JC 40 or JC120

[shoegaze_head]

A local music shop is having an anniversary sale later this month, going to be huge discounts on pretty much everything in the store. My current amp set up is a hot rod deluxe I use when I play live and a hx stomp I use for bedroom playing, sometimes I plug that into my fender rumble if I want to jam out with my roommate. I've thought about getting a jazz chorus for a while now, I use clean amps and use pedals for whatever distortion I need. Hoping you guys could help me decide which one I might want to get.

I'd mainly want the amp for playing live, so a good balance of volume and portability is my main concern. What I don't like about the hot rod deluxe is its weight, which the 40 beats but the 120 doesn't. Its not a total killer, having a spring reverb tank in the 120 might make up for the weight, I'm undecided.

Another gripe with the HRD is that its a first gen one so its too loud to use in my room, even with a little volume adjuster I made. Not sure if this is trying to have my cake and eat it too but I would like the amp to be loud enough for playing live but I could practice with it in my bedroom.

Which would you guys recommend I get? I'm open to other suggestions as well. Totally out of left field I have been wanting to get a heavier sound so I thought about getting an orange super crush 100 since I've already got a perfectly fine amp for the clean pedal platform.

[javier-san]

I would go JC40. Those are surprisingly loud and have stereo input, direct out and a headphone input for bedroom playing. I am not sure if it'll loud enough for a band setting, but I suppose it depends on the genre of music.

The JC120 is a great amp, but it is very very loud. That one will be very hard to play indoors at home...

[SignoftheDragon]

Plus.. that JC-120 is a beast to lug around. (My back still hurts from the memory.)

[marqueemoon]

I don’t think of JC amps as the pedal platform type. They definitely lend themselves to a certain sound. If that’s the direction you’re leaning already it might be the perfect thing.

I have limited experience with these amps, but for me a 120 is a heftier sound than I’m after, and more amp than I’d want to lug around.

[lizardville]

Look for a "vintage "JC77.
Best of both worlds.
Light and with enough power to play in a loud band.

[Sauerkraut]

I’d go with the JC40 myself, because of the weight. I think your decision should mostly depend on what kind of stages you’re playing and how loud your band is. I suppose you’d mostly mic the amp, so the question is if it’s loud enough to act as your personal monitor, or is your drummer too much of a beast?

I find the idea of pedal platforms a bit meaningless. From what I understand, basically any amp that stays clean as you turn it up is a pedal platform(?) If so, any Roland JC is a great pedal platform. But I find that amps that do distort can sound absolutely magical when combined with certain effects, so imo they’d be pedal platforms in their own right. It just depends what you’re after. The only amps I wouldn’t call pedal platforms are amps like Marshall MGs or Fender Frontmans; just because they’re all-round shitty sounding amps, effects or no effects. Any amp that sounds good, is bound to sound good with effects.

Good call on the JC77 too, btw.

[doctor_capleson]

+1 for JC 77 if you can find one. In general, that's good advice.

IME, the JC40 is plenty loud to gig or rehearse with, provided it's elevated and probably close mic'ed at gigs. The the higher volumes that it would be at in these situations, it gets a little picky with dirt pedals. It definitely has a distinctive sound that works really well, but I wouldn't rely on a JC40 to handle the pedal sounds particularly well at the higher end of the volume knob.

The Orange Super Crush is a solid amp, as well as the CR-120. I've owned a CR-120 and played a Super Crush. I tried to buy another CR-120 a while back, as I regret parting with that amp. It's not the *same* as a Rockerverb, but I prefer the subtle lo-fi jank of the solid state circuitry over the Rockerverb sound, at least for what I play. That's not to say that it's a "janky" sounding amp. But....on the clean channel at higher volumes or higher gain settings (higher gain for "clean" so not high gain at all) it is obvious that you are playing an SS amp. I don't mean that as a negative, but take that however you will.

I don't know what your local shop has in stock, but take a serious look at Quilter amps. I use one of the old Tone Block heads from 2016 as my main amp now for rehearsal and gigging (it replaced a Mesa Mk IV). You can't beat the portability, it works with any speaker load, takes power from anywhere in the world, and works very well with pedals right into the front. If you're already willing to go tubeless (and it sounds like you are), then I cannot recommend Quilter enough.

There is something though about having that tiny little thing sitting atop my cab that feels wrong. I do miss the look of having a Mesa or Orange behind me, and the Orange CR-120 / Super Crush are also good SS amps that have their own in-built distortion sounds that are great as well. If you know at this point that you want to use pedals though and not the amp dirt, then Quilter is probably the better option. Also, you can set the input gain to "line" level, and just use it as a power amp for your helix if you are so inclined.

[doctor_capleson]

I find the idea of pedal platforms a bit meaningless. ...

The only amps I wouldn’t call pedal platforms are amps like Marshall MGs or Fender Frontmans; just because they’re all-round shitty sounding amps, effects or no effects. Any amp that sounds good, is bound to sound good with effects.

I don't mean to be cynical, but the whole marketing of amps as "pedal platforms" has always been kind of a head scratcher for me. Does the amp not sound good unless I also have to buy separate pedals for it? IMO, that's just marketing lingo that caught on as pedals and effects made a comeback.

