Guitar Magazine - Lazy J10 Review

RiftAmps

mburekenge said:

He's not building them all himself any way.

It truly is the worst kept secret

Ossyrocks

RiftAmps said:

mburekenge said:

He's not building them all himself any way.

It truly is the worst kept secret

Really? Now I didn’t know that! 

RaymondLin

RiftAmps said:

mburekenge said:

He's not building them all himself any way.

It truly is the worst kept secret

This J10 may be but I am pretty certain my J20 was, picking it up at his house and seeing all the tools and spare parts for other amps to be made, they weren't all for show.

JerkMoans

What?! Are they all being knocked out of some sweatshop in Indonesia or something?!

brooom

You know what, I totally forgot, another brand I'd consider for tweed circuits and right here in the UK. Rift amps, the grey tweeds look very good. Pricing is right and even though I'm yet to try one the build quality seems really good.

interstellar

He doesnt half come in for some microscopic scrutiny on here this Jesse Hoff, anyone would think he lives in England and has been very successful    !!!

brooom

Not a lot of scrutiny going on though...

RiftAmps

Ossyrocks said:

RiftAmps said:

mburekenge said:

He's not building them all himself any way.

It truly is the worst kept secret

Really? Now I didn’t know that! 

Yeah, all Reverb and Tremolo modules and most J20 chassis (and now J10 I expect) are outsourced to a small London based business. Jesse still builds all of the other models and does the final assembly/testing on all amps.

Does it matter? Not at all!

crunchman

I think he outsources the cabs as well.  On the early ones he built the cabs himself as well.

mburekenge

mburekenge said:

He's not building them all himself any way.

This wasn't meant as criticism btw.

IvisonGuitars

crunchman said:

I think he outsources the cabs as well.  On the early ones he built the cabs himself as well.

Yes, the cabs are Mojotone from the US. Matt at Monty’s was helping build the Reverb/Trem units last time I spoke to Jesse (which was a good while ago) so its still a U.K. made product with top guys involved. 

Loving all this by the way....means my early J20 is soon to be Hoff-era like Matchless has a Sampson-era and thus twice as expensive/desirable...

crunchman

miserneil said:

crunchman said:

I think he outsources the cabs as well.  On the early ones he built the cabs himself as well.

Yes, the cabs are Mojotone from the US. Matt at Monty’s was helping build the Reverb/Trem units last time I spoke to Jesse (which was a good while ago) sonigs still a U.K. made product with top guys involved. 

Loving all this by the way....means my early J20 is soon to be Hoff-era like Matchless has a Sampson-era and thus twice as expensive/desirable...

Mine is so early it doesn't even have the Lazy J logo.

Keefy

What vintage Fender amp is the J10 'inspired' (ahem) by? J20 is presumably based on a Deluxe, J5 would be a Champ, so J10 would be what - a Princeton? Or is it more original than that?

IvisonGuitars

crunchman said:

miserneil said:

crunchman said:

I think he outsources the cabs as well.  On the early ones he built the cabs himself as well.

Yes, the cabs are Mojotone from the US. Matt at Monty’s was helping build the Reverb/Trem units last time I spoke to Jesse (which was a good while ago) sonigs still a U.K. made product with top guys involved. 

Loving all this by the way....means my early J20 is soon to be Hoff-era like Matchless has a Sampson-era and thus twice as expensive/desirable...

Mine is so early it doesn't even have the Lazy J logo.

Ah....so it could be anything then....Mine is DEFINITELY rarer/more desirable.....there’s even a bead of Jesse sweat on the inside of the chassis....

By the way, has yours got a fan in it to cool the transformer @crunchman? My current one has and an early one I had before did but the 2 later ones I had didn’t. Perhaps Jesse decided it wasn’t needed?

clarkefan

miserneil said:

Yes, the cabs are Mojotone from the US. Matt at Monty’s was helping build the Reverb/Trem units last time I spoke to Jesse (which was a good while ago) so its still a U.K. made product with top guys involved. 

