What do you think about the Roland JC120?

[astrozombie]

Theres one for sale locally at $300 and since my hot rod is down and out i've been considering it.

post anything you want here: experiences, thoughts, whatever.

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

good jazz amp

i wouldn't use it for anything else

 

[AlexR]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

very clean, hates pedals.

bought it cos it was supposed to be metallicas clean amp. never sounded good, sterile, sold it.

If you want something else try one of the small fenders like the blues jr

 

[FuseG4]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

I remember I6 noting that the amp feels really stiff and very immediate, doesn't have great bass for a closed-back 2x12, and has a super-revealing high-end.

If you play clean all the time or you love the stereo chorus thing, maybe. I wouldn't do it for any kind of rock though, not then there are things out there that really warm up when you crank em and/or run dirt pedals.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

I'm looking for a dependable amp with a great clean sound.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?



seems to handle this pedal well

 

[James Rock]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

From how i've messed around in amp sims (i know not really a good enough background for advice) I found that the jazz chorus models worked better with gain through other speakers but that stereo chorus thing even in amp sims is quite nice but yeh from what I've heard of records and clips etc its a good amp but doesn't have some of the things we like about tube amps (and has things that tube amps cant do efficiently)

 

[Despair]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

I messed with using one as a stereo power amp/speaker setup with a tube preamp for a while. My Ibanez's stock humbuckers (and later JB in bridge) didn't get along too well with the JC-120 by itself, though the 2 other electrics I sometimes used back then got along fine (strat w/Lace Sensors & SGoid w/DiMarzios). The JC-120 I was using was an 80s model, open back.

It can do great cleans. I found it's built-in distortion useless. Great for use with other preamps. Though I didn't have it anymore by the time modellers came around, I am unsurprised by comments about it working well for that.

If you live for tube cleans, you'll probably not like it. If you want precise cleans that sparkle in a way completely unlike Fenders it's a lot of fun. I like it's cleans, but not for every application.

I liked it fine with a lot of pedals, but overdrive & gain boosts didn't work well. Big Muff worked pretty well.

[I think Roland ought to ditch the awful distortion and replace it with a channel intended for acoustic amplification. It's already decent for that, a preamp designed to clean up electroacoustic preamps/piezo bridges would make it killer without depending on outboard gear.]

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

I sold my jazz chorus and was happy to see it go.
Nothing wrong with its sound, and it has a superb chorus and reverb too.
For some reason tho, the thing always gave me a headache - at any volume.

 

[JeffB]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

It is the textbook definition of a one trick pony amp. For that ONE sound, it cannot be beat. I had the JC77 myself. I LOVE the clean sound and the chorus on it- its not warm and tubey, but it do have some mojo

However that is all that it is good for, the built in distortion sucks, and gain pedals sound like @$$ through it as well.

If you want that JC sound, just buy a Roland modeller with the JC sim, it's quite authentic (unless you NEED the stereo function)

 

[GLJazz]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

Reggae in a box. I think Mr Marley used one. I know Bradley did a\b'd with other amps for anything but cleans.

I usually see them in the 5-7 range so 3 is a pretty good deal.

 

[Mincer]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew used them as their main amps in the 80s King Crimson. Andy Summers used one in the Police, too.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

My Roland JC-120 post.

I have actually owned a Roland JC-120 --- unlike most folks. Most people don't get all the way to the finish line because the amp sounds terrible without the chorus on - and that's true; it does sound terrible without the chorus on.

I used to play in a big funk band, and I wanted the cleanest, loudest amp in the world, so I got a Roland JC-120, and I also got a Fender Ultimate Chorus, which was kind of like getting a Camry and an Accord - two different companies' take on the same idea.

Roland JC-120:
Sterile is overused in tone discussion, so let me qualify for you a bit. This amp felt "stiff," it had a very direct tone, with 0 sag or sponginess to it. The sound that came out of it "felt" brittle. High frequencies were reproduced perfectly, and I mean perfectly --- it sounded like what you heard playing unplugged, almost as if it made your pickups a little "truer." Impossible, I know, but observable.

Mid reproduction was super "closed," like it pained the amp to do it. Mid reproduction was the thing that gave these amps the reputation for being sterile, I think. There's just something so unnatural about the mid reproduction on these amps, I can't put my finger on it too well, but the mids always sounded unnatural.

