thoughts on the peavey JSX?

I own one, i find it to be a very versatile amp. it was a gift to me, which is the only reason i own it lol (or else i'd still be rockin a traynor YCV80 212)

it can cover a lot of ground! metal, punk, satch lol. my main beef is the "satch vibe' in the tone - but he designed the amp, nothin i can do about that.

i am curious to other members' experiences with this amp

I saw your other post... just kinda stupid question what do you mean "Satch vibe"..??

Undeadpaladin said:

I saw your other post... just kinda stupid question what do you mean "Satch vibe"..??

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its like a certain frequency range that cant be dialed out, that's part of satch's tone. if you go play a jsx, set all the EQ flat and the resonance and presence flat on the crunch channel, and play - you'll sound a lot like him.

it's a part of the voicing of the amp. i think it's something you have to hear to fully understand what i mean. i noticed it w/ a jsx cab, but it wasnt quite as pronounced.

I have a feeling that the 'satch vibe' is there because it is his signature amp.

As for as tones go I think the Peavey JSX as well as the Triple XXX that it's based on are both excellent amps.

I don't think Peaveys build quality is up to some other amp companies so I wouldn't go on a major road trip with just one. I'd bring a spare. But, as for as good quality tones, I think they Rock!

Rocky said:

I have a feeling that the 'satch vibe' is there because it is his signature amp.

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oh i know that's why it's there, im just disappointed that i cant dial it out lol

The JSX has that weird "cocked wah" thing going on. It's a hishy undertone you can't dial out. I sold my JSX for just that reason. Couldn't stand the "hish" and the lack of clarity.

madryan said:

The JSX has that weird "cocked wah" thing going on. It's a hishy undertone you can't dial out. I sold my JSX for just that reason. Couldn't stand the "hish" and the lack of clarity.

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i suppose your "cocked wah" is my "satch vibe" description. i dont find a lack of clarity, but i cant dial out that sound and it's why i want a different amp.

if i could try a framus dragon out, i'd probably buy one of those (supposedly a combination of 5150 and dual rec).

Some of the JSX heads has that "cocked wah tone' some don't.
Mine doesn't, but I have heard some that do.
I was given a suggestion by somone over on the Peavey forum that really "wakes these amps up".
set all of the EQ controls at 7 (on the ultra channel).
set the gain to 5 or 6. turn the master up to 5 and the channel volume to at least 3.
Make sure the loop is engaged (these amps sound "fuller" with the loop on for some reason) and set EQ settings to personal taste from here.
I found this really opened up mine and I got a very smooth 5150-ish tone out of it.
I you run the mids below 5 on this amp and add the low res all it does is add mud.
If you turn the mids up and then add the low res in , it adds a nice lower mid fullness to the sound.
Don't EQ this amp like a passive EQ'ed amp. I made that mistake and almost got rid of mine. these controls all interact with each other and are very sensitive.
Small changes make a lot of difference.
I also run mine withKT-77's and I found it to be much smoother sounding thatn the EL34's.

wow, can't believe i missed this topic for so long lol!

I owned a jsx 212 combo for 8 months. I found the clean channel was dead ( i know its supposed to be good for pedals, but it just lacked any sparkle ). The crunch and lead channel were good and i found the amp with the el34's to be really articulate. Tried a set of groove-tube 6l6's but just couldn't get rid of the amp-fart with the bass above 4.

Reliability was a huge issue in this amp. The pots are cheap plastic underneath the knobs, one broke off in the first week. The amps have poor quality soldering and mine would suffer from gig-ending volume drops. First time was about 2 songs from the end of the night, thought it was the soundman. Took it to the shop, they said it was a bad tube and they tested in for about 8 hours (with a cd player????). Second time it went was start of 3rd set, plus the reverb stopped functioning. Took them 10 weeks to 'fix' it, which i don't know or care if they did because i got a pro-rated refund and bought the mesa, couldn't be happier, even with the $1000 in the price difference. I think the amp had cold solder joints and the fx loop was shorting out causing the volume drops because it never blew a fuse or had a bad tube.

If you get this amp, your paying too much for joe's name, the quality and reliability isn't there. The combo is heavy and only has a top handle. Not an overly loud amp either. Would I recommend it? Not even if my name were Joe Satriani.

Channel 2 sounds JUST LIKE a DS1.

o.k., i know i'm probably on the wrong forum for this, but- who the hell needs 120 watts?! is everyone playing arenas except me?! give me 20 to 50 watts maximum, miked into a good house mix any day.

thinskin57 said:

o.k., i know i'm probably on the wrong forum for this, but- who the hell needs 120 watts?! is everyone playing arenas except me?! give me 20 to 50 watts maximum, miked into a good house mix any day.

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its not about the volume but the head room Plus nothing sounds better than a cranked stack! not even a good mike job.

hey austin- i have a 60 watt fender prosonic that'll rip your head off volume-wise with the volume set at just under 3 ...total clean headroom by the way. same thing with my 30 watt carr rambler w/the volume on 5. regarding your comment of nothing sounding better than a cranked stack... i agree, IF you're talking about distorted/crunch sounds. clean sounds? no way! i respectfully disagree. maybe i'm getting old (39) but i'd feel quite foolish/poser-ish playing out of a 120 watt half-stack in some tiny little club. every time i see a band w/some guy using this configuration, his stage volume is so **** loud that the sound guy doesn't even bother putting him through the house, and the whole mix suffers as a result. for the record, i am NOT anti-stack/big amp. i just think more people need to use the right tool for the right job, and be less concerned about how cool they look w/their pants flapping in the breeze of 4 12's!

very true it all depends on what style of music your playing. But then again i am a 80's metal guy so the stack will always reign supreme in my book I also figure that most people who buy a jsx or xxx are probably playing music where they are using the lead channels.

Rocky said:

Channel 2 sounds JUST LIKE a DS1.

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Wow, you couldn't be more wrong.

CudBucket said:

Rocky said:

Channel 2 sounds JUST LIKE a DS1.

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Wow, you couldn't be more wrong.

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Actually I am right. I did an AB with my Keeley modded DS1 and a JSX when the amps were first released. The JSX channel 2 absolutely nailed it the sound of channel one and the DS1 at pretty much any setting.

Remember that the DS! was Joe's main distortion sound for many, many years. That it is still in his head is to be expected.

I never said that the JSX sounded bad.