Peavey JSX Review

[Demanic]

Makes it a lot more mobile. I lean on my VIP these days D. But d@mn my JSX is truly the best.

I was just busting them dude.
I have a Randall head and 2x12 cab that weigh probably 60lbs max. And the cab is on casters.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

[Top-L]

Second channel crunch is great, and "right down the middle". It will do subtle breakup fine, on up to a pretty heavy saturation, while still retaining clarity. Play Metallica just fine on this crunch channel. This crunch channel feels a bit more open than the ultra lead channel to me and has less compression. It just feels real open and blooms nicely as you play. Both channels have resonance and fat switches to dial in as much fatness and chunk as you could ever want as well.

I owned a XXX for a decade and then a JSX for about two years until moving on to other brands.

I would very much DISAGREE about the JSX's crunch channel's ability to do subtle breakup and mid gain well. And also disagree that it has less compression than the lead channel. This is the reason I sold it and moved on from peavey ultra series.

Both the crunch and lead channels have the "extra gain stage" and like almost all high gain amps, does not do mid gain well. The crunch channel has a bit less gain and treble, can sound a bit warmer, but its still a screaming high gain channel.

The lead channel is obviously a screaming high gain channel and the reason to get this amp.

It took me a couple years to realize that I didn't like the JSX as much as the XXX. And also to figure out that despite marketing, its just a XXX with pres/res controls, noise gate, and different (Fatter) EQ.

It IS a really good high gain lead/metal amp, BUT you still need to figure out how to get credible low/mid gain sounds. (The amp has absolutely ZERO BLOOM.) I was trying out all kinds of boosts and mid gain pedals into the clean channel to cover the 90% of guitar music that isn't lead/metal guitar. Because the clean channel doesn't even overdrive subtly, when you hit it with a boost, its just that.. a boosted clean. Not a clean channel that was subtly coaxed into a pleasing clip. When you hit the clean REALLY hard with a boost, it starts to sound overworked, not pleasing.

The crunch channel at mid gain, doesn't even do anything resembling a Marshall, its too low-mid heavy and compressed. It still has the extra gain stage that you can't subtract.

This is why I like the XXX better than the JSX. You get two slightly different high gain metal channels. One for lead, one for rhythym. Its a better metal amp, IMO. It doesn't bull**** you into believing it can do other things well.

In summary, the JSX isn't particularly versatile. Its great for high gain lead and metal, but many modern amps can do that AND also give you credible low/mid gain sounds.

[Top-L]

Joe and James started with the Triple XXX. Joe liked the Triple XXX Clean and Ultra channels, but he did not care for the Crunch channel. (Side note that I own both the Triple XXX head and 112 Combo, and there truly is not much difference between the Crunch and Ultra channels.) Joe did like the Lead channel on the Peavey Classic 50, so the goal was to make the Triple XXX Crunch channel sound like the C50 Lead channel.

So ultiimately the JSX is a Triple XXX with some tweaks to the Clean and Ultra channels, and the Crunch channel replaced with the Classic 50 Lead channel. I have all 3 schematics, so in a spare moment I will do some compare/contrast to see how close they are.

That was the marketing spiel at the time, but the crunch channel is still just the XXX crunch with minor tweaks. I would say that it being touted as versatile was all BS.

JS just used them with distortion pedals anyway, apparently didn't use the crunch or ultra channels. Then moved to Marshall.

[JMP/HBE]

PV XXX was suppose to be a George Lynch sig amp but he and Fartly couldn't come to terms.
George likely was wise to not get the Peavey brand tatoo'd on his arse.
Likely the reason the XXX sounds somewhat good.

[El Dunco]

The guitarist from my friend’s band back in 2007/8 primarily used a JSX. It annihilated the lead guitarists TSL, though he wasn’t great at dialing that thing in and when a good sound guy helped him, it sounded more Marshall and less bees. They both used the JSX for rhythm on their first album. It was tight, chunky, tough yet defined right out the box. I don’t know what was in the matching cab but it had lots of clean low end. In the music shop I worked at, I tried it and the XXX and they were both fantastic.

[JamesPaul]

That was the marketing spiel at the time, but the crunch channel is still just the XXX crunch with minor tweaks. I would say that it being touted as versatile was all BS.

