software

So here's the deal.

My band plays rather loud. I have the JC-120, but it clips rather early (not sure whether it's poweramp or speaker clipping) so I need more clean headroom than the JC-120 will allow.

So I need some recommendations on finding amps that have more power (I'm looking at a 200w - 300w range) are still solid state ( I like reliablility) and have nice clean tones (I do need those nice cleans and headroom) and can be connected to an external speaker (like a 300w Marshall cab).

I'm not concerned with amplifier distortion. I use compact pedals. I need a nice, high powered clean blank canvas to paint on.

Don't get on my case about playing too loud, I do protect my hearing. Thanks in advance!

Silverface Twin with jbl's. I know it's not solid state, but it is loud and clean. Maybe a Vox Tonelab through a 300 watt power amp.

...since you are already using solidstate, have you ever tried any of the old 80's Gibson Lab Series amps? The L5/L7/L9 combos are a good 120 watts and pretty clean, nice tones with pedals. The bigger head is a L10---200 watts or so...pretty cheap when they come up on Fleabay. I picked up an L9 for 75 bucks (with an EVM 15L in it) at a pawn shop and did outdoor festivals with it, no problem.

You have a JC120 and it doesn't have enough clean headroom? I thought thats what those amps were all about- nothing but clean.

what does the clipping sound like? Is it a beehive, or is it flub and fart when you play harder?

Dang, im having to step outside the tube world to offer a quality amp for somebody.....difficult....try a tech21? Those are good, from what I hear.

Maybe you should go with a Polytone or something?

Or-load the Roland with two Weber Michigan speakers. Those things will never distort, and they have huge magnets for insane efficiency, modeled after electrovoice speakers that are discontinued. Unless there's something wrong with your jazz chorus, loading it with heavy duty speakers should solve the problem.


Originally Posted by Quencho092what does the clipping sound like? Is it a beehive, or is it flub and fart when you play harder?
.

Closer to flub and fart. I'm really hoping it's the speakers, because I can just run it into my Marshall and be fine then. A 300w cab isn't gonna take any **** from a 120w amp.

I'm surprised that a 120 watt SS amp won't provide you with enough clean headroom. In order for that to be true, you must be playing at a very high level. Which input do you plug into, and which channel are you playing through?


Originally Posted by HamerPlyrI'm surprised that a 120 watt SS amp won't provide you with enough clean headroom. In order for that to be true, you must be playing at a very high level. Which input do you plug into, and which channel are you playing through?

High input, dry channel. But once you turn it up past 3, that's about all you get. More sustain after that, but no more attack volume.

Try the low input and see how it works for you.

Wait- What pedals are you using and where are they in your signal chain?

Boss PS-3 -gt; Boss NS-2 -gt; Modified Jacques Tubeblower -gt; Modified Boss BF2 -gt; Morley Pro Volume -gt; Boss RV-3

Could your pedal levels be elevating the signal to the point that the preamp is clipping before it ever gets to the power amp?

Does it behave the same way if you plug directly into the amp?

i find it kinda useless to have a combo where the speakers are dead weight. You should replace them at least and use the marshall as an ext. cab.

Well I need to try going from guitar to amp w/out pedals, but I never noticed a difference before.

But I have a thought, I was at Guitar Center today, apparently Syracuse opened one up in June. But it seemed to me that somehow, ALL the amps I played through had a similar deal. If I dug in hard enough I could get a slight distortion out of the Fenders I played too, even on lower volumes. Like 2.

So now I'm starting to wonder if I'm hearing anything out of the ordinary at all. I'll turn an amp up, but after 2, mostly it seems to be more bass, (almost as if the volume knob becomes a second bass knob) more sustain, not much new for attack volume.

But that Fender Super was hella loud. Used for about $800 too, not bad.

I'm with the other guys ... that JC-120 should give you ample clean headroom, unless the other guys in your band are playing F-16's Try turning your bass down.

Get an SVT, load a cab with EVM's---that should be pretty clean. And very expensive...ummm, maybe try using a mike in front of the amp sometime; works pretty good, I hear.