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I know I have braged about my JC 120 alot on here,and how I wouldnt trade it for the world. Well Iam turning 59yrs old this year and Iam tired of lugging it around. So Iam thinking about buying a roland cube 80, Ive only heard them on the internet so far and read good stuff on them. I have to drive quite aways to hear one What do you guys think about this amp and has anyone in here use one, do you think Iam nuts If I can swing it I might just buy one and retire by JC 120 to my music room.
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03-07-2010 04:15 PM
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So you're not getting rid of it, just retiring it? I thought you had gone crazy, for a second! My take on the Cube 80x is that it's alright, but it's no Jazz Chorus. If you like the sound, you might try some of the smaller versions, like the 1x12 JC-60 or the 2x10 JC-77 and JC-90. And there is a short list of clean SS amps that lots of jazzers like (and none are as heavy as the JC-120). I say: have fun trying out some new amps!
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I've got a JC 77. Smaller than the JC 120 and easier to manage, but still "a bit" big. I've got casters on mine which makes it fairly easy to move around. Smaller yet, I've seen a JC 55 (I think) that looked kind of cool, but the seller was asking (what I thought was) way too much...I think I bought my JC 77 for cheaper. These are all great jazz amps. I also use a Fender Blues Junior for bluesier, rock stuff...very nice amp too.
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You must remember Ive been playing a JC 120 since they come out all most Iam on my third one now. The one I have now is a 2004 model. I do have a couple tube amps but I use them for Rock and Blues. Ive bought and traded tube amps but Ive always kept a JC 120 around. When I was a little younger playing christain rock I use a Boogie Mark III head and 2 412cabs but I use a a/b switch and switch to a JC120 for clean.
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I got rid of my JC 120 when I had to lug it up a flight of stairs and found my nuts hanging down to my knees. OUCH!
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I started playing again about 2 years ago. I finally got an electric last week and plugged it into my Jazz Chorus that Ive had for 15 years, but never really used. I was underwhelmed.
The guitar is an Eastman AR371, which sounds great plugged into my laptop, but the amp has a tone I do not like. Im sure the problem is amp, not guitar. I cant describe what I dont like about it, but maybe its too bright? Particularly high notes are bugging me. This isnt a problem with the speakers, they are fine. I am wondering if it is too powerful. Tomorrow I will take it outside, to see if I hear something different. This may sound odd, but it sounds more like a clean tone the Beatles or Stones would get, not jazzy.
The reason why I bring this up here is because this website did a poll a while back that said people either love or hate the JC 120.
For those who have had this amp, what were your thoughts?Last edited by eh6794; 04-04-2015 at 09:50 PM.
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Sounds like tastes have changed.
When I had my JC120, I used the 2nd channel, bright off, EQ to taste with the Distortion BARELY cracked open. Basically as low as it could get and still be on. JUST enough reverb to wet the signal.
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I've owned one and hated it. It was my first "jazz amp," recommended by lots of people in the late '80's; every amp I've had since has been better.
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I have never owned a JC 120, but this IS one amp I would like to own. The clean channel is just superb. IMO, this is the perfect jazz and awful at anything else. A JC 120 is the one amp I would part with my Mustang IV V 2 for.
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I use to own 2 x JC-120 in the past, now I have a Cube 80XL and to be honest I don't miss them.
Here is an interesting topic on the comparison:
https://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/guita...x-verdict.html
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I prefer the Cube 80x over the JC120. I had them both, compared them, sold the JC120 and still have the Cube. No plans of ever selling it.
Originally Posted by eh6794
That's my old post. Originally Posted by vinlander
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Good thread. Thanks!
I'm going to try to sell this 120. Maybe I will take a hit and see if I can get a good price from a pawn shop or local music shop.
On a different note, can someone explain the difference between the Cube 80's is x, gx etc
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I have for some obscure reason always returned to the JC. In between there have been vintage Fender amps, boutique Tweeds and a bunch of others. The JC is a tad bright compared to the others but putting the time in tweaking the tone dials and putting some warmth in by using the infamous distortion can create the most soulful tones there are IMO.
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I havent played a JC120 in almost 30 years but I have the JC55 (half the wattage with 2x10s and all the baggage the 120 has (noisy chorus and lousy distortion
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My 55 is a great sounding amp.. I plugged it in and plugged in a strat and "Look at me! I am the Edge! Look at me! I am Andy Summers".
