Morley JD-10

Very responsive tone controls that actually *help* my Twin's tone pots. The manual gives a number of suggested settings which are very helpful. The "Dirty (AC) Thirty" is worth the price of admission on its own. I would like to see a more detailed setting guide made available, though.

Sound is very compressed through my 73 Twin Reverb...it adds a lot of softened punch to my amp's attack. I'm using a Yamaha SSC500 guitar for day to day work and also pull the Byrdland and Les Paul from their cases from time to time. I love the crunch I get from the Byrdland, and the high, singing feedback imparted by the treble boost. Its a little noisy when you use the "rock" push button, but the "classic" setting gives you great tone with little noise.

I have found this category to be wanting. I have a problem with the output gain pot causing the unit to frap out on me. On settings between 9 oclock and 1 oclock, it actually hinders the total sound and causes the singing sustain to sound like a popcorn fart. Turn it to 2 oclock and the unit takes off into space. It worked fine when I first got it, but degraded. I thought it was the battery, but even a power source didnt help. I can't count on it working every time. Very disappointing. I wish I knew why this only occurred intermittently, otherwise its a great pedal with great construction.

The Morley Online Anser man is not supported on the internet. I can't get through. I just found this web site with a real phone number. Im going to call that when they open this morning...I'll let you know. Low score cuz the internet link didnt work.

I play a variety of styles including modern country and loud screaming rocknroll. This unit fits both very nicely. Clean, bright tones for country twang....nasty distorted overtones for that Nugent harmonic feedback thing, a Vox AC30 brown tone that Jackson Browne/David Lindley fans would like. I've been playing for 30 years and this pedal is the first distortion unit I even considered buying. Very versatile, very easy to use. I do wish it had a second foot switch to change the "classic/rock" setting. Other than that....Its a winner in the sound category but needs some work on the reliability front. How many Big Muff's did Jimi have anyway?

Very easy to setup. Plug in ANY and I mean any adaptor between 9 and 30 volts DC. It auto senses. Very cool! The unit is very easy to use. Treble, Middle, Bass, Drive Depth, Classic/Rock, G12T Speaker Emulation, Output Level and Bypass make up the controls. This is basically a preamp/distortion pedal with speaker simulation.

The sound is very good. The one thing I noticed is that this thing puts out TONS of bass. Almost too much. I cut the bass way down on my unit and it sounds fine now. The distortion is a little "tight". When played next to a real tube amp, the tightness is apparent. The distortion is very good and the speaker simulation is great. I have noticed that the unit sounds a lot better through speakers as opposed to listening with headphones through the mixer. It still has a little too much buzz (i.e. highs) when listening through headphones with ROCK setting enabled. I think that the Classic setting is incredibly good. Nice crunch for chords. All in all, you cannot go wrong with this unit. It is great.

It seems tough as nails. I don't know how dependable it is however.

Never talked to Morley or Award.

I love this unit. If it broke or was stolen, I would buy it again.

Operation of this unit is very straightforward. It is a preamp/amp/speaker emulator which can also function as a DI. It has bass, mid and treble controls, along with drive and volume knobs, and switches for speaker emulation and classic or high gain mode. It has a stompable on/off switch, but the line driver is always on. The manual has some recommended settings and does a good job of explaining what the controls do. It took me a bit of fiddling to dial in the sound I wanted, which was emulation of an almost clean tube guitar combo amp. I would prefer if the unit had markings for the knobs, so that settings could be more easily reproduced.

I am using the JD-10 with the following signal chain: Kramer Pacer Deluxe->EH Deluxe Big Muff->ProCo RAT->Yamaha REX50->Digitech Time Machine 7.6->Peavey Valverb->Morley JD-10->PA system. I play ambient space music in a group with two synthesists, and wanted to eliminate the onstage guitar amp to get a better mix. So far, the JD-10 has allowed me to do that. The sound is a little tighter than a tube guitar amp, but that subtlety is lost in the mix. The guitar sounds just a bit more electronic, but for this group that's not a bad thing. I was pleasantly surprised at how controllable the feedback is and how good it sounds. Of course the distortion is coming from the other devices, but playing direct throught the PA with the JD-10 did not require any signifcant alteration in my technique.

It appears to be well made and has a solid feel.

Never dealt with them.

Overall I am pleased with the unit. I feel that it does what I got it for very well. It is less expensive than the SansAmp products. My H&K Cream Machine, by comparison, would not allow me to dial in the specific sound I was after. For my purpose of playing live space music along with synthesizers it is a useful tool. I'm not about to give up my tube amplifiers (or my 2-15" speaker cab) for performing or recording rock music, though.

