Are all Roland JCs equally clean?

[rojo412]

Sounds like there is a pretty decent fix for that, which is damn good to know.

If your JC-55/77/120H is hissy, I devised a mod here (yes, I am jazzfrog) changing only 1 resistor, that significantly reduces the hiss.
The price to pay is a bit less eq control, but it's easily recoverable with either a pedal or a boost in front.

 

[loudboy]

The JC-77 is the perfect one, IMHO. Grab and go, all the tone of the 120.

A Strat > DynaComp > JC w/chorus on is instant '80s.

I used to get really good OD tones with the 77 and a Rat.

Interesting JC fact - Joni Mitchell was instrumental in the development of that amp, as she wanted the built-in chorus to help fill out the sound of her jazz box she was using around then.

 

[Grateful Ape]

 

[johnnylaw]

I’d say so. I played through one at a party a week or so back, and it was tight and sharp, glassy country tone that cut, but didn’t hurt. I had a ball with it.

 

[aging_rocker]

...While I certainly don't play enough to justify 2 amps and an ABY box, if I were ever at that level, I'd be inclined to go with a JC as the clean half, no question about that. It's just good to know that the other ones made can do it with the same gusto...

Yes! Roland JCs deserve more love.
They are great choices for Dry/Wet setup...

John McGeoch regularly ran a JC/Marshall split rig, both live and in the studio.

 

[39martind18]

I used members of the JC line for the better part of 20 years, and the cleans were glorious, but the distortion channel was very reminiscent of a flatulent, gassy elephant.

 

[rojo412]

the distortion channel was very reminiscent of a flatulent, gassy elephant.

Oh man, I want that as the name of a setting on a modelling amp now

 

[Timbresmith1]

Look for the JC-160.
160w 4x10” spkrs, iirc.

 

[madhermit]

I have a JC-40 and I gave it a good running this weekend, focusing on the distortion as I know it gets a good clean sound.
Kept the treble on the lower side (3.5), and when I kicked in the distortion, it sounds great. I A/B’d it with a Boss Angry Driver and it sounds very close to the JHS Angry Charlie side of the pedal, but the built in distortion is a little more dynamic.
I could easily do a gig with this amp alone and enjoy it.
I do tend to go for higher gain distortion tones over overdriven blues. I think the JC-40 could do a Foo Foghters gig pretty well.

I have read the distortion circuit on the JC-40 is different, but I don’t know of that is true.

 

[Shaolin Wolf]

I've had the same JC120 since 1984. Never broke down, curious to see how it's doing, it's been sitting in a friend's basement since the pandemic started, everyone is older and at risk, so no music down there yet. I played it in cover bands and punk bands. Now that I think of it, I guess it's pretty punk to play a JC120 in a punk band haha. It took pedals really well, especially a Rat back in the day. I got it because I was a big Adrian Belew fan, still am. He got some great and *different* sounds out of a JC, Strat, and his huge array of effects.

An earlier post mentioned it's a good choice for a two amp set up - Billy Duffy of The Cult used an JC120 and Marshall to great effect.

The answer to the original question is yes, all the JC versions I've played (77, 40) sounded pretty similar, had the JC thing.

 

[Cam]

Adam Levy in the past had a comment about the JC120 at his web url. Words there about, keep the treble and bass set quite low and use the mid to set the amp tone where you want it.

 

[TheFuzzDog]

No. there’s one on my local Craigslist that is just covered in dust and grime!

 

[rojo412]

I'd love to find a grimy one that works and is shiny underneath the funk. Those are my favorites to work on!

 

[rojo412]

Okay, so here's a question sort of in the opposite direction:
HOW ARE THESE WITH REALLY MEAN PEDALS?

I'm looking at getting a distortion pedal and have basically narrowed it to the Revv G3 or G4, both of which are angry metal pedals. Every demo hear, the tester is using a fairly clean signal into some rig that goes from mellow and blah to "super chug/djent/face melter" in an instant.
As these are so clear on their own, how do they perform when faced with a pedal like that? Will a JC77 chug with a Revv going through the front end? Are these a good pedal platform? Or does something about altering the sound make them fail in a way?

Just curious.

