JC120-ish Amps?

Just wondering if there are any amps out there similar to the JC120. From what I understand, the Peavey Stereo Chorus 212 was something of a failed attempt. Is this correct? Are there others?

The Yamaha G100.

http://www.strat-talk.com/forum/attachments/amp-input-normal-bright/8362d1273939389-there-amp-you-wish-you-still-had-yamaha-g100-212iii.jpg

I think the Peavey Stereo amps sound good, basically the same as the older Bandit / Special / Renown amps with chorus and in stereo, so what is "failed attempt" about them ? Most all of the older USA made Peavey SS amps from the 80s / 90s are well made good sounding amps.

Fender made some stereo chorus amps too, never tried one.

I owned a couple of the Yamaha G series amps, they sounded great, I bet their version of the JC is a great amp.

The Peavey Stereo Chorus 212 compared to the Roland JC 120 was absolutely NOT a failed attempt regarding the sound, reliability or build quality. Peavey sold a lot of them, but the Rolands have always been more popular.

I've been on stage with both of them night after night for a few years combined, mostly with the JC 120 used by another guitar player.

I listened to the Roland JC 120 nightly for at least a couple years before
I first heard the Peavey Stereo Chorus 212.

The Peavey SC 212 overall kicks the JC's butt. The Peavey has 270 stereo watts which gives lots more clean headroom, not that you should need it.

The clean channels are comparable, but the Peavey's distortion channels on their final two versions, the teal striped and the last version of the Stereo Chorus 212 (mid 1990's) with the master volume blows the Roland away The quality of the OD channels aren't even on the same planet. (You can level that playing field by adding a great pedal like a Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Classic).

Edit: Jake correctly pointed out to me that the dirt channel on the the original Peavey Stereo Chorus with the silver/grey cosmetics wasn't any better than the JC 120's dirt channel.

Both the Roland and Peavey have true analog stereo chorus that sounds fantastic. Some guitarists put the Roland JC in a league of its own for chorus quality, but I've never been totally convinced that it's superior over the Peavey's chorus. The digital effects on both amps are comparable.

Anyone who would call the Peavey a failed attempt in sound and build quality would be a Peavey basher (bad case of Peavey envy), or a pissed off Roland owner that could have gotten a better amp a lot cheaper, IMO.

The Roland JC's have always been more popular than the Peavey Stereo Chorus amps.
Why?

Several years before the Peavey version came out, Roland already had that market locked up. Jazz Chorus amps were THE prestigious ones to have, commonly seen with the high profile pro's doing jazz / rock fusion , pop,disco,funk and also seen with acoustic stars like Joni Mitchell. The JC's were sheik, looked cool, and they didn't have much competition. You'd see one on stage and you knew what it was, which made you cool right away to have one.

A few years later, Peavey decides to get in on the stereo chorus action, but they were snubbed for being just another typically generic looking Peavey, regarded as an inferior ripoff of the original Roland JC120 concept.

No doubt that both the Peavey Stereo Chorus 400 model and the newer Stereo Chorus 212 WERE generic looking by comparison to the JC, and heaven forbid, now you'd be stigmatized for not being "sheik." A blindfold test would confirm that the Peaveys weren't inferior, not by any stretch, but because that was the knee-jerk perception, that image never changed.

Roland still makes the Chorus amps and Peavey doesn't that I know of.
What makes it difficult for someone trying to decide which one to get, is that you normally don't have the opportunity to A/B compare them. I was able to do that, and besides the power rating, my subjective comparisons are just IMHO. :smile:

The Peavey Stereo Chorus 212 compared to the Roland JC 120 was absolutely NOT a failed attempt regarding the sound, reliability or build quality. In sales however, it was.

I've been on stage with both of them night after night for a few years combined, mostly with the JC 120 used by another guitar player.

I listened to the Roland JC 120 nightly for at least a couple years before
I first heard the Peavey Stereo Chorus 212.

The Peavey SC 212 overall kicks the JC's butt. The Peavey has 270 stereo watts which gives lots more clean headroom, not that you should need it.

The clean channels are comparable, but the Peavey's distortion channels ( one crunch, one lead) blows the Roland away. The quality of the OD channels aren't even on the same planet. (You can level that playing field by adding a great pedal like a Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Classic)

They both have beautiful analog true stereo chorus. Some guitarists will give the nod to the Roland for the chorus quality over the PV, but I'm not convinced. I think that's still part of the Roland's sheik image. The digital effects on both amps are comparable.

