peavey jsx reviews?

[Fragle]

hi all

i'm just curious. what's the deal with the jsx amps? there are LOADS of bands that switched to jsx amps for live shows, for example exodus or arch enemy (well, before krank conquered the guitar world).
are they really that good, especially for metal, or are they just spiced up triple XXX amps?

[jgcable]

Re: peavey jsx reviews?

I heard 1 live 2 gigs ago. I thought it sounded horrible. It must have been a combination of his set up, his ability and his cabinet because the vast majority of reviews on the JSX are really good. I think the first run of them had some kind of noise gate issue but that was a while ago. It certainly is a cool looking amp. I can tell you one thing.. if it gets Satch's live tone from the last G3 concert I will have to pass on it. I thought Joe's tone was thin and processed sounding which is exactly what the JSX I heard live at the gig sounded like.
My Mark III literally ripped the JSX to shreds. It wasn't even a fair fight.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Re: peavey jsx reviews?

what everyone seems to forget about satch and the JSX is that satch has always, and still, gets his distortion from the orange boss DS-1. his amp stays on the clean channel and has many pedals infront of it.

[Chuckracer]

Re: peavey jsx reviews?

I had one here for shipping to a JCF member out of the country. Sounded like ass. I couldn't wait to get it gone.
The JCF'er I sent it too got rid of it quickly as well.

BTW, Krank didn't conqure shit!

[Fragle]

Re: peavey jsx reviews?

"BTW, Krank didn't conqure shit! "

okay
arch enemy using kranks live
soilwork using kranks live
the haunted using kranks live
nevermore using kranks live
basically any andy sneap production is a krank amp mixed together with either a mesa or a 5150

and thats just the stuff i'm remembering right now.

[Endrik]

Re: peavey jsx reviews?

just a couple of "not so well known" metal bands doesn't mean shit in the whole music world

[veliyasin]

Re: peavey jsx reviews?

Frag, a lot of bands went on tour with JSXs around that time period because...

1. These bands are "poor". No matter how much we love them and no matter how big they are to our eyes, most of these European bands can't afford to ship all their gear to the US for their N. American tours.

2. Thus when they tour N. America Peavey hooks them up with their amplifier of their choice. Most of the bands you mentioned were Peavey endorsees and were using 5150s around that time. As 5150 was discontinued and 6505 wasn't out at that time, it made perfect sense to Peavey to make those bands use JSXs, simple as.

Now though, I have to say... When I saw The Haunted in NYC with JSXs their rhythm sound KILLED. Although it was really hard to hear Anders' leads... That is my short review and only experience with JSXs. I am not saying they are bad amps, I can't I just don't have enough experience with one at the moment. But it makes sense to keep in mind that the bands who were touring with JSXs in late 2004 didn't do it because of personal choice.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Re: peavey jsx reviews?

when i saw king diamond. mike weed was using the jsx and andy laroque was using a marhsall AVT! it wasn't the best they had ever sounded but it was ok.

[noodlesatf]

Re: peavey jsx reviews?

[ QUOTE ]
arch enemy using kranks live
soilwork using kranks live
the haunted using kranks live
nevermore using kranks live

[/ QUOTE ]

You can ad Shadow's Fall, Trivium, As I Lay Dying, Black Dahlia Murder, and Bury Your Dead to that list, and those are just the ones from Ozzfest. I could add Tommy Victor, God Forbid, Fear Factory, Sinai Beach, Vehemence, Darkest Hour and GWAR (covered in food coloring, I assume) to that list.

They're not exactly conquoring the amp world, but they have carved out a very nice slice of the pie in the metal world. I had my reservations about these amps at first, but everyone seems to be getting killer tones out of the new ones.

As for the JSX, the guys in Exodus played through them and their sound owned. I was close enough to see the lights switching on Gary Holt's amp when he changed channels for lead and rhythm. The distortion was either all from the amp, or maybe a pedal in front for more edge trick.

[Fragle]

Re: peavey jsx reviews?

"They're not exactly conquoring the amp world, but they have carved out a very nice slice of the pie in the metal world. I had my reservations about these amps at first, but everyone seems to be getting killer tones out of the new ones."
thats exactly what i was trying to say.

