Roland JC-90

Amp has decent features. The hi-treble control is really an adjustable brightness control. I had this years ago on a 50 watt Yahama solid state amp and it beats the usual "pull for brightness". Lets you funky up a strat ot take the high end down on a tele. Other tone controls are fair. Not alot of tweak-ability here. Has its own sound generally but works well with most guitars. Great chorusing obviously. Good stereo effects loop. Noisy direct line out. Better off miking the amp. Never used the headphone jack.

I play with a club date/wedding band. Has more than enough volume. Great for most styles of music except metal. I use it w/either a Les Paul, a 335 w/Duncans, a Strat w/Di Marzios or a Musicman Axis Sport. Sounds fine w/all. Sounds great for jazz, rock, blues, top 40. Built in distortion is lame. I use a Boss Super Overdrive that sounds great. The built in spring reverb died after 6 months. Its the small Accutronics. I have been using a digital reverb but also had a new Accutronics installed. I had the large 3 spring unit used for Twin Reverbs put in the amp. I highly recommend this upgrade. Again, this amp has its own sound. You either like it or hate it. Its not for everybody. The 10 inch speakers can start farting out if you like alot of low end and a Les Paul otherwise its real clean.

Have been actively gigging w/this amp for over a year and it has held up fine except for the reverb tank that died. This was Accutronics' fault. Very reliable so far.

This is a joke right? Roland is the worst to deal with. They have the top selling musical products in the nation if not the world and the worst customer relations. Go ahead, try calling them and talking to someone. I dare you!! Better yet try finding and dealing w/their authorized repair persons in your area. Ha Ha. I used to work for a music store years ago and they were lousy then. They haven't changed a bit.

I've been playing professionally over 25 years. I have only owned solid state amps and avoided tube amps. In comparison to the Yamaha and Peavey amps I've owned, this amp is as good and better in some respects. Super clean and I love the stereo chorusing. It has been as reliable as my Peaveys but saves my back as it only weighs about 40 lbs. It can cut a wide range of gigs. Upgrade the reverb or use a digital. Try different distortions. You will need to buy a cover from an after market manufacturer and the FS-1 switches are about $30.00 a piece. You can use up to 3 of them! I only use one. Total cost w/a cover and switches brings this amp up to about 650.00 or more. There are alot of other amps out there for that kind of money but if you like the big JC-120, this will do the same job and save your back. I like the amp maybe not enough to buy another but its good for a primary amp.

This is the follow-up on my new Roland JC 90 Chorus amp that has been sent back to the Roland-LA,CA factory for repairs 9/25/03, 11/26/03 and 1/09/04. My complaint has been that this amp's sounds are flat in tone, the Accutronics reverb was very poor, almost non-existant in sound and the chorus's oscillation sustain was equally poor. Even with all effect knobs turned up to near max.

On 3/2/04 the amp was delivered back from Roland in LA, CA. A week earlier, customer service had called and said the reverb unit was bad and they were sending it to their amp techs for repair. As for the oscillation on the chorus, I was told it functions like 2 other JC 90's there at the factory. Despite a new main board installed last January and despite many trouble shooting hours, the in-house techs find this amp working fine and per Roland specs. I really cannot think of one useful sound this amp can re-produce as vocals, keyboards, guitars, etc., all sound flat in tone, very dead and lifeless. The chorus and it's reverb is the same dead tone totally useless to me in music. I've never seen a chorus that one cannot dial in a desired speed, rate or depth yet it is with-in Roland spec's ?

I then asked how did this amp's malfunctioning reverb slipped by their in-house techs and their reply was that the reverb specs must have looked in line while they were trouble shooting it. So apparently the tech's read outs were in line so they never went any farther and did not test play it ? A huge tone minded company like Roland is that poor in quality control ? I don't think so !

