Jet City JCA20

[Ball&Chain]

Lately Ive been growing more interested in the Jet City JCA20. I think im more intrested in the head than the combo, but not 100% on that yet. Id rather have an amp in head form, though I believe the combo has reverb and the head does not.


All I have to go on at the moment are youtube clips which vary from making it sound like complete poo to really good.

This is the clip that has me intrigued the most, though it doesnt sound to me like its being run through the typical 1x12 extension cab.


For 300-350 bucks, if it does a good hi-gain tone, Im ok with the lack of versatility in a 1 channel amp. I believe in the review he says its not a metal amp, though it looks to me like it will do metal just fine, but i'd also have no problem getting an OD pedal if needed.

So whats your experiences with this amp? Unfortunately I havent seen one out there I can try as of yet.

 

[Grandturk]

Re: Jet City JCA20

It probably just depends on what your definition of "metal" is. I've played those little Jet Citys and I just bought a Soldano Astroverb (the basis for the small Jet City amps) - and it does my kind of metal well enough.

 

[speed2dirt]

Re: Jet City JCA20

...if it does a good hi-gain tone, Im ok with the lack of versatility in a 1 channel amp. I believe in the review he says its not a metal amp, though it looks to me like it will do metal just fine...

Jet City revealed a JCA22H at NAMM 2011, which is a 2 channel JCA20 with the lead channel being the SLO lead tone. I've been waiting to see when these will hit stores because it should take the JCA20 and make it that much better! I'd wait to at least check out the differences, though the JCA22H will be more money. Then again, you never know what kind of deals on the original JCA20 they'll have when the 22 releases.

 

[Mononoaware]

Re: Jet City JCA20

Jet City revealed a JCA22H at NAMM 2011, which is a 2 channel JCA20 with the lead channel being the SLO lead tone. I've been waiting to see when these will hit stores because it should take the JCA20 and make it that much better! I'd wait to at least check out the differences, though the JCA22H will be more money. Then again, you never know what kind of deals on the original JCA20 they'll have when the 22 releases.

IIRC, the 22 will also have a tube-driven effects loop stock. Pop a pedal in there, and that'll address the reverb issue. I read somewhere that the going price was going to be around $399 for the head -- which sounds like a steal, if they pull it off.

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Jet City JCA20

I love mine. I got a JCA20H about a year ago, and it sounds great. The stock tubes are garbage, though, so if you decide to take the plunge, expect to replace those immediately. Also, the bias on mine was pretty bad, and the tubes weren't matched.

But I think it does classic Megadeth and Metallica gain levels pretty well, and it will get pretty loud. You can also boost it pretty close to modern metal levels with a pedal. My Wylde Overdrive really kicks its butt when engaged. Don't expect any clean headroom from it, though. It's just not there.

I love the head, and I think for the price it can't be beat. I have two complaints about it, though. The first is the lack of an effects loop, because I'd like to get some delay on the higher-gain tones. The second is the initial flubbiness of the bass. The way to handle this is by simply swapping out the PI with a 12AU7. That basically fixed everything.

 

[rammer69]

Re: Jet City JCA20

i had the head about 3 months ago, i tried it for almost a month ,it was a cool little amp, but i took it back to GC, it just didn't have enough gain for me, i tried, every pedal i had,& they sounded good, but , it came down to not really needing another amp, i already have too many amps..

 

[Kosh Naranek]

Re: Jet City JCA20

I have a JCA20 head and I love it.
It is not voiced for metal. Not even 80's metal.
It is more about that classic 70's roar and kerrang than buzz or crunch.
The low end is a little too loose for metal, and the crunch is not that tight, buzzy stuff that became popular in the 80's and has been refined and varied until today.
The one exception is I think you could do a decent impersonation of George Lynch's Lynch Mob tone with this amp. His tone is cleaner and more organic than early in his carreer. You can hear the guitar's voice, and he can play more complex chord voicings without it sounding like crinkling aluminum foil.
For AC/DC, Cheap Trick, early 70's Rush tones, or Joe Walsh riffs, the JCA20 is great. I've tried turning up the gain to get more of a metal tone, but it doesn't really do it. IMO it sounds best with the gain on 3 or 4.
For guys like me who write riffs that require that old Marshall Plexi tone, but can't afford or justify the Marshall, and who want to record at home and don't need 100 watts, or an internal reverb, the JCA20 is perfect.
Note that I'm not saying anything against metal tones. When I need that kind of sound I go to my Hafler Triple Giant preamp and rack rig, or my 6505+ and wail.
Also, I havent tried the JCA20 with the matching Jet City speaker cab. I run it into a 1-12 open back Marshal cab with a Celestion G12-80 Classic Lead speaker, or my Reason 2-12 cab with Greenbacks. I also have a Mesa cab with 2 Vintage 30's, but those sound more sparkly and hi-fi compared to say the G12-80. I think the G12-80 is a better match for the JCA20.

