Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

LOL @ spreadsheet.

I'd keep the big amp if you can though, you never know what you might need in the future.

 

[CTN]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

LOL @ spreadsheet.

I'd keep the big amp if you can though, you never know what you might need in the future.

for what though? playing stadiums? Cuz you know.. I do that...practically every day. and twice a day on weekends.


sarcasm aside, I don't play ANY gigs that actually require a 100W head. And I really don't anticipate any sort of mega stardom to the point of needing to really use the volume and projection of a 100W amp.

Had some of these lunch boxes been on the market when I bought the Jet City I might've bought one instead. It's been like...5 years or so since I did buy it, and there has been a LOT of innovation in the lunchbox niche since then. In any case, I'm expecting that whatever I buy, it should make me happy for at least a solid 5 years. Probably by that time there'll be some other snazzy GAS-inducing thing on the market. But when that time comes I prolly wont get rid of whatever i buy now.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

aye, I could. But then I'd have to keep the half stack and I don't really wanna. I've had my fill of the Jet City. Nice amp, but I'm ready for some change. Plus, putting an attenuator on the 100W amp doesn't make my rig any smaller, which kinda defeats the purpose of wanting to downsize.

Ah, I missed the part about wanting to downsize, I thought you only wanted lower volume, and smaller size would be a natural progression for that.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

You never know bro, Matt Pike might come callin'.

 

[CTN]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

a likely story

 

[Soulcrusher_X]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

To me, it's not always the volume that 100w amps offer, it's the bigger, tighter feel to the sound. Playing at home, sure 10-20w is more than enough. For ANY sized venue, miced of not, I like 100w. Or 50w with 6550s or KT88s.

What you REALLY need is a Splawn Street Rod.

 

[Powdered Toast Man]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

I'm selling my Jet City head and my 4x12 cab. It's just far too much amp/volume/space being taken up and although it helped me become a MUCH better player, listener and tone conoisseur, I gotta move on.

I looking for a smallish lunchbox sorta amp, that is giggable but still cutesy enough to play at apartment volumes.

here's basically the specs I'm looking for:

Power: 15-25W, all tube
Channels: 2 (clean/dirty)
Gain: preferably high gain right outta the box cuz I'd prefer to get beastly high gain tones without having to max the gain and then boost it - that's a recipe for a mudslide. That said, I also want the clean channel to be properly clean with the ability to get a bit of crunch. I need to go from classic blues tones all the way to thrash and death metal.
EQ: Shared EQ is fine
FX loop: yes please!
Power scaling: if possible, yes, not picky about how low it can go, but as long as something's there it's worth consideration
Master vol: would be nice, but not a deal breaker if it isn't there.
Price: Under $1000, but obviously, if I can spend significantly less and get killer tones, I'd be quite happy with that.

I wanna go beyond the Jet City line and experience something new, but I did have a look at the JCA22H and although it meets a lot of my criteria, like I just said, I want some other sound.

I looked around some and discovered several options (keep in mind I'm going just off demos i've seen/heard. Haven't had a chance to go check out any of these in person yet)

- Marshall DSL15H - Meets all criteria except doesn't have an FX loop, and the high gain stuff, while it is ample, sounds loose, fizzy and messy. I like my high gain to be crisp and articulate. $499.
- Randall RD20H - Meets all the criteria except power scaling. Designed by Mike Fortin, so apparently the gain is tight, crisp, and friggin thunderous. Cool. But I have yet to see any demo of this amp that shows off how versatile (if at all) the clean channel is. Also $499.
- Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 18 - meets all my criteria. Seems like a great little unit and probably a huge step up from the DSL in terms of sound quality/detail/clarity. From what I've heard, the gain can get pretty dirty, but it sounds a bit muddy and undefined as it only gets really dirty at the very max gain settings. $699
- Engl Gigmaster 15 - Meets all my criteria. Probably my favourite so far outta the bunch. The gain gets really dirty only towards the upper end of its range, much like the Tubemeister, but it seems to be tighter and more crisp. Clean and OD sounds are awesome. Spanky, crunchy, chewy goodness. $749, but might be able to get it for less, we'll see.
- Mesa Transatlantic TA-15. meets all my criteria except FX loop. Overall impressions are much the same as the Tubemeister but I can't find any good demos that show off its dirty side. Every demo I've seen features dudes playing blues licks through the high gain channels without taking the gain as far as it'll go. POOP. $899

side note: Also checked out the brand new Engl Ironball. Very similar to the Gigmaster but it's got a lot more gain on tap, plus switchable reverb, volume boost, gain boost and obviously channel switching. Sounds absolutely fantastic but it's also about $1200 street, so outta my price range.