Anyone who would call the Peavey a failed attempt in sound and build quality would be a Peavey basher (bad case of Peavey envy), or a pissed off Roland owner that could have gotten a better amp a lot cheaper, IMO.

The Roland JC's have always been more popular than the Peavey Stereo Chorus amps.
Why?

Several years before the Peavey version came out, Roland already had that market locked up. Jazz Chorus amps were THE prestigious ones to have, commonly seen with the high profile pro's doing jazz / rock fusion , pop,disco,funk and also seen with acoustic stars like Joni Mitchell. The JC's were sheik, looked cool, and they didn't have much competition. You'd see one on stage and you knew what it was, which made you cool right away to have one.

A few years later, Peavey decides to get in on the stereo chorus action, but they were snubbed for being just another typically generic looking Peavey, regarded as an inferior ripoff of the original Roland JC120 concept.

No doubt that both the Peavey Stereo Chorus 400 model and the newer Stereo Chorus 212 WERE generic looking by comparison to the JC, and heaven forbid, now you'd be stigmatized for not being "sheik." A blindfold test would confirm that the Peaveys weren't inferior, not by any stretch, but because that was the knee-jerk perception, that image never changed.

Roland still makes the Chorus amps and Peavey doesn't that I know of.
What makes it difficult for someone trying to decide which one to get, is that you normally don't have the opportunity to A/B compare them. I was able to do that, and besides the power rating, my subjective comparisons are just IMHO. :smile:

Agree with pretty much all of this 100%.

The Peavey with the silver/grey cosmetics (I had one) is great clean, and has excellent FX. Every bit as good as the Roland. The dirt channels, are very bit as BAD as the Roland, so I put them totally equal, except that I prefer the overall tonality of ther Peavey. I think it's a sweeter sounding amp. Add to that that you can buy one used, really clean, for under $300, and it's a no brainer.

Now, the Peavey Stereo Chorus 212 with the Teal stripe cosmetics is by far and away THE biggest home run of the stereo chorus amp world. All the clean sweetness and chorusy goodness for the original model, along with highly useable dirt channels that positively BURY anything the Roland can do.

I would love to have another Stereo Chorus 212 in the arsenal. I kick myself for selling mine. It was an AWESOME amp. I'd take another over a JC120 any day. There's a JC 120 I can use any time I want at a local studio where I sxometimes rehearse and record. I bring my own amp. It's ok, but I don't personally think it's on the same sonic level as the Stereo Chorus 212.

Hi Jake,

Yeah, I was mainly talking about the Teal Stripe and the last SC 212 model that Peavey made with the master volume. Those last two were great but don't get the respect they deserve. Thanks for pointing the inferior dirt channels on the previous model, I forgot they weren't up to par. I appreciate your input as I wouldn't want to give anyone a bum steer if they were putting a lot of weight on the dirt channels of the earliest models.

I'm gonna edit my post again and correct that.

The various Fender stereo chorus model amps are fine amps. Probably the best ss amps Fender has made. One of the best stereo chorus amps I ever played through was a Marshall, but you could get a Roland for what you would pay for the Marshall.

Hi Jake,

Yeah, I was mainly talking about the Teal Stripe and the last SC 212 model that Peavey made with the master volume. Those last two were great but don't get the respect they deserve. Thanks for pointing the inferior dirt channels on the previous model, I forgot they weren't up to par. I appreciate your input as I wouldn't want to give anyone a bum steer if they were putting a lot of weight on the dirt channels of the earliest models.

I'm gonna edit my post again and correct that.

I hear ya. Like I said, mine was the grey stripe model, and while the chorus and other digital FX were incredible, as were the clean tones, the dirt channels were pretty stinky.

Didn't bother me a bit, I'm a pedal guy anyhow, and only look to an amp for nice loud cleans most of the time.

I loaned mine out to a pedal steel player one night, and he LOVED it. There is just nothing louder or cleaner. I'll say though, if you really don't value your life much, and can sometime stay in a room or on stage with it cranked up to about 8 or so, you're in a for a treat if you survive the first note.:lol:

Cranked up that high, it gets this really cool breakup/compression thing goin on that puts you WAY over into Kimmock/Garcia lead territory. You know that fat honking, almost sounds like a horn player tone? It's in there. But it's unimagineably loud.:cool:

Fender M80 Chorus. Hard to find one in good shape, huge tone if you do. My brother still has his old JC, reliable as hell and reasonably light.

