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PurposeToMelody « Not a Bad amp... for the price »
Published on 03/17/11 at 23:56 The Jet City JCA20H and its matching cab. First some specs:
• Controls: Preamp, Bass, Middle, Treble, Master, Presence
• Tubes: 3x 12AX7 Preamp / 2x EL84 Power
• Rectifier: Solid State
• Output Power: 20W into 16 ohm or 2x 8 ohm speaker outputs
So as you can see, pretty standard low wattage tube amp. Very simple looking control lay out easy to read and move the knobs. It is pretty classy looking in the blueish purple tolex and very easy to move and carry around as it was very light.
UTILIZATION
It was simple and easy, very simple TMB lay out. Very much a plug and play amp. So if you like buttons and knobs this might not be for you.
SOUNDS
I played it through two guitars. A PRS SE Single-Cut and a Fender Buddy Guy Stratocaster. I plugged in the PRS first. Set everything to noon (except the master which was about 11’oclock). Instant Classic Rock grind ala AC/DC. It was very bright and present with lots of clarity. I was very impressed. I inched up the gain to about 3’oclock. Where it started getting into metal territory (don’t expect super saturated tones, when I say metal I mean Stuff like Metallica, Megadeth, and Iron Maiden). After about 4’clock on the gain it became muddy and undefined, but it still did a great job of getting some heavy tones and could really benefit from a boost like a Tubscreamer or SD-1. I played around some more with the EQ and found it to be very responsive all the way through the sweep of the pot on the EQ. with the middle and treble upped and the bass brought down a little it did a great Van Halen impression and I was also able to coax some great fluid lead tones ala Jerry Cantrell out of it. I then plugged in the Strat and proceeded to start all over again. With the Strat I found it to be much too bright for my taste. Although I was able to get some nice blues tones with the neck pickup. It did some nice Clapton impressions with the gain around 11 o’clock. I found that it didn’t do any clean tones well even with the strat and the mids scooped a little. It wasn’t horrible cleans, usable maybe but definitely not where it shone its best. I wouldn’t suggest this amp for guys playing any big shows because even with the master at 11’oclock it was barely above loud talking
OVERALL OPINION
Overall I highly recommend this amp for guys looking for a small (let me stress. Very small) gigging amp or bedroom practice and I am sure that with a tube change and a nice cab it’d be a great recording amp. The JCA20H is listed on musiciansfriend.com for $349.00 which I think is a smokin’ deal for such a great little amp. If you are looking for great classic rock up through 80s thrash (with a boost) this is your amp. Overall I give this an 8/10
• Controls: Preamp, Bass, Middle, Treble, Master, Presence
• Tubes: 3x 12AX7 Preamp / 2x EL84 Power
• Rectifier: Solid State
• Output Power: 20W into 16 ohm or 2x 8 ohm speaker outputs
So as you can see, pretty standard low wattage tube amp. Very simple looking control lay out easy to read and move the knobs. It is pretty classy looking in the blueish purple tolex and very easy to move and carry around as it was very light.
UTILIZATION
It was simple and easy, very simple TMB lay out. Very much a plug and play amp. So if you like buttons and knobs this might not be for you.
SOUNDS
I played it through two guitars. A PRS SE Single-Cut and a Fender Buddy Guy Stratocaster. I plugged in the PRS first. Set everything to noon (except the master which was about 11’oclock). Instant Classic Rock grind ala AC/DC. It was very bright and present with lots of clarity. I was very impressed. I inched up the gain to about 3’oclock. Where it started getting into metal territory (don’t expect super saturated tones, when I say metal I mean Stuff like Metallica, Megadeth, and Iron Maiden). After about 4’clock on the gain it became muddy and undefined, but it still did a great job of getting some heavy tones and could really benefit from a boost like a Tubscreamer or SD-1. I played around some more with the EQ and found it to be very responsive all the way through the sweep of the pot on the EQ. with the middle and treble upped and the bass brought down a little it did a great Van Halen impression and I was also able to coax some great fluid lead tones ala Jerry Cantrell out of it. I then plugged in the Strat and proceeded to start all over again. With the Strat I found it to be much too bright for my taste. Although I was able to get some nice blues tones with the neck pickup. It did some nice Clapton impressions with the gain around 11 o’clock. I found that it didn’t do any clean tones well even with the strat and the mids scooped a little. It wasn’t horrible cleans, usable maybe but definitely not where it shone its best. I wouldn’t suggest this amp for guys playing any big shows because even with the master at 11’oclock it was barely above loud talking
OVERALL OPINION
Overall I highly recommend this amp for guys looking for a small (let me stress. Very small) gigging amp or bedroom practice and I am sure that with a tube change and a nice cab it’d be a great recording amp. The JCA20H is listed on musiciansfriend.com for $349.00 which I think is a smokin’ deal for such a great little amp. If you are looking for great classic rock up through 80s thrash (with a boost) this is your amp. Overall I give this an 8/10