1 watt or 20 watts?

[The Tone Ranger]

Re: 1 watt or 20 watts?

As far as the JB/Jazz not being the "right fit" in my guitar...that set is the least expensive upgrade set (vs buying individual pups). The Schecter Solo 6 is a LP copy - mahog back w/maple top. I listened to the demo by Pro Guitar Shop on YouTube and it sounds great IMO. I've always loved the JB (although especially in an alder Strat). I know Jerry Horton uses the JB in his sig Solo 6 and I like his tone.

As far as the Vox Night Train and the Blackheart - I prefer the tone of the Jet City. I honestly don't know what triode/pentode operation means (d'oh!).

The Egnater Tweaker is cool, but all those tweak switches (to me) don't seem to change the tone all that much. I'm not much of a "tweaker" anyway. Plus...it's more expensive than the Jet City. I also like the idea of being able to (1 day) mod the JCA for a more Splawn-ish tone. **The Splawn Hot Rod is my ultimate amp. I see that they now make the Street Rod (40W version of Hot Rod) in a head...druel**

As far as being able to pick up a JCA20 for $200 on GC "all day"...are you talking about Guitar Center dot com or the actual store? Right now the best deal I can find is on Musician's Friend where the head/cab are $349 and they are offering Memorial Day 20% off...which would put it around $295. Unless I go used. I'm always wary of going used tho.

Again...thanks everyone for the advice! You all have helped a lot.

 

[Mattr4president]

Re: 1 watt or 20 watts?

As far as the JB/Jazz not being the "right fit" in my guitar...that set is the least expensive upgrade set (vs buying individual pups). The Schecter Solo 6 is a LP copy - mahog back w/maple top. I listened to the demo by Pro Guitar Shop on YouTube and it sounds great IMO. I've always loved the JB (although especially in an alder Strat). I know Jerry Horton uses the JB in his sig Solo 6 and I like his tone.

As far as the Vox Night Train and the Blackheart - I prefer the tone of the Jet City. I honestly don't know what triode/pentode operation means (d'oh!).

The Egnater Tweaker is cool, but all those tweak switches (to me) don't seem to change the tone all that much. I'm not much of a "tweaker" anyway. Plus...it's more expensive than the Jet City. I also like the idea of being able to (1 day) mod the JCA for a more Splawn-ish tone. **The Splawn Hot Rod is my ultimate amp. I see that they now make the Street Rod (40W version of Hot Rod) in a head...druel**

As far as being able to pick up a JCA20 for $200 on GC "all day"...are you talking about Guitar Center dot com or the actual store? Right now the best deal I can find is on Musician's Friend where the head/cab are $349 and they are offering Memorial Day 20% off...which would put it around $295. Unless I go used. I'm always wary of going used tho.

Again...thanks everyone for the advice! You all have helped a lot.

I meant used you cab get a jca20h for $200 at guitarcenter.com easy and that's a bargain if you ask me. Fun and moddable.

 

[The Tone Ranger]

Re: 1 watt or 20 watts?

GC.com? Ok, thanks! I will check it out.

Oh yeah...I just watched an Egnater Tweaker demo in another post (someone trying to decide b/t JCA22 and Tweaker) and it sounded really nice. The demo was with a LP Classic (which I know has 500T hot ceramic in bridge). Again, the tweaker switches didn't seem to change the tone all that much (IMO), but it did sound very nice. However, that 1/2 stack is $650...whereas the JCA20 half stack is under $300. Not much measurable tone difference IMO. The Egnater may be built better, but dunno.

This makes the JCA (with ability to mod down the road) a no-brainer for me.

NOW...go for the 1/2 stack OR the combo w/reverb?

 

[Jay 77]

Re: 1 watt or 20 watts?

Head with 1x12 cab. That will be all you need at this point. If you start playing larger venues, consider a 2x12 cab or another 1x12 daisy chained (if the amp will allow - I'm not sure what it can accomodate).

Head/cabs are easier to transport and allow for more variety. That's my vote.

 

[Mattr4president]

Re: 1 watt or 20 watts?