All in all, the personnel there at Roland were courteous and tried to be vey helpful. I could not pin them down to specifics, they were well versed on what they say, telling me this is "old hat" to them. But bottom line is this amp and all JC 90 amps was just a dud from the word go or these amps were made this way per Roland's specs and I'm out $500. When the amp came back this last time from Roland LA on 3/02/04 it's reverb was not much better than it ever was, the amp's tone was still flat and the oscillation on the chorus was maybe a smidge better but far from what a new $500 chorus amp should sound like. I have owned and do own a lot of Roland effects and have no problems with their sounds. My wife owned a Roland Super JX10 keyboard and it was perfect. Being happy with these Roland products influenced me to try their amp line, never suspecting any problems like I found. Wow, what a mistake. I've tried to like this JC 90 amp and hoping I could make it work for me but it won't and I'm out the $500 that I spent for it. Rather than waste more time and money going legal on this, Roland's defense is that the amp is functioning exactly as the designed it, so we traded this JC 90 amp in on a new Peavey Studio Pro 112 which puts the Roland JC 90 to shame in sound and performance. Maybe you'd like this amp but try it out long and hard before you buy it. It just was not meant for me and the old country music, early rock-n-roll, rock-a-billy or early pop music that I play. I have no clue what music this amp was designed to be used for, the amp is flat in tone with a poor sounding reverb and distortion coupled with a non oscillating chorus. I cannot come up with any type of music that I'd recommend this amp to be used for.

I hate to bash any product but I feel this Roland JC 90 is very inferior and the Roland people never offered any exchange or any other solution. I've been playing for 50 years plus and this is the first totally useless amp, either tube or solid state, that I've run across. Congratulations to Roland !

I bought this amp new thru Zounds Music on 2/23/03 for $499.95 and have had nothing but trouble with it. The amp sounds flat, the reverb is weak and the chourus is intermittent regardless what speed or intensity I set the amp on, the chorus has a mind of it's own. It usually cuts the chorus effect short with a short decay. Other times it will work correct. When it does work, the amps sounds great but when it doesn't work, this amp is completely useless to me. The amp's reverb is also affected by the decay syndrome. It seems like it has plenty of power when it works right but those days are few and far in between. It seems rugged as the devil but I have not played this amp more than 10 minutes since I bought it. Most of the time it sets in the closet as I cannot use this thing. Finally I said this thing is under warranty and it has to be fixed, refunded, exchanged or something to satisfy me. So here we go !!!!!

I've sent this back once to their factory in L.A., Cal on 9/25/03 at a cost of $38.00 shipping and insurance out of my pocket. It took a few weeks before the techs got to my amp but when they did get to it, they said it was functioning perfectly. Very hard for me to believe this !! I told them what was happening and either to fix it, replace it or send me a refund. They were not interested in talking those terms but would install a new main board but this would take time as they have to order it from the main plant in Japan and this will take a month just to get it. BUT this will solve any and all problems. Yee Gods, more down time !! Finally gave them to go ahead and asked them to call me before they shipped it back to me with tracking numbers on the return freight so I can be sure to be home to receive it. Well those guys don't follow instructions very good at all as they returned it (postpaid) but I had no idea the thing was in transit. Luckily we were home to get it, but that miffed me as I felt they could at least tell a guy that his amp is being shipped. I see why they didn't call now, the thing is not one bit better now that it was before. Pretty sneaky move on their part.

When the amp got back here, I plugged it in and it was the same old problem, no sustain to the chorus, a lousy reverb and the amp sounded flat. I plugged my guitar(s) into my Fender Princeton Chorus 2x10 or Fender Yale Reverb and their tones and intonation are letter perfect, I mean just perfect. I then plug the guitar(s)into the Roland JC90 and these same guitars sound awful, putrid and flat. They sounded like I hadn't changed strings on them in 5 years. A horrible tone and F/X's no matter what settings are tried on the Roland. And this thing just got back from the factory repair shop !!!! I seriously wonder if they even touched this thing as it surely sounds like the same old amp to me.