I loaned mine out to a pedal steel player one night, and he LOVED it. There is just nothing louder or cleaner. I'll say though, if you really don't value your life much, and can sometime stay in a room or on stage with it cranked up to about 8 or so, you're in a for a treat if you survive the first note.:lol:

Cranked up that high, it gets this really cool breakup/compression thing goin on that puts you WAY over into Kimmock/Garcia lead territory. You know that fat honking, almost sounds like a horn player tone? It's in there. But it's unimagineably loud.:cool:

Haha, yeah Jake, that's the honest truth. We did an outside gig a couple decades ago, and the guitar player borrowed an SC 212 just for this show.
He did have it cranked and it sounded freakin' great. Amazing cleans at high volume and his solos cut right through, no problem. I don't know what pedals he used but the sound was huge.

I've got a '91 Teal and use it for lap steel, guitar and a Roland Keyboard. It handles the bass notes on the keyboard just fine. I've never heard a better amp for lap steel. When set up right with the EQ and effects, the tone is pure with that bell like quality.

For an experiment I ran that Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Classic box into the Power Amp In jacks on the back of the Peavey, so it bypasses the SS preamp. The SD Twin Tube has those Phillips-Sylvania 6021 dual triode tubes that cook with the high voltage plate. When you overdrive these tubes, it makes the PV Stereo Chorus sound like a cranked up old Marshall. Even when running it in front of the clean channel it sounds great. There's no need to use the OD channels on the Peavey at all.

Anyway, along with the fun I'm having with it on guitar again, and the versatility of using it with lap steel and keyboards. it still amazes me that I'd be lucky to get over $200 for it , even in excellent condition.

If you can't find a JC-120, you might be very pleasantly surprised by the smaller Roland amps they make now. The cube line has some very impressive tones that I think are in many ways superior to the sound of the JC-120/77/50 line. Of course, no stereo chorus, but its a minor sacrifice. I'm somewhat partial to the Cube 80XL amp. I spent a day with one recently, and it belted out nicely everything from sweet blues & jazz, to a decent effort of hard rock, and rockabilly. (The JC-120 always made me need a mess of stomp boxes to be happy, and the Cube is pretty much pick up and go for basic use). For a solid state amp, those little cube amps are hard to beat for what they deliver. I would even put them above about half of the tube amps on the market in terms of clean for jazz, and blues.

You can find them used for $250 or so, and that isn't a lot of beans for what you get.

The various Fender stereo chorus model amps are fine amps. Probably the best ss amps Fender has made. One of the best stereo chorus amps I ever played through was a Marshall, but you could get a Roland for what you would pay for the Marshall.

I always thought Fender chorus sounded better than Roland chorus.

PJ

I still have a Solton Chorus 100 since 1982. I wanted a JC 120 at the time but the shop didn't have one. so I got this.
great clean tone and very similar to the JC, except it isn't stereo.

I have a ZT Club, 200W, 1x12", super clean amp!! Takes pedals really well too, reverb is good, effects loop is nice touch too, I actually use it as a power amp, plugging my hd500 into the effects return, but as a normal amp it sounds great, takes pedals well, doesn't have a lot of gain itself so that's handy :)

http://www.ztamplifiers.com/products/club.html

If you can't find a JC-120, you might be very pleasantly surprised by the smaller Roland amps they make now.
I've got a MicroCube and am very happy with it, which is the reason I'm looking into these bigger SS amps. Getting a bigger Cube is definitelly on the table.
The various Fender stereo chorus model amps are fine amps. Besides the above-mentioned 80, what other chorus amps did Fender produce?

The standard Fender model is the Princeton Chorus. Very nice amp, but not huge powerful. 40w a channel if memory serves me right. There is a pretty high demand for these. I have had several and they sell fast at good prices. It is a nice size amp at 2-10's and easy to carry around. Very lush chorus sound. Overdrive sound is not so hot, but pedals can fix that. I think the size is what makes the popular. Good sounding amp in a reasonable size package.

Fender Power Chorus, Ultra Chorus, and Ultimate Chorus are all similar to the Roland JC120 with 2-12's. All of them have plenty of headroom and volume. All are in pretty high demand. The Power Chorus's are the red knob models.

Marshal VS230 is another fine amp with awesome overdriven sound. I had one of these go through my hands and it was just a killer amp. Hard to find.

Thanks Mr Twain...er, Mr Clemons. Is there a difference between those Fender models besides the wattage?