 

[MilwMark]

1. Heavy? The JC120 yes. The JC-77 is 42lb for an 80w powerhouse with a real spring reverb and two 10" speakers. I just played an outdoor unmic'd show on mine and never had it over 1/2 on the volume dial. My JC40 which is a 50w powerhouse with digital reverb, but still a 2x10 weighs only 34lb. I just don't get the "heavy" comments.

2. As @madhermit attests, the onboard dirt on the JC77 and JC40 is fantastic. With the EQ (especially the mid knob) it can do a lot of different sounds. On the JC40 the Distortion knob sounds like it impacts treble. So as I turn up the Distortion on the JC40 I usually turn down the Treble a bit. The Distortion on the 77 and the 40 are both great, superbly dynamic and have a nice gain structure. Give the Distortion a real chance if you haven't yet. I often have mine set at 1-2 o'clock which allows me to be pretty heavily overdriven with my guitar volume full up, but to do edge or even clean when rolled back.

3. The JC77 and JC40 both do sparkly cleans. Flat? Not the ones I own. But I don't play electric guitar for sparkly clean so my Distortion knob is always on.

4. I don't use many pedals but the JC120/77/40 all love pedals. Love them. Including pedals that are used to push the front end of an amp.

 

[Wildcard_35]

When I saw Paul Simon back in 1999, his guitarist was playing through a JC-120, I believe. It was one of the Jazz Chorus amps from Roland if it wasn't that one. Graceland (and everything else) sounded awesome through that thang!

 

[Kandinskyesque]

1. Heavy? The JC120 yes. The JC-77 is 42lb for an 80w powerhouse with a real spring reverb and two 10" speakers. I just played an outdoor unmic'd show on mine and never had it over 1/2 on the volume dial. My JC40 which is a 50w powerhouse with digital reverb, but still a 2x10 weighs only 34lb. I just don't get the "heavy" comments.

I agree.
Back in my early 20s I'd take busses and trains everywhere to do my solo gigs.
My JC77(for guitar), Supercube 40(for vocals), 2 guitars, bag and mic stand would be carried by me on my own.
The JC on castors mind you but it could be carried about by the handle quite easily.

It got sold in the 90s for similar reasons as the OP eschewed his father's amp, to my regret. I loved that amp but it didn't suit my 90s band.

However, I've managed to track it down recently to an old friends house where it is currently languishing in a cupboard.
It's high time I made him an offer on it.

 

[Kandinskyesque]

If your JC-55/77/120H is hissy, I devised a mod here (yes, I am jazzfrog) changing only 1 resistor, that significantly reduces the hiss.
The price to pay is a bit less eq control, but it's easily recoverable with either a pedal or a boost in front.

You Sir are a gentleman, a scholar and a genius!!!
I saw that thread earlier this year and have managed to locate my original JC77 now owned by an old friend and never used.
I intend to reunite myself with my original 1986 JC77 whatever the cost.
Your mod is something I will definitely do with the amp.

 

[rojo412]

Graceland is a HUGE reason I'd want a JC. There's a ton of super clean 80s on that which is to be admired for sure (if you're into that sort of thing). And of course, as a long time bassist, Bakithi Kumalo's fretless work is magical to listen to as well.

If I can manage to wrangle the Revv pedal I'm after, I think my first trip with it will be to my dad's JC77 to see how they jive together. If it's a match made in heaven, I'll have to figure out a way to wrestle it from his grasp (if I could find a Vox AC15 for him, I'm sure he'd be happy to trade).
In the meantime, I've been working to see if I can make my Tech 21 TM60 cop a decent JC vibe. Having a chorus helps, but I'm about to get a Boss Super Chorus, which will likely get me even closer.

 

[Novak]

The JC-77 is the perfect one, IMHO. Grab and go, all the tone of the 120.

A Strat > DynaComp > JC w/chorus on is instant '80s.

I used to get really good OD tones with the 77 and a Rat.

Interesting JC fact - Joni Mitchell was instrumental in the development of that amp, as she wanted the built-in chorus to help fill out the sound of her jazz box she was using around then.

Yeah, and then her bassist/lover Jaco Pastorius took it over. That's the origin of the "chorusy" bass sound that evolved up through the late 70s/early 80s (Peter Hook, anyone)?