JVM or JSX head?

[cbope]

how about an Engl then. over there the price is probaby pretty close on a Powerball.

To be honest, I'm not really familiar with Engl amps, so I hadn't considered them. I can get a Powerball for the same price as a JVM and cheaper than a JSX here.

[lerxstcat]

I really think you need to try one out before you buy. In my case, I played two JSX's at two different stores before buying the one I bought, which was bought from still another store (I got a much better "deal" than I would have at the other stores) . The first two sounded great. Maybe mine was a really early one and they changed it afterward? I dunno... Like I said, its not a bad amp IMO. If I could've been able to get rid of that underlying "wah" thing it had, I would've kept it for sure. It sat above the sweep of the mid knob and below the sweep of the treble knob. I suppose I could've used an EQ in the loop, but I felt that if the amp couldn't deliver the goods when plugging straight into it, the amp had to go.

That's interesting... I guess maybe you need to find one you like and buy THAT VERY amp? I mean "you" generally, K, I realize that you particularly have decided against the JSX.

I wonder why some would have that trait and not others, and if there's something you could look for, other than cranking it, to know and avoid Like if it were an artifact of a slightly off tube, or maybe in the EL34 versions which most seem to like less than the 6L6 loaded ones.

[kmanick]

the Powerball is a very good amp. If they are priced that well over there , I would definitely check one out.

To be honest, I'm not really familiar with Engl amps, so I hadn't considered them. I can get a Powerball for the same price as a JVM and cheaper than a JSX here.

[cbope]

That's interesting... I guess maybe you need to find one you like and buy THAT VERY amp? I mean "you" generally, K, I realize that you particularly have decided against the JSX.

I wonder why some would have that trait and not others, and if there's something you could look for, other than cranking it, to know and avoid Like if it were an artifact of a slightly off tube, or maybe in the EL34 versions which most seem to like less than the 6L6 loaded ones.

That's the thing, if I could identify the source of the wah problem in the JSX and be sure that the amp I get does not have it, I would go straight for the JSX. But since the store that I will buy from has to order the amp from the local distributor or even from the states, I have no idea if the amp will have the problem or not. And it would likely be only 1 amp, so I can't compare several and find a "good" one before I take it home.

On the other hand, I have been reading a lot of reviews of the Powerball. Seems like it might be a very good choice. I think my local store may have them in stock, so I could go try one. From what I've read so far, it should have a much better clean channel than the JVM, more along the lines of the JSX. Gain is not a problem either.

[Twisteramps]

All I'll say are things that I encountered with both amps:

JSX + 6L6 tubes + JCM800 cab loaded with GT75s = no notched wah tone.

JVM + switches that were intermittent on a new amp that was just out of the box + pots that have plastic shafts and aren't fastened securely to the front panel + past Marshall issues with quality (including my Marshall addicted pal who had to buy THREE TSL's to get one with no problems, and went through two different footswitches on his 'good' one) = trouble

Pete

Pete

[cbope]

All I'll say are things that I encountered with both amps:

JSX + 6L6 tubes + JCM800 cab loaded with GT75s = no notched wah tone.

JVM + switches that were intermittent on a new amp that was just out of the box + pots that have plastic shafts and aren't fastened securely to the front panel + past Marshall issues with quality (including my Marshall addicted pal who had to buy THREE TSL's to get one with no problems, and went through two different footswitches on his 'good' one) = trouble

Pete

Pete

Pete

I trust your opinion on this, but it just wrecks my budget. I've got a max of 2000€ to spend on an amp and cab. The JSX is 1700, a new set of 6L6 power tubes is 75 (to replace a perfectly good set of EL34's) and the cheapest G12-75 loaded cab I can find is a Marshall 1936 at about 500€. So that's almost 2300 total.

Compare this to the JVM or Powerball at 1500, a Framus V30 cab at 329. If it's the Powerball, add 159 for the foot controller. Either option fits within my budget. The Marshall comes out cheaper since it includes the foot controller. Basically, is the extra 300-400 cost for the JSX justified? I haven't been able to convince myself...

Regarding the pots on the Marshall, a good friend of mine has a TSL100 with the same pots and he's had it for a while now. He's pulled the amp out of the chassis a bunch of times, and though he says he has worried about the pots, so far he hasn't had any problems.

[horns666]

Pete

I trust your opinion on this, but it just wrecks my budget. I've got a max of 2000€ to spend on an amp and cab. The JSX is 1700, a new set of 6L6 power tubes is 75 (to replace a perfectly good set of EL34's) and the cheapest G12-75 loaded cab I can find is a Marshall 1936 at about 500€. So that's almost 2300 total.

Compare this to the JVM or Powerball at 1500, a Framus V30 cab at 329. If it's the Powerball, add 159 for the foot controller. Either option fits within my budget. The Marshall comes out cheaper since it includes the foot controller. Basically, is the extra 300-400 cost for the JSX justified? I haven't been able to convince myself...

Regarding the pots on the Marshall, a good friend of mine has a TSL100 with the same pots and he's had it for a while now. He's pulled the amp out of the chassis a bunch of times, and though he says he has worried about the pots, so far he hasn't had any problems.

