Product: Roland JC-20E Jazz Chorus
Price Paid: pounds sterling 99
Submitted
05/15/1997
at
10:19am
by
Stuart Nailer
Features
:
6
The JC-20E (E may denote reissue) is a 20 watt (RMS) amplifier with two 5 inch speakers. All the controls are on the front panel: Distortion, Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass, Chorus. It has one input, and a headphone jack. The amplifier is very small (roughly 15" x 9" x 8") and very cute!
The distortion is pretty unusable, so this amplifier should be purchased with a clean sound in mind. Therefore, I see the amp fulfilling three purposes: 1) some forms of jazz (hence the title), 2) cheap acoustic guitar amplification (maybe with an acoustic preamp or specialist EQ), and 3) for amplifying outboard effects. I use it principally for the latter. The chorus dial has three settings: Off, preset chorus I and preset chorus II (a deeper effect). I expect many people (myself included) would like to see reverb included at the expense of the distortion, but I imagine the price would then rise accordingly.
Sound Quality
:
8
As stated above, I use it to amplify my outboard effects (Zoom 2020) with little or no colouration of the sound. This it does very well. The equalization is quite flexible, but I found it necessary to drop back on the middle frequencies to eliminate the inherent 'boxiness' of the tiny speakers.
Plugging straight into the amp, anything from crystal clear sounds to warm, buttery tones may be found. I haven't come across any harsh or unusable regions, so the equalization was well designed. Of course, in the Jazz Chorus tradition, it stays clean at high volumes.
The distortion is strange, putting a harsh edge on the sound in a totally unmusical way. I had little or no intention of using this when I bought it, so I can't claim to be disappointed. I will stress again that this amp should be bought with a clean sound in mind.
The chorus, as stated above, has two presets. Type I is a mild, pleasant effect which fills out the sound quite nicely. Type II is a deeper effect which, although usable, is too wobbly for me!
The amplifier has a tendency to hiss, but this is inaudible when notes are being played (which is what amplifiers are for!).
Reliability
:
10
Made in Italy, the amp's design is sturdy and the build quality good. I have owned this for over a year, and it has not misbehaved. Having said that, I am only a casual, bedroom musician so I do not thrash instruments to within an inch of their life! I couldn't speculate on its gigability.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I have no experience of the company regarding this amplifier, although Roland/Boss tend to be well respected in many departments. The amplifier's warranty lasted for one year.
Overall Rating
:
8
For the uses that I proposed above, I think it does very well. Naturally it won't sound as impressive as a JC-120, but it performs remarkably well for such a little box! The RRP is #199 here in the UK but many shops sell it for about #99. At this price it is a bargain.
Would I buy it again? Probably not, because next time I buy an amp I hope to have more money available, and will probably buy a Marshall JTM 30 (I have outgrown my Zoom 2020). I have no intention of selling the JC-20, though. I'm sure it will be most useful, together with a pedal, as a backup for a less reliable valve amp, and I may use it for clean/acoustic music.
To summarize, it's a little amplifier with a big heart!
