Roland Jazz Chorus anyone?

[hebaton]

Hi everyone,

Recently got my first Acrhtop ( Eastman 810CE ) and in need of a good amp.
Does anyone use the recent Jazz chorus JC40 for standard Jazz tones ?
I seem to find most good Jazz amps are SS and I wonder what people think of this one for Jazz application ?
no Option to audition anywhre near me...

Claude

[chasranney]

Roland Jazz Chorus 40 Amp

[hebaton]

Roland Jazz Chorus 40 Amp

I saw this thread but I can't seem to make if everyone there is talking about uses with solid body guitars that seeming to be the most frequent use. Im interested in finding out if people use this amp with archtops for classic Jazz tones...

[John A.]

I saw this thread but I can't seem to make if everyone there is talking about uses with solid body guitars that seeming to be the most frequent use. Im interested in finding out if people use this amp with archtops for classic Jazz tones...

I've played through a bunch of JC120s and 55's (though not a JC40) in rehearsal studios and generally don't like them, but people do use them. I saw Peter Bernstein a couple of years ago playing through JC120. He sounded good, but having heard him in the same room with the same band, with the same guitar playing through his Vibrolux, I can attest that he sounds better through the Vibrolux. Here's a video of a guy playing first through a Twin and then through a JC120. I think the Twin sounds a lot better.

John

[hebaton]

I've played through a bunch of JC120s and 55's (though not a JC40) in rehearsal studios and generally don't like them, but people do use them. I saw Peter Bernstein a couple of years ago playing through JC120. He sounded good, but having heard him in the same room with the same band, with the same guitar playing through his Vibrolux, I can attest that he sounds better through the Vibrolux. Here's a video of a guy playing first through a Twin and then through a JC120. I think the Twin sounds a lot better.

John

Thank you John, buy any chance, did you forget to link the video you refer to ?

[rpjazzguitar]

I've used a JC55 extensively. It's a bit icy or brittle (hard to describe it), but I can get my sound from it. I prefer the Little Jazz, but I'm happy enough with the JC55.

One of the things I have liked about the JC55 is that it can go as loud as I ever want to play and only weighs about 26 lbs iirc.

[John A.]

Thank you John, buy any chance, did you forget to link the video you refer to ?

Sorry about that. Here's the link:

John

[Doug B]

Sorry about that. Here's the link:

Was there also supposed to be some playing with a JC-120? Thanks

[sgcim]

Had two great experiences on gigs with a JC 120 provided for me by the artists I was working for. I'd buy one if it wasn't so heavy.

[neatomic]

the trouble with roland jc's is that they hiss like banshees...on the 120 you can kinda get away with it...cause of the two 12's and the power/volume...but reviews i've read of the smaller versions always mentioned the hiss as a con...

look at the roland cubes

cheers

[hebaton]

What can I get for 500$ ( around there ) that mates well with a solid top carved acrhtop ?

[Alder Statesman]

DV Mark Little Jazz should do the job for about $300.

[JazzPadd]

The club I jam at has a JC-120 on stage. It's a great house amp, good clean sound. Built in effects are meh but it does take pedals well. However, it's quite bulky and I wouldn't want to lug it around.

[entresz]

I used to own a JC-120 and it's the only amp I regret selling. Great clean sound, particularly nice with humbuckers. It did have a slight hiss - this seems to be a pretty universal trait of Roland JC amplifiers.

[rpjazzguitar]

I used to own a JC-120 and it's the only amp I regret selling. Great clean sound, particularly nice with humbuckers. It did have a slight hiss - this seems to be a pretty universal trait of Roland JC amplifiers.

I can't hear the hiss on the JC55, which is one of the best things about high frequency hearing loss.

OTOH, I've never heard anybody complain about the fan noise in a Boogie Mark III, which is much louder.

[Jabberwocky]

BOSS Katana 100W 1x12 Mark 2 or 2x12 Mark 2 is available almost everywhere. Nice Clean and Acoustic channels with Variations. Check them out.

[Woody Sound]

Pat Martino through a JC-120.

[Morpheus2292]

I guess that the jazz sound on the Roland JC Family does benefit of setting the bright switch on OFF. Now when it comes to play with some Hollow body guitars, I suppose that adding an acoustic device between the Guitar and the Amp. might be useful. I am talking here about things like the Mesa Boogie rosette acoustic di-preamp (400€), or the BOSS AD2 (110€), the Nux floor Stageman acoustic preamp + di (110€), or the Joyo AD2 DI-Preamp (40€). The reason I say that is because the JC can take these pedals very well and then you benefit of the features thought out for acoustic play including the notch which is quite important to isolate and kill any disturbing frequency and feedback.

I have a Gretsch white Falcon as Hollow Body Guitar. When using this guitar with its Filtertron pickups directly on the JC, I do not need any additional acoustic device. I simply use the neck pick-up and set both guitar and Amp. tone filters on "Bright Off".

But I have two other guitars for which I think such acoustic device would be better to play on the JC : The "Body and Soul" by Jerome Marchand with a Bartolini 5J. I would need the notch because I feel that there are some frequencies close to feedback. Also I have a solid body guitar with Nylon strings called "Elbe" also by Jérôme Marchand. With this guitar, no possible feedback, but the device would help to shape the nylon string sound better.

My conclusion is that one cannot be one sided vis-à-vis this question. It is about the Amp, but also the guitar, and the settings, and the pick if you use one etc...

[Maxxx]

Not much hiss here..

[Oscar67]

My tube amps sound more complex and more 3D, yet with archtops I also love using my JC22. It sounds very transparent and I keep thinking “ah, this is what my archtop really sounds like”. It doesn’t add much fairy dust like a good tube amp does, but there’s something very pure about it. Usually it immediately sounds great with the EQ at noon. And it excels at delivering an open, woody, uncluttered sound without boomy bass. As a bonus, the stereo inputs allow me to use the amp when jamming with someone else. I’ll never part with it.

[mheton]

I used to own a JC-120 for a few years and I hated it. He rustled like a waterfall and distortion pedals sounded so bad a band once fired me (lol). Things turned better in my life when I switched to tube amps...
My favourite amp now is a Suhr Hombre for Jazz and Blues.

[KingKong]

as an interesting aside, the Roland jazz chorus is as far as I know the industry standard in the reggae world, as it stays clean at really high volumes.

I believe that the Roland cube 80 has a JC120 mode on it, really good amp that you can pick up used for about £120.

[P.J.]

I have a JC40 and love it. I use it as a headphone amp as well as the usual way. I use the bright switch when I use it as an headphone amp with the treble knob at around 9:00. When not using headphones I turn off the bright switch and nudge the treble up a smidge.

[Oscar67]

Cheap LP copy and JC. Not bad at all.

[Woody Sound]

Pat Martino through a JC-120.

I don't want to hijack the JC thread, but something that amazes me about these vids is how hard PM hits the strings. Even with the super heavy strings, you can see them bending as he hits them.