JS just used them with distortion pedals anyway, apparently didn't use the crunch or ultra channels. Then moved to Marshall.

Well, the truth will be know eventually as I have the schematics for all 3 amps. I also own all 3 and can pull chassis and compare if necessary.

[JamesPaul]

I owned a XXX for a decade and then a JSX for about two years until moving on to other brands.

I would very much DISAGREE about the JSX's crunch channel's ability to do subtle breakup and mid gain well. And also disagree that it has less compression than the lead channel. This is the reason I sold it and moved on from peavey ultra series.

Both the crunch and lead channels have the "extra gain stage" and like almost all high gain amps, does not do mid gain well. The crunch channel has a bit less gain and treble, can sound a bit warmer, but its still a screaming high gain channel.

The lead channel is obviously a screaming high gain channel and the reason to get this amp.

It took me a couple years to realize that I didn't like the JSX as much as the XXX. And also to figure out that despite marketing, its just a XXX with pres/res controls, noise gate, and different (Fatter) EQ.

It IS a really good high gain lead/metal amp, BUT you still need to figure out how to get credible low/mid gain sounds. (The amp has absolutely ZERO BLOOM.) I was trying out all kinds of boosts and mid gain pedals into the clean channel to cover the 90% of guitar music that isn't lead/metal guitar. Because the clean channel doesn't even overdrive subtly, when you hit it with a boost, its just that.. a boosted clean. Not a clean channel that was subtly coaxed into a pleasing clip. When you hit the clean REALLY hard with a boost, it starts to sound overworked, not pleasing.

The crunch channel at mid gain, doesn't even do anything resembling a Marshall, its too low-mid heavy and compressed. It still has the extra gain stage that you can't subtract.

This is why I like the XXX better than the JSX. You get two slightly different high gain metal channels. One for lead, one for rhythym. Its a better metal amp, IMO. It doesn't bull**** you into believing it can do other things well.

In summary, the JSX isn't particularly versatile. Its great for high gain lead and metal, but many modern amps can do that AND also give you credible low/mid gain sounds.

I am going to respectfully disagree on some of this. At one point I owned 2 Triple XXX heads. I still have my backup head and a Triple XXX 112 Combo. There is minimal disparity between the Crunch and Ultra channels on mine. If I put identical settings on the gain and tone stack, they sound effectively the same. This is not the case with my JSX 212 Combo. I will note that it took me about a decade to buy my JSX, so I was a Triple XXX user for a while before making the switch.

[JamesPaul]

PV XXX was suppose to be a George Lynch sig amp but he and Fartly couldn't come to terms.
George likely was wise to not get the Peavey brand tatoo'd on his arse.
Likely the reason the XXX sounds somewhat good.

Gary Hoey was going to pick up the Triple XXX up after George bailed, but he did not care for the Mudflap/Trucker Girls on the faceplate. Gary should have hung around for the 3120.

[JamesPaul]

Here we have the Pre-gain JSX v Triple XXX. However, I will concede the tone stack as it is shared by all channels on both. More to come...

[JamesPaul]

And here are some Crunch schematics. I will tap out, as I have better things to do with my time than discuss with you Bro. Still peace, it is all good.

[JMP/HBE]

Here's the real secret to the Peavey sound >

[80's_Thrash_Metal]

Here's the real secret to the Peavey sound >

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[Seashore]

I almost walked out with a JSX head the day I got my VHT Pittbull 100CL... 15 years ago maybe? I have zero regrets about choosing the Pittbull, still play through it almost daily, but I like Peavey's heads a lot and at 600 bucks I feel like I ought to try to find one of these for a backup. Considering a 5150 II goes for more than twice that, it's a steal. Would be interested to play through it again after this amount of time. The guitarist in the band I play bass for uses a XXX and it sounds great - pots seem perenially messed up and there's always some setting between channels that needs to be tweaked, but I can't complain about the tone. They aren't the be all/end all line of heads, but fantastic at bang for the buck.

[80's_Thrash_Metal]

Another cool thing about the JSX is that you can get it to sound very much like an XXX or a 6505/5150... But not vice versa.