Shop around for a better price,..the tube swap can waite..just get the amp at the cheapest price possible. Buy a foot switch later..use your finger..dammit!

For the difference in price..sacrifice a couple things for a week or two and you'll have it..don't go to the bar or to that show coming up..don't wine and dinner your girl at Red Lobster..just drive to a from work..save gas...save ass...save grass, eat PB & J sandwiches and Mac and Chee from a box..fuggums..it's all about the tone!

Taco Bell, McDonald's, Burger King all have dollar menues..you could eat for three bucks a day..do you really need the Number 5 with the supersize coke and fry, ya fat bastard..drink free ice water!!!!

problem solved..that's what I do..

[Infernal Death]

Ok i never played a JSX so i can't comment on this amp. But the other guitar player in my band has a JVM so i can give some opinions/observations about this amp:
- It has a very nice sound. IMO not as nice as my rectifier but this is a matter of personal taste and also the Rectifier is in a different price league. For 1500 Euros it's really a nice amp.
- For a tube amp i think it's very versatile.
- With high gain settings it hisses like crazy. Yes i realize every high gain amp has some hiss but this is way too much. At rehearsal if we talk between the songs we have to tell the other guitar player to put his amp in stand by, you really can't talk with all this hiss (or you have to yell).
We first thought the amp is already broken but our drummer (who works in a music store) assured as that all the amps they have at the store hiss this bad.
- He has this amp not even a month and already it already has a problem. It sometimes startes to make crackling noises (very loudly). Our drummer picked up the amp yesterday to send it back for repair. Maybe it's something minor but as long as it has warranty it will be send back. I don't think this speaks well of marshalls quality, mainly because it seems it's a common problem with build quality and not just the other guitar player got a bad amp.

Flo

[skarhead]

- With high gain settings it hisses like crazy. Yes i realize every high gain amp has some hiss but this is way too much.

noisier than a 5150 ? or different kind of hiss (loud background humming ? )

[cbope]

- With high gain settings it hisses like crazy. Yes i realize every high gain amp has some hiss but this is way too much. At rehearsal if we talk between the songs we have to tell the other guitar player to put his amp in stand by, you really can't talk with all this hiss (or you have to yell).

That's one thing I noticed is missing from the JVM... a noise gate. JSX and the Engl have it...

[kmanick]

well I have EL34's in my JSX and I run it thru V30's and still no "cocked wah" sound .

Sounds to me like you need to go check out the Engl's and see what you think.

[lerxstcat]

Pete

I trust your opinion on this, but it just wrecks my budget. I've got a max of 2000€ to spend on an amp and cab. The JSX is 1700, a new set of 6L6 power tubes is 75 (to replace a perfectly good set of EL34's) and the cheapest G12-75 loaded cab I can find is a Marshall 1936 at about 500€. So that's almost 2300 total.

Compare this to the JVM or Powerball at 1500, a Framus V30 cab at 329. If it's the Powerball, add 159 for the foot controller. Either option fits within my budget. The Marshall comes out cheaper since it includes the foot controller. Basically, is the extra 300-400 cost for the JSX justified? I haven't been able to convince myself...

Regarding the pots on the Marshall, a good friend of mine has a TSL100 with the same pots and he's had it for a while now. He's pulled the amp out of the chassis a bunch of times, and though he says he has worried about the pots, so far he hasn't had any problems.

Read Infernal Death's post, and then again I urge: buy anything other than the Marshall! It's a real crapshoot whether you're going to get a reliable amp; more than likely you'll get a headache for a lot of your hard-earned money.

If you're not sure about a JSX, get a Powerball - or maybe a Fireball, aren't they the 50-watt version? Maybe they're a little less. Not sure how the clean channel is on those, I know you said you wanted good cleans. Worth checking out though, I'm sure.

[Carbophos]

From my experience.

Basically JSX channels are fine tuned versions of
Fender Bassman (with extra preamp headroom)
Marshall Plexi (with a bit of extra preamp gain)
Mesa Recto (a bit more focused and less compressed)

With FAT mode for dirty channels and adjustable noise gate it is one of the best versalite stage workhorses on the market. I'd say any aforementioned amp is better or noticeably more authentic but as all-in-one package it's just great.

JVM on the other hand is basically an enhanced/improved JMP-1 built into the head. So it gives you a full range of Marshall tones extended into very good clean (though I would look for something else in recording situation) and some extra (compared to JCM 2000) gain.

Anyway it's all about you ears and feel

[Shawn Lutz]

Bottom line is to take all advice you get with a grain of salt. You'll have to use your own ears to decide. Its your money that you'll be using, you know what you like to hear and everyone and their brother telling you what to buy based on their ears and your $$

Tone is so subjective and no two people hear things excatly the same way or find the same things appealing to their ears.

[cbope]

Oh hell...

Well, reliability concerns have ruled out the Marshall (I still think it sounds great) and I'm still worried that I'll end up with a "cocked wah" JSX... so I'm going to trust my gut feeling and ears and get a Powerball and matching Engl 2x12 pro cab. Hell, if I don't like it I can sell it off in half a year and get something else. It's not like I'll be married to the damn thing...

And I've got one ex- already!