Jet City JCA20H vs. Egnater Tweaker

[Robert]

So which one do you prefer, and why?

Jet City JCA20H ($333.00 USD)
# Controls: Preamp, Bass, Middle, Treble, Master, Presence
# Tubes: 3x 12AX7 Preamp / 2x EL84 Power
# Rectifier: Solid State
# Cabinetry: Multi-ply, void-free hardwood
# Chassis: 16 gauge, cold-rolled steel
# Output Power: 20 watts into 16 ohm or 2x 8 ohm speaker outputs

Egnater Tweaker ($399.99 USD)
* 15 Watts All-Tube
* 2 x 6V6 Power Tubes
* 3 x 12AX7 Pre-amp Tubes
* Master Volume, Gain and 3-Band EQ
* Modern/Vintage Amp Voicing Switch
* Buffered Effects Loop
* Selectable AC, British and American Tone Controls
* Clean/Hot Gain Selector
* Tight & Bright Voicing Switches
* 100V / 115V / 230V Switchable

[Radioboy950]

Jut based on my ears, and the type of stuff I play...

The Jet City just oozes that crunchy classic rock tone I love. The overdrive is quite "organic" sounding.

Egnater amps have a certain mid-range thing going on I don't like.

The idea of a tweakable amp is kinda cool, and might be nice for recording, etc.

But the Jet City fits my needs best.

Have I actually played either one..?? NOPE.

So, I may be talkin' out my as*

[marnold]

Well, I got a Jet City. I got it on sale for $255, (the MSRP at the time was $299). At that time the Tweaker hadn't come out yet (or I just had not seen one yet--don't remember). Judging by specs alone, the Tweaker is more flexible and has an effects loop. That comes at a slightly higher cost (60% higher than I got my Jet City for). Of course, tone is where it's at and I've never had the pleasure of playing through a Tweaker. I haven't missed an effects loop yet.

For me it was taking my DK2M down to try the Jet City, plugging in, and saying, "Yep, that's it." That was the basic distortion tone I was looking for. I'm looking at retubing it, not to completely alter the character of the amph, but just to tweak it a bit. I basically want to smooth out the highs a tad and make the high end of the gain a bit crisper. Nothing serious. It's not a pressing issue though.

It is a loud 20W. I haven't turned the thing up all the way because I'm sure I'd go deaf in a heartbeat. It sounds great at lower volumes, though.

For me the big thing would be how much clean headroom the Tweaker has. The Jet City doesn't have a ton, if that's important to you.

Another point is that I've been pretty happy with Jet City's customer service. Emails are returned quickly, although I haven't had to email them about much, thankfully.

[Tig]

Both amps make us players the true winners. Think about it.. So much amp for so little cost! The Egnater ran $322 with coupons from GC via TheFret.net, plus $18.50 shipping.

The Jet City 20 excels at what it does... In yer face rock n roll! I was instantly addicted to the one I demo'ed. The build quality is better than the price says it should be.

So, why didn't I choose it over the Tweaker?

I need my amp to cover more tonal range, more variety. A limited budget says my one tube amp has to be flexible. For me, a tube amp has to master a pure, glassy, super clean. I can always turn clean into raunchy with an OD and/or distortion pedal. The Jet City manages a good clean, but not quite the kind I need. I doubt it was designed for that, so no surprise.

I liked the cleans of the Egnater better. It covers the vintage spectrum well, especially Vox AC and Mashalls. However, it can scream classic metal or woody lead tones in the Hot switch position without any pedals. It works well for all my needs unless I want something very specific, like a Bassman or Dumble tone. (Deyza' got pedals for these)

[MAXIFUNK]

I have never played either but just based on you tube I am going to hopefully get a tweaker this fall as B-Day gift.!!!!

Good insight thanks for your input everyone.

[FrankenFretter]

I'm hoping BC Don will give his two cents, since he owns a Jet City, and was there when we were playing with the Tweaker in Seattle a few months ago. I was really impressed by the Tweaker, but I haven't heard a JC in person yet. I already have a Marshall for high gain, and a Vox for more of a classic rock sound, so I don't really need either, but... That Tweaker is mighty sweet sounding, and very versatile.

It's sort of ironic that I started the thread about the Jet City amphs and I have yet to try one out. Maybe Doug White will feel sorry for me and send me a display model...:dude

[guitarmadman85]

I own a Jet City JCA20H, and I've played a tweaker for about an hour at Guitar Center. I considered buying both very seriously and read everything I could find. First off I will say that they are both great sounding amps, but they have quite a bit different sound, you are gonna have to play them both. To me, the tweaker did the "fender" type tones a lot better, the cleans are a little better. That being said, I do love the clean of my Jet City, it's punchy and slightly compressed in the highs. For me, I am really impressed with Jet City, as a company. You get on their facebook and see the JCA20H from design to production. I take a lot of confidence in the fact the amp was designed by Soldano. I prefer the gain structure of the Jet City with 3 12AX7 instead of 2 with the tweaker. The Jet City is punchier because it is fixed bias (with an adjustable trim pot) instead of cathode biased. Cathode Bias can work to your advantage if you want to use other "octal" style tubes, or if you prefer a spongier feel. I prefer an all tube signal path, instead of an effects loop. I guess the least important is that a tweaker looks pretty tiny on a 2x12 cab, and I don't like it's styling very much. The Jet City seems to be quite a bit bigger and bulkier, which I like. Those are my thoughts. I am also going to get the all metal replacement baffle for mine when they come out. They have pictures on the Jet City facebook page. It looks awesome! Those are my thoughts, both great amps, to each his own.

[marnold]

I am also going to get the all metal replacement baffle for mine when they come out. They have pictures on the Jet City facebook page. It looks awesome!
Heh. You and me both, assuming the price is relatively reasonable. I wanna see the tube glowiness!

[guitarmadman85]

Heh. You and me both, assuming the price is relatively reasonable. I wanna see the tube glowiness!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3868178&id=101733997528

At the bottom of the pic there is a price given of $14.99. I think that's very reasonable! They are also going to sell covers for the cab and the head for ten a piece I think.

[marnold]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3868178&id=101733997528

At the bottom of the pic there is a price given of $14.99. I think that's very reasonable! They are also going to sell covers for the cab and the head for ten a piece I think.
Thanks for the link! I don't know how I missed that. I now return you to Robert's regularly-schedule thread already in progress . . .

(Although, having said that, this might be another point in Jet City's favor for some. The company seems open to mods, whether they be merely cosmetic or electronic.)