Simplicity is beauty. OK, you get no 250 presets loaded w/digital effects but hey, spend your time listening to music instead of figuring out how to program some cheesy multi-fx! Features: EFFICIENT 3-band eq, drive and output knobs - and drive-selection (low/high gain) PLUS "Celestion" style cabinet simulator push-buttons. `Nuff is enuff. The manual gives suggestions for different "amp-style" settings and this is the point: use it for home recording, in no-time you'll get GREAT "miked-amp" tone to tape! You'll have to use an adapter (no battery compartment) but not to worry, the JD-10 will accept just about ANY adapter you have lying around the house.

I'm using it both for home recording and live; w/ SSH Squier Strat/Blues Junior and sometimes Marshalls. Tends to be a bit boomy inta an amp (so turn the bass down) but that's because it's a cab simulator...nice country spank tho (e. g. into a Marshall - instant "Fenshall"!). Here's another one: engage the Celestion G12T button - make your SC Strat cut through a 10 piece-band! Now, the real stuff is using it for recording. Believe me, I've recorded cranked Marshalls and VOX AC30's and this little pedal sounds just as good (albeit not the SAME, but who cares anyway). Miked amps to tape never sound like the real deal either (the SM57 will colour the tone!). I record both my strat and a cheesy (soon to be world-famous ) Falcon bass into a Fostex XR-5 4-track and both sound good. Punchy is the key-word! Both clean/overdrive/distortion are good, the first maybe a tad less convincing than my Blues Junior run clean (but that amp is a studio MONSTER!).

Die-cast steel chassis, knobs recessed, stomp-worthy. The power input jack is a bit flimsy but otherwise surely OK. Bring an adapter, batteries are useless (see above).

I chose the JD-10 for it's apparent (real!) simplicity and it was slightly cheaper than the SansAmp. Also, I wanted to be able to use it live. I play original rock/pop (of the infamous 5 Naked Guys, Kalmar, Sweden!) and for demo recordings/arranging it's a must. Just plug in and play. It lets me concentrate on finding the right NOTES instead of the right fancy effects-overladen preset which will drown in the mix and not contribute to the harmonic/melodic content of the song. I experiment in weird bass-lines (great hobby for the non-singing guitarist) and that really helps my arranging skills! And hey, a tip for bass players, listen to J. S. Bach, bass lines don't get any better. Yngwie Malmsteeeeen was on the right track there (but the wrong instrument IMHO because there's even more interesting stuff to steal!). Bottom line, you get great recordings EASILY!

The manual does an excellent job of describing settings to emulate specific tones, from "Hey Joe" Hendrix to "I Can See for Miles" Townsend. There are "four and a half" controls that vary your sound - bass, middle, and treble are three of course. The drive control is a two stage overdrive control, the stages being "classic" and "rock" - use the switch to go from the cleaner "classic" to the heavier "rock", and vary the amount of drive within stages by a drive control. There is also a switch to turn on/off the Celestion 12" speaker simulation -- I leave it on all the time, because that is the real beauty of this unit.

Because of the JD-10, I have switched my gigging amp to a solid-state Bass amp, and with the JD-10 I can cover every spectrum from Wes Montgomery clean to Ritchie Blackmore grind, and can get this sound at any volume level.
The JD-10 does not claim to be "tube emulation", but it does display the key properties of tubes - it is touch sensitive to distortion, and has singing harmonics, perhaps less "glassy" and mid-rangey than tubes.

A problem has ocurred where the unit occasionally starts to "clip" (for lack of a better term). When this happens, the tone becomes somewhat shrill and gated. This is a definite problem with the unit, and I have developed a test for it. Normally, as I turn up the drive control (say, from 1 to 10) you hear get a drive increase as well as a slight volume change when the unit is "clipping", the drive starts out OK at 1, the unit goes dead from 2 to 4, then comes back to drive and volume (but still clipping) after 5. I have two JD-10's, and both have "clipped" -- one unit it happens very infrequently, and fixes itself after a few clicks of the bypass switch. My backup unit "clipped" more frequently, and since it was recently repaired (stupid drummers have no respect for floor pedals!), I leave it in a set position -- it's when I start adjusting controls that it begins this clip.

I purchased both units used, so I haven't dealt with Morley. However, I submitted an e-mail to the Morley web-site regarding the clipping effect months ago...no response. So, based on that one experience, I rate it a ....

