Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: marauder on July 19, 2011, 06:31:52 PM

Title: NAD
Post by: marauder on July 19, 2011, 06:31:52 PM: It's all Dave's fault!!

I've picked up a Jet City JCA20H on ebay, damaged box, new from the UK distributor, but £5 more than Dave's :(

Well, Dave was right, it is a great little head, and with swapping V1 for an old Mullard from my Lionheart its even better. Don't worry it's still got them in the first two positions, and now a JJ in the third (it only uses half on it!).

Much quieter, maybe a little less gain, but the Klone makes up for that.

Just amazing for the money. A great sounding amp at any price really.

(http://www.maccentral.demon.co.uk/misc/jc-1.jpg)
Title: Re: NAD
Post by: dave_mc on July 19, 2011, 07:09:06 PM: nice :D
Title: Re: NAD
Post by: Telerocker on July 19, 2011, 07:12:40 PM: They seem to be bloody good for the price. So congrats!
Title: Re: NAD
Post by: Twinfan on July 19, 2011, 11:11:24 PM: Great choice matey - they're superb aren't they?

I've just used mine tonight at rehearsal with my Tele - fantastic bluesy-rock tone and enough volume with the master on 3.5. It lacks a bit of headroom for solo boosts, but as it's only 20watts I'd expect that. Nothing I can't live with for practice though.

I'm seriously considering getting a JCA22H for gigging with as it has the SLO Overdrive channel added and an FX loop :o

http://www.jetcityamplification.com/2011/02/16/jca22h/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C4vcBinczA

(http://www.jetcityamplification.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/JCA22H-490W-Web.jpg)
Title: Re: NAD
Post by: HTH AMPS on July 20, 2011, 05:21:12 PM: I've been banging on about the Jet City stuff for a while now, I was blown away at how good they sounded for the price. Glad to see they're catching on.

At the price they're knocking them out for, its not even worth my while to build an amp in this mould from scratch - I'd just swap out the caps/resisitors where I see fit to achieve the 'tweak' to the tone I want, possibly upgrade the iron (transformers).

In the smaller ones (like the 20w head), its quite a popular mod to install a choke - you'll notice the tone becomes ballsier and more focused (less fuzzy round the edges, and more Marshally).
Title: Re: NAD
Post by: Philly Q on July 20, 2011, 06:23:38 PM: So - you know what an ignoramus I am about amps - what's the Jet City story, and what's the connection with Soldano?

I'm assuming they're Soldano-designed but made in China?
Title: Re: NAD
Post by: Twinfan on July 20, 2011, 06:53:32 PM: Exactly that Philly, exactly that!
Title: Re: NAD
Post by: Dr. Stein on July 20, 2011, 07:12:36 PM: Saw these at the time and wish I'd bought one now. There's still a 100W head on there, hmm...
Title: Re: NAD
Post by: Transcend on July 20, 2011, 07:28:58 PM: I have played a fair few of these amps the JCA100h & HDM more than the others and they sound nothing like a SLO or any soldano ive actually played.

Saying that though they arent bad sounding amps
Title: Re: NAD
Post by: marauder on July 20, 2011, 07:40:20 PM: Quote from: Toe-Knee on July 20, 2011, 07:28:58 PM
I have played a fair few of these amps the JCA100h & HDM more than the others and they sound nothing like a SLO or any soldano ive actually played.

Saying that though they arent bad sounding amps

The jc is a soldano atomic 16, schematics are identical. This thing looks so easy to mod, the traces on the board are huge.
Title: Re: NAD
Post by: Transcend on July 20, 2011, 07:41:55 PM: the schematics may be identical but the cheap parts + cheap transformers make a big difference tonally.

But as i said they arent bad amps just not as similar as most people think
Title: Re: NAD
Post by: marauder on July 20, 2011, 08:31:35 PM: Quote from: Toe-Knee on July 20, 2011, 07:41:55 PM
the schematics may be identical but the cheap parts + cheap transformers make a big difference tonally.

But as i said they arent bad amps just not as similar as most people think

There's so few components on the board, I don't think it'd cost more than 20 quid to change all the resistors and caps to top quality ones. Transformers are a different matter though.

Putting the Mullard in V1 really lowered the noise floor, and putting the JJ in the Laney hasnt adversely affected it either, so a zero cost upgrade. (The JJ came out of Juansolo's MJW which got a RFT which was in his Blackstar, which got the original Sovtek back in when he sold it, damn, its like Deep Purple, Rainbow, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Dio!!!).
Title: Re: NAD
Post by: Transcend on July 20, 2011, 09:00:07 PM: Oh yeah it wont cost a lot to upgrade the components where it would matter.

I'm actually going to be going over a JCA100 for a friend and adding the depth mod and doing a few little tweaks to get it more into his ideal ball park.

That is if he doesnt sell it first which is likely
Title: Re: NAD
Post by: Elliot on July 20, 2011, 11:02:01 PM: Looks good.

IMO unless you're a cork sniffer with golden ears (or Emperor's New Clothes ears) its going to be transformers over everything else. For example. I once replaced cheap orange drops with Mundorf silver in oil caps (because my dad gave them to me free, I should add) and the difference in tone was minor if noticeable. I then put in a big Heyboer trannie and the sound changed big time.
Title: Re: NAD
Post by: jpfamps on July 21, 2011, 10:39:17 AM: Quote from: Elliot on July 20, 2011, 11:02:01 PM
Looks good.

IMO unless you're a cork sniffer with golden ears (or Emperor's New Clothes ears) its going to be transformers over everything else. For example. I once replaced cheap orange drops with Mundorf silver in oil caps (because my dad gave them to me free, I should add) and the difference in tone was minor if noticeable. I then put in a big Heyboer trannie and the sound changed big time.

I would agree with this. The OT is the "mission critical" item in any valve amp.

Unfortunately it's also the most expensive part (or should be.....), so it's often an area where the MBAs feel most money can be saved.