I haven't used the jet city stock speakers but I usually recommend head/cab because your going to want to experiment with speakers and there aren't many stock speakers that I've played that sound good

 

[The Tone Ranger]

Re: 1 watt or 20 watts?

Right on...thanks. Oh and that Memorial Day sale at MF.com is 15% off, not 20%. Anyways...that still makes the 1/2 stack around $295.

I can get a used head for $289.71 - 15%, but then I'd have to purchase a speaker cabinet...which would end up costing more than the new 1/2 stack.

I'd like to pair it with the Blackstar 4x8 mini cab, but that's $250.

The head will be easier to transport to church. I will have to purchase Jet City's Jet Direct xlr box which will sim a mic'd cab...so I can eliminate the speaker cab and go direct to the soundboard. Their new 12S+ cab comes with Jet Direct installed in the cab, but then you'd have to bring the cab along.

I can see one day getting a 2x12 or 4x12 cab to hook this up to...maybe some Celestion V30's. I'm sure things will get really fun and interesting then Combine with a cheap mod for the head...

Looks like this Jet City head is going to be a fun and satisfying "foundation" to build upon

Thanks again to everyone for helping me with this decision. Now to get the wife to let me pull the trigger on this before the memorial day sale ends My b-day is June 4th. I can't think of a better present!

Of course, I also want to trade my Sterling by MusicMan Silo30 for a MIM Standard Strat and put real SD's in it (and my Schecter). I would want to also upgrade the nut to Graphtec (like my Schecter came with) and the bridge to a Super-Vee Bladerunner. I guess those will have to wait

 

[Soulcrusher_X]

Re: 1 watt or 20 watts?

Before you make pull the trigger, why not send misterwhizzy a PM. He said earlier in this thread that he has the JCA20 and the HT5, so he would be a really good reference to what might be the best choice for what you are looking for.

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: 1 watt or 20 watts?

If you want to go direct, get a Blackstar HT-5. It's got way more gain, it's a lot more tweakable, and the speaker out works very well. It'll be pretty loud, but it certainly doesn't have the bass capability that the JCA20H does. I had to mod my JCA to get the bass right, but it's there if you're willing to do a little work.

I would imagine in church you might want more than one tone, and you're not going to get that well with the JCA. You can roll back your volume knob and fake it, but the HT-5 has two actual channels plus an effects loop. And since you're not that much of a tweaker, you won't miss the lack of multiple preamp tubes to screw with in the HT-5. It just has one, but it responds like a big amp.

Do me a favor. At least go play one of the HT-5 heads before you buy the JCA. I love mine, and it's cool to be able to mod it, but a lot of people want something that works right out of the box, and I think the HT-5 is a much better fit for what you want. Or you could do the HT-20. Up to you.

Also, the last time I bought a set of pickups, I bought the Distortion set, and I eventually stopped using the Distortion bridge. If I had figured it out within 21 days, though, I could have returned just that one to SD for a different model free of charge. Make sure you decide on the pickup quickly, because that window closes fast.

 

[The Tone Ranger]

Re: 1 watt or 20 watts?

Hmm...there's a lot there to think about. Thanks misterwhizzy.

I guess I was looking at the HT-5 as being more expensive for only 5 watts. The JCA seemed like the better "bang for the buck" so to speak. However, I do really like the tones of the Blackstar...especially the gain channel. I guess they are about the same price, but again...will 5 watts be sufficient for jamming with drummer? I feel like I'd be in the same boat as with the HT-1 (basically).

I will definitely try to A/B them if possible. I should at least be able to play the HT-5.

What I was thinking about with the JCA was bringing the gain and master volume up to just a mild breakup on the bridge pup. Then I would use my POD XT Live for the effects - Tubescreamer or Sparkledrive for OD, put some chorus and delay on there. Again, I would need to purchase Jet City's Jet Direct box to do what the HT-5 can stock (line emulated out).

