________________ www.myspace.com/markcarterdemos

April 3rd, 2009, 02:39 AM	#6 (permalink)
skeksis Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: phoenix Posts: 618	I'd suggest searching through the tdpri amp forum threads... there's been quite a bit of discussion about this amp at different times. I almost pulled the trigger on one last fall... settled instead on a '64 Ampeg Jet j-12-a at about half the price. General consensus is that it's NOT particularly 5e3 like... louder, cleaner. Surely on the loud side for cranking at home, similar territory to the Deluxe Reverb. Like you said in the OP (I think), it's a close cousin of the brown Deluxe. Build quality is supposed to be very good with good-enough components (great all-around at that price point). Some complaints about the tubes being biased way too hot from factory... would need fixing to preserve tube life. Some people like the speaker, others think it really stinks. Cool amp in its own right, but definitely more in the Fender tradition than Ampeg. Ampeg dealers I know around town have nothing but awful things to say about the company management right now, and Ampeg's never really taken guitar amps seriously in recent decades... so there's reasons to be wary. BUT if a used one showed up at a decent price locally, I'd give it a shot! __________________ http://www.myspace.com/jswattsmusic http://www.myspace.com/worrymenmusic

April 3rd, 2009, 05:48 PM	#11 (permalink)
tlsmack Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Lonk I-lant, New York Posts: 445 47 Photos	This looks like a deal to me: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=220374999171 At $850, the J-20 is tempting, but out of my price range. At $499, I'm really thinking about it. I think this seller has 3 demo models listed. __________________ I hate music, it's got too many notes - Paul Westerberg Last edited by tlsmack; April 3rd, 2009 at 05:54 PM. Reason: fix link

June 12th, 2009, 05:26 AM	#18 (permalink)
DarnWeight TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Norfolk, UK Posts: 60	Just bumping this thread for a few reasons... I've just bought one, and am waiting for it to arrive sometime in the next few weeks. There's finally a decent clip/review of this up on YouTube here. All the others had sound quality or "style" issues that didn't really show the amp off to the best of its ability IMHO. I was wondering how any J-20 owners out there were getting along with the amp now the honeymoon period is over. That is all! Last edited by DarnWeight; June 12th, 2009 at 02:19 PM.

April 2nd, 2009, 11:15 PM	#3 (permalink)
JamonHamon Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: City of Lost Angels Posts: 1,832	I love the amp sounds like a 5e3 but a lot louder and doesn't fart out the speaker is OK but most people normally upgrade tubes and speaker

April 2nd, 2009, 11:51 PM	#4 (permalink)
valiant Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Burslem Age: 46 Posts: 137	The model J-20 Jet is not an actual reissue of any early Ampeg model and is said to be based on a Fender amp.....was this fire risk amp a new handwired J-20 or the earlier "reissue" Jet.......the new J-20 is made in Korea or somesuch while there was a smaller 15 watt american made Jet that had reverb and a PCB that was less expensive......was it just a badly designed cabinet or could the tubes have run too hot.........sounds dangerous

April 3rd, 2009, 09:36 AM	#7 (permalink)
valiant Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Burslem Age: 46 Posts: 137	"Some complaints about the tubes being biased way to hot from factory....would need fixing to preserve tube life" Is this an easy matter to remedy......if an amp tech was going to put is a Jensen alnico and a set of quality tubes would this simply be a routine adjustment or more complicated and would this in itself reduce the volume a tad......like to play clean anyway and as long as the amp is able to perform at home volumes and with no need to "crank" the amp infact the reverse.....would consider it a positive that the amp would stay clean at volume......the 5e3 has a much earlier break up ........

April 3rd, 2009, 11:24 AM	#9 (permalink)
valiant Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Burslem Age: 46 Posts: 137	Many thanks......so an amp tech could easily adjust the bias as a matter of routine while a new set of tubes and a Jensen speaker would also be an easy swop.....as in while you wait/ready in an hour. Any ideas as to which reissue Jensen Alnico speaker is the best to use....Ampeg used Jensen speakers as standard in the early days as did Fender often....... Any thoughts on a high quality brand for valves to look at in terms of a good set of replacement tubes for a J-20 Jet. So apart from finding a Jensen alnico 12 plus a good set of valves the bias adjustment can be simply sorted at the same time as the swop over...... Some have said that the point-to-point handwire on the amp is a tidy job and uses quality components and the cabinet is constructed in the traditional way so it would seem to be built to last.....this could be the one...finally a quality amp and one to keep.

