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Published on 11/21/12 at 16:25The JCA22H is an all-tube 2-channel 20-watt head with a tube effects loop. When the original JCA20H came out it was extremely well-received and provided awesome Soldano-style tone at lower output settings. Everyone had the same suggestion though: add the world-famous Soldano drive channel. So, in the JCA22H they did just that. Now you have the "Normal" channel from the JCA20H and the trademark Soldano overdrive circuit on the "Overdrive" channel. This can take you from nice warm cleans to mega-grind Soldano tone. The amp uses 5 12AX7 preamp tubes and two EL84 power tubes to deliver the tone. One of the 12AX7 tubes is used for the serial, buffered effects loop. The others are used to deliver up layer upon layer of gorgeous Soldano tones through a Solid-State rectifier. The head has independent gain controls for each channel, a shared EQ section with Bass, Middle, Treble, and Presence controls, and independent channel master volumes. The back panel of the amp has the connections for the mentioned tube-buffered serial effects loop, the foot switch connection, and speaker outputs for 16, 8, and 4 ohm outputs, providing a great deal of flexibility for feeding different speaker configurations. The only improvement I could see being made to this amp would be to have independent EQ for each channel, but there's not really enough real estate in the current form factor.
UTILIZATION
The price-to-value ratio of this head is unbelievable. This amp would be worth it at twice the price. I've played club shows with this head and a Jet City JCA24S 2 x 12 (review to follow) and received multiple compliments about the quality of my tone. At a mere twenty-one pounds this head is extremely well-suited to driving a 1 x 12 or 2 x 12 for smaller club gigs, but has no problem driving a 4 x 12 to sufficient volumes to cover just about any stage. Miked up, you can play any venue with the JCA22H and any cabinet or a D.I. interface. Without sounding too over-gushing, I've found it nearly impossible to get a bad tone out of this head. For the record, I cannot for the life of me understand why people have these amplifiers modded. This amp is designed and sounds brilliant as is and in my opinion requires no modifications. If you can't get a good sound out of this head, I dare say it's probably not the head unless there is something mechanically wrong with the head or there's a bad tube.
SOUNDS
Using a Dimarzio Super 3-equipped super-strat I was able to play an entire set with only the included foot switch to switch channels when I needed a warm, clean tone. Beyond that, it was full-tilt signature Soldano overdrive tone made slightly "greasier" (that's how I describe EL84 power tube overdrive) with the EL84 instead of 6L6 power valves. The JCA22H takes every guitar I've every plugged into it and produces heavenly tone. Everything from strats with low-output pickups, to mid-output Les Pauls, to high-output super-strats, the JCA22H makes each one sing with its own individual voice. The amp is extremely articulate for a low-power amp with a shared EQ, which incidentally does not negatively impact the amp.
OVERALL OPINION
For smaller club gigs, this is the perfect amp. Paired with a 1 x 12 or a 2 x 12 this head delivers the signature Soldano tone without the burden of having to use an attenuator or sacrifice your tone by turning down your monster 100-watt head. The tones are crisp and clean, and the amp can drive a 4 x 12 as well as anything else. If anything happened to my JCA22H, I would QUICKLY replace it without hesitation.
UTILIZATION
The price-to-value ratio of this head is unbelievable. This amp would be worth it at twice the price. I've played club shows with this head and a Jet City JCA24S 2 x 12 (review to follow) and received multiple compliments about the quality of my tone. At a mere twenty-one pounds this head is extremely well-suited to driving a 1 x 12 or 2 x 12 for smaller club gigs, but has no problem driving a 4 x 12 to sufficient volumes to cover just about any stage. Miked up, you can play any venue with the JCA22H and any cabinet or a D.I. interface. Without sounding too over-gushing, I've found it nearly impossible to get a bad tone out of this head. For the record, I cannot for the life of me understand why people have these amplifiers modded. This amp is designed and sounds brilliant as is and in my opinion requires no modifications. If you can't get a good sound out of this head, I dare say it's probably not the head unless there is something mechanically wrong with the head or there's a bad tube.
SOUNDS
Using a Dimarzio Super 3-equipped super-strat I was able to play an entire set with only the included foot switch to switch channels when I needed a warm, clean tone. Beyond that, it was full-tilt signature Soldano overdrive tone made slightly "greasier" (that's how I describe EL84 power tube overdrive) with the EL84 instead of 6L6 power valves. The JCA22H takes every guitar I've every plugged into it and produces heavenly tone. Everything from strats with low-output pickups, to mid-output Les Pauls, to high-output super-strats, the JCA22H makes each one sing with its own individual voice. The amp is extremely articulate for a low-power amp with a shared EQ, which incidentally does not negatively impact the amp.
OVERALL OPINION
For smaller club gigs, this is the perfect amp. Paired with a 1 x 12 or a 2 x 12 this head delivers the signature Soldano tone without the burden of having to use an attenuator or sacrifice your tone by turning down your monster 100-watt head. The tones are crisp and clean, and the amp can drive a 4 x 12 as well as anything else. If anything happened to my JCA22H, I would QUICKLY replace it without hesitation.