anybody tried Lazy J amps

fretfinder

Wazmeister said:

Here's a snippet of the email sent by Jesse, regarding valves in the J20.

"The trem tube is a 12AX7
Reverb top 12AY7 (12AT7 will work, too, but will drive it harder)
Reverb bottom 12AX7

A GZ34 and 5AR4 are the same thing.
1st tube on the right 12AY7
2nd tube from the right 12AX7

matched pair of 6L6s

I prefer EH tubes...Sovtek or JJ GZ34.

I hope this helps.
All the best,
Jesse"

Thanks. Mine has a 12AT7 in the reverb top position and I have a 12AY7 on order to swap it over. 

Am I right in thinking the quality of the rectifier tube doesn't matter, it just has to work? I think that's what Jesse said when I spoke to him in the phone. He also suggested trying a solid state rectifier plug-in to see the difference and said the fact there's no standby switch in the amp wouldn't be a problem.

@ICBM @martinw ?

Namaqua

Just to add to the positivity vibe, Jesse built my Lazy J20 in 2014. Used for a couple of albums and numerous gigs and never fails to impress. I often use Gretsch and Gibson hollow bodies and they just sing through the J20. 
Somewhere further back in this thread someone said the j40 is head and shoulders above the j20 but I don't think that is the case having used both at cranked volumes inside venues (of around 2000 seater) and at festivals. Often I am needing to reduce the bass response output to ensure I don't swamp the bass players space and that's just the j20!

In short, incredible amps and I've been fortunate enough to own some pretty awesome historic amps.

garfy

I reintroduced myself recently to a J20 (many thanks again @Wazmeister) after I foolishly let one go to a new home. I won't be repeating that mistake, it's such a giving amp....Very inspiring!

Gadget

Namaqua said:

Just to add to the positivity vibe, Jesse built my Lazy J20 in 2014. Used for a couple of albums and numerous gigs and never fails to impress. I often use Gretsch and Gibson hollow bodies and they just sing through the J20. 
Somewhere further back in this thread someone said the j40 is head and shoulders above the j20 but I don't think that is the case having used both at cranked volumes inside venues (of around 2000 seater) and at festivals. Often I am needing to reduce the bass response output to ensure I don't swamp the bass players space and that's just the j20!

In short, incredible amps and I've been fortunate enough to own some pretty awesome historic amps.

Do you have a link to anything with it in action, studio or live?

I'll be honest and might get flamed for this, but I've struggled to get past hearing the majority of any currently available sound / video clips as decidedly ordinary. I have no boubt that's down to the deficiencies of the clips and not the amp, so would love to hear a better reflection of these amps' potential.

ruoma

Gadget said:

Do you have a link to anything with it in action, studio or live?

I'll be honest and might get flamed for this, but I've struggled to get past hearing the majority of any currently available sound / video clips as decidedly ordinary. I have no boubt that's down to the deficiencies of the clips and not the amp, so would love to hear a better reflection of these amps' potential.

What would you like to hear? I could make you a clip if you want.

Gadget

ruoma said:

Gadget said:

Do you have a link to anything with it in action, studio or live?...

What would you like to hear? I could make you a clip if you want.

Anything really, that you think reflects the quality of tone available. Most of the clips I've heard have been the amp in isolation, so one in the context of a live or recorded performance would be great.

TimmyO

I thought the Church Of The Lazy J congregation had been quiet for a while :-) 

Lebarque

I'm as guilty as anyone of watching endless clips and thinking I've made up my mind based on them, only to know something's not for me after five seconds of plugging it in. The only way to really get a feel for gear is to play it yourself.

I guess what I'm saying is forget any clips you've heard. As many on here will testify, the J20 is a fantastic sounding modded tweed deluxe. If you really want to hear one properly, find a way of having a go on one, perhaps at the Fretboard jam etc. If you like Fender tweed tone, I'm sure you'll love it. Great amp.

RaymondLin

TimmyO said:

I thought the Church Of The Lazy J congregation had been quiet for a while :-) 

We don't need to, like Dumble owners don't speak about how great Dumbles are…..right? lol

I dunno, I guess no one here bought one for a while, not sure why? I blame Brexit.

dindude

RaymondLin said:

TimmyO said:

I thought the Church Of The Lazy J congregation had been quiet for a while :-) 

We don't need to, like Dumble owners don't speak about how great Dumbles are…..right? lol

I dunno, I guess no one here bought one for a while, not sure why? I blame Helix.

Fixed that for you.

ThePrettyDamned

dindude said:

RaymondLin said:

TimmyO said:

I thought the Church Of The Lazy J congregation had been quiet for a while :-) 

We don't need to, like Dumble owners don't speak about how great Dumbles are…..right? lol

I dunno, I guess no one here bought one for a while, not sure why? I blame Helix.

Fixed that for you.

Lol or wis?! I've enjoyed the Helix obsession though as it's resulted in people problem solving and working together to get the absolute most out of the unit with some tremendous results. 

Not for everyone, but the Helix threads make for good reading. For me, it taught me that I can find ways to use my valve amp and board more carefully to create my tones rather than simply looking for another reverb or delay pedal. 

Cabicular

There is a lot of experience in those Helix threads. I've learned tons and not just about the unit
I've spent most of my life being fairly straightforward guitar player (real tube driver plus Marshal super and maybe a delay if I was feeling exotic)
parallel paths, wet dry wet etc are all new to me
baxk on Topic I have cbellengas old lazy J20 and Ido enjoy just plugging it in with a valve trem and just letting it wash over me. It is a very very loud 20 watts though even with the vac