Plugged in my Emp Reg... meh.. plugged in my ES165.. double meh. It may be a "Jazz" amp but I think that jazz is very 70s electric based jazz.
Good amp.. a little lighter and more reliable than a twin but certainly not an amp for all season.
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I had a JC-120 for a couple of years. After the magic of the built-in Stereo Chorus wears off, what do you have left? At first it sounded clear and transparent, but after a while the highs got to be hard on the ears... and then there's the background hiss. Sold it quick on CL. Can't imagine anyone paying $1k+ for a brand new one.
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Yes, exactly. The highs are hard on the ears. When I hear that, my natural instinct is to play those notes quieter. Originally Posted by vernon
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If it's too heavy and you don't like the sound sell it and buy a Cube. The Cubes are awesome and you get on with playing rather than worrying about gear. Pocket the extra cash and never look back.
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Interesting, I turned the distortion on and left it at the lowest setting, and now the high note brightness is nearly fixed.
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Originally Posted by eh6794
Yup.
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The amp is big and heavy. In addition the level of hiss is very high.
On the other hand some amps work better with certain guitars and vice versa. Maybe it's the case of your 371 with the JC.
Pat Martino and Ulf Wakenius used JC 120 long time with great results and a super jazzy sound,but both were using solid guitars .
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Ok, so I finally got a decent sound out of it. Channel 2, on low, bright off, treble and mid at 2:00 and bass at 10:00. I ended up leaving the distortion off as its too hard for me to accept the fact the I have distortion on. Also, after a tragic nail file accident, my index finger nail finally grew back.
This is using my laptop speaker, so the sound isnt supposed to be great, but you can get an idea of what it sounds like.
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I had the JC120 amp in the early 1990's, I played a friend's recently, I think it sounds better if you're standing further away from the amp, like
the audience.
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JC120 is overpriced now. It isn't really a jazz amp either. It has that 80s trebly clean sound of indy rock from that time...and the physical Panasonic-style chorus. Because the amp is iconic for that clean 80s/90s pop/rock sound, it is fetishized. It commands a high price, new or used. Good that you own one with a known provenance of not being abused. It is worth something and may well increase in value over the next decade as collectable.
Like any solid state 2x12 with over 100 watts, it has good clean headroom for crisp cleans and as a platform for pedals. But, Yamaha G100 or Fender Ultimate Chorus of that era also have these traits and are available used for $200-$300. Even the cheaply made Fender Champion 100 2x12, with modeled Fender tube cleans, would be as good today for Jazz and costs $200 new.
If I had a JC 120 today and was not deep into the mystique of that history and the 1980s/1990s professional studio/stage Indy sound (in addition to Jazz), I would sell it and buy another twin -- either more recent design with less hiss and noise or one of the old clones from the 1990s that are so cheap.
I would suggest you not underestimate the value of 2x12 and 100+ watts. It will sound better than the Cube 80. The virtue of the Cube 80 is portability with all the built in effects -- especially subtle delay and reverb for jazz -- without sacrificing too much sound quality. But a solid state 2x12 with 100w will give noticeably better sounding cleans at any volume and nicer low notes.
I currently play a Fender Super 210 (60w 2x10 with 2x6L6 power tubes) and a Fender Ultra Chorus (JC120 inspired copy, 2x12). I also own a Cube40 and a Fender Mustang2 40w modelling amp. The twin amps sound much better due to 2 speakers and more headroom to back the cleans.
The best thing to do is go out to a music store and try as many amps as you can and compare the sound to the JC120. Be sure everything you try, including the JC120 at home, is given a good room placement so the open backs can work and stand back and listen form 10 ft away too.
On your JC120, try clean channel, bright off, cut the treble back. roll the volume off on the guitar to 7-8. Experiment with middle to off tone on the guitar. Experiment. That amp is capable of very good range of sounds with very dynamic tone controls.Last edited by jedku; 04-09-2015 at 09:27 AM.
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I am not a fan of the clean tone but man - that is a great chorus sound. I remember being a kid and just loving it. But nowadays, the large size of the amp doesn't compare with smaller amps that sound better clean. Maybe I'm just getting old and don't want to schlep around as much.
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I'm a fan of the JC-120 , I had one and sold it, I regret that decision now. In terms of having a sweet tone, my Quilter and older Peavey amps are far better, but the JC-120 had a tone all of its own.
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