April 3rd, 2009, 04:38 PM	#10 (permalink)
Natstrat79 Tele-Meister Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Iowa Posts: 308	If you want vintage jensen tone then the only way to go is Weber speakers. For power tubes there isn't that much choice in 6v6's unless you plan on spending big bucks on New Old Stock. The big players would Sovtek, JJ, and the various Chinese re-brands. Usually when it comes to new 6v6's most people will recommend the JJ's because they seem to be some of the more reliable current production 6v6's. As far as bias being a 1hr while you wait job? That will really depend on your tech. Yes it should be routine but it will require pulling the chassis and changing out a component or two on the board.

April 3rd, 2009, 07:24 PM	#12 (permalink)
valiant Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Burslem Age: 46 Posts: 137	$499 is an amazing price down from $850........in the U.K. they are about £700 which is about $1000 but that is also because of 17.5% VAT and the exchange rate......so really they are only about £600 in the states and this deal is under £400 which is the Blues Jnr pcb,mdf box price range.......if they were available for under £500 in the UK they would really take trade away from the ever popular Blues Jnr and Orange Tiny Terror............. Point-to-point handwired 20 watt in a traditional 1x12 cabinet all valve and alnico speaker at $499.........in the words of Max Miller "You Lucky People"

April 6th, 2009, 05:13 PM	#13 (permalink)
Maradona86 TDPRI Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Bombonera Posts: 85	I got one of these and the stock speaker is indeed crap. I swapped out a reissue Jensen C12N and are pretty happy with it. I'm a clean FREAK (TRRI is my main amp) and this 20 watter has clean in spades; it does break up nicely however when dimed (esp. with a tele. I was too lazy to grab my overdrive pedal and thats how I was playing this morning. it was really nice). The tubes are stock in mine(they're good enough) but I do think that the amp would benefit from some either Tung Sol or JJ 6V6s over the stock Electroharmonix tubes in there now.. This amp really shines with Strats and Teles and does well with humbucker guitars (plugged into the bright socket). I am really happy I am in debt over this amp; it's a great score. I say get one.

April 8th, 2009, 11:57 AM	#14 (permalink)
Maradona86 TDPRI Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Bombonera Posts: 85	Has anybody else upgraded the speakers in theirs: If so to what? Outcome? Just curious......

April 8th, 2009, 06:18 PM	#15 (permalink)
spankdplank Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Houston, Tx. Posts: 1,022 28 Photos	No experience with the J-20 Jet. I used to have a 68 Ampeg J-12 Jet but sold it when I got a 5E3. The J-12 is a killer amp and a bargain compared to what 60's Fenders go for. It is cleaner and not as loud as a 5e3, but has a nice temolo. About 12 watts, with a 12 inch speaker. It is a much darker sounding amp than a 5e3.

April 8th, 2009, 08:59 PM	#16 (permalink)
valiant Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Burslem Age: 46 Posts: 137	So anyone else got a J-20 Jet or played one......anyone had the bias adjusted,put in a new set of tubes or a Jensen alnico 12 reissue.....recorded,home use,gigs.....at the price point-to-point handwired 1x12 alnico 20 watt combo with tremelo and tube rectifier in a pine cabinet....should Ampeg add to the blue diamond series and offer a reverb combo... a sort of R-20 Rocket to add to the J-20 Jet.....

April 9th, 2009, 04:10 AM	#17 (permalink)
Maradona86 TDPRI Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Bombonera Posts: 85	If they were smart they would. I'll be surprised if LOUD tech (parent co.) is still around at year's end. nevertheless, I'm a huge supporter of this amp. It gives me tones that my TRRI and Kustom '36 Coupe don't.

June 13th, 2009, 12:34 AM	#20 (permalink)
JamonHamon Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: City of Lost Angels Posts: 1,832	With this amp and a PRRI and a mic is all you'll ever need

June 14th, 2009, 09:16 PM	#21 (permalink)
s360guitarist TDPRI Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: St. Louis Posts: 88	I GAS'd for one of these for quite some time. I spoke with the folks at Boynton Audio in NY. They made a demo. He said he had about 20 of them in stock and would send it out for 469 plus shipping. I play a AC15 and am looking to move on from it to something else. This has great stuff going for it with the point to point etc. I emailed back and forth with a couple owners that said it just left them kind of unimpressed/uninspired. I have not played it but am afraid that it will have too much headroom before breaking up. The vintage ones are on ebay all the time...we will see what happens.

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