Low reproduction: there wasn't any. For a closed back 2x12, you'd expect a lot of punch and woof, but you'd be sorely mistaken - the JC-120 never thumped. Some of you know I love a big low thump in my tone, and I actually gigged for years with a subwoofer in my live rig (same band, needed big thick clean tone). The JC-120 had no low end, and you can believe that I turned every knob trying to get it there.

Fender Ultimate Chorus:
This amp sounds unnaturally warm for a solid state amp, on the clean channel. For the record, I'm only referencing the clean channel in both of my assessments. High reproduction on this amp is clear, but sweet - the speakers may be the cause of this, but the highs are not harsh, they are, well...sweet.

Mid reproduction is excellent in this amp. Fender actually added a MID BOOST button to the later revision of this amp (which is the one I had) which can really change the sound of the amp. I used the MID BOOST button a lot when switching between G-style and F-style guitars. Mid reproduction has a very lively and active feel to it --- and carries an immediacy that is generally associated with active pickups, although I never used actives with it.

Low reproduction is ridiculous --- bump city if you dial it that way, or clear and authoritative if you dial it that way.

Overall, this amp had a spongier feel to it --- almost elastic, where the amp would save up some energy and kick it out extra hard based on how you picked. It just felt alive, and the Roland didn't.

Both amps have true stereo chorus, and two separate power amps, as in the Fender, rated at 130W, has two separate 65W power amps sitting next to each other --- essentially two 1x12 65W amps sitting next to each other in one cabinet. The Roland was built the same way.

The Roland was closed back and had fixed casters, I believe, and the Fender was open back and had removable casters.

I also found the chorus on the Fender to be both more pleasing and more adjustable.

I offloaded the JC-120 to a hippie bass player who wanted it for some reason, and kept the Fender.

Real reviews based on real experience from your boy I6.

 

[viewaskew2k5]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

Buy it. Use a volume pan pedal when you want a louder clean sound in the mix. It's clean, loud, transparent but not very forgiving. Also, if you're playing in an 80's alt/new wave band you don't need any other amp!

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

I6. Another self-referencing post? Narcissism or what?

As for the JC-120 (and family), loud, clear and, ultimately, boring. There is an irritating sterility and lack of dynamics about it. If I wanted to condemn the JC with faint praise, I would use two words - keyboard amp.

What is wrong with your Fender HR Deluxe, AZ?

 

[astrozombie]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

I6. Another self-referencing post? Narcissism or what?

As for the JC-120 (and family), loud, clear and, ultimately, boring. There is an irritating sterility and lack of dynamics about it. If I wanted to condemn the JC with faint praise, I would use two words - keyboard amp.

What is wrong with your Fender HR Deluxe, AZ?

I have no idea.

It could be anything from a faulty power tube to a resistor dying or something wrong with a cap. there seems to be no power either from the power tubes, or because the resistor is dead and the tubes arent getting much.

at any rate, this would be about getting rid of my peavey 212 transtube and having the JC120 as my back up solid state amp.

I think it would work out for me, 75 percent of the time I'm playing clean with some modulation or delay/reverb.

 

[Jay 77]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

Why not put the $300 towards getting your amp fixed? Or buy another used Hot Rod for not much more than that...

 

[SteveAlysis]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

They're cool amps... I think they'd work for what you do, and DO imo take pedals well. with that said, I say you should just fix the amp or buy another used. Peavey classics are pretty cool too, and can be had around the same priice used.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

Why not put the $300 towards getting your amp fixed? Or buy another used Hot Rod for not much more than that...

1- another hot rod isn't going to show up here in PR for any less than $400.

2-I wouldn't have another amp. 1 tube amp, 1 tube issue away from having something to play through.

 

[Bludave]

Re: What do you think about the Roland JC120?

I had JC 77. Basically the same amp except it has 10's instead of 12's and has about 30Watts less. I bought it when I bought my first Strat. The OD in the amp sounds like crap. The only good thing about the amp is the chorus. I intially had planned onA/Bing it with a Super that I bought about a year later, but the Super sounded so goo I got rid of it. I bought a nice Boss CE2 to give ma a great chorus sound with the Super. Initially I used the 77 with 2 OD pedals... a Rat & a Super OD. I could get a decent OD sound out of it or at least I thought it was good. Then I brought home my Super and everything changed in such a positive way I couldn't wait to get rid of it.