Back on the tele I go to the main plant in LA, Cal. I played my amp over the tele to Travis, the main repair tech, no sustain on the chorus, flat sounding amp with poor reverb. He said he wants to grab his guitar and play it thru their JC90 amp at the LA plant and he will call me back. Amp Tech Travis calls me back only to confess that their amp does the same thing and that he is completely stumped. He will now have to get in touch with the main plant in Japan and see what the head engineers say about this and he is to advise. I told him I wanted this fixed, an even exchange for a JC120 or a refund if nobody can figure this thing out. That was November 26th, 2003 and today is December 21st and I'm still waiting for a reply. Their attitude is excellent but are they S-L-O-W to get things done, it takes half of forever. It appears that the Japan plant really RUNS things and L.A. doesn't make any waves, this is the opinion I get. Whatever Japan says, apparently LA does.

I'll be glad to let everybody know just how this thing shakes out. If I have to file suit to get my money back, so be it ! I don't think I'll have to go that far but I'm prepared to do so if needed. Right now the amp is setting in it's original shipping carton in my closet ready for their instructions or return. I told them to send me a prepaid UPS label which they did, so dummy me has woke up about forking anymore $$$ out of my pocket for repairs/returns/whatever. I will call Travis this week even tho it is Christmas week for an up to date report on what is going on. Stay tuned for further developements. I can't fault the staff at the LA plant as they are courteous and try to be helpful but sooner or later, this thing has to either get repaired, replaced or refunded. I'll let you know.

For features, look to other reviews...

I play jazz, and this amp is perfect for that, hence the name. The reverb is very sweet sounding, in my opinion. It's a bit noisy, but it's not too much of a problem. I play a telecaster and classical guitar through it, and both sound great. The distortion isn't great, but a little bit is good enough to dirty up the sound.

It's solid state, so I'm sure it won't give me any trouble any time soon.

I'm really happy about the tone that my JC-90 puts out. If it were stolen, I'm not sure what I'd do. I may save up and purchase a JC-120, but who knows. I'm not too impressed with the distortion, but that's not really what this amp was made for. Perhaps they could've used the space up with something more interesting, but then again a lot of people expect an amp to have some sort of built in distortion feature.

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The amp is terrible. It is possibly the dullist plain sound I have ever heard. It sounds like your not playning through an amp at all. It souds like you hooked a speaker to a guitar. The reverb on this amp REALLY digital and fake sounding. The only thing good about this amp is the chorus. But what good is that if the rest of the amp sucks. This amp is not made for any type soloing, it has no punch to it. This amp might be good for an acoustic guitar or Jazz hence the title, but nothing else. I don't know about the JC-120, but I've heard its much better.

Has 2 inputs-one high gain (normal) and one lower gain(for guitars with amplified or higher output pickups).
Has a Decent Reverb (Accutronics 3 Spring 9 1/2 inch tank) and excellent Stereo Chorus.
Distortion section.
Fx Loops, Line out, and Headphone Jacks.
2 Ten Inch Special Design Speakers.
4 Casters for easy moving.
80 Total Watts RMS (40 W x 40 W).
3 Foot Switch Jacks to control Reverb, Chorus, and Distortion.
3 Year Warranty on everything but the speakers. They have a 1 year Warranty.

This amp was made for Clean sound. Just right for Jazz, Country, Pop, or 60's Surf. The Reverb is Quality but do not expect it to be 60's Fender..that it is not! The Chorus is top notch that you would expect from the Company that invented it in the 1970's. The Distortion is pretty poor to say the least and I do not use it much. This amp is very loud. I do not play it over 3 at the max at home and typically less than 1 with the wife around. When I first got the amp I was disappointed in the overall sound and especially with the Reverb. It needed the speakers to be broken in. Now the amp just gets sweeter and the Reverb is starting to come to life. Guess the speakers being new were very tight.

From all reviews and Roland users comments I fully expect this amp to last many years of trouble free service. The warranty speaks for that. Most amps you are lucky to get 1 year at best.