Wow, I know Mojotone have a great rep but you'd think somebody here like Paul in Zilla could do a top job too.

Sort of boggles the mind, shedloads of empty ply boxes travelling 1000s of miles by air when Paul is in Bristol!

ThePrettyDamned

clarkefan said:

miserneil said:

Yes, the cabs are Mojotone from the US. Matt at Monty’s was helping build the Reverb/Trem units last time I spoke to Jesse (which was a good while ago) so its still a U.K. made product with top guys involved. 

Wow, I know Mojotone have a great rep but you'd think somebody here like Paul in Zilla could do a top job too.

Sort of boggles the mind, shedloads of empty ply boxes travelling 1000s of miles by air when Paul is in Bristol!

Yup, that's insane. Probably offers poorer value to customers too, but perhaps there is a good reason.

Lebarque

Keefy said:

What vintage Fender amp is the J10 'inspired' (ahem) by? J20 is presumably based on a Deluxe, J5 would be a Champ, so J10 would be what - a Princeton? Or is it more original than that?

Harvard?

RiftAmps

ThePrettyDamned said:

clarkefan said:

miserneil said:

Yes, the cabs are Mojotone from the US. Matt at Monty’s was helping build the Reverb/Trem units last time I spoke to Jesse (which was a good while ago) so its still a U.K. made product with top guys involved. 

Wow, I know Mojotone have a great rep but you'd think somebody here like Paul in Zilla could do a top job too.

Sort of boggles the mind, shedloads of empty ply boxes travelling 1000s of miles by air when Paul is in Bristol!

Yup, that's insane. Probably offers poorer value to customers too, but perhaps there is a good reason.

The issue is that cabinet makers who will build in Pine are in VERY short supply here in the UK, whereas in the States they’re plentiful. Mojo can churn these out, lacquered, in big numbers. It took me a long time to find a UK guy who uses Pine AND builds to a high standard. All the other big cab builders here only use Birch Ply.

AllParts are no longer sourcing the cabs for Jesse from Mojotone so he’s now buying direct and importing them himself.

Lebarque said:

Keefy said:

What vintage Fender amp is the J10 'inspired' (ahem) by? J20 is presumably based on a Deluxe, J5 would be a Champ, so J10 would be what - a Princeton? Or is it more original than that?

Harvard?

It’s just a low-powered 5E3 (6V6s in triode maybe?) with a 12AX7 in V1.

IvisonGuitars

RiftAmps said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

clarkefan said:

miserneil said:

Yes, the cabs are Mojotone from the US. Matt at Monty’s was helping build the Reverb/Trem units last time I spoke to Jesse (which was a good while ago) so its still a U.K. made product with top guys involved. 

Wow, I know Mojotone have a great rep but you'd think somebody here like Paul in Zilla could do a top job too.

Sort of boggles the mind, shedloads of empty ply boxes travelling 1000s of miles by air when Paul is in Bristol!

Yup, that's insane. Probably offers poorer value to customers too, but perhaps there is a good reason.

The issue is that cabinet makers who will build in Pine are in VERY short supply here in the UK, whereas in the States they’re plentiful.

This.

ThePrettyDamned

miserneil said:

RiftAmps said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

clarkefan said:

miserneil said:

Yes, the cabs are Mojotone from the US. Matt at Monty’s was helping build the Reverb/Trem units last time I spoke to Jesse (which was a good while ago) so its still a U.K. made product with top guys involved. 

Wow, I know Mojotone have a great rep but you'd think somebody here like Paul in Zilla could do a top job too.

Sort of boggles the mind, shedloads of empty ply boxes travelling 1000s of miles by air when Paul is in Bristol!

Yup, that's insane. Probably offers poorer value to customers too, but perhaps there is a good reason.

The issue is that cabinet makers who will build in Pine are in VERY short supply here in the UK, whereas in the States they’re plentiful.

This.

Seems rather a pity, but at least there is justification.