G E A R

The amps clean layout and sturdy construction promise years of trouble-free operation.
PEAVEY JSX JOE SATRIANI SIGNATURE AMP
T E S T E D T E R R Y B Y B U D D I N G H
INSTANT GRATIFICATION PEAVEY JSX
WHOS IT FOR? Players seeking an articulate and punchy three-channel amp. KUDOS Three dynamic and versatile channels. Massive clean headroom on Clean channel. CONCERNS None. PRICE $1,499 retail $1,124 street CONTACT Peavey, (601) 483-5365; peavey.com.
Last year, when Joe Satriani approached EDITORS Peaveys Instrument Amp Product Manager Bill Xavier with some ideas for a new amp, he was immediately put in touch with James Brown. Not the Godfather of Soul, but, rather, Peaveys Instrument Amplifier Engineering Manager, who developed the JSX while Satriani was on the G3 tour with Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen. Satriani tested the prototypes onstage and reported his findings back to Brown, who continued to refine the amps tone with various circuit tweaks and mods. The JSX is solidly built, with a tough road-warrior look. The durable front-panel toggle switches are extra husky, and the chrome-plated solid-brass knobs give the amp a heavy duty look and feel. With its ruggedly cool vibe, the JSX looks hip on any stage, and its tough exterior should help it survive the rowdiest roadhouse rumbles. Satriani digs chrome, so Peavey created a contoured, two-piece, chrome-plated zinc casting to surround the oval JSX logo. Together, these two pieces form an S-shaped opening that provides extra venti-
lation for the tubes through a perforated grille. Inside, three printed circuit boards hold the majority of the components. Every control pot is firmly secured to the chassis, and the output tube sockets are bolted to the chassis as well. The circuit boards are connected via four short ribbon cables and a few neatly tied shielded cables and wires. Techs will appreciate the spacious, service-friendly layout. For a more aggressive sound, the JSX comes equipped with EL34s, but it also readily accepts 6L6s. A small slide switch adjacent to the output tubes changes the bias to accommodate either tube type.

CHANNEL SURFING

Even when pummeled with high-output humbuckers, the JSXs Clean channel is absolutely uncrushable. Distortion pedals sound dynamic, detailed, and focused, and clean tones ripple with sinewy midrange definition and complexity. Possessing virtually unlimited headroom, the Clean channel can absorb the most brutal pounding, yet it still sounds lively and colorful for sweet fingerpicking or frantic tapping. The Crunch channel provides a smooth transition from the Clean channel, offering articulate higher-gain tones that are dynamically responsive. When playing fast runs, each note punches through with its own crisply defined identity. The Fat switch works especially well with single-coil pickups, as it enhances low-end body and girth without sounding mushy or boomy. Its also surprising how well the JSX works with both lean sounding single-coils and high-output humbuckers. Every guitar I tried sounded firm, focused, and precise.
PHOTOS : PAU L H AGGA R D
M AY G U I T A R P L A Y E R
A small slide switch allows the JSX to run either EL34s or 6L6GCs. The adjacent pot lets you adjust the bias without removing the chassis.
G U I T A R P L A Y E R M AY 0 4
The footswitchable effects loop sports controls for both send and return levels. Theres also an attenuated line-output jack with a level control that taps off the speaker output.
Originally printed in May 2004 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2004, CMP Information. All rights reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 2800 Campus Dr., San Mateo, CA 94403 (650) 513-4300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
The Ultra channel covers the highgain solo tones especially well, offering plenty of burning sustain while remaining defined, percussive, and dynamic. Theres a punchy forward thrust that propels each note straight into the audience, and thats the big difference between amps that sound like compressed mush and those that can effectively communicate in a concert environment. To truly be heard, every note and detail of your sound has to get off the stage and reach the audience. And thats the essence of the JSX, which is designed to communi-
cate with the audience, not simply flatter the player with smoothed-over schmutz.

JSX APPEAL

With its cool looks, wide range of articulate tones, and affordable price, the Peavey JSX is a hard act to follow. While theres certainly no shortage of high-gain, three-channel amps these days, the JSX separates itself from the pack by delivering the goods with an uncommonly refined sense of articulation and authority. Satriani and Brown teamed-up to produce a winner, and the JSX receives an Editors Pick Award.g

Three channels Presence and Resonance controls Fat switches on Ultra and Crunch channels Active EQ on Ultra and Crunch channels Variable noise gate on Ultra and Crunch channels Footswitchable effects loop with send and return level controls Line out jack with level control One Sovtek 12AX7LPS and three ElectroHarmonix 12AX7EH preamp tubes Four Electro-Harmonix EL34EH output tubes (also accepts 6L6GCs) 100 watts
JAMES BROWN ON THE PEAVEY JSX
As Peaveys Instrument Amplifier Engineering Manager, James Brown has a tube-amp design rsum that includes the Classic 50, Rockmaster preamp, Triumph, VTM and Ultra series amps, the 5150 (co-designed with Eddie Van Halen), and the Triple XXX. Brown worked closely with Joe Satriani during the JSXs development, and here he explains how the amp came together. TB Working with Joe was really easy because he was very clear about what he wanted, says Brown. He liked the Triple XXXs Clean and Crunch channels, so we decided to use that amp as the basic platform for the JSX. We spent a lot of time tweaking the Clean channel. I slid the midrange center frequency down a little bit, modified the channels brightness, and for the Treble control, I used an audio-taper potwhich turns up more gradually than linear-taper pots to obtain a more vintage amp response. And because the JSX has three channels, I could fully optimize its Clean channel for a clear, open sound. You can beat on the JSXs Clean channel pretty hard without it distorting, and that helps it work well with pedals. Joe thought the Triple XXXs Crunch channel had a really good lead tone, so that became the basis for the JSXs Ultra channel. To improve articulation, I reduced low end in the preamp which can be restored with the Fat switch, although its done in a slightly different fashion for a tighter attackand I also reduced the gain because Joe thought the channel sounded a little too compressed. We experimented with different amounts of gain and midrange to get a screaming lead sound that was also articulate and punchy. Joe really dug the lead channel of our Classic 50 for in-between sounds, so I modified the JSXs Crunch channel to sound more like the Classic 50. This involved reducing the gain significantly, and I also had to tweak the Crunch channels active EQ to more closely match the limited range of the Classic 50s passive EQ. A cool thing about the JSX is that if you set every knob to 5 on all three channelsmeaning you have every knob pointing straight-up and crank the bass on the two distortion channels, youll get a tone thats very similar to Joes.