Members HeartfeltDawn Posted January 28, 2010 Members Share Posted January 28, 2010 Right, some background: I used to have a JC-120, one of the older ones with the two Main In sockets that went straight to each power amp. I often used it like this: Dirt pedals-->EHX 2ube preamp--> left and right outputs going to Main In sockets on the JC-120--> I really liked the sound and the versatility. I didn't like the weight. What I'd like to do is build up a system that can get the same sort of sound but be easier to shift about. I'm thinking of the following: -Retrosonic Chorus pedal to supply the chorus-Solid state preamp with a good sounding EQ section-Solid state power amp-Two 1x12" speaker cabinets with an appropriate speaker in each I don't want anything digital. A simple but good sounding preamp is what I've after. Any recommendations for the power amp would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members petejt Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 Sounds interesting! I've been planning on doing a similar thing by slaving out my MarkIV to a Rockman Stereo Chorus/Delay to act as a splitter and chorus (wet one side, dry the other), then to a Mesa/Boogie 50/50 poweramp and 2x12 cab. It sounds pretty wide and spacey like the JC-120, but I've been having troubles with the speaker side of things so cannot give a proper description of the sound. Also too remember that the chorusing sound is different, since it's Tom Scholz' own chorusing method rather than a copycat of the Boss/Roland system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HeartfeltDawn Posted January 29, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 Pete, what speakers are you looking at for your cabinet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members petejt Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 Pete, what speakers are you looking at for your cabinet? Well I recently bought a secondhand 'Celestion'-badged 4x12 cabinet. It looks like a Marshall angled cab, but has a 'Mesa/Boogie'-like metal grille. Solid as a rock. It contains Celestion G-70 speakers. But unfortunately the speakers in it don't sound very good, at least not with my amps. Strangely it did sound good with a Vox AC15 boosted with a Rat pedal... I want to give the speakers another chance, but at the moment seeking some info on them. I feel quite frustrated that I spent all that cash on something that I now have to buy more stuff for to get it to sound how I want. What makes it more frustrating was that I was trying to improve on something I that pretty much nailed with what I already have- by just slaving my MarkIV through the Jazz Chorus combo with an EQ in between to darken the tone a little and have the chorus switch on. Running that alongside the MarkIV through my Stiletto 4x12 is pretty much just what I am after.. And I thought I could do better by replicating that with extra poweramps and cabs and effects units.... But still I will push on. I have a pair of 8ohm EV speakers lying around (12L or 12S, not sure). I also have four Celestion G12T-75 speakers that I've barely played and desperately want to sell. But now I am considering on mixing two of them with the EVs for the Celestion cab, hopefully it sounds ok... The thing is though, the G12T-75 speakers are 16ohm, so I am not sure how to wire them up in stereo with the EV speakers... So if that doesn't work, maybe I might get some 8 ohm Eminence Swamp Thang speakers? Something that sounds dark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members petejt Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 I feel hypocritical now, because lately I've been ranting against rack gear and using chorus in the effects loop. Yet using the Jazz Chorus in post-amp fashion has apparently almost achieved the sort of sound I am looking for.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HeartfeltDawn Posted January 29, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 What makes it more frustrating was that I was trying to improve on something I that pretty much nailed with what I already have- by just slaving my MarkIV through the Jazz Chorus combo with an EQ in between to darken the tone a little and have the chorus switch on. Running that alongside the MarkIV through my Stiletto 4x12 is pretty much just what I am after.. And I thought I could do better by replicating that with extra poweramps and cabs and effects units.... But still I will push on. I have a pair of 8ohm EV speakers lying around (12L or 12S, not sure). Interesting! It sounds similar to Nick McCabe's Boogie/JC-120 combination with the Verve. I'm musing over whether to bid on a JC-55 on EBay right now. It'd cost over Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rlord1974 Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 Apparently the Gallien Krueger 100MPL preamp had some pretty fantastic clean sounds and had a great built-in eq (as well as chorus). They go for pretty cheap on the used market. One's on eBay right now..... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290396049955&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ck3 Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 The clean channels of this rack preamp may be similar to a JC120 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members petejt Posted January 30, 2010 Members Share Posted January 30, 2010 Interesting! It sounds similar to Nick McCabe's Boogie/JC-120 combination with the Verve. I'm musing over whether to bid on a JC-55 on EBay right now. It'd cost over Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HeartfeltDawn Posted January 30, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 30, 2010 It does seem with racks that part of the fun is sorting out the complications! It's surprising just how hard it is to find a solid state preamp now. I know the world is in love with crap digital sounds (hello iPod etc) but damn, it's taken some time to track down what I want. For the preamp, I'm looking for an old Roland SIP-300. It was released at the same time as the Roland Bolt amps and I think will be the closest thing I could get to a Jazz Chorus preamp in a rack. http://www.joness.com/gr300/SIP-300.htm In terms of power amp, I can make do with an old ADA B200S solid state power amp. Still working on the speakers and cabinets... first I hope to offload my Hot Rod Deluxe this weekend and maybe the Cornell Romany Pro too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members petejt Posted January 30, 2010 Members Share Posted January 30, 2010 ^ Looks like you're on a winner man. I've found that a lot of the Jazz Chorus tone comes from the preamp and speakers, especially that glassiness. The poweramp doesn't do too much to colour it- it's very hi-fi I think. If your tone is bright going into the poweramp, then it surely will be bright coming out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rezrover Posted February 2, 2010 Members Share Posted February 2, 2010 Do you have the combo or just the head? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members screamindv Posted February 19, 2010 Members Share Posted February 19, 2010 I still have my Roland SIP-300. I haven't turned it on since I came back from my European tour in 1984. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aliensporebomb Posted February 20, 2010 Members Share Posted February 20, 2010 VG99 models JC120 in software.I have owned a JC120 since 1986.VG99 sure sounds a lot like the JC when modeling it.Less noise and hiss too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members petejt Posted February 26, 2010 Members Share Posted February 26, 2010 So how did it go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members petejt Posted March 7, 2010 Members Share Posted March 7, 2010 ^ Try a Mesa/Boogie Studio preamp. Experiment with turning the gain & drive controls without cranking them too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Supergrunged Posted March 8, 2010 Members Share Posted March 8, 2010 ^ Try a Mesa/Boogie Studio preamp. Experiment with turning the gain & drive controls without cranking them too much. AWSOME PREAMP!!! I'm still kicking myself for selling that! Was very awsome for cleans as well, and took pedals and rack effects all nicely, thanks for making me miss it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members george.mikal Posted April 20, 2010 Members Share Posted April 20, 2010 thanks HeartfeltDawn for sharing link here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Saturnine10 Posted May 29, 2010 Members Share Posted May 29, 2010 I just knicked one of these off of Ebay the other day, i hope i get it next week.. I looks like its going to be a lot of fun It does seem with racks that part of the fun is sorting out the complications! It's surprising just how hard it is to find a solid state preamp now. I know the world is in love with crap digital sounds (hello iPod etc) but damn, it's taken some time to track down what I want. For the preamp, I'm looking for an old Roland SIP-300. It was released at the same time as the Roland Bolt amps and I think will be the closest thing I could get to a Jazz Chorus preamp in a rack. http://www.joness.com/gr300/SIP-300.htm In terms of power amp, I can make do with an old ADA B200S solid state power amp. Still working on the speakers and cabinets... first I hope to offload my Hot Rod Deluxe this weekend and maybe the Cornell Romany Pro too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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