Have only dealt with them to order Electronics manuals but found them to be very courteous and helpful.

I have played off and on for 38 years (started in 1964 at age 12..quit for 25 years in 1974 and as recent as 2001 decided it was in my blood and was something I not only wanted to do but try and do it right this time. I play a Gibson ES-137 Classic through the JC-90. I am really warming up to this amp. It gets sweeter every time I play it. Sound is good and clean..."Pristine" to be exact. I fully recommend it for Guitars with Humbuckers. Do not expect it to work well for lots of distortion. It was not made for that. I think the looks are "ugly". I was so put off by this that even though I fell in love with the sound of a JC-77 I could not bring myself to buy one. After 3 amps and trying to get that sound I sold or returned them and bought the JC-90. Sound means more than looks to me anymore. And this has plenty of it. Some have said it is not as full as the JC-120 with its 2 12 inch speakers and they are probably correct. I settled for the JC-90 because the 120 does not have FX loops or headphone jack but it does have a Tremolo mine does not. OH WELL win some, loose some. I had to decide was Tremolo and 12 inch speakers worth 250 more dollars to me...nope.

The chorus is ok if that is what you are wanting in a amp. Don't expect to go raise a flag on it's sound .The hi-treble is a waste of space...should have put a gain there .

I think it sounds pretty good threw a accoustic guitar . However, I play it threw a Mexican strat and it does NOT sound very good. The Mexican strat sound threw this amp can't get fat no matter how you place the knobs , it's as skinny as Olive Oil on slim fast. If you want a fat ,thick , bell tone...this amp fails badly . It's NOT a tube amp and it does not sound like one .

very reliable

I have not had a problem so far with this amp . I have had it several years . It is mainly a bedroom amp .

My oppinion is that I'm ready to change . I want a big fat sounding amp. This amp does not do the sound I want . However it is a very reliable .

Dont know what year it was made..bought it off e-bay. great clasic chorus sound, reverb is rich, but not as rich as i like it. THIS THING PUMPS FOR ONLY 80 WATTS. VERY LOUD!!!

I play a nylon string guitar through a Multi FX processor, WAH, and RC-20 Loop Station. I mix Flamenco, Bossa Nava, Funk, Electronica and Rock styles...mainly staying in the clean, or mild distorted range.

Built like a Roland..solid. I previously owned a AC-100 but found the sound was great, just not loud enough. For a used amp, still rockin..

No need....

I would reccomend this to anyone looking for a clean sound. The distortion is weak, but I have no need for it.

Stereo Chorus Amp, 2 10" Combo. Plenty of sounds to work with. LOUD.

If you want to hear this amp, visit www.mp3.com/yellowno5oh
This is a Mex Strat with a single coil standard pickup played through it. Beleive it or not, this is also the amp's distortion only! The guitars are doubled in our songs though. The song "Cosmic Riddles" shows both clean and dirty.

I bought this from an ad in the paper back near 1993. I didn't like the old look of it at first but the darn thing is durable. It also caught up with itself sound wise.

It was a fantastic value for me since I saw it when I was on tour in North Carolina for over $800. I also have a Dean Avalanche I and a Peavey Delta Blues Amp. You should hear these amps chained together with a stereo chorus pedal!

The stero chorus on this amp is very good , sound really good playing a acoustic style guitar . However my Fender strat sounds to twangy and not the sound I'm looking for .

The Fender strat I use does not sound worth a flip threw this amp. I tried it in a store on a acoustic Takamine which sounds ok . The Fender strat sound is twangy , dull on bridge pickup , It just can't produce the Blues,grundge , zz top sound I'm looking for . Maybe I expected to much when I heard it threw a acoustic guitar . If you want to play blues , country , Rock I don't recomend this amp

It is a rock solid amp , This is its best feature by far

this might be a ok amp if I had a different style of music I play like classical or something but NOT blues grunge Texas style sizzle I'm wanting . I guess I wanted a tube sounding amp and this is NOT it.