I've tried the JD-10 in front of traditional guitar amps, but it does not seem to react to tubes very well -- even with clean Music Man amps I find it to be distortion on top of distortion. But in front of a bass or keyboard amp set as clean as possible, that's where the JD-10 shines. This reflects a paradigm shift, because what guitarist would go to a music store, plug straight into a guitar amp, then a bass amp, and choose the bass amp? I love tube amps, and have a Pro Junior for home use -- still I am thrilled with what I can get from the JD-10 and a moderately priced Bass amp.
True confession time: I met Tele-master Jerry Donahue (as in "JD"-10) at a Fender clinic in Rochester, NY -- he was running the JD-10 into a Fender BXR amp, which is where my setup came from!! Check out his work with the Hellecasters, and if you like that steely type of Tele sound, (and don't have the clipping problems), I'd rate this unit as a great buy!

Doesn't have nearly the variety of sounds that the manual purports, I agree

Whit a good amp (MusicMan)it is useless. Not at all noisy not bad, but not creating the sound I like. But for home playing and recording its an ace! The speaker simulator button makes wonders. It makes home stereo sounds like 60`Marshall! Heh,heh...As a headphoneamp it is useless.
Very good 8 for the purpose!

For unlimeted adapter use ...10

Who cares? It works when I use it. 10

Rock metal blues, 5 years then 10 years not playing then a year again. It is a very good home recording and playing device.

The box is more of a preamp than just a pedal. It does take a little bit of futzing around with to get use to the way the drive and output level knob work together, but once you do it is pretty simple to get some nice tones.

Not comparing it with high end preamps, this unit gets a positive ten. The heavy is HEAVY, and the clean is pristine. If they where going for a "this-can-be anything- you-want" I think they came really damn close. The speaker emulation nails the thud of a 12" flawlesly. The EQ is incredibly useful, and tailored really well to what guitars need. The box itself is very quiet and discrete... something you can easily use ( if using through an amp ) with out yelling "Hey! I just plugged in a pedal..." Hell, the box will even help an amp out if it's not active ( inactive, it acts as a line driver ). If you are happy with your amp tone, and need just a DI box, this might be a bit much; but if you have an amp that needs a little life, a little help, or a little soul, this box is way better than just about any other pedal. In the "classic" gain mode, the box is pretty touch sensative, and in "rock" mode the box gets a good raunch to heavy. Anyway, the I think I've raved enough, the box sounds really good, and can get a butltload of tones; not just a lot of tones, but alot of GOOD tones...

The JD-10 looks pretty tough, but I really can't say... I haven't had it for a really long time. The only thing that looks like it might be a problem is the battery door ( it is just a plastic creased hinge, the kind that always seems to get sick of bending, turns white and then gives...)

Sorry, again, I can't put much input here. Haven't had to deal with them yet...

If the oppertunity would arise to purchase it again. I would definitely. I can't think of anything major off the top of my head that I would change about the JD 10.

The Morley JD-10 is a perfect emulator of my Acoustic tube guitar amp. It is actually manufactured by Award in England and endorsed by Jerry Donahue (of Hellecasters fame), an absolutely phenomenal guitarist. The controls are simple, drive, gain, and 3 tone controls. A couple of switches for lead/rythm and speaker emulator on/off. One of the real neat things is it has a balanced TRS output jack so you can run VERY quietly to a board.

The point of this pedal is to replace a miked amp. It can be used all alone or put at the end of an effects chain (right where the amp would normally go). The unit is very quiet. If you're looking for crunchy to all out metal tones, this is absolutely the pedal. To get the tube amp compressed clean sound, you do need to put a compressor ahead of it. All controls provide a very wide range of effects and I have always managed to get the sound I want. To give an idea of the flexibility of this unit, I run it through a keyboard amp (so I don't need to lug more than one amp to the gig) and it sounds identical to my combo amp.

Award has been building tube amp simulator circuits for over ten years now and their pedals are known for their reliability. The DC input jack will accept just about any adapter on earth, just give it something between 9 and 22 volts, positive and negative doesn't matter. More voltage equals more gain! I use it all the time on gigs without a backup.

The company is in England (Award, not Morley), but I can;t imagine every having to deal with them.

I can;t imagine not having this pedal. In the studio, I run direct to the board. Playing out, I run my guitar rig through my keyboard amp. It doesn't have presets, but after using it for a while you just turn around and tweak the settings for the next song (I keep it on top of the amp, NOT on the floor).

Doesn't have nearly the variety of sounds that the manual purports, but the stock sound is quite tasty.

It has a selector switch for "Classic" and "Rock". The rock sound is basically distortion controlled by the depth knob. The real stand-out feature is the speaker simulator. This little circuit has done wonders for my home recordings.

I am very pleased with the JD-10. The "JD" stands for Jerry Donohue, their endorser. Whoever he is, he sure knows how to pick 'em! I was disappointed that it didn't work too well as a headphone amp, but that is minor. I only use it for home recording and, for this application, it has been a delight.