"As for the JSX, the guys in Exodus played through them and their sound owned. I was close enough to see the lights switching on Gary Holt's amp when he changed channels for lead and rhythm. The distortion was either all from the amp, or maybe a pedal in front for more edge trick. "
apparently, gary uses the jsx because he doesn't want to take his beloved modded marshall on the road anymore...studio, yes, but it seems to be his baby, and the road is tough. i read this at the exodus board.
but, in all honesty, listening to the another lesson in violence record (which has rick on the left using a 5150 and gary on the right using his marshall - this is what andy sneap said) i think rick's 5150 rig pretty much destroys gary's marshall.
what everyone seems to forget about satch and the JSX is that satch has always, and still, gets his distortion from the orange boss DS-1. his amp stays on the clean channel and has many pedals infront of it. "

you forgot to mention that satriani's tone sucks [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] nah, it doesn't really suck, just not my cup of tea...by far!
i'd never consider this amp because of satch's lead tone. it's just that "heros" like exodus and arch enemy use those, too, so somehow they can't be that shabby.

another point may be that they seem to be insanely cheap in the US of A. seems like they are usually going for around $800 on the 'bay, whereas they hardly show up on german ebay, and if so, they are more like 1100 euro....if you want to buy one in a guitar store you'd have to shell out 1600 euro. thats the price of a new framus cobra. go figure...
"

[Twisteramps]

Re: peavey jsx reviews?

Well crap, I have one coming in tomorrow. I'm taking it and the dual recto rackmount to band rehearsal on saturday - we're going to learn another set's worth of material so we can add to our list o' songs.

I will give it a full review afterwards if anyone is interested. I found one at a decent price and really liked the two that I've checked out at music stores, so who knows?

Pete

[Chuckracer]

Re: peavey jsx reviews?

All these Krank amp users you guys are listing are bands that meake me laugh or puke, depending on my mood when I hear them, and largely ignore. I'd like to know how many of them actually spent their own money for them, and how many on the Ozzfest tour, for example, were using the same backline supplied amp.
Furthermore, I'd like to know what they'd use if money, endorsement or tour support were of no consequence.


Pete, you will probably be able to pull amazing tones out of it...talent will have that affect!

[Twisteramps]

Re: peavey jsx reviews?

Regarding Kranks... how many 'regular guys' like us have played them and liked them? I honestly can't think of many of us that have been 'turned to Krank' so to speak. I do know the company did a buttload of false positive reviews on HC and got caught doing it. Everyone that I know that has tried a Krank in real life thought it sucked.

Thanks for the kind words Chuck, but I've had some amps that were total shitpiles. My yamaha T100 sounded like a dying donkey braying through an ugly cheerleader's megaphone.

What'll be real interesting is that my band is doing a fill in gig at a biker rally on saturday, and not having a rehearsal, so I may be taking *three* amps to the gig (vetta, mesa, and JSX). Or Just the JSX and the Vetta. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I'm not saying the Vetta is superior to the Mesa, just that I know the Vetta a lot more 'betta' and I can use it as a crutch in case the JSX just sounds sucktacular. I think I'll probably try the JSX, a modded super overdrive to hit channel one and two with possibly, a JGCable modded wah I just bought from ToeJam, and if it works well in the loop my Pod XT Live for time based effects.

Pete

[LRGman]

Re: peavey jsx reviews?

I agree with the thin sound-as far as bands using them, its amazing how good even a practice amp can sound miked up=

[Inearthed]

Re: peavey jsx reviews?

[ QUOTE ]
Regarding Kranks... how many 'regular guys' like us have played them and liked them? I honestly can't think of many of us that have been 'turned to Krank' so to speak. I do know the company did a buttload of false positive reviews on HC and got caught doing it. Everyone that I know that has tried a Krank in real life thought it sucked.

[/ QUOTE ]

Pete, you hit the nail right on the head. The Krank I have played in person sounded TERRIBLE and a local band that I saw with a guitarist running a RW100 had terrible tone. His amp just was a big humming mass of feedback - whenever he stopped playing or even heavily palm muted there was a ton of feedback. Just because a bunch of bands are now using Kranks (all of them are endorsees too) it doesn't mean that Krank's rule. Lots of bands don't have a lot of money and will take any chance at exposure that they can get. Heavily discounted or free gear with your band name being dropped whenever ads are run or people start talking about the amplifiers - instant publicity! Krank has money and is trying to break into the market by throwing out a ton of endorsements. The goal is to get the fans that see these bands play that also play in other bands out purchasing the amplifiers to get the same tone.

I've only heard one band live that managed to get an excellent sound with the Kranks, and that was Soilwork - but even then I think that their tone with 5150's was much better. While I don't think that Krank amps are terrible they are terribly overpriced. To me they're just poor knock offs of the 5150 with an extra $700 added to the tag.