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deeaa
October 31st, 2011, 01:38 AM
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-IuP0BHx2g-M/Tq5G3Ak36YI/AAAAAAAAEcQ/HsnW9nOVOMA/s640/IMG_20111031_083743.jpg

Well, I guess after 3 practice sessions and several hours of tweaking and playing the amp over a week I can now confidently write a small review of it.

It is an amp that does not open up to the user so easily with all its available controls. It is quite easy to make it sound a bit harsh and brittle, especially with a bright cab.
Also, since it is such a complex-looking system I assumed it would be filled with IC circuits and complex switching relays whatnot that might affect the sound drastically even, but it's built surprisingly simply and it is all tube too, AND to my biggest surprise the tube choices in preamp positions have a HUGE impact on the sound, which I did not expect from this amp. But they do.

At first I wasn't very impressed with the amp, but after I sorted out the tube situation and started playing it at band volumes, I'm quite sold. My cab is very inefficient and it allows me to literally turn the master volume ALL the way despite it's a 100W all tube amph, and boy it does scream.

As you may know, the amp has four channels, clean, crunch and two OD channels. Every channel also has a green, amber and red mode, getting progressively more gainy. For instance, if you put the OD1 Channel in Green mode and crank the gain to full, you get the same gain as if you'd instead switch to Amber mode and turn the gain way down. So each mode is basically like another added '12' of gain to the previous mode, so in a way, this amph goes all the way to 36 and not just measly 11 :-)

BUT it must be also noted, that at least with my guitars which all have rather strong pickups, the red mode is indeed so gain-laden that it is very hard to find a use for it at least at first. When the amp is played quietly, them red modes seem like just whoosh of drive, but strangely, the louder you play the amph, the more gain it seems you can dial in and it doesn't get that gainy. Meaning - at room volume switching to red channel is like kicking in dual distortion pedals at once, but when you have the amph floored already, switching to red doesn't have nearly the same effect, in fact it has quite a little change from the previous one, so I'm not dismissing the red channels entirely just yet.

When played alone, the amp has a rather bright peak somewhere past 5K range or so, and seems a bit, hm, how should I describe it - unless you know how a JCM800 cranked sounds like, it's hard to describe. Rather than soft and warm, it has huge attack and it's like...like hitting a huge brass bell when you hit the strings, rather than a dark roar. Not piercing, but very much presence and clarity. It can sound a bit daunting playing alone.

BUT when you play with the band, it's perfect, as the same clarity and presence really makes the amp very very audible thru the mix and it sounds superbly big and warm in the mix. And, come to think of it, I can't much remember when I haven't recorded guitars and boosted the 5-7K range quite a lot in the mix to make it stand out - this has that presence peak right there and I do believe when I record this for proper, it will need next to no EQ on the record to sound just great, because it's already voiced this way.

Cleans are pretty much Red Hot Chili Peppers; think a clean, spanky and tight sound, that's what you get quite naturally with the amp. There's no limit to how clean it can get; acoustic-sounding guitars are easily achieved. When you push the cleans, you get old AC/DC sounds quite easily. What it doesn't do is very oldskool bluesy warm, I'd say.

The best thing this amph offers is definitely the classic marshall roar. It sounds exactly like any great Marshall sound on classic records; Hells Bells? No problem. Any classic Iron Maiden cut? Not an issue. Airbourne? Yep, got it. Pretty much anything in harder rock and metal, u got it no problem. Only a big Marshall has that certain fluid lead sound, where you, when for instance do hammerons, it sounds just like you'd have a chorus there, it just....blings. Notes just jump out with such clarity and ease, screaming, just like on those Maiden solos you always tried to replicate the sound of with reverbs and choruses and such. This can sound exactly like that with no FX at all. Just a terrific, roaring rock solo sound. I can only guess how much of that comes from my cab quieting it down just right - after all I have the master pretty much floored and the amp runs HOT so I could likely fry an egg over the chassis almost...but whatever it is, the lead sounds are to die for.

What it lacks is the huge size and warmth of my previous amph; rather than drowning you into a whoosh of pant-flabbing bass-rich power tube sound heaven, this amp attacks your ears with such tight punch that it is like a sledgehammer.

Also on the downside it is a bit noisey, which I guess is no surprise with such gain it can offer. But unless you really go for ear-screeching gain levels and the Red modes of the amp, you get by without a noisegate just fine. Green modes and Amber modes up to 1/4 gain are quiet as a mouse. I added a simple Boss noisegate and it's quiet like my home stereo now despite rather hefty lead gains even.

Don't get one if you want delicate, bluesy and warm sounds aplenty, but go for it if you want your guitar to rip like AC/DC and whatever classic Marshall-sounding, hard-rocking bands there ever was around. I will miss my Ceriatone's huge warm tone now and then, but at the same time I'm having such a blast rippin' with this amph I keep smiling all the time when I play it LOUD :-)

Ch0jin
October 31st, 2011, 02:15 AM
Nice man, that was an awesome review. I enjoyed that even after reading all about it in the other threads. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm going rather specifically for a warm blues tone I'd have another look at the JVM :)

deeaa
November 1st, 2011, 05:39 AM
I guess this goes here...I recorded off the D/I and this is what comes out of it with no mods:

http://deeaa.pp.fi/clips/JVM_D_I.mp3

Damn, it sounds very close to what it does live. Only a slight upper region buzz to EQ out. Totally better than miking the thing I have no doubt. I think I'll bring it home for a while and see if I can adjust my sounds better just listening to the D/I output; maybe I can dial out that slight buzziness entirely and it'll sound even better thru a cab after that!

Surprised how strong the D/I output really is!

Robert
November 1st, 2011, 07:47 AM
Good review there!

Yeah, I was surprised about the recording out too - it really sounds surprisingly good.