The Marshall MG amps, at least the higher powered ones, actually sound really good through proper cabs and speakers. As far as I can tell, there is nothing in the amp circuitry that makes those sound bad, and it's mostly the cheap construction and bottom shelf speakers that contribute to that. Through Greenbacks and a Marshall 1965 cab, they sound ALOT like the DSL 2000 series IMO. Not the *same* but I wouldn't describe it as "bad" in any way.

I've never owned a Fender FM or played one outside of a shop, but I've seen bands use them live and I suspect the same is true. I've only seen them live played through decent extension cabs.

[Sauerkraut]

I find the idea of pedal platforms a bit meaningless. ...

The only amps I wouldn’t call pedal platforms are amps like Marshall MGs or Fender Frontmans; just because they’re all-round shitty sounding amps, effects or no effects. Any amp that sounds good, is bound to sound good with effects.

The Marshall MG amps, at least the higher powered ones, actually sound really good through proper cabs and speakers. As far as I can tell, there is nothing in the amp circuitry that makes those sound bad, and it's mostly the cheap construction and bottom shelf speakers that contribute to that. Through Greenbacks and a Marshall 1965 cab, they sound ALOT like the DSL 2000 series IMO. Not the *same* but I wouldn't describe it as "bad" in any way.

I've never owned a Fender FM or played one outside of a shop, but I've seen bands use them live and I suspect the same is true. I've only seen them live played through decent extension cabs.

I think we're on the same page really: the term "pedal platform" is a real head scratcher.

I don't doubt those amps can sound fine. I was just picking on them because we have one of each series in the practice space and I was amazed at just how terrible they sound. Bright as all hell and no low end to speak of. I think speakers are a very big part of what makes an amp sound good or not.

I suppose all I meant to say is that pedals will sound bad through a bad-sounding amp, and good through a good-sounding one. But I've never experienced an amp as somehow inherently better or worse at "taking pedals". Again, it really depends on how you use effects as well. As far as pedals are concerned, all that's relevant amp-wise that I can think of is how clean/dirty it is, but either can sound great with pedals. I guess, if it's your thing, having an effects send and return option can be important. And some pedals sound best going stereo through 2 amps.

[doctor_capleson]

I've never experienced an amp as somehow inherently better or worse at "taking pedals". Again, it really depends on how you use effects as well. As far as pedals are concerned, all that's relevant amp-wise that I can think of is how clean/dirty it is, but either can sound great with pedals. I guess, if it's your thing, having an effects send and return option can be important. And some pedals sound best going stereo through 2 amps.

Fender 5e3 amps come to mind for me as one that really don't handle any effects well. That's not to say they aren't a great sound on their own though. That might be one where a boutique builder might not market it as a "pedal platform." This is the only serious example I can think of. Otherwise, yeah: decent amps will still sound decent with pedals, except for pedals that are intentionally "bad" sounding (Ibanez LF7 maybe?)

[Plumerai]

JC-60's exist. It's a 1x12. Not as bright sounding as a 120 & definitely less weight.

[JSett]

There are only a few examples of specific amps not actually being particularly 'good' for pedals and it normally comes down to dirt pedals more than anything else. Often this is because those particular amps are mainly cherished for their own inherent drive sounds and any extra colouration of it actually sounds like a step backwards. Fender 5e3's, as mentioned, are one of these and I will go to the other end of the spectrum and say that Oranges used to feel the brunt of this too. A lot of people would search for an overdrive pedal that played nicely with one but they are renowned for not being great with them because their own overdrive is already very, very good. Most of the time the best thing to feed them was a boost to simply get more of the 'good stuff' already there.

My old OR120 was a perfect example of this. apart from fuzzes for that classic Sleep/Boris/etc blown-out sound, a clean boost was always the best option...it just meant you were peeling the paint off the walls with volume. Everything else I tried into the front end of that beast sounded kinda shitty in comparison to just turning it up and basking in its glory

[Unicorn Warrior]

Had the 120…too heavy and too loud for everything. Sounded good. It should be of note that the vintage JC-120s sound better though.

No experience with the JC-40, bud I’m 90% sure that’s my next amp as both a backup to my Matchless and something to pair with it in stereo. Also, the 40s have a direct out option too I think. The new 120s probably do too. I can’t remember.

[Unicorn Warrior]

Just came back to say that I just got the JC-40 as the backup to my matchless. While I think they’re expensive for what they are, they do the Jazz Chorus thing quite well. I find the JC-40 much more useful for my applications. It’s a lot lighter and more portable at only 35lbs. The cleans are on point. The distortion is better (at least better than all the older model 120s floating around). It’s loud enough for my applications and you have the option of going direct out (in stereo also) and still using the speakers as a monitor on stage. Honestly don’t see myself needing another amp if it were the only thing I had

[cestlamort]

I’ve really enjoyed my JC77 as a backup, stereo partner or main amp. (So much so that I picked up a JC90 when I came across one. It doesn’t sound quite as good though for whatever reason.) I’d guess that a jc40 would more than suffice for most applications and even be inspiring too.
A jc120 is a lot of amp, both in volume and weight.