Right now there's 3 main settings I use on the POD at church. The first is a VOX AC "Streets Have No Name" setting. The second is a clean Hiwatt with chorus and delay. The third is a Variac Plexi setting. Occasionally I'll use a Fender Blackface setting for some bluesy stuff. We mainly due contemporary Christian stuff, but frequently dive into blues and rock territory.

So the lack of channel switching on the JCA was originally a turn-off, but now that I know I can always use an OD or Distortion setting on the POD...it doesn't so much bother me anymore. Or should I be concerned with this?

As far as pups...I would never do the Distortion set. I prefer the tone of Alnico vs Ceramic. I'll probably stick with the stock set for now, but later on will most likely upgrade to the JB/Jazz combo. I have the Designed JB/59 set in there now and like it. The JB is almost like a channel switch as it is. I like being able to start in neck position or middle and have a nice clean sound and then switch to the bridge for a little grind. I love the harmonics of the JB, too. The 59 gets real muddy on the Fender Blackface setting, but it's real nice on other settings. It's just the JB/Jazz combo is sold as a set and cheaper than buying individual pups. I think it offers the most versatility, too.

Thanks for the great advice! Now to go try the 2 amps...

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: 1 watt or 20 watts?

If you're going to get your distortion from a pedal, then my advice is to pass on the Jet City. The cleans are okay at best, depending on the guitar. The distortion is excellent. It's not a good pedal platform, because it doesn't have an effects loop, and I think you need a great clean tone before you start coloring it with pedals.

If you love the Blackstar tones and don't think 5 watts will cut it, give the HT-20 a shot. But the best advice I can give you is to take your POD with you, and a cab if you have it, head to the store and give them a real test. We can talk all day, but we both have separate ears, so we may hear and like entirely different tones. We may be talking apples and oranges. I hope we're not, but seriously go try before you buy.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: 1 watt or 20 watts?

^^ Now, on that, I'm the opposite. I think OD pedals work fine with the JCA20H I have. I've never relied solely on the pedal for my OD, and since the cleans aren't the featured sound on the 20 watt JCs, my OD pedals work with what the amp is already doing. There are ODs that work OK, some that blow, and some that KILL.

 

[LonePhantom]

Re: 1 watt or 20 watts?

I use a Blackstar HT-5 head with a 1x12" cab loaded with Celestion Vintage 30 with my band. I've personally found it loud enough to play with my band, and I use it in rehearsal and on stage. The HT-5 provides some great tones. I use it like a single channel amp, and roll my guitar's volume knob down for cleaner tones.

 

[The Tone Ranger]

Re: 1 watt or 20 watts?

Thanks for the sincere advice guys. I will definitely try before I buy. Both amps are great IMO. The thing is the HT-5 combo is $100 more expensive than the JCA 1/2 stack. The HT-20 is even more. I'm on a serious budget right now.

My main thing is getting a tube amp on the cheap, but not a cheap tube amp Like I said...if the JCA sounds horrible in the church setting...then I just continue to use my POD direct. No biggie. I was just looking to get a better tone if possible. And I don't need a bundle of tones. Really just clean w/chorus n delay and then a crunchy OD tone.

My personal tastes range from Black Country Communion, Hendrix, SRV/KWS, EVH, Skid Row, Ratt, Crue, Ozzy, BLS, Chickenfoot, Godsmack, AIC and Metallica. I know the JCA can get that 80's metal tone (Warren Demartini uses a Soldano SLO). And, interestingly enough, Rob "his awesomeness" Chappers did videos on how to sound like Satch and how to sound like Metallica for under $1000...and the JCA was the amp that did the trick.

Don't get me wrong...I LOVE the Blackstar tones and features. I love that 4x8 cab they came out with! They are just more expensive (which is why I originally compared the HT-1 to the JCA...as they are closer in price...kinda). If I could drop $500 then I would compare the HT-5 to the JCA22...with 2 channels.

Bottom line...I WILL try before I buy. I'm just looking at the deal of 15% off at MF.com up thru 5/28 which would make the JCA 1/2 stack under $300. That's just seems hard to beat IMO.

Thanks again. I really do appreciate everyone's input.