Is the Peavey JSX's noise gate any good?

[Inazone]

After trying a 5150 last weekend, I can rule out another potential amp upgrade. Too much noise for me, and since my intention is to find an amp with a footswitchable effects loop for an EQ and delay, I can't put a Hush or other gate in the loop and have it always on. I can only imagine that a XXX will also be noisy too, which leads me to the JSX. I once tried a JSX and XXX side by side, and didn't care much for the JSX's tone, but that was at pretty low volume and not with one of my own guitars. I have read lots of Harmony Central reviews written by people running a delay pedal in the loop in the same way I want to. The built-in noise gate might make my "dream" a reality, so to speak, but some reviews state that the noise gate doesn't really do a whole lot. Fact or fiction?

The JSX is really beyond my budget at the moment, but I'm quickly scratching a lot of other amps off the list. I have been able to get great tones out of many different amps, so it's coming down to features like gates and loops.

[lefty]

[QUOTE=Inazone;888038]After trying a 5150 last weekend, I can rule out another potential amp upgrade. Too much noise for me, and since my intention is to find an amp with a footswitchable effects loop for an EQ and delay, I can't put a Hush or other gate in the loop and have it always on. I can only imagine that a XXX will also be noisy too, which leads me to the JSX. QUOTE]


I've got the XXX 40-watt FX combo, and for my purposes,
It's very quiet, even with the FX in use. YMMV...


theo

[Twisteramps]

JSX doesn't really have a gate per se - it just cuts hiss mostly.

[Inazone]

JSX doesn't really have a gate per se - it just cuts hiss mostly.

That's really all I'm looking for. I have had good results with various Rocktron units in my pedal and rack rigs. I'm not really looking for a gate, just some general noise reduction when the gain is cranked. That one feature is not enough to justify paying over a grand, but when I figure in the cost of every dollar I've thrown into pedals and rack units to achieve the same functionality as what's built into the JSX (multiple channels, noise reduction, footswitchable/level-adjustable effects loop), I'm right around the same price point. The Carvin V3's channel-specific loops aren't what I'm looking for based on my experiences with the Peavey Rock Master, and although the new Rocktron VH160R has "sufficient" specs for a solid state head (noise reduction, footswitchable reverb, 12AX7 preamp tube), I have trouble believing that $400 is going to buy an amazing gigging amp.

That's an important distinction too. I am looking for something suitable for live use. It doesn't have to be hugely versatile, as I already have a nice recording setup for studio use.

[Heavyelement]

I bought my JSX head when they came out and love it. It replaced my first gen 5150 that blew up. The noise gate seems to work so so but I use the boss ns-2 noise suppressor , it works better when using my ts-808 pedal . You can't go wrong with the JSX , but now it is called the XXX 2.

[shreddermon]

The noise gate's effectiveness is only meh. The rest of the amp is great, though.

[toejam]

This thread is over 6 years old!

[Nimitz]

This thread is over 6 years old!

Yes the noise gate works well.

[shreddermon]

Doh!

[Inazone]

Huh . . . I forgot that I ever even considered a JSX. Definitely would not have been the right choice for me. Good to know that the new XXX is based on the JSX though, because I liked the old XXX but wouldn't want one that sounded like a JSX.