 

[Ball&Chain]

Re: Jet City JCA20

Yea I remember seeing Namm clips for the JCA22's. IIRC those were one of the ones that sounded like poo, though thats kinda to be expected given the circumstances. No info about them on the JC website that I can see though they are offering some modded amps with effects loops and the BE mod.

The low end is a little too loose for metal, and the crunch is not that tight, buzzy stuff that became popular in the 80's and has been refined and varied until today.
The one exception is I think you could do a decent impersonation of George Lynch's Lynch Mob tone with this amp. His tone is cleaner and more organic than early in his carreer. You can hear the guitar's voice, and he can play more complex chord voicings without it sounding like crinkling aluminum foil.

Thats kinda what id be going for, especially if you're talking "Back for the Attack" tone. Im thinking the LM stuff was pretty similar to that. I dont really care for a muddy bottom end though.

 

[Wattage]

Re: Jet City JCA20

Own it, love it. Scored mine used for $149 at GC, haha, got to love that place.

Go used, put the cash into good tubes and a proper biasing. They are well made despite being MIC.

I don't play Metal but the amp can get metallic, great Hard Rock amp indeed.

I run it thru a 1x12 Celestion G12h 30 at home or one of my Peavey 4x12 cabs otherwise.

 

[Ball&Chain]

Re: Jet City JCA20

Another pretty decent demo.

the tone toward the end, maybe with a little overdrive sprinkled in would just about get it.

 

[Kosh Naranek]

Re: Jet City JCA20

Another pretty decent demo.

the tone toward the end, maybe with a little overdrive sprinkled in would just about get it.

OMG that tone is awesome. The bottom isn't quite tight enough for chugging modern metal, but OMG I swear like 3/4 of the way through I heard Lynch's tone on the self titled Lynch Mob album form sometime around 1991. Tough, snarling, but not heavily saturated. That clip actually had a little more gain than Lynch uses.

 

[Reload in 5]

Re: Jet City JCA20

I guarantee that either the head or combo with decent tubes into a 4x12 will do 80s metal just fine.
And remember the combo is LESS than the head now, and has an out for extension cab.
I use a couple of lower gain tubes in mine (v1 and the PI) and have plenty of "marshall clean" headroom. step on the timmy and dig in and it gets raunchy real quick.
The stock tubes are OK, but I had a bad preamp tube from the start (mine was an open box)
I swapped the power tubes, and the Pi, before swapping v1 (which was the bad tube)

 

[CTN]

Re: Jet City JCA20

As an owner of a JCA100H, I would advise that you hold out for the JCA22H. the soldano overdrive channel is able to do moderate-high gain with ease, and best of all, it's got a nice solid low end and a low mid growl.

Should be able to do exactly what you want and have gain to spare.

The only thing about the FX loop, if it's anything like the loop on other soldanos/JCAs, is that it is at rack/line level (+4 db or close to that), and doesn't take kindly to instrument level (-10 db) pedals - which is most pedals out there.

There are two ways around this...
1) make sure all your effects in the loop are able to handle line level signals - this is hard to do unless you use only rack effects, because most pedals, like i said, take only instrument level. The TC Electronic Nova pedals will work though, as will the large Line 6 modelers.

2) get an Ebtech line level shifter, which has two shifter channels. it allows you to convert back and forth between line and instrument level. so your signal chain would look like this:

JCA FX Loop send -> Ebtech channel 1 (+4db input -> -10db output)-> Reverbs/delays/chorus etc -> Ebtech channel 2 (-10db input -> +4db output)-> JCA FX Loop return

They're not terribly expensive, about $100 new, and you could probably get them cheaper used.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Jet City JCA20

i freakin love 'em

between the Jet City 20 watter, the Night Train, the Tweaker, the Class 5, the HT20 and the Blues Junior i could see myself being buried under a pile of sweet low-watt amps...

 

[Ball&Chain]

Re: Jet City JCA20

Since the new model is featuring the SLO circuit, I think patience may be in order, heh. Unless I can snag one for a steal, not like 300 bucks isnt for a nice sounding tube amp. Hopefully one will turn up somewhere so I can actually play one.

Only problem with the jca22 is, once you get into the $500-$600 range, now you are in Blackstar HT-20 and Peavey 6505 territory. It would be interesting to see how they compare.