Anyone got any opinions on this shortlist or any suggestions for amps I'm not aware of?

Cheers!

ok

 

[CTN]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

ok

:lmao: I hate you

 

[vinta9e]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

Pull either the inner or the outer pair of tubes. Switch the impedance to half of the cab. Check bias. Now it's only 50w.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

Im sorry that this doesnt help your issue at all, but I want to ask ( aside from wanting to change/downsize) how did you like the Jet city? I tried one of the 22s and liked it, but have wanted to try the bigger ones.. Thanks! Sorry again this doesnt add to your thread..

 

[CTN]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

I like it very very much for everything up to metal. I really like ultra tight metal tones, and the low end on the JCA100s is quite difficult to get really tight, even with the depth mod (the 100HDM comes standard with the depth mod). Closest I could get was the depth mod and the slope resistor mod (which trims the low end's presence quite a bit, but doesn't really change its character). And even then, the mids and highs were still greasy and loose-ish. I had a tube screamer a while back and while that did in a way tighten it up a bit, it also castrated the low end completely so the amp lost a lot of its lovely low-mid growl. The slope resistor mod doesn't have that problem, but it also gives you a bit more of a marshall kinda sound, where low-mid growl isn't quite as predominant.

But those qualities make is astoundingly awesome for rock stuff.

I wish the clean channel had a bit more travel on the gain knob before starting to break up so it'd be possible to really get pristine clean sounds. It really shines with overdriven, crunch and distorted tones. Just can't do the really brutal stuff as well. Also the FX loop, while totally clean sounding, only works for line level (ie rack effects or pedals that can use line level), so that kinda limits what you can use in the loop. But it's also part of Mike Soldano's core design, so attempts to mod the fx loop usually end up castrating the amp's inherently great tone.

Other than that, no complaints whatsoever. Great build quality, and it's a real no-nonsense amp. Simple, to the point, great sound.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

thanks for the info!! Hdm= Has Depth Mod? interesting!! haha Very cool! Yeah, never been able to try any but the lil guys

 

[CTN]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

thanks for the info!! Hdm= Has Depth Mod? interesting!! haha Very cool! Yeah, never been able to try any but the lil guys

100H = 100W head
100HDM = 100W head, depth mod

not even joking...Doug from Jet City was soliciting model names from the Harmony Central amp forum before they put the HDM on the market.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

Yeah, I believe you.. I was/am (havent been there in yrs) a member over there and was active when they first started up so was involved in some of the 1st discussions. They wouldnt let me be a test mule, but sent me some stickers.. i guess its good to keep it simple.. better than names like XXX or something..

Ive never taken a chance getting one cuz I figure they are GREAT rock amps, but not metal amps and Im more 80s rock to metal..

 

[CTN]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

Yeah....I mean it does have more than enough gain on tap, but it does this annoying thing of getting thicker and thicker and thicker as you add more gain on the OD channel. The thickness actually sounds f'n great until about halfway, and then anything above halfway starts getting just stupidly and unusably thick. That said, even halfway is quite a lot of gain, and is plenty for most 80s metal. If you need a LOT of gain for modern metal stuff, well...you can't get it in a clean articulate way. You gotta lower the gain and then boost it with a not-clean boost/Overdrive pedal. But that gets rid of the essential character of the amp and makes it sound less open and organic.

so yeah...really not much of a high gain monster, but amazing for anything besides modern metal.

 

[CTN]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

Anyways....despite the Laney Ironheart Studio winning the shootout on paper, it appears that there are no Laney dealers in Canada. Blech. If I have service issues that need to be addressed, I'm screwed.

So I likely won't be able to play that and get an idea if I like the sound or not.

