Some time ago, ISP Música Magazine introduced this powerful amplifier. Back then we limited ourselves to gathering information and getting to know the product. Today we dive fully into its analysis, because the amp is here in our test lab. It's a great amp, not only for its size but also for its power, features, and sound. We already mentioned in the past the excellence of this collaboration between Peavey and Joe Satriani, in a product that covers a wide range of EQ settings, gain levels, and saturation.
Unboxing and Hooking Up
When we took the amp (head + cabinet) out of its packaging and saw the rig set up, we were delighted with its looks. We'd seen it in photos, but to be honest, having this “beast” just inches from our guitar is imposing. A very carefully designed look that fuses the modern with classic touches. Something we like.
Its knobs and controls are large, sturdy, and reliable. Likewise, the LEDs are clearly visible, and the overall impression is of a rugged, tough amplifier.
We really appreciated the well-placed handles (one on the head and two on the cabinet), as well as the wheels working well (they don't jam and roll smoothly). The amp is big and heavy, so the handles and wheels are essential for one person (the guitarist) to manage moving it around.
Connecting it is simple. On the back of the head you have a voltage selector and an impedance selector. Beyond that, you only need to connect the head to the footswitch and the amp's ¼" jacks to the cabinet. You can connect in mono or stereo.
Sound Control and Control Panel
One thing I liked is the good visibility of the LEDs and knobs at all times. That lets you know how your rig is set up even while playing. In addition, each channel is identified by a color (green, yellow, and red LEDs), and those same LEDs are on your footswitch.
Let's take it step by step. The amp has three channels: CLEAN, CRUNCH, and ULTRA. The control panel layout is as follows:
Front Panel
1. Power
2. Standby (always advisable, since it saves wear on the tubes)
3. Red power LED
4. Presence and resonance controls
5. Master volume
6. ULTRA channel controls: treble, mids, bass, volume, and gain
7. CRUNCH channel controls: treble, mids, bass, volume, and gain
8. Fat switches (two). They alter the low-frequency response. Their effect is especially noticeable on clean guitars. The control affects the attack.
9. CLEAN channel controls: treble, mids, bass, and volume.
10. Channel selector switch.
11. Noise Gate. I loved this feature, and it is a very notable aspect of the amp. If you consider that this is a “warrior” amp, we were amazed to detect absolute silence when we weren't playing notes, as well as how effective the noise gate is. As you'd expect, it dulls the brightness a bit if pushed hard, but as a perfectly controllable tool I find it more than appropriate.
12. Inputs: High and low
Rear Panel
- Effects control block
1. Effects send level
2. Effects send/return connection
3. Return level
- Footswitch connection (channel switching and effects activation)
- Impedance selector, speaker output, line out level, line out, fuse, ground polarity switch, power inlet.
Cabinet: Triple XXX
As for the cabinet, we'll stress its sturdiness, good finish, and the 400W driven through its four 12" Triple XXX speakers.
You can check the spec sheet to see the impedance combinations you can set using the switch on the head.
The Sound and the Tests
With this amp, I again experienced the absolute adrenaline rush that a good tube rig gives you over any simulation, however good. I honestly expected something more “shrill” and noisy, but I have to confess the amp is the real deal.
I sincerely loved it, and I'm going to explain why. As I said before, I really like the noise gate, our control over the “beastly,” warm, dynamic sound without having to put up with annoying hum. I also like it for the gear's total versatility. I ran plenty of tests on all the channels:
a) CLEAN. A punchy, full, thick sound that runs through every shade of crystalline, solid but crisp clean tones.
b) CRUNCH. My favorite, without a doubt. You get a multitude of different sounds. Personally I looked for thick, full-bodied colors with a sparkling saturated attack that didn't cross over into distortion. A more than ample range between nearly clean, bubbling, and brushing up against aggression.
c) ULTRA. The most aggressive of the three channels. With it we reach the sharpest distortions, getting punchy results that are especially powerful in the low end.
Overall we run through a compendium of sounds that range from vintage British vibes of the Classic 50 to the modern sounds of the Triple XXX.
I believe the combination of the JSX with this cabinet, as we are testing it, offers practically the entire range of sounds you could need, with impeccable quality, astonishing power, and the authentic flavor of tubes.
Our EQ possibilities are absolute, so we shape the guitar signal both by choosing the channel best suited to what we need and through the EQ and saturation controls on each one.
We'll finish this section by highlighting how useful the footswitch is: with it we open the path to the effects sends while changing channels on the fly. That lets you have several sound configurations and even alternate between them live with a simple “stomp.”
Conclusions
It's obvious that the product's price puts it out of reach for many users, since you have to spend good money to get it. Despite this drawback, which is logical and common in high-end products, I conclude that this is a magnificent guitar amplifier. It isn't designed only for all-out rock; it covers an infinite number of sounds, all of them delivered at excellent levels of quality. Impeccable looks, good finishes, and flawless sonic results. Finally, I want to emphasize that the amp is designed for use and performance at high sound pressure levels. It's almost impossible to work without making a lot of “racket,” so I don't recommend the amp for use anywhere other than a rehearsal room, (acoustically treated) studio spaces, and stages. That said, I assure you that you'll never run short of volume.