To me, not a whole lot. You are going to get a different sound with two 10's vs two 12's.

I've got a Fender Power Chorus. Great amp -- and I have a lot of amps. The clean sound is excellent.

Crate made some "stereo chorus" amps back around 1990. We often subbed them for JC-120's when supplying backline for touring bands. We never had any complaints.

When I was looking to replace a bunch of rack gear, I came upon a unique stereo chorus amp, the Rivera S120-210. It was also available as a head and a 2 x 12 combo. The preamp has two switchable channels, one "British" and one "American." The power stage is two 60 watt power sections using EL 34's. The chorus effect is good, but not as good as the chours on a JC-120. It reminds me of a Boss pedal and I hear a little bit of distortion in it. I'm currently using a TC Electronic G-Major 2 for my effects in the loop, so it's not a big deal. The Rivera is no longer a production amp, but I think they still build them as a special order. These amps are as solid as it gets and can be found used for reasonable prices.

Hey Paul, up hwy 287 from me, I'll bet that Rivera is a killer amp. I've never seen one, but I'd love to check one out.

Don't forget that the Roland Cube-series all have, rather unsurprisingly, a decent JC120 mode, with somewhat better speakers and more grunt than the micro-series. All do mousefart and the big ones are loud!

Hey Paul, up hwy 287 from me, I'll bet that Rivera is a killer amp. I've never seen one, but I'd love to check one out.

Shoot me a PM with your e-mail and I'll make sure you know the next time I gig with it.

Don't forget that the Roland Cube-series all have, rather unsurprisingly, a decent JC120 mode, with somewhat better speakers and more grunt than the micro-series. All do mousefart and the big ones are loud!

I have an older Cube30 and the JC setting is downright awesome. Possibly the best clean sound of any amp I've owned.

But I tried a new Cube80x for a week or 2 and the JC setting was crap, IMO.

I've got a new Cube 80XL, the JC setting is certainly not "crap" on my amp.I wouldn't go so far as to say it's the best clean tone I've ever heard, but that's true for just about every SS amp I've owned or played, probably the "best" ss clean tone was the old LAB series amp that I briefly owned.
I would think the JC model would be the same throughout the entire Cube amp line.

Crate made some "stereo chorus" amps back around 1990. We often subbed them for JC-120's when supplying backline for touring bands. We never had any complaints.

Probably the GX130C. 2X12 combo, 65 watts per side. Great sounding little amp if want the totally clean stereo chorus thing. Also USA made, and quite reliable. Also available as a head. If you stay out of the dirt channel, they are pretty cool. Just not as much "oomph" as a JC pr Peavey Stereo Chorus 212. To be fair though, one rarely needs the type of overall volume those two amps are capable of. Very rarely. Also to be fair, as unattractive as the dirt channel is, it still beats the Roland, or the grey striped Peavey. The GX130C amps are probably the best bang for the buck mentioned here. I passed on a mint head recently for $110 bucks. I've seen the combos go in good condition for as little as $129. That's a LOT of amp for that money.

I've never been a fan of the Fender amps mentioned here. They sound quite good by themselves. Get them in a mix, and they just don't work for me. The way they're voiced means they are either buried in the mix, or EQ'd to cut. When EQ'd to cut there's a really harsh and clanging presence to the high end that is like somebody driving a 16 penny nail through my forehead.

I was able to make an Ultimate Chorus work for one gig, where it was just guitar/bass/drums. On the next gig we had horns and a second guitarist, and it just disappeared. Too scooped and sterile. Tried to get it to cut, and it just got brittle and ugly. I returned it. I was disappointed, because all by itself, it sounded fantastic. I loved it in my house.

I've got a new Cube 80XL, the JC setting is certainly not "crap" on my amp.I wouldn't go so far as to say it's the best clean tone I've ever heard, but that's true for just about every SS amp I've owned or played, probably the "best" ss clean tone was the old LAB series amp that I briefly owned.
I would think the JC model would be the same throughout the entire Cube amp line.

The XL models are supposed to be much better than the X models. I have not tried an XL, but my 80X was NOT "all that and a bag of chips". So I can see what the other poster is talking about. My slightly older Cube 60, has killer clean tones. Very JC120-ish in a much smaller package.

I still want another Peavey though, even though I'd have to rent a small crane and tractor setup to move it around.:lol:

I would think the JC model would be the same throughout the entire Cube amp line.