Which leaves me with the two remaining options: the Randall RD20H and the H&K Tubemeister. Gonna have to track these down and try them out.

 

[Soulcrusher_X]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

I like it very very much for everything up to metal. I really like ultra tight metal tones, and the low end on the JCA100s is quite difficult to get really tight, even with the depth mod (the 100HDM comes standard with the depth mod). Closest I could get was the depth mod and the slope resistor mod (which trims the low end's presence quite a bit, but doesn't really change its character). And even then, the mids and highs were still greasy and loose-ish. I had a tube screamer a while back and while that did in a way tighten it up a bit, it also castrated the low end completely so the amp lost a lot of its lovely low-mid growl. The slope resistor mod doesn't have that problem, but it also gives you a bit more of a marshall kinda sound, where low-mid growl isn't quite as predominant.

But those qualities make is astoundingly awesome for rock stuff.

I wish the clean channel had a bit more travel on the gain knob before starting to break up so it'd be possible to really get pristine clean sounds. It really shines with overdriven, crunch and distorted tones. Just can't do the really brutal stuff as well. Also the FX loop, while totally clean sounding, only works for line level (ie rack effects or pedals that can use line level), so that kinda limits what you can use in the loop. But it's also part of Mike Soldano's core design, so attempts to mod the fx loop usually end up castrating the amp's inherently great tone.

Other than that, no complaints whatsoever. Great build quality, and it's a real no-nonsense amp. Simple, to the point, great sound.

Not trying to make you keep it or change your mind, but just for info, here:

The big JCA amps are very similar to the Soldano Hotrod series, all the values are there. Changing the preamp design to the SLO circuit tightens it up and makes the amp more aggressive. Gain is a lot clearer also. But.....the FX loop is still usually a pain. Can be changed to work better with pedals, but it makes the amp a bit brighter and stiffer. And yes, Mike Soldano shuns this kind of behavior.

 

[CTN]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

yep I knew all that couldn't be arsed to get into all that modding though.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

Find a Zinky Blue Velvet 25 watter.
I own a combo and it's the amp i will never part with.
GREAT crunch tones at shockingly low levels but also well able to get LOUD when needed. Gain is nuts and more than I could ever use but when you back it down will get a nice edgie breakup.
I right now own a JCA 22H and a Peavy Ultra + head the Zinky has MUCH more gain on tap than both but also responds to touch and technique better than both.
Then there are the cleans--. Bruce ran the fender CS for a number of years sand was the mastermind behind the Prosonic, Tonemaster , Vibro King and several other of the best amps that IMO Fender ever did.
Then there is the little factor of a LIFETIME TRANSFERABLE Warranty!!
New these will run you around $1500 but used they are well in the range you are talking and there is NOTHING else out there that will touch these amps!
Here is a camera mic recording of my 1/12 combo unmiced in a HUGE room that was once the lower lobby of a hospital. Only effects are a delay and the wah.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Time to get rid of the 100W head and move on to smaller pastures...

Find a Zinky Blue Velvet 25 watter.
I own a combo and it's the amp i will never part with.
GREAT crunch tones at shockingly low levels but also well able to get LOUD when needed. Gain is nuts and more than I could ever use but when you back it down will get a nice edgie breakup.
I right now own a JCA 22H and a Peavy Ultra + head the Zinky has MUCH more gain on tap than both but also responds to touch and technique better than both.
Then there are the cleans--. Bruce ran the fender CS for a number of years sand was the mastermind behind the Prosonic, Tonemaster , Vibro King and several other of the best amps that IMO Fender ever did.
Then there is the little factor of a LIFETIME TRANSFERABLE Warranty!!
New these will run you around $1500 but used they are well in the range you are talking and there is NOTHING else out there that will touch these amps!
Here is a camera mic recording of my 1/12 combo unmiced in a HUGE room that was once the lower lobby of a hospital. Only effects are a delay and the wah.

Didnt know you were running an ultra plus Bro! Great, underrated amps.. My local GC just sold a used one for like $299. I really like mine. Matter of fact, Im gonna drag it back out pretty soon cuz Im getting fed up with my splawn going in the shop..