Dunno about the 80XL, but a couple of years back quite a few people on forums were complaining that the JC sound on the 80X was nowhere as good as the one on the old Cube60.
Whether you think the sound of either is good or bad is up to you (there was a variety of opinion about the issue, as I recall)...but they certainly weren't the same. But it might have had something to do with the odd 'interactive' EQ the Cube80X had.

Whatever it was, I spent 2 weeks trying to get the Cube80X to work in a band setting and gave up. But a Cube60, or this little Cube30 I now have, I can plug into, find a sound in a few moments...and play a whole gig. Comfortably.

Probably the GX130C. 2X12 combo, 65 watts per side. Great sounding little amp if want the totally clean stereo chorus thing. Also USA made, and quite reliable. Also available as a head. If you stay out of the dirt channel, they are pretty cool. Just not as much "oomph" as a JC pr Peavey Stereo Chorus 212. To be fair though, one rarely needs the type of overall volume those two amps are capable of. Very rarely. Also to be fair, as unattractive as the dirt channel is, it still beats the Roland, or the grey striped Peavey. The GX130C amps are probably the best bang for the buck mentioned here. I passed on a mint head recently for $110 bucks. I've seen the combos go in good condition for as little as $129. That's a LOT of amp for that money.


I'm pretty sure that was the amp. We sold a slew of Crate amps and Washburn guitars back then. The model numbers have become a blur.

It's too bad that Roland only makes the JC-120 now, and no 2x10"s anymore, like the JC-77 or JC-90. The size is right!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v700/hotwireaudio/Guitar%20stuff/JC120JC77.jpg

Researching the amps mentioned in this post, I'm really astounded to find the range of musicians who use or have used ss chorus amps. The Yamaha G100's are virtually impossible to find, thanks (at least in part, I suspect) to Mike Stern, and schlock-metal kids are snapping up the Crate GX's because Cannibal Corpse used them for high-gain stuff in the 90's. Makes me wonder why most of these got discontinued, especially the smaller JC's, as BigDaddy pointed out.

I buy, sell, and trade gear on the side, so a lot of gear has gone through my hands. Traynor makes some good stereo chorus amps also, but they are hard to find. If you see one, it is worth giving a try at a decent price.

It's too bad that Roland only makes the JC-120 now, and no 2x10"s anymore, like the JC-77 or JC-90. The size is right!


Tell me about it. I have been searching and searching used gear for the smaller Jazz Chorus models. Haven't had any luck and I really don't want to buy used gear. I just wish Roland would make a smaller model. Man, every other amp company makes smaller versions of their big guys. Roland are just being jerks.

Those are two beauties you got there. I'm jealous.

Carvin SX 200/300 sound pretty good too. And I agree that the PV stereo 212 teal stripe sounds pretty good.

If you can find a used Fender M80 Stereo Chorus 212 (discontinued model). That one kicks a$$!!! :cool:

-Jagg

I have a Fender Princeton Chorus from late '80s and a Roland Jazz Chorus from late '70s.

When it comes to the chorus effect, both are pretty much identical. I think they are both based upon similar chorus circuitry. I can monkey with my rate and depth knobs on both amps and get an exact chorus sound.

Difference between the two amps lies in the clean and distortion tones you get from each amp, not in the chorus.

http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv224/taxmanharrison/PICT05redo.jpg


http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv224/taxmanharrison/use708.jpg

do you think the "ROLAND JAZZ CHORUS 50" is what lead to the cubes, and ditched the two speaker models? and only kept the big brother, letting the cubes pick up the slack,
chris.

Glad I came across this thread. I've been gas-ing for a JC-120. I have a Peavey Chorus 212 I bought on a whim, couldn't resist the dual Scorpions and the cheap price at GC. Just went down to the basement to confirm which version it is, I have the teal stripe. Guess I really don't want that JC-120 so much now.

I still have a Solton Chorus 100 since 1982. I wanted a JC 120 at the time but the shop didn't have one. so I got this.
great clean tone and very similar to the JC, except it isn't stereo.

nice rig from the threads on these solton amps they use rare tubes? or is this solid state, and also.. whats the little amp at the top of your stack of rock n roll.

chhris

Another one: Ampeg SS-140C:

http://img1.classistatic.com/cps/po/110215/758r1/97809be_27.jpeg

2x70w, 2x12" Celestions, metal-ish overdrive, thick chorus. Solid state. Built like a tank. L O U D. Weighed approximately 7,314 lbs. I had one as